Spotting Signal Words: A Guide to Better Reading Comprehension

Spotting Signal Words: A Guide to Better Reading Comprehension

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to identify signal words in English texts.

Introduce the learning objective and emphasize its importance in improving reading comprehension.

What do you already know about signal words in English texts?

What are Signal Words?

Signal words are words and phrases that give clues about the content and structure of a text.

Explain to the students what signal words are and why they are important to identify in a text.

Examples of Signal Words

Examples of signal words include 'first', 'meanwhile', 'in conclusion', 'however', and 'therefore'.

Provide several examples of signal words and discuss their meanings and uses in different contexts.

Identifying Cause and Effect

Signal words such as 'because', 'since', and 'therefore' help identify cause and effect relationships in a text.

Explain how these signal words can be used to identify cause and effect relationships in a text.

Chronological Order

Signal words such as 'first', 'next', and 'finally' help identify the chronological order of events in a text.

Explain how these signal words can be used to identify the order of events in a text.

Contrast and Comparison

Signal words such as 'however', 'although', and 'similarly' help identify comparisons and contrasts in a text.

Explain how these signal words can be used to identify comparisons and contrasts in a text.

Interactive Exercise

Read the following paragraph and identify the signal words: 'First, I woke up late. Then, I rushed to get dressed. Finally, I ran out the door to catch the bus.'

Have students read the paragraph and identify the signal words. Discuss the signal words as a class.

Practice Exercise

Read the following article and identify the signal words. Be prepared to discuss their meaning and use in the context of the article.

Provide a longer article for students to read and identify the signal words. Encourage them to discuss the signal words in groups and as a class.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.