Page:Adapting and Writing Language Lessons.pdf/396

Rh Un des gaz rares qui existent dans l'atmosphère. (Numero atomique 36.)

[One of the rare gases found in the atmosphere. Atomic number 36. ]

Gaz rare de l'atmosphere, de numéro atomique 10, employé dans l'eclairage par tubes luminescents à lumière rouge.

[Rare atmospheric gas, atomic number 10, used in illumination by red luminescent tubes.]

Element gazeux radio-actif, de numero atomique 86.

[Radioactive gaseous element, atomic number 86.]

From the point of view of content, families of microtexts allow for presentation of larger amounts of real information, comparison among a number of partially similar incidents, or the making of generalizations.

From the pedagogical point of view, one text of a group may be treated in one way, and other texts in other ways. These principles are illustrated in Appendix S.

In an experiment with groups of microtexts, the instructor selected from Swahili newspapers a large number of very short news items, each of which told about some local activity in the general area of 'nation-building'. These include construction of schools and roads, making of bricks, clearing of land, etc. The class was divided into two groups, three students in Group I, and the rest in Group II. Each member of Group I had his own news item to prepare.