Cambridge English: First for Schools

Lesson Plan: Reading

This lesson plan accompanies Cambridge English: First for Schools 1 Reading Test 4 Parts 1, 5 and 6

This lesson is particularly suitable for students at the beginning of their Cambridge English: First for
Schools course.

This lesson is also suitable for any upper intermediate course in order to help students identify the
genre of writing by noticing use of grammar, vocabulary and style.

Lesson Goals
1. To encourage students to notice how grammar and vocabulary are linked to particular
genres of writing
2. To focus students on reading holistically and not get stalled by unknown words
3. To allow for creativity in moving from reading to writing to appreciate use of language for
a particular purpose

Activity (see brackets for resources required) Time Interaction

needed
Warmer (one copy of Resource 1, an empty bottle) 5-10 mins

• Prepare a scrap of paper (see attached material, Resource 1). 1 min S-T
Make it look old and stained if possible to cover missing words.
Put it in an old bottle (not completely, make sure it’s easy to pull
out) and show to the class. Elicit from students what they think is
in the bottle and what it might say.
• Ask why they think someone may have written it. 1 min T-S
• Pull out the paper and show to the class (you may like to show 2 mins T-S
on a screen or board as well so all can see, especially if you have
a big class). Ask students to guess what words have been deleted
by the sea water and time.
• Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to recreate the
message and get them to read it out and compare (accept all 3 mins S-S
possible answers).
• Then ask students how they were able to guess what the 1 min T-S
message said (context, previous knowledge of messages in
bottles, words they could read etc.) Ask them how the writer
feels and encourage them to explain why from what they read in
the letter (he sounds desperate – uses short sentences,
exclamation marks and describes feelings etc.)
• Tell them they are great ‘reading detectives’ as this is what we 2 mins T-S
need to do when reading texts:
• Work out who wrote the text

Cambridge English: First for Schools 1 Reading Test 4 Lesson Plan

© Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2016
 • What was the reason it was written
• What the writer wants the reader to do/think
• Use all the clues they have like the context of the text,
the grammar, vocabulary used, even the punctuation
Main activities (copies of Resource 2 for each group) 30-35 mins
- Short texts and labels could be cut up to allow kinaesthetic matching.
- Extra copies of texts will also be required for extension activity.

• Explain that students are going to read a number of very short 2 min T-S
texts and be reading ‘detectives’. They are going to find out a lot
about the writer of the text and the message.
• Explain that they have to match the text to a label – what kind of 2 min T-S
text is it? What was the text they found in the bottle? A letter
asking for help.
• Hand out the 5 short texts and the genre labels to small groups 10 mins SS-SS then
of 2-4 students and ask them to match them BUT they have to be SS-T
able to explain why they chose the genres they did.
KEY:
1. Story – narrative tense, descriptive, dialogue, theme
2. Advertisement – vocabulary, short sentences, exclamation
marks, mention of price, sounds like someone shouting at
you
3. Letter of complaint – negative vocabulary, formal
4. School composition – contrasting phrases, neutral – no
personal pronouns, typical theme
5. Song – rhyming words, phrases of similar length, romantic
theme
• Write the following words on the board – stallion, in stock, 3 mins T-S
disappointed, in contrast. Ask if the students knew these words
before now (probably not). How could they guess the meaning?
• Look at stallion together (Short Text 1, Resource 2) – he’s riding 4 mins T-S
ON it so it must be a bicycle or an animal. If it were another
vehicle he’d be IN it. He is at the sheriff’s office so that suggests a
Western theme. He sounds like a hero, so a donkey is unlikely
etc. So it’s probably a horse. Does it sound like a small weak
horse or a strong one, just from the sound of the word?
• Now ask students to work in pairs and work out the meaning of 10 mins S-S
the other 3 words/phrases.
• Check together and encourage students to explain how they 4 mins S-T
reached their conclusions.

Cambridge English: First for Schools 1 Reading Test 4 Lesson Plan

© Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2016
 Extension activity (sheets of paper for composition and display) 15 mins

This could be done in class or for homework and then texts can be
compared in class rather than checked individually by the teacher.

• Ask students to work in pairs and choose three (fewer if you 5 mins S-S
don’t have much time) of the five texts they had looked at and
continue writing the text in the same genre and style. Ask the
students to write each text on separate pieces of paper. When
they have finished display the writing so that all text As are
together etc.
• Divide the class into 5 groups A,B,C,D & E and ask them to read 5 mins Ss-Ss
the continuations of the texts and choose the one they like the
most
• Ask students to give feedback on the text they liked and explain 5 mins S-T
why they liked it. Did it keep to the same to the style? Use
appropriate grammar and vocabulary? Communicate the
required message well, etc.?

Cambridge English: First for Schools 1 Reading Test 4 Lesson Plan

© Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2016
Resource 1

He…..
Plane c…….!!
I’m on an i….. in
………………
Only coconuts and
f……… ……….
……….
I’m very…….!!
Please………
Cambridge English: First for Schools 1 Reading Test 4 Lesson Plan
© Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2016
Resource 2
TEXTS

1. It was a grey, cloudy day in the middle of December, when Doug Avery rode into
town on his black stallion. ‘I can smell trouble’, he said to himself as he stopped at
the sheriff’s office.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. This is a once in a lifetime deal!! Yours for only $999!! Only ten left in stock! Buy now
or you’ll regret it!!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. My sister and I were very disappointed in the food and the service. The soup was
cold, the meat was burnt and the ice cream was warm and runny.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. On the one hand it is healthy to travel by bicycle but on the other it can take a long
time to get from one place to another. In contrast travelling by car is much quicker
and more comfortable.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5. You and I were made to be. That’s not something all can see. All I want to do, is be
with you.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

GENRE

A. Advertisement
B. Letter of complaint
C. Song
D. Story
E. School composition

Cambridge English: First for Schools 1 Reading Test 4 Lesson Plan

© Cambridge University Press and UCLES 2016