Preface

Reading and writing are two skills that complement each other. People consider reading as the input
and writing as the output. However, this module will integrate both skills to help students develop
their vocabulary, reflective and critical thinking, as well as, grammatical awareness. This module
covers reading skills such as guessing word from context, KWL (Know-Want to know-Learned),
scanning, and skimming. Finding general ideas, main ideas, and important details is also one of the
focuses of this module. For the writing part, students will practice how to write grammatically and
semantically correct reader responses, descriptive paragraphs, and recount texts.

This module has 3 main chapters, namely:

• Chapter 1: What Makes Us Human. This chapter discusses all things related to humanism,
humanistic education, and Jesuit education. Those topics will help students learn more
about values in Sanata Dharma University and at the same time, apply some reading
strategies and write their responses to given texts.
• Chapter 2: Knowing and Accepting Ourselves. This chapter focuses on helping students
reflect on their strengths and weaknesses through given texts, apply reading strategies on
given texts, and write descriptive paragraphs about themselves. This chapter also invites
students to identify topic, main idea, and supporting details of each paragraph and create
mind map of ideas.
• Chapter 3: The Story of My Life. This chapter also focuses on students’ backgrounds and
experiences specifically on their own narratives. Texts provided in this chapter will help
students to write their stories using the guideline of recount text.

The materials above will be combined with some challenging activities which will help students
understand the concepts better.

By studying the materials and completing the tasks given in this module, it is expected that students
will develop their reflective and critical thinking.

Yogyakarta, August 2021

Thomas Wahyu Prabowo Mukti, S.Pd., M.Pd.

Contents
Preface .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Program Learning Outcomes .............................................................................................................. 4
Course (Unit) Learning Outcomes ....................................................................................................... 4
Course Description .............................................................................................................................. 4
List of Learning Materials.................................................................................................................... 5
Instructional Guide.............................................................................................................................. 5
Chapter 1................................................................................................................................................. 6
Formulation of Learning Objectives .................................................................................................... 6
Scope of the Chapter .......................................................................................................................... 6
Benefits for students........................................................................................................................... 6
Main Materials .................................................................................................................................... 7
Guessing Meaning from Context .................................................................................................... 7
KWL Reading strategies................................................................................................................. 17
Writing Responses ........................................................................................................................ 30
Chapter 2............................................................................................................................................... 44
Formulation of Learning Objectives .................................................................................................. 44
Scope of the Chapter ........................................................................................................................ 44
Benefits for students......................................................................................................................... 44
Main Materials .................................................................................................................................. 45
Finding the Main Idea ................................................................................................................... 45
Skimming and Scanning ................................................................................................................ 54
Reflection ...................................................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 3............................................................................................................................................... 70
Formulation of Learning Objectives .................................................................................................. 70
Scope of the Chapter ........................................................................................................................ 70
Benefits for Students ........................................................................................................................ 70
Main materials .................................................................................................................................. 71
Recount Text ................................................................................................................................. 71
Reflection ...................................................................................................................................... 82
References ............................................................................................................................................ 83
Introduction
Program Learning Outcomes
This module covers two Program Learning Outcomes, namely:

1. Graduates have scientific, critical, and reflective knowledge in English linguistics, English
literature, and pedagogy based on the principles of the Ignatian Pedagogy paradigm.
2. Graduates demonstrate skills in communicating in English and in managing English learning
based on technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in the context of
learning that is scientific, professional, caring, generous, and respects the diversity of
students.

Course (Unit) Learning Outcomes

CLO 1 identify main ideas and specific information delivered in various texts.
Select and apply some reading strategies, namely, KWL, skimming,
CLO 2 scanning, and guessing word meanings from context when reading
Competence texts
CLO 3 write grammatically and semantically paragraphs
CLO 4 develop vocabulary of daily-used words
Cons. 1 identify humanistic and life values in the reading texts.
Cons. 2 get good values in the texts for self- enrichment.
Conscience
Cons. 3 write carefully and responsibly
Cons. 4 show responsibility for their writing
Coms. 1 show concerns on topics discussed in the reading texts.
show their attitudes towards particular social issues in the reading
Coms. 2
Compassion texts in a form of reflective writing.
Coms. 3 develop positive attitudes towards other people’s writing
Coms. 4 work together to improve the quality of peers’ written compositions.
Comm. 1 show a willingness to learn and apply strategies students learned.
Commitment show commitment in doing and finishing individual and group work or
Comm. 2
project(s).

Course Description
Basic Reading and Writing course is designed to introduce students to some basic reading strategies
and minimum requirements needed in writing as foundations of reading and writing activities. The
students are to read texts related to humanism, humanistic education, self-reflection and
empowerment, and success stories to improve their reading comprehension, critical thinking,
reflective thinking, and vocabulary mastery in expository, descriptive, and recount texts. Through
various reading activities, the students are exposed to written English employing the minimum
requirement rules (e.g. agreement, grammar, tenses, spelling, and diction) and the aforementioned
text types. The exposure, input, and provided feedback will facilitate them to write correct sentences
in compositions and to produce their own responses, recounts, and descriptions. The overall design
of the learning process refers to the cognitive levels of Bloom and SOLO taxonomy. At the end of the
course, the students are expected to become effective and critical readers. As for the writing products,
they are assigned to submit portfolios covering all students’ compositions and reflections on their
learning.

List of Learning Materials

1. Guessing Meaning Reading Strategy
2. KWL Reading Strategy
3. Scanning and Skimming Strategies
4. Minimum Requirements
5. Expository Texts
6. Descriptive Texts
7. Recount Texts

Instructional Guide
In using this module, students are advised to perform the following guide:

1. Read the materials independently.

2. Watch the given video materials if any.
3. Do the required tasks either individually or collaboratively.
4. Explore more ideas by reading books/articles, listening to podcasts, and watching
informational videos on YouTube and other platforms.
 Chapter 1
What Makes Us Human
Formulation of Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, the student will be able to:

1. Apply the guessing meaning from context reading strategy.

2. Explain the guessing meaning from context reading strategy in their reading.
3. Explain the underlying ideas of given texts.
4. Identify the vocabulary used in the text based on context.
5. Develop an understanding of the given topic.
6. Elaborate background knowledge with new knowledge students find.
7. Generate questions related to the given text.
8. Summarize and reflect the main ideas of the given text.
9. Apply KWL Reading strategy in given text well.
10. Compose good reading responses.

Scope of the Chapter

• Reading Strategies:
o Guessing meaning from context
o KWL
• Reading responses
• Personal reflection

Benefits for students

By understanding how and when reading strategies need to be used, students as beginning readers
will be able to comprehend the messages of the passage without meeting significant obstacles. This
chapter combines both the reading strategy and contextual topic to help students comprehend and
later respond to the text by elaborating what they know and believe and what they will learn. The
processes in this chapter will develop students' reflective and critical thinking.
Main Materials
Guessing Meaning from Context
Pre-activity
Please read the following paragraph made by Rhalmi (2013) below.

First reactions to Thailand's giant new opium museum in the Golden Triangle are confused: pleasant
surprise at cool air after the intense tropical heat, but then disorientation, shock, even fear. Visitors
enter the 100-acre complex through a long, dark, mist-filled tunnel, which winds into the base of a
hill past bas-reliefs before emerging suddenly into bright sunlight in front of a field of poppies. "This
is the mystery, the contradiction of opium," says Charles Mehl, head of research for the Mae Fah
Luang Foundation, which has just completed the $10 million museum. "Opium is one of the very
best drugs we have for treating chronic pain and bringing relief from suffering. But it can also be one
of the worst, destroying lives if it is used for recreation or exploited for commercial gain."

Source: https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/guessing-meaning-from-context.html

What is the meaning of “disorientation”?

How do you know the meaning of the word “disorientation”?

Did you answer the question correctly? If yes or close to the answer, congratulations! You have
applied guessing meaning from context reading strategy. Now we will try to explore more.

Confronted with texts, language learners may be stuck by a shortage of vocabulary inventory and
thus be unable to understand what texts are about. The first thing that a learner does to understand
a difficult word is to look it up using the nearest dictionary. There are however techniques learners
may use to get the meaning of such vocabulary items. One of these techniques is guessing meaning
from context. No matter what level we are in, we will often come across difficult words in texts they
are exposed to. Inferring and guessing the meanings of unfamiliar words is a strategy that is worth
developing.

Guessing meaning from context

Guessing from context refers to the ability to infer the meaning of an expression using contextual
clues. Learners should be able to infer the meaning of an unknown word using:

1. The meaning of vocabulary items that surround it;

2. The way the word is formed;
3. Background knowledge of the subject and the situation.
Techniques for guessing

Texts are often full of redundancy and consequently, you can use the relation between different
items within a text to get the meaning (Rhalmi, 2013). Our prior knowledge of the world may also
contribute to understanding what an expression means.

o Synonyms and definitions:

o Kingfishers are a group of small to medium-sized brightly coloured birds
o What is “kingfisher”? ____________________
o When he made insolent remarks towards his teacher, they sent him to the principal
for being disrespectful
o What is “insolent”? ____________________
o Antonym and contrast
o He loved her so much for being so kind to him. By contrast, he abhorred her mother
o What is “abhorred”? ____________________
o Cause and effect
o He was disrespectful towards other members. That’s why he was sent off
and penalized.
o What is “penalized”? ____________________
o Parts of speech
o Whether the word is a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb, functioning as a
subject, a predicate, or an object.
o Examples
o A trojan is an example of a computer virus
o What is “trojan”? ____________________
o Word forms (the morphological properties of the word)
o Getting information from affixes (prefixes and suffixes) to understand a word.
Examples: dis- (meaning not), –less (meaning without)…
o He was angry to find that he had been disinformed.
o What is “disinformed”? ____________________
o General knowledge
o The French constitution establishes laïcité as a system of government where there is
a strict separation of church and state.
o What is “laïcité ”? ____________________

These techniques help you get the meaning of words or at least narrow the possibilities. If need be
using the dictionary should be the last resort to fine-tune the understanding of a vocabulary item.

Source: https://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/guessing-meaning-from-context/
Please read the following text without opening your dictionary.

Part 1

Humans are nowhere near as special as we like to think

By (M. Hogenboom, 2015)

https://www.livescience.com/

Humans have long believed that we are somehow special. But many traits once considered
uniquely human are shared with animals

Kanzi has good taste. He likes oranges, cherries, and grapes.

He points to what he wants on a lexigram, a computerized touchscreen device on which each symbol
represents a word. Kanzi can use 500 words and when he is talked to, he can understand a few
thousand.

He also likes marshmallows. He will strike matches to light a fire, then warm some on a stick.

Kanzi is not human. He is a kind of ape called a bonobo, which along with chimpanzees are our
closest living relatives.

Although he cannot talk like us, Kanzi transformed our ideas about our primate relatives – and in
turn, our ideas about ourselves.

We once viewed ourselves as the only creatures with emotions, morality, and culture. But the more
we investigate the animal kingdom, the more we discover that is simply not true. Many scientists are
now convinced that all these traits, once considered the hallmarks of humanity, are also found in
animals.
If they are right, our species is not as unique as we like to think.

A species, by definition, is unique. In that trivial sense, humans are unique, just as house mice are
unique.

But when we say humans are unique, we mean something more than that. Throughout history,
humans have created a seemingly impenetrable barrier between us and other animals.

As the philosopher Rene Descartes wrote in the late 1600s: "animals are mere machines but man
stands alone".

Charles Darwin was one of the first to speak out against this idea. In The Descent of Man, he wrote:
"There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental
faculties" and that all the differences are "of degree, not of kind".

He later extensively documented the similarities between human facial expressions and those of
animals.

"If a young chimpanzee is tickled," he noted, "as is the case of our young children a more decided
chuckling or laughing sound is uttered". He also observed that chimpanzees' eyes wrinkle, sparkle,
and grow brighter when they laugh.

His thoughts were later forgotten or ignored. By the 1950s animals had been reduced to
unemotional machines with mere instincts.

The behaviourist BF Skinner thought all animals were much the same. "Pigeon, rat monkey, which is
which, it doesn't matter." He said that the same rules of learning would apply to them all.

At the time, there was a prevailing attitude that they lacked intelligence. There was a taboo against
attributing emotions to animals, says Frans de Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, US.

It was only when the primatologist Jane Goodall began her studies on wild chimpanzees in the early
1960s that things started to change, albeit slowly. Her mission was to look at chimpanzees in order
to understand more about our ancient human ancestors.

From the beginning of her time in Africa, she saw strikingly human-like behaviors. In her early
research, she referred to the chimpanzees as "he" and "she" rather than "it". She also gave them
names, something previously unheard of in academia, and began to describe their unique
personalities.

She also discovered they ate meat: they were not vegetarians as had been assumed. And to get it
they were using tools. She saw chimpanzees fishing for termites with twigs.

This in itself was a ground-breaking finding. Until then, tool-use had been considered a uniquely
human ability.

Her project leader at the time, the paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey said: "Now we must redefine
'tool', redefine 'man', or accept chimpanzees as humans."

At a similar time, de Waal had been observing chimpanzees in Arnhem Zoo in the Netherlands. He
saw many intricate social behaviors and was frustrated by the lack of studies describing them. "My
biology books were useless," he says.
For one, as Darwin had written about over 100 years earlier, de Waal also noted that tickling a young
chimpanzee elicits the same smiling response as children. A study published in May 2015 has since
shown that the same muscles are involved when chimps and humans smile.

Our incredible range of facial expressions may be unique, but look at the face of a chimpanzee for
long enough and you will begin to see a similar complex repertoire of smiling and laughter.

We also know that they are extremely good at reading each other's facial expressions. So are
monkeys.

Chimps' social skills are the basis for another behavior once thought to be uniquely human: morality.

