Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher Education Regional Office VI (HERO VI)
City Government of Bago
BAGO CITY COLLEGE
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Rafael M. Salas Drive, Brgy. Balingasag, Bago City, Negros Occidental 6010
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MAJOR 16
(TEACHING LITERACY in the ELEMENTARY GRADES THROUGH LITERATURE)

TOPIC # 1: INTERPRETING LITERATURE THROUGH VISUAL ARTS

VISUAL ARTS may include painting, sketching and drawing, sculpture (clay, dough), photography
and digital art, textiles, mosaics, pottery, crafts, stamping, group murals, fashion and
fabrics, and multicultural arts.

ARTS are powerful tool for literacy. Smith and Herring (1996) recognize the arts as “hands on”
experiences to build problem solving and critical thinking skills.

COLLAGE is an artistic expression done by gluing on a flat surface (canvas or board) various
materials (pictures, mementos, cloth, paper clippings, barks, leaves, flowers, objects, etc.)

associated with the theme or subject.

TOPIC # 2: INTERPRETING LITERATURE THROUGH DRAMA and PLAY

DRAMA encompasses the four modalities of language arts: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
It is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is composed in
verse or prose that presents a story either in pantomime or dialogue.

TWO CATEGORIES OF EDUCATIONAL DRAMA

1. TEXT-CENTERED DRAMA – it develops reading fluency because it involves children reading

parts in scripts. Its primary virtue is the text.

READER’S THEATER – is a strategy that combines reading practice and performing it. It
enhances the child’s reading skills and confidence because they
practice reading with expression and with a purpose.

PUPPETRY – Puppets are movabledolls that a puppeter manipulates. The body movements
provide visual impressions that convey emotions and thoughts through
movement.

2. TEXT-EDGED DRAMA – emphasizes a dialogic approach to drama (Wolf, 2004). Children starts
with a text – whether from a book, play, picture, object, or film clip – and

then explore it. It has a “Teacher-In-Role” feature.

CRITICAL SPACE – allows children and their teachers to live in the life of the drama and then
step out into real life by critiquing it.

TOPIC # 3: INTERPRETING LITERATURE THROUGH CREATIVE WRITING

WRITER – someone who cares about what words mean, what they say, and how they say it.
CREATIVE WRITING – unlocks a childs imaginations, inspiring them to have a love for words by
sharing their personal narrative.

WRITING – is much more that technical skills. It is fundamental expression of the writer’s mind.

JOURNALS – a way for children to write down their thoughts about texts that include their personal
questions, predictions, feelings, and observations about the texts they are reading.

FREEWRITING – is a process of writing without stopping, editing, sharing, and worrying about
grammar. It is also called “automatic writing” that brings together the process of
producing words and putting them down on a page.

NARRATIVE WRITING – is characterized by a fictional story that has the main character in a specific

setting who encounters a problem or event.

TOPIC # 4: DEVELOPING CRITICAL AMONG LITERATURE LEARNERS

LITERACY – is an ability that can be developed through time. It is associated with varying contexts
to achieve the pupil’s goals, to build their knowledge and potentials, and to participate
fully in their community and broader society.

DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2019 – states that the curriculum adopts inquiry-based learning, which puts
“premium on questioning, probing, and proving”.

CRITICAL THINKING – involves abilities like identifying a problem, looking for assumptions, and
trying solutions from inductive logic.

HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS – a stemmed in Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning.

CREATE:

Combine parts to make a new whole

Higher
Order EVALUATE:

Thinking Judge the value of information or ideas.

Skills ANALYZE:

Break down information into component parts.

APPLY:
Lower Appy the facts, rules, concepts, and ideas.
Order
Thinking UNDERSTAND:

Understand what the facts mean.

Skills
REMEMBER:

Recognize and recall facts.

LOWER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS – allow the learners to plainly give back what the teachers
provided them or what the book gave them.

HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS – involve the use of the piece of learning given to the learners
in order to take concepts, combine the pieces of learning,
evaluate something, or create something out of the learning.

The “SIX THINKING HATS” – can help you approach problems and inquiries from different
perspectives.

The following are some of the benefits of using the Six Thinking Hats as a teaching strategy to
develop higher-order thinking skills.

1. It is a powerful decision-checking technique while promoting collaboration among pupils.

2. It helps the learners explore the situation from each perspective at the same.

3. It forces the learners to move outside their habitual thinking styles.

4. It allows the learners to look at things from several different perspectives, thus, teaching
them to be critical thinkers.

5. It permits the pupils to get a more rounded view of the literary piece and the context upon
which the piece is related.

Example Techniques:

WHITE RED YELLOW

 It is used to record
information that is
available from the text.
 It helps the learners
identify farther
information that may be
needed.
 It is associated with
feelings and emotions.
 It allows the learners to
talk about their feelings
without prejudice.
 It is used elicit positive
thoughts and views.
 It leads the learners to
look for the benefits in
the given context.

BLACK GREEN BLUE

 It is associated with
thinking caution.
 It allows the learners to
think about critical
judgment.
 It is used to generate  It is related to controlling
creative thoughts a process.
 It allows the learners to  It is used for thinking
think of new ways, sound about thinking.
solutions, and better
plans to solve problems
at hand.

Here are the mini steps to implement the following learner-centered techniques:

 Choose a familiar elementary song.

