& ” TRUE A PICTURE-BASED FIRST READER by Sandra Heyer ~ "so na» — PEARSON ere Longman For Myrna, who listens to everyone’s stories. Ali New Very Easy True Stories: A Picture-Based First Reader Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Pearson Education, 10 Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606 Staff credits: The people who made up the All New Very Easy True Stories team, representing editorial, production, design, and manufacturing, are: Elizabeth Carlson, Dana Klinek, Laura Lazzaretti, Laura Le Dréan, Melissa Leyva, and Edith Pullman. Cover design: Elizabeth Carlson Text composition: Integra Software Graphics Text font: 12/14 Palatino Text art: Don Martinetti and Andrés Morales Text credits: See page 91. Photo credits: See page 92. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heyer, Sandra.
All new very easy true stories: a picture-based first reader / by Sandra Heyer. English language—Textbooks for foreign speakers.6'4—dc22 2005018618 ISBN: 0-13-134556-7 LONGMAN ON THE WEB Longman.com offers online resources for teachers and students. Access our Companion Websites, our online catalog, and our local offices around the world. Visit us at longman.
Printed in the United States of America 11 12 13 14 15—V011—15 14 13 12 11 Contents Introduction. Ặ c2 {Q1 S1 1 1+ Vv UNIT 1 Genesio’s GIÍC. 2Q QQ QỐ Q {CỐ S1 S°c 1 UNIT 2 The Surprise. ĩ UNIT 3 Hiccup! Hiccupl.
19 UNIT 5 The Catch. c Q Q S | G { V S V 1 V1 {1+ 25 UNIT 6 Fufu RÑeturns .c c c { { c {SỐ se S° 31 UNIT 7 Not Too Smaill.- 37 UNIT 8 Mario’s Rabbits. 43 UNIT 9 No Brakes!. ccc ccc cc cc cccccsssscccevece A9 UNIT 10 Ăn Expensive Vacation .e{ 55 UNIT 11 The Parking Ticket.- 61 UNIT 12 The Present.
ccc cccccccscccvsscccccvecs 67 UNIT 13 The Taxi Ride .- 73 UNIT 14 Internet Friend .‹ 79 To the Teacher .ccccccccccsccccsccccscccves 93 ii Introduction All New Very Easy True Stories is a first reader for language possible. In answer to those students who students of English. It is for absolute beginners who are think that some stories are too amazing to be true: Yes, familiar with the Roman alphabet and have some expe- the stories are true, to the best of our knowledge. The rience reading words and sentences, as well as for two girls really did use a blanket to catch the boy who students with well-developed speaking and listening fell from a window, and customers waiting in line at skills but low-level literacy skills.
It is a companion a store really did chip in to buy the toy for the woman book to Very Easy True Stories; that is, it is written at the who had lost her money. In the back of the book, you same reading level and has the same format. However, will find a special To the Teacher section with more as the title indicates, it has all new stories and exercises. information about each story.
PURPOSE HOW TO USE ALL NEW VERY EASY Why does the True Stories series offer two first readers? TRUE STORIES First, some students need more time at the introductory Each unit is divided into three sections: pre-reading, level before moving on to Easy True Stories and All New reading, and post-reading exercises. Following are some Easy True Stories, the next books in the series. This is suggestions for using each of the sections. Teachers new particularly true for students with only basic literacy to the field might find these suggestions especially help- skills in their native languages.
All New Very Easy True ful. Please keep in mind that these are only suggestions. Stories gives students the option of lingering a while at Teachers should, of course, feel free to adapt these this level. They can go back and forth between Very strategies to best suit their teaching styles and their stu- Easy True Stories and All New Very Easy True Stories, or dents’ learning styles.
they can complete first one book and then the other. (Students can read either book first.) Second, many PRE-READING teachers like to incorporate reading into their themati- cally based instructional units. The story “The Parking You might want to introduce each unit by acquaint- Ticket,” for example, adds dimension to a unit on traffic ing (or reacquainting) students with key words in signs, and “Wrong Number” complements a unit on the story. Most of the nouns in the stories are con- phone etiquette.
With 28 low-level stories, teachers have crete objects (vegetables, house, car), and most of the multiple opportunities to match readings with other verbs are simple actions (sit, swim, drive), so you can easily clarify meaning by drawing pictures, by classroom activities. Third, a choice of two books helps showing photos or realia, or by acting out words. (If veteran teachers keep their lessons fresh: They can use students have difficulty differentiating between Very Easy True Stories one semester and All New Very common and proper nouns, treat the names of Easy True Stories the next. Alternating between the two people in the stories as new vocabulary.