Morality can be said to encompass fairness, altruism, and empathy. For centuries our moral codes
have been crucial to our notion of humanity. We have long believed that our heightened moral
reasoning and empathy sets us apart from the beasts.

We know that children have a strong sense of fairness from an early age. For instance, they will
share with friends, even if there is an obvious cost to them. They also seem to be innately altruistic:
they will help pick up dropped objects without any prompts from as young as 14 months.

But other animals have an innate sense of fairness, too.

In 2003 de Waal published research looking into how capuchin monkeys reacted to an unfair
payment.

After two monkeys had completed the same task, both would happily accept a cucumber as a
reward. But when one was randomly given a more delicious grape instead, the other was not happy
and began to refuse the cucumber.

Task 1
Please explain in your word(s) the meaning of the following words and how you knew the meaning.

Number Words Meaning How I Knew the Meaning

1 Relatives

2 Trivial

3 Impenetrable

4 Fundamental

5 Unemotional

6 Prevailing

7 Primatologist
 8 Strikingly

9 Paleoanthropologist

10 Elicits

11 Encompass

12 Altruistic

Task 2
Please answer the following questions:

1. What makes the writer thinks that human is not as unique as we thought?

2. What did Jane Goodall find in her study on wild chimpanzees?

3. Please choose a sentence that you agree with the most and why you choose that sentence!

4. Please choose a sentence that you agree with the most and why you choose that sentence!
Part 2

Now, you can use your dictionary to find words you do not know. Make sure you check the definition
and part of speech of those words.

Chimpanzees behave in a similar way. But what if a chimpanzee controlled the reward instead of a
human experimenter?

We know that for the most part, they act selfishly when it comes to food. They are known to steal or
hide it from rivals.

However, a 2013 study found that they also know the value of cooperation. They will share food
even if there is nothing obvious in it for them. The study found that they will split a reward equally,
just as humans do. In one task chimpanzees shared bananas in the same way that humans share
money.

Chimpanzees also seem to be instinctively helpful. Just like young infants, chimpanzees will help
humans reach for out-of-reach objects.

They also help each other. Chimpanzees will unlock a door that leads to food for a mate, even if the
one doing the unlocking would not get any. In the wild researchers have witnessed chimpanzees
helping disabled group members, adopting unrelated orphans, and helping friends escape from
poachers' snares.

This sense of altruism must run deep in the animal kingdom because rats will also save a friend from
being soaked with water, even if it means getting wet themselves.

These studies suggest that cooperation is a useful survival trait for many species. If humans, chimps,
and rats all cooperate, the common ancestor of all three may have done so too.

"Chimpanzees live in a rich social environment, they depend on each other," says Felix Warneken of
Harvard University in the US. "It does not require a big society with social norms to elicit a deep-
rooted sense that we care about others."

The long-held view that chimps are selfish and mean is no longer acceptable, says de Waal. "People
say that morality comes from God, from religion," he says, but we can clearly see the roots of
morality in many other species.

Of course, with the good comes the bad. It would be misleading to only consider chimpanzees as
helpful, moral creatures. Just like us, they have a dark side. There are many instances of fighting,
murder, and even infanticide.

Their society is built upon a complex, hierarchical social world where it is important to keep friends
close. That means chimps can get manipulative. They also often deceive others.

De Waal has called them "Machiavellian", in reference to the deceitful power-grabbing techniques
described by historian and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli.

He saw that a dominant male chimpanzee, who had become powerful with the help of friends,
became jealous if these allies associated with his rivals. In response, the male would keep them
apart. "As soon as his best buddy starts grooming his rival, he gets very upset and breaks it up," says
de Waal. "That's a 'divide and rule' strategy."
These insights all suggest that chimpanzees are socially aware and understand each other's
behavior. But how good are they?

Humans can recognize the mental states of others, an ability psychologists call "theory of mind". We
can figure out what others are thinking and what their intentions are, and infer what another person
does or does not know.

Children learn to do this from a young age, and there is now a lot of evidence that great apes
possess many of these mind-reading skills.

For example, a subordinate chimpanzee will only pick up a tasty banana if he can do so without
being seen by a more dominant chimp. The subordinate knows that the dominant chimp would
claim it.

Chimps also have some understanding of human minds. They can tell the difference between a
person who is unwilling to give them food and a person who is unable to do so.

The latest line of evidence in this field shows that, after food is taken away from them, chimps will
steal it back from an opaque box which the experimenter cannot see into. They leave the food in the
clear box alone.

Clearly, we are not the only ones who can think about others as individuals with goals, intentions,
and perceptions, says Katja Karg of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig,
Germany, the lead author of the study.

The next step is to look at whether orang-utans have the same ability, says Karg. We split from them
about 14 million years ago, so if they do, it would suggest our mind-reading skills are ancient.

Knowing someone else's mental state also requires a conscious awareness of your own. That
suggests that chimpanzees also have a degree of conscious awareness.

They are not the only ones. So far the ability has been found in many other apes, dolphins, Asian
elephants, and the European magpie.

Chimpanzees even have culture. They aren't composing symphonies but culture can be defined as
passing on knowledge, habits, and transmission from one generation to the next.

You won't see a chimp cooking a gourmet meal for his best friends but that misses the point. De
Waal argues that chimps completely depend on cultural and social learning.

There is now abundant evidence for this. Wild chimp societies have developed different tool use,
courtship, and grooming behaviors, which they pass onto their offspring.

In the lab, chimps will conform, using tools in the same way that others do. This conformity is "a
hallmark of human culture", according to the researchers. The chimps conformed to their group's
social norms, even though another technique could have been just as useful.

Most recently, it has emerged that chimpanzees can learn to cook food, although they do need to be
prompted. They would probably quite like a drink to go with it: a 17-year-long study found that they
were partial to alcohol from fermented palm sap, and drank enough to show signs of inebriation.
Suddenly that gourmet meal idea doesn't look so far off.

Morality, consciousness, and culture were all once considered to be uniquely human, but chimps
have them all. So, what is left?
Language, clearly. We can write whole books on the topic, chimps do not. We cannot look into their
eyes and ask them how they are and expect a verbal response.

Nevertheless, it's clear that they have a complex system of communication.

Chimpanzees lack the vocal structures to make the sounds we do. But language is more than spoken
words: gestures and facial expressions also play an important role. When you take that into account,
chimps suddenly don't look so bad at language.

Chimpanzees do not have our advanced skills but they have many of the components of language.
Kanzi the bonobo, with his language skills, is an extreme case – and he was trained by humans. But
there is plenty that chimps can do for themselves.

For instance, one study found that chimps beckon in the same way we do. Other work identified 66
distinct gestures, which all conveyed meaningful information.

They even have cultural variations for the word "apple", which were discovered when a group of
Dutch chimps was re-homed to a Scottish zoo.

It is clear that chimps, like many other species, have intricate ways of communicating with each
other. The fault has been ours: we have been slow to understand what they are saying.

The more we look for similarities between humans and our relatives, the more we find. "For
biologists, we are one species out of many," says de Waal.

He points to the way chimps kiss and embrace after a fight, in order to make up, just as humans do.
"If you want to… say it's a very different behavior, then the burden falls on you to explain what's so
different about what the chimpanzees and humans are doing," says de Waal.

There's no doubt that human abilities are more developed than those of chimps, particularly when it
comes to spoken language. The point is that the differences are not stark and absolute, but rather a
matter of degree – and they get subtler the more we investigate them.

By that measure, humans are no more unique than any other animal.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150706-humans-are-not-unique-or-special

Task 3
Please explain in your word(s) the meaning of the following words.

Number Words Meaning

1 Rivals

2 Disabled

3 Snares

4 Trait

5 Infanticide
 6 Deceive

7 Opaque

8 Abundant

9 Prompted

10 Inebriation

Task 4
Please answer the following questions:

1. What are the aspects the writer used to show the similarity between humans and apes?

2. What culture(s) do the chimpanzees have?

3. What do you think about this statement “By that measure, humans are no more unique than
any other animal.”?

Reflection
Please reflect on your experiences of reading with and without opening a dictionary. Which one is
easier and/or faster, using your dictionary or not using your dictionary? Then, please look back at
what you have learned from this text and try to reflect on what things make you feel so interested or
things that you just knew and might shock you. Then, relate it to what you know and understand
about the topic.
KWL Reading strategies
Pre-activity
Please observe the following picture, what do you know about this picture?

Source: kompas.com

Now, write down what you want to know from this picture.

Please find everything you want to know from the internet and write what you learn.
What do you think about the activity you have done before? Have you ever applied this strategy?

Well, what you have done is called KWL reading strategy. It stands for “Know-Want to Know-
Learned”. KWL is an effective way to read with purpose (Academic Success Center, n.d.). KWL is
easy to apply and can lead to significant improvement in your ability to learn efficiently (Sinambela
et al., 2015) and to retain what you have learned, and develop your critical and analytical thinking
(Ogle, 1986; Siribunnam & Tayraukham, 2009).

What is the purpose of K-W-L?

There are at least three main purposes of K-W-L: •

• Check and find out what we already know about the topic even before we start reading the
text. We can write word(s), phrases, or sentences we normally come up with related to the
topic.
• Focus our purpose on reading the texts
• Help us to keep track of what we have learned from the texts
(Iswandari et al., 2019)

How

The active steps follow the acronym KWL and are generally organized in the form of a three-column
chart:

KNOW WANT-TO-KNOW LEARNED

Before reading, assess Set a purpose for your reading. What do you After reading, reflect note and
and record what you want to learn from the text? As you read, review what you learned from
know. maintain focus on your purpose. your reading.

In column 1, write down what you know about the text’s topic. This step helps you activate the prior
knowledge which is very important in influencing how you read the text. You can answer the
following questions: What have you read, heard, or experienced that is related to the topic? What is
the context? Who is the author? When was the text written? Who published it?

In column 2, continue your pre-reading work, noting what you want to know after reading the text.
What do you want to know? What you write in this column could refer to your personal goals; in
academic reading, however, it will more likely have to do with what you need to learn from the
reading for your class. What does this text have to do with the learning outcomes for your class?
How does it relate to other reading assignments or material you are covering in class? How does it
reinforce or challenge what you are learning, exploring, or discussing in class?

Preview the text, observing title, prefatory material, headings and subheadings, and any charts,
pictures, or other visuals. Compile a list of questions based on what you’ve determined you want to
know to focus your reading.
In column 3, answer and record the answers to questions you posed before you began reading.
Write down the main ideas from the text, as well as what you found surprising, controversial, or
hard to understand. Compare what you’ve written in the “learned column to what you wrote in the
“want-to-know” column. Have you accomplished what you set out to accomplish in your reading?
Consider ways in which what you learned helps you understand ideas or concepts being explored in
your class.

Though it was introduced as a strategy for reading comprehension, the KWL method can be applied
to any learning situation, such as taking a class, listening to a lecture, watching a documentary,
participating in a classroom activity, attending a workshop, and so on.

Source: https://asc.tamu.edu/Study-Learning-Handouts-%281%29/Reading-Strategies-KWL-Method

You may also watch the following video to help you understand KWL better:

Source: https://youtu.be/nAr7F7iDYIg
Now, let’s practice with the following text.

Task 1
Please read the title and subtitle and look at the picture then write down what you know about the
topic. What have you read, heard, or experienced that is related to the topic? What is the context?
Who is the author? When was the text written? Who published it?

Part 1

The Traits that Make Human Beings Unique

By (B. M. Hogenboom, 2015)

Task 2
Now, write down what you want to know. You can preview the text, observe title, headings, and
subheadings, and any charts, pictures, or other visuals. Compile a list of questions based on what
you’ve determined you want to know to focus your reading.

We’re all just animals… right? Not so fast, says Melissa Hogenboom, a few things make us different
from any other species.

"I become death, the destroyer of worlds." So said the physicist Robert Oppenheimer, who helped to
invent the atomic bomb.

The two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 killed around 200,000 Japanese people.
No other species has ever wielded such power, and no species could.

The technology behind the atomic bomb only exists because of a cooperative hive mind: hundreds of
scientists and engineers working together. The same unique intelligence and cooperation also
underlie more positive advances, such as modern medicine.

But is that all that defines us? In recent years, many traits once believed to be uniquely human, from
morality to culture, have been found in the animal kingdom. So, what exactly makes us special? The
list might be smaller than it once was, but there are some traits of ours that no other creature on
Earth can match.
 No animal can get close to the devastation humans can cause (Credit: Thinkstock)

Ever since we learned to write, we have documented how special we are. The philosopher Aristotle
marked out our differences over 2,000 years ago. We are "rational animals" pursuing knowledge for
its own sake. We live by art and reasoning, he wrote.

Much of what he said stills stands. Yes, we see the roots of many behaviours once considered
uniquely human in our closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos. But we are the only ones who
peer into their world and write books about it.

We see the roots of many behaviours once considered uniquely human in our closest relatives

"Obviously we have similarities. We have similarities with everything else in nature; it would be
astonishing if we didn't. But we've got to look at the differences," says Ian Tattersall, a
paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, US.

To understand these differences, a good place to start is to look at how we got here. Why are we the
only human species still alive today whereas many of our early human ancestors went extinct?

Neanderthals (left) didn't fare as well as we did (Credit: SPL)

Humans and chimpanzees diverged from our common ancestor more than six million years ago.
Fossil evidence points to how we have gradually changed. We left the trees, started walking, and
began to live in larger groups. And then our brains got bigger. Physically we are another primate, but
our bigger brains are unusual.
We don't know exactly what led to our brains becoming the size they are today, but we seem to owe
our complex reasoning abilities to it.

It is likely that we have our big brain to thank that we exist at all. When we – Homo sapiens – first
appeared about 200,000 years ago we weren't alone. We shared the planet with at least four other
upright cousins; Neanderthals, Denisovans, the "hobbit" Homo floresiensis, and a mysterious
fourth group.