Passing the Bouquet
Trip to Jerusalem
 Group the class into three big circles.
 Post the critical question in front.
 Ask the pupils to sing a song. Let them pass on something (e.g., a
pen, a handkerchief, or a toy) while singing.
 When you say stop, pupils holding that thing will have the chance
to answer the question.
 Group the class into two big circles.
 Arrange the chairs (as in the typical Trip to Jerusalem game).
 Post the critical question in front.
 While playing a song, pupils will walk (or dance) around the chairs.
  When the music stops, pupils who are unable to sit on a vacant
chair will have the chance to answer the question.
 Create a wheel of critical thinking questions.
 Discuss each question on the wheel (e.g., what does the question
mean or what answer is neede)
Question-Prompts  Give each pupil a number.
Wheel  Using the number generator (downloaded online), choose the pupil
who will manipulate the wheel.
 When the wheel stops, the arrow that points to the question will be
asked to the class or to the pupil-participant.

The critical thinking questions should be given paramount consideration other than the technique of
giving questions to the learners. Hence, the questions can be used in several ways:

1. They can serve as your resources to help the learners delve more deeply into specific
aspects of the texts.

2. They can be used as guides for the learners to arrive at an answer or a decision.

3. They can be used as triggers for communication.

TOPIC # 5: USING PUPIL-GENERATED BOARD DISPLAYS

VISUAL LEARNERS – occupy a high percentage in the pie as compared to their auditory and
kinesthetic learners.

The following were modified techniques from Himmele, P., Himmele, W., and Potter (2014):

1. Quotable Quotes Board

- Pupils post on the bulletin board the quotable quotes they have found in the storybooks,
poems, or short stories they have read in a read-aloud activity or a book talk. This is one way to
gauge how the literary piece relates to them. As a beginning teacher, you might want to ask them to
share why the quotes are quotable for them. In this way, you target critical thinking and oral literacy.

2. #MySuperhero Wall

- Pupils post the drawing of their ideal character in the story or the persona in the poem.
Beside the image is the reason why they like that drawing. In this way, writing literacy is enhanced as
well as their reflective thinking. This activity likewise targets to improve the ability of the children to
relate to people and be sensitive to the thoughts and emotions of others.

3. Butcher Paper

- The teacher posts a butcher paper or a graphic organizer with title prompts selected by the
literature teacher and a blank space for students to write on. The graphic organizer acts as a memory
aid for the pupils to organize their thoughts about a specific topic.

4. Collecting Words Wall

- The teacher posts an empty envelope on the board. It will act as a basket of difficult words
that the pupils might have encountered in the read-aloud activity or book talk. The pupils who have
encountered such vocabulary will be responsible for determining the meaning, writing a sentence
using the vocabulary, and writing the specific phrase or sentence where such word was used in the
text. They will all write these details on a piece of paper that will be kept inside the envelope posted
on the wall. Anyone who wishes to see the difficult words that his or her classmates have
encountered can have the chance to see them. Again, curiosity among the learners is heightened
through this activity. In that way, the pupils can try to read the book or the literary piece that others
have read.

5. Great Opening Lines Wall

- Many pupils will remember a piece of literature through its opening lines. So, the learners
could be asked to document the opening lines of the book they have already read or the literary
pieces that they intend to read. This process-product activity can establish anticipation in the reader
and aid the mood that something really fabulous is about to be read.

6. The Class Boorkworm

- This pupil-generated wall is an add-on board for the pupils to write their thoughts related to
the literary piece read in class. It acts as a freedom wall or a vandal wall regarding the literary piece
they have read. Creative and reflective thinking abilities may be enhanced through this activity. Their
thoughts may also be used as a supplement for literary analysis.

7. The WIDU Bank

- Small group discussions may sometimes result in unanswered questions of the learners. One
good way to generate ideas of the class is through the “WIDU” Bank or the “What-I-Don’t-Understand
Bank”. This activity impedes the pupils to forget the boggling questions. Also, it acts as an avenue for
them to be heard in class without using their oral skills, especially if the questions are quite
uncomfortable for them to verbalize. This activity can also permit you to create a community of
readers who feel that their questions are welcomed. The pupils will just write their boggling questions
on an index card and shoot it in the envelope posted on the wall. Other pupils are free to answer the
questions through writing.

TOPIC # 6: ENSURING TOTAL PUPIL PARTICIPATION IN LITERATURE CLASSES

Newest Strategies and Techniques that could use to subdue daydreaming in class:

A. Rippling and Bouncing Answers

- Suggested by Himmele and Himmele (2011), this teaching technique is used to elicit answers
to be processed by the whole class. It is lodged under a collaborative teaching approach. Moreover, it
is dependent upon the skill of the teacher to craft controversial, higher-order, and critical questions. It
banks on the reflective and divergent thinking skills of the learners. Also, it thrives on the successful
communication and collaboration of ideas between and among the learners. This technique can be
used either as a before-reading or after-reading activity.

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. The teacher writes or shows a controversy or an open-ended question related to the text.

2. Provide ample time for the pupils to think about their answers.

3. All pupils respond individually to the prompt or question or controversy.

4. All pupils share their responses in dyads or triads.

5. Volunteers then share. Pairs or small groups call out a sentence summary when they are
called on to share.

B. Link-It Cards!

- Encouraging the pupils to share their thoughts is easy, but ensuring that they have words to
mumble and share is another story. The tenets of constructivism as a teaching theory may be applied
to allow the pupils to take the initiative for their own thought-sharing experience. Hence, using “Link-It
Cards” banks on the power of scaffolding or learner-support in the initial stage of thought processing
for him/her to be an active learner. This activity uses promptimg statements as scaffolds, especially to
those who might encounter the difficulty of starting their thoughts. The pupils will continue the prompt
cards they pick. Before the prompt cards are picked, show them all incomplete statements on the
board and give them ample time to organize their answers. In that way, “wait-time” is provided for
both fast and struggling learners.

