Reading Comprehension About Divorce
This reading comprehension activity is designed for teenage and adult students at an intermediate level. The lesson centers on the theme of marriage problems that lead to divorce. Students will enhance their reading skills, vocabulary, and fluency through a range of reading, vocabulary, and writing activities.
Throughout the lesson, learners are guided to explore word forms, meanings, and common collocations.
Table of Contents
Lesson Overview
Reading Comprehension Lesson about Divorce
Lesson Focus:
- Target Audience: Intermediate students
- Objectives:
- Enhance reading comprehension through a narrative text about marriage and divorce.
- Expand vocabulary by identifying and using new words and collocations.
- Reinforce understanding and use of the simple past tense.
- Develop writing fluency with creative and reflective writing activities.
- Promote verbal expression and collaboration through group discussions.
- Encourage critical thinking on social issues related to marriage and relationships.
- Components:
- Reading activity
- Vocabulary work
- Follow-up writing activity
Detailed Lesson Plan: “Reading Comprehension About Divorce”
Pre-Reading Tasks
Task 1: Predicting
Before Reading:
Ask students to read the title of the passage and predict what the text will be about. Then, have them skim the text to check their predictions.
Task 2: Quote Discussion
Instructions:
- Read the following quote:
- “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” — Mignon McLaughlin
- Discussion Questions:
- What do you think this quote means?
- Do you agree or disagree with the quote? Why?
- How might this quote relate to the story you are about to read?
- Group Activity:
- Discuss the quote in small groups.
- Each group will summarize their discussion and present their thoughts to the whole class.
While-Reading Tasks
Mary’s Marriage Story
Mary’s Journey: From Love to Divorce
I met my ex-husband on January 1st, 1995 at a birthday party. We fell in love at first sight. We had a fantastic relationship for three happy years. Then, on the third anniversary of our first meeting, he proposed and we got married six months later in London. At first, everything was perfect; he was flawless. We did the housework together; I did the washing-up and made the beds and he did the cooking and the shopping. He always made a mess when he did the cooking, but I didn’t mind because the dishes were always delicious.
Everything changed after a few years when he got a new job in Manchester; we made the decision to move there, so he wouldn’t have to take the train to work every day. He became a workaholic and started working late at night and paying less attention to me. He stopped helping me with the housework, so I had to do all the chores by myself. Then, when he started getting drunk after work, he started beating me. I got depressed and ended up asking for a divorce which occurred six months later.
I. Comprehension (reading & comprehension activities)
A. Answer these questions
- When did Mary and her ex-husband meet for the first time?
- Who used to do the housework at the beginning of their marriage?
B. Are these statements true or false?
- Mary’s ex-husband was not a good cook.
- They got married in 1995.
- She asked for a divorce because she got depressed.
II. Vocabulary work
A. Noticing
Read the text and try to understand the meaning of the underlined words from the context.
B. Checking
Match the words with their definitions:
| Words | Definitions |
|---|---|
| Flawless | a.Miserable |
| Mess | b. An unpleasant or burdensome task |
| Workaholic | c. A person addicted to work |
| Chore | d. A dirty or untidy state of things or a place |
| Depressed | e. Perfect |
III. Vocabulary Practice
1. What parts of speech are these words:
| Words | Parts of Speech |
|---|---|
| 1. Sight | Noun |
| 2. Flawless | ……. |
| 3. Mess | ……. |
| 4. Workaholic | ……. |
| 5. Chore | ……. |
| 6. Depressed | ……. |
2. Match these words to form collocations:
| Words | Definitions |
|---|---|
| 1. catch | a. a mess |
| 2. make | b. sight (of) |
| 3. look | c. house chores |
| 4. do | d. depressed |
| 5. fall | e. in love |
3. Complete the following text with words from the above exercise:
“Mary suddenly caught ______ of her would-be husband at a birthday party. They fell ______ immediately. They got married, but they didn’t have any children. He used to help her with the housework, but later when he started drinking, Mary had to do all the ______ by herself. Mary’s husband stopped being nice to her. That’s why she looked ______.”
IV. Grammar Practice (Simple Past Tense)
Fill in the blanks with the correct simple past tense form of the verbs in parentheses.
- The narrator and her ex-husband __________ (meet) at a birthday party in 1995.
- They __________ (fall) in love at first sight.
- He __________ (propose) to her on the third anniversary of their first meeting.
- After moving to Manchester, he __________ (stop) helping with the housework.
- The divorce __________ (occur) six months after the narrator asked for it.
IV. Expanding (Follow-up)
Task A
- Use 5 of the words from the text to write true sentences about yourself.
- Work in groups and share your sentences.
- Each group will decide on the best examples and a representative will report 2 examples to the class.
Task B
Write a story about the marriage of one of your relatives to your pen-friend. Consider these questions:
- How did they meet?
- How did they fall in love?
- Do they have children?
- Does the husband help with the house chores?
- Are they happy?
Conclusion
The above reading comprehension about divorce is specifically designed for intermediate learners. It helps learners develop their reading skills and enrich their vocabulary and grammar understanding through targeted questions and activities. Additionally, this lesson plan encourages critical thinking by addressing complex social issues.
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