Literacy Strategies to Develop Students' Understanding of Video
The Three Level Guide
* Adapted from the Reading Forum NZ: Official Journal of the New
Zealand Reading Association (Inc.) No.3 December 2000.
The Three-Level Guide is a reading strategy used to develop comprehension skills. The guide
is a series of statements about a text, some true and some false. These statements are
divided into three levels:
• Level One: Literal Statements (at the surface level of the text)
• Level Two: Inferential / Interpretive Statements (at a “between-the-lines” level)
• Level Three: Applied Statements (at a “beyond-the-text” level)
Students / readers are asked to agree or disagree with these statements and justify their
responses.
At Level One, the statements involve literal comprehension, where students simply search
for the information within the text.
At Level Two, the statements involve inferential comprehension, where students use the
literal information and combine it with other information, either from the text or from their
previous knowledge and experience, to find whether a statement is true or false.
At Level Three, the statements involve applied understanding, where students use the
literal and inferential information and combine it with other information from their previous
knowledge and experience in making generalisations, hypothesising, being creative and
discussing points of view. Information from the text is extended beyond the limits of the
text.
Responses to statements at Levels Two and Three can be subjective. Sometimes it is
difficult to decide whether the statement is true or false because the text does not provide
enough information. In these instances the student must justify their opinions by giving
reasons. This makes Levels Two and Three more challenging. The decision (true or false) will
be open to debate as the correct response cannot always be reached by simply finding
information from the text. Discussion follows after completion of the exercise. In a group
learning session, students may discuss and debate their responses with each other. In a oneto-one learning session, the student discusses his / her responses with the tutor.
Note:
• The discussion provides the opportunity for students to learn how to search for
information within a text.
• For students that are not understanding what they read, the discussion time is valuable
for it is here that they hear how others justify their choices and debate the issues,
introducing new ways of thinking about text, and broadening their own approach to the text.
Dee Edwards, National Co-ordinator Learning Languages, Team solutions, University of Auckland, 2012
Using Writing-to-Learn Activities in the Foreign Language Classroom
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Summaries—Summaries of texts, videos, or films can be used to check comprehension and
to develop writing skills beyond the sentence level.
Example 1: At a lower level, students write five sentences about the content of a text,
dialog, film, etc. Then they are asked to put these sentences in a logical order,
combining sentences where appropriate to form a summary.
Example 2: Students write a summary of a story from the perspective of a minor
character in the text. This encourages a deeper understanding of the text and a
greater awareness of the significance of point of view.
Example 3: Students write a book or film review based on a text they read or a film
they have seen. This review must include a short plot and character summary as well
as all the other elements of a good review. Students should read reviews from
different sources in preparation for this assignment. Then each student should write
a review for a particular publication. In this way, the student will also focus on
audience and register.
Story telling—In story telling students practice writing cohesive narratives with logical
sequences of events. Writing stories involves practicing many elements important in
communication: description, transition, point of view, interpretation, etc. As students write
their own stories and review the work of their peers, they develop an understanding of
these aspects of narration.
Example 1: Students organize a set of related pictures into a sequence and then
write 1-2 sentences for each picture. Afterwards they should organize the story into
a smooth narrative.
Example 2: After reading a portion of a text or seeing part of a film, students write an
ending to the story.
Example 3: Students should take the plot of a story they have read or a film they
have seen and write a continuation, adding new characters, elements, or settings.
Film and Video—Film and video are valuable resources in a foreign language classroom
because they combine visual, audio, and cultural elements. In addition, film is a genre with
which most students are comfortable. Writing activities make this medium interactive,
rather than allow students to be passive observers. The use of film and video can range
from a single frame to a full-length feature film.
Example 1: Students watch several commercials from the target culture, filling in
charts with pertinent information. Working in groups, they create and produce their
own commercials.
Example 2: Students watch a video without the sound and then write texts or dialogs
for the visual image.
