English

Oral Activity

Share about your favourite book. State the title and author of the book you like most. In a few words, explain what the book is about.

6.1 Finding information in books

Activity 1

Identify the different reading materials shown in the pictures below.

Activity 2

1. Talk about different parts of a book.
2. How do we use the following part of a book?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Parts of speech Page number
Nouns .......................................................  2
Pronouns ..................................................  6
Verbs ........................................................ 15
Adjectives ................................................. 24
Prepositions .............................................. 35

3. Discuss and write a similar table of contents for any subject of your choice.

Activity 3

Your teacher will provide the class with textbooks for practise.
Listen attentively to the teacher as he/she reads out content from the Table of Contents.

Open to the correct page number.

Activity 4

Follow the text below with your eyes only as the teacher reads it out for you.

Do not move your finger across the text.

Skimming

Sometimes we just want to get the general idea of a book, story or passage without paying much attention to the details. We therefore need to skim the book.

When skimming:

• Read the title and subheading to find out what the text is about.

• Look at the pictures.

• Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.

You don’t have to read every word in the sentence. For very short texts just identify the keyword and run your eyes through the words near it.

We use skimming to:

• See what is in a newspaper or website.

• Go through a book to see if you want to read it.

a) Practise skimming of different books, storybooks and newspapers with your friend.

b) Talk about what each book, storybook or newspaper contains.

Exercise 1

Skim through the text below. Answer orally within 5 seconds. What are the names of the people in the text below? Every evening, Munezero would put milk next to the pumpkin. At night, Mahoro would get out of the pumpkin and drink the milk.

Activity 5

Follow the text below with your eyes or fingers as your teacher reads it out loud.

                                                     Finding words

What do you do when you want to look up a word in the dictionary? Do you start from the first page? The easiest way is to go straight to the first letter or syllable of the word you want to identify. This is referred to as scanning. In addition to checking dictionary entries, you use scanning to:

• Look up a word from the index or table of contents of a book.
• Read a timetable to know when the next English lesson will be.
• Choose a website to open after doing an internet search.

Questions
a) Practise scanning of different books, storybooks and newspapers.
b) Can you guess what each text is saying just by looking at the title?

Activity 6

Your teacher will provide you with newspaper leaflets. In your groups, scan through the leaflets. You will be timed to make sure you do not go into detailed reading. Answer the questions that the teacher will ask you.

Exercise 2

Find the answer to the question below by scanning through the given text. Answer orally within 5 seconds. How many times does the word Kabanda appear in the text below? Munezero was very happy. In the morning, she told Kabanda that she had seen Mahoro when she came out of the pumpkin to take her milk. “Let’s convince Mahoro to stay with us forever,” Munezero told Kabanda. “Yes, please. Thank you very much,” Kabanda replied.

6.2 Reading stories

Activity 1

Do you read storybooks?
Tell your friend about the last storybook that you read. Try to answer the following questions:
a) What was the story about?
b) Was it interesting?
b) Why were you reading that book?
d) Retell the story in your own words to your friend.

Activity 2

1. Read the story below in pairs.
2. Write down any word or words that you do not understand. Look for the meaning of the word in a dictionary or from the Internet.

                                                     The Daughter of the Bush

Kabanda was out taking care of his father’s cows when he saw a beautiful girl.
“Hello, how are you?” he asked.
“Hello. I am fine and you?” the girl answered.
“What are you doing in the bush? This is not a good place for a girl to be,” Kabanda said.

“I stay here. This is my home. I am the daughter of the bush,” the girl replied.

Then the girl disappeared.
Kabanda realised that he had not asked the girl her name. He looked for her everywhere but did not find her. However, there was a huge pumpkin where the girl had been standing.“I will just take this pumpkin home and give it to my mother,” Kabanda said to himself. “Then I will tell her about the most beautiful girl I ever saw that was standing near the pumpkin”.
That evening, Kabanda gave the pumpkin to his mother. He also told her about the mysterious girl.

Before going to sleep, Munezero, Kabanda’s mother decided to boil some milk. She put the milk in a cup and put it next to the pumpkin. She went out to wash the saucepan. When she came back, she saw a beautiful girl sitting next to the pumpkin. She was drinking the milk that Munezero had boiled!

