Lesson 4 -
Upon completion of this portion of the module, you will:
Locate various types of instructional materials
Explore different kinds of activities that can be incorporated into instruction
When you are planning a lesson, you will want to have a plethora of resources at your disposal, and they are out there. Students will appreciate your use of different materials in class and will have a well-rounded experience. In order to use reading materials appropriately and effectively, keep the following in mind regarding readability.
Texts are typically assigned a readability level by the publisher, often corresponding to K-12 grade levels. Most readability formulas are based on how long the words are and how long the sentences are.
short words + short sentences = easy reading
BEWARE!!!
Short words and short sentences can be difficult.
"No man is an island."
This sentence is only five words long and only one word is longer than a single syllable; however, the underlying idea of the sentence is a complex one.
Similarly, short sentences are not always easier to read than long ones. Consider these sentences.
"I didn't want to go to work. It was raining. It was cold outside."
The result is short, choppy text that is difficult to understand because the connecting words have been omitted.
The following long sentence is actually easier to read than the shortened sentence presented above.
"I didn't want to go to work because it was raining and cold outside."
In order to explore some of the different types of reading material available in the adult education classroom, click on the items in the picture below.
