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GENERAL ENGLISH · LINGUAHOUSE PODCAST · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

PODCAST:
DEEP
READING
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1 Warm up

In pairs, answer the questions below.

1. Do you like reading? What kind of texts do you like reading?

2. Do you know how many books you read this year?

3. Was there a book you started reading and couldn’t wait to see how it ended?

4. What is the longest book you’ve ever read?

5. Do you think you read more books today than in the past?

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

2 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Complete the following definitions with the missing vowels (a, e, i, o, u).

1. _ xt _ ns _ v _ ly (adv.) - in a way that it’s great in amount, number or size

2. sk _ m (v) - read something quickly

3. sw _ tch (v) - change completely

4. _ ff _ ct _ v _ ly (adv.) - in a way that’s successful

5. pr _ s _ m _ bly (adv.) - used to say something is very likely to be true

6. _ tt _ nt _ _ n | sp _ n (n) - the amount of time we can focus on something

Part B: Match the words and phrases with their definitions.

1. distraction (n) a. something that turns your attention away from something that
needs it
2. obvious (adj.) b. something that is useful and can help

3. flow (n) c. the present time, when many things are done by computers

4. handy (adj.) d. a situation in which something moves or continues easily

5. digital era (phrase) e. something that is comfortable and inviting

6. cosy (adj.) f. something that is very easy to understand

3 Listening to podcast

Part A: Listen to the first part of the podcast (00:00-02:54). Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1. Helen reads 500 words in bed.

2. Deep reading is an ability that some people are losing more than others.

3. Studies suggest we are reading short texts more than long texts.

4. British children read more for pleasure than Americans.

5. Helen seems to regret the fact that we don’t do maths after calculators became popular.

6. Angus suggests that when we read more, we think better.

7. Technology has helped us to concentrate longer on tasks.

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

Part B: Listen to the second part of the podcast (02:55-05:53). Put the topics in the order they are
mentioned.

1 We should read something we like.

Skimming and deep reading are both important.

Our brains can adapt to different abilities.

Reading slowly is a good way to start practising deep reading.

It’s important to have a screen-free time.

Part C: Complete the sentences below with a word or short phrase from below. Then listen to the
whole podcast again and check.

Group 1:

500 mental paper pleasure younger

1. Helen reads in bed, but she is so tired she falls asleep before reading
words.

2. Because of technology, generations are reading less.

3. People are not reading for as they used to.

4. After Google Maps, people find it more difficult to read maps.

5. People use calculators and have stopped doing maths.

Group 2:

at hand letters physically slow down time

1. We must make the to deep read.

2. Instead of using phones, we could have other activities .

3. When deep reading, and don’t rush.

4. Technology might be changing our brains .

5. The visual cortex is responsible for identifying .

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

4 Speaking practice
In pairs, follow the instructions below. Then swap roles and repeat the task.

Student A:

You don’t like reading, but you want to impress someone, so you have decided to start reading
for pleasure. You think you should start with the classics, but you find them really boring. You
asked a friend to help you.

Student B:

You love reading and you want to help a friend who wants to start reading for pleasure. Use
the information from the podcast to help them and recommend some books they might like.

5 Talking point
In pairs, discuss the questions below.

1. What information did you find most surprising in this podcast?

2. What questions do you still have about this topic?

3. How easy for you is it to deep read extensive texts?

4. Which skill do you practise more often: deep reading or skimming?

5. How do you focus on what you’re reading and deal with distractions?

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

6 Extension activities / homework

Task A: In pairs, look at the cues below and rebuild the extract from the podcast. Then role play the
dialogue.

Angus: skim texts, / read / quickly. / stopped / deep reading, / which / read slowly, / taking in
/ words, / totally involved / Now / switch/ tabs, / skimming and scrolling / through /
different sources / time. 1
Helen: what / mean. / nephew / seem / concentrate / 5 seconds. 2

Angus: not / one. / published / 2018 / pointed out / reading / shorter texts, / online, / longer
texts. 3
Helen: would / situation / improved 4

Angus: Hardly. / suggest /also / fall / reading / pleasure, / among children.5

Task B: In groups, record a video with the title ‘How to deep read’. Mention the following.

• why it’s harder to deep read extensive texts nowadays

• some tips to deep-read
• how our brain adapts to new skills

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

Transcripts

3. Listening to podcast

Part: -1-

Angus: Hello, and welcome to Angus and Helen’s podcast. I’m Angus...

Helen: ... and I’m Helen.

Angus: Helen, when was the last time you read something longer than 500 words?

