Читать книгу English for Life Learner's Book Grade 6 Home Language - Lynne Southey - Страница 3

Introduction

Do you have a pet, such as a dog or a cat at home? Or perhaps you live on a farm or in a village where you keep animals such as chickens or donkeys or goats? In this module we are going to look at the important part that animals play in our daily lives.

Animals serve us in many ways: they are loyal and loving companions, they work for us and, sometimes, they provide us with the food that we need. But we also have a duty to care for the animals that belong to us. We should treat them with kindness and love, and not do anything to hurt or frighten them.

In this module, you are going to read and listen to stories about animals. You will also be given the chance to write your own stories, letters, diary entries, comic strips, poems and advertisements. You will give a speech and have group discussions about animals. You will do your own research on some of the topics that you read about and write a pamphlet. You will also study how language has been used in the texts and practise using those language structures.

Famous dogs

Dogs have always been known as intelligent and loyal animals. People have kept them as pets or used them in their work for many centuries. In some of the activities in this module, you are going to read and write about two famous dogs, both from the British Isles, who lived long ago but who are still remembered to-day for the loyalty and affection that they showed to their owners.

The dog in the first story is a breed of dog called a Skye terrier. As well as giving animals names like ‘dog’, ‘cat’, or ‘horse’, we have names for the different kinds (or breeds) in each group. Before you start the first activity, test your own vocabulary: see how many dog breeds you can add to the list below. As you work through the module, you will come across more names which you can add to your list.

1. Read the article below and then answer the questions that follow it.

'Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all'

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. People come from all over to see its old buildings, visit its churches, museums and theatres, and eat in its restaurants. Like most cities, it has many statues of famous men and women who lived there in the past. You can see statues of the kings and queens who once ruled Scotland, as well as those of other famous Scots: soldiers, scientists and politicians who have become part of Scottish history. But the statue that most tourists want to see is not of a person: it is the statue of a dog, a little Skye terrier called Greyfriars Bobby.

At the base of the statue, there is a plaque with these words:

It is now more than a hundred years since Bobby died, but he is still remembered today. This is the story of Greyfriars Bobby, how he got his name and how he became one of the most famous dogs in the world.

Bobby belonged to a man called John Gray. In about 1850, John, with his wife, Jess, went to live in Edinburgh. John joined the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman. It was his job to patrol the cobbled streets of Edinburgh every night, guarding the sleeping citizens and protecting them from danger.

Bobby, John’s watchdog and faithful companion, went with him on his rounds. The man and his dog soon became a familiar sight as they walked the streets of the city every night. People looked out for them, and felt safe knowing that they were on duty.

Night after night, week after week, month after month, year after year, the pair watched over the people of Edinburgh, sometimes walking together in the cold, rain and snow. They did it without complaining because it was their job. But being outside in all kinds of weather soon began to affect John’s health. He became ill. When he went to the police doctor, it was found that he was suffering from tuberculosis. In those days, many diseases, such as tuberculosis, could not be cured, and John soon became very ill. Sadly, in 1858, he died and was buried in the cemetery next to Greyfriars church, a place known as Greyfriars Kirkyard.

But Bobby’s story does not end there. Just as he had always been at his beloved master’s side as they walked through the streets at night, so he wanted to remain with him now. Bobby refused to leave his master’s grave, even in the worst weather. In the beginning, the caretaker tried to evict him because dogs were no allowed in the kirkyard. But the faithful little dog kept coming back, returning to the grave and sitting there, shivering on the cold wet ground. In the end, the caretaker took pity on him and allowed him to stay. He even provided Bobby with a comfortable place to sleep by putting some sacks under a shelter near John’s grave. This would be Bobby’s home for the rest of his life.

Bobby only left the kirkyard when he went to have his midday meal at the same coffee house that his master had always gone to. Every day, when a gun was fired at Edinburgh Castle nearby to signal that it was one o’clock, Bobby could be seen making his way to the coffee house, where the kind owners would feed him. As soon as he was finished, he would return to his place next to the grave.

Many people had known Bobby when John was alive, but now his fame spread even further. People would gather outside Greyfriars Kirkyard to watch him make his daily journey to the coffee house and back. He became known as Greyfriars Bobby.

