How It Works

A story to read. A course to teach.

Ponte Aperto readers are designed around a simple idea:

Students should read stories because they want to know what happens next — and teachers should have everything they need to turn that reading into meaningful English lessons.

Each Ponte Aperto novel comes with a complete set of teacher resources built around the story, chapter by chapter.

You can use them in different ways, depending on your students, your timetable, and your teaching goals.

Two ways to use a Ponte Aperto reader

1. Read at home, teach in class

Give students the novel to read independently — during a holiday, over the summer, or as an ongoing reading assignment.

When they return to class, the story becomes the foundation for your lessons.

With 13 to 24 chapters depending on the book, a single novel can provide material for a substantial part of a term.

Assign → Read → Teach

Students spend their own time doing the reading. Classroom time can then focus on the things that make reading valuable for language learners: understanding, discussing, speaking, writing and exploring the language and culture behind the story.

2. Read one chapter at a time

For a more structured course, use the novel as a weekly reading programme.

Prepare → Read → Explore → Prepare

In class: Introduce the next chapter using the Pre-reading activities and Glossary. Students learn the key vocabulary and get some context for what they are about to read.

At home: Students read the chapter independently. They already know what to expect, and they have the vocabulary they need to approach the text with confidence.

Back in class: Choose the activities that best suit your students and your lesson. You can work on:

  • Comprehension — check understanding and explore the events of the story.
  • Language Focus — look at useful vocabulary, expressions and language from the chapter.
  • Discussion — turn the story into meaningful conversation.
  • Role Play & Speaking — use the characters and situations as a starting point for speaking practice.
  • Writing Tasks — move from reading to written production.
  • Cultural Notes — explore the cultural references and context behind the story.

You don't have to use every activity. The teacher resources are designed as a toolkit, so you can choose what works for your students and your available classroom time. Then, before the lesson ends, introduce the Pre-reading and Glossary for the next chapter. Your students leave knowing what they will read at home next.

And the cycle begins again.

One story. A complete teaching toolkit.

Every chapter comes with its own set of teacher resources:

  • Pre-reading — Prepare students for the chapter and activate what they already know./li>
  • Glossary — Introduce important vocabulary before students encounter it in the story.
  • Comprehension — Check understanding and encourage students to engage closely with the text.
  • Language Focus — Explore useful language from the chapter in context.
  • Discussion — Turn the events, characters and ideas in the story into opportunities for conversation.
  • Role Play and Speaking — Give students a reason to use English actively, based on situations from the story.
  • Writing Tasks — Develop written English through activities connected to what students have read.
  • Cultural Notes — Explain the places, customs, history and cultural references that give the story its context.

The teacher's book is there when you need it

A Ponte Aperto novel isn't accompanied by a few extra worksheets. Each book has an extensive teacher resource built around the entire story. For example, the teacher resources for Inaka follow all 17 chapters of the novel, with activities and notes for every chapter. That means you don't have to spend your evenings creating comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, discussion prompts or cultural explanations from scratch.

The story provides the structure. The teacher chooses how to use it.

Reading is the starting point

We believe reading shouldn't be an excuse to teach a grammar exercise. It should be the beginning of something. A good story gives students something to understand. That understanding gives them something to discuss. Discussion gives them something to say. And what they read can become the basis for the language they write and use.

That's why Ponte Aperto starts with fiction.

Students read because they want to find out what happens.
Teachers teach because the story gives them something worth teaching.