Munezero realized that this was the girl that Kabanda had told her about. She did not quarrel with the girl. She just bade her goodnight and then went to sleep.

Munezero was very happy. In the morning, she told Kabanda that she had seen the girl he had talked to her about.
“Let’s convince her to stay with us forever. She is a very beautiful girl,” Munezero told Kabanda.
“Yes, please. But can I see her and at least ask her name?” Kabanda replied.

3. Retell the story in your own words to your classmates.

Activity 3

Your teacher will allow you to borrow storybooks from school to read at home. You will be required to retell the story during the next English lesson.

Activity 4

Write a summary of the story you retold the class in Activity 3. Display your work on the Class Activity Board so that the other pupils can read your work.

Exercise 3

Your teacher will read you the story below. Listen to it attentively since you will be randomly chosen to retell it to the class after answering the questions that follow.

How Eagle And Hen Became Enemies

A long time ago, Eagle and Hen were very good neighbours. They lived together peacefully.

One day, Hen went to Eagle to borrow a stitching needle. She wanted to make clothes for her chicks. Eagle warmly welcomed Hen and even gave her the needle. After using the needle, Hen forgot to keep it away safely. Her chicks saw the needle and went to play with it. Hen’s compound was full of rubbish and unfortunately the needle got lost.

Hen tried to look for the needle but she did not find it. The compound was full of litter. She became afraid and did not tell Eagle that the needle was lost.
One day, Eagle wanted to use his needle. He went to Hen’s house to get it. That is when he discovered what had happened. Eagle was so disappointed and very angry.

“It is simple. Each time I come here and I don’t get my needle, I shall pick one chick and go with it,” he told Hen.
From that day onwards, Eagle still takes Hen’s chicks. Hen continuously searches for the lost needle by scratching the ground with her feet. She has also taught her chicks to run away and hide under her wings whenever they see an eagle.

Questions

a) Who is Hen’s enemy?
b) In pairs, identify the animals in the story.
c) Why did Hen visit Eagle?
d) According to the story, why do hens scratch the ground?

6.3 Writing compositions

Activity 1

Discuss with your group members and come up with reasons why we write. Present you group’s findings in class.

Activity 2

Read the composition writing tips given below. Make short notes in your exercise book.

Activity 3

Read the story How the Eagle and the Hen Became Enemies again. Identify the paragraphs that make the main parts of the story.

Activity 4

Write a simple story on any of the following.
a) The reading and writing competition
b) My sister’s wedding
c) My 13th birthday party
d) The new school library

Activity 5
Read the following text carefully.

6.4 Understanding instructions in examinations

Activity 1

The following tips can guide you during an examination. Your teacher will read them to you. Listen carefully and take notes. Share the notes you have written with your classmates.

                                                              Examination tips

On the examination day, before you start answering any examination questions:

a) Make sure you have enough writing materials (pens, pencil, eraser and sharpener where necessary).
b) Read and understand the instructions on the examination paper. The instructions guide you on the total number of questions that you are supposed to answer. Understanding the instructions is the first step in passing examinations.
c) Check to see that all your questions can clearly be read and that there are no blank pages on your question paper.
d) Carefully read and understand each question. Examination questions are asked differently. Each question has a verb that tells you what the examiner expects.

For example:

• Underline: simply use a ruler and a pen or pencil to underline what should be underlined.
• Fill in the blank spaces.
• Rearrange the sentences or words or letters to form meaningful sentences or words.
• List/name/state means you just make a list of the main issues. Do not explain.
• Explain or describe means you give details in your own words to talk about the topic.

For example, Explain why a bat is called a mammal.
Explanation: A bat is a mammal because it has got hair on its body. It also feeds its young with milk.
• Write means you organize your thoughts and write following the introduction, body and conclusion system as we learnt earlier.
• Define means that you only give the meaning of the word in question. For example, define what a mammal is. You would say:
A mammal is a vertebrate which has hair and feeds its young with milk.

e) Always think and plan before you start writing your answer. You can even organise your thoughts by writing them on rough paper first before you start writing. If you need rough paper, do not be shy to ask for some.

f) Distribute your time according to the questions that you have. Do not dwell on one question for too long. Or if you find that you are unable to answer a given question, simply move to the next one. You will come back to the particular question when time allows.

g) Allow for time to read your work again. This allows you to make corrections.

h) Always write neatly. This helps the teacher to easily read what you have written.

i) Where you are required to use a pencil, for example in drawing diagrams, use a pencil. If you don’t have one, let the supervisor know.

