SKKN Some pre-reading activities to enhance the grade 10 students’ critical thinking skill at Do Luong 2 High School

e text for 2 minutes then 
discuss to choose the best title in pairs. 
 Step 2: Completing the task 
- Sts scan the text for 2 minutes, then 
work in pairs to discuss to decide the 
answers. 
 Step 3: Report the result 
- T calls some Sts to give the answer 
and explain the reasons. 
 Step 4: Assessing the performance 
- T observes Sts’ performance and 
answer 
Question 5: When can you use 
electronic devices to learn? 
Question 6: How can we learn 
English with electronic devices? 
Activity 2: Choose the best title 
A. Advantaged Electronic devices 
B. New Ways to Learn English 
C. Software Programmes 
Key answer: C 
9. Sample application 9 (Unit 9: Preserving the environment) 
33 
 Aims: 
 Knowledge: 
- Extend some more knowledge about environmental pollution. 
- Memorize, extend and use the lexical items related the topic. 
 Key competences and language skills 
- Reading for general information about environmental pollution. 
- Build and stimulate prediction and conservation skills. 
- Collaborate and build and stimulate students’ critical thinking, problem 
solving skills through jigsaw activity. 
- Build students’ imagination, creativity, collaboration and communication. 
 Attitude: 
- Being active to broaden and percept the knowledge. 
- Be aware of responsibilities for community 
- Build the students' senses of preserving the environment. 
- Encourage students to study hard. 
- Collaborate and build enthusiasm and effectiveness in pair work and group 
work. 
- Extend students serious learning attitudes, love for learning English, 
participating in learning activities energetically and actively. 
 Type of work: Group work 
 Technique: The combination of the “jigsaw” activity and fishbone diagram 
 Preparation: The pictures about environmental pollution and a poster of 
questions 
 Procedure: 
Teacher’s and students’ activities Content and products 
Activity 1: Discussing the causes and 
effects of environmental pollution 
 Step 1: Giving the task 
- T divides the class into divide the class 
into 8 ‘expert’ groups of 4 or 5 students 
Asking students to discuss causes and 
effects of 4 types of environmental 
pollution and complete the fishbone 
Activity 1: Discussing the causes 
and effects of environmental 
pollution. 
34 
diagram. 
Group 1& 2: Causes and effects of soil 
pollution 
Group 3& 4: Causes and effects of air 
pollution 
Group 5& 6: Causes and effects of water 
pollution 
Group 7& 8: Causes and effects of noise 
pollution 
 Step 2: Completing the task: 
Round 1: 8 expert groups discuss. 
Round 2: Every two students in each 
expert group join in one new group to 
make 5 ‘jigsaw’ groups 
The ‘jigsaw’ groups work together to 
complete the task. 
 Step 3: Reporting the result 
The representatives of the 5 ‘jigsaw’ 
groups report their discussion. 
The product of a jigsaw group 
 Step 4: Assessing the performance: 
- T asks other students give comments 
- T gives feedback. 
Lead to the activity 2: Those are causes 
and effects of 4 types of environmental 
pollution. Now please scan the text and 
answer the question: what is the text 
about? 
The products of expert groups: 
Activity 2: Choosing the best title 
A. Natural Resource Depletion 
B. The Long-term Damage of Soil 
35 
Activity 2: Choosing the best title 
 Step 1: Giving the task 
- T introduces the task to St: T ask Sts to 
read the text for 2 minutes, then discuss to 
choose the best title in pairs. 
 Step 2: Completing the task 
- Sts scan the text for 2 minutes, then work 
in pairs to discuss to decide the answers. 
 Step 3: Report the result 
- T calls some Sts to give the answer and 
explain the reasons. 
 Step 4: Assessing the performance 
- T observes Sts’ performance and answer 
C. Environmental Pollution 
D. The Destruction of Ecosystem 
Key answer: C 
10. Sample application 10 (Unit 10: Ecotourism ) 
 Aims: 
 Knowledge: 
- Extend some more knowledge about ecotourism. 
- Memorize, extend and use the lexical items related the topic. 
 Key competences and language skills 
- Reading for general information about ecotourism. 
- Build and stimulate prediction and conservation skills. 
- Collaborate and build and stimulate students’ critical thinking, problem solving 
skills. 
- Build students’ imagination, creativity, collaboration and communication. 
 Attitude: 
- Being active to broaden and percept the knowledge. 
- Be aware of responsibilities for community 
- Build the students' senses of responsibility for preserving the environment. 