The human brain is advantageously big (Credit: Thinkstock)

Evidence in the form of stone tools suggests that for about 100,000 years our technology was very
similar to the Neanderthals. But 80,000 years ago, something changed.

"The Neanderthals had an impressive but basically routine material record for a hominid. Once H.
sapiens started behaving in a strange, [more sophisticated] way, all hell broke loose and change
became the norm," Tattersall says.

We started to produce superior cultural and technological artifacts. Our stone tools became more
intricate. One study proposes that our technological innovation was key for our migration out of
Africa. We started to assign symbolic values to objects such as geometrical designs on plaques and
cave art.

There is little evidence that any other hominins made any kind of art

By contrast, there is little evidence that any other hominins made any kind of art. One example,
which was possibly made by Neanderthals, was hailed as proof they had similar levels of abstract
thought. However, it is a simple etching and some question whether Neanderthals made it at all. The
symbols made by H. sapiens are clearly more advanced. We had also been around for 100,000 years
before symbolic objects appeared so what happened?
 We had the capacity for art early in our history (Credit: SPL)

Somehow, our language-learning abilities were gradually "switched on", Tattersall argues. In the
same way that early birds developed feathers before they could fly, we had the mental tools for
complex language before we developed it.

We started with language-like symbols as a way to represent the world around us, he says. For
example, before you say a word, your brain first has to have a symbolic representation of what it
means. These mental symbols eventually led to language in all its complexity and the ability to
process information is the main reason we are the only hominin still alive; Tattersall argues.

It's not clear exactly when speech evolved, or how. But it seems likely that it was partly driven by
another uniquely human trait: our superior social skills.

Task 3: Reflection
What do you think about the text?

What Have you learned from the text and your findings?

Please state one important statement from the text and explain why you chose that statement.

Please state one statement you can relate to the most and explain why you chose that statement.
Part 2

While both chimps and humans cooperate, we will always help more

Comparative studies between humans and chimps show that while both will cooperate, humans will
always help more. Children seem to be innate helpers. They act selflessly before social norms set
in. Studies have shown that they will spontaneously open doors for adults and pick up "accidentally"
dropped items. They will even stop playing to help. Their sense of fairness begins young. Even if an
experiment is unfairly rigged so that one child receives more rewards, they will ensure a reward is
fairly split.

Children show 'proactive' kindness, unlike our close relatives (Credit: Thinkstock)

We know that chimpanzees also work together and share food in apparently unselfish ways.
However, Michael Tomasello of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig,
Germany, says they will only cooperate if there is something in it for them.

"Humans do that too, but in addition, they care about what their partner gets. In some experiments,
we have children as young as 14-18 months who seem to expect their partner to collaborate in
certain ways and who share in ways chimps don't."

Human children are less selective about whom they share with. Chimpanzees though, largely only
share with close relatives, reciprocating partners, or potential mates.

Felix Warneken of Harvard University in Cambridge, US, differentiates it like this. Children are
"proactive", that is, they help even when presented with only very subtle cues. Chimpanzees though
need more encouragement. They are "reactive": they will hand over objects but only after some
nudging.

What happened in our evolution to make us reliant on each other?

Something must have happened in our evolution, Tomasello says, to make humans increasingly
reliant on each other. Our brains needed fuel to get bigger and so collaborative hunting may have
played a key role in that. Our advanced teamwork may simply reflect our long history of working
together to get food.

Mind readers

The fact that our nearest relatives share too simply shows that it is an ancient trait. It was already
present in the messy branch of early humans that led to us, but none of these other species were as
hyper cooperative as we are today.
Humans have a unique ability to understand the beliefs of another person (Credit: Thinkstock)

These cooperative skills are closely tied to our incredible mind reading skills. We understand what
others think based upon our knowledge of the world, but we also understand what others cannot
know. The Sally-Anne task is a simple way to test young children's ability to do this.

The child witnesses a doll called Sally putting a marble in a basket in full view of another doll, Anne.
When Sally leaves the room, Anne moves the marble to a box. Sally then comes back, and the
experimenter asks the child where Sally will look for the marble.

Chimpanzees know what others know and what others can see, but not what others believe

Because Sally didn't see Anne move the marble, she will have a "false belief" that the marble is still
in the basket. Most 4-year-olds can grasp this, and say that Sally will look in the basket. They know
the marble is not there, but they also understand that Sally is missing the key bit of information.

Chimps can knowingly deceive others, so they understand the world view of others to some extent.
However, they cannot understand others' false beliefs. In a chimpanzee version of the Sally-Anne
task, researchers found that they understand when a competitor is ignorant of the location of food,
but not when they have been misinformed. Tomasello puts it like this: chimpanzees know what
others know and what others can see, but not what others believe.

We are unique in the level of abstractness with which we can reason about others' mental states

This tells us something profound about ourselves. While we are not the only creatures who
understand that others have intentions and goals, "We are certainly unique in the level of
abstractness with which we can reason about others' mental states", says Katja Karg, also of the Max
Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Language gave us the skill to exchange complex thoughts and ideas (Credit: iStock)

When you pull together our unparalleled language skills, our ability to infer others' mental states,
and our instinct for cooperation, you have something unprecedented. Us.

Just look around you, Tomasello says, "we're chatting and doing an interview, they (chimps) are
not."

We have our advanced language skills to thank for that. We may see evidence of basic linguistic
abilities in chimpanzees, but we are the only ones writing things down.

We tell stories, we dream, we imagine things about ourselves and others and we spend a great deal
of time thinking about the future and analysing the past.

We have a fundamental urge to link our minds together

There's more to it, Thomas Suddendorf, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of

Queensland in Australia is keen to point out. We have a fundamental urge to link our minds
together. "This allows us to take advantage of others' experiences, reflections, and imaginings to
prudently guide our own behaviour.

"We link our scenario-building minds into larger networks of knowledge." This in turn helps us to
accumulate information through many generations.

We connect up our brains, and it's one of our defining traits (Credit: SPL)

That our rapidly expanding technology has allowed us all to become instant publishers means we
can share such information at the touch of a button. And this transmission of ideas and technology
helps us in our quest to uncover even more about ourselves. That is, we use language to continue
ideas that others put forward.

Of course, we pass on the good and the bad. The technology that defines us can also destroy worlds.

Take murder. Humans aren't the only species that kill each other. We're not even the only species
that fight wars. But our intelligence and social prowess mean we can do so on an unprecedented
scale.

We can fight and kill on an unparalleled scale (Credit: istock)

Charles Darwin, in his book The Descent of Man, wrote that humans and animals only differ in
degree, not kind. This still stands true but Suddendorf says that it is precisely these gradual changes
that make us extraordinary and has led to "radically different possibilities of thinking".

And it is these thoughts that allow us to pinpoint our differences with chimpanzees. That we do so is
because they are the closest living relative we have. If any of the now extinct early humans were still
alive, we would be comparing our behaviour to them instead.

Still, as far as we know, we are the only creatures trying to understand where we came from. We
also peer further back in time, and further into the future, than any other animal. What other
species would think to ponder the age of the universe, or how it will end?"

We have an immense capacity for good. At the same time, we risk driving our closest relatives to
extinction and destroying the only planet we have ever called home.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150706-the-small-list-of-things-that-make-humans-
unique
Task 3
Now, write down what you have learned from the text. Did you get the answer that you need? Is
there anything interesting you learned from the text?

Reflection

1. After reading the text, what aspect/skill(s) does a human have that differ us from other
creatures?

2. Why does language play important role in our life?

3. What do you think about this statement: “We have an immense capacity for good. At the
same time, we risk driving our closest relatives to extinction and destroying the only planet
we have ever called home.”
Writing Responses
Pre-activity
Take a look again at the following statement:

Still, as far as we know, we are the only creatures trying to understand where we came from. We also
peer further back in time, and further into the future, than any other animal. What other species
would think to ponder the age of the universe, or how it will end?"

We have an immense capacity for good. At the same time, we risk driving our closest relatives to
extinction and destroying the only planet we have ever called home.

Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Please mention your reasons below.

What you did previously is a simple reading response. However, now you will learn something more
comprehensive. Please pay attention to the explanation below:

A reading response asks the reader [you] to examine, explain and defend your personal reaction to a
reading.

You will be asked to explore:

• why you like or dislike the reading,

• explain whether you agree or disagree with the author,
• identify the reading’s purpose, and
• critique the text.

There is no right or wrong answer to a reading response (Lumen, n.d.). Nonetheless, it is important
that you demonstrate an understanding of the reading and clearly explain and support your reactions.

Write as an Educated Adult

When writing a reader response write as an educated adult addressing other adults or fellow
scholars. As a beginning scholar, if you write that something has nothing to do with you or does not
pass your “Who cares?” test, but many other people think that it is important and great, readers will
probably not agree with you that the text is dull or boring, but they may conclude instead that you are
dull and boring, that you are too immature or uneducated to understand what important things the
author wrote.

Criticize with Examples

If you did not like a text, that is fine, but criticize it either from principle (it is racist, or it unreasonably
puts down religion or women or working people or young people or gays or Texans or plumbers, it
includes factual errors or outright lies, it is too dark and despairing, or it is falsely positive) or from
form (it is poorly written, it contains too much verbal “fat,” it is too emotional or too childish, has too
many facts and figures or has many typos in the text, or wanders around without making a point). In
each of these cases, do not simply criticize, but give examples. But, always beware, as a beginning
scholar, of criticizing any text as “confusing” or “crazy,” since readers might simply conclude
that you are too ignorant or slow to understand and appreciate it!

Mention the Title, Author, Main Thesis

First of all, be sure to mention the title of the work to which you are responding, the author, and
the main thesis of the text, using correct English for the first paragraph of your paper.

Connect to the Text

Then, try to answer ALL of the questions below. You do not need to work through these questions in
order, one by one but you should be sure to address these questions in some way.

• What does the text have to do with you, personally, and with your life (past, present, or
future)? It is not acceptable to write that the text has NOTHING to do with you since just
about everything humans can write has to do in some way with every other human.
• How much does the text agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider
right and wrong? Use several quotes as examples of how it agrees with and supports what
you think about the world, about right and wrong, and about what you think it is to be human.
Use quotes and examples to discuss how the text disagrees with what you think about the
world and about right and wrong.
• What did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by
this text, if at all? Did the text communicate with you? Why or why not? Give examples of
how your views might have changed or been strengthened (or perhaps, of why the text failed
to convince you, the way it is). Please do not write “I agree with everything the author wrote,”
since everybody disagrees about something, even if it is a tiny point. Use quotes to illustrate
your points of challenge, or where you were persuaded, or where it left you cold.
• How well does the text address things that you, personally, care about and consider important
to the world? How does it address things that are important to your family, your community,
your ethnic group, to people of your economic or social class or background, or your faith
tradition? If not, who does or did the text serve? Did it pass the “Who cares?” test? Use
quotes to illustrate.
• What can you praise about the text? What problems did you have with it? Reading and writing
“critically” does not mean the same thing as “criticizing,” in everyday language (complaining
or griping, fault-finding, nit-picking). Your “critique” can and should be positive and praise the
text if possible, as well as pointing out problems, disagreements, and shortcomings.
• How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art? Use quotes or
examples to illustrate the quality of the text as art or entertainment. Of course, be aware that
some texts are not meant to be entertainment or art: a news report or textbook, for instance,
may be neither entertaining nor artistic, but may still be important and successful.
 • To sum up, what is your overall reaction to the text? Would you read something else like this,
or by this author, in the future or not? Why or why not? To whom would you recommend
this text?

Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/pierce-basicreadingandwriting-1/chapter/writing-a-
reading-response/

Task 1
Please read the following text and try to give response(s) to the text by elaborating what you know
and what you believe.

What is humanistic learning theory in education?

Good teachers are always looking for ways to improve their methods to help students thrive in their
classrooms (WGU, 2020). Different learning theories and techniques help teachers connect with
different students based on their learning styles and abilities. Teaching strategies that are student-
centered often have great success in helping students learn and grow better. Learner-centered
approaches place the student as the authority in the educational setting, helping ensure that they
are the focus of education and are in control of their learning to an extent.

The idea of student-centered learning is an example of the humanistic learning theory in action. It’s
valuable for current and aspiring educators alike to learn about student-centered education and
other humanistic approaches to use in their classrooms. These approaches can be vital in helping
students truly learn and succeed in their education. Learn more about the humanistic learning
theory and discover how it can be implemented in the classroom.

The humanistic theory in education.

In history, humanistic psychology is an outlook or system of thought that focuses on human beings
rather than supernatural or divine insight. This system stresses that human beings are inherently
good, and that basic needs are vital to human behaviors. Humanistic psychology also focuses on
finding rational ways to solve these human problems. At its root, the psychology of humanism
focuses on human virtue. It has been an important movement throughout history, from Greek and
Latin roots to Renaissance and now modern revivals.

This theory and approach in education take root in humanistic psychology, with the key concepts
focusing on the idea that children are good at the core and that education should focus on rational
ways to teach the “whole” child. This theory states that the student is the authority on how they
learn and that all of their needs should be met in order for them to learn well. For example, a
student who is hungry won’t have as much attention to give to learning. So schools offer meals to
students so that need is met, and they can focus on education. The humanistic theory approach
engages social skills, feelings, intellect, artistic skills, practical skills, and more as part of their
education. Self-esteem, goals, and full autonomy are key learning elements in the humanistic
learning theory.

The humanistic learning theory was developed by Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and James F. T.
Bugental in the early 1900s. Humanism was a response to the common educational theories at the
time, which were behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Abraham Maslow is considered the father of the
movement, with Carl Rogers and James F.T. Bugental adding to the psychology later down the line.