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. The teachers writes or shows instructions, plus the prompts. For instance, “Find out the
meaning of your classmate’s answer by asking him/her a question starting with any of the
following statements:

a. I did not get that part on…

b. I understand that part, but I am not so certain about…

c. How about if…

d. So you mean to say that…”

2. The prompts are then written on the cards.

3. Distribute the cards or let each pupil pick a card.

4. Allow time for conversation.

5. Process the answers in big group sharing.

C. Finding Partner in a Music Mingle

- This activity is a discussion-based technique that ensures total participation (Himmele, P.,
Himmele, W., & Potter, 2014). Pupils are blindfolded as they look for partners to converse with later.
Music plays an essential role in this activity as a variation to consider auditory learners.
Controversies, open-ended questions, and reflective questions related to the text are needed to be
prepared by the teacher. A teacher uses this activity to develop the divergent thinking ability of the
pupils and their speaking literacy. It may be repeated in at least three rounds. Rules must also be
discussed before this activity, like: avoid leaving someone when the music stops, respect the opinions
and answers of your classmates, stopping and speaking with the same person twice is prohibited,
and side chatter is prohibited.

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. The teachers prepares a piece of lively music – something that the pupils can relate to and
enjoy.

2. The controversy or open-ended question about the text to be read (or had been read) is
posted on the board.

3. Allow time for the conceptualization of answers (wait-time).

4. Blindfold the pupils.

5. Rearrange their positions and remind them to keep quiet.

6. Play the music and let them roam around the room.

7. Stop the music and allow them to find their pair.

8. Let them take off their blindfolds and allow time to share.
D. Expanding Your Network

- This activity is best used for debriefing or as a lesson-ender. Again, the teacher’s role is to
provide debriefing prompts, questions, or incomplete statements. The teacher should offer
metacognitive questions to engage the pupils in conversation effectively. The aim of this activity is for
the pupils to expand their network. They do it by sharing their ideas with their classmates, whom they
have not yet talked with throughout the lesson.

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. The debriefing question or prompt is posted on the board.

2. Allow time for the conceptualization of answers (wait-time).

3. Ring a bell or use any sound signal for them to look for a partner with whom they have not
talked to in the whole period.

4. Allow time for conversation and sharing.

5. Ring a bell again or play the sound signal.

E. Human Likert Scale and Savvy Survey

- Through this activity, pupils will have the chance to enhance their decision-making skills and
to let them make a stand on an issue. At the same time, they will have the opportunity to discuss with
their classmates whose stand is the same as theirs. It is an excellent way to focus on themes and
concepts within the text being discussed. It leads to the creation of a wide array of options.
Paramount requirement for it to be successful is a set of highly debatable and controversial topics.

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. The teacher identifies four spots in the room, namely: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree,
and Strongly Agree.

2. The highly debatable question or issue is posted on the board.

3. Allow time for the conceptualization of answers (wait-time).

4. Ring a bell or use any sound signal for them to stand at the designated post that corresponds
to their level of agreement.

5. Allow time for conversation and sharing with their groupmates.

6. Ring a bell again or play the sound signal.

One variation of this is the use of the savvy survey. It integrates the use of the gadgets of the
pupils (practically for older elementary grades) to answer survey questions. It allows them to discuss
and defend their answers. One app you can use is Kahoot ®, which can be an interactive way to
conduct a survey.

The total participation techniques provided in this lesson are just a few of the many techniques
you can use. Just remember, what matters in the class is not the entertainment, but the learning and
literacy enhancement of the pupils. After all, academic time is precious.
TOPIC # 7: QUALITIES OF A GOOD READING AND TEXT COMPREHENSION TEST

TEST – is an instrument containing items or tasks intended to measure the achievement (knowledge,
skills, or performance) of learners as they learn reading.

MEASUREMENT – the number of items correctly answered by each learner, information is collected
as to how much (score) a learner has understood the reading selection.

EVALUATION – it is the process of interpreting the information collected useful in making decisions
about a learner’s performance.

ASSESSMENT – instances require the teacher to make a critical decision about a learner’s
performance.

PURPOSES OF READING AND TEXT COMPREHENSION TESTS

1. To measure the extent of the learners’ achievement of the instructional objectives. It indicates how
successful they are in meeting the criterion of acceptable performance. This kind of test is a
summative test, usually given at the end of a chapter or a unit.

2. To diagnose the learners’ strengths and weaknesses. Test results indicate where learners excelled

and where they still need assistance to master the desired competencies. Such a goal is the intent
of a diagnostic test.

3. To monitor learners’ progress in learning. Results of short tests given to the learners as they are
engaged in the progress of learning a lesson provide feedback to the teacher whether or not
learners are developing the desired skill. This kind of test is called a formative test.

4. To measure aptitude for learning. Results of a test foretell what learners can do in the succeeding
tasks to learn. A test with this intent is called aptitude test.

5. To evaluate the effectiveness of teaching. Summative test results provide empirical evidence on
the success of the teaching in developing reading and text comprehension skills, based on the
standards set at the beginning of instruction.

6. To classify or place learners in appropriate reading classes. Test results determine who among
the learners are at the frustration, instructional, and independent levels, as exemplified b the goals

of the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHil-IRI). Knowing these levels of achievement helps

teachers in the provision of appropriate instructional intervention. A test with this goal is known as
a placement test.

