1. World Food Crisis An exercise for teaching text comprehension skills

2. Step 1 Read the article Underline topic sentences Make short notes in the margin summarizing the main point of each paragraph Underline words and phrases that are challenging for you: You have a vague idea of what they mean You have seen them before but do not understand them You have never seen them before

3. Step 2 Listen attentively as your teacher goes through the article with you. This stage will require some patience on your part, because not everyone has the same reading and comprehension skills. Be engaged- ask questions if you do not understand. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in between to test your understanding. Eg: ask questions like “Does that mean that…” If you do not engage actively in the lesson, you have only yourself to blame if you fall asleep!

4. Step 3 By now you should understand the article and all the issues it discusses Draw a mind map that lays out all these issues It is important to show how all the issues are related (not just randomly draw lines!)

5. Step 4 This article could very well be turned into a comprehension passage Construct at least 5 questions (a mix of factual, inferential and vocabulary questions) Construct a summary question

6. Step 5 Let’s all agree on a question for the summary: What are the causes and effects of the global food crisis? Check your mind map for the main points that could help you DIRECTLY answer the question. Supplement with other points from the passage that you may have left out of your mind map. Try to rephrase them as much as you can. Don’t get lost in all the jargon.

7. For example… World Food Crisis Causes Rising Demand Increased population growth Rising standards of living Declining Supply Lower yields Fewer technological breakthroughs Increased agricultural production costs Drought DiseaseBIOFUELS Effects Inequality between countries Inequality within countries Social unrest

8. Sample paragraph (Note: I don’t lie about the number of words!) The world food crisis has been caused firstly by rising demand for food, fuelled by rapid population growth and increased standards of living, with the latter resulting in the use of more agricultural resources. Secondly, supply is diminishing because food output has been negatively affected by rising costs of farming, fewer scientific advancements, smaller harvests, climatic conditions and disease. Most important is the conversion of farmland to grow biofuels instead of food. The result is social unrest as people grow dissatisfied with the unequal distribution of food resources between and within countries. (92 words- not enough!)

9. Time to add some words The world food crisis has been caused by a combination of the forces of supply and demand. Firstly there is rising demand for food, fuelled by rapid population growth and increased standards of living, with the latter resulting in the use of more agricultural resources as meat and dairy products involve the use of even more grain than humans can consume directly. Secondly, supply is diminishing because food output has been negatively affected by rising costs of farming, fewer scientific advancements, smaller harvests, unfavorable climatic conditions and disease. Most important is the conversion of farmland to grow biofuels instead of food, reducing the amount of farmland for food production. The result is social unrest as people grow dissatisfied with the unequal distribution of food resources between and within countries, as the rich can afford the food but the poor cannot. This has led to riots in the countries most affected. HOW MANY WORDS ARE THERE? 150!

10. IMPORTANT This exercise is slightly different from the summary questions you get in the exams: Much longer text Many more points to choose from Lots of detail Less certainty about the points to include So why do this exercise? Get you out of your comfort zone Think about how texts are organized Summary on a wider scale