Helen: Uff ... These days, I only read extensively in bed, but I’m usually so tired I fall asleep way
before 500 words! Why?

Angus: Because that’s our topic for today: deep reading. There’s evidence to suggest it’s an
important skill we are losing.

Helen: What do you mean? We’re forgetting how to read?!

Angus: In a way, yes. Mostly because of new technologies, we are becoming skimmers. Especially
the younger generations.

Helen: What do you mean by ‘skimmers’?

Angus: We only skim texts and read them quickly. We have stopped doing deep reading, which
is when you read slowly, really taking in the words, and are totally involved with the text.
Now we switch between tabs, skimming and scrolling through lots of different sources at
the same time.

Helen: I know what you mean. I have a nephew who can’t seem to concentrate on reading for 5
seconds.

Angus: He’s not the only one. A study published back in 2018 in Europe pointed out that we are
reading a lot more shorter texts, especially online, and fewer and fewer longer texts.

Helen: I would think the situation hasn’t improved since.

Angus: Hardly. Studies suggest that there has also been a strong fall in reading for pleasure,
especially among children. In the US, a survey found that only 17% of the 13-year-olds
read for fun almost every day. And on the other side of the ocean, in the UK, only 25% of
children read every day or nearly every day for pleasure.

Helen: So we’re changing the way we read. What is so bad about that? I mean, some might
argue that technology has always changed us: people stopped doing mental maths after
calculators came about, and before Google Maps people were much better able to read
paper maps. That’s a lost skill, but we don’t seem to miss it much.

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

Angus: Maybe, but this is something different. For one, deep reading leads to deep thinking. You
understand a lot more about a text when you are reading deeply and are able to reflect a
lot better on it. You can also relate what you are learning to what you already know more
effectively. So it affects not only your ability to read but essentially to learn.

Helen: I see what you mean. And presumably by deep reading, you also practise focusing on
something for a longer period of time, which in today’s busy world, can be very important.

Angus: Exactly. In 2022, a study from King’s College London found that nearly half of 200 adults
felt like their attention span was shorter than before. And 47% of them also thought that
deep thinking no longer existed.

Part: -2-

Helen: So what can we do to rescue this skill that we’re losing then?

Angus: Well, the first thing to do is to make the time to do some deep reading. Block off a couple
of hours at the weekend, at a time when there won’t be any distractions.

Helen: Any suggestions as to what we should be reading?

Angus: Only that it should be something you really enjoy. That sounds obvious, but many people
buy books based on what they think they should be reading and then force themselves to
read them from cover to cover. It might even be something you have already read: you’ll
always discover something new by going through it again.

Helen: OK. I’ve made the time and chosen the ideal book. How do I actually deep-read?

Angus: First, turn off your phone. Part of the problem is that many people have created the habit
of checking their devices every few minutes when they are reading. That breaks the flow.
Even when you feel like taking a break from reading, try not to reach for your phone:
instead, have a few activities at hand that don’t involve screens. Maybe play with your
pet, stretch or listen to music.

Helen: OK. What else?

Angus: It’s all about our goal as readers. We often want to speed through a text to get through it
as quickly as possible. Try to slow down and focus on the process instead of the result.

Helen: That sounds fun!

Angus: It sure is, and of course, you’re not doing it all the time. There are moments in which
skimming also comes in handy. One of the experts in this area is Dr Maryanne Wolf. She’s
the author of ‘Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World’. She defends
what she calls “biliteracy” — the ability to both skim, especially online, but also to be able
to deep read.

Helen: Interesting.

Angus: But she also warns that the digital era might be changing our brains physically.

Helen: How come?

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PODCAST: DEEP READING

Angus: Well, our brain was not created to read. Not like seeing, walking, or even talking, which
are skills we as a species have done for much longer. Our brains had to change for us to be
able to read. There’s a part of our brain called the visual cortex, responsible for what we
see, where groups of brain cells that were used to recognise faces and objects changed
to be able to identify letters. So now that we are reading differently, our brains can be
expected to change again. It’s like a muscle - if you stop using it, it becomes weak.

Helen: Which is why we should be practising our deep reading then?

Angus: Exactly! And just like that, we’re coming to the end of another episode! Do you have
anything for us next week?

Helen: I do. Next week, we’ll be talking about gaming.

Angus: Oh, I do like a video game!

Helen: Actually, our topic will be cosy gaming: playing video games in a more relaxed way. We’ll
also be talking about the benefits of cosy games.

Angus: Sounds great! See you next week, guys!

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