Comprehension Our Way

Book excerpt: This book is intended for junior high school students who are preparing for the English Language, Bahamas Junior Certificate examination. Each unit is laid out with an introduction which can be used as a beginning of a lesson, followed by a passage, letter, or poem, which could be used in the development of the lesson. The skills that are found in the questions that follow each passage or poem should be used to assist in the evaluation of students’ understanding of what was read, and the additional activities should be used to enhance other skills needed to succeed in English Language. At the end of the majority of units there is a creative writing section. This is to provide the teacher with ideas that students can write about that relate to the themes that were brought out in the piece studied. Song and poetry writing are also included in these sections which should help those students who are gearing to become entertainers, poets, writers, etc. It is imperative that students at this level be regular readers. Examination preparation should in no way discount the overall development of students’ thinking faculties. Educators should ultimately aim to develop the abilities to think and write logically and, most importantly, to make sound decisions. These skills are not likely to be produced by occasional comprehension and grammar exercises. Consistent personal development which comes mostly from reading good books and researching is vital. Therefore, administrators and teachers should stress the importance of independent reading and also ensure that the Language Arts classrooms have libraries with a variety of books for students to use.