Key Stage 3 languages · Linguistic competence

KS3 languages: reading and understanding real texts

Reading in a new language is more than translating word by word. At Key Stage 3 pupils meet original texts, written for speakers of the language, as well as adapted ones made easier for learners. The curriculum asks them to understand each text’s purpose, its important ideas and its details, and to translate short, suitable passages into accurate English, building on a sound foundation of core grammar and vocabulary.

Reading original texts, explained

An original text, sometimes called authentic, was written for people who speak the language, not for learners. It might be an advert, a menu, a timetable, a web page, a magazine article, an email or a social media post. An adapted text has been simplified: fewer unfamiliar words, shorter sentences and sometimes a glossary. Early in Key Stage 3 most of the reading is adapted. By Year 9 pupils should be handling short original pieces, though schools choose which texts and topics to use.

Pupils learn to ask three questions. What is this text for: to inform, to persuade, to advertise, to entertain or to ask for something? What are the main ideas, the message of the whole text? And what are the details, such as dates, times, prices, names and reasons? Reading for the gist means skimming the whole text, looking at the title, layout, pictures and words that look like English. Reading for details means scanning for the particular piece of information a question asks for.

There are strategies for unknown words. Cognates look similar in both languages, like animal, important or restaurant. Be careful with false friends, which look similar but differ: in French, actuellement means “currently” and a librairie is a bookshop, while in Spanish embarazada means “pregnant”, not “embarrassed”. Context also helps: the words around a new one often narrow the possibilities. Grammar clues help too. A verb ending shows who did something, and whether it happened in the past, present or future.

This all rests on core grammar and vocabulary, which is why teachers keep returning to common verbs, connectives, numbers, times and question words. The more of these a pupil recognises instantly, the more attention is left for new words. Teachers also show pupils how to use a dictionary properly: look at the type of word (noun, verb, adjective), read all the meanings and choose the one that fits. Pupils may be asked to answer questions in English, in the language, or to translate a short extract into English.

Words your child will hear

Authentic text: A text written for native speakers, such as a menu, advert or article.
Adapted text: A text simplified for learners, with easier language.
Gist: The general meaning of a text.
Skim and scan: Skim to get the overall idea; scan to find one specific piece of information.
Cognate: A word that looks similar and means the same in both languages, like French hôtel or Spanish hotel.
False friend: A word that looks like an English word but has a different meaning.
Context: The words and situation around a new word that help you work out its meaning.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should be taught to read and show comprehension of original and adapted materials from a range of different sources, understanding the purpose, important ideas and details, and provide an accurate English translation of short, suitable material
Teaching should focus on developing the breadth and depth of pupils’ competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on a sound foundation of core grammar and vocabulary.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: reading an advert in French

Read this notice and answer: What is it for? When and where is the event? What can you buy, and what happens to the money?

Read the notice once for the gist, looking at the layout and the words you know.

Collège Les Tilleuls
Grande vente de gâteaux !
Samedi 14 mars, de 10 h à 13 h,
dans la cour. Tous les gâteaux
sont faits maison. Les prix
commencent à 50 centimes.
L’argent va aider à acheter des
livres pour la bibliothèque.
Venez nombreux !

Identify the purpose. A bold headline with an exclamation mark, a date and time, and “Venez nombreux !” (“come in large numbers”) show it is an advert inviting people to an event.
Scan for details. When: Samedi 14 mars, 10 h à 13 h, so Saturday 14 March from 10 am to 1 pm. Where: dans la cour, in the playground. What: gâteaux, cakes, all faits maison, homemade. Price: from 50 centimes.
Work out an unknown word. If “cour” is new, the context helps: a school event outdoors, held “dans la” something. Playground or courtyard fits. “Faits maison” contains a word you know, maison, and cakes made at home is sensible.
Find the reason: “L’argent va aider à acheter des livres pour la bibliothèque.” The money helps buy books for the library.

It is an advert for a school cake sale on Saturday 14 March from 10 am to 1 pm in the playground. The cakes are homemade, prices start at 50 centimes, and the money will buy books for the school library.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing every word must be understood

Pupils who are used to short, controlled exercises panic when a text contains words they have never met and give up.

What helps: Cross out the unknown words in your mind and ask what the rest tells you. Most questions can be answered without every word.

Falling for false friends

A word that looks like English feels safe, so pupils don’t check. They may read “librairie” as library and answer the question wrongly.

What helps: Keep a short list of false friends from the language being learned, and add to it. If a meaning doesn’t fit the sentence, suspect a false friend.

Translating each word in order

Word-for-word translation seems the most reliable method, but word order and structure differ between languages.

What helps: Read a whole sentence, find the verb, the person doing it and the time. Then decide what it means before writing anything down.

Ignoring the purpose of the text

Pupils jump straight to details and miss whether the text is advertising, informing or asking for something, which changes the way it should be read.

What helps: Before reading closely, look at the title, layout and any pictures and ask “who wrote this and why?”

How to help at home

Look at real texts together. Find a leaflet, a packaging label, a holiday brochure or a short news item in the language. Ask what it is for and what three details your child can find, without a dictionary first.
Hunt for cognates. Choose a short text and race to find words that look like English. Then look for words that look similar but don’t fit, and talk about why.
Predict before reading. Look at the title and any pictures and guess what words might be in the text. Prediction activates vocabulary and makes reading easier.
Practise gist and detail. After reading, ask for a one-sentence summary and then one question about a detail, such as a time or a price. These are the two reading skills pupils practise most in class.