NiE Eng 2017 (Vol 460)

Vol 460

Wednesday 15 March 2017

Elementary Being extraordinary Intermediate Carpe diem BRATs Living poetry

Tel: 03 7967 1388 Fax: 03 7955 4039 thestar.com.my/education

>10 Contest

The Star’s Step Up pullout for primary pupils is running a story-writing contest for Years Five and Six. Turn to pages 6 and 7 for the contest template.

Supported by the Ministry of Education

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-NiE ,

15 March 2017

Elementary Heroes

Note to the teacher

century learning skills

Our children are riding the great wave of technology today. They now have facts and procedures at their fingertips.

Teachers have to equip their students with a new set of skills that allow them to thrive in today’s global economy.

The activities in The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education pullout combine literacy skills with content to build this set of skills.

The key below indicates the skills integrated into the activities in this pullout.

Critical thinking l Identify l Reason l Measure l Organise

Creative thinking l Imagine l Brainstorm l Connect

Being extraordinary MENTION the word “hero” and most people will be quick to think of superheroes like Iron Man and Captain America. This is because superhero movies are so popular nowadays that it is easy to forget that heroes exist in real life, too. real-life heroes may not have superpowers, but they are capable of making a big difference through their actions. The Star Golden Hearts Award celebrates Malaysians who have carried out heroic deeds. Last year, 10 individuals and groups received the award.

NiE activity 1 Critical thinking

l Identify l Reason l Measure

Problem solving l Question l Research

Communicating l Oral l Aural

An adjective is a word used to describe a noun. As mentioned earlier, heroes are often described as “brave”, “selfless” and “sacrificial”. These are all adjectives.

In groups of four, look in The Star for a picture of a person who has carried out a heroic deed. Cut it out and paste it in the space provided. Then, think of eight adjectives that can be used to describe the hero. At least three words must be taken from The Star. Cut out the words and paste them next to the picture. Remember to write down the name of the hero, and his heroic deed.

Exchange papers with another group. Do you agree with their descriptions? Ask them to explain words that you don’t understand.

Among them was Marie Christie robert from Sabah. The 27-year-old donated 61% of her liver to her former teacher Cikgu Cheong, whose liver was failing. It saved his life.

When you read stories such as this, you will notice similar qualities or characteristics in the heroes. They are brave, selfless and sacrificial.

In other words, they are not afraid of challenges and are willing to go the extra mile for other people.

Look around you. Do you see anyone who has the qualities of a hero? Are you a hero, too?

Collaborating

ExamPlE Name of hero: Marie Christie Robert Heroic deed: Donated 61% of her liver to her former teacher Cikgu Cheong, whose liver was failing.

l Listen l Contribute respectfully l Compromise l Attain goal

Eight qualities: Brave

Noble

Selfless

Incredible

Sacrificial

Steadfast

Reliable

Plucky

Name of hero: __________________________________

Eight qualities:

Heroic deed: ____________________________________

Paste the adjectives here Paste the picture here

l Invent

Problem solving l Question l Research l Recreate l Present

Critical thinking

Communicating l Oral l Non-verbal

Date: __________

NiE activity 2 l Identify l Reason l Measure

Creative thinking l Imagine l Connect l Invent

Dear ____________________,

Communicating l Written

l Written l Aural

Collaborating l Listen l Contribute respectfully l Compromise

You are my hero!

Thank you for___________________________________________ _____________________________________________________.

Without your ________________________, I would not have been able

On a sheet of A4 paper, create a note of appreciation for a hero in your life. Express your thanks for what he has done, and how he has brought positive change in your life. Use the template here as a guide.

You may use pictures and words taken from The Star to make your note stand out. After you’re done, deliver the note to your hero!

to ___________________________________________________.

I feel ________________________________________________.

I think you are __________________________________________.

I hope _______________________________________________.

