BLISS TD Film shooting 1-10 Dec 13 © British Council  

The BLISS English for All (EFA) project has developed a series of Teacher Development Films which show secondary school teachers of English at work in different locations in Bihar. The eleven clips focus on developing learner-centred teaching approaches for reading lessons that other Indian secondary school teachers can use in their own teaching.

The films are a self-access learning resource for teachers in similar contexts who may not be able to attend face-to-face training. The accompanying workbook is available in the 'Downloads' section below. Each clip has Before you watch, Video watch and After you watch tasks in the workbook. The workbook and the clips are designed to be used as self-access by individual teachers, or by teacher educators with small groups. All the answers are given at the back of the workbook.

Click on the links below to watch each clip. Don’t forget to complete our feedback form to let us know what you think about this resource!

Introduction

This resource is part of the Bihar Language Initiative for Secondary Schools (BLISS), a state-wide teacher development project run in partnership by British Council India, Bihar Madhyamik Siksha Parishad and the Department for International Development (DfID), United Kingdom. The films focus on teaching reading skills in a learner-centred way.

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Guide to the course

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The resource is organised into two parts: 

Part 1: How to do a reading lesson 

This section includes short clips on five stages of a reading lesson. These are:

1. Warmers

2. Pre-reading

3. While reading: skimming

4. While reading: scanning

5. Post-reading

Part 2: Sample reading lessons

This section includes three sample reading lessons. Watch the lessons to find out how you can put the five stages from Part 1 together.

Remember to download the workbook below. You can use it as a self-access resource, working alone, or with a group of teachers, sharing your learning and ideas.

Part 1: How to do a reading lesson

This section includes short clips on five stages of a reading lesson. Watch them separately or together to understand the different aspects involved when teaching reading. 

How to do a reading lesson: Warmers

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Warmers are: 

• fun-filled and dynamic ways to keep learners interested in the lesson

• a way to set the tone of the lesson 

• a useful way to revise a previous lesson.

How to do a reading lesson: Pre-reading

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Pre-reading activities: 

• help prepare learners for a reading lesson 

• encourage learners to think about and to say what they know about a topic

• can be used to teach or revise words from the text.

How to do a reading lesson: Skimming

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Skimming: 

• helps learners to understand the main ideas of the text

• prepares learner for reading in detail

• makes reading more active.

How to do a reading lesson: Scanning

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Scanning: 

• helps learners understand the specific content of the passage

• allows learners to find details

• increases comprehension of the text.

How to do a reading lesson: Post-reading

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Post-reading activities: 

• allow learners to use the language they have learned during the lesson

• help learners to integrate the reading material with their knowledge of the topic

• allow learners to practise other language skills: listening, speaking or writing

Part 2: Sample lessons

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Find out how to use the three sample reading lessons to develop your skills and awareness. They will help you: 

• learn from other teachers

• think about your own teaching methods

• think about how you can use these ideas in your own lessons.

Remember to download the workbook below. You can use it as a self-access resource, working alone, or with a group of teachers, sharing your learning and ideas.

Sample Lesson 1

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Lalit Prabha is a secondary school teacher from Muzaffarpur. Watch one of her reading lessons in which learners develop their skills in describing places by using appropriate adjectives and nouns.

Sample Lesson 2

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Raziur Rahman is a secondary school teacher from Forbesganj. Watch one of his reading lessons in which learners ask and answer questions to each other and read a text about technology.

Sample Lesson 3

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Shobha Kumari is a secondary school teacher from Siwan. Watch one of her reading lessons in which she encourages her learners to develop their skimming and scanning skills by writing short headings and summary statements.