Page:Adapting and Writing Language Lessons.pdf/391

CHAPTER 7 The treaty was signed in 1919.

The treaty was signed after World War I.

The treaty established the frontier of Italy.

The frontier followed a strategic boundary.

Some people said the boundary was natural.

The boundary was the Alpine watershed.

If, on the other hand, the text is to be used only for comprehension and as a general model for writing, these very short sentences may be recombined into a more graceful version which is still much easier than the original:

"The Treaty of St. Germain, which was signed in 1919 after World War I, established the frontier of Italy. The boundary that the frontier followed was the Alpine watershed. This was a strategic boundary, and some people said that it was also a natural one."

With each text, the student's goal is to assimilate it, so that its contents—its words, and the structures that they exemplify—will be available to him for future use. Before he can assimilate it, he must digest it, and before food can be digested it must be chewed. Just how long digestion will take and just how much chewing is necessary of course depend on each student's ability and on his prior knowledge of the target language. Nevertheless, with beginning students the materials developer will want to supply a certain amount of 'apparatus', the purpose of which is to chop the text up so that the process of mastication can begin.