YOUNG LEARNERS'
MOTIVATION TO READING

The main point of this article is to suggest some ideas for the foreign language (English) teacher. Being one of the most important language skills, reading needs motivation. Grown-up learners of English are usually strongly motivated, which can’t be said about young children. They like interesting stories, but reading in a foreign language is quite another pair of shoes. They should know not only the vocabulary, but the structures as well. A lot of exercises may be suggested for developing reading skills in English, but not all of them can make the children read the text just because they are interested in the process itself.

The following pages present the story “Is this the House of Mistress Mouse?” taken from Richard Scarry’s “Best Storybook Ever” published by KRON-PRESS, Moscow, in 1995. This story is addressed to young children and can be perfectly used for teaching them English. The text is “programmed”, so that the children could read and complete the tasks with pleasure. They should just read and follow the instructions. The passages of the text are jumbled and supplemented with some tasks (answer the questions’, choose the correct variant’). When the children do the task, they are sent to the key (‘go to 5 or 7’, etc.). Thus, step by step the children read the text and do the exercises which help them to understand the text.

IS THIS THE HOUSE OF MISTRESS MOUSE?

From Richard Scarry's "Best Storybook Ever"

 1. This is the house of Mister Mouse. He lived all alone and he was very lonely. One day he received a letter from Mistress Mouse. The letter said: ‘Dear Mister Mouse, I am very lonely too. Will you please come and visit me? Love and kisses. Mistress Mouse.’
Mister Mouse said to himself, ‘I would like very much to visit Mistress Mouse but I don’t know where she lives. ‘However, I will just have to get into my little car and go look for her.’

a) Choose the correct variant:

Mr. Mouse was happy. (Go to 6)
Mr. Mouse was lonely. (Go to 9)

b) Answer the question: ‘Who sent him a letter?’

‘His brother.’ (Go to 15)
‘Mistress Mouse.’(Go to 3)

2. Right. They went on picnics. They took rides in the country. They went rowing on the lake. (Proceed to 10 c)

3. That’s right. Proceed to 20.

4. You are right. ... it was the house of Mrs. HEN and her baby chicks.

‘Please don’t bother me. I am teaching my chicks to scratch,’ she said. (Go to 11 a).

5. It was their BABY! He wanted to be kissed good night.

‘Good night. Daddy Mouse.’
‘Good night. Mommy Mouse.’
‘Good night. Baby Mouse.’
‘Good night.’ (Go to 10 a)

6. No, you are wrong. (Go back to 1)

7. And so Mister Mouse traveled on until he came to a big castle house. He knocked on the castle door.

It was the castle of . . .

‘ROARRRRR!!!’

. . . the castle house of Mister LION!!

He was in a very bad temper because he had a very bad toothache. Mister Mouse raced away as fast as he could go!

a) Answer the question:

Did he knock on the castle of

• Mister Dog? (Go to 16)
• Mister Lion? (Go to 21)

b) Choose the correct variant:

Mister Lion was angry because he had

• a bad headache (Go to 13)
• a bad toothache (Go to 18)

8. Right. Mister Mouse was frightened because Mister Cat could eat him. (Go to 11 c)

9. You are right. Mister Mouse was lonely. (Go to 1 b)

10. And so they were married by Preacher Mole. Mister Mouse gave Mistress Mouse a golden wedding ring with a bright diamond on top. And from that day on they were never lonely. They went on picnics. They took rides in the country. They went rowing on the lake.
And then one night, after they had finished their supper, they heard something. It was a tiny ‘Squeak, squeak, squeak,’ coming from the bedroom.

What do you suppose it was that was squeaking? (Go to 5)

Answer the questions:

a) What kind of a wedding ring did Mister Mouse give Mistress Mouse? (Go to 24)

b) How did they spend their time? (Go to 2)

c) What did they hear one night? (Go to 17)

11. ‘What a cute little mouse,’ thought Mister Cat as he watched him speed away in his car. ‘I wonder why he was so frightened?’
But Mister Mouse knew better than to go into Mister Cat’s house. Didn’t he? Soon he came to a bright red barn. He knocked on the barn door. It was the house of . . .
CLUCK-CLUCK-CLUCK

Whose house was it? (Go to 4)

Answer the questions:

a) What did Mister Cat think when he saw Mister Mouse? (Go to 22)
b) Why was Mister Mouse frightened? (Go to 8)
c) Where did he come to? (Go to 14)
d) What was Mrs. Hen doing? (Go to 23)

12. Finally he came to a cute little house on a lovely country lane. He knocked on the pretty little yellow door.

‘Is this the house of Mistress Mouse?’ he asked.

The door slowly opened.

Sure enough! It WAS the house of Mistress Mouse!

Mistress Mouse was so happy to see him. And Mister Mouse was so happy to see her.

‘Will you marry me so that we will never again be lonely?’ asked Mister Mouse.

‘Why, YES!’ said Mistress Mouse.

Answer the questions:

a) Did Mr. Mouse find the house of Mistress Mouse? (Go to 26)
b) Did Mistress Mouse agree to marry Mr. Mouse? (Go to 19)

13. You are wrong. (Go to 7 again)

14. Yes, you are right. Mr. Mouse came up to a bright red barn. (Go to 11 d)

15. You are wrong. Read passage 1 again.

16. You are wrong. Read passage 7 again.

17. You are right. They heard something. It was a tiny ‘Squeak, squeak, squeak.’

18. You are right. The Lion had a very bad toothache. (Go to 12)

19. Yes, she did. (Go to 10)

20. ‘There is a house just ahead,’ said Mister Mouse. ‘Perhaps that is where Mistress Mouse lives.’

He knocked on the door.

‘Is this the house of Mistress Mouse?’ he asked. Mister Mouse was very frightened for that was the house of . . .

‘MEOWWWRRR!’
. . . the house of Mister CAT!

Answer the question:

Was it the house of Mistress Mouse? (Go to 25)

21. You are right. It was the castle of Mister Lion. (Go to 7 b)

22. Right. ‘What a cute little mouse,’ thought Mister Cat. (Go to 11 b)

23. Right. She was teaching her chicks to scratch. (Go to 7)

24. You are right. He gave Mistress Mouse a golden wedding ring with a bright diamond on top. (Go to 10 b)

25. No, it wasn’t. It was the house of Mister Cat. (Go to 11)

26. Yes, he did. It was the house of Mistress Mouse. (Go to 12 b)

The teacher must do all the preliminary exercises with the children before they start reading the text. He (she) must be sure that the students know all the words in the story or can guess their meanings from the context.
The text is addressed to young children who can read. It may be also used with the beginners of any age because the process of reading is interesting and it’s a pleasure when you understand what you are reading.

By Angelina Bezrukova,
Khakas State University