Learning and Teaching Materials on Promoting Positive Values and Attitudes through English Sayings of Wisdom (SOW) at Secondary Level

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Learning and Teaching Materials on Promoting Positive Values and Attitudes through English Sayings of Wisdom (SOW)

at Secondary Level

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Learning and Teaching Materials on

Promoting Positive Values and Attitudes through English Sayings of Wisdom

“Promoting Positive Values and Attitudes through English Sayings of Wisdom” is a cross-curricular campaign that connects English Language education with values education. Sayings of wisdom (SOW), which include proverbs, quotes, maxims and adages, usually provoke thinking, share insights and experience, and explore meaning in life. In this connection, four sets of learning and teaching materials, each of which centring around an inspirational English saying of wisdom, are developed to support the campaign.

Aims

The learning and teaching materials aim to:

 promote positive values and attitudes that echo with the themes of My Pledge to Act (MPA), i.e. be grateful, cherish what we have, be proactive and be optimistic;

 enhance students’ reading and writing skills through appreciation and production of literary texts which carry inspirational messages; and

 develop students’ media literacy skills through different multimodal resources (e.g.

posters, movies).

Content

The four sets of learning and teaching materials are based on four selected SOW for different year levels. Inspirational texts of different text types, suggested reading and writing activities and teaching steps are provided to illustrate the meaning and use of the SOW, cultivate positive values and attitudes and introduce the relevant language items.

Learning Task 1 - The Early Bird Catches the Worm (S1-S2)

Students learn the SOW “The early bird catches the worm.” and understand the positive values and attitudes behind (e.g. being proactive, diligent, persevering) through viewing a poster and reading an article about two Hong Kong athletes.

Students are guided to write a reflection or story on how the spirit of “The early bird catches the worm.” influences their life.

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Learning Task 2 - Count Your Blessings (S3-S4)

Students read a reflective essay and are inspired to view an unpleasant experience from a different perspective and understand that they can choose to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. In the learning activities, students learn the structure of a reflective essay and the relevant language items before writing their own essay on

“Count your blessings.” about their personal experience.

Learning Task 3 - A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed (S4-S5)

Students learn the importance of cherishing the people around them through reading a fable about two friends in danger. They explore how the “Show, don’t tell” technique adds variety and colour to story writing and are guided to apply the technique in writing a fable or story about human relationship.

Learning Task 4 - Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining (S4-S5)

Students explore positive values and attitudes (e.g. perseverance, respect for others, care for others, kindness) through viewing a poster and watching the movie Wonder, which depicts how a kid with facial deformity gets through the unpleasant situations in his school life. Students are introduced to different filmic elements and are guided to write a reflective essay on their experiences in overcoming hardship and challenges.

Using the learning and teaching materials in the English lessons

Tying in with the modules and topics in the school-based English Language curriculum, the learning materials and teaching ideas can be used to raise students’ awareness of text structures and language items when introducing the various SOW in the English lessons. Teachers are encouraged to select and adapt the materials to suit their students’ needs, interests and abilities. Posters, games and videos on other SOW are available on the website of the Education Bureau (http://www.edb.gov.hk/sow) to provide additional resources in support of the promotion of positive values and attitudes in the English classroom.

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Learning Task 1

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

Suggested Levels: S1-S2

Summary of the Learning Task:

Students learn the proverb “The early bird catches the worm” and understand the positive values and attitudes behind (e.g. being proactive, diligent, persevering) through viewing a poster on the proverb and reading an article about two Hong Kong athletes.

Students are asked to write a reflection or story on how the spirit of the proverb “The early bird catches the worm” influences their life.

Learning objectives:

Content

1. To understand the meaning and use of the proverb “The early bird catches the worm”

2. To cultivate students’ positive values and attitudes (e.g. being proactive, diligent, persevering)

Language

1. To infer meanings of words using contextual clues

2. To understand the gist of paragraphs and the message of the texts 3. To develop skills of writing a reflection or story

Suggested Learning Activities Pre-reading

1. Introduce to students the objectives of the learning activities.

2. Show students the following poster

(https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/kla/eng- edu/SOW/posters.html), and then ask them the following questions:

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 What do you see in the picture?

(Suggested answer: Two birds on separate tree branches and a worm in one of the birds’ beak)

 What are they doing?

(Suggested answer: One bird is catching a worm. The other bird is sleeping.)

 What does this picture tell you?

