Activities on Comprehension Passage – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

A comprehension passage is a short text that you read and then answer questions on. Comprehension activities check that you understand what the writer says. To do them well, read the passage carefully, read each question slowly, find the answer in the text, and write it in a clear sentence.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• read a short passage silently and aloud with understanding;
• answer questions that ask for facts stated in the passage;
• give the meaning of a word from how it is used in the passage;
• write answers in full, correct sentences.

How do we do a comprehension activity?

1. Read the title and say what you think the passage is about.
2. Read the whole passage silently, then read it a second time.
3. Read the questions carefully. Note words such as who, what, where, when, why and how.
4. Find the part of the passage that gives the answer.
5. Write the answer in a full sentence, using your own words where you can.
6. Check your spelling, capital letters and full stops.

Sample passage: Amina’s Saturday

Every Saturday, Amina helps her mother sell tomatoes and pepper at Bodija Market in Ibadan. They wake up at five o’clock and leave home before the sun rises. Her mother carries a big basket on her head, and Amina carries a small bag of change.

At the market, Amina arranges the tomatoes in neat heaps of five. Each heap costs ₦200. By noon, they have sold almost everything. Her mother is pleased and buys her a cold drink. After the market, Amina studies her books because she wants to be a doctor one day.

What types of comprehension questions are there?

Questions on facts

The answer is stated directly in the passage.

Where do Amina and her mother sell tomatoes? They sell tomatoes at Bodija Market in Ibadan.

Questions on vocabulary

You give the meaning of a word as it is used in the passage.

What does “arranges” mean? It means puts things in order.

Questions that need thinking

The answer is not stated, but the passage gives a clue.

Is Amina a hardworking girl? Give a reason. Yes, she is. She wakes up at five o’clock to help her mother and studies her books after the market.

Class activity

See Effective English, page 102, Practice 1.

Evaluation

Answer these questions on the passage “Amina’s Saturday”. Do the practice on page 102 of Effective English as well.

1. At what time do Amina and her mother wake up?
2. What does Amina carry to the market?
3. How many tomatoes are in each heap?
4. Why is Amina’s mother pleased?
5. Which word in the passage means “tidy”?

Answer key for teachers

1. They wake up at five o’clock.
2. She carries a small bag of change.
3. There are five tomatoes in each heap.
4. She is pleased because they have sold almost everything by noon.
5. neat

Assignment

1. What does Amina’s mother carry on her head?
2. What does Amina want to be one day?
3. What does Amina do after the market?

Answer key for teachers

1. She carries a big basket.
2. She wants to be a doctor.
3. She studies her books.