I. Pre-Reading Tasks
Prediction
Analyzing headings and photos
Suggestions: author, spider, pig, girl, book title, etc.
II. While Reading Tasks
Vocabulary
Word Inference
1. This children’s classic is often seen as a story of a spider and a pig.
classic |ˈklasik|-adjective-judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind: a classic novel | a classic car.
2. But when E.B. White recorded a narration of the book…
narration |naˈrāSHən|-noun-the action or process of narrating a story: the style of narration in the novel.
3…Homer Zuckerman’s barn is a character with its own, complex personality…
complex-adjective |kämˈpleks, kəmˈpleks, ˈkämˌpleks|-not easy to analyze or understand; complicated or intricate: a complex personality | the situation is more complex than it appears.
4…smelling of hay and manure, of grain and axle grease and new boots…
manure |məˈn(y)o͝or|-noun-animal dung used for fertilizing land.
5. He grew up in a New York City suburb…
suburb |ˈsəbərb|-noun-an outlying district of a city, esp. a residential one.
6…a time when people rode horses and carriages, and his parents had a stable.
stable 2 |ˈstābəl|-noun-a building set apart and adapted for keeping horses.
7. E.B. White’s Eccentric Life in Nature…
eccentric |ikˈsentrik|-adjective-1 (of a person or their behavior) unconventional and slightly strange: my favorite aunt is very eccentric.
8…and while he was carrying the pails of slops every day to the replacement pig in the barn...
slop 1 |släp|-noun-• (usu. slops) semiliquid kitchen refuse, often used as animal food.
barn 1 |bärn|-noun-a large farm building used for storing grain, hay, or straw or for housing livestock.
9…there was a spider attending its web every day, expanding the web…
expand |ikˈspand|-verb-become or make larger or more extensive.
10. Eventually the baby spiders hatched…
hatch 2 |haCH|-verb-1 [ no obj. ] (of a young bird, fish, or reptile) emerge from its egg: ten little chicks hatched out .
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Reading Comprehension
True / False
- F-Sixty years ago, the book Charlotte’s Web first appeared in print.
- T- This children’s classic is often seen as a story of a spider and a pig.
- F- E.B. White said this is a story of the barn.
- F- Homer Zuckerman is the name of a character in the story.
- T- In 1933, [White] and his wife, Katharine Angell, moved to Maine, and bought a farm.
- F- And it was White’s experiences in his own barn that led him to the story of Charlotte and her web.
- T- White had to go back to New York City.
- T- Before he went, he cut down the spider’s egg case and took it with him.
- F- Homer Zuckerman owns the farm in the story Charlotte’s Web.
- T-During the audio of the book, White took 17 takes to get through Charlotte’s death without his voice cracking or beginning to cry.
IV. Listening Activity
• Pre-listening Tasks
Listening for New Vocabulary or New Terms
- poster |ˈpōstər|-noun- a large printed picture used for decoration.
- avid avid |ˈavid|-adjective-having or showing a keen interest in or enthusiasm for something: an avid reader of science fiction | she took an avid interest in the project.
- reluctant- |riˈləktənt|-adjective-unwilling and hesitant; disinclined: [ with infinitive ] : she seemed reluctant to discuss the matter.
- imagery-|ˈimij(ə)rē|-noun-visually descriptive or figurative language, esp. in a literary work: Tennyson uses imagery to create a lyrical emotion.
- exemplifies-exemplify |igˈzempləˌfī|-verb ( exemplifies, exemplifying, exemplified ) [ with obj. ] give an example of; illustrate by giving an example. rock bands that best exemplify the spirit of the age.
- setting |ˈsetiNG|-noun- the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place: cozy waterfront cottage in a peaceful country setting.
- manure -|məˈn(y)o͝or|-noun-animal dung used for fertilizing land. (Note: this word is used in the article; good reinforcement).
- life cycle- |ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪkəl|-noun-the series of changes in the life of an organism, including reproduction.
• While Listening Tasks
Multiple choice
- Yun was ___the house because her father-law was coming to visit. a-cleaning
- She had the___version of the book. c-large print
- When she first came to the U.S. this was the book her class was ___b-reading
- Yun was in the___grade when she arrived in the U.S. c-third
- She___read english when she first came to this country. b-couldn’t
- Her teacher had a___ of the book on the wall in the class. c-poster
- Yun was ___by the photo of the little girl and the pig. a-fascinated
- She wasn’t an ___reader when she was young. b-avid
- Yun is originally from___. c-Korea
- Sometimes a small group of children may be ___to hear the book because they’ve heard the book before or seen the movie. a-reluctant
- E. B. White used mental ___and word choice to express the true meaning of friendship. b-imagery.
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