From, ________________

l Attain goal nie editorial manager: ShARON OvINIS senior nie executive: ROWENA ChUA writer: F.T. YEOh layout designer: ShOBA illustrator: hASSAN BAhRI To order The Star for NiE lessons, call: Sundarrajan 03-7967 1388 ext 1437 or 016-288 3682 We welcome feedback; write to: Star-NiE, Star Media Group, 15 Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya or e-mail us at: starnie@thestar.com.my

-NiE ,

15 March 2017

3

A helping hand

Elementary Heroes

COMMUNITY helpers are really special. They make the community a better place by reaching out and extending their help to those in need.

Imagine living in a place where nobody offered you a helping hand when you needed it. You would certainly feel miserable.

Have you or your family been helped by anyone in your community? In return, what are some of the things you have done for your community?

NiE Activity

Read the following passage, which is adapted from an article published in Star2 on Dec 5, 2016.

Ten-sen man Former cop turned community hero Kuan Chee Heng likes to help the unfortunate. He caught the public’s attention recently when he bought three cars for only 10 sen each.

These used vehicles were offered to him to be used to help the needy. He started a 10-sen taxi service and hired a driver to ferry the sick, disabled and, basically, poor folks, to and from hospital.

“Some of these poor people missed their medical appointments due to transportation problems,” said the 53-year-old.

In 2014, he started a 10-sen market to help the urban poor. It provides the opportunity for people to recycle and contribute to charity.

Like a jumble sale, unwanted items in good condition are sold to the poor at 10 sen, including television, refrigerator, bed, bicycle, clothes and more.

Kuan, a businessman, is founder and president of the Community Policing Association of Malaysia.

“It was set up in 2007 to fight crime. We have 130,000 members,” he said.

According to him, community policing is “to create awareness about crimes, so we can work together with the police”.

Kuan has successfully carried out fundraising online to aid the destitute. He has 5,000 Facebook friends and 176,478 followers.

His Facebook icon is a potato, indicating his preference for “simplicity in life”.

“I like to help people as it makes me happy,” he said, adding: “I’m happy to live in a peaceful environment where I can make a living without fearing bombs and bullets. I seize every day as an opportunity to serve others.”

Activity A Creative thinking

Critical thinking l Identify

l Organise

l Imagine

l Connect

Communicating l Written

Based on the passage, complete a character profile of the person featured.

Character profile:

l What are three of his characteristics?

l Name of person: ________________________

_____________________________________

l Age: ________________________________

_____________________________________

l Occupation: ___________________________

l Your favourite quote of him:

l Other personal information:

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

l What would you say to him if you had the chance to

_____________________________________

meet him?

l What has he accomplished? _________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

Look at the words printed in blue in the passage. They refer to people who need help in society.

In groups of four, look in The Star for three pictures representing these people. Cut them out and paste them on a sheet of A3 paper according to the following template. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Next, present your work in class to raise awareness of these groups of people in our society and how everyone else, including students like yourself, can lend a helping hand.

Paste the picture here

A. Who are they? ___________________________________ B. Who can help them? ___________________________________ C. How can you help them? ___________________________________

Activity B Creative thinking

Critical thinking l Identify

l Reason

l Imagine l Brainstorm

l Connect

Problem solving l Question l Research

Paste the picture here

A. Who are they? ___________________________________ B. Who can help them? ___________________________________ C. How can you help them? ___________________________________

Communicating

l Present

l Oral l Written

l Aural

Collaborating l Listen l Compromise l Contribute l Attain goal respectfully

Paste the picture here

A. Who are they? ___________________________________ B. Who can help them? ___________________________________ C. How can you help them? ___________________________________

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-NiE ,

15 March 2017

INTERMEDIATE

Seconds ticking by

Time management NiE Activity 1

“NO time!” That is what most people say when asked why they have not completed an activity or assignment. But in most cases, that is not a valid reason. The real reason is either procrastination or poor time management.

Procrastination happens when you keep on delaying something that can be done earlier.

Poor time management means dividing your time in such a way that you spend more of it on something while leaving little of it on something else.

Have you ever wondered how some students manage to juggle both their studies and extracurricular activities so well? That is because they practise good time management and do not have the habit of procrastination. This requires a lot of discipline.

So, are you disciplined when it comes to managing your time?