7. To determine readiness for instructional processes. Placement test results can identify learners
who are ready or possess the entry prerequisite skills to succeed in learning the new lesson.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEST:

1. VALIDITY – the ability of the test to measure what it intends to assess. Inferences made from the
results are appropriate, meaningful, and useful (Gronlund, 1998). To ensure a valid
test, it must have content validity (test items are based on the objectives and content

of the lesson/s. It must possess face validity (how the test “looks” to the reading
teachers and experts). Another index is concurrent validity (the ability to correlate
significantly test scores of the learners to their scores in another test which was taken
within the same period). When the test scores provide a strong correlation with the
scores of the learners in future testing in the same reading subject, the test has
predictive validity.
2. RELIABILITY – the ability of the test to provide consistent or stable information. It is usually
dependent on developing items that thoroughly cover the essential competencies
and topics discussed in class. Constructing more test items usually results in a
higher level of test reliability. Is a reading test is retested to the same group of
learners and the correlation yields a significant coefficient, the method to establish

reliability is test-retest. If an equivalent form of a reading test (that is, Form A and

Form B) is used to the same group of learners, and the two sets of scores are
significantly correlated, the method used is called parallel-form or equivalent-
form technique. If the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 is used to determine how
well the test measures what is intends to measure, that method is an internal
consistency technique. When the test scores are divided into odd-numbered item

scores and even-numbered item scores, then the two sets of scores are tested for
correlation index, the method used is split-half.

3. Practicality – the ease of constructing the test, as well as the ease of administering and scoring it.
Objective tests are easier to construct and to score than the essay test. A printed,
written reading and text comprehension test is easier to administer than an oral test.

TOPIC # 8: DEVELOPING OBJECTIVE TESTS

To effectively use the varied objective tests, certain considerations must be followed:

1. TRUE or FALSE/YES or NO

- This test measures the ability of the reader to determine the truth or falsity of the statement
presented. The basis of answering is the correct interpretation of the facts presented in a given
passage. The reader is instructed to read the statement, determine its correctness or incorrectness,
and choose the answer.

In constructing True or False items when using content-based reading selections, the following
suggestions need to be considered:

a. Sentences must be simple and declarative, using direct language.

b. Statements are absolutely true or false, no qualification needed.

c. Paraphrase the statement and do not lift direct statements from the selection.

d. Include enough background, context, and qualification when necessary.

According to the author…..

e. Avoid using statements of commands or orders, as these are neither true nor false.

Brush your teeth three times a day.

f. Never use qualifiers, like always, sometimes, and never.

Sample Test Items:

Directions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow:

Marc Jayden noticed that his wallet is not in his pocket. He tried to search for it in his
school bag, under his chair, and around the classroom. He wondered where he could have lost
it. He decided to make a bulletin announcement so that other children could help him locate the
wallet.

If you are going to help him find the wallet, which of the following information should be
2. Multiple-Choice Test

- A multiple-choice test item asks the learner to recognize from a set of choices the best or
correct answer to a question. The question of introducing the item is called stem. The set of choices
that follow includes the distractors, plausible answers that draw away the learners’ attention from the
correct answer if they do not really know the answer, and the keyed answer, the correct answer. This
type of test is difficult to construct, but it is easier to score, it is more reiable, and it reduces test
anxiety among learners.

To be effective, the multiple-choice test item construction should consider the following
suggestions:

a. Be specific with what is asked in the stem to make the learners anticipate the correct answer after
reading it. More information should be placed in the stem rather than in the given choices.

Example: From the details provided by the author, what is the setting of the story? (STEM)

A. beach Distractor

CHOICES *B. farm Keyed Answer

C. mountain Distractor

b. Avoid giving grammatical clues like A (answer is expected to begin with a consonant) or AN
(expected answer to begins with a vowel).

Incorrect: The animal tortoise described in the story is a good example of an-

A. reptile B. amphibian C. mammal

Correct: The animal tortoise described in the story is a good example of an/a-

c. Make the choices similar in length, tense, number, sentence structure, part of speech, etc. to avoid
giving irrelevant clues to the correct answer.

Incorrect: What did the boy expect from everyone he met?

A. trust B. treat him with mercy C. obedience

Correct: What did the boy expect from everyone he met?

A. trust B. mercy C. obedience

d. In constructing the stem, use more often a direct question and less of the incomplete sentence type

of stem.

Less Preferred: The floating house implies that –

Preferred: What does the floating house imply?

e. Word or phrases that are repeated in the options are better integrated into the stem to reduce the
reading load of the learners.

Incorrect: What do the floating houses imply?

A. Muslims are sea lovers.

B. Muslims are pearl divers.

C. Muslims are boat-dwellers.

D. Muslims are good fishers.

Correct: What do the floating houses imply? Muslims are-

A. sea lovers

B. pearl divers

C. boat-dwellers

D. good fishers

f. Arrange responses in a logical order.

 Number – highest to lowest or vice versa

 Date – earliest to the most recent or vice versa
 Proper nouns – alphabetical order

g. Give clear directions to guide the learners on what to do with the question and how to answer.

Sample Directions: Read the items carefully to determine from the given choices the
correct or best answer to complete the statement or answer a question. Circle the letter of
your choice.

3. Fill-in-the-Blank

- This type of test asks the learners to supply in the blank the correct answer based on the
context suggested by the statement. It is also suitable for assessing learners’ knowledge of quick
factual information. It has high reliability, is easier to construct, and limits guessing. Test situations
appropriate for a fill-in-a-blank type include giving the meaning of words, antonym or synonym, and
giving the details asked about the story.

Vocabulary Test: Ask learners what the word or phrase means as it is used in the sentence.

Example: The opposite of SILENT is _____________.

Supplying the Details of the Story: Ask learners about the title of the story, the author,
setting, main characters, and other major details of the story read.

Example: The author of the story is ______________.

With the description given by the author, the setting of the story is ____________.

The following suggestions are given to make this type of test more effective:

a. Put the blank at the end of the statement to orient the learner on the context.

