# data[].attributes.body
Task:
Questions
1. How does the building of the cathedral satisfy the ambitions of the main characters—Tom Builder, Prior Philip, Aliena and Jack?

2. Read the first scene in Chapter 10 and think about the prose style. Why do you think the author writes this way? Compare the last scene of the same chapter.

3. The number of words of one syllable; the length of sentences; the length of paragraphs; the adjectives used. What is different about the author’s purpose in these two scenes?

4. Although The Pillars of the Earth is fiction, it includes some real-life characters and incidents from history, such as King Stephen at the battle of Lincoln, and the murder of Thomas Becket. Why does the author mix fact and fiction like this?

5. Women were second-class citizens in medieval society and the church. Is this accurately reflected in The Pillars of the Earth?

6. Some readers have said that they look at medieval churches with new eyes after reading The Pillars of the Earth. Do you think you will do the same?

7. In the book, churches are usually viewed through the eyes of a builder. How does this affect your understanding of the architecture?

8. Ken Follett has said: “When I started to look at cathedrals, I wondered: Who built them, and why? The book is my answer to that question.” Why do you think the great medieval cathedrals were built?

# data[].attributes.body
Step 1 :  assesstment of prerequisites
Ask them to  read a little of  book for a few minutes. As they read, they should ask themselves these questions.

Can I read it without a dictionary?
Am I reading it quickly?
Do I understand almost everything?

If the answer is yes to each of these questions, then that book is their level or they could try a higher level. If the answer is no to even one of the questions, then they should go down level.
Step:2  :motivation
Reading in English is very good to help language development. Here are some ideas to encourage extensive reading.
Students who are faced with a text in class and asked to read it and answer questions often find the task difficult.
We rarely read anything without having some ideas about what we will discover in the text, even if we are wrong.  If we read a story, we have already got a framework of what that story will contain –  It is very hard to read something without having these ideas already in our minds.
The students must be prepared for the text.
They must have a task set before reading otherwise their reading will have no aim – we do not read without an aim: we want to find out some specific information, example :
how did our Tom to build a cathedral? ? Or we may want to get some general information about a topic.
Step 3: before reading
Don’t let the students see the text yet. Get them thinking about the topic of the text – use one of the ideas below:

Tell the class that today they are going to read a text : the pillars of earth.   I asked them what ideas they have on this topic.

For a class whose English level is not very high  I recommended  the students to  write  with words or phrases unknown on the notebook  and  later  discuss with each other about these.

If all the students do not know these words or phrases, this is a great opportunity for students to teach each other new vocabulary.

Step 5 :  reading

STEP 4: discussion

For a class whose English level is not very high encourage the students to come up with words or phrases and write them on the board. If all the students do not know these words or phrases, this is a great opportunity for students to teach each other new vocabulary.

Higher level students could perhaps have a discussion in groups on the topic or do a similar brainstorming to the one shown in groups on large pieces of paper collecting vocabulary and ideas.

# data[].attributes.body
The Pillars of the Earth is  Ken Follett's typical suspense thriller which theoretically centers on the building of a cathedral, spills off into too many different directions, including a whirlwind tour of Europe However, like his spy novels and adventure tales offers an  glimpse at the detailed world that his characters inhabit. The world he presents in this saga-length novel is England during the twelfth century. More specifically, the story takes place during the time now known to historians as The Anarchy. For much of the twelfth century, England's society, politics, and religion were in a continual state of upheaval resulting from King Stephen's tenuous grip on the throne. The story begins with Tom Builder, a gifted, yet humble, mason whose dearest wish is to be granted the opportunity to build a cathedral. Cathedrals were the largest and most graceful buildings in existence in those days; building them required the efforts of hundreds of men, and thus a cathedral represented the ultimate challenge for an ambitious stonemason. In these early days, builders were only beginning to understand the mathematics of proportion. Most cathedrals were crudely built with exceedingly thick walls and tiny windows to avoid any threat to the stability of the building. Tom is one of the more enlightened breed who understands that straight, true walls will support larger windows and higher arches than previously thought possible. Tom is so set on pursuing his passion that he turns down secure, paying work to seek out any opportunity to work on a cathedral.  When the old cathedral at Kingsbridge burns to the ground, Tom is given the opportunity he has so long desired. As master builder of the cathedral at Kingsbridge, Tom is able to achieve his dream.

# data[].attributes.body
My CLIL EXETENSIVE READING