In 1867 a law was passed in Edinburgh that all dogs had to be licensed. Any dog found without a licence would be destroyed. The question was: who would buy Bobby’s licence, since he had no master? Everyone knew him but no one owned him. Poor Bobby’s life was in serious danger. But, by that time, he had become so well known that the most important person in Edinburgh, the Lord Provost, offered to pay for his licence. Bobby was given a collar. On it, written in brass letters, were the words:

Greyfriars Bobby remained loyal to the memory of his dead master until his own death in 1872. In all that time, he was cared for by the generous people of Edinburgh, who admired him for his loyalty and devotion. They also remembered how he had served them in the past. After he was buried, a headstone was placed on his grave. On it were these words:

The statue of Bobby was also erected opposite the Greyfriars Kirkyard by Baroness Burdett-Coutts, a member of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

Today, so many years later, visitors to Edinburgh can still see Bobby’s grave and statue, and marvel at the loyalty of the little dog who never forgot his master, even in death.

2. Explain the meanings of the following words from the text. If you are not sure of the meanings of the words, try to guess them from the context or look them up in your dictionary.

3. Explain, in your own words, why Greyfriars Bobby is still remembered today. You can discuss this with your partner first, but then write your own answer out.

4. Write out a list of all the adjectives used to describe Bobby. Then discuss with your partner what these words tell us about the writer’s feelings about Bobby, and write your answer in a sentence.

5. ‘Kirkyard’ is a Scottish word meaning ‘churchyard’. This was the area next to a church in which there were graves. ‘Kirk’ therefore means ‘church’. Can you think of a word in a South African language that sounds almost the same and has the same meaning?

6. What kinds of danger do you think John and Bobby protected the people of Edinburgh from? Discuss this with your partner and then write out your own list.

7. If you had lived in Edinburgh at the time of the story, would you have helped to look after Bobby? Explain your answer in writing.

Do some research and make a speech

Here you are going to make a speech about your pets. You will need to do some research perhaps, to add to what you already know about them. You could find out about breeds, care, history, purposes or anything else about them.

1. Prepare a speech that you will give to the rest of your class, about your pets. If you do not have a pet of your own, talk about any other animal that you know about or would like to have as a pet.

Your speech should have the following parts:

 • Tell your listeners which pet or animal you are going to talk about.

 • Describe your pet’s appearance in detail.

 • Describe your pet’s typical behaviour and habits.

 • Mention an interesting incident or story involving your pet.

 • Describe your feelings for your pet.

 • Say whether you would encourage anyone to get a pet like yours and why.

Read and write a poem

You know what a poem is, but do you know that it does not always have to rhyme? In the following activity you will read a poem about a dog and then write a similar one of your own.

1. Read the following five-line ‘grammar’ poem describing an animal:

2. See how many animals you can describe in this way! Show your poems to your partner to comment on and check for correct grammar.

3. Now look at these two ‘contrast’ poems about an animal:

4. Discuss with your partner why they are called contrast poems and work out their pattern.

5. Now write a few contrast poems yourself. Again give them to your partner to check.

Using commas to give extra information

Look at the following sentences:

 • My friend, Peter, lives in that house.

 • The principal of the school, Mr Ross, spoke to the pupils in assembly.

 • John, the boy next door, married my sister, Daphne.

In each of these sentences, there are two words or phrases referring to the same person. For example, in the first sentence, ‘Peter’ and ‘my friend’ refer to the same person. The commas on either side of the word ‘Peter’ show that I am still talking about ‘my friend’ and not another person. I am just giving the reader more information about him.

1. Find the words or phrases that give more information in the second and third example sentences.

2. Find examples of words or phrases that give more information in the story about Greyfriars Bobby.

3. Combine the following sentences, using commas so that words or phrases are used to give more information about someone or something. The first one has been done for you as an example:

(a) Mrs Hlatshwayo teaches History. Mrs Hlatshwayo is my aunt.

Answer:

(a) My aunt, Mrs Hlatshwayo, teaches History.

(b) I ride my horse every Friday morning. My horse’s name is Paddington.

(c) My cat catches mice and locusts. My cat’s name is Tom.

(d) Sipho and his best friends are going to swim in the gala. John and Themba are Sipho’s best friends.

(e) My friend has a donkey. My friend’s name is Antony. The donkey is called Daisy.