Draw a books also keeps the lessons fresh for students who simple figure on the board, write the person’s name choose to stay in an introductory class when their class- beneath it, and say, for example, “His name is mates move on to the next level. They can essentially Genesio.”) When you are satisfied that students repeat the class but with all new material. know the key words, proceed to the pre-reading Very Easy True Stories and All New Very Easy True drawing, which introduces the theme of the story Stories can also be used in higher-level classes as the and prompts students to recall knowledge and basis of a cooperative reading /speaking /listening activ- experiences related to the theme. Here is one possi- ity.
One group of students reads a story in one book ble sequence of steps for using the pre-reading drawing. while another group reads a story in the other book. Then, in pairs, students from one group tell their story to 1. With the help of the pre-reading drawing, elicit students from the other group, using the drawings as the vocabulary of the story.
cues as they retell the story. Ask students to turn to the pre-reading drawing in their DESCRIPTION books. (Or make a transparency of the pre-reading page, and show it on the overhead projector.) Ask All New Very Easy True Stories contains 14 units, each students, “What do you see?” Write their responses centered on a story that was adapted-from a newspaper on the board, on flashcards, or directly on the trans- article and written in the simplest, most concrete parency. (Some teachers advocate printing in block ` Introduction Vv you'll be able to encourage future students in their letters, rather than in upper- and lowercase letters, since native languages.
block printing is easier for students to copy.) As you write, say the words slowly to model correct pronuncia- tion. Students copy the words onto the picture in their READING books. If all the students are absolute beginners, it is Following is one possible sequence of steps in reading unlikely they will be able to supply the vocabulary for the story: the pre-reading drawing. Instead of asking students, “What do you see?” begin by simply labeling the items 1.
Read the story aloud to the students. and actions depicted in the drawing and slowly pro- Ask students to turn to the second and third pages nouncing the words. Say only five or six words. That’s of the unit, which are in comic-strip format.
(Or make plenty for beginners. Resist the inclination to talk to transparencies of these pages and show them on yourself as you label (“Let's see. and over here the overhead projector.) Tell students to look at there’sa. just the drawings for now, not at the words beneath 2.
Tell students what the story is about. The purpose of this first reading is to give students a global, not a word-for-word, under- Point to the title of the story, and read it aloud standing of the story. Then connect the vocabulary of the pre- Read the story aloud as students look at the reading drawing to the title. For example, say, “This drawings.
Begin by saying “Number one,” and slowly story is about a custodian.” (Point to the man in the read the sentences that the first drawing illustrates.) “His name is Genesio.” (Point to the word Then say “Number two,” and read the appropriate “Genesio” in the title.) As students progress through sentences. Continue in this manner. Saying the num- the book, try to stop at “This story is about. “and bers of the pictures while telling the story ensures that see if students can use the pre-reading drawing and all eyes are on the same picture.
the title of the story to make predictions about the If your students are absolute beginners, you story. might need to reduce the story to its most basic elements when you tell it the first time. In Unit 1, for Teaching Absolute Beginners example, instead of reading the story exactly as it is All New Very Easy True Stories was field-tested in sev- written (“He doesn’t buy new clothes. He wears old eral ESL environments.
One of those environments clothes”), you might say, “New clothes? No! Old was a class of zero-level adult learners, all native clothes? Yes!” speakers of Spanish. Before beginning Unit 1, the You will probably want to walk away from the teacher told his students—in Spanish—that they pictures from time to time and act out some scenes, were going to hear and read a story. He told his perhaps with the help of props, or you might want to students not to worry about understanding every act out the entire story if it has plenty of action. (The word, but to try to get the gist of the story.
He said teacher who field-tested “An Expensive Vacation” that in the course of reading the story, maybe they’d came to class with a ski jacket, a lighter, a few pieces learn a couple of new words, and that would be of wood, and bills in $1, $5, $10, and $20 denomina- great! Those few words in Spanish instantly changed tions. By the time the teacher “burned” the ten-dollar the atmosphere in the classroom: The students bills, all eyes were riveted on the scene.) went from looking apprehensive to looking relaxed. Some of the stories build suspense. You might stop Their goal had changed from the impossible to the short of the last few sentences when reading those possible—instead of trying to understand every stories aloud and let students—silently—read how the word, they were just going to enjoy the story and story ends.
maybe pick up a few new words (a goal they did, in fact, accomplish). Read the story a second time. If you have absolute beginners in your class, it is instruct students to look at the This time, however, well worth the effort to find people—more advanced words beneath the pictures. During subsequent read- students in the same class, perhaps, or in another ings, you might wish to call students’ attention to class in your program—to make a similar announce- basic grammatical structures, not by giving lengthy ment in your students’ native languages.
When you explanations, but by reminding students of rules they do find native speakers to make the announcement, to write it down for you so have already learned.