Bahasa Inggeris (CEFR) notesnota, unit 8

Tell me a story

TextbookBuku teks Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book (KPM2021), pageshalaman 96-107 (Academy Stars Year 6, Unit 8: Tell me a story, with Review 4)

What this chapter coversMatlamat bab ini

I can predict what a story is about from its pictures and title, and read the traditional story The perfect swan (Reading)
I can find the main message of a story and use context to work out new words such as furious, astonished and forgive (Reading, Learning skills)
I can answer true or false questions and say who said what, giving proof from the story (Reading comprehension)
I can tell first person from third person narrative and say how the narrator shows how characters feel (Learning to learn)
I can use the first conditional, such as "If you rest, you'll feel better", to talk about possible future situations (Grammar)
I can use may, might and could, and may not or might not, to say what is possible (Language in use)
I can listen for the order of events in a story and say what its moral is (Listening, Values)
I can write a short summary of a story, with the main characters and events only, in no more than 100 words (Writing)
I can find synonyms, give a talk about a story I like, and choose a book and give two reasons (Working with words, Speaking, Think about it!)

Unit 8 is about stories. You will read a traditional Chinese story, learn two kinds of narrator, talk about what will and might happen, and learn how to write a short summary. Review 4 at the end covers Units 7 and 8.

8.1Reading: The perfect swan

Before you read, look at the pictures and the title and make predictions: which country, which animal and who the main characters are. Then read quickly and check your ideas.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.96.

Words in the panel (p.96): astonished, bad temper, collect, emperor, forgive (forgave), furious, own (owned), palace, powerful, swan.

Word	Meaning in the story
emperor	the ruler of a country (Zhang Wei is a Chinese emperor)
powerful	strong and able to control people
bad temper	he becomes angry very quickly
own (owned)	to have something that belongs to you
palace	the big house where an emperor lives
collect	to go and get something
astonished	very surprised
furious	very angry
forgive	to stop being angry with someone who did something wrong

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.96. The meanings are written for this site.

The story in order (a summary in our own words):

Zhang Wei is a strong and powerful emperor. He is kind to his people, but he has a bad temper.
He loves art and owns thousands of paintings, but he always wants one more. His assistant Hong tells him that Cheng Li is the best painter in China.
The emperor invites Cheng Li to the palace and asks for a picture of a swan. Cheng Li says it will take some time.
After one year Cheng Li asks for more time because "swans are not easy to paint". After a second year the same thing happens, and the emperor is furious and warns him: "If my painting isn't finished, you'll be sorry!"
After the third year Cheng Li paints a beautiful swan in a few minutes. Zhang Wei is astonished and says "That ... is ... perfect!"
But he is still furious: he waited three years and the painting took two minutes. He sends Cheng Li to a land far away.
A week later servants empty the room and find thousands of paintings of swans. The emperor realises that Cheng Li practised every day for three years.
Zhang Wei says sorry and invites Cheng Li back. Cheng Li forgives him and becomes the emperor's royal painter.

A painter kneels at a low table in a palace room and paints a white swan on a long sheet of paper, with drawings of swans on the floor and a lake with a swan outside the window — Cheng Li paints a swan. The floor is covered in his practice pictures.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.102.

Key sentences to remember: "He had a bad temper and became angry very quickly." (p.96) and "Zhang Wei had made a terrible mistake because of his bad temper." (p.97)

Main message (theme): the lesson a story teaches. For this story it is something like "Do not act in anger before you know the whole truth" or "Good work needs time and practice". Check your idea against the ending: what mistake did the emperor make, and what did he learn?

Do not say Cheng Li was lazy. He was not slow: the room full of practice paintings proves he worked hard.

Why did Zhang Wei send Cheng Li away, even though the swan was perfect?

Show answerHide answer

He had waited three years and Cheng Li painted it in two minutes, so he thought Cheng Li was making a fool of him.

Work out new words from context. Read the words around an unknown word. "Zhang Wei was furious. 'I'll give you one more year!' he shouted." The shouting tells you furious means very angry.

8.2Reading comprehension and points of view

On p.98 you decide if sentences are True or False and underline the part of the story that proves your answer. You also decide who said a sentence: Zhang Wei (Z) or Cheng Li (C). The book's examples show the idea: "I want the best picture of a swan in China" can only be said by the emperor (Z).

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.98.

To decide who spoke, ask what that person wants or feels. The emperor demands, waits and gets angry. The painter explains, asks for time and says sorry.

Who probably said: "I need more time to finish the painting"? Write Z or C.

Show answerHide answer

C (Cheng Li). He is the painter and he was the one asking the emperor for more time.

