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-NiE ,
18 January 2017
INTERMEDIATE Family matters
A positive family culture DOES your family practise a specific action or behaviour during a particular time of the year or during a special occasion? If so, then they are quite likely carrying out a family tradition that requires a purpose. When traditions are done right, they lend a certain quality to our lives.
NiE Activity 1 Problem solving l Question l Research
l Recreate l Present
Communicating l Written
l Aural
Read the following story that appeared in The Star. Then, answer the questions that follow. It is a true story about a person named Neha Gupta. ONE day, a nine-year-old girl paid her grandparents a visit. It was a special day as someone in her family was celebrating a birthday. As part of the family tradition, a special trip was planned. For you see, the family had a very special practice. Whenever anyone in the family celebrated his (or her) birthday, the family would visit the local orphanage and hold the birthday celebration there with the orphans. On this said day, the little girl had lots of fun with her friends at the orphanage. When it was time to leave, the little girl felt really sad. She realised that she would be going back to a home where she
1. Who was the nine-year-old child in this story? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ 2. How did you arrive at this conclusion? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ 3. What was the family tradition that was being practised in this family? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
had a comfortable bed to sleep on, and a kitchen with plenty of food to eat. Most of all, she would be in a place where she was loved and cared for by her parents and grandparents. Her friends, however, were not as fortunate. They did not go to school, they did not have enough food to eat, they suffered from various illnesses and they did not have parents to love and care for them. This realisation shocked her, so she decided to do something about it. She went home and began selling her toys at a garage sale. It was a huge success. Many people came by to buy her toys. She made
4. Why was this considered a family tradition? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ 5. Based on the information contained in the text, give the year that this child began her venture to help children in the orphanage? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ 6. Deduce the meaning of the term entrepreneurship based on the context of the passage. _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
lots of money! This inspired the little girl. She began going door-to-door and reaching out to her friends. She collected many donated things. She raised a lot of money doing this and saved every cent that she got from this effort. The following year, the little girl returned to the orphanage. From the money she collected, she funded a library, clothes, blankets and food for the children there! The little girl grew up to be a very enterprising young lady. When she turned 18 years old, she started a nonprofit organisation known as ‘Empower Orphans’. Today, her organisation has many teenage
volunteers who, like her, help raise funds for 25,000 children all over the world. NEHA was born on May 23, 1996, in New Zealand to Indian parents. What turned out to be a family tradition for this family eventually led to a prestigious peace prize for Neha’s great entrepreneurship skills. Neha won the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2014, a year after Malala Yousafzai received the award for her push for girls’ education. Today, Neha, 20, resides in Philadelphia, the United States. She became the first American to be awarded the Children’s International Peace Prize. She still runs Empower Orphans.
Here’s a short excerpt about why family traditions are important. Read this passage then complete this mind map.
The Star, July 14, 2016
NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking
TRADITIONS are important to families. They can provide a source of identity. Traditions tell stories about families and shape identities of its members. Children can see that they belong to something bigger and this builds confidence. Traditions also help families strengthen family bonds, as these become unique practices only to the families concerned. Researchers have also found that traditions offer comfort and security to those who engage in them. So even if you have moved to a new school or state and you still practise pizza night every Wednesday, there is still some comfort in the familiar. Finally, traditions create lasting memories. They give us things to talk about!
l Identify
l Organise
l Reason
Creative thinking l Imagine
l Connect
l Brainstorm
l Invent
Problem solving l Question l Research
l Recreate l Present
Communicating l Oral
l Aural
l Written
Example
The importance of family traditions Create lasting memories
Look for the other three main points from the passage to complete this mind map. Then, look for activities that fit each point. The activities you find can be used to start up traditions that your family members would enjoy practising. At least three activities you select must be taken from The Star. Use a good mix of pictures and words from The Star to craft an attractive montage. One section of the spider map titled Creating lasting memories has been completed for you. Share your mind map with your classmates and family members once you have completed the project. It’s never too late to start a family tradition!