Books are immensely valuable for learning vocabulary and developing key skills. However, what we love to do at 11PlusLeap is focus exercises on books with chapters. We find it beneficial to take the chapters as extracts and write questions on them, as we would a comprehension. This gives students an opportunity to really think about what they’ve read and ensure that they understand it all. Each chapter then offers a time to reflect, pause and internalise the story being told.
We focus on this exercise not only because it makes children stop and pause but because it makes them absorb information as they read. The ongoing nature of this exercise teaches children to pay close attention to what they read in a way that comprehensions simply cannot do. The
repetition of chapter, questions, chapter, questions alone helps the children retain the information they are learning as they progress through the book.
So, why not give the below exercise a try? Over the next few months we will focus on The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit. Each week, attached to our blog posts, you will find the next chapter of the book and a set of questions for them to answer – just as they would with a comprehension!
We hope they enjoy it and learn a lot!
