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Follow-on Questions.


This is yet another reading exercise. After you have done all the introductory work have the students move their chairs into a circle. (Sometimes this isn't possible due to the physical makeup of the class but its the way I like to do it.) Then have the students take out their notebooks and starting on a new page write one question from the text. Once they have written the question pass their notebooks to the student on their right, then answer the question that's in front of them. They then have to write a new question and then pass the notebook to the student on their right again so that the notebooks are going around the circle. Of course they aren't all going to finish writing the answer and a new question at the same time so you're going to have to decide when its time to pass the notebooks. Don't wait for everyone to finish, put a little pressure on them. make them pass the notebooks on when you see that about three quarters of them have finished. There are no set timelimits for this exercise, it depends on the level of the students and the length/complexity of the passage. After the first couple of times you do this exercise you may like to change the direction of passing with every question. Pass the notebooks right, left, across, on the diagonal - every combination you can think of. This makes sure that everyone gets a chance to answer questions from everybody else. I also like to sit in on these sessions. I find that the students put more thought and effort into their questions if they know that I might be the one answering them. It also allows me to keep an eye on the proceedings without the ovbious tactic of having to look over people's shoulders. Also, it's a lot of fun.

As a follow up to this exercise I draw a big grid on the board so that everyone has a space to write a number of questions and answers from their notebooks on the board. The number depends on the size of the class. Have the students write questions and answers from their notebooks in the spaces provided. Then as a group we correct the grammar, pharsing, etc. mistakes.