Example: The sentence “This assignment is a piece of cake” means __________.

b. Make the situation specific for the learners to provide the correct answer.
 c. In a set of fill-in-the-blank items, make the blanks of the same length to avoid giving a clue to

the correct answer.

4. Matching Type

- This type of test measures the learners’ ability to recognize reationships among
homogeneous pairs. It enables the reading teacher to cover more content in one test. It is excellent in
checking knowledge of the learner, aside from being efficient and objective. It has two columns:
Column A presents the premises, while Column B presents the choices. In constructing matching
type test items, the following are wise to consider:

a. Include in the directions the basis of the learners to match the items and how to match,
either to write the letter of their answer or to draw lines. If a response is used more than
once, the learners must also know.

b. Items in Column A are numbered consecutively while items in Column B are lettered
alphabetically.

c. Give more responses (about three more) in Column B than the premises (Column A). if
there are 10 items (1-10) as premises, the responses could be letters A to M.

d. Longer statements are placed on the premises to reduce reading time, and shorter ones are

in the responses.

e. Items to be matched should be homogeneous. For example, characters – reading selection

where they are found; authors – titles of reading selection; figurative expression – word
meaning or classification, etc.

Sample Test Item:

Directions: Match the idiomatic expressions in Column A with their meanings in Column
B. Write the letter of your answer in the space provided before each test item. Remember that
items in Column B could be used more than once or never.

Column A Column B

1. Second to none A. Good luck

2. Cross your finger B. In trouble

3. Busy as a bee C. Favorite

4. In hot water D. The best

5. See eye to eye E. Moving slow

F. Agree

G. Working hard

TOPIC # 9: TESTING VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE

Receptive Vocabulary – learners are not able to produce words.

Productive Vocabulary – learners are ascertain the number of words that they can understand and
use.

Breadth – the quantity for which the learners may have some level of knowledge.
Depth – the quantity of words learners know about the dimensions of word learning.

The following vocabulary tests address these varied concerns:

1. Vocabulary Recognition Test – These tests measure the receptive vocabulary and the
vocabulary breadth of the learners.

a. Picture Cues – show a picture (for example, a dog) to the learners and ask them to identify
what it is. If they associate the picture correctly with the word, they would
answer dog. One variation is to present a group of three to four pictures and
ask a learner to pick out the image of a dog.

b. Finding the Odd One Out – The learners study a group of words, one of which is much
different and does NOT belong to the group. They either
underline or encircle the odd word.

Directions: Underline the odd word out:

Pepper eggplant sweet potato ampalaya okra

c. Mother-Tongue Equivalents – The learners are asked to give or write the English
equivalent of words in their mother tongue.

Directions: I give you a word in your mother tongue. Write its English equivalent.

tawa makati ayat palangga malayo

d. Knowledge of Opposites – The learners are challenged to connect lines that show words
with the opposite meaning.

Directions: Study the words in the first column and find the words in the second column that
are their opposites in terms of meaning. Draw a line to connect the two words.

Strong Expensive

Slow Weak

Cheap Fast

e. Prefix-Word Combination – The learners are asked to combine the appropriate prefix to be

connected to a word to produce a new word.

Directions: Study the prefixes in Column A, then find the words in Column B that could be
combined with them to produce new meaningful words.

Column A Column B

Over polite

Mis do

Im place
 f. Yes/No Questions – This test requires the learners to demonstrate appropriate knowledge
of the word. Two questions answerable by Yes or No are asked to the
learners. Both questions should be correctly answered.

Examples: Do runners run on a track?

Do trains run on the same track?

2. Productive Tests – These types of tests assess the productive vocabulary and vocabulary depth
of the learners.

a. Word Associates – this test measures the ability of the learners to produce words that are
suggested by the descriptions used as cues to the desired word.

Directions: Write the correct ending for the word in each of the following sentences:

A person who teaches learners in school is a teach_______.

A child who is easy to teach is teach_______.

A person who teaches is engaged in teach_______.

Another variation of this test is to give a stimulus word followed by a set of words. The
learners determine what words usually are associated with the stimulus word.

Directions: Find out from the group of words those that go with or are associated with the
given word. Circle these words.

Song

Bank composer brand melody grammar

Cover sales singer pencil chorus

b. Collocations – this test measures the ability of the learners to identify words that go
together.

Word Bank – Learners are asked to list words that are related to the key or cue word.

Directions: List all the words you know that are related to the word CAT.

Collocations Related to a Verb – the learners are tasked to identify nouns that are
related to the verbs in terms of subject and objects.

Directions: At the middle column are verbs. Write words that usually go with the
verbs. Give nouns as subjects in the left column and give nouns as a
direct object in the right column.

Example: Farmers plant vegetables

____________ treat _______________

____________ sell _______________

c. Sentence Completion – this test requires the learners to complete a sentence using ideas
and vocabulary that fit the context.

Directions: Supply appropriate information or detail to complete a meaningful sentence.

I get excited when _____________________________________________.

When dogs bark they __________________________________________.

 d. Definitions – learners are tasked to define a term or concept. The more details or attributes

they could give about it, the richer is their vocabulary.

Directions: Give details or attributes of the term or concept to define it.

Cat is a ____________________________________________________.

Rice is a ____________________________________________________.

e. Cloze Test – it assesses the learner’s skill in understanding meaning through written
context and determining the word that has been deleted from a passage to
complete the whole. The richer the vocabulary of the learner, the more
successful he/she is in doing the task. To construct this type of test, teachers

adhere to the following guides:

 Select a text that is interesting to the learners.

