Reading requires effort and passion, and to some teenagers it may not seem like something they want to work at. After all, there is a world of electronic temptations out there that require far less effort and feel as though they are going to be a lot more entertaining. Yet many teens are concerned about their future, and how successful they will be in tomorrow's world. So this section provides a range of ideas: some that support less motivated readers; some that give a fascinating insight into what happens in the brain when we read and some that provide clear guidelines to help develop the reading skills needed for passing exams.

• 60 Create awareness of what's happening while reading

• 61 Vary the lead-in activities you use

• 62 Use motivating tasks in connection with extensive reading

• 63 Help learners become fluent readers

• 64 Use interactive reading ideas

• 65 Occasionally, ask learners to read while listening

• 66 Regularly revisit texts learners have read

• 67 Explore a story using all the senses

• 68 Scaffold learners’ intensive reading (1)

• 69 Scaffold learners’ intensive reading (2)

• 70 Scaffold learners’ inferencing skills with the help of poetry

• 71 Engage learners in creating concept maps

• 72 Read texts out loud

60 Create awareness of what's happening while reading

When we read a novel, for example, we constantly want to find out what happens next. A little experiment helps learners explore what's going on in their minds when they read:

• • Select a very short story, preferably ending in a single sentence containing a twist or a surprise. Tell learners that you are going to present a text to them in a very unusual way: sentence by sentence, with a pause of about 10 seconds after each sentence.

• • Ask learners to remain silent during each pause in order to write down what they expect will come next.

• • Carry on until you get to the pause just before the last sentence (which you’re not going to tell them – yet).

• • Tell learners to discuss these questions in pairs or small groups: At each pause, what did you expect to happen next? And what are your expectations for the ending of the story?