Comprehension: Reading Passage – Basic 2 English Lesson Note (First Term)

Learning Objectives

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

1. Discuss the main idea of the story
2. Identify facts and other kinds of information in the passage
3. Explain causes and effects in the given passage
4. Use evidence from the passage to discuss relationship between ideas
5. Dramatize the story in the given passage
6. Discuss the moral lessons learnt from the story

Introduction

Reading comprehension means understanding what we read. We need to find the main idea, facts, and lessons from stories.

Content Development

Sample Passage: “The Lazy Ant”

There once lived an ant named Andy who was very lazy. While all the other ants worked hard to collect food for winter, Andy preferred to sleep under the shade of leaves. “Why work so hard?” Andy would say. “There is plenty of food everywhere!”

As summer ended, the other ants had stored enough food to last through winter. But Andy had nothing. When winter came, it was cold and there was no food to be found anywhere. Andy was very hungry.

Andy went to his friends and begged for food. The kind ants shared their food with him, but they told him, “Next time, you must work with us during summer so you won’t be hungry in winter.”

Andy learned his lesson. The next summer, he worked harder than any other ant. He never wanted to be hungry again.

Main Idea: The story teaches us that we should work hard and prepare for difficult times instead of being lazy.

Facts from the Passage:

1. Andy was a lazy ant
2. Other ants worked to collect food for winter
3. Andy slept instead of working
4. Winter came and there was no food
5. Andy became hungry
6. Kind ants shared food with Andy
7. Andy learned to work hard the next summer

Cause and Effect Relationships:

• Cause: Andy was lazy and didn’t collect food 
• Effect: He became hungry in winter 
• Cause: Other ants worked hard in summer 
• Effect: They had enough food for winter 
• Cause: Andy learned his lesson 
• Effect: He worked hard the next summer 

Character Analysis:

• Andy: Lazy at first, but learned to be hardworking
• Other ants: Hardworking and kind

Evidence from the Text:

• “Andy preferred to sleep under the shade” shows he was lazy
• “The kind ants shared their food” shows they were generous
• “He worked harder than any other ant” shows Andy changed

Moral Lessons:

1. Hard work pays off
2. We should prepare for difficult times
3. Laziness leads to problems
4. It’s never too late to change our ways
5. Friends help each other in need

Exercise 2: Reading Comprehension

Answer these questions about “The Lazy Ant”:

1. What was the ant’s name?
2. What did Andy do while other ants worked?
3. What happened to Andy in winter?
4. What lesson did Andy learn?
5. What is the main message of the story?

Exercise 3: Consonant Sounds

1. Write the first letter sound:

1. Ball starts with ___
2. Cat starts with ___
3. Dog starts with ___
4. Fish starts with ___

1. Circle the correct consonant:

1. (b/d)ook
2. (f/v)an
3. (k/g)ite
4. (s/z)un