4. Try making more sentences like this on your own.

People and things from countries: nouns and adjectives

We can form nouns and adjectives from the names of countries. Look at these examples from the story of Greyfriars Bobby:

 • Scotland (proper noun): the name of the country

 • Scots (proper noun): the name for the people who live in or come from Scotland

 • Scottish (adjective): to describe people and things from Scotland

You can see that it is the suffix that changes: land becomes ‘s’ or ‘tish’.

1. Copy out the table below. Fill in the missing words. You can use your dictionary if you need to.

Can you think of any more examples?

Corresponding with friends

A friendly letter and an e-mail are ways in which you can correspond with friends and family. You don’t have to write formally, but your spelling and grammar must be correct.

1. Imagine that your parents have taken you on a holiday to Edinburgh and that you have been to see the statue of Greyfriars Bobby. Write a letter or an e-mail to a friend in South Africa, describing what you have seen. Use the information in the story you read in Activity 2.1, but remember to write the letter or e-mail in your own words.

Here is a checklist to help you:

2. Check your e-mail or letter before handing it in to your teacher to evaluate.

Rubric for letter or e-mail

More research

Doing research and using the information that you find is a skill. Like any other skill, the more you practise, the better you will get. You are going to do research in the next two activities.

1. Find Scotland and Edinburgh on a map of the world. Look up the pronunciation of the word ‘Edinburgh’ in a dictionary. Try to find pictures of some of the statues and buildings in Edinburgh.

2. Can you name any statues of famous people in South Africa? Where can we find them? For example, whose statue is this? Where is it?

3. Share your findings with another group.

1. Bobby’s master, John, died of a disease called tuberculosis (often shortened to TB). In some parts of the world, such as South Africa, this is still a serious disease. Find out more about this disease:

(a) How do we know when someone has TB?

(b) What should people who think they have TB do?

(c) How do doctors and nurses treat people who have TB?

2. Write notes about what you have found.

3. Use your notes to prepare a pamphlet that you would give to other learners your own age who do not know anything about TB. Give them advice on what they should do if they or anyone they know has TB. You will hand in your written pamphlet to your teacher for evaluation, but before you do this, let one of your group members read and comment on it. Change it if you think it necessary to do so.

Caring for animals

The story of Greyfriars Bobby shows us that people think that it is important to care for the animals that depend on us. One way of looking after our pets is to make sure that they do not stray from home or get lost. Sometimes pets do wander away and can’t find their way back. You might have seen posters like the one below in shop windows or on street lights:

Newspapers also often have advertisements with information about animals that have been lost or found. These are usually in the Classified section. Here are some examples:

Sometimes newspapers also have advertisements for pets looking for a new home, like the one below.

1. Find more examples of newspaper advertisements for pets that have been lost or found, or need new homes. Share them with your group.

2. Study the advertisements carefully. What information do most of the advertisements include? Discuss this with your group.

3. Write your own classified pet advertisement. Show it to your group for them to comment on.

4. Make a poster advertisement, like the one on the previous page, using the same information as in your advertisement in question 3. Show your group. The best poster from each group can be displayed in the classroom.

Group discussion

Remember the rules for group discussion? You will be discussing topics in groups for the rest of your life. This is another skill that you can practise over and over again. The next activity gives you an opportunity to talk about whether animals have rights. People’s opinions may differ.

Here is an interesting article that might get you thinking.

Dogs in the United States of America

It was reported by an animal lover recently that six million dogs were put to sleep in the United States last year alone. The reasons given were usually one of the following:

 • the dog messed in the house; barked; bit people; was violent; chewed everything; dug up the garden; was nervous; was uncontrollable.

The animal lover claims that all these problems could be prevented or corrected by suitable training. She says that Americans are a throw-away culture, and that this attitude has now been extended to include pets.

1. Some people might think that it is not important for us to care for animals. Do you agree? Discuss this question in your groups. Give reasons for your opinion.

2. Then as a group decide what the main points of your discussion have been.

3. Report your points to the rest of the class.

More research

Looking things up in an encyclopedia or on the Internet is not the only way of doing research. You can also interview people who you think might be able to give you the information. Try this method in the next activity. You can use your classmates as a resource.