Maslow and the humanists believed that behaviorism and other psychology theories had a negative
perception of learners—for example, operant conditioning in behaviorism psychology suggested that
students only acted in a good or bad manner because of the reward or punishment and could be
trained based on that desire for a reward. Maslow and humanistic psychology suggest that students
are inherently good and will make good decisions when all their needs are met. Humanistic
psychology focuses on the idea that learners bring out the best in themselves, and that humans are
driven by their feelings more than rewards and punishments. Maslow believed this and wrote many
articles to try and demonstrate it.

This belief that humans are driven by feelings causes educators who understand humanistic
psychology to focus on the underlying human, emotional issues when they see bad behavior, not to
just punish the bad behavior. The humanistic learning theory developed further and harnesses the
idea that if students are upset, sad, or distressed, they’re less likely to be able to focus on learning.
This encourages teachers to create a classroom environment that helps students feel comfortable
and safe so they can focus on their learning. Emotions are at the center of humanism psychology.

The principles of humanistic learning theory.

There are several important principles involved in the humanistic learning theory that all lead to self-
actualization. Self-actualization is when all your needs are met, you’ve become the best you’ve can
be, and you are fulfilled. While Maslow and the humanists don’t believe that most people reach self-
actualization, their belief is that we are always in search of it, and the closer we are, the more we
can learn.

• Student choice. The choice is central to the humanistic learning theory and humanistic
psychology. Humanistic learning is student-centered, so students are encouraged to take
control over their education. They make choices that can range from daily activities to future
goals. Students are encouraged to focus on a specific subject area of interest for a
reasonable amount of time that they choose. Teachers who utilize humanistic learning
believe that it’s crucial for students to find motivation and engagement in their learning, and
that is more likely to happen when students are choosing to learn about something that they
really want to know.

• Fostering engagement to inspire students to become self-motivated to learn. The

effectiveness of this psychology approach is based on learners feeling engaged and self-
motivated so they want to learn. So humanistic learning relies on educators working to
engage students, encouraging them to find things they are passionate about so they are
excited about learning.
 • The importance of self-evaluation. For most humanistic teachers, grades don’t really matter.
Self-evaluation is the most meaningful way to evaluate how learning is going. Grading
students encourages students to work for the grade, instead of doing things based on their
own satisfaction and excitement of learning. Routine testing and rote memorization don’t
lead to meaningful learning in this theory and thus aren’t encouraged by humanistic
teachers. Humanistic educators help students perform self-evaluations so they can see how
students feel about their progress.

• Feelings and knowledge are both important to the learning process and should not be
separated according to humanistic psychology. Humanistic teachers believe that knowledge
and feelings go hand-in-hand in the learning process. Cognitive and affective learning are
both important to humanistic learning. Lessons and activities should focus on the whole
student and their intellect and feelings, not one or the other.

• A safe learning environment. Because humanistic learning focuses on the entire student,
humanistic educators understand that they need to create a safe environment so students
can have as many of their needs met as possible. They need to feel safe physically, mentally,
and emotionally in order to be able to focus on learning. So humanistic educators are
passionate about the idea of helping students meet as many of their needs as possible.

The role of teacher and student in humanistic learning theory.

In the humanistic learning theory, teachers and students have specific roles for success. The overall
role of a teacher is to be a facilitator and role model, not necessarily to be the one doing the
teaching. The role of the teacher includes:

• Teach learning skills. Good teachers in humanistic learning theory focus on helping students
develop learning skills. Students are responsible for learning choices, so helping them
understand the best ways to learn is key to their success.
• Provide motivation for classroom tasks. Humanistic learning focuses on engagement, so
teachers need to provide motivation and exciting activities to help students feel engaged
about learning.
• Provide choices to students in task/subject selection. The choice is central to humanistic
learning, so teachers have a role in helping work with students to make choices about what
to learn. They may offer options, help students evaluate what they’re excited about, and
more.
• Create opportunities for group work with peers. As a facilitator in the classroom, teachers
create group opportunities to help students explore, observe, and self evaluate. They can do
this better as they interact with other students who are learning at the same time that they
are.
Humanistic approach examples in education.

Some examples of humanistic education in action include:

• Teachers can help students set learning goals at the beginning of the year, and then help
design pathways for students to reach their goals. Students are in charge of their learning,
and teachers can help steer them in the right direction.
• Teachers can create exciting and engaging learning opportunities. For example, teachers
trying to help students understand government can allow students to create their own
government in the classroom. Students will be excited about learning, as well as be in charge
of how everything runs.
• Teachers can create a safe learning environment for students by having snacks, encouraging
students to use the bathroom and get water, and creating good relationships with students
so they will trust speaking to their teacher if there is an issue.
• Teachers can utilize journaling to help students focus on self-evaluation and their feelings as
part of learning. Using prompt questions can help students better understand their feelings
and progress in learning.
Best practices from humanistic theory to bring to your classroom.

A teaching degree is a crucial step for those who want to be teachers. A degree can help them learn
about current practices and trends in teaching, learning theories, and how to apply them to the
classroom. Established teachers can also greatly benefit from continuing education and continuously
expanding their techniques.

When considering their own teaching practices, teachers can work to incorporate humanistic theory
into their classroom by:

• Making time to collaborate with other educators

• Co-planning lessons with other teachers
• Evaluating student needs and wants regularly
• Connecting with parents to help meet specific student needs
• Preparing to try new things with students regularly
Source: https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html

Writing response

Please write down what you learn from the text.

Please write down what you agree with.

 Please write down what you disagree with.

Please write the purpose of the text.

Please your overall reaction towards the text.

Task 2
Your Guide to Jesuit Education

Millions of people across the globe have experienced the transformative power of a Jesuit
education. This guide answers frequently asked questions about Jesuit education, including its
characteristics, history, and values. It also provides a directory of Jesuit universities and colleges
within the United States and an index of common Jesuit terms.

What Is Jesuit Education?

Jesuit Education is based on a 450-year-old tradition that aims to form high school and college
students intellectually, morally, and spiritually toward lives of solidarity, service, and professional
success (Xavier University, n.d.). Emphasis is placed on learning through community service,
interdisciplinary courses, and the engagement of faith, theology, philosophy, and ethics studies.

The phrase “Jesuit education” indicates that a given school was founded and staffed by members of
the Society of Jesus. More significantly, it refers to a way of doing things—the style, goals, and
values that are expressed by teachers, administrators, and staff.

The goal is to help shape students’ minds and hearts into a habit of reaching out to the needs of
today's and tomorrow's global society and, in the process, reaching out to God.
What Is a Jesuit School?

Simply put, Jesuit schools are Catholic high schools and colleges that are run by the Jesuits (members
of an apostolic Roman Catholic community known as the Society of Jesus).

Across the United States, there are 27 Jesuit colleges and universities and 62 Jesuit high schools.
American Jesuit colleges and universities are part of a network of about 133 Jesuit institutions of
higher education in 31 countries around the world.

What Are the Jesuit Values of Education?

The values of Jesuit education are rooted in the vision of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit Order
(learn more about his life in the ‘history’ section). These values prepare students to be wiser and
more compassionate as they take the next step in their life journey as men and women for others.

• Cura Personalis. Jesuit education emphasizes the view that each person is a unique creation
of God. Cura Personalis (meaning ‘care for the whole self’ in Latin) is demonstrated by
personal attention in the classroom, deep respect for diversity and difference, and an
emphasis on holistic care for the mind, body, and spirit.
• Discernment. Discernment encourages students to be open to God’s spirit as they make
decisions and take actions that contribute to the greater good. Discernment is practiced
through prayer, reflection, consultation with others, and considering the full impact of
actions from diverse angles.
• Finding God in all things. A Jesuit education is one grounded in the presence of God and
encompasses imagination, emotion, and intellect. The Jesuit vision encourages students to
seek the divine in all things—in all peoples and cultures, in all areas of study and learning,
and every human experience.
• Magis. A commitment to the concept of Magis (Latin for ‘more’) is a hallmark of Jesuit
education. It challenges students to go beyond what is expected, interacting with the world
with generosity, excellence, and empathy. Magis is modeled by personal accountability and
high expectations of achievement.
• Reflection. A foundational value of Jesuit education is the practice of reflection. Students are
invited to pause to consider the world around them and their place within it before making
decisions. This includes challenging the status quo, acknowledging biases, and accepting
responsibility for actions.
• Service rooted in justice and love. Jesuit education cultivates critical awareness of social and
personal evil but points out that God’s love is more powerful. This value is illustrated
through community service programs, service-learning semesters, immersion experiences,
and various volunteer opportunities for students.
• Solidarity and kinship. Students work together for the greater good. They develop
relationships with their surrounding communities and share their talents and skills to help
and serve others. This value is practiced through community-engaged learning, where
students work with community members to come up with innovative solutions.

Why Is a Jesuit Education Important?

Jesuit education inspires students to live purposeful and fulfilling lives of leadership and service to
others. In short, it helps create a better world. Among its many benefits and characteristics, Jesuit
Education
 • Prepares students for lifelong learning
• Explores the intersection between faith and culture
• Embraces interfaith engagement and collaboration
• Is comprehensive and rooted in the liberal arts tradition
• Pays special attention to values, ethical issues, and the development of moral character
• Stresses the importance of social and environmental justice
• Maintains an optimistic view of human nature and its possibilities
• Encourages critical, analytical, and creative approaches to solving problems
• Promotes interfaith engagement and diverse faith traditions
• Prepares students for a rapidly changing and diverse society
• Develops responsible citizens who are sensitive to the needs of our time
• Encourages critical, analytics, and creative approaches to solving problems
• Incorporates a global and international dimension for growth and learning
• Inspires students to change society and the world for the better

“Jesuit education is instrumental to creating people who have empathy and who know how to care
about people, who know how to ask questions and dismantle systems and institutions that may not
necessarily be working for the world anymore. The concepts of discernment and reflection and
caring for the whole person, all of these things that Jesuit education teaches are so important.
They're not just good for your life, but for whatever place you go.”

-Benmun Damul, Xavier University Class of 2019

“I knew that service was important, but I never really knew how to integrate that into what I wanted
to do as a career and how I wanted to dedicate myself to continuing to ask those questions of what
it means to serve justice in our world. Going to a Jesuit university showed me how those things can
work together and answer greater questions about solidarity.”

-Brianna Lensome, Xavier University Class of 2019

History of Jesuit Education

Who Was St. Ignatius

St. Ignatius Loyola (1491- 1556) was the founder of the Jesuit religious order. He was born Iñigo
Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola in the Basque country of Northeastern Spain, where he eventually became a
soldier. During a battle with the French, his leg was shattered by a cannonball. He spent his time in
recovery reading books about Saints legends and an illustrated Life of Christ.

He became especially inspired by the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic. When he
recovered, he decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he felt he could be closer to God.
During his journey, he spent much of his time in Manresa, Spain, in prayer (sometimes for as much
as 7 hours a day). He began to write down his insights about God and whom God was for him,
forming the basis for his spiritual exercises which are still practiced today.

After returning from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Ignatius decided he needed an education in order
to “help souls.” In Barcelona, he went to school with boys a quarter his age to learn the rudiments of
Latin grammar and then moved on to several other Spanish university cities. In each, he was
imprisoned and interrogated by the Inquisition, because he kept speaking to people about
spirituality without having a theology degree or priestly ordination.
Eventually, Ignatius enrolled at the University of Paris, where he earned his master’s degree. While
in school, he became close friends with like-minded men who decided to bind themselves together
in an apostolic community that became the Society of Jesus.

Unanimously elected superior by his companions, Ignatius spent the last 16 years of his life in Rome
leading the order, while the others traveled around the world and founding schools as a means of
helping people “find God in all things.”

How Was Jesuit Education Started?

Ignatius of Loyola and his companions founded the Society of Jesus in 1540. Once the order was
founded, they organized and opened colleges for the education of the young men joining the Jesuit
religious order. Seven years later, Ignatius opened the first Jesuit school for young lay men.

At the time of Saint Ignatius’ death, there were 1,000 Jesuits, a good number of them involved in the
35 schools that had been founded. Twenty-five years later the number of schools rose to 144, and
another 35 years after that, it approached 400. By the end of the 1700s, there were more than 800
Jesuit colleges and universities throughout the world.

Until the nineteenth century, Jesuit schools were almost exclusively staffed and administered by the
Jesuits themselves. Today, many non-Jesuit teachers and administrators work alongside Jesuits in
high schools, colleges, and universities.

Source: https://www.xavier.edu/jesuit-education/index

Writing Response

Please write down what you learn from the text.

Please write down what you agree with.

Please write down what you disagree with.

Please write the purpose of the text.

 Please your overall reaction towards the text.

Task 3
How to Make a School Human and Humane

By (Peters, 2019)

Picture the poet Mary Oliver perched on a boulder that is itself perched on top of a Western
Massachusetts mountain. That’s what I see, anyway, when I read my favorite poem of hers, “What I
Have Learned So Far”:

Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I

not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
looking into the shining world? Because properly
attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause? I don’t think so.
All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of
light is the crossroads of —indolence, or action.
Be ignited, or be gone.
Be ignited, or be gone indeed.
I often use this poem to prompt intention-setting and reflection both inside and outside the
classroom. A big part of my why in teaching is a sense of urgency around creating critical learning
experiences for our world’s future leaders. I think feeling ignited about this work is necessary. My
students — teenage people of many backgrounds and identities — eventually settle in and get it.

We must ignite their humanity if we’re to inspire their growth.

It turns out that teenagers are human beings, and human beings are hardwired to consider
narrative. It also turns out that being able to offer an insightful and informed human narrative helps
us to relate to one another and learn a great deal in the process.

If we have created the best conditions for their learning, they also feel ignited. When we don’t
create those conditions, a lot more than four years of learning is at stake — our work, after all, is
about educating students in a way that allows them to live their best lives long after they leave our
schools.

