Exploiting an Authentic Reading Passage for English Language Learning

Teachers of EFL, English as a Foreign Language, arewhat. For example:o Extract key vocabulary to make
almost constantly strapped for time and freshcrossword or word find puzzleso Take out the key
materials to use in their English classes. If they teach invocabulary to create a fill-in-the-blanks exerciseo
a non-English speaking country, the situation can reachCreate a cognitive pairs or matching exerciseo Work
critical proportions quickly and often. With the adventwith a grammar point like reported speech based on
of the internet, however, authentic readings in Englishthe passageo Use the passage for regular or irregular
are now only a few mouse clicks away. But what toverb exercises
do with these snippets of information can beIf you'd like to use the passage elements for further
perplexing - even overwhelming, especially to fairlyresearch you could easily:o Create a web quest for
new, inexperienced EFL teachers. ESL, English as astudents onlineo Recommend additional related
Second Language teachers in an English-speakingreadings on history or topical informationo Have
country usually have a much easier time of gettingstudents write a different ending or plot twists for the
materials. But, let's look at a short historic passage ofpassageo Use the passage or its elements as a spring
authentic English and explore some ways it could beboard for further discussiono Investigate related
used and re-used multiple times for a variety ofthemes such as methods of executiono History and
didactic purposes. Here's a 175 word complete articlegeography of the locale are other good possibilitieso
for starters:Look for pictures and photos related to the passage
A Day Well Spentand topic areas
Business boomed in Cooperstown, NY. on the July dayBut there's more that might be done with even this
in 1805 when George Arnold, a local resident, was toshort, basic piece. To generate speaking you might
be publicly hanged for murder. Merchants and streetwant to use activitieso to promote pronunciation
vendors did a capacity trade with the thousands ofpracticeo to have students generate dialogues based
visitors from the countryside who came to witness theon information in the readingo have students enact
spectacle. At noon a brass band enlivened ascenes generated from elements in the reading
procession of uniformed troops, noted citizens, and theThen there's always the possibility of making up some
condemned man, who was riding in a cart, to the"standard" exercises based on the reading passage
newly erected gallows. There, a minister preached alike:o multiple choice questionso true - false questionso
sermon, dignitaries made speeches, and Arnold spokesentence or word unscrambleso re-ordering of the
his last words. The sheriff put the noose around thesentenceso give sentences from the passage as
condemned man's neck - and then announced"answers", students write the questions
regretfully that this was as far as the ceremony couldAdditionally, you can always have students write a
go. A reprieve from the governor had come early thatcomposition or opinion essay on the passage itself or
morning, the sheriff explained, but the town officials hadsome particular aspect of the passage. Had enough
let the preparations go on because they hadn't wantedyet? Well you get the idea. Deepen and expand on
to disappoint anybody. While the crowd howled, Arnoldone or any number of related topic areas to extract
collapsed and was carried back to jail - there to servethe maximum from any piece you come up with and
a life term - and Cooperstown counted the day (andyou'll be a lot less hard-pressed for ideas and
the visitors' money) well spent.materials. Don't forget to have fun while you're at it too.
So, what could be done with this piece? Lots, that's