1. Many Africans have animal surnames or clan names. Make a list of such names in as many languages as you can.

2. Why do you think that people chose these names long ago?

3. If you had to choose an animal name for yourself, what would you choose? Why?

Write your own story

Telling a story is more than just giving a list of events. Good writers try to involve the reader in the story. They describe people and events clearly so that the readers can imagine them in their own minds. Sometimes they also show their feelings about the story that they are telling so that the readers can share them. To do these things, writers need to choose their words carefully.

We are going to read two short stories with the same people and events.

1. Here is the first story:

The cat

Milly found a cat in the garden. It was crying and seemed to be lost. She took it to her mother. They gave it some milk. Then it cleaned itself and went to sleep. They did not know who it belonged to.

Milly’s mother phoned all their neighbours to ask if they had lost their cat. But no one knew who the cat belonged to. Milly made a poster advertising a lost cat and stuck it on their garden gate. Her mother also phoned the newspaper and put an advertisement in the classified section.

Two days later a man came to their house. He lived in another suburb. The cat belonged to him. The cat’s name was Felix. He had wandered away from home. The man gave Milly a reward for finding his cat.

2. Now read the second version.

Felix, the missing cat

Can you imagine what it would be like to be lost and far away from home? You would probably feel hungry and frightened, and not know what to do. This is the story of a little cat who wandered away from his home, and of the kind girl who found and rescued him.

Milly was a short girl with curly black hair. She loved animals and wished she could have her own pet. She lived with her mother, Mrs Brown, in a house with a big garden.

One day, when she was doing her homework, Milly heard a sound in the garden. She went outside to see what it was. Under a bush near the gate, she found a tiny cat. His black coat (which was the same colour as her own hair) was covered with mud and he was very thin. Milly picked him up and ran inside to her mother. She was very excited and asked if she could keep him. But Mrs Brown said that he was probably lost and his owner might be very worried about him.

Milly was disappointed, but she agreed that they should try to find the cat’s owner. They gave the cat some cold milk. He drank it up quickly, and then began to clean himself. Soon his coat was soft and shiny again. Then he fell fast asleep on the blue carpet in the passage ….

That isn’t the whole story, but it’s already much more interesting.

Some ideas for telling a story

 • Give descriptions of people and places, using adjectives and adverbs.

 • Try to imagine what the people in the story thought and felt.

 • Try to get the reader to share your feelings about the story. Choose words that show emotion and feelings.

1. You have some ideas about what makes a good story from the notes above. Complete the story of Felix, the missing cat.

2. Remember to check your work before you hand it in.

Write your own story

You have just written the last part of a story. In the next activity you are asked to rewrite a whole story.

1. The story of Greyfriars Bobby had a happy ending because Bobby was rewarded for his loyalty to his master. There is another famous British story about a loyal dog that ends sadly, both for the dog and his master. This is the story of Gelert and Llywelyn, Prince of Wales. Read the short summary of the story in the box below. It only contains the events that took place.

Summary of the story of Gelert

Prince Llywelyn lived near Snowdon in Wales long ago. He married Princess Joan, daughter of John, King of England. Princess Joan brought a gift from England for Llywelyn, a wolf-hound. Llywelyn named him Gelert. He became his favourite dog, and they used to hunt wild wolves together in the hills near the castle. Meanwhile Joan gave birth to a son. Llywelyn loved his son and was very proud of him. Gelert also loved his master’s son and used to guard the baby as he slept in his cradle. One day, when Llywelyn went out hunting, Gelert was missing. When Llywelyn returned that night, he found Gelert next to his son’s cradle. The dog was panting and covered in blood. The cradle had been knocked over; the baby’s blankets were torn and lying all over the floor. Llywelyn thought that the dog had attacked the baby. He drew his sword and killed the dog. But the dog’s dying cry was followed by the cry of a baby. Llywelyn searched under the blankets and found his son alive and unharmed. Next to the baby was the body of a wolf. Llywelyn realised that Gelert had fought and killed the wolf which had been about to attack the baby. Llywelyn buried Gelert’s body in a meadow near his house. He placed two large stones on the grave. He also built a church near the grave to thank God for his son’s life. It was said that Llywelyn never smiled again for the rest of his life. In later years, a village was built around the church and grave: it was named Bedd Gelert, which, in the Welsh language means ‘the grave of Gelert’. Today, many tourists visit the village and Gelert’s grave.

