Real Easy Reading 3, Second Edition
Teacher’s Guide
Part 1 Nature—The Water
Unit 1 Coral
Warm Up
Ask the students to imagine they are snorkeling or diving. Ask them to imagine what they can see (animals, plants, etc.).
Coral Facts
★ Coral reefs are the largest living structures on our planet.
★ Coral grows very slowly. It grows 1cm to 18cm a year, depending on the species.
Direct the student’s attention to the picture in the student’s book. Talk about the discussion questions in the book with them.
Additional Picture Discussion Questions
1. What do you think coral feels like to touch?
2. Can you eat coral?
3. Have you ever been diving? What did you see?
New Words
Talk about the pictures with the students. Have the students write the new words.
Variation: Place a student on a seat in front of the room with his or her back to the board. Write one of the new words on the board, and ask the class to give clues to help him or her guess the word. The students explaining the words must NOT use the word on the board. This can also be done in teams.
Listening
Have the students follow the text in the book as they listen to the recording.
Variation: The teacher reads one key word from the main reading passage. The students must find the word and put their finger on it. When everyone has found the word, the class reads the sentence aloud, together.
Dictionary
Have the students write the missing words and underline them in the reading passage.
After Reading
Look at the reading comprehension questions with the students. Have them answer them alone or with a partner. Alternatively, answer them together as a whole class.
Idiom
Draw the students’ attention to the idiom at the bottom of the page: That is a drop in the ocean.
Using the definition in the book, explain the meaning. Ask the students if this idiom has a positive meaning or a negative meaning (Negative). Ask the students in what kind of situation they feel that something is just a drop in the ocean? (E.g. I have a test tomorrow, but I have only studied for twenty minutes.)
Reading Skills
Have the students work alone or with a partner.
Speaking
Have the students work in pairs or small groups. If your students are capable, extend the activity by having them asking additional questions using their own ideas.
Extension
Divide the class into two or three teams. Draw two or three sets of identical coral formations on the board (ie, a mini coral reef - one formation per team.). Students come up to the board in pairs and write a word from the unit on the board. (The teacher or another student should call out the word.). If the students writing the word give the correct spelling, then the coral is “saved.” If they write an incorrect spelling, then part of the coral is erased and “dies.” The team with the most coral left at the end of the game wins.
Teacher Zone—Supplementary Activities
(These activities can be done at any stage of the lesson.)
Activity 1—Build a Reef
Create a small reef environment. Find a plastic container such as a used food container or large plastic water bottles with the top portion removed. Use clay to make coral shapes. Fill with water and add some small fish and/or water plants. Discuss ways to keep the water clean, and the water temperature suitable for a fish to survive. Also think about ways to protect the fish, such as creating caves and spaces for fish to hide from big predators.
Activity 2—Class Discussion
1. Where can you find the most coral? (The Great Barrier Reef has some of the largest coral deposits.)
2. If you went diving in the ocean, what three things would you take with you? (Camera, air tank, fins, . . .)
3. Do you think that coral is pretty or ugly? (I think coral is pretty.)
4. What can kill coral? (Warm water temperature, fishing, pollution, acid, seaweed, . . .)
5. Which are more important, rainforests or coral reefs? (I think rainforests are more important because they have a lot of plants that can be used for medicine, and they make oxygen for us to breathe.)
Unit 2 Unusual Fish
Warm Up
Ask the class if they have ever had a pet fish. Have them think about the way different sea creatures move (e.g. crabs move sideways). If desired, have the students act out the movements of various fish and sea creatures.
Fish Facts
★ There are at least 25,000 identified species of fish.
★ 40% of all fish live in freshwater.
Direct the student’s attention to the picture in the student’s book. Talk about the discussion questions in the book with them.
Additional Picture Discussion Questions
1. What are the fish in the picture?
2. What body part helps fish breathe under water?
3. What is your favorite sea animal?
New Words
Talk about the pictures with the students. Have the students write the new words.
Variation: Writing Race - Once the students are familiar with the spelling of the words, have them close their books. Divide the class into teams. Say the new words and have a member from each team race to the whiteboard. The first team to write the correct spelling on the board gets a point.
Listening
Have the students follow the text in the book as they listen to the recording.
Variation: Divide the class into two groups e.g. boys and girls. Play the recording. Each group should read alternate sentences as they listen. Encourage them to say the sentences as loudly and clearly as they can.
Eg.
Group 1 (speaking at the same time as the recording): The snakehead fish originates from Africa and Asia.
Group 2: (speaking at the same time as the recording): It is long, with a large mouth and sharp teeth.
Group 1: It is a freshwater….
Group 2: . . .
Dictionary
Have the students write the missing words and underline them in the reading passage.
After Reading
Look at the reading comprehension questions with the students. Have them answer them alone or with a partner. Alternatively, answer them together as a whole class.
Idiom
Draw the students’ attention to the idiom at the bottom of the page: I am like a fish out of water. Using the definition in the book, explain the meaning. Ask the students if this idiom has a positive meaning or a negative meaning. Ask the students if there was a time when they felt ‘like a fish out of water.’
Reading Skills
Have the students work alone or with a partner.
Speaking
Have the students work in pairs or small groups. If your students are capable, extend the activity by having them asking additional questions using their own ideas.