The educational environment has occupied a whopping 87 percent of my life. When I think of the
most important things I have learned so far in education, the sack of gems that I carry with me
include the following:

• Connection (to peers and mentors) creates an important foundation for deep learning and
growth.
• We all benefit a great deal from feeling known, seen, heard, and valued.
• Self-awareness and agency are collective activities that can transform realities.
• What teenagers learn in these years is critical for their identity development (and not limited
to academic content).
• Communities benefit when their members see themselves as practitioners who have a lot to
learn.
These gems were hard-earned and critically important. They also kept my colleagues and me in the
business of learning what types of experiences and engagement in the educational environment are
in the best interest of — and in service to — students.

Building a School that Feels

When educational environments are at their best, their cultures value social and emotional learning
as essential to academic learning. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has joined the list of
educational buzzwords that people think they understand but tend to overstand. The most common
understanding probably is that SEL is learning about “feelings” as opposed to “academic content.”

I think that distinction is trash — not to mention counterproductive and even dangerous. It’s no
secret to young folks of all ages and their caregivers that students are facing high anxiety, stress, and
pressure on all fronts, issues of bullying and hazing (on and offline), and cultures that are not
responsive enough to student health and wellness. To think about SEL as an experience that should
only happen outside of the classroom reinforces the terrible message that these aspects of their
world are disconnected.

One of my favorite definitions of SEL comes from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and
Emotional Learning, which defines SEL as the process through which children and adults understand
and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish
and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

This definition encompasses the skills that are particularly useful for teenagers to practice. With a
curriculum like the Mastery School of Hawken’s—where students will engage in solving real
problems, high collaboration, and learning transferable skills— attention to SEL maximizes each
student’s learning, growth, and transformation potential. SEL practice adds depth to the educational
experience and gives us all the ability to articulate what we have learned and why it matters.
The Ingredients to Being Well

I know I’m lucky. In my education, I sought out experiences and connections that too many students
don’t receive. These experiences contributed to me feeling a sense of belonging, connectedness, and
purpose, and that made all the difference.

But don’t take my word for it. A 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index surveyed 30,000 recent college
graduates’ sense of well-being. The study found that people who answered yes to six statements in
two areas (experiential and support) are the people who identified as experiencing a sense of well-
being after college. The statements by category are:

Support

• I had at least one professor at college who made me excited about learning.
• My professors at college cared about me as a person.
• I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams
Experiential

• I worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete.

• I had an internship or job that allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom.
• I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations while attending college.
These findings suggest three significant truths:

1. Engagement in work and well-being weren’t determined by where students went to school.
2. Engagement in work and well-being were determined by what students experienced while
at the school
3. Too few students experience support in all those areas, but those who do are thriving in all
aspects of well-being
What was most fascinating about this study (the first of its kind) was that only 3 percent of
respondents agreed to all six of these statements. Those who did agree with those statements
experienced a deep-learning experience and support and were the rare bunch who identified as
thriving in their well-being and engaged in their work lives.

The Gallup study focused on college graduates, but I believe — and I am certainly not alone — that
the four or five years before college are crucial for preparing for the types of experiences and
connections the study illuminated. Adolescents do not suddenly benefit from deep learning
experiences and support from adults in college. It is a process and practice that they are both
implicitly and explicitly exposed to from birth.

Given what we know about changes to learning experiences and wellness in higher education in
response to student needs, we can imagine that the high school experience can be a helpful partner
in this work of becoming human.

This is work that schools should commit to because the emotional and psychological health of
students is not an ancillary aspect of education. In fact, it is what determines the culture of a school
and what allows students to grow intellectually and beyond.

Source: https://redesigningschool.org/how-to-make-a-school-human-and-humane/
Writing Response

Please write your response here and then share it with your friends by following these instructions:

1. Take a turn in sharing the responses. There should be no intervention for more or
less 5 minutes. You need to write down interesting things your friends mention.
2. After everyone takes a turn, each group member shares interesting things he/she
got from the sharing.
3. Finally, all group members should make a conclusion of the discussion done in the
group.
 Chapter 2
Knowing and Accepting Ourselves
Formulation of Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the main ideas of the given texts.

2. Apply skimming reading strategy.
3. Apply scanning reading strategy.
4. Identify the vocabulary used in the text based on context.
5. Develop an understanding of the given topic.
6. Compose descriptive paragraphs explaining themselves.

Scope of the Chapter

• Reading Strategies:
o Finding main ideas
o Skimming
o Scanning
• Descriptive text

Benefits for students

By understanding how to find main ideas and applying both skimming and scanning strategies,
students will be able to quickly understand the text and later be able to find details quickly. This
chapter also helps students practices their skills in identifying details for descriptive texts so that
later be able to use the skills to write their descriptive paragraphs well.
Main Materials
Finding the Main Idea
Pre-activity
Please read the following paragraph and write down the main idea.

"Too many parents, the infant's crying may be mainly an irritation, especially if it continues for long
periods. But crying serves important functions for the child as well as for the parents. For the child,
crying helps improve lung capacity and the respiratory system. Perhaps more important, the cry
serves as a signal of distress. When babies cry, they indicate that they are hungry or in pain, and this
is important information for parents."

Source: https://www.ccis.edu/student-life/advising-tutoring/writing-math-tutoring/main-idea

The main idea of a paragraph is the author's message about the topic (Landmark School, n.d.). It is
often expressed directly or it can be implied.

Where are the main ideas found?

It is easy to identify the main idea that is directly expressed in the text. Main ideas are often found:

• at the beginning of paragraphs. The first sentence often explains the subject being discussed
in the passage.
• in the concluding sentences of a paragraph. The main idea can be expressed as a summation
of the information in the paragraph as well as a link to the information in the next
paragraph.
The main idea is not always clearly stated. It is more difficult to identify the main idea when it is
inferred or implied. It can be implied through other words in the paragraph. An implied main idea
can be found in several ways.

• Several sentences in a paragraph can imply the main idea by introducing facts about the
topic before actually stating the topic.
• Implied ideas can be drawn from facts, reasons, or examples that give hints or suggestions
concerning the main idea. These hints will be clues leading you to discover the main idea in
the selected text.

After reading a paragraph ask, "What point is the author making in this passage?" Ask the following
questions:

• Who - Does this passage discuss a person or group of people?

• When - Does the information contain a reference to time?
 • Where - Does the text name a place?
• Why - Do you find a reason or explanation for something that happened?
• How - Does this information indicate a method or a theory?
How can I determine if I have selected the correct main idea of a paragraph?

If you are able to summarize the information in the passage in your own words, you have absorbed
the correct main idea. To accomplish this goal, try the steps listed below after reading a short
section of your textbook.

• Write a short summary in your own words about what you have read.
• Does your summary agree with this general topic?
• Does your summary contain the same ideas being expressed by the author?
• Could you write a headline (or textbook subheading) that would express your summary in
less than five words?
If you are able to rephrase your choice of a topic sentence into a question and then determine if the
passage answers your question, you have been successful at selecting the main idea.

Now, let’s have some more exercises:

Let’s use the paragraph below as an example. First, find the topic, then look for the main idea.

Summer is a wonderful time to spend at West Beach. It is a beach with light-colored, soft sand. The
coastline goes on for a long way and many people enjoy walking along with it. Children like to play in
the surf and walk along the rocks that are visible at low tide. This is a fun beach for people of all
ages.

In this paragraph:

• the topic is West Beach

• the main idea (what the writer is saying about the topic) is that summer is a wonderful time
at West Beach

Here is another example:

The movie Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995. It is an exciting story about space
exploration. In the movie, the astronauts get in trouble while they are trying to return to Earth.
People in the audience are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens. What makes it
even more exciting is that it is a true story.

In this paragraph:

• the topic is the movie Apollo 13

• the main idea is in the first sentence: Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995

While the main idea is usually in the first sentence, the next most common placement is in the last
sentence of a paragraph. The author gives supporting information first and then makes the point in
the last sentence.

Here’s a paragraph we can use as an example. Try to locate the topic and the main idea.

Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a
big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example, you can
take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in
which you are interested, or “job-shadow”, in which you spend a day with a person who is working in
a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.

In this paragraph:

• the topic is jobs or career choices

• the main idea is a few ideas to help the reader choose a career

Finally, an author might put the main idea in the middle of a paragraph. The author will spend a few
sentences introducing the topic, present the main idea, then spend the rest of the paragraph
supporting it. This can make the main idea more difficult to find.

See if you can find the topic and main idea in the paragraph below.

The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety
of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods. McDonald’s is the king of a subgroup
of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, there is a
McDonald’s restaurant near you. There are even McDonald’s in the Soviet Union. Now McDonald’s is
trying something new. It is called McDonald’s Express and there is a test site in Peabody,
Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food
at the same time. What will they think of next?

In this paragraph:

• the topic is McDonald’s

• the main idea is in the middle of the paragraph, in the third sentence: McDonald’s is the king
of fast food

Supporting Sentences
In a paragraph, the main idea is usually located in the topic sentence. So what are the sentences that
explain the main idea or topic sentence? It is called supporting sentence(s). The supporting sentences
of a paragraph develop the main idea the writer wants to present in the topic sentence. Supporting
sentences usually have/contain examples, reasons, or descriptions to support the topic sentence
(Landmark School, n.d.).

Supporting sentences should focus on the following:

1. They should provide the main supporting points for the paragraph's main idea (topic
sentence)
2. There are usually 2 - 4 supporting sentences in a paragraph.
3. They should be arranged in a logical order.
4. They should NOT begin a new topic or introduce a new idea.

Sources: https://www.ccis.edu/student-life/advising-tutoring/writing-math-tutoring/main-idea and

https://www.landmarkoutreach.org/strategies/finding-main-idea/
Part 1

Please read the following text and try to find the main ideas and supporting sentences.

How To Overcome Your Personal Weaknesses

By (Williams, 2017)
1
Everyone has personal weaknesses. Those of us who are wise recognize them and try to overcome
these character flaws. Others ignore their personal weaknesses and find themselves repeating
mistakes and leading unfulfilled lives. The secret to self-improvement is to discover your fallibilities
and either correct them or find a way to turn them into strengths. I have many weaknesses. Only my
mother thinks that I am perfect. But I see the flaws. Just as I look into a mirror and examine my face
for wrinkles and gray hairs on a daily basis, I also look into my soul to see my inner imperfections.
While a little Botox and hair coloring can fix your outer defects, the inner journey to self-
improvement is not quite as easy. You have to be able to see your own faults. The secret of how to
overcome your personal weaknesses lies within you and how willing you are to look within your true
self. My main weakness has always been fear of rejection. This is not uncommon, but it can be
crippling. Fear of rejection can stop you from doing many things throughout your life. It keeps you
from taking chances, making friends, asking for help, and effectively communicating with other
people. It has cost me jobs, two marriages, and opportunities for romance. Ultimately, it has stunted
my growth as a human being. When I was 18 years old I wanted to be a writer. I could have gone to
college and majored in journalism, but someone told me how competitive the writing field was and
that I would never make any money. I decided to let fear hold me back.

The Ultimate Personal Weakness

2
Instead of pursuing a writing career, I took a job at a bank. I hated banking, but it was a safe, steady
job that would pay the bills. I allowed fear of rejection to keep me from my goal. The weakness in me
caused me to take advice from someone who I hardly knew and have not seen for the past 20 years.
Fear is one of the most devastating of all personal weaknesses. One way to overcome fear is to actually
face whatever it is you are afraid of head on. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "You gain strength, courage,
and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the
thing which you think you cannot do. “The things you fear become monsters in your head. The more
you allow them to control you, the larger they become. By facing these fears, you not only raise your
confidence level, but you begin to cut the monsters down to size. Ask people what their personal
weaknesses are and they will give you a variety of answers. They will say they have bad tempers, make
poor judgments in friendships, cannot speak up for themselves, are poor listeners, or have no
patience. Very few will admit fearing, yet chances are it lurks within them. Of course, there are those
who will say that they have no personal weaknesses. Unless they are saying this during a job interview,
they have pretty much admitted their flaw. They are arrogant. (By the way, the standard answer when
asked this question during a job interview is "I work too much.")