Learning to learn: points of view

Every story has a narrator, the storyteller. The narrator tells us about the characters, their actions and the setting.

Point of view	The narrator	Words used
First person	usually a main character; we know his or her thoughts and actions	I, we
Third person	more like an observer of all the characters	he, she, it, they (I or we only in direct speech)

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.98.

The perfect swan is told in the third person: the narrator says "Zhang Wei loved art. He owned thousands of paintings". The narrator also tells us how characters feel with words such as "furious", "astonished" and "was so angry".

An original example: "I opened the door and I was scared" is first person. "Maria opened the door and she was scared" is third person.

"I" can appear inside quotation marks in a third person story, for example Cheng Li's words 'I'm sorry'. That is direct speech, not the narrator.

Is "We ran to the shelter" first or third person?

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First person, because of the word "we".

8.3Grammar: the first conditional

Use the first conditional to talk about a possible situation in the future and its result.

Three sentences built from coloured blocks: If you rest, you'll feel better; If I stop, I won't finish my house; If you don't rest, you'll get ill, with two small pictures of a builder and a man — The book's grammar graphic: If + present simple, will / won't + verb.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.99.

If clause (the condition)	Result clause
If you rest,	you'll feel better.
If I stop,	I won't finish my house.
If you don't rest,	you'll get ill.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.99.

Pattern: If + present simple, will / won't + base verb. Do not use will in the if clause.

"If my friend comes later, we'll go to the park." (not "will come")
"If we go to the park, we will see the swans on the lake."
"I won't finish my homework if you don't turn off the TV."

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.99 (examples from the exercise).

The if clause can go second. When it goes first, put a comma after it. When it goes second, no comma: "You'll get ill if you don't rest." (p.99 Look! box)

Original examples: "If it rains, we'll stay inside." and "We'll miss the bus if we don't hurry."

Pair speaking (p.99): complete "If it's sunny tomorrow, ..." and "I'll be late for school if ...". For example: "If it's sunny tomorrow, we'll go sailing."

Common mistake: "If it will rain, we will stay at home." Write "If it rains, we will stay at home."

Complete: "If you ______ (study) hard, you ______ (pass) the test."

Show answerHide answer

study, will pass (or you'll pass). Present simple in the if clause, will + base verb in the result.

8.4Language in use: may, might and could

Two boys talk about a television show, In the shadows. Tyler is tied up in the woods and Rex is coming. They guess what will happen, using words for things that are possible but not sure.

Words (p.100): escape, hurt, rescue, rope, tie (tied) up.

From the dialogue (p.100) He might hurt him!
He may escape first.
He might find something to cut the rope.
He may not escape, but Maribel could come and rescue him.
But they might not think it's an emergency.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.100.

Form	Words	Example
Affirmative	may / might / could	A ship might rescue her.
Negative	may not / might not	They might not know she's lost.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.100 (Look! box and exercise).

After may, might and could, use the base verb with no -s, -ed or to: "She may call the police" (not "may calls", "may to call").
They mean "perhaps". The speaker is not sure.
Original example: "Tom isn't here. He might be ill, or he could be on the bus."

Common mistake: "She might to call the police" or "She might calls the police". Write "She might call the police". The book's negatives for possibilities are may not and might not.

Make a negative sentence: "The rope might break."

Show answerHide answer

The rope might not break. (may not is also correct)

8.5Listening: Jakobo and the lion

The listening lesson shows a boy in a tree with goats and a lion nearby. You discuss where he is, why he is up there and how he feels. Then you listen and put the events in order. The printed events (p.101) tell the story in a short chain: the boy takes the goats up the hill every day and one day plays a trick by shouting for help; his parents come, but it was only a trick; he does it again and they are furious; then a real lion appears, he shouts again and nobody comes, and the lion scares away his goats.

A boy sits in a tree with worried eyes, three goats stand below and a lion walks in from the corner of the picture — The listening picture: a boy in a tree, goats and a lion.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.101. The order of events is worked out from the printed sentences; the audio recording is not available on this site.

Words (p.101): in trouble, play a trick, tell lies, tell the truth.

Listen for sequence: listen for words such as one day, then, again and after that. The picture, and the question "How does he feel and why?", show what the story is about.

Values: the book asks "Why is it important to tell the truth?" The moral of the story: if you tell lies, people may not believe you when you really need help.

What happens when the boy shouts for help the second time?

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His parents come again, but they are furious because it is another trick.

8.6Writing: a story summary

A summary gives only the main characters and the main events. Leave out small details and explanations. To plan one, use the five boxes on p.102:

Box	Ask yourself
Someone ...	Who are the main characters? What do we need to know about them?
Wanted ...	What did the emperor want?
So ...	What did the emperor do?
But ...	What was the problem?
Then ...	What happened in the end?

