Instructions
- Draw a bingo grid on a piece of paper
- Fill the squares with 'W', 'Q', '+s', and '-s'
- Draw the same grid on the board without
Juni 26, 2012
Listening Game : Bingo Trivia
Listening Game : Country Dash
Instructions
- Prepare 5 flashcard - Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Europe
- Clear desks to side of room or go outside if possible
- Select 5 students to hold up flashcards
Listening Game : Fly Swatter
Instructions
- Write vocabulary words scattered across the board
- Place two chairs in front of the board with a fly swatter on each chair
- Divide class into two equal teams
- Have one student from each team sit in the chairs with their backs to the board
- Say one of the vocabulary words on the board
- Students stand and find the word on the board
- Students get one swat and the first student to hit the word with their fly swatter gets one point for their team
- If neither students hits the right word, the next students are up and no points are awarded.
- Repeat until everyone has had at least one turn
Variations
Use pictures for young students who haven't learned the alphabet
Notes
This game can be used with any level student who needs to practice vocabulary and is an exciting way to warm up the class. Students will often get loud so don't let teammates shout the answer or location of the word.source: http://www.teachenglishinasia.net/efl-esl-games/efl-esl-listening-games
Listening Game : Running Dictation
Instructions
- Break students up into groups of 3-4, or pairs for small classes
- Put one sentence on a piece of paper for each team
- One leader from each team goes to the board and tries to remember their sentence
- The leader returns to their group and dictates the sentence while team members write it down
- First team to finish correctly gets a point
- Change words/sentences and switch leaders
Variations
- Use pictures for children who can't spell and have them draw the picture instead of writing the words
- Use multiple sentences for more advanced students
- Place
sentences around the room and have each group member do one each. - Groups have to put the sentences into the right order before turning in the paper
Notes
Make each team's paper different so students don't simply listen to other teams. Leaders are not allowed to take their paper, write down anything, or yell across the room. They are allowed to return to board to look at their paper as many times as they like. Use words from class to reinforce learned vocabulary and grammar structures.source: http://www.teachenglishinasia.net/efl-esl-games/efl-esl-listening-games
Listening Game : Typhoon
Instructions
- Draw a 6x6 bingo grid on the board
- Randomly write points in the squares
- In some squares, write 'Typhoon' instead of a number
- Stick words cards on top of the squares and cover the number/typhoon
- One team chooses a word card and must make a sentence with the word
- If they make an incorrect sentence, move on to the next team
- If they make a correct sentence, they get the number of points under the card
- Typhoons allow you to erase all the points from another team
- The team with the most points at the end wins
Variations
- Play with 'Bankrupt' instead of 'Typhoon'
- Use category cards instead of word cards
- Make a minimum number of words for each sentence
- Have students listen and repeat after correct sentences
Notes
Keep track of the sentences students make and use them for a follow-up activity.
Listening Game : Word Challenge
Instructions
- Have students get into teams of 4-10 people
- One person from each team does rocks, paper, scissors
- Winner says a word and opponent tries to write the word correctly
- If they get it right, their team gets a point
- If they get it wrong, the person who said the word can write it out for a point for their team
- Have another person from each team play 'Word Challenge'
Variations
- Make an 'arena' in the middle of the class for two students to face off
Notes
Students will start to look up difficult words to stump the other team. Remember to to a follow-up assignment for words used, such as teaching the class the meanings and having students make sentences with the new words.Listening Game : Telephone
Instructions
1. Divide class into groups of 6 or more, and arrange each group in a straight line or row.
2. Ask for a volunteer listener from each group. Take them outside of the classroom and give them a message (one sentence or more, depending on student level).
3. Open the door, and let the students run to the first member of their group to whisper the message.
4. Each member passes the message, by whispering, to their neighbor.
5. When the message reaches the end, the last person should run to the board and write the message that they heard.
The winner could be determined in various ways: first team to pass a legible, complete message (even if it's wrong), first team to finish, first team with a message closest to the original.
2. Ask for a volunteer listener from each group. Take them outside of the classroom and give them a message (one sentence or more, depending on student level).
3. Open the door, and let the students run to the first member of their group to whisper the message.
4. Each member passes the message, by whispering, to their neighbor.
5. When the message reaches the end, the last person should run to the board and write the message that they heard.
The winner could be determined in various ways: first team to pass a legible, complete message (even if it's wrong), first team to finish, first team with a message closest to the original.
Variations
- Ask the last student to repeat the message to YOU, and write it on
the board yourself. This is a good way to practice pronunciation, and to
determine which sounds students have trouble with.
Notes
This game could take up 5 minutes or 30, depending on how much time
you have and how interested the kids are. I've used it with high
schoolers in Korea and they loved it. We spent over half the class on
this activity.
good luck
source: http://www.teachenglishinasia.net/efl-esl-games/efl-esl-listening-games
good luck
source: http://www.teachenglishinasia.net/efl-esl-games/efl-esl-listening-games
Juni 12, 2012
The Story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Grimm's Fairy Tale version - translated by Margaret Hunt - language
modernized a bit by Leanne Guenther
Once upon a time, long, long ago a king and queen ruled over a
distant land. The queen was kind and lovely and all the people of the
realm adored her. The only sadness in the queen's life was that she wished
for a child but did not have one.
One winter day, the queen was doing needle work while gazing
out her ebony window at the new fallen snow. A bird flew by the window
startling the queen and she pricked her finger. A single drop of blood fell on
the snow outside her window. As she looked at the blood on the snow
she said to herself, "Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin as
white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony."
Soon after that, the kind queen got her wish when she gave
birth to a baby girl who had skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair
black as ebony. They named the baby princess Snow White, but sadly, the
queen died after giving birth to Snow White.