(Possible answer: Getting up early helps us become more successful.) 3. Introduce the proverb “The early bird catches the worm” to students.

 What does the proverb mean?

(Suggested answer: The person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them.)

4. Ask students to think about a scenario in which this proverb is relevant to their life. Invite some students to share with their classmates.

 (Possible answers:

(1) Going to school earlier to better prepare for the day ahead

(2) Going to department stores early during the period for sales to secure what we want as things may be out of stock if we arrive late.)

5. Highlight the positive values and attitudes associated with the proverb – be proactive, diligent and persevering and take action before other people so that we can have an advantage.

While-reading

1. Distribute Text 1. Draw students’ attention to the title of the text. Ask them:

 What does “athlete” mean?

(Suggested answer: A person who competes in sports)

 Why do the two athletes get up early in the morning?

(Possible answer: They need to attend training for competitions.)

 What tips do you think the athletes will give?

(Any reasonable answers)

2. Read paragraphs 1-2 with students. Ask them:

 Why does the writer describe the warm feeling in bed in a dark cold morning?

(Suggested answer: To show readers how difficult it is to get up early, especially in winter, and how determined and proactive the athletes are to be able to do so.)

3. Read paragraph 3 with students. Ask them:

 What special achievement did Christy make?

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(Suggested answer: She became Hong Kong’s first champion of figure skating at the 2018/2019 Chinese National Figure Skating

Championships.)

4. Read paragraphs 4-6 with students. Ask them:

 What does “her edge over” mean in paragraph 5? Can you identify any clues in the text to support your answer?

(Suggested answer: It means “her advantage over others”. In paragraph 4, Christy said that she wanted to make sure she did not fall behind, which echoes “her desire to maintain her edge over her opponents”.)

5. Read paragraphs 7-8 with students. Ask them:

 To Kaylin, what helps her get up more quickly on cold days?

(Suggested answer: Having a decent amount of sleep on the previous day and setting the alarm 30 minutes earlier help her get up more quickly.) 6. Read paragraph 9 with students. Ask them:

 What can be done in the extra hour in the morning if people get up early?

(Any reasonable answers)

 If people who sleep and wake up early are called “early birds”, what would you call those who enjoy staying up late at night?

(Suggested answer: Night owls)

Post-reading

Students read Text 1 again and complete Activity Sheet 1 for consolidation.

Applying the Proverb Pre-writing

1. Ask students to share what time they usually go to bed to see if they are “early birds” or “night owls”. Ask students to share the reasons for their sleeping habit/preferences.

(Any reasonable answers)

Writing

2. Draw students’ attention to paragraph 9 of Text 1. Re-read with them the sentences “You know what they say – the early bird gets the worm. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Ask students to write a reflection/story (about 200 words) on how this attitude influences teenagers’

life. Begin/End the reflection/story with the proverb “The early bird catches the worm” (Activity Sheet 2).

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Post-writing

3. Ask students to share their reflection/story with their classmates.

Extended Reading

1. Guide students to read Text 2, an adapted Aesop fable titled “The Grasshopper and the Ants” and ask them to discuss in groups of three or four the following questions:

 If you were the ants, would you give food to the grasshopper? Why or Why not?

 What is the moral of the story?

 How may the story be connected to the proverb “The early bird catches the worm”?

2. Ask students to share with the class what they have discussed.

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Text 1

Two HK student athletes and champions’ tips for getting out of bed early in the morning

The mornings in Hong Kong at the moment are still chilly, and it can be difficult to get out of bed. Two student athletes tell us how they motivate themselves to wake up early

Young Post

Joanne Ma 16:01pm, 10 Jan, 2019

 You know the feeling: you’re warm and toasty in bed, and everything outside the duvet is cold. You know you have to get up, but it’s hard to do when all you really want to do is lie in bed and nap the day away – especially when the mornings are dark and cold.

 Young Post spoke to two of Hong Kong’s top young athletes about how they manage to get themselves into training on cold wintry mornings, and how you can do the same to get to school on time.

 Christy Leung-yi is a figure skater, who last month became the city’s first- ever champion of the sport at the 2018/2019 Chinese National Figure Skating Championships in Harbin, China. She came a clear 10 points ahead of her closest competitor – something that she can attribute in some way to her ability to get out of bed early.