Critical thinking l Identify l Reason

l Measure l Organise

Communicating l Oral

“Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting!”

l Written

What are the five main activities that you carry out in a day? List them out according to your order of priority (from the highest to the lowest priority). Then, present it in the form of a pie chart to show how much time the activities take up in a typical day. Do this activity on a sheet of A3 paper, using words and pictures taken from The Star.

My personal time management chart

After you’re done, exchange papers with three of your friends. Do they approve of your time management chart, or do they think that you need to prioritise some activities over the others? Ask them to write down their comments and advice in not more than 50 words.

Refer to the template provided.

Five main activities:

Design your pie chart here

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Friends’ comments:

NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking l Identify

l Measure

Creative thinking l Imagine l Invent

Problem solving

l Connect

l Recreate l Present

You spent four hours a day on PlayStation and only half an hour on your homework?

That’s alarming! I’d suggest you cut down on video games, especially since we’re having our mid-year exam soon. By MaryAnn

l

_________________________________________ By _______________

l

_________________________________________ By _______________

l

_________________________________________ By _______________

Communicating l Oral l Written l Non-verbal l Aural

An idiom is just one of the many ways you can express yourself in English. For example, instead of saying “when it is the right time”, you can use the idiom “when the time is ripe”.

Here are six idioms related to time. Do you know what they mean?

A hard time

A race against time

Time hangs heavy

Withstand the test of time

Time on hands

A whale of a time

A. Let’s play a quick game of charades! Get six students to volunteer to come to the front of

Paste the picture here

Caption:

l

the classroom. Each student will have to act out an idiom for the class to guess. Here’s the catch, whoever guesses it correctly will also have to explain the meaning of the idiom.

Have fun!

B. Now, pick three of the idioms to work on. Look in The Star for pictures that depict the meaning of the idioms. Cut them out and paste them on a sheet of A3 paper, according to the template provided. Then, write down a caption for each of the pictures. Make sure that you use the correct idioms in your captions. Exchange papers with your friends to check whether they have got the pictures and meanings correct.

Paste the picture here

Caption:

Paste the picture here

Caption:

-NiE ,

INTERMEDIATE Time management

15 March 2017

9

Carpe diem

HAVE you watched the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty? It is a story about a man who relies on daydreaming to escape his monotonous life. But one day, he embarks on a real-life adventure that far exceeds his imagination. The film offers a few lessons such as the importance of taking life by the reins and living a full life.

Another film that conveys similar lessons is the 1989 Dead Poets Society.

In one of the scenes, English teacher John Keating urges his students to seize the day and make their lives extraordinary.

Have you lived each day of your life to the fullest? What are some of the things you secretly wish to accomplish but have never set out to do? It’s never too late to take the first step towards fulfilling your dream or goal.

NiE Activity Read the following passage, which is adapted from an article published in Star2 on May 2, 2015.

Wake up and live

By Shereen Teng

I was a couch potato-cum-workaholic who was glued to the TV during my free time. After work, I rushed home to watch my favourite Korean actor Lee Min Ho in action. During peak periods, I spent hours in the office working like there was no tomorrow. But in 2011, my life took a 360-degree turn and I transformed from a typical “girlish” lady into an outdoor person.

Let me reminisce what inspired me to transform my lifestyle. Firstly, I learnt shocking news about a lady at a new company I had just joined. She passed away three months after being diagnosed with cancer, leaving behind her two little children.

Secondly, during the first week on my new job, I worked until the wee hours even though I had very high fever. To keep my temperature down, the doctor jabbed me with painkillers. I was eventually hospitalised for one night due to an extreme allergic reaction (my whole body was swollen).

These two events woke me up. I didn’t

want to die as a person with a meaningless life. And so I decided it was time to make a difference in my life. I signed up for a hike to Gunung Datuk, Negri Sembilan.

It was a very bright sunny day, perfect weather for hiking. The initial part of the hike past a river was reasonably easy. Then, we had to ascend a very steep trail. My heart sank. I worried if my legs could handle it because I hardly exercised.

But step by step, I pulled myself uphill, stopping many times to catch my breath. After hiking for about three hours, I reached the top. The view was breathtakingly beautiful and I immediately fell in love with the place!

