How We Teach Secondary Comprehension at W@W
Understanding and processing information is one of the basic building blocks of being literate. It is vital, therefore, that secondary school students master comprehension skills to navigate the world around them. At W@W, our teachers are trained to help students deal with the various areas of English Paper 2 during their O Level exams. Students will have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the entire paper, which consists of 4 different texts – some prose and others visual.
1. Information Processing
Students need to be asking themselves questions when reading the comprehension paper. If there is nothing else a student takes home from reading this, they should at least remember one thing – when they are reading a passage, they need to ask themselves which information is NOT important. Students need to look at the source, tone, and keywords in the text. One skill that students need to hone is media literacy – when breaking down a particular visual text, they should focus on specific areas such as the heading/subheadings, image, and its context, along with any additional information. By paying attention to these details, students will not feel so lost when looking at a question for the first time, as they will immediately know where to look.
An important aspect of processing the information in a passage is the categorisation of information. When looking at an informative text, students need to ask themselves about the keywords and key content. They need to ask questions which they themselves have, as any potential ambiguity in the text will likely be used as a comprehension itself, requiring students to demonstrate skills of inference and critical reading. Students will know that the wordier texts they encounter in their comprehension paper require critical reading. Critical reading is a term thrown around frequently, but it is difficult to show a student how they should go about this. Well, at W@W – critical reading is made simple – it is all about asking questions – when students are reading the paper, they must ask questions and look for answers in the passage.
2. Question Answering
3. W@W Allows Students to Meet People From Different Backgrounds
Our team of dedicated W@W teachers know their students well – they are able to facilitate discussions and get them to ask the right questions. W@W teachers are trained to position the lesson in a way where they will take responses from students with good questions and use these to build upon why these are better questions. The Socratic method of going back and forth allows students to gain more exposure to different perspectives, thoughts, and ideas. With repetition and proper attention from the teachers to students, students will be able to benefit and practice the specific skills they need to excel at their English comprehension paper at the secondary level.
Attain Stellar Results With W@W!
At WRITERS@WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. W@W reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how W@W makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!
If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS@WORK has expanded to 9 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS@WORK!
Frequently Asked Questions
Writing is an essential skill which is useful even when a child grows up to become a working adult. Communication is the basic foundation of any society, and people study how to write to better communicate their ideas to people. At school, academic performance is measured by how well students can communicate what they know in the context of an examination.