 “One thing that forces me to wake up [early] is imagining that my competitors are already up, and training. That motivates me to get up and start training,”

Christy, 16, says. “I just want to make sure I don’t fall behind.”

 It’s not just her desire to maintain her edge over her opponents that gets Christy out of bed, though. Another reason that she gets up earlier than she needs to on cold mornings is that it affords her the time to look good. Like many other girls her age, she likes to take care of her appearance. “It just gives me more time to decide what to wear. I can also do my make-up without rushing.”

 She adds that it’s also important for her to be able to enjoy her breakfast.

Whenever she wants to sleep in, the thought of eating breakfast without rushing 5

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is enough to motivate her to get up.

 Hong Kong épée fencer Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan says that she finds that she is able to get up quicker on cold mornings when she’s had a decent amount of sleep the night before. The 17-year-old Sha Tin College student, who won two silver medals at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics in the women’s individual épée and Mixed Continental Teams events, has morning training sessions every day, and sticks to a rigid sleeping schedule.

 Kaylin says that setting your alarm to go off half an hour before you plan to actually wake up also helps – so if you plan on getting out of bed at 7 am, you should set your alarm for 6.30 am. “Then you’ll have time to slowly wake up and get ready,” she says. “Sometimes, though, you will just have to force yourself to get up once your alarm goes off. Don’t just press the snooze button and go back to sleep.”

 We might not all be like Christy and Kaylin, and be capable of scoring medals for the city, but we can all make an effort to get up early like they do, even when the city is as cold as it has been over the past few weeks. You know what they say – the early bird gets the worm. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Who knows what you might discover or do (like that piece of homework you might have forgotten about) in that extra hour that you’re awake in the morning?

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(Permission to use the text “Two HK student athletes and champions’ tips for getting out of bed early in the morning” by Joanne Ma, which was originally published in the Young Post, was given by the South China Morning Post.)

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Activity Sheet 1

Read Text 1 and answer the following questions.

1. From paragraph 1, find an antonym for the word “chilly” in line 1.

__________________________________________________________________

2. Which of the following represents the meaning of “it’s” in paragraph 1?

A it was B it is C it has

D None of the above

3. According to paragraphs 4-6, what motivates Christy to wake up early, even on cold days?

__________________________________________________________________

4. Which of the following best describes the meaning of “rigid” in paragraph 7?

A not able to be bent or moved B not exact

C not easy to be changed or persuaded D having a surface that is not even or regular

5. Decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or the information is Not Given (NG). Put a tick () in the correct boxes:

T F NG

(i) Christy Leung-yi thinks that getting up early helped her win the championship at the 2018/2019 Chinese National Figure Skating Championships.

(ii) Christy Leung-yi does not care about her appearance.

(iii) Christy Leung-yi and Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan are good friends.

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6. According to the article, why are Christy Leung-yi and Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan considered top young athletes in Hong Kong?

__________________________________________________________________

7. Which of the following groups is the target audience of the article?

A Teenagers B Parents C Teachers D Scientists

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Activity Sheet 2

In about 200 words, write a reflection/story on how the above attitude influences teenagers’ life. Begin/End your work with the proverb “The early bird catches the worm”.

“You know what they say – the early bird gets the worm. Early to bed and early to rise makes

a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

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My Reflection/Story

___________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________

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Text 2

The Grasshopper and the Ants

On a hot summer day, a grasshopper was relaxing in the shade when a group of ants passed by. The ants were drying out the grain in order to store it up for the cold winter.

“Ants, why are you so busy? Why don’t you take a break? Would you like to sit down for a while and sing a song with me?” asked the grasshopper as he took his violin out. “We’re gathering food for the winter when it will be bitter cold and there will be hardly any food to eat. It will be a good idea if you do the same,” answered the ants. “What? Do the same as what you’re now all doing? I don’t have time to store up any food because I’m very busy making music,” the grasshopper replied. He laughed at the ants and walked away with his violin.

Winter came. It was cold and freezing. Without any food to eat, the grasshopper was starving. So he went to the ants and asked, “Ants, can you help me? I’m very hungry but I have nothing to eat. Let me sing you all a song and please give me some food in return.”

“All summer long we were working very hard, while you were singing and laughing at us. As a result, we have a full tummy now and you are starving,”

said the ants. “I’ve learnt a lesson from it. Please help me!” begged the grasshopper. The ants finally agreed to help the grasshopper by giving him some food to eat. They also helped the grasshopper dig a hole for storing food for the coming winter.