When it was time to descend, my leg muscles started to cramp. I used all my strength and slowly pulled myself together. After hiking for an hour, I almost wanted to give up, but I had no choice – no one was going to carry me down.

Slowly, I kept on going, even though my legs felt like lead. After an hour more of sheer torture, I finally reached the bottom. For a week after the hike, I could hardly walk. Yet it was the most memorable hiking experience ever. And it led me to many more adventures. Hiking has strengthened me physically and mentally.

I can hardly believe it … but I have made a difference in my life. I am overjoyed that I have succeeded in climbing many mountains, including Rinjani in Indonesia and Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal. My journey in hiking will never cease. I am glad to say that I am no longer a couch potato!

If I can do it, I am sure everyone can, too. Carpe Diem! Seize the day!

Activity A Critical thinking l Identify

l Reason

Activity B Creative thinking l Imagine

l Connect

Problem solving l Question

l Research

Critical thinking

Communicating l Oral l Written

l Aural

l Identify

l Reason

Communicating

Answer the following questions based on the passage. Then, discuss the answers in class.

1. Describe Teng’s lifestyle before she became a hiker. __________________________________________________________________________ 2. What caused Teng to change her lifestyle? __________________________________________________________________________ 3. During her first hike, Teng encountered a few challenges. What were they and how did she overcome them? __________________________________________________________________________ 4. How does Teng feel about her transformation? __________________________________________________________________________ 5. Would you take Teng’s advice to “seize the day”? Why? __________________________________________________________________________

l Oral l Written

l Aural

Creative thinking l Imagine l Brainstorm

l Connect l Invent

Problem solving l Recreate

l Present

Collaborating l Listen l Compromise l Contribute l Attain goal respectfully

Imagine that Shereen Teng’s story has been made into a movie and you have been invited to design the movie poster. On the poster, you need to show: l the movie title l the lead actress playing Teng’s character l the tagline “wake up and live” In groups of four, do this activity on a sheet of A3 paper, using words and pictures taken from The Star. Then, present your poster in class. At the end of the activity, the class will vote for the best poster for the movie.

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-NiE ,

15 March 2017

Know your

ADVANCED

Peer Influence

OUR friends play a major role in our lives. Other than our family members, our friends are the ones closest to us. Some people listen to, and care about, their friends more than their own flesh and blood. It is great to have friends you can confide in and share your ups and downs with. But it is extremely important to know how to differentiate between true friends and false friends.

True friends are those who stand by you in good times and bad. They are also those who genuinely mean well and give you good advice. False friends, on the other hand, may appear to take your side but when you’re in trouble, they won’t be around to offer you a helping hand. In fact, they may be the ones leading you down the wrong path.

So, be careful when making friends with people who claim to have your best interest at heart. As the first American president George Washington once said: “It is better to be alone than in bad company.”

NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking l Identify

l Measure

l Reason

l Organise

Problem solving l Question l Recreate

l Present

Communicating l Oral

Do you know how to differentiate between good friends and false friends? In groups of four, look for pictures and words in The Star that represent the characteristics and actions most commonly found in each group. These would serve as “ingredients” for two types of

l Aural

Collaborating l Listen l Contribute respectfully

Friendship Soup: one which is healthy and the other which is unhealthy. Cut them out and paste them in the right pot. You must put in at least eight “ingredients” to concoct each soup. Do this activity on a sheet of A3 paper. Then, present your work in class.

l Compromise l Attain goal

Healthy Friendship Soup

Unhealthy Friendship Soup

NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking l Identify

l Reason

Creative thinking l Imagine l Brainstorm

ExAmPlES

l Connect l Invent

Problem solving l Recreate

Sometimes peer pressure may lead you to react in the same way as the student in the picture below. With a friend, look in The Star for five examples of peer pressure that have frustrated both of you. Cut the words and/or pictures out and paste them around the student. Next, focus on one of the examples (such as playing truant) and imagine a friend trying to influence you to carry it out. Create a dialogue to show how your friend sets out to tempt you, and how you resist the temptation. Finally, act out the dialogue in class.

1

of negative peer pressure:

2

3

ExAmPlE Friend: It’s the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi tomorrow. Let’s skip school and watch it at the cinema.

