Reverse Reading Revisited

Thanks to Jackie McAvoy supplier the main thrust of inspiration for this lesson.

If you want to check out the original, you can here: 

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities/writing-through-reverse-reading

I have modified it slightly and added a visual element.

Level: Pre Intermediate and above

Time: 50 minutes

Vocabulary: Detective, blow up, bridge, gold bullion, criminal, enemy, thunder and lightning, picturesque, waterfall, nature reserve, evil, magician, poisonous snake, lethal, arrest, jail  

Materials: 

Students - Notebook and pen 

Teacher - Download the following images:

http://eagnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/spy.jpg

http://online.wsj.com/media/1228pod01.jpg

http://cdn-wac.emirates247.com/polopoly_fs/1.279083.1281837902!/image/3384850608.jpg

http://www.tustrucos.com/software/wallpapers/Maravillas-de-la-Naturaleza/paisajes/Stormy-Weather-Saguaro-Cactus.jpg

http://static.travelblog.org/Wallpaper/pix/waterfall_desktop_background-1600x1200.jpg

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/279/7/2/Evil_Magician_by_Ncio.png

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTrBDmYRAitJa8eSQdadrQZoqBCfe1pxdgHcnrZENa9m6JMRICwUorIEORXRPCZcFnrmtS_pnrZiTUkc3v-KJr7AEvj3aF91p7HJYKnzUijx9BYFcKh9PJ3R-6aKAYCuUbVK7H6ReRnA/s1600/snake+mouth.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01383/police_arrest_1383846c.jpg

Stage 1: Explain to students that something terrible happened to you this morning. Student speculate on what this might be. Feed back and note any emergent language. 

Stage 2: Tell students that you had a story prepared to read to them, but sadly your dog ate it.

Stage 3: Tell students that that they are going to predict what the story was about. Dictate the past tense questions that relate to Mr Jones 'interesting' day.

1. What was Mr Jones's job?
2. What was he going to do?
3. Why?
4. What was the weather like?
5. What did he decide to do after that?
6. What didn't he want to do?
7. Why?
8. What was the surprising end?

Stage 4: Students predict the answers. Encourage students to be as imaginative as possible and use dictionaries. 

Stage 5: Monitor and check grammar and spelling

Stage 6: Students mingle and share their prediction with other students

Stage 7: Tell students that you have some clues that show what really happened (the pictures downloaded above directly relate to the 8 prediction questions) Show each picture in turn and elicit as much detail as possible. Push students to be as descriptive as possible and write emergent language on the board.

Stage 8: Student write the real story by using the picture prompts and the new language on the board.

Follow up: Students can make a story board for homework