Reading for information Notes, Quizzes & Revision
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Reading for information β Indigenous languages (age 13, Kenya)
These notes help you read texts written in an indigenous language to find facts, learn new words and make short summaries. The examples use the theme "sports and games" because many local texts talk about traditional and modern games. Use them with your own local language (Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Kamba, Maasai, Kalenjin, Kisii, Samburu, etc.) as your teacher gives.
What "reading for information" means ππ
- Find specific facts (who, what, when, where) in a short text.
- Understand the meaning of new words in context.
- Pick out the main idea and important details and write a short summary.
- Use reading to learn about sports and games in your community.
Types of questions to expect (and how to answer)
- Literal questions β ask for facts stated directly in the text (e.g., "Who won the game?"). Strategy: underline the sentence that contains the answer and copy key words into your answer.
- Vocabulary questions β ask for the meaning of a word from the text. Strategy: look at nearby words and sentences (context) and try to guess the meaning; check your personal vocabulary collection.
- Inferential questions β ask you to read between the lines (e.g., "Why did the team train every day?"). Strategy: use facts from the text plus what you already know about sports or people to answer.
- Evaluative questions β ask for an opinion based on the text (e.g., "Was the coachβs decision fair? Why?"). Strategy: give a short opinion and support it with one or two facts from the text.
How to build a personal vocabulary collection (your "language pocket book") βοΈ
Create a small notebook or a page on your phone with a table like this for each new word you meet in reading:
Template (one line per word):
Word (indigenous) β Part of speech β English meaning β Sentence in indigenous language β Picture or drawing
Word (indigenous) β Part of speech β English meaning β Sentence in indigenous language β Picture or drawing
Example entry (teacher gives the indigenous form):
- bao β noun β board game with seeds β "Watu waliche bao shambani." β (draw a small board)
- mpira β noun β ball / football β "Wavulana walikimbia na mpira." β (draw a ball)
Tip: Add pronunciation and one short synonym if you can. Draw a small picture β it helps you remember.
How to summarise a short informational text (easy steps) βοΈ
- Read the whole text quickly to get the main idea.
- Underline or write down the topic sentence and two or three important details.
- Write 1β3 short sentences that tell:
- what the text is about (main idea),
- two important facts,
- one short concluding sentence (what this tells us).
- Keep the summary short β about 25β40 words for one short paragraph.
Short example text (model for practice)
Read the short paragraph your teacher gives in your local language. Below is an example in English you can practise with, then use the same steps for a text in your language.
Example (English):
"At the village field the children play a traditional board game called bao after school. They meet every afternoon. Older players teach the younger ones how to move the seeds and count points. On Saturdays, the winner gets a small prize from the village elders."
"At the village field the children play a traditional board game called bao after school. They meet every afternoon. Older players teach the younger ones how to move the seeds and count points. On Saturdays, the winner gets a small prize from the village elders."
Practice questions (use the same for a local-language text)
- Literal: Where do the children play the game?
- Literal: When do they meet to play?
- Vocabulary: What does "winner" mean in your language? Write the word and its meaning.
- Inferential: Why do older players teach younger ones?
- Summary: Write 2β3 short sentences that tell the main idea and two facts.
Activities you can do by yourself or with classmates
- Read a short passage in your language about a game. Underline the answers to literal questions.
- Collect 10 new sports-related words from your reading and draw a picture for each.
- Work in pairs: one student reads aloud in the indigenous language, the other notes down unfamiliar words and guesses meanings.
- Write a short summary in your own language (2β3 sentences) and read it to a friend.
How teachers will check learning β quick checklist
- Answering questions: Can the learner find and copy facts from the text? (check literal and inferential answers)
- Vocabulary collection: Does the learner keep a list of new words with meanings and a drawing or example sentence?
- Summarising: Can the learner write a short summary that shows the main idea and two details?
- Theme knowledge (sports & games): Can the learner explain one local game and one modern sport using words from the text?
Simple self-assessment (tick when done)
- β‘ I underlined the sentence with the answer for each literal question.
- β‘ I added at least 5 new words to my vocabulary notebook with a drawing.
- β‘ I wrote a short summary in my language and read it aloud.
- β‘ I can say why the game or sport in the text is important to the community.