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.102.

The book shows a summary of a different story (p.103): "Once there was a poor farmer. ... One day he discovered a special goose on his farm." The most important information, such as who the main character is and what happens, comes first. The farmer sells the golden eggs, becomes rich and greedy, opens the goose to find more eggs, and there are none.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.103.

An example summary (written for this site, 53 words) Once there was a powerful emperor with a bad temper. He wanted a painting of a swan, so he asked the best painter in China. The painter needed three years, but then he finished it in two minutes. The emperor sent him away. Later he found thousands of practice paintings and said sorry.

Use the past tense, third person and full sentences.
Stay within the limit: the book asks for no more than 100 words.
Start like the book's model: "Once there was a Chinese emperor. He wanted a painting ..."

A summary is not a copy. Do not copy long parts of the story word for word, and do not add your own opinion.

Which is a main event: "Cheng Li put a large sheet of paper on the table" or "The emperor sent Cheng Li far away"?

Show answerHide answer

"The emperor sent Cheng Li far away" is a main event. The paper on the table is a small detail.

8.7Working with words: synonyms

Synonyms are words that mean the same, or nearly. For example, big and large, or fast and quickly. Use them so that you do not repeat the same word in your writing.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.103.

Word	Synonym from the story or Review 4
strong	powerful
angry	furious
surprised	astonished
run away	escape
happen	take place

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, pp.103 and 107.

When a synonym is used for repeated words, the writing is more varied and interesting.

Give a synonym for "furious".

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angry (or very angry)

8.8Speaking: a talk about a story

You give a short talk about a story you like. Make notes first, using the headings on p.104: title, characters, setting, main events (1, 2, 3), ending, moral and my opinion.

Words: moral, take place.

Phrases to help you (p.104) It's about ...
The main character(s) is / are ...
The story takes place in ...
One day ... / A few days / weeks / years later ... / The next day ...
The moral of the story is ...

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.104.

Speak slowly, look at your listeners and use the linking phrases to keep your events in order. At the end, say what you think about the story and answer questions.

8.9Think about it! Choose a book for a friend

Lesson 8 asks you to match three books to their types: The Three Musketeers (history and adventure), The Woman in Black (mystery and horror) and I, Robot (science fiction). Short blurbs tell you what each book is about. You then say which book you most want to read and give two reasons, and match three speakers to books they might like.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, p.105.

This is a thinking skill: evaluate information and reach a decision. Read the clues, compare the choices and decide with reasons: "I would choose a mystery because I like solving puzzles, and I enjoy short chapters."

Use "might" in your guesses: "Sam might like I, Robot because he likes technology."

8.10Review 4 (Units 7 and 8)

Review 4 revises words and grammar from both units.

Adjectives. The list on p.106 mixes adjectives with other words. Adjectives are describing words: furious, lively, powerful, foggy, cheerful, optimistic, catchy. Others are verbs (promote, forgive, escape) or nouns (rhythm, calendar).
Future forms. The dialogue on p.106 chooses between I'm going to walk (a plan), It's going to rain (clouds make you sure), If we catch the bus, we won't get wet (first conditional), will for a prediction ("I think you'll win"), and the present simple for a timetable ("It starts at seven o'clock").
Will / won't in situations. Model sentence: "If it snows, I won't go to the beach."
Synonyms (p.107). powerful = strong, astonished = surprised, furious = angry, happen = take place, run away = escape.
Opposites with im- and dis-. Words in the box: agree, appear, honest, perfect, polite, possible. The opposites are disagree, disappear, dishonest, imperfect, impolite, impossible.

Academy Stars Year 6 Pupil's Book, pp.106-107.

im- usually goes before words that begin with p or m (impossible, impolite). Many other words take dis- (disagree, dishonest). Check a dictionary when you are not sure.

Write the opposite of "possible" and "appear".

Show answerHide answer

impossible, disappear.

Summary

Topic	Remember
The perfect swan	Emperor Zhang Wei, bad temper, Cheng Li and the swan, three years, thousands of practice paintings, sorry and forgiveness.
Points of view	first person: I, we. Third person: he, she, it, they.
First conditional	If + present simple, will / won't + verb. No comma when the if clause goes second.
may, might, could	possible but not sure. Negatives: may not, might not. Base verb follows.
Listening	listen for sequence. Moral: tell the truth or people may not believe you.
Summary writing	Someone, wanted, so, but, then. Main characters and events, no more than 100 words.
Synonyms and opposites	strong = powerful, angry = furious; im- / dis- make opposites.