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Suggested Answers

Activity Sheet 1

1. Warm/toasty 2. B

3. Christy is motivated to wake up early as she does not want to fall behind her competitors. She wants to try her best in competitions. Having more time to dress, put on her make-up and enjoy breakfast also motivates her to get up early.

4. C 5. (i) T

(ii) F (iii) NG

6. They both have made significant achievements in sports. Christy Leung became Hong Kong’s first champion of figure skating at the 2018/2019 Chinese National Figure Skating Championships in Harbin and Kaylin Hsieh won two silver medals at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics.

7. A

Activity Sheet 2

Any reasonable answers Extended Reading

 If you were the ants, would you give food to the grasshopper? Why or Why not?

Any reasonable answers

 What is the moral of the story?

There is a time for work and a time for play. / We should prepare well for the days of necessity. / We should work hard and plan early for the future.

 How may the story be connected to the proverb “the early bird catches the worm”?

We should get well prepared in order to survive and succeed.

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Learning Task 2 Count Your Blessings

Suggested Level: S3-S4

Summary of the Learning Task

Students read a reflective essay titled “A wake-up call”. They are then inspired to view the unpleasant experience from a different perspective and understand that they have a choice to focus on what they missed, lost or failed to achieve, or what they have already had, and that they can choose to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Students are then guided to count their blessings by practising flipping complaints into gratitude statements. In the main writing task, students learn the structure of a reflective essay and relevant language items and write a reflective essay on “Count your blessings”

about their personal experience.

Learning Objectives Content:

 To understand the saying of wisdom “Count your blessings”

 To appreciate the positive side(s) of a negative experience

 To recognise and be grateful for what we already have Language:

 To understand the text features of a reflective essay

 To write a reflective essay on “Count your blessings” about students’ personal experience Suggested Learning Activities

Pre-reading: Learning Activity 1

1. Ask students to recall what happened in the previous week and write down any complaints they made in the space provided.

2. Remind students that the complaints can be as insignificant as the following:

(a) The bus did not wait for you though you were rushing for it. As a result, you were late for school, and got penalised. You grumbled for a whole day.

(b) You almost won the 100-metre race on the Sports Day but you slipped and fell before the finishing line. You complained about your bad luck for a week.

3. Ask students to think about the nature of a complaint and what a complaint does, and then write their complaints on a slip of paper. Invite students to share their views.

4. Guide students to reflect on the drawbacks of complaining by asking the following questions:

 Did the problem go away?

 How did you feel after complaining? Better or worse?

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5. Point out to students that complaints may help vent their dissatisfaction, frustration or anger at the time but complaining itself does not help make the situation better. Worse still, sometimes complaints escalate negative emotions and make the situation worse.

 In Example (a), grumbling would not change the fact that you missed the bus and were late for school, nor would the penalty disappear. In Example (b), complaining would not let you run the race again, nor would the accident of slipping and falling be avoided.

6. Using the above examples, explain to students that complaining focuses their attention on the problem itself instead of the cause(s) of /solution(s) to the problem.

While-reading: Learning Activity 2

1. Ask students to read the text and answer the questions that follow.

2. When checking answers with students, draw students’ attention to the following:

 Q1: Draw students’ attention to the time (two o’clock in the morning) and ask students to answer the question using their prior knowledge and knowledge of the world.

 Q2: Draw students’ attention to the choice of diction – “hurling” and “stomped”. Ask them to check the meaning of the words and compare “hurl” with “throw” and “stomp” with “walk”. Point out to students that these verbs are more vivid and often convey the emotion of the doer.

 Q3: Explain to students that they can work out the meaning of “ungodly” by using 1) contextual clues (e.g. Line 5: “two o’clock in the morning”), and

2) knowledge of word formation (i.e. the prefix “un-” meaning “the opposite”

whereas “godly” referring to something positive).

 Q4: Point out to students that the escalation of anger is reflected in the series of actions:

“stomped out of the room”  “speaking at the top of my voice”  “hung the phone up”  couldn’t sleep afterwards

 Q5: Point out to students that both the literal meaning (a phone call that woke “me” up from sleep) and the figurative meaning (an enlightenment on a need to change) of “wake-up call” are applicable in this context.

 Q6: Ask students to look for words or phrases from the text which make the tone of the text reflective and causal, e.g.