- Encourage students to study hard. 
- Collaborate and build enthusiasm and effectiveness in individual work and 
group work. 
- Extend students serious learning attitudes, love for learning English, 
36 
participating in learning activities energetically and actively. 
 Type of work: Group work 
 Technique: Mind map 
 Preparation: A video of an ecotourism destination- Costa Rica 
 and a poster of questions 
 Procedure: 
Teacher’s and students’ activities Content and products 
Activity 1: Watching video and answering the 
questions 
 Step 1: Giving the task 
- T divides the class groups of 4 - 6 students 
- Show students the video of an ecotourism 
destination-Costa Rica 
Fro 
Some pictures cut from the clip: 
- Asking students to watch the video and 
discuss the questions. 
 Step 2: Completing the task: 
- The groups discuss and list the influences of 
ecotourism on the environment and the local 
inhabitants on the poster. 
 Step 3: Reporting the result 
Activity 1: Watching video and 
answering the questions 
1. What destination can you see 
in the clip? 
2. Why does this destination 
attract tourists? 
3. How does ecotourism 
influence on the environment 
and the local inhabitants? 
* Suggested answer: 
1. It is Costa Rica 
2. Because Costa Rica is one of 
the best ecotourism destinations 
with exotic wildlife, rainforests, 
beautiful beaches and exciting 
volcanoes... 
3. Ecotourism has both positive 
and negative affect on the 
environment and the local 
habitats. 
37 
The representatives of the groups report their 
discussion. 
 Step 4: Assessing the performance: 
- T asks other students give comments 
- T gives feedback. 
Lead to the activity 2: You have talked about 
an ecotourism destination- Costa Rica . Now 
please scan the text and determine what the 
text is about. 
Activity 2: Choosing the best title 
 Step 1: Giving the task 
- T introduces the task to St and asks Sts to 
read the text for 2 minutes then discuss to 
choose the best title in pairs. 
 Step 2: Completing the task 
- Sts scan the text for 2 minutes, then work in 
pairs to discuss to decide the answers. 
 Step 3: Report the result 
- T calls some Sts to give the answer and 
explain the reasons. 
 Step 4: Assessing the performance 
- T observes Sts’ performance and answer 
Activity 2: Choosing the best 
title 
A. Sustainable Ecotourism and 
jobs 
B. Pros and Cons of 
Ecotourism 
C. Ecotourism- A solution to 
Environmental Problems 
Key answer: B 
V. RESULTS AND COMMENT 
1. Results 
 We applied these pre-reading activities to teach our grade 10 students in the 
school year 2020-2021. In spite of some difficulties, we achieved considerable 
successes in students’ behaviors and competences, which are the results of 
enhancing their critical thinking skills. 
 We have carried out the second survey with the same statements on the same 
students from three classes at the end of the second semester (after using these 
activities). The survey was done to check how effective the activities have brought 
about. The table below shows the results of the survey before and after using the 
activities with the aim of enhancing students’ critical thinking skills. 
38 
Statements Options Before using 
the activities 
After using 
the activities 
1. Critical thinking is an important 
skill. 
A. Yes 42% 76% 
B. No 35% 11% 
C. Not sure 23% 13% 
2. You have many difficulties in 
making decisions by yourself. 
A. Yes 77% 24% 
B. No 15% 53% 
C. Not sure 8% 23% 
3. You are good at processing and 
evaluating information. 
A. Yes 9% 42% 
B. No 51% 31% 
C. Not sure 40% 27% 
4. You always make questions 
immediately when you get 
information. 
A. Yes 32% 63% 
B. No 45% 24% 
C. Not sure 23% 13% 
 5. It is necessary to think about the 
explanations and assumptions for our 
choices. 
A. Yes 41% 73% 
B. No 45% 18% 
C. Not sure 4% 9% 
6. English lessons have great 
influences on your ways of thinking. 
A. Yes 12% 67% 
B. No 34% 2% 
C. Not sure 54% 21% 
7. The others’ thinking is important 
to you. 
A. Yes 30% 72% 
B. No 62% 13% 
C. Not sure 8% 15% 
8. You are patient enough with the 
complexity. 
