Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 13

Overcoming the Odds

Textbook English Year 6 SK (Buku Teks Bahasa Inggeris Tahun 6, KSSR), pages 123-132 (English Year 6 SK, Unit 13 Overcoming the Odds)

What this chapter covers

I can listen to information about the Paralympic centre and give directions from a map (1.2, 2.1)
I can read about successful people with disabilities and complete a table of facts (3.2)
I can read a pamphlet about NGOs and say which organisation helps with which need (3.2)
I can arrange sentences into a paragraph and write a short biography with a topic sentence and a conclusion (4.2)
I can plan a five-paragraph composition on facilities for the disabled (4.2)
I can use adverbs of manner (carefully, well, fast) with verbs and adjectives (5.1)
I can discuss why a character made a promise and what might happen next (3.2, 5.1)

Unit 13 is about people who overcome the odds: disabled athletes, famous people with disabilities and the organisations that help them. You will give directions, read facts, write a short biography and a composition, and learn adverbs of manner.

13.1Listening and speaking: the Paralympic centre and directions

The Centre of Excellence for the Paralympic Games Malaysia is in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur. It trains disabled national and state athletes to reach excellence in sports internationally.

Item	Detail
Location	Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur
Sports facilities	swimming pool, archery range, basketball court, multipurpose court, goalball and badminton courts
Other facilities	administrative block, hostel for 300 athletes, underground car park
Open to	the public, Special Education school children and amateur paralympic athletes

English Year 6 SK, p. 124.

Giving directions

Directions to the swimming pool (p. 125)

Go straight on until you come to a roundabout. At the roundabout, take the third turning into Jalan Ria. Go along the road until you see a basketball court on your right. The swimming pool is next to the basketball court.

Use order words and landmarks: go straight on, turn left/right, take the second turning, go past, next to, opposite, on your right.

Where is the swimming pool in the directions?

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Next to the basketball court, along Jalan Ria.

13.2Reading: successful people with disabilities

Person	Nationality	Facts
Stevie Wonder	American	blind singer, musician and songwriter; performing since age 11; more than 30 top ten hits
Helen Keller	American	blind and deaf author and lecturer; first deaf and blind person to earn a college degree; wrote 12 books
Stephen Hawking	British	scientist, lecturer and author; has motor neuron disease; many books and scientific papers
Mark Inglis	New Zealander	mountaineer with two artificial legs; climbed Mount Everest in 47 days; also speaker, cyclist and author

English Year 6 SK, p. 126.

remarkable: worth noticing because it is unusual or very good. Despite his disability means "even though he had a disability". An autobiography is a book about your own life.

For opinion questions ("Are you inspired? How?") answer yes or no, give a reason with because, and use an example from the text.

Why is Mark Inglis's climb of Mount Everest remarkable?

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He has two artificial legs, yet he climbed the highest mountain successfully.

13.3Reading: a pamphlet on NGOs

An NGO is a non-government organisation. The pamphlet on p. 127 lists four.

Organisation	Who it helps
National Autistic Society of Malaysia (NASOM)	people with autism: education, help, care and protection
Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation (KDSF)	young children with Down Syndrome; counselling for families; public awareness
Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB)	visually impaired people: rehabilitation, courses and vocational training
Persatuan Dyslexia Malaysia (PDM)	dyslexic children: specialised diagnosis and treatment

English Year 6 SK, p. 127.

dyslexia: a reading disorder, for example mixing up letters such as b and d. Autism: a brain disorder that affects learning, speaking and social behaviour. Vocational training: training for a job.

Which NGO would help a visually impaired adult learn skills for a job?

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The Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB).

13.4Writing: a biography and a composition

Paragraph about a person (pp. 128-129)

Start with a topic sentence that says who the person is, add facts in time order, and end with a concluding sentence. Example plan for Terry Fox:

Part	Notes
Topic sentence	Terry Fox was a Canadian who lost one leg to cancer
Details	1977 lost leg; fitted with a prosthetic leg; 1980 ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research
Concluding sentence	He passed away in 1981 and was later voted Canada's Greatest Hero

English Year 6 SK, pp. 128-129.

Five-paragraph composition (p. 129)

Plan for a composition on facilities for the disabled: introduction, paragraph 1 public places (toilet, lift, special pathway for the blind), paragraph 2 transport (bus, LRT, commuter stations), paragraph 3 recreational places (ramps, parking lots), then a conclusion. — Plan: introduction, three paragraphs and a conclusion.

English Year 6 SK, p. 129.

Each paragraph has one topic. Write full sentences from the notes, e.g. "Public places have toilets, lifts and a special pathway for the blind." End with a conclusion such as "These facilities help the disabled live independently."

Which parts does a five-paragraph composition have?

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An introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion.

13.5Grammar: adverbs of manner

An adverb of manner tells us how an action is done. It describes a verb, or makes an adjective stronger.

Use	Example
adverb + verb	She listens carefully. Kamini walks slowly into the room.
adverb + adjective	The house is very big. The weather is extremely hot.
no -ly ending	Come straight home. He spoke well. The boys ran fast.

English Year 6 SK, p. 130.

Most adverbs are made by adding -ly to the adjective: graceful, gracefully; polite, politely; angry, angrily.

"fastly" is wrong. Fast, well, hard and straight keep the same form. "She crossed the road careful" is also wrong; use carefully.

Complete: "The man is angry. The man shouted ______."

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angrily

The textbook also revises other kinds of adverb (p. 131).

Type	Tells us	Examples
time	when	yesterday, tonight, tomorrow, now
place	where	outside, nearby, everywhere, back
frequency	how often	often, usually, sometimes, seldom, never
degree	how much	enough, too, very

English Year 6 SK, p. 131.

13.6Language arts: Lisa and the strange little man

In the story on pp. 122 and 132, the King wants Lisa to spin straw into gold. A strange little man helps her, and she must promise him something in return each time. When Lisa has nothing left to give, he asks for her first born child if she becomes queen. Think about why she agreed (she was afraid and wanted to be queen) and what might happen if she broke her promise. You also design a wedding invitation card for the King and Lisa.

Give a reason with because and use would for what might happen: "If she broke her promise, the little man would be angry."

Summary

Topic	Remember
Paralympic centre	Kampung Pandan; trains disabled athletes; open to the public.
Directions	go straight on, take the turning, next to, on your right.
Successful people	Stevie Wonder, Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking, Mark Inglis.
NGOs	NASOM, KDSF, MAB, PDM.
Writing	topic sentence, facts in order, concluding sentence.
Adverb of manner	tells how: carefully, well, fast; very and extremely modify adjectives.