The ManicaPost
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Hello English Language teachers. Yes, last week I emphasised the need to develop a culture of READING in your pupils.Yes, I said you cannot escape the habit of reading and hope to win the English Learning battle.
I laboured to highlight common reading skills: Skimming, Extensive and Intensive reading and Scanning.
What are the outcomes of purposeful reading? Before I answer that, you must remember that reading and comprehension go hand in hand.
Learners are taught to read for meaning (understanding that words form mental pictures)/ investigating who, what, where, when, why and how. These investigations develop the literal skill/ then recognising the main ideas and discussing and reorganising them. This is the summarising skill/identifying topic sentences and developers (supporting sentences)/ recognising and understanding various questioning techniques and question-and-instruction words/ developing an awareness of other comprehension skills: appreciation skill and evaluation skill.
OUTCOMES: (Remember outcomes are result-centred)
Readers/ learners will be able to read and understand the following types of texts:
1. Prescribed written work
2. Additional reading materials eg. novels, plays, poems.
3. Newspapers and magazines.
4. Advertisements, brochures, pamphlets, posters, labels, notices and timetables.
5. Reference books like dictionaries, encyclopaedias and thesauruses.
NB: A skilled/ efficient/ competent reader will be able to:
Apply the 4 different reading techniques as required – Skimming, Scanning, Extensive and Intensive reading.
Read and respond to written and visual texts.
Determine the purpose and intended audience.
Find relevant information and details.
Identify the points of view expressed and give supporting evidence.
Motivate appropriate responses with supporting evidence.
You must never forget that most of the English Language skills that are not directly tested in an examination are vital in the battle to win English Language learning.
For example; Speaking, Listening, Spelling and the Reading we have been discussing. No one section tests these in an examination (Grade 7 or Form 4), but you cannot overlook them and be an English teacher worth his or her salt.
Teachers who teach for examinations, handicap their pupils by paying very little or no attention to these important aspects of English Language learning.
Teach the child to master all aspects of learning including what is never tested in an examination. Teach beyond the examination if you want to produce a competent learner who can speak, read, listen, spell and understand English well and skilfully.
Passing an examination does not guarantee such mastery. I know “clever” students who have passed their English Language sometimes with “As”or “Bs”, without any spectacular skills mastered and demonstrated.
GRADE 6-7 COMPREHENSION 2
READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW NEXT WEEK.
Teachers, please allocate the marks as you see fit but guided by examination standards. “Plap” your pupils accordingly, the high performers attempting the most challenging questions and the average ones the least demanding.
Scorpion stings
SCORPIONS are arthropods – a relative of insects and crustaceans. The average scorpion is about 8cm long, but different species can be smaller or larger.
They sting rather than bite, using the stinger in their tails. The venom itself contains a complex mix of toxins that affect the nervous system (neurotoxins).
Scorpions are nocturnal creatures that resist stinging, unless provoked or attacked. They can control the amount of venom they release, depending on how threatened they feel, so some stings may be almost entirely venom-less.
Contrary to what most people think, scorpion stings, though admittedly painful and scary, are mostly harmless. They are most serious in young children, older adults and pets.
Healthy adults usually don’t need treatment for scorpion stings, but if your child is stung, seek immediate medical care.
If symptoms are severe, supportive care in a hospital is usually required. In addition to best rest, this might include sedatives for muscle spasms and intravenous drugs to manage elevated blood pressure, agitation and pain.
If a scorpion stings you or your child, the suggestions below may be useful at home:
Clean the wound with soap and water.
Apply cold compresses to the affected area to ease the pain and slow the venom’s spread. This is most effective in the first two hours after a sting occurs.
Keep the affected limb raised to the level of your heart.
Try to stay calm and quiet so that the poison, if any, spreads more slowly.
Don’t consume food or liquids if you’re having difficulty swallowing.
Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, can help ease discomfort. But avoid using narcotic pain medications which can suppress breathing.
As with stinging insects, such as bees and wasps, you can have an allergic reaction to a scorpion sting, sometimes severe enough to be life-threatening (anaphylaxis).
Signs and symptoms are similar to those of bee stings and can include hives, trouble breathing, and nausea and vomiting. An allergic reaction may be wrongly attributed to the venom, which can cause different but also dangerous symptoms.
The very old and very young are most likely to die of untreated venomous scorpion bites. The cause is usually heart or respiratory failure occurring some hours after the sting. The best strategy, however, is to avoid getting stung in the first place. Scorpions tend to avoid contact.
