Comprehension – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

Comprehension is the skill of reading or listening to a text and understanding what it says. A student shows comprehension by answering questions about the text, explaining difficult words and saying what the writer means. The same steps work for a passage and for a poem.

Behavioural objectives

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

• explain what comprehension means;
• follow the steps for reading a passage with understanding;
• answer questions that are directly stated in a passage;
• answer questions that need them to think about what the writer means;
• name the main parts of a poem (title, line, stanza, rhyme) and find them in a poem.

How do we read a passage with understanding?

1. Read the title and say what you think the passage is about.
2. Read the whole passage once, slowly and quietly.
3. Read the questions carefully.
4. Read the passage again and underline the part that answers each question.
5. Write the answer in a full sentence, using your own correct grammar.
6. Check your spelling and punctuation.

Sample passage

Chidi lives in Aba with his mother, Mrs Okafor. She sells tomatoes and peppers at the market. Every Saturday, Chidi wakes at five o’clock to help her carry the baskets. At the market, he arranges the tomatoes in small heaps, and his mother sells each heap for ₦200.

One Saturday, a customer bought one heap of tomatoes and paid with a ₦1,000 note. She walked away before she took her change. Chidi ran after her and gave her ₦800. The woman smiled and thanked him. She told his mother, “You have an honest son.” Mrs Okafor was very proud.

What types of comprehension questions are there?

Questions with answers stated in the passage

You can find the answer in the text. Example: On which day does Chidi help his mother? Answer: He helps her on Saturdays.

Questions that need thinking

The answer is not written directly. Use clues in the text. Example: Why was Mrs Okafor proud? Answer: She was proud because the woman said Chidi was honest.

Vocabulary questions

You are asked the meaning of a word, or to find a word with a given meaning. Use the sentence around the word to work it out.

How do we read a poem?

A poem is written in lines, and the lines are grouped into stanzas. Some poems have rhyme, which means that the ends of some lines sound alike. To study a poem, find the title, count the stanzas, and read each stanza twice. Say in your own words what each stanza is about before you answer questions.

Sample poem: The market day

The sun is up, the cocks all crow,
The traders pack their loads and go.
They walk along the road so wide,
With yams and pepper by their side.

The market hums with song and cheer,
The buyers come from far and near.
At close of day the baskets rest,
For all have done their very best.

Using a poem from your class textbook

Choose a poem from the comprehension or poetry unit of your approved class textbook. Read it aloud to the class, then let students read it in turns. Ask them to find the title, count the stanzas and name the rhyming words before they answer the questions that go with the poem. If the lesson includes a listening activity, read the text aloud while students listen with their books closed.

Evaluation

Use the sample passage to answer questions 1 to 5. Use the sample poem for questions 6 to 8. Write full sentences where you can.

1. Who is Mrs Okafor?
2. What does she sell at the market?
3. How much change did Chidi give the woman?
4. What do the woman’s words show about Chidi? (A) He is lazy. (B) He is honest. (C) He is rude. (D) He is greedy.
5. Write one word from the passage that means a person who buys goods.
6. How many stanzas does “The market day” have?
7. Write the word in the first stanza that rhymes with “crow”.
8. What do the traders carry by their side?

Answer key for teachers

Accept a short answer for questions 3, 5, 6 and 7 (for example “₦800”, “customer”, “two”, “go”). Full-sentence models are given below.

1. She is Chidi’s mother.
2. She sells tomatoes and peppers.
3. Chidi gave the woman ₦800.
4. (B) He is honest.
5. The word is “customer”.
6. The poem has two stanzas.
7. The word is “go”.
8. The traders carry yams and pepper.

Assignment

1. Why does Chidi wake at five o’clock on Saturdays?
2. Why did Chidi run after the woman?
3. In “The market day”, write the word that rhymes with “wide”.

Answer key for teachers

1. He wakes early to help his mother carry the baskets to the market.
2. He ran after her because she had walked away without her change.
3. The word is “side”.