Task
Your teacher will distribute sample examination papers.
Read through the examination papers. Identify the main verbs used in the questions and discuss how you should respond to the questions according to the instructions.
Work on all the different sections and present your work in class.

Grammar point

For reporting exact words we often use speech marks. For example, Mary told her mother that she would not go to school, would be written as Mary said, “I will not go to school.”

Activity 3

Read the story below and answer the questions that follow.

                                            Indiscipline in the school

The head teacher came to the assembly ground and everyone could tell that he was not happy. The P6 pupils had left the school grounds before time.

“I will not accept this kind of behaviour in the school. Those who have no interest in their studies will suffer a lot in future.”
The pupils remained silent as the head teacher spoke with authority. The next speaker was the disciplinary master.

He emphasised what the head teacher had talked about before reading out the names of the most indisciplined pupils in the school.

Questions

Punctuate the following sentences.
a) Good morning pupils the head teacher greeted the assembly.
b) The head teacher said I will not accept this kind of behaviour in the school.
c) Do not come late to school the disciplinary master added.

Activity 4

Read the speech below. Retell the speech to a friend in your own words.

“Our dear headmaster, teachers and fellow pupils, good afternoon. My name is Alice Mutoni, the new head prefect of this School. First, I would like to thank you you for trusting me with this position. Thank you for electing me. I promise to do my best to serve you.

Secondly, I want to welcome you all to the new year and new term. I want to encourage you, my fellow pupils, to work hard. Hard work pays. Most importantly, P6 candidates, remember you’re the light of this school. Your good performance on the national examinations will be our pride.

Thirdly, I would like to encourage all pupils, to be disciplined. We must present a good image of our school. I think everyone is proud of this school. Therefore, as the head prefect, I encourage you to become responsible citizens of our country, Rwanda.

Our school has various computer rooms, science labs and a library. I remind you to take care and full responsibility for these facilities.
I would like to end my speech here. Thank you for listening. May God protect us. Good day”.

Questions

Re-read the speech above and answer the questions below.
b) What does the speaker say in paragraph one? Start: “In paragraph one,...…………….
”
c) What does the speaker say in paragraph two? Start: “In paragraph two,...…………..
”.
d) Why does the speaker thank the audience? Start; “The reason why...………………..
.”
e) Why do you think the P6 candidates need to work harder? Start; “The
reason why .”...………………….
f) Is Mutoni’s speech educative? Why?
g) Draw Alice Mutoni giving a speech to the school members. Write a
sentence about it.a) Suggest a suitable title for the speech.

Grammar point

Words like first, secondly, thirdly, therefore, further more, more so, however, another reason, for example, are called connectors. They are used to make the text flow easily by linking different ideas together.

Exercise 4

If you’re chosen to be a sanitary prefect. Write the things you can do to improve the school sanitation.

Sounds and spelling

Activity 1

Listen carefully as your teacher dictates sentences to you. Write them down in your exercise books.

Activity 2

Re-arrange the following letters to form correct words. Look up their correct pronunciation and meaning in a dicposecmo………………...
simkmgi…………………….
aevlteua……………………..
nscaningtionary…………...

                                                             Unit 6 Assessment

1. Choose a storybook from the school library. Read it and retell the story to the class.

2. In pairs, find a textbook and ask each other to look for information from the book using the table of contents.

3. In pairs, look up the meaning of the following words used in reading. Write down the meaning in your notebook.

a) Scanning

b) Skimming

4. Get any reading material and practise scanning and skimming with a friend.

5. Explain what is needed when you come across the following words in an examination. Present to the class. list, state, identify, discuss, illustrate, draw, give, explain, classify, mention, evaluate, compare, differentiate, contrast, summarise, compose.

6. In groups, set simple examination papers for any subject of your choice. Present your work to the class.

7. Read a text in groups out loud. Let each member of the group take notes on the most important parts. Compare your notes and talk about them in class.

8. In pairs, write simple stories and exchange your work. Check each other’s grammar.

9. If your classmates elect you as a class monitor, write a short speech to your classmates.

10. Draw one of your school leaders giving a speech. Write a sentence about the picture.