- reflective: “should” / “could have”

- casual: “I’m going to” / “I’ll”

3. Wrap up the activity using the illustration on p. 7 to explain to students that it is our choice to make complaints or be grateful, e.g. “I hate to be woken up by the call” vs. “I am grateful that my sister is safe”. But it takes time and practice to recognise positive sides in a negative experience.

4. If time allows, ask students to post the slips of paper where they have written their complaints on a wall or blackboard. Invite students to read their friends’ complaints, and then write a gratitude statement on the back of the paper. Return the paper to students, ask them to study

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the gratitude statements their classmates wrote and write their own gratitude statement, if any.

Allow some time for silent reflection.

Post-reading: Learning Activity 3

1. Ask students to read the text again and identify the different elements of a reflective essay by filling in the blanks.

2. Check the answers with students.

Writing a Reflective Essay: Learning Activity 4

1. Explain to students that a reflective essay can be formal as in an academic reflective essay or informal as in the sample writing. The formality and language features thus vary among different types of reflective writing.

2. Go through the different types of language and functions mentioned in the table with students and ask them to find one or two examples for each function from the sample writing.

3. Revisit the elements of a reflective essay. Go over the guiding questions.

4. Ask students to write, in about 300 words, a reflective essay on “Count your blessings” based on their personal experience.

1. Ask students to read the poem titled “Count your blessings” and think about the message of the poem. Encourage students to share ideas with their classmates.

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1. How did your past week go? Close your eyes and recount all the events that happened. Did you complain about anything? Write down your complaint(s) in the space provided. Then share with your friends your complaint(s).

2. Why do you complain?

3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of complaining?

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A. Read the following text “A wake-up call” and answer the questions that follow.

1. What was “I” doing when the phone rang? Support your answer with evidence.

2. How did “I” feel when the phone rang? Support your answer with evidence.

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A wake-up call

An unexpected call in the early hours is a nightmare, especially when you are sound asleep. If the caller has just dialled a wrong number, you will no doubt feel angry. What if the caller is someone you know? What if there is an important message from the caller? What if there is something positive beyond the call? Let me share with you my personal experience.

One night, I was woken up by the landline. It was two o’clock in the morning. I waited for the annoying ring to go off but it didn’t. The hope of mom picking up the phone faded as my anger grew. “Who on earth would call at this ungodly hour,” I grumbled. Hurling the quilt, I threw myself across the room. I answered the phone at the top of my voice, despicably wishing that no one could continue their sleep. It was my sister. She called to tell mom that she wouldn’t come home and something else. But I would never know what it was because I hung the phone up before she could finish her line. Lying on my bed again, I couldn’t find the way back to sleep as my mind was busy coming up with ideas how I could get back at her. The sleepless night started.

I felt bad that my rage and impulse got the best of me. It definitely made me feel cross when my sleep was disturbed. But I didn’t contain my anger and even tried to wake everybody up.

What did I get from all these? A sleepless night, which in turn made me feel even worse.

This experience was a “wake-up call”. The negativity, in the case, escalated my rage, which blinded me to what I already have and things that I should feel grateful for. To start with, I should be grateful for having a safe place where my family are with me, and a bed and a quilt that are essential for a good night’s sleep. I should also be thankful for the fact that my sister was safe. The recognition and appreciation of my blessings made me come to terms with my anger and understand how stupid I was. They also helped me realise that I was the one who ruined my night, not my sister. The negative emotions tricked me into shifting the responsibility to my sister. I could have focused more on what I had had and been more grateful.

I’m going to develop a habit of mind which focuses my attention on the things I have and recognises the positive sides in a negative experience. I’ll start by calling to mind one or two things that I should be grateful for every day before I end my day.

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3. What does “ungodly” (line 7) mean?

4. Did the feeling(s) you identified in Q2 disappear after complaining? Support your answer with evidence.

5. Why is “wake-up call” (line 17) in quotation marks? What does it mean?

6. Which of the following options best describe the tone of the text?

(i) reflective (ii) formal (iii) sarcastic (iv) casual

A. (i) & (iii) B. (ii) & (iii)

C. (i) & (iv) A B C D

D. (ii) & (iv)    

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B. The image below helps visualise how we can view a situation from a different perspective. With reference to the text “A wake-up call”, add more to the boxes of (1) what “I” wish to have but don’t and (2) what “I” already have without knowing it.

It is our choice to make a complaint or be grateful. Practise flipping a complaint into a gratitude statement.