Turning Personal Weaknesses into Strengths

3
To overcome your personal weaknesses, you have to think about what you like about your personality
and what you wish you could change. I did this experiment myself. I found some good points about
my personality and then examined the parts that I disliked. The undesirable personality traits included
the fear of rejection, not being a good listener and constantly seeking attention. While two of these
traits needed to be eliminated, one of them was turned into a strength. This was my never-ending
love of attention that I have always blamed on the fact that I am a Leo. I thought about this and realized
that since I like being the center of attention, I should volunteer to teach a craft course for children at
the local park district. Combining this with my love of children, I turned my weakness into a strength.
After you have recognized your weaknesses, examine them to see if they can be turned into strengths.
If, for example, you are the type of person who likes to be in charge and does not work well with
others, you may decide to turn this weakness into a strength by starting a charitable group that will
help people.
4
Many women will tell you that their weakness involves falling for the wrong type of guy. Men that
make this list usually have problems with drug and alcohol dependencies or have some sort of allergy
to work. There is a name for this; it is called "co-dependency." And yes, it is definitely a weakness.
There are many books that help people deal with the issue of co-dependency which stems from low
self-esteem and an overwhelming desire to "fix" other individuals. These same individuals often reject
your intentions. If you find that you have such a weakness, why not turn this into strength and use
your nurturing instincts toward those who can benefit from them? For example, you can volunteer at
a hospital or a nursing home and help people who truly want your help. In addition to doing a
tremendous service for individuals who will be glad to accept your help and attention, you will be
raising your own self-esteem as you find those willing to accept your desire to nurture them. Some
women are shopaholics. If your weakness is a compulsion to shop, you already know the havoc it can
play upon your financial situation. Why not turn that weakness into a strength by becoming a “buyer”
for a fashion company or a “secret shopper” that many companies hire to go undercover?
5
Offer to shop for the elderly or sick. This way you can get the benefit of doing something that you
truly enjoy while helping other individuals who dislike this chore. They can give you a list of what they
need, you can go to the store and purchase the items and bring them the receipt. Are you a clean
freak? Do you feel that everything in your home must be perfect? Many people (including me) suffer
from this weakness that stems from a need to control their environment. My moment of weakness
was recognized when my friends began calling me "Joan Crawford." Cleaning compulsions are
common and can easily be turned into a strength. If you feel the compulsion to always have everything
in your home perfect, why not offer to help a neighbor clean her home or start a business in personal
organizing? In my case, I cleaned the home of a friend after she returned from the hospital. Use your
human flaws to help others. Those who like to be in charge, love too much, have an overwhelming
desire to nurture others at the cost of themselves, or find themselves performing compulsive
behaviors such as over-shopping and over-cleaning can turn this around to help other people who will
appreciate their efforts. In this way, you will turn your weaknesses into strengths.
6
Obviously, if you have a short temper, poor listening skills, or a nagging problem, it may be hard to
use these traits for good. You may have more luck focusing on your strengths while working to improve
these personal weaknesses in the background. The key to overcoming these weaknesses is to
recognize them for what they are and be aware of them at all times. If you find that you have a lack
of patience, be aware of this trait and try to realize that you are not the only person in the store waiting
in line or not the only driver on the road. Take a few deep breaths and relax. If you find yourself in line
at a grocery store and the person in front of you is paying for each item individually and in pennies,
take a deep breath. Refocus your mind on something more pleasant, such as when you will plan
another dinner party or where you can take your children on the weekend. Are you a poor listener?
Do you find yourself doing most of the talking with friends and family? Get a kitchen timer and put it
next to the phone. The next time you find yourself in a conversation with a friend, turn on the timer
and see how long you can go without talking about yourself. Focus on what the person on the other
end of the line finds important. You should also turn on the timer when you begin talking about
yourself. Observe the difference between how long you listen and how long you talk.
7
Do you constantly find yourself nagging your children and husband to do things? This is a weakness.
Particularly if you are screaming the requests constantly, such as "clean your room!" Instead of
nagging, which people in your family soon learn to tune out, ask the person when he will be able to
perform the task. This is much more effective and works better than shouting. A short temper can do
a lot of harm. It makes you say things that you cannot take back. Many people, myself included, suffer
from this weakness. One way to overcome a short temper is to find a place either in your mind or in
your house that is your "peaceful place." When you find yourself getting aggravated over something
before you fly off the handle and say words that will sting, retreat to your "peaceful place." Go into
your room, bathroom, or simply into that place in your mind where you seek tranquility before you
say anything. Meditation can help those with a short fuse. A quick temper is a result of a lack of
discipline. To learn discipline, begin to meditate for a little bit of time each day.

How I Overcame My Personal Weakness

8
Earlier I spoke about my fear of rejection. I eventually overcame this weakness with some help from
my father. When I used to get frustrated with tasks, he would ask me, “How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time." That is how I began to overcome my personal weakness, my fear of rejection. One
bite at a time. I began to write again. I started small and began to submit articles and stories online.
When they were accepted for publication, my confidence level was raised. Whenever something got
rejected, it hurt, but I did not give up. As a matter of fact, I was almost glad the first time an article got
rejected because I actually lived through it. The rejection was not as bad as I thought it would be. The
monster in my head began to shrink.
9
After you have identified your fear, you need to face it head on. You will find that the fear inside your
head is like a monster. It keeps growing until you actually confront it. Once faced, the monster begins
to shrink until it goes away completely. Fear is the ultimate weakness, but by taking small steps
towards facing that fear, you too can learn to overcome it. No matter what your personal weaknesses
are, there is a way to change the behavior pattern or turn a personality flaw into a strength. You have
to be willing to admit to yourself that you are not infallible, not perfect, and have faults. Write them
down. Think about some of the unflattering things people whom you care for have said about you. As
long as you have the strength to identify and deal with your personal weakness, you can only continue
to grow and evolve as a happy person in the world.

Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/how-overcome-your-personal-weaknesses/
Task 1
Please write down the topic and main idea of each paragraph.

Paragraph 1 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Paragraph 2 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Paragraph 3 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Paragraph 4 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences
Paragraph 5 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Paragraph 6 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Paragraph 7 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Paragraph 8 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences
 Paragraph 9 Topic
Main Idea

Supporting
Sentences

Task 2
Find the words that describe the writer’s strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

Weaknesses
Skimming and Scanning
Pre-activity

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/skillswise/skimming-and-scanning/zd39f4j

Part 1

Please answer the following questions.

1. If your child is ill, who should you telephone?

2. Which school year does this prospectus relate to?

3. Who has stated that children shouldn’t take holidays during term time?

4. Children can attend the dentist during school hours. True or false?

5. Can girls wear stud earrings?

6. What color is the school tie?

7. Children have to be in which school years to attend archery?

8. Can children wear trainers in school?

9. On which page will you find information about exams?

10. How often is the budget uniform shop open?

Part 2

Please answer the following questions.

1. Is the prospectus aimed at children or parents?

2. Would you use the prospectus to:

a. find directions to the school?

b. find out what time the school opens?
c. find out about school uniform?

3. As well as illness, which issues does the ‘Absence’ section deal with?

4. Does the prospectus give details of the curriculum?

5. You can find out about school clubs from this prospectus. True or false?

6. The prospectus tells parents about the issues of bullying. True or false?

7. Does the prospectus give parents information about school examinations?

8. Does the prospectus tell parents how to purchase a second-hand uniform?

9. Does the prospectus tell you about school lunches?

10. The prospectus gives you the telephone number to call if your child is ill. True or false
Did you answer almost all questions correctly and quickly? If yes, congratulations! You have applied
the skimming and scanning strategies. Now, let’s learn more about those strategies.

Skimming and scanning are two very different strategies for speed reading (Beale, 2013). They are
each used for different purposes, and they are not meant to be used all the time. They are at the fast
end of the speed-reading range, while studying is at the slow end. People who know how to skim and
scan are flexible readers. They read according to their purpose and get the information they need
quickly without wasting time. They do not read everything which is what increases their reading speed.
Their skill lies in knowing what specific information to read and which method to use.

What Is Skimming?

Skimming is one of the tools you can use to read more in less time. Skimming refers to looking only for
the general or main ideas and works best with non-fiction (or factual) material. With skimming, your
overall understanding is reduced because you don’t read everything. You read only what is important
to your purpose. Skimming takes place while reading and allows you to look for details in addition to
the main ideas.

Why do we skim?

We skim to catch the main ideas without giving too much attention to detail so that we can digest a
text in a minute (Iswandari et al., 2019).

How to skim

Many people think that skimming is a haphazard process placing the eyes where ever they fall.
However, to skim effectively, there has to be a structure but you don’t read everything. What you read
is more important than what you leave out. So, what material do you read and what material do you
leave out?

Let’s say you are doing research on a long chapter or a website. By reading the first few paragraphs in
detail, you will get a good idea of what information will be discussed. Once you know where the
reading is headed, you can begin to read only the first sentence of each paragraph. Also called topic
sentences, they give you the main idea of the paragraph. If you do not get the main idea in the topic
sentence or if the paragraph greatly interests you, then you may want to skim more.

At the end of each topic sentence, your eyes should drop down through the rest of the paragraph,
looking for important pieces of information, such as names, dates, or events. Continue to read only
topic sentences, dropping down through the rest of the paragraphs, until you are near the end. Since
the last few paragraphs may contain a conclusion or summary, you should stop skimming there and
read in detail. Remember that your overall comprehension will be lower than if you read in detail. If
while skimming, you feel you are grasping the main ideas, then you are skimming correctly.

When to skim

Because skimming is done at a fast speed with less-than-normal comprehension, you shouldn’t skim
all the time. There are many times, however, when skimming is very useful.

Suppose you are taking a presentation skills class and have to deliver an oral report in a few days about
the first computers ever made. You locate six books and four newspaper articles about this topic.
Because you must be ready soon, you do not have time to read each word, but you need a large
quantity of solid information.
Skimming will help you locate the information quickly while making sure you use your time wisely. It
will also increase the amount of usable material you obtain for your research.

Suppose you have an exam in a few days. You need to review the material you learned, but you don’t
want to reread everything. By skimming, you can quickly locate the information you haven’t mastered
yet and study only that material.

While reading, ask yourself the following questions to help you decide whether or not to skim. If you
answer yes to any of these, then skimming is a useful tool.

■ Is this material non-fiction?

■ Do I have a lot to read and only a small amount of time?
■ Do I already know something about this?
■ Can any of the material be skipped?

If you have sufficient background knowledge or believe you don’t need the information, then skip it!
That’s right—don’t read it at all! Believe it or not, skipping material may sometimes be the best use of
your time. Just because someone wrote something doesn’t mean you have to read it. If you pick and
choose carefully what you skim and skip, you will be pleasantly surprised at a large amount of
information you can get through in a short period of time.

What Is Scanning?

Scanning is another useful tool for speeding up your reading. Unlike skimming, when scanning, you
look only for a specific fact or piece of information without reading everything. You scan when you
look for your favorite show listed in the cable guide, for your friend’s phone number in a telephone
book, and for the sports scores in the newspaper. For scanning to be successful, you need to
understand how your material is structured as well as comprehend what you read so you can locate
the specific information you need. Scanning also allows you to find details and other information in a
hurry.

Why do we scan?

We scan to get specific information we need in a very quick way (Iswandari et al., 2019).

When

How to scan

Because you already scan many different types of material in your daily life, learning more details
about scanning will be easy. Establishing your purpose, locating the appropriate material, and knowing
how the information is structured before you start scanning are essential.

The material you scan is typically arranged in the following ways: alphabetically, chronologically, non-
alphabetically, by category, or textually. Alphabetical information is arranged in order from A to Z,
while chronological information is arranged in time or numerical order.

Information can be also be arranged in non-alphabetical order, such as a television listing, or

by category, listings of like items such as an auto parts catalog. Sometimes information is located
within the written paragraphs of text, also known as a textual sense, as in an encyclopedia entry.

Learning to use your hands while scanning is very helpful in locating specific information. Do you do
anything with your hands to locate a word in a dictionary? To find a meeting time on your calendar?
To read a train or bus schedule? Using your hand or finger is extremely helpful in focusing your
attention and keeping your place while scanning a column of material. Your peripheral vision can also
help you scan effectively. When your hand moves down a list of names, you see not only the name
your finger is pointing to but also the names above and below. Let your eyes work for you when
searching for information.

Keep the concept of keywords in mind while scanning. Your purpose will determine the keywords.
Suppose you are looking for the time a train leaves from New York City for Washington, D.C. The
keywords to keep in mind are “from New York City” and “to Washington, D.C.” If you are looking for
the cost of a computer printer with the code number PX-710, the keyword to locate in a list of many
printers is “PX-710.”

When to scan

You scan when your aim is to find specific pieces of information. If you were doing the research for an
oral presentation, you could scan the index of books, websites, and reference materials. You would
discover whether they contain any information you want and the pages where the information can be
found.

In the past, you probably scanned without knowing you were doing it. Now with the information
provided in this section, you can use scanning more intentionally and frequently. The more you
practice; the more effective scanning will become. Finally, the most important benefit of scanning is
its ability to help you become a more flexible reader. Scanning adds another high gear to your reading.

Because you may be used to reading every word and maybe uncomfortable leaving some words out,
you need to give yourself permission to overlook some words by skimming, scanning, and skipping
material according to your reading purpose. I give you permission to NOT read everything!

Source: http://www.howtolearn.com/2013/02/skimming-and-scanning-two-important-strategies-
for-speeding-up-your-reading/
Task 1
Now practice the scanning and skimming strategies by answering the following text quickly.

1. Where is the origin of Albert Einstein?

2. When was Albert Einstein born?
3. Was Albert Einstein a normal boy?
4. What was Albert Einstein's interest?
5. When did Albert Einstein learn Calculus for the first time?
6. Who was Albert Einstein’s wife?
7. Where did Albert Einstein work at the age of 23?
8. What did Albert Einstein prove?
9. Who sent a letter to Albert Einstein?
10. Who placed a reward of $5000 on Albert Einstein's head and burned all his research books?
11. Why did Times magazine award Albert Einstein the title of Person of the Century?
12. Please make a shorter biography (3-5 sentences) based on the text below.

Essay on Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was the Theoretical Physicist, of German origin. He is the one who developed a pillar
of modern Physics, the Theory of Relativity. Be it is his mass-energy equivalence formula or his law of
photoelectric effect, the theories he postulated changed the history of science forever.

About

Albert Einstein was born on 14th March 1879 in Ulm in the Kingdom of Wurttemberg in the German
empire. His father’s name was Herman Einstein and his mother’s name was Pauline Koch. His father
worked as a salesman and as an engineer. In 1880, his father along with his family moved to Munich.
His father and his uncle founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie. It is a company that
manufactures electrical equipment based on direct current.

After birth, Albert Einstein's head was much larger than his body and he was born as a deformed
abnormal child. Usually, children start speaking at the age of 2, but Albert Einstein started speaking
after 4 years of age. When Einstein was 5 years old, his father gifted him with a magnetic compass on
his birthday. The needle of the compass used to be in the North Direction and seeing this, he became
very fascinated and developed an interest to explore science well.
Education

At the age of 5, he joined the Catholic Elementary School in Munich. After that, he enrolled in Luitpold
Gymnasium where he received his primary and secondary school education. When Albert Einstein was
15 years old, his father wanted him to do electrical engineering but Einstein used to fight with the
authority of his school, about their way of teaching. He believed that due to so many strict rules and
regulations in the school, the creative mind of children was lost and they only knew the strict rote
learning. Einstein was thrown out of school too many times due to this behaviour of his. He used to
fight with his teachers, he also raised questions about their way of teaching.

