B2.

1 WRITING ASSESSMENT 2
Read me a book!
Communicative goals:
 Edit notes or bullet points to make them more concise.
 Write an introduction to a simple essay.
 Write a strong topic sentence within a clear paragraph.

1. Think about…

 What is the most compelling story, text or

book that you have ever read? Why? Which
are the elements you liked the most?
 Do you consider there is any downside in
reading an e-book? Do you consider there
is any downside in reading a physical
book?
 Which aspects of a book make you dive in
on the text?

Compelling: Interesting

Downside: Disadvantage

Dive in: To start doing

something suddenly and energetically.

2. Words matter!
To do well in this lesson you need to become familiar with a number of words.
Complete the following exercise to learn more vocabulary.

2.1. Underline the expression that best matches the idea of the boldfaced word or
phrase. Have a dictionary at hand.

1. Some authors prefer a simple list of items with bullet points, rather than long
descriptions.
- Categories - Dot before listing items
2. I had read Harry Potter’s books before they were adapted into films and the plot has
always been interesting.
- Story - Author

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 3. Stan has always had the ability to recall book details; even the most boring ones.
- To remember - To describe
4. Aleksandra has a fantastic memory; she is able to retain facts really easily.
- To ignore - To memorize

2.2. Match the word on the left with the meaning on the right. Write in the parenthesis
the corresponding letter.

EXPRESSION MEANING
1 The layout ( ) A To look for specific information.
2 Scanning ( ) B Technique used to retain information for
the long-term.
3 Intensive Reading. ( ) C Marker placed in a book
4 Extensive Reading( ) D To read in a voice that can be clearly heard.
5 Bookmark ( ) E The way the info in the text is arranged.
6 Read-out-loud ( ) F This technique focuses on reading for
pleasure.

3. Read a bit!

Read the following text that includes some tips on how to improve your reading skills.

TIPS AND TRICKS TO IMPROVE YOUR READING SKILLS

It doesn’t matter what the purpose of your

reading is, this ability requires certain practice
and skills to be developed. Like any other
ability, reading demands mastery so you can
take advantage of it, using different
techniques in everyday scenario. Whether
you’re a student who wants to improve your
abilities, or a reader who wants to improve for
your own benefit, here are some tips you can
follow to enhance your reading.

First of all, it is necessary to understand the type of text you are going to read; is it a
newspaper? A text book? An article? You need to identify it so you get an overall idea of
what the text is going to be about. Maybe you want to try scanning first. Scanning involves

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taking a few minutes to look at the text as a whole. This is an easy way to increase your
understanding as you only get a piece of information. Also, you can try skimming, which
involves reading more in less time. Skimming may help in order to know what the text is
about at its most basic level. Differently to scanning, skimming requires a previous idea of
the material before looking for certain details that back it up.

Another technique that is used, especially in an academic environment, is intensive reading.

It is the most time-consuming of all the reading techniques as it requires analysis of the text
elements as well as an examination of the words in context. If you try this method, keep a
dictionary at hand and try to take notes of the unknown vocabulary. Also, try to guess the
meaning of the words based on the other words around the context. However, if you are
reading for pleasure, maybe you want to try extensive reading. As you choose your own
material and your pace, you can try taking notes on your reading or summarizing the main
ideas as strategies for going in detail with the text you have chosen.

To sum up, even if you are reading for pleasure or for learning, you need to find the best
way to approach the text you want. According to your goal, you can set some strategies as
the ones mentioned above so the reading process is more fruitful.

4. Tips for composition:

In this session, you will find grammar elements and composition strategies that will
help you improve your writing skills. Read the explanation, this is important for the
next step!

BULLET POINTS

Bullet points are an excellent way to bring clarity to the text you are reading. They
communicate information easily and display the content in a concise way. Some of the
advantages of using bullet points are:

 Make list clearer.

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  Help visual learners to scan information.
 Summarize main points.
 Break down complex information.
 Highlight key elements of a text.

EX:
TIPS AND TRICKS TO IMPROVE YOUR READING SKILLS

 Identify the type of text you are reading.

 Scan information to look at the text in a whole.
 Keep a dictionary at hand.
 Try to take notes of the unknown vocabulary.
 Take notes on your reading.
 Summarize the main ideas.

PS. Remember to use the same structure.

 Keep a dictionary at hand. √
 Take notes on your reading. √
 Summarizing the main ideas. X

4.1. Read the following summary about the relationship between reading and mental
health. After that, sum up the main ideas by using bullet points.

BIBLIOTHERAPY: READING YOUR WAY TO MENTAL HEALTH

A new therapy in order to improve mental health is suggested by therapists after two
different researches in medicine; this is bibliotheraphy. The effectiveness of it has been
demonstrated in patients with depression or other mood disorders, the author describes.

First, it is stated that self-help books have been subject to diverse clinical trials and in some
of the cases “best-seller books” are a rip-off or they don’t determine the effectiveness of the
treatment. Based on that, professionals in the UK and the US are willing to recommend books
that have been shown to be successful.

After comparing patients’ depressive symptoms before and after treatment, they have shown
changes in their mood, reducing depressive symptoms in non-emergency cases. The article
affirms that bibliotherapy reduces symptoms and in some of the cases, no additional
treatment is needed. However, it is said that this kind of therapy works best on mild to

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moderate symptoms, like depression or mild alcohol abuse, but it is less in some cases like
addictions or severe alcohol abuse.

At the end, the author stated that research suggest that, for bibliotherapy to be effective, it
is necessary to complement it with conventional therapy.

HellikerK. (July 31, 2007). Bibliotherapy: Reading Your Way to Mental Health. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September
13, 2018, from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118583572352482728

BIBLIOTHERAPY: READING YOUR WAY TO MENTAL HEALTH

 _

 _

 _

 _

 _

 _

TOPIC SENTENCE

Topic sentence is the one that expresses the main idea of the paragraph. Topic sentences
are usually stated at the beginning of paragraphs but it is not a rule. As a writer you can
state the topic sentence after a transitional sentence or at the end of the paragraph.

Ex:
It doesn’t matter what the purpose of your reading is, this ability requires certain practice
and skills to be developed. Like any other ability, reading demands mastery so you can
take advantage of it, using different techniques in everyday scenario. Whether you’re a
student who wants to improve your abilities, or a reader who wants to improve for your own
benefit, here are some tips you can follow to enhance your reading.

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 PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

THE TOPIC SENTENCE

•States what the paragraph is going to be about.

THE BODY

•Facts or statements that support your main point/

further explanation of the topic.

THE CONCLUDING

•Summarizes the main points in the body and may

include a comment related to the topic.

EX:
It doesn’t matter what the purpose of your reading
TOPIC SENTENCE
is, this ability requires certain practice and skills to
be developed. Like any other ability, reading
demands mastery so you can take advantage of it, THE BODY

using different techniques in everyday scenario.

Whether you’re a student who wants to improve
your abilities, or a reader who wants to improve for
your own benefit, here are some tips you can follow THE CONCLUDING
to enhance your reading.

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4.2. Read the following paragraph and identify the topic sentence, the body and the
concluding sentence.

Americans are not good readers. Many blame the ubiquity of

digital media. We’re too busy on Snapchat to read, or
perhaps internet skimming has made us incapable of
reading serious prose. But Americans’ trouble with reading
predates digital technologies. The problem is not bad reading
habits engendered by smartphones, but bad education
habits engendered by a misunderstanding of how the mind
reads.
Taken from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/sunday/how-to-get-
your-mind-to-read.html

TOPIC SENTENCE:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE BODY:

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE CONCLUDING:

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

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