Extension: Cut out pictures of a variety of different fish and hand a set of them to each small team of students. On the board, include the following groups: predator and prey, freshwater and ocean water. Students from the groups should work together to place each of the fish into one of the categories. For example, a shark would be in the prey category as well as in the ocean water category. Students should share their classifications with the class for review.
Teacher Zone—Supplementary Activities
(These activities can be done at any stage of the lesson.)
Activity 1—Funky Fish
Provide students with various materials to create their own fish. Include items such as empty paper towel rolls, pipe cleaners, paper clips, newspaper, and other easily recycled materials. Challenge students to create their own unusual fish.
Activity 2—Class Discussion
1. How does a predator depend on its prey? (It depends on its prey for food. The predator eats its prey in order to survive.)
2. What makes the snakehead fish very different from other fish? (It can walk on its fins and live on land for three days without water.)
3. What makes a fish a good swimmer? (Fins, tail, muscles, and the shape of the fish’s body)
4. List some different places a fish can live. (River, lake, ocean, pond, fish tank, . . .)
5. What adjectives can you use to describe fish? (Slippery, wet, funny, strange, scaly, . . .)
Unit 3 Heavy Animals
Warm Up
If you have space, give students an outline on the floor or on the playground of the length and height of a blue whale. Ask them to walk around it or lie next to the image to see how large the whale is compared to them.
Whale Facts
★ Whales are closely related to dolphins.
★ Whales need to breathe air. They breathe through a hole on the top of their head.
Direct the student’s attention to the picture in the student’s book. Talk about the discussion questions in the book with them.
Additional Picture Discussion Questions
1. How are sea animals able to stay warm in icy waters?
2. Can you think of any problems heavy animals might have?
3. What is the biggest animal you have seen in real life?
New Words
Talk about the pictures with the students. Have the students write the new words.
Variation: Bingo On the board, write the new words for the unit plus several words from Units 1 and 2. Have students fill in a nine square grid with 9 words from the board. Call out words from the list on the board. The first student to get a row (a bingo) wins.
Listening
Have the students follow the text in the book as they listen to the recording.
Variation: Stop the recording before the last word in each sentence. Get the students to shout out the missing word.
Dictionary
Have the students write the missing words and underline them in the reading passage.
After Reading
Look at the reading comprehension questions with the students. Have them answer them alone or with a partner. Alternatively, answer them together as a whole class.
Idiom
Draw the students’ attention to the idiom at the bottom of the page: I’m having a whale of a time. Using the definition in the book, explain the meaning. Ask the students if this idiom has a positive meaning or a negative meaning. Ask the students the last time they had a whale of a time.
Reading Skills
Have the students work alone or with a partner.
Speaking
Have the students work in pairs or small groups. If your students are capable, extend the activity by having them asking additional questions using their own ideas.
Teacher Zone—Supplementary Activities
(These activities can be done at any stage of the lesson.)
Activity 1—What Do You Eat?
Remind students that animals can be grouped according to what they eat. Challenge students to write down everything they have had to eat in one day. As students call out the foods, write them on the board. Then ask students to come up with categories into which the foods can be place. For example, categories might include: dairy, meats, vegetables, fruits, or snack foods.
Activity 2—Class Discussion
1. What would it be like to be a whale? (I think it would be lonely to be a whale.)
2. What really big animals have you seen? How did they behave? (I’ve seen elephants. They moved slowly. They were very curious and smart.)
3. Do you think it is easy for a large animal, such as a giraffe or elephant, to get comfortable? (No. I think it is difficult for them to get comfortable. Their body parts are so big and awkward.)
4. List some places where really big animals live. (Oceans, zoos, Africa, . . .)
5. Why is it important to keep big animals safe? (It is important to keep them safe because there are not that many of them. If we do not protect them, they will become extinct. The world would not be the same without these interesting animals.)
Part 2 Culture—Events
Unit 4 Weddings
Warm Up
Ask students to talk about weddings they have been to. What did they see there? Do? Eat?
Facts
★ Greek brides believed that putting a lump of sugar into the wedding gown would bring sweetness throughout married life.
★ An average wedding in the United States has 175 guests.
Direct the student’s attention to the picture in the student’s book. Talk about the discussion questions in the book with them.
Additional Picture Discussion Questions
1. Have you been to a wedding?
2. Are weddings fun or boring?
3. When will you get married?
New Words
Talk about the pictures with the students. Have the students write the new words.
Extension: Have the students work in pairs. They should take it in turns to point to a picture and have their partner write the word on a piece of paper.
Listening
Have the students follow the text in the book as they listen to the recording.
Variation: Prepare cards with key words from the passage. Give each student a card. Play the recording. When the students hear the word on their card, they should quickly stand up or hold up the card.
Dictionary
Have the students write the missing words and underline them in the reading passage.
After Reading
Look at the reading comprehension questions with the students. Have them answer them alone or with a partner. Alternatively, answer them together as a whole class.
Idiom
Draw the students’ attention to the idiom at the bottom of the page: They tied the knot.
Using the definition in the book, explain the meaning. Ask the students if this idiom has a positive meaning or a negative meaning. Ask the students if any of their relatives or their parents’ friends have tied the knot recently.