2. Use this information to tell the story in your own words. Try to show the sadness of the story in the way that you tell it.

Formal assessment: If your teacher wishes to use this activity for formal assessment, you will work entirely on your own. Here is a rubric your teacher may use.

Peer assessment: If your teacher does not take your story in for assessment, your partner will first comment on it, and then your teacher will ask some of you to read the story out loud for the class for general comment.

3. Imagine that you are Prince Llywelyn. How did you feel when you found your baby alive and realised what a terrible mistake you had made? Write an entry for your personal diary, describing what happened and your feelings about what you have done.

4. Prince Llywelyn acted without thinking. He thought he knew what had happened, and took action without making sure that he was right. Later he realised his mistake, but by then it was too late. Think of a time when you behaved in the same way. Write about it.

5. How would you behave if the same thing happened to you again? Write about this also.

Formal Assessment: Your teacher may take these two pieces of writing for assessment.

Listen to a story

Yet another skill that you will use and need for the rest of your life is listening well. Practise this skill by listening to the story your teacher will read you in the next activity.

If your teacher wishes to use this activity as Formal Assessment you must work alone. You will answer questions 2(i) and 2(k) in writing.

1. Listen to a story about a donkey who is not treated very well but who shows that he is cleverer than his master. Many people think that donkeys are stupid animals but this story makes us think again!

2. Now discuss the following questions with your partner:

(a) The story is a parable. Explain what this means. Can you think of examples of other parables?

(b) Describe the donkey’s health at the beginning of the story. What problems did he have and in what ways was he still healthy?

(c) What verb describes the sound that a donkey makes? Can you think of any others?

(d) Tell your partner, in your own words, what the farmer decided to do after the donkey fell into the well. What was his reason? Would you have done the same thing? [You will need to decide which of you answers question d) and which question e)]

(e) Your partner can now describe, in own words, the donkey’s plan to save himself.

(f) Explain the phrase ‘put him out of his misery’. Can you think of other situations when people might use these words?

(g) What do you think the donkey’s feelings were when he climbed out of the well at the end of the story? Explain your answer.

(h) How do you think the farmer and his friends felt at the end of the story? Explain your answer.

(i) What are your feelings at the end of the story? Tell your partner.

(j) What lesson does the parable teach us about life?

(k) Think of a situation in your own life when you could behave just like the wise old donkey. Tell your partner.

Animals in comic strips

In previous activities, you wrote stories in words. Another way of telling a story is through words and pictures, such as we find in comic strips. There are many comic strips about animals, such as Snoopy, Garfield and Fred Basset, where the animals behave and think like people. Your teacher will show you some examples of these.

Here’s how to plan a comic strip:

 • Choose your animal.

 • Give him/her a name.

 • Think of a short story about the animal.

 • Give names to the other animals or people in the story.

 • Plan how you will fit the story into twelve pictures. This is quite difficult, and you may have to try a few times before you get it right!

 • Decide what the characters will say and think in each picture of the story. Keep it short because there is not much space in each block.

 • Now you are ready to draw and write your story. Your drawings should also be simple so that they can fit into the blocks.

1. Draw and write your own animal comic strip. Show your comic strip to your partner. Use solid bubbles, as in the first example, to show what someone is saying. Use fluffy shapes, as in the second example, to show what someone is thinking.

2. Now retell your comic strip story in your own words. Remember what you learnt about telling a story well in the previous activities. Also remember how to use indirect speech.

Have you heard of the Reach for a Dream Foundation? This is an organisation that tries to make a child between the ages of 3 and 18, who has a life-threatening illness, feel really special. They believe that no child should live without hope, and that childhood should be the most magical phase of a person’s life, filled with dreams, hopes and most of all fun!

For these ill children, the magic of childhood may be lost in dealing with their illness. Reach for a Dream creates an environment for the child that is not focused on her or his illness. They would like these really sick children to find their laughter again and find the strength to live beyond their illnesses.

The dreams they have participated in range widely from visiting an aeroplane cockpit to going to the beach, to meeting a favourite sports star, to riding on an elephant!

If you were in such a situation, what would you ask for from them? Do some research on their website and then write a paragraph about what you would like to do if you were in the situation of the children they have helped.