At the age of 12, Einstein started learning Calculus on his own, and when he became 14 years old, he
mastered Integral and Differential Calculus. Einstein got married in 1903 to Maric. In 1904 his son
named Hans Albert Einstein was born, and in 1910 his second son Eduard was born.

Contribution Towards Science

Albert received a patent officer job at the Federal Office for Intellectual Property in Bern, Switzerland,
at the age of 23, after completing college. While working there, he completed his Ph.D., after which
he became a professor at the University of Zurich. During this period he gave the theory of mass-
energy (E = mc2). The atomic bombs dropped in Japan were built on this principle. However,
throughout his life, Albert Einstein was against the atomic bomb dropped on Japan. He then gave a
new theory of relativity, falsifying the old rules of relativity given by Isaac Newton, which proved that
time and light are not constant. If traveling at the speed of light i.e. 300000 km, it will be slow and
millions of years have passed on Earth, that is, he proved that time travel can be done. However, to
date scientists have not been able to build a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light.

In 1977, NASA conducted an experiment to prove this theory in which they set the clock in a satellite
and were left to orbit the Earth. After a few years, when the satellite's clock was checked, it was much
slower than the Earth's clock. In this theory of quantum physics, Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose
wrote a letter from India to Albert Einstein in which he said that Newton's relativity theory is wrong.
Albert Einstein then agreed to the letter of Satyendra Nath Bose and he published that paper and later
gave a new theory of relativity. Albert Einstein made many other inventions with this theory.

He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981 for his photoelectric effect. In 1933, Hitler killed millions
of people in Germany, and at the same time, Albert Einstein was changing the whole world with
science. He went to America from Europe forever, taking the citizenship there because Hitler placed
a reward of $5000 on Albert Einstein's head and burned all his research books.

Death and Awards

On 17 April 1955, Einstein underwent internal bleeding in the Lower Abdominal, and he was taken to
a hospital where the doctor asked him to undergo surgery. Albert Einstein refused to undergo the
surgery and said that he would go when he wanted and that it is tasteless to prolong life artificially.
He told that he would like to die like that. Later research was done on Albert Einstein's brain and it
was found that the parts of Einstein's brain that were for mathematical calculus had developed 15%
more as compared to the brains of normal people.

The whole world celebrates Albert Einstein's birthday on 14 March as World Genius Day. He had
published more than 300 research papers on science in his life and had contributed to the
advancement of science. This is the reason that Times magazine has awarded Albert Einstein the title
of Person of the Century. Einstein received numerous awards and honors, and in 1922, he was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his
discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".

Conclusion

Albert Einstein was one of the best scientists, mathematicians, and physicists of the 20th century. He
is a famous and known name in the world of Physics, he also achieved a lot and was awarded the
Nobel Prize for his commendable research and accomplishments.

Source: https://www.vedantu.com/english/essay-on-albert-einstein - (Vedantu, n.d.)

Task 2
1. In what number(s) did you use the scanning strategy to answer the question(s)? Why did you
use that strategy?

2. In what number(s) did you use the skimming strategy to answer the question(s)? Why did you
use that strategy?

3. Please find any words that describe Albert Einstein's physical and mental characteristics from
the text.
How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph

A descriptive paragraph is a focused and detail-rich account of a specific topic (Miy, 2021). Paragraphs
in this style often have a concrete focus—the sound of a waterfall, the stench of a skunk's spray—but
can also convey something abstract, such as an emotion or a memory. Some descriptive paragraphs
do both. These paragraphs help readers feel and sense the details that the writer wants to convey.

To write a descriptive paragraph, you must study your topic closely, make a list of the details you
observe, and organize those details into a logical structure.

Finding a Topic

The first step in writing a strong descriptive paragraph is identifying your topic. If you received a
specific assignment or already have a topic in mind, you can skip this step. If not, it's time to start
brainstorming.

Personal belongings and familiar locations are useful topics. Subjects that you care about and know
well often make for rich, multilayered descriptions. Another good choice is an object that at first
glance doesn't seem to warrant much description, like a spatula or a pack of gum. These seemingly
innocuous objects take on entirely unexpected dimensions and meanings when captured in a well-
crafted descriptive paragraph.

Before you finalize your choice, consider the goal of your descriptive paragraph. If you're writing
description for description's sake, you're free to choose any topic you can think of, but many
descriptive paragraphs are part of a larger project, such as a personal narrative or an application
essay. Make sure the topic of your descriptive paragraph aligns with the broader goal of the project.

Examining and Exploring Your Topic

After you've selected a topic, the real fun begins: studying the details. Spend time closely examining
the subject of your paragraph. Study it from every possible angle, beginning with the five senses:
What does the object look, sound, smell, taste, and feel like? What are your memories of or
associations with the object?

If your topic is larger than a single object—for example, a location or a memory—you should
examine all of the sensations and experiences associated with the topic. Let's say your topic is your
childhood fear of the dentist. The list of details might include your white-knuckled grip on the car
door as your mother tried to drag you into the office, the gleaming white smile of the dental
assistant who never remembered your name, and the industrial buzz of the electric toothbrush.

Don't worry about writing full sentences or arranging the details into a logical paragraph structure
during the prewriting phase. For now, simply write down every detail that comes to mind.

Organizing Your Information

After you've compiled a lengthy list of descriptive details, you can begin assembling those details
into a paragraph. First, consider again the goal of your descriptive paragraph. The details you choose
to include in the paragraph, as well as the details you choose to exclude, signal to the reader how
you feel about the topic. What message, if any, do you want the description to convey? Which
details best convey that message? Reflect on these questions as you begin constructing the
paragraph.
Every descriptive paragraph will take a somewhat different form, but the following model is a
straightforward way to get started:

• A topic sentence that identifies the topic and briefly explains its significance
• Supporting sentences that describe the topic in specific, vivid ways, using the details
you've listed during brainstorming
• A concluding sentence that circles back to the topic's significance

Arrange the details in an order that makes sense for your topic. (You could easily describe a room
from back to front, but that same structure would be a confusing way to describe a tree.) If you get
stuck, read model descriptive paragraphs for inspiration, and don't be afraid to experiment with
different arrangements. In your final draft, the details should follow a logical pattern, with each
sentence connecting to the sentences that come before and after it.

Showing, Not Telling

Remember to show, rather than tell, even in your topic and concluding sentences. A topic sentence
that reads, "I am describing my pen because I love to write" is obvious "telling" (the fact that you're
describing your pen should be self-evident from the paragraph itself) and unconvincing (the reader
cannot feel or sense the strength of your love of writing).

Avoid "tell" statements by keeping your list of details handy at all times. Here's an example of a topic
sentence that shows the subject's significance through the use of detail: "My ballpoint pen is my
secret writing partner: The baby-soft tip glides effortlessly across the page, somehow seeming to
pull my thoughts down from my brain and out through my fingertips."

Edit and Proofread Your Paragraph

The writing process isn't over until your paragraph has been edited and proofread. Invite a friend or
teacher to read your paragraph and provide feedback. Assess whether the paragraph clearly conveys
the message you intended to express. Read your paragraph aloud to check for awkward phrasing or
cumbersome sentences. Finally, consult a proofreading checklist to confirm that your paragraph is
free of minor errors

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-descriptive-paragraph-1690559
Task 3
Please make a map of ideas (mind map) from the explanation above. You can use any application for
that.

For example,
Task 4
Take the following words and put them under the correct

heading. (Some words may be able to be in more than one list.)

barking fresh piney cold greasy coarse

fluffy gritty medicinal gagging matted hissing
heavy glassy oily burnt hot pungent
lemony fizzing glossy furry grainy hairy
pointed lacy garlicky damp plopping freezing
honking light giggling foamy feathery mushy
clammy lukewarm fuzzy flowery spicy rocky
minty buttery hearty plastic moist jangling
Task 5
It's all in the DETAILS

Descriptive Writing

Details make anything more interesting.

For example:

The man went for a walk.

We know the subject is a man and we know he went for a walk.

Let's add a few details without changing the idea of the sentence.

The old man put on his heavy coat, leashed his black dog, grabbed a flashlight and a poop bag, and
went out into the cold for a walk.

The main idea remains the same, but now we know the age of the man, that his pet is a black dog,
it's cold and dark outside and he thinks the dog has to go to the bathroom. WOW! It's all in the
DETAILS! We can now visualize the man and his dog on a walk on the cold night.

Take the following sentences and make them DETAILED sentences.

1. Mary dressed carefully on the first day of school.

2. The boy went to the ice cream shop.

 3. The twins live in the house.

Source: CCSS.W.4.3 © http://www.englishworksheetsland.com

Task 5
Please remember the happiest moment in your life then try to describe what happened at that
moment. How people reacted and how the atmosphere was. You may also add some details on
other things you consider important to help readers “feel” and “see” what happened at that time.
Please make a mind map of your story before writing your draft. After you have finished, please
share your writing with your friends and give them some comments related to their story and the
writing aspects (grammar, details, topic sentence, and supporting sentences).

Mind Map
Draft
Reflection
What are the common things that make you and your friends happy? Can you tell us in detail?
 Chapter 3
The Story of My Life
Formulation of Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, the student will be able to:

1. Make a story map from stories (recount text) they read.

2. Retell accurately recount texts.
3. Write grammatically and semantically in standard English recount paragraphs

Scope of the Chapter

• Recount Text

Benefits for Students

By understanding how the stories run from one event to another, students will be able to tell their
personal story in good order so that will be understood easily by readers. This chapter also allows
students to reflect on their own narratives worth sharing.
Main materials
Recount Text
Pre-activity
Please read the following text.

Source: medium.com

I spent my last summer in Seoul, South Korea. I went there by myself for a four days solo trip.

On the first day, I was landed at Incheon Airport around 7 AM after a 6 hours long flight. Then I went
to Seoul by train and checked in to the hotel I already booked. I decided to take a rest for a while. At
night, I went to Hongdae, a famous district in South Korea. I went to eat traditional Korean food and
went around the neighborhood. On the next day, I went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace and National
Museum. I also went to learn how to make Kimchi and see the scenery of Seoul from Seoul Tower. I
went back to the hotel at 10 PM and immediately went to sleep.

On the third day, I went to the Korean Demilitarized Zone or DMZ. DMZ is a border barrier that
divides South Korea and North Korea. I also went to Dora Observatory. From here, we can see how
North Korea looks like through binoculars.

I spent the 4th day walking around Myeondong and buy some stuff and souvenirs for my family and
friends. I went to the airport at 3 PM since my flight is at 5 PM.

I have a fantastic experience in South Korea, especially get to see directly how the Korean Peninsula
is. It's a great trip.

Source: https://www.ef.co.id/englishfirst/kids/blog/contoh-recount-text-dalam-bahasa-inggris/ -
(English First, 2020)
Can you spot the structure of the text and mention them?

Structure Sentences

Now, please write down the main features of the recount text.
WHAT IS A RECOUNT TEXT?

A recount text retells an experience or an event that happened in the past (Literacy Ideas, n.d.). The
purpose of a recount can be to inform, entertain or to reflect and evaluate and as such doesn’t sit
exclusively in any specific writing genre.

A recount can focus on a specific section of an event or retell the entire story. A recount should
always be told in the order that things happened which is also referred to as a ‘chronological order
of events. Recount writing provides the author with different styles of recount depending upon their
purpose and audience. There are five types of recount to consider. Let’s explore these below.

WHAT ARE THE FIVE TYPES OF RECOUNT?

Personal Factual Procedural

Literary Imaginative

Personal Recount

Retells an activity the writer has been personally involved in and may be used to build the relationship
between the writer and the reader e.g. anecdote, diary journal, personal letter. These usually retell
an event that the writer was personally involved in. Whilst different, a personal narrative has much in
common with a personal recount.

Factual / Newspaper Recount / Historical Recount

Reports the particulars of an incident by reconstructing factual information e.g. police reconstruction
of an accident, historical recount, biographical and autobiographical recounts. A factual recount is an
objective recount of a true event by someone not personally involved in the situation. Its purpose is
either to inform, entertain, or both.

Procedural Recount

Records the steps in an investigation or experiment and thereby providing the basis for reported
results or findings. A procedural recount records events such as a science experiment or cooking.
Procedural recounts present the events chronologically (in the order in which happened). The purpose
of procedural recounts is to inform the audience.

Literary Recount

Retells a series of events for the purpose of entertainment. A literary recount is like a factual
recount. Both provide details about what happened, including who was involved, when and where
the event took place, and what may have resulted. A literary recount can be about real or fictional
events and characters.

Imaginative Recount

Applies factual knowledge to an imaginary role in order to interpret and recount events e.g. A Day in
the Life of a German soldier, How I manned the first mission to the moon. An imaginative recount is
the re-telling of events, usually in the first person. This style of recount allows for embellishment
beyond facts and events- perfect for creative writing.

RECOUNT STRUCTURE

• Orientation Explain the who, what, when, where, of the experience in your introduction.
o Focus Only significant events are included.
• Chronology Events are described in the sequence in which they occurred.
o Organization Relevant information is grouped in paragraphs.
• Reorientation
o Insight Includes personal comments, opinions, or interpretations of the recounted
experience or event.

RECOUNT FEATURES

• TENSE
o The first and third person are used most frequently and recall is always written in the
past tense. Present tense can be used for analysis and opinion.
• NOUNS
o Use proper nouns to refer to specific people, places times, and events.
• VOICE
o Both active and passive voices are used in recounts.
• CONNECTORS
o Use conjunctions and connectives to link events and indicate time sequence.

POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE WRITING

Writing a recount is a deeply reflective process. As such you will want to spend the largest part of
recount writing time refining the details, language, and narration of the event you are recounting.