A. Yes 7% 45% 
B. No 61% 24% 
C. Not sure 32% 31% 
39 
2. Comments 
The survey shows that after using the interventional activities, there has been 
much more differences from before using them. After using the activities, we have 
found that the students have changed considerately their attitude, behaviors and 
competences. First of all, they have known the importance of critical thinking; 
therefore, they have tried to practice it every day. Secondly, they are better at 
processing information as well as making decisions. For examples, they have 
already known how to make questions and what questions should be raised as soon 
as they get information to determine whether the information is true or not. They 
also find it necessary to think about the explanations and assumptions for their 
choices. Thirdly, our students have tended to respect others’ opinions whether 
they have the same opinions or not. Moreover, they become patient enough with 
the complexity. Last but not least, more students admit that English lessons have 
great influences on their ways of thinking, behaviors and competences. In 
conclusion, after using these interventional activities, our students have made a 
great deal of progress in their critical thinking and problem solutions. 
40 
PART 3: CONCLUSION 
The study was implemented at the beginning of the school year 2020-2021, 
when we were assigned to teach grade 10 students. The fact that our students’ 
school entrance marks were low, especially the English subject means the 
students’ knowledge and competences are not good. Consequently, in contrast with 
the continued advance of civilization, our students have had more and more 
difficulties in both study and life. Hence, we have made great efforts to find 
solutions to help our students to improve their learning and achieve successes in 
the life. With the pre-reading activities suggested in this study, students are 
engaged in their reading, curious about the texts and willing to discover more 
information. More exactly, they find their motivation to read materials and develop 
their reading skill. More importantly, they have had the habits of thinking critically 
to process information and solve problems in the life as soon as they are asked. 
Practically, the students have the ability of making decisions about their study, 
jobs, life by themselves easier. In addition, they can apply their knowledge into the 
real life although this is not always really flexible. These are the good things we 
have achieved in our study. 
Basing on the situation analysis and the survey, we have designed pre-
reading activities in the reading lessons (Tieng Anh 10) which are interesting and 
suitable for our students. These activities are completely adapted and follow the 
official letter 5512 of Education Ministry. With our designed pre-reading 
activities, students build and develop their required behaviors and competences in 
teaching and learning foreign languages. By using these activities, the pre-reading 
stage not only activates students’ knowledge, provides them with useful language 
but also builds and enhances their critical thinking. Another success of our 
designed activities is helping students boost both their collaboration to solve 
problems in the life through pair work, group work and presentation skills. 
Besides, the students’ creativity is dramatically increased. Truthfully, sometimes, 
these activities are not completely effective because of the number of students in 
the class and the class facilities. However, undeniably, these activities have had a 
lot of positive influences on our students’ behaviors and competences. They have 
gradually changed their ways of beliefs, thinking and formed key behaviors and 
competences to meet the standards of a global citizen in the 21st century. 
As can be seen from the survey, our students have significantly improved in 
their attitude and competences. Therefore, we can also apply similar activities to 
develop grade 11 and grade 12 students’ critical thinking skills through pre-
reading stage. In fact, these are only some suggested activities other teachers can 
design different reasonable pre-reading activities providing that they boost their 
students’ critical thinking. We hope that critical thinking skills should be taught 
and paid attention to in other subjects. 
Our measures have been taken during the teaching process. Thanks to the 
41 
development of information technology, we have searched for much useful 
information to carry out the study. In addition, the study has been completed with 
the assistance of the foreign language experts, our school’s Board of Directors, our 
colleagues and students. We would like to express our sincere acknowledgement 
of their support and cooperation. We would be grateful if we receive the comments 
and good ideas from readers and other teachers so that the study is getting more 
and more effective and interesting. 
42 
REFERENCES 
1. Bloom, B. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: David 
McKay Co. Inc. 
2. Anderson, L. & Krathwohl, D. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy for learning, 
teaching and assessing: a revision of Boom’s taxonomy of educational 
objectives. New York: Longman. 
3. Forrester, J. (2008). Thinking creatively; thinking critically. Asian Social 
Science, 4(5), 100-105. 
4. Kurfiss, J. C. (1988). Critical thinking: theory, research, practice, and 
possibilities. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.2. Washington, 
D.C.: Association for the Study of Higher Education. 
5. Paul, R., Elder, L., & Bartell, T. (1997). California teaching preparation for 
instruction in critical thinking: research findings and policy 
recommendations. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking. 
6. Brown, M.N. & Kelley, S.M. 1986. Asking the right questions: A guide to 
critical thinking, 7th ed. Englewood, NJ: Prentice Hall. 
7. Hoang Van Van, Tieng Anh 10 textbook (2012) 
8. http:// scholar.google.com 
9. 
10. 
11. 
12.