You:

l Present

Communicating l Oral

l Written

l Non-verbal

l Aural

Collaborating l Listen l Contribute respectfully

Saying no to peer pressure

l Compromise l Attain goal

No, thanks! I don’t want to get caught.

Plus, we have an Additional Mathematics lesson tomorrow.

Friend: You’re such a wet blanket! Nobody will know if we don’t tell them. And what’s the worst that could happen? You can always catch up on homework later.

4

5

You:

No, thanks! I will only watch it outside of school hours. (walks away)

ADVANCED

Peer Influence

NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking l Identify

l Reason

Creative thinking l Imagine l Connect

l Invent

Communicating l Oral

l Written

l Non-verbal

l Aural

The right crowd

-NiE ,

15 March 2017

11

POSITIVE peer influence can go a long way in shaping an individual’s attitude, behaviour and values. Mix with the right crowd and some parts of their personality will rub off on you.

For example, the head prefect and student leaders of school clubs are often seen as role models for their peers. Who do they usually go around with? If you observe closely, you will notice that their friends or those in their social circle usually practise the same values as them.

Look in The Star for a picture of someone who appears dejected or defeated because of an arising situation. Cut it out and paste it on a sheet of A4 paper. Imagine that you were a friend of the individual. What are some words of encouragement you would say to your friend?

Write down your message, which must not be less than 150 words.

Words of encouragement:

Paste the picture here

Read the following passage, which is adapted from an article published in Star2 on Sept 27, 2016.

Answer the questions that follow and then discuss the answers in class.

NiE Activity 2

Starting young When she was four, Leah Choy taught herself to bake through YouTube. Impressive?

Well, wait until you hear why she did it.

Choy was baking for a cause – to raise funds for her younger sister Adele, who was born with cerebral palsy. She managed to raise US$6,000 (RM24,000) for Adele, who requires half-yearly visits to the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia for treatment. It costs RM50,000 per trip.

“I decided to sell cupcakes and cakes because people love to have parties and people love to eat!” she said charmingly.

Choy is one of a growing number of child advocates and activists – none old enough to drive or vote, but still doing their bit to make a difference in society.

“Malaysia is experiencing a new wave of youth advocacy,” said WOMEN:girls

1.

programme director Abby Latif. “A lot of people are starting to pay attention, and many organisations now recognise child participation.”

Besides raising funds for her sister, Choy has extended her work to help others in need as well. To date, she has raised funds for causes including the Rohingya boat people as well as food aid foundations. She baked around 15,000 cupcakes in the past year, raising close to RM30,000.

Still only seven, she’s now also a social media whizz, using Facebook and Instagram to promote her baking business, with the help of her mother Tay Mei Yean. On top of inspiring advocacy through social media, Choy has even started giving talks and workshops.

She recently went to Indonesia to teach disabled children to bake and decorate cupcakes, and was given the opportunity to speak at the closing ceremony of the Asean Work-Life Balance Conference.

“Leah has always been our biggest motivator,” said Tay, bursting with pride. “There’s no such thing as ‘let’s give up’ in her dictionary.”

Youth advocacy is important because peer influence works, said Abby.

“Peer influence is very important because youth advocates can relate with others their age, through the language they use or the references they make,” she said.

___________________________________________________________ 3.

Besides baking to raise funds, what are some other ways to be involved in a cause you

Creative thinking l Imagine l Brainstorm

l Connect

Problem solving l Question

l Research

Communicating l Oral

l Aural

l Written

___________________________________________________________ 4.

Choy is engaged in causes which include the Rohingya boat people as well as food aid foundations. What is a cause or issue that you would advocate? ___________________________________________________________

l Measure

l Reason

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

2.

l Identify

care about (such as the one you chose in Question 2)?

Choy is only seven but has done much to help her family, and make a difference in society.

As a student, what are some of the things you have contributed to your family and society? ___________________________________________________________

Critical thinking

According to Abby, youth advocacy is important because peer influence works. Are there any youth who have inspired you? If so, in what way? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

5.

Do you agree that youth should be encouraged to be advocates? Why or why not? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

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star-nie

Wednesday 15 March 2017