 Keep the first and last sentence of the selection intact. No word deletion will be
made.
 Determine what type of format to use. It could be any of the following:

1. Fixed ratio cloze – the deleted word to be restored comes every after a statistically
predetermined number, like removing every seventh word in the text.
The interval for lower elementary grades should be farther (every fifth
to the seventh word) and closer (every third or fourth word) for higher
grade levels. The farther the word deletion, the easier is the test. The
words deleted could be either content words or function words.

Sample:
Directions: Some words in the passage have been purposely left out. Determine what these
words are and return them in the space provided to make the passage whole again.To do this,
first read the entire passage through. Then go back and fill the blanks with the exact words or
synonyms that have been removed.

The selection of food is an important problem for everyone. When food is selected 1.
____ one person in the 2. ____ or whether the individual 3. ____ the responsibility of choice 4.
____ the family table or 5. ____ outside sources, it is 6. ____ problem that must be 7. ____
each day. Not only 8. ____ there pleasure and physical 9. ____ accompanying the eating of
10. ____ food but food of 11. ____ right kind and amount 12. ____ essential to the proper 13.
____ of the body. Hence, the choice of food should be made with utmost care.

2. C test – it assesses global language proficiency, which requires learners to use

context to determine the missing half of the words. It employs the rule of
two, that is, the second half of every second word starting with the third
sentence is deleted.

Sample Test:
Directions: Supply the missing half of the words in the selection, as suggested by the dashes.
When you are done, read over the story and make sure the words make sense. Keep in mind
that sometimes the word you need appears in the story in a different place. To earn a point,
you must spell the word correctly.

An interesting story appeared in a recent magazine. It is one that illustrates a point

excellently. One da- a ma-, who ha- long be—known fo- his lazi----, walked do—the str---. He
sa- an ol- wo--- who wa- scrub---- the sta--- of he- house. Th- man ha- served i- the mili----
and h- expect--- charity fro- every per--- he me-. He apprp----- the ol- woman an- told hi- usu---
stories ab--- the bat--- he fou---. But th- woman conti---- her wo--- and re---- that sh- too, ha-
been i- battle. Th- next t-- the ol- woman sa- him h- was i- a str--- cleaner’s uni----. He wa-
 f. Getting the Meaning of Words through Context Clues – learners’ ability to use the
surrounding words as clues to meaning is also a
test of productive vocabulary.

Directions: Give the meaning of the underlined word as it is used in the sentence.

Mother offered my elder brother to help in paying the hospital expenses of my

nephew, but he declined.

A. accepted B. rejected C. welcomed D. rejoiced

TOPIC # 10: TESTING READING SKILLS

The following guidelines in constructing reading tests:

1. Reading Readiness Tests – to prepare the learners from nonreaders to readers, they are taught
essential skills and are tested to lead them to succeed in reading.
These tests include:

a. Instant letter recognition – test items involve the learners to recognize letter shapes, letter
names, the sequence of the letters in the alphabet, and
identification of upper and lower case manuscript letters.

Sample Test Items:

Put a check (/) in the blank to all words that begin with letter A.

_ _ _ _ ball _ _ _ _ apple _ _ _ _ cat _ _ _ _ ant _ _ _ _ Angel

Arrange the names alphabetically:

Dante Bert Chona Abby Edgar Greta Freida

b. Phonological/Phonemic awareness – it measures learners’ ability to recognize words as

composed of different sound components, including the
understanding of phonemes (smallest sound unit), syllables
(part of a word), and rhyme (ending sound of words similar
to the end of another word). Test items also involve the
learners in segmenting words, syllables, phonemes,
blending sounds to form words, recognizing ending sounds
that rhyme, and omitting syllables and sounds, and sound
substitution and manipulation.
Test situations that measure phonological awareness include the following:

1. Tell me how many different sounds are there in the following words:

Cat dog bed get ten

2. Say Yes if the two words I say have the same sound at the end, like food and wood; Say No if
they do not have the same sound, like bed and foot.

Let us begin:

Sit – feet wing – then going – seeing dog – wood

3. I will say a word in a funny way. Then put the parts together and say the whole word. For
 c. Reading concepts – items in this test ask learners to recognize similarities and differences
of concepts, identifying initial, medial, and final sounds,
understanding before and after concepts, recognizing voiced and
unvoiced sounds, block and unblocked sounds, and vowels and
consonants.

Sample Items:

What makes BET and BAT different?

What word rhymes with PAGE? Date cage wait break

What letter comes before/after H?

d. Word recognition – learners in this test are asked to determine sound-symbol

correspondence and read phonetically regular words.

Sample Test Item:

Draw lines to match the word with the object it names.

Ball
Clock
Flower

e. Handwriting – items that measure this ability include asking the learners to produce
lowercase manuscript letter strokes as well as numeral strokes.

f. Vocabulary – items described in the previous lesson apply here.

2. Reading Comprehension Test – this test measures the ability of the learners to derive meaning
from a text/passage/selection read. Items are mostly
presented in a multiple-choice type of test. Skills tested incude

the following:

a. Literal questions (Reading what is directly stated in the passage) – questions whose
answers are directly found in the selection.
Examples: Who are the characters in the story?

What happened when the boy released the bird?

What crops do they grow in Mang Ramon’s farm?

What made Jonas cry?

b. Interpretative questions (Reading between the lines) – items require the learners to put
together the information presented in the selection to give a
correct answer. Questions belonging to this category of
comprehension include:

Getting the main idea: What does the paragraph tell about air pollution?
 Deriving meaning through context: After Mario answered, the teacher commented: “You hit the

nail on its head.” What does the teacher mean?

Sequencing events: Based on the details presented in the story, arrange the following events
in the order in which they happened.

Inferring character traits: Based on the descriptions of Ana, which of the following would
appropriately describe her?

Finding the main and supporting details: In this set of five sentences, identify the main idea
and determine the supporting details.