• What are you going to tell your audience? What are you recounting?
• What information will the audience need early in the text?
 • What are the important events or parts of the recount you want to describe? And what
order will they occur in?
• How will you let your readers know the order of events? And what language will we use to
link them?
• What other information may be useful to include?
• How will you conclude your recount?

Be sure you can recount the who, what, when, and where as the bare minimum using graphic
organizers, and mind maps if necessary, to help make this process clear in your mind before putting
pen to paper and expecting your audience to follow along.

At this point consider some of the questions your audience might ask whilst reading your recount
such as.

• What occurred?
• Where did it take place?
• When did it occur?
• Who were the main characters/people involved?
• Why did certain things happen?
• How did things happen?
• What were some of the reactions to the events that occurred in your recount?
• What are the concluding thoughts or ideas you want to leave with your readers?

TIPS FOR WRITING A GREAT RECOUNT TEXT

• Keep the title simple that summarizes the main element of the text.
• Set the scene for the audience in terms of characters, setting, and context. We refer to this
as our orientation and it will provide the reader with all the key ingredients of the recount in
the introduction by addressing the who, what, when, and where.
• Keep everything in chronological order in a recount and use a variety of time transitional
terms and phrases so as to keep your audience engaged throughout.
• Use a range of adjectives, try and avoid “And then, and then, and then.”
• Each new section will require a new paragraph.
• Use the correct language and terms relevant to your recount. Consider your audience, and
the language they will connect with.
• If you are writing from a specific point of view use the relevant language to match the
perspective. Most commonly in a recount, you will be recounting in the first person.
• Recounts are always written in past tense so be conscious to stay in this tense right
throughout. Everything has already happened so ensure your vocabulary reflects this.
• The challenge in writing a good recount is to provide the audience with the story as it
happened but to leave out incidental and boring information.
• Ensure you also clearly understand your audience, as this will have a big impact on the
language you use.
Source: https://www.literacyideas.com/recounts
Task 1
The previous task you read is a recount text. However, since you are at this level, you will have a more
challenging task. Now, please read the following text and make the mind map using the template
provided.

Prof Sarah Gilbert: The woman who designed the Oxford vaccine

IMAGE SOURCEJOHN CAIRNS/UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

"None of us had any idea... how urgent the vaccine was going to be," - Prof Sarah Gilbert

If Prof Sarah Gilbert had gone with her instincts, the latest coronavirus vaccine to show highly
promising results might never have been.

Years ago, studying for her Ph.D., she considered packing in science altogether. As a young student in
biological sciences at the University of East Anglia, she was energised by the diversity of thought and
experience in the department.

But when she progressed to her doctorate, at the University of Hull, she found the tunnel-like focus
was not to her liking.

"There are some scientists who will happily work more or less on their own on one subject for a very
long time… That's not the way I like to work. I like to try to take into account ideas from lots of different
areas," she told BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific, earlier this year.

"I did consider leaving science at that point and doing something different."

Eventually, though she decided to have "one more go at a scientific career… I needed the income".

It was a decision that led us to the announcement on Tuesday morning that, according to the results
of late-stage trials, the University of Oxford's coronavirus vaccine is highly effective at stopping
people from developing Covid-19 symptoms. Interim data suggests it affords 70% protection, but
researchers say the figure may be as high as 90% by tweaking the dose.

Malaria research

Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire in April 1962, Sarah Gilbert's father worked in the shoe business
while her mother was an English teacher and member of the local amateur operatic society.

Speaking to Radio 4's Profile, one school friend recalled Sarah's silent steeliness - a trait which perhaps
explains her decision, years later, to stick with her Ph.D. despite her doubts.
Having completed her doctorate, she got a job with a brewing research centre, looking at how to
manipulate brewing yeast, before moving on to work in human health. She had never meant to be a
vaccine specialist. Yet by the mid-1990s, she was in an academic job at the University of Oxford,
looking at the genetics of malaria. And that led to work on malaria vaccines.

Her life became a little more complicated when she gave birth to triplets. Raising them is an experience
that one friend suggested explains her "no-nonsense approach".

Her son Freddie describes his mother as always being supportive and having the children's best
interests at heart. All three children chose to follow their own path, he says - although all ended up
choosing to study biochemistry at university.

Quick off the mark

Meanwhile, at Oxford, Dr. Gilbert rose through the ranks, becoming a professor at the university's
prestigious Jenner Institute. She set up her own research group in a bid to create a universal flu
vaccine, meaning a vaccine that would be effective against all the different strains.

In 2014, she led the first trial of an Ebola vaccine. And when the MERS- Middle East respiratory
syndrome - virus struck, she traveled to Saudi Arabia to try to develop a vaccine for this form of
coronavirus.

The second trial of that vaccine was just beginning when, in early 2020, Covid-19 emerged in China.
Prof Gilbert quickly realised she might be able to use the same approach.

"We were quick," says her colleague at Oxford, Prof Teresa Lambe. As Chinese scientists published the
genetic structure of the new virus "over the weekend, the vaccine was pretty much designed. We
went pretty fast with it."

Her urgency, in the face of Covid's death march around the world, might explain some of her more
unorthodox working practices. Emails come in as early as 4 am, says Prof Lambe, who explains that
Prof Gilbert tends to work from very early in the morning until the late evening.

It took a few weeks to create a vaccine that worked against Covid in the lab. Then the first batch went
into manufacture by early April, as the rigorous testing regime expanded. Prof Gilbert described the
process as a series of small steps - rather than there being a big breakthrough moment.

"From the beginning, we're seeing it as a race against the virus, not a race against other vaccine
developers," she said earlier this year. "We're a university and we're not in this to make money."

School, university friends, and colleagues describe a conscientious, quiet, and determined person and
someone with "true grit".

"Sometimes I think she can be quite shy and reserved to people," one of her Ph.D. students, told
Profile. "Some colleagues I had at the Jenner Institute always were a little bit intimidated by Sarah.
But when you get to know her and you spend time with her, that's not the case at all."

The gaze of the world is now on Prof Gilbert and the world's handful of other Covid vaccine architects,
as they race against the clock.

"She's gonna hate it, absolutely hate it," says her friend, biochemist Dr. Anne Moore. "I mean, Sarah
is the person in the room who does not want to be in the limelight."

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55043551 - (BBC, 2020)

The Story Map

*You may add more box(s)

Task 2
Using the story map you have made, now make a recount text as if you were Prof Sarah Gilbert
telling how she found the vaccine.
Task 3
Please read the following text and make a story map based on the story below.

Failure. Rejection. Success: The J. K. Rowling Story

(Year On Team, 2015)

“By every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.”

Those are the words of J.K. Rowling – the author whose book series has been translated into 73
languages, sold millions of copies, and accrued over $20 billion through movie adaptations and
sponsorships. So why does she admit to being such a failure?

Creating her book series wasn’t as easy as scribbling down notes on a few dinner napkins. It wasn’t a
one, two, or even three-step process. It would take years of perseverance to become the success she
is today.

Soon after conceiving the idea for Harry Potter, Rowling began writing but was immediately pulled
away from her work by the devastating death of her mother. Rowling ceased working on the book and
sank into a deep, grieving depression, getting little to nothing accomplished in that time.

In the hopes of digging herself out of grievance, she took a job teaching English in Portugal for a year.
Her goal in venturing abroad was to get away from her troubles and more importantly, use her time
off to continue working on her book. She set the goal of having the first Harry Potter book done by
the time she returned from Portugal.

Things did not go as planned.

Not only did she fail to make progress on her first book, but after falling in, and then out of, love, she
ended up with a failed marriage and a baby daughter she now had to raise alone. She came back to
nothing. She had no job, no finished product, and two mouths to feed. She had hit rock bottom. As
she struggled with depression, raising a child on her own, and living off meager unemployment
benefits, she resumed work on her book in cafes while her daughter was asleep.

Despite numerous setbacks, she found solace in doing what she loved – writing. In fact, she found that
the little she had was enough to be moderately happy. She had ended up in exactly the position she
had feared most and found that it wasn’t that bad. There wasn’t anything left to be afraid of and her
work showcased that mindset.

When Rowling finally finished the first three chapters, she sent the manuscript off to a publisher –
They quickly passed on the project.

She sent it to another publisher. Again, the answer was no. Her mailbox filled up with rejection letters,
but she didn’t let it stop her.

“Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything
other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to
me.” --- J.K. Rowling

After sending her manuscript to 12 different publishers and getting rejected by every single one,
Rowling began losing confidence in her book. Finally, the editor at Bloomsbury Publishing company
sat down to read the manuscript. And so did the editor’s 8-year-old daughter. The little girl loved the
opening chapters and begged to read the whole thing. This made the publisher agree to publish
Rowling’s novel. But Rowling was left with a warning: that she should get a day job because she
wouldn’t make any money writing children’s books. Once Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was
published, though, she proved everyone wrong.

J.K. Rowling went from being a jobless single mother living off unemployment benefits to one of the
bestselling authors of all time. But it didn’t happen overnight. She faced rejection and constantly
strived for success. She worked hard at her craft before anyone noticed her. That practice, along with
strengthening herself against rejection, was what made her work unforgettable. Looking back,
the Harry Potter series has earned over $400 million in book sales, and the last movie alone earned
$476 million in ticket sales... on opening weekend. She was the first female to become a billionaire
author, not that many authors make it that far in the first place.

If you have a dream or a passion and you keep getting rejected or running into failure, don’t let that
stop you. If you’re going through a tough time in your life, but working on something you really believe
in, don’t give up. If you do, you’ll never know what could have been. Who knows, you might end up
breaking records.

“It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you

live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all -
in which case, you fail by default.” --- J.K. Rowling

Source: https://www.yearon.com/blog/jk-rowling-failure

The Story Map

*You may add more box(s)

Now, using the mind map you have made, make a recount text as if you were J.K Rowling telling how
she wrote the book

Task 4
It is now the time for you to write your own story since everybody has their own amazing story to
share. Please recall the moment(s) when you feel you were sad because you failed at something or
got rejected or other sad memories but from that moment you learn a lot and it makes you grow
into a better person.

Make a story map of that event here or using any application you are familiar with.
Then, start writing down your story.

After you have finished writing the story, please share it with your friends. Ask for their feedback
and give some feedback to your friends. Please focus on:

• Organization of the text

• Grammar
• The flow of the story

Reflection
What do you learn from your past experiences and your friends’ past experiences? Is there anything
that helps you learn to be a better person? How does telling stories help others to be inspired?
Please write down your reflection here.
References
Academic Success Center. (n.d.). Reading strategies: The KWL method. Retrieved August 1, 2021,
from https://asc.tamu.edu/Study-Learning-Handouts-%281%29/Reading-Strategies-KWL-
Method
BBC. (2020). Prof Sarah Gilbert : The woman who designed the Oxford vaccine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55043551
Beale, A. M. (2013). Skimming and scanning: Two important strategies for speeding up your reading.
http://www.howtolearn.com/2013/02/skimming-and-scanning-two-important-strategies-for-
speeding-up-your-reading/
English First. (2020). Contoh recount text dalam Bahasa Inggris. English First.
https://www.ef.co.id/englishfirst/kids/blog/contoh-recount-text-dalam-bahasa-inggris/
Hogenboom, B. M. (2015). The traits that make human beings unique.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150706-the-small-list-of-things-that-make-humans-
unique?referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fearth%2Fstory%2F20150706-humans-are-
not-unique-or-special
Hogenboom, M. (2015). Humans are nowhere near as special as we like to think. BBC Earth.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150706-humans-are-not-unique-or-special
Iswandari, Y. A., Mukti, T. W. P., & Angelina, P. (2019). READING GET to BASICS (F. Maharani (ed.); I).
PT Kanisius.
Landmark School. (n.d.). Finding the main idea. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from
https://www.landmarkoutreach.org/strategies/finding-main-idea/
Literacy Ideas. (n.d.). How to write an excellent recount text. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from
https://www.literacyideas.com/recounts/
Lumen. (n.d.). Writing a reading response. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/pierce-basicreadingandwriting-1/chapter/writing-a-
reading-response/
Miy, D. G. (2021). How to write a descriptive text. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-
descriptive-paragraph-1690559
Ogle, D. M. (1986). K-W-L: A teaching model that develops active reading of expository text. The
Reading Teacher, 39(6), 564–570. https://doi.org/10.1598/rt.39.6.11
Peters, J. (2019). How to make a school human and humane. https://redesigningschool.org/how-to-
make-a-school-human-and-humane/
Rhalmi, M. (2013). Guessing meaning from context.
https://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/guessing-meaning-from-context/
Sinambela, E., Manik, S., & Pangaribuan, R. E. (2015). Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension
Achievement by Using K-W-L Strategy. English Linguistics Research, 4(3), 13–29.
https://doi.org/10.5430/elr.v4n3p13
Siribunnam, R., & Tayraukham, S. (2009). Effects of 7-E, KWL and conventional instruction on
analytical thinking, learning achievement and attitudes toward chemistry learning. Journal of
Social Sciences, 5(4), 279–282. https://doi.org/10.3844/jssp.2009.279.282
Vedantu. (n.d.). Essay on Albert Einstein. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from
 https://www.vedantu.com/english/essay-on-albert-einstein
WGU. (2020). What is humanistic learning theory in education? https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-
humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html%0Ahttps://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-
humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html#:~:text=Humanistic teachers believe that
knowledge,A safe learning environment.
Williams, B. M. (2017). How to overcome your personal weaknesses.
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/how-overcome-your-personal-weaknesses/
Xavier University. (n.d.). Your guide to Jesuit education. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuit-education/index
Year On Team. (2015). Failure. Rejection. Succes: The J.K. Rowling story. Year On.
https://www.yearon.com/blog/jk-rowling-failure