Dee Edwards, National Co-ordinator Learning Languages, Team solutions, University of Auckland, 2012
Example 3: After seeing a full-length film, the class views a short segment from the
film. Breaking into small groups, students write sequence analyses. Each group
focuses on a different aspect of the analysis, for example, sound, characters, setting,
editing, symbolism, etc. Their analysis includes how these elements are important
within this segment as well as for the entire film.
Dee Edwards, National Co-ordinator Learning Languages, Team solutions, University of Auckland, 2012
Otel·lo
This is a tool for organising information, questioning, and visual interpretation. It is an
excellent tool for developing language skills.
1. Select a video clip for analysis.
2. Decide on the number of grids. Draw up the grid on a PowerPoint Slide. A grid is
available on the Literacy page of the Learning Languages PLD wiki
https://learninglanguagespld.wikispaces.com/
3. Develop a question for each square of the grid. While the teacher can provide the
questions, it is also possible for the students to create their own and then question
the opposing team themselves.
4. After viewing the video, students divide into two teams and each team takes turns at
selecting a square on the grid and answering the question. If the answer is
acceptable, then the team places a disc on that square.
5. The process continues until the grid is completed.
Dee Edwards, National Co-ordinator Learning Languages, Team solutions, University of Auckland, 2012
5Ws and an H
This strategy works well to develop students' ability to view visual texts critically. Using 5Ws
and an H can assist students to focus on:
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Where the story is set/located?
Who are the people involved?
When is the action taking place?
Why is it happening?
What are the main events in this section of the story?
How are the people related/connected?
Suggestion:
 Introduce the use of modal verbs to the questions.
 Use the question dice from the Literacy page on the Learning Languages PLD wiki
https://learninglanguagespld.wikispaces.com/ and students work in groups to ask
their own questions.
Spanish versions of graphic organisers http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/spanish/
Dee Edwards, National Co-ordinator Learning Languages, Team solutions, University of Auckland, 2012
Dictogloss using Video
Is an interactive method of teaching listening comprehension that combines conventional
teaching procedures such as topical warm-up, explicit vocabulary instruction and possibly
grammar correction with a new type of meaning-based listening activity and cooperative
learning. This strategy embodies several important principles of language learning such as
learner autonomy, cooperation among learners, focus on meaning and self and peerassessment. The process is equally as important as the product.
The procedure entails both language decoding (dictation) and its encoding (reconstruction)
and, as a result, enhances both students’ listening and communication skills. The students
take notes during the viewing of a video and then, working in small groups, proceed to piece
together the text as a cooperative endeavour. This is achieved by the pooling of the group's
notes and the making of grammatical decisions about the text: specifically about word
choice, sentence formation, and cross-sentence connections. Finally, after each group has
produced its own version of the text, the whole class reconvenes and the groups' versions
are analysed and corrected. The task provides students with a sense of achievement and
personal accountability and encourages them to think about the process of language
learning and how to approach it more effectively. As an assessment strategy, the last stage
of the procedure allows for the analysis and correction of students’ texts. The class assumes
the role of assessors and provides feedback on accuracy and errors, as well as determining
whether any critical information has been omitted.
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Introduce the topic of the text, the language focus and the key vocabulary.
Read the text to the class a little slower than normal pace. Students should just
listen for meaning.
Read the text again and as it is being read, the students should individually make
brief notes of the key events as well as words and phrases.
Working in pairs and then fours, the students compare their notes and attempt to
reconstruct the text from their shared resources, editing for accuracy. Their version
should contain the main events from the text and approximate the language
features of the text.
Each group produces their own reconstructed version, aiming at grammatical
accuracy and textual cohesion but not at replicating the original text.
Each group of students reads their finished version to the class and each text is
analysed and compared by the class.
Students then work independently to refine their own texts in light of the shared
scrutiny and discussion.
(Adapted from: Vasiljevic, Z. (2010). Dictogloss as an Interactive Method of Teaching
Listening Comprehension to L2 Learners. English Language Teaching, 3(1), 41 - 52.)
Dee Edwards, National Co-ordinator Learning Languages, Team solutions, University of Auckland, 2012