 Undisturbed sleep

 ___________

___________

 ___________

___________

 Living in a house where a bed and a quilt are available

 Knowing that his/her sister is safe

 ___________

___________

What “I”

already have (gratitude) What “I” wish to

have but don’t (complaint)

Complaint

I hate to be woken up by the call.

Gratitude

I am grateful that my sister is safe.

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Understanding the structure of a reflective essay

A reflective essay is more than a recount of a past experience. It should include your understanding of what you have learnt, evaluation of your past experience and impact on your future action. Study the following reflective essay. Identify the text structure by filling in the blanks with appropriate words provided in the box below.

evaluation experience feel

future plan introduction title

A wake-up call

An unexpected call in the early hours is a nightmare, especially when you are sound asleep. If the caller has just dialled a wrong number, you will no doubt feel angry.

What if the caller is someone you know? What if there is an important message from the caller? What if there is something positive beyond the call? Let me share with you my personal experience.

One night, I was woken up by the landline. It was two o’clock in the morning. I waited for the annoying ring to go off but it didn’t. The hope of mom picking up the phone faded as my anger grew. “Who on earth would call at this ungodly hour,” I grumbled. Hurling the quilt, I threw myself across the room. I answered the phone at the top of my voice, despicably wishing that no one could continue their sleep. It was my sister. She called to tell mom that she wouldn’t come home and something else.

But I would never know what it was because I hung the phone up before she could finish her line. Lying on my bed again, I couldn’t find the way back to sleep as my mind was busy coming up with ideas how I could get back at her. The sleepless night started.

I felt bad that my rage and impulse got the best of me. It definitely made me feel cross when my sleep was disturbed. But I didn’t contain my anger and even tried to wake everybody up. What did I get from all these? A sleepless night, which in turn made me feel even worse.

This experience was a “wake-up call”. The negativity, in the case, escalated my rage, which blinded me to what I already have and things that I should feel grateful for. To start with, I should be grateful for having a safe place where my family are with me, and a bed and a quilt that are essential for a good night’s sleep. I should also be thankful for the fact that my sister was safe. The recognition and appreciation of my blessings made me come to terms with my anger and understand how stupid I was.

They also helped me realise that I was the one who ruined my night, not my sister.

The negative emotions tricked me into shifting the responsibility to my sister. I could have focused more on what I had had and been more grateful.

2. ____________

Your personal 3. ____________

How the

experience made you

4. ____________

5. ____________

of your experience

6. ____________

1. ____________

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Learning Activity 4: Writing a reflective essay

A reflective essay can be personal and informal. The language features vary depending on the purpose of the texts. Four main types of language features are identified from the sample reflective essay. Study the table below and identify examples from the sample essay. One has been done for you as an example.

Function Language/Structure Example from the text

Descriptive & Narrative

To tell something that happened in

the past Past tenses E.g. I was woken up by the landline.

To describe two or more actions

concisely Participle phrases

To describe actions vividly Precise verbs

To indicate inner thoughts Thought / speech tags

Describing feelings

To describe emotions Adjectives of feelings

Evaluative To talk about obligation and the

right thing to do Modal verb “should”

To show regret or hindsight “…should/could have (past participle)”

Talking about resolution To talk about plans and goals

- The simple future tense

- Be going to

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Below are some guiding questions that help you plan and write your reflective essay.

Elements of a reflective essay Guiding questions

Title  What is the key message of the reflective essay?

Introduction  What is the focus of the reflection?

 What is the experience you want to share?

Personal experience

 What are you reflecting on?

 Who was / were involved?

 What happened?

 How did you react to the situation?

 How did other people react?

How the experience made you feel

 How did you feel at the time?

 What did you think about at the time?

 What did you think about the incident afterwards?

Evaluation of the experience

 What was good / bad about the experience?

 Did you think the problem was resolved?

 What have you learnt from the experience?

 How did the experience change your attitude?

 What could you have done differently to ensure a positive outcome / prevent it from happening again?

Future plan  How will you prepare yourself for similar problems/incidents?

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In about 300 words, write a reflective essay on “Count your blessings” about your personal experience.

Describe your experience and how the experience changes your future action. Give your essay a title.

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Scan the QR code below and read the poem titled “Count your blessings” by William Henry Dawson.

https://www.makefunoflife.net/everyday-inspiration/count-your-blessings-by-william-henry-dawson What do you think the poem is about? Share your ideas with your friends.