Determining cause-effect relationship: According to the selection, why do Filipinos have poor
protection against illnesses?

c. Applied/Integrative (Reading beyond the lines) – learners are asked questions whose
answers are based on their ability to make connections of the
information read to their life experiences and knowledge. Examples
of skills and questions are:

Making comparisons: Using the clue words of the author, how are Ben and John different?

Drawing conclusions: From the circumstances presented in the selection, what conclusion can
you make?

Distinguishing fact and opinion: Relying on the information presented in the selection, which of
the following is a fact or an opinion?

Making decisions/suggestions: If you were the judge in the story, what would be your ruling to
the case?

Giving alternative endings: If you were the author, how would you end the story?

Sample Reading Comprehension Test:

Directions: Read the passage carefully, then answer the comprehension questions that follow.

When you study the origin of the word “Zamboanga” you will learn that it means “place
of mooring poles.” So many beach homes fastened to poles driven on the beach, float along
the sea wall. The coconut palms around the city look like a picture postcard. It is described as
an orchid on the edge of a star-splashed, tropical sea. The climate seas are invigorating.
Muslims with their red and yellow turbans, colorful jackets, and tight silk trousers add color to
the city.

Sample Comprehension Questions:

Literal Questions (Recognizing details);

According to the passage, what makes Zamboanga look like a picture postcard?

A. The coconut palms C. The mango trees

B. The tropic sea D. The floating homes

Inferential Question (Inferring meaning through context):

When a place is described as an orchid, what kind of place is it? The place is –

A. Beautiful C. Progressive

B. Sweet-smelling D. Blooming
 c. Non-prose Reading Tests – this group of tests uses charts, maps, product labels, signs
and symbols, menus, and other materials that use minimal
words to explain something. The serve as stimulus
materials that serve as bases for learners to answer literal,
interpretative, and applied questions presented in the
multiple-choice format.

Sample Non-Prose Reading Test:

Directions: Study the mobile phone ownership among Grade 6 pupils in Lal-lo Elementary School.
Then answer the questions that follow.

45
40 40
55
35
31
30
25 22 18 23 v Grade 4
20 18 v Grade 5
15 13
10
13 v Grade 6
10
5
0
Male Female Total
Number
1. Which grade has the of Mobile
most Phone of
number Owners by Sex
mobile andowners?
phone by Grade Level
Literal questions

a. Grade 4 b. Grade 5 c. Grade 6

2. What does the graph tell about mobile phone ownership? Inferential question

a. As grade level increases, mobile phone ownership increases.

b. As grade level increases, mobile phone ownership decreases.

c. As grade level increases, more females own mobile phones.

TOPIC # 11: ASSESSING LEARNERS’ READING PROFILE

Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) – a diagnostic classroom-based assessment tool

of graded passages in each grade level to determine and qualify the
learners’ performance in oral reading, silent reading, and listening
comprehension in both English and Filipino languages.

To assess the reader’s performance, the teacher must consider the following:

1. Brief the learner, create a friendy relationship, and conduct the test: Oral Reading
Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, or Silent Reading Comprehension.

Follow these steps:

a. Ask the motivation and motive questions to determine the background knowledge of the
learner on the topic to be read.

b. Have the learner read/listen to the passage.

c. After reading, let the learner answer the multiple-choice test items on the booklet, with each
item either read by himself/herself or by the teacher. Then the answer is chosen. An “I don’t

know” response to a question is marked X on the score sheet. A learner who asks to
 reread the selection then answers correctly has a point recorded, but a remark “Looked
back” is noted.

2. Analysis of the Results

a. Quantitative Analysis

Quantitative assessment of the reading performance of the learner involves adding the
number of observed miscues, taking note of the number of minutes spent to read the selection, and
scoring the number of comprehension items correctly answered. The aggregate results of the word
recognition and the comprehension scores determine the reading profile of the learner per passage.

1. Computation of the Oral Reading Score per Selection

When the learner says something different from what is on the passage, a
miscue occurs. A meaningful miscue does not alter the original meaning of the
sentence, like run instead of ran. If the miscue changes the meaning, it is a
significant miscue, like The cats moved noisily instead of The cat mewed noisily.

Whether or not a miscue influences the meaning of the passage being read,
equal weight is given. After counting the number of miscues during oral reading,
the oral reading score is computed using the formula:

Oral Reading Score:

Number of Words – Number of Miscues X 100

Number of Words

Example: Marc Jayden’s Oral Reading Performance for the Grade 5 selection “Pedrito’s

Snack”

Number of Words in the Passage: 144

Number of Miscues: 13

144 – 13 131
X 100 = X 100 = .909 (100) = 90.9
144 144

Interpretation: Marc Jayden’s rating in Oral Reading is 90.9%

2. Computation of Speed and Rate in Oral Reading

The reading rate is the ratio between the number of words read in a passage and

the amount of time spent to finish reading it. This indicator requires data on time
spent to read a selection, reckoned from the time the learner starts to read up to
the end of the passage. It also identifies the number of words in a given
passage. The reading rate is influenced by the learner’s fluency, his/her speed,
smoothness, and ease of oral reading. A significant component of fluency is
prosody, the expressiveness the learner demonstrates as he/she reads as
manifested in the intonation, rhythm, and emphasis to the words and sentences
when reading out the passage aloud.
Example: Marc Jayden has read the passage “Pedrito’s Snack,” a 144-word passage in
92 seconds.