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Suggested Answers

1. How did your past week go? Close your eyes and recount all the events that happened. Did you complain about anything? Write down your complaint(s) in the space provided. Then share with your friends your complaint(s).

2. Why do you complain?

Suggested reasons for complaining

 Impulse

 Venting of feelings of dissatisfaction / frustration / anger

3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of complaining?

Suggested benefits of complaining

 Forming connections with those who share our complaints / feelings

 Feeling better

 Getting attention

Suggested drawbacks of complaining

 You may fixate on the problem itself and dwell on the things that you are not happy with instead of looking for a solution to the problem.

 It may escalate / intensify your negative emotions, which in turn may magnify other people’s faults and blind you to your own responsibilities.

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A. Read the following text “A wake-up call” and answer the questions that follow.

1. What was “I” doing when the phone rang? Support your answer with evidence.

“I” was probably sleeping. It was “two o’clock in the morning”.

2. How did “I” feel when the phone rang? Support your answer with evidence.

“I” was probably annoyed or angry. The actions “hurling the quilt” and “stomped out of the room” show that “I” was annoyed or angry.

5

10

15

20

25

A wake-up call

An unexpected call in the early hours is a nightmare, especially when you are sound asleep. If the caller has just dialled a wrong number, you will no doubt feel angry. What if the caller is someone you know? What if there is an important message from the caller? What if there is something positive beyond the call? Let me share with you my personal experience.

One night, I was woken up by the landline. It was two o’clock in the morning. I waited for the annoying ring to go off but it didn’t. The hope of mom picking up the phone faded as my anger grew. “Who on earth would call at this ungodly hour,” I grumbled. Hurling the quilt, I threw myself across the room. I answered the phone at the top of my voice, despicably wishing that no one could continue their sleep. It was my sister. She called to tell mom that she wouldn’t come home and something else. But I would never know what it was because I hung the phone up before she could finish her line. Lying on my bed again, I couldn’t find the way back to sleep as my mind was busy coming up with ideas how I could get back at her. The sleepless night started.

I felt bad that my rage and impulse got the best of me. It definitely made me feel cross when my sleep was disturbed. But I didn’t contain my anger and even tried to wake everybody up.

What did I get from all these? A sleepless night, which in turn made me feel even worse.

This experience was a “wake-up call”. The negativity, in the case, escalated my rage, which blinded me to what I already have and things that I should feel grateful for. To start with, I should be grateful for having a safe place where my family are with me, and a bed and a quilt that are essential for a good night’s sleep. I should also be thankful for the fact that my sister was safe. The recognition and appreciation of my blessings made me come to terms with my anger and understand how stupid I was. They also helped me realise that I was the one who ruined my night, not my sister. The negative emotions tricked me into shifting the responsibility to my sister. I could have focused more on what I had had and been more grateful.

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3. What does “ungodly” (line 7) mean?

Unreasonably early or unacceptable

4. Did the feeling(s) you identified in Q2 disappear after complaining? Support your answer with evidence.

No. The negative feelings escalated. “I” spoke at the top of “my” voice and hung up abruptly. “I” couldn’t get back to sleep after answering the phone.

5. Why is “wake-up call” (line 17) in quotation marks? What does it mean?

“Wake-up call” here bears two levels of meaning. At the literal level, “wake-up call” means the phone call that woke “me” up from sleep. At the figurative level, it indicates that the incident makes “me” realise that there was a need to change “my” attitude when facing a negative experience.

6. Which of the following options best describe the tone of the text?

(i) reflective (ii) formal (iii) sarcastic (iv) casual

A. (i) & (iii) B. (ii) & (iii)

C. (i) & (iv) A B C D

D. (ii) & (iv)    

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B. The image below helps visualise how we can view a situation from a different perspective. With reference to the text “A wake-up call”, add more to the boxes of (1) what “I” wish to have but don’t, and (2) what “I” already have without knowing it.

It is our choice to make a complaint or be grateful. Practise flipping a complaint into a gratitude statement.

 Undisturbed sleep

 Student’s own answer

 Living in a house where a bed and a quilt are available

 Knowing that his/her sister is safe

 Student’s own answer

What “I”

already have (gratitude) What “I” wish to

have but don’t (complaint)

Complaint

I hate to be woken up by the call.

Gratitude

I am grateful that my sister is safe.

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