Reading Speed:

Number of Words Read X 60

Number of Seconds Spent to Read

144 x 60 = 1.56 (60) = 93.9

92
Interpretation: Marc Jayden’s reading rate is 93.9 words per minute.

3. Computation of the Learner’s Comprehension of the Passage

Comprehension Level is the proportion of items correctly answered by the
learner against the total number of items in the passage read. Data needed in
this indicator are the number of items correctly answered by the learner against
the total number of test items. As soon as the learner has read the passage, the

teacher reads the comprehension questions and record the scores.

Example: Marc Jayden answered correctly 6 out of the 7 comprehension questions
asked after reading “Pedrito’s Snack”.
Comprehension Performance:
Number of Correct Answers x 100
Number of Test Items

6
x 100 = .857 (100) = 85.7%
7
Interpretation: Marc Jayden’s comprehension is 85.7%
4. Overall Interpretation of the Word Reading and Comprehension Level
The reading level of a learner is his/her ability to read and comprehend a graded

reading passage. Adapting the criteria used by Johnson, Kress, and Pikulski
(1987), the Phil-IRI uses the following predetermined indices in determining the
reading level of the learner in each passage read, namely: percentage of word
recognition accuracy and the percentage of correct answers to the
comprehension questions. The matrix guides the teacher in analyzing the
performance of a learner.
Oral Reading Level Word Reading Score (%) Comprehension Score (%)
Independent 97 - 100 80 - 100
Instructional 90 - 96 59 - 79
Frustration 89 and below 58 and below

Using Marc Jayden’s performance indicators, his reading profile is:

 Word Reading Score: 13 miscues = 90.9%
 Instructional Comprehension Score: 6 out 7 items = 85.7%
  Independent Reading Rate: 93.9 words per minute
The learner’s reading profile is the summary of one’s reading level in consideration of
the word reading and comprehension scores for the passage read. The matrix below
guides in assessing the reading profile per passage of a learner.
Word Reading Reading Comprehension Reading Profile
Independent Independent Independent
Independent Instructional Instructional
Instructional Independent Instructional
Instructional Frustration Frustration
Frustration Instructional Frustration
Frustration Frustration Frustration

A learner is at the Independent Level if he/she reaches 90% or greater comprehension

levels when reading alone. It implies that the learners relies on his/her own and requires

no assistance or help to read and comprehend the selection. A learner at the

Instructional Level, his/her level of understanding in both comprehension and word
recognition is possible with the help provided by the teacher or other learners. On the
other hand, a learner at the Frustration Level is one who manifests observed signs of
frustration, indicating that the reading material is too difficult for him/her to read and
comprehend.
b. Qualitative Analysis
On the qualitative aspect of the reading behavior of the learner, the teacher is guided by

a checklist to observe him/her while reading orally. The items to note during the
reading are the following: mispronunciation, omission, substitution, insertion, repetition,

transposition, reversal, and self-correction. When the miscues are noted, the teacher
underlines the word, then he/she writes on top of the word substituted or reversed form

of the word. Repeated miscues are treated individually. The total miscues are recorded

in the form provided.

To guide the teacher in planning a reading intervention, he/she examines the miscues
often committed and determines if these significantly affect the meaning of the passage.

In addition, the teacher observes the learner’s reading behavior while reading. He/she
takes notice if the reader does word-by-word reading; lacks expression, reads in a
monotonous tone; voice is hardly audible; disregards punctuation; points to each word
with his/her finger; employs little or no method of analysis; and many others.
TOPIC # 12: READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS

The Five Dimensions of Questions that involve cognitive and affective dimensions are:

1. Literal Comprehension – learners respond to questions whose answers are facts and information

that are directly stated or found in the selection. Involving the

recognition and recall of the information, learners identify details of the
story, state the main idea, determine the sequence of events, identify
and compare character traits, and state cause-effect reationships. To
recognize ideas and information, the learners should have the reading
passage before them, while the ability to recall requires that the
passage should not be with them.

Identify details: Who are the friends in the story?

Determining cause-effect relationship: Why did the tortoise get angry at the monkey?

Determining the sequence of the story: What happened after the tortoise got angry at the
monkey?

2. Reorganization – learners are asked to analyze, summarize, and organize ideas and information
that are directly stated in the reading selection.

Outlining: What is the story all about?

Summarizing: In your own words, retell the story.

Synthesizing: Why is the action of the tortoise expected in the story?

3. Inferential Comprehension – learners answer questions that require them to think and imagine
beyond the ideas and information found in the selection. To guess

and hypothesize, they rely on the information directly stated, their

understanding, and prior experiences.

Inferring supporting details: Were the tortoise and monkey old friends?

Inferring character traits: What kind of person does the monkey represent?

Predicting outcomes: What could have the monkey done when the tortoise came out of the
water laughing?

Interpreting figurative language: What is meant by the monkey when he said, “Not even a bit of

the skin”?

4. Evaluation – learners make a judgment about the ideas, information, and incidents in the reading

selection using criteria. Skills under this dimension include the judgment of reality or
fantasy, fact or opinion, adequacy and validity, appropriateness, worth desirability,
and acceptability.

Judgment of reality or fantasy: Do you think the story can really happen between the tortoise
and the monkey?

Judgment of fact or opinion: Do you think some people behave like the tortoise or monkey?
 Judgment of appropriateness: Was the action of the monkey appropriate? Was the response
of the tortoise correct?

5. Appreciation – learners, using the previously stated cognitive skills, answer questions that reflect
their emotional reactions and aesthetic consideration of the reading selection.
This set of skills includes the knowledge of and emotional response to literary
techniques, forms, styles, and structures.

Emotional response to the content: Which part of the story do you like the most?

Identification with characters: Who are you in the story – the tortoise or the monkey? Why?

Reaction to the author’s use of language: Does the author’s use of the phrase “cheeks
crammed with bananas” help you justify the anger of the tortoise?