Soon after, the king married a new woman who was beautiful, but
as well proud and cruel. She had studied dark magic and owned a magic mirror,
of which she would daily ask,
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?.
Each time this question was asked, the mirror would give the
same answer, "Thou, O
Queen, art the fairest of all." This pleased the queen greatly as she
knew that her magical mirror could speak nothing but the truth.
One morning when the queen asked, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest
of them all?" she was shocked when it answered:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Snow White is even fairer than you.
The Queen flew into a jealous rage and ordered her huntsman to take Snow
White into the woods to be killed. She demanded that the huntsman return
with Snow White's heart as proof.
The poor huntsman took Snow White into the
forest, but found himself unable to kill the girl. Instead, he let her go,
and brought the queen the heart of a wild boar.
Snow White was now all alone in the great forest, and she did
not know what to do. The trees seemed to whisper to each other, scaring
Snow White who began to run. She ran over sharp stones and through thorns.
She ran as far as her feet could carry her, and just as evening
was about to fall she saw a little house and went inside in order to rest.
Inside the house everything was small but tidy.
There was a
little table with a tidy, white tablecloth and seven little plates.
Against the wall there were seven little beds, all in a row and covered
with
quilts.
Because she was so hungry Snow White ate a few vegetables and
a little bread from each little plate and from each cup she drank a bit of milk.
Afterward, because she was so tired, she lay down on one of the little beds and
fell fast asleep.
After dark, the owners of the house returned home. They were
the seven dwarves who mined for gold in the mountains. As soon as they
arrived home, they saw that someone
had been there -- for not everything was in the same order as they had left it.
The first one said, "Who has been sitting in my chair?"
The second one, "Who has been eating from my plate?"
The third one, "Who has been eating my bread?"
The fourth one, "Who has been eating my vegetables?"
The fifth one, "Who has been eating with my fork?"
The sixth one, "Who has been drinking from my cup?"
But the seventh one, looking at his bed, found Snow White lying there
asleep. The seven dwarves all came running up, and they cried out
with amazement. They fetched their seven candles and shone the light on Snow White.
"Oh good heaven! " they cried. "This
child is beautiful!"
They were so happy that they did not wake her up, but let her
continue to sleep in the bed. The next morning Snow White woke up, and when she saw the
seven dwarves she was frightened. But they were friendly and asked, "What is
your name?"
"My name is Snow White," she answered.
"How did you find your way to our house?" the dwarves
asked further.
Then she told them that her stepmother had tried to kill her,
that the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run the entire day
through the forest,
finally stumbling upon their house. The dwarves spoke with each other for awhile and then said, "If you will keep house for us, and
cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly,
then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want."
"Yes," said Snow White, "with all my
heart." For Snow White greatly enjoyed keeping a tidy home. So Snow White lived happily with the dwarves. Every morning they went into the
mountains looking for gold, and in the evening when they came back home Snow
White had their meal ready and their house tidy. During the day the girl was
alone, except for the small animals of the forest that she often played with.
Now the queen, believing that she had eaten
Snow White's heart, could only think that she was again the first and
the most beautiful
woman of all. She stepped before her mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
It answered:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Snow White, beyond the mountains
With the seven dwarves,
Is still a thousand times fairer than you.
This startled the queen, for she knew that the mirror did not
lie, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her and that Snow White was still
alive. Then she thought, and thought again, how she could rid herself of Snow White
-- for as long as long as she was not the most beautiful woman in the
entire land her jealousy would give her no rest.
At last she thought of something. She went into her most secret room -- no one else was
allowed inside -- and she made a poisoned apple. From the outside it
was beautiful, and anyone who saw it would want it. But
anyone who might eat a little piece of it would died. Coloring her face, she
disguised herself as an old peddler woman, so that no one would recognize her,
traveled to the dwarves house and knocked on the door.
Snow White put her head
out of the window, and said, "I must not let anyone in; the seven
dwarves
have forbidden me to do
so."
"That is all right with me," answered the peddler
woman. "I'll easily get rid of my apples. Here, I'll give you one of
them."
"No," said Snow White, "I cannot accept
anything from strangers."
"Are you afraid of poison?" asked the old woman. "Look, I'll cut the apple in
two. You eat half and I shall eat half."
Now the apple had been so artfully made that only the one half
was poisoned. Snow White longed for the beautiful apple, and when she saw that
the peddler woman was eating part of it she could no longer resist, and she
stuck her hand out and took the poisoned half. She barely had a bite in her
mouth when she fell to the ground dead.
The queen looked at her with an evil stare, laughed loudly,
and said, "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony wood! The dwarves
shall never awaken you."
Back at home she asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
It finally answered:
You, my queen, are fairest of all.
Then her cruel and jealous heart was at rest, as well as a
cruel and jealous
heart can be at rest.
When the dwarves came home that evening they found Snow White lying on the
ground. She was not breathing at all. She was dead. They lifted her
up and looked at her longingly. They talked to her, shook her and wept
over her. But nothing helped. The dear child
was dead, and she remained dead. They laid her on a bed of straw, and all seven sat next
to her and mourned for her and cried for three days. They were going to bury
her, but she still looked as fresh as a living person, and still had her
beautiful red cheeks.
They said, "We cannot bury her in the black
earth," and they had a transparent glass coffin made, so she could
be seen from all sides. They laid her inside, and with golden letters
wrote on it her name, and that she was a princess. Then they put the
coffin outside on a mountain, and one of them always stayed with it and
watched over her. The animals too came and mourned for Snow White, first
an owl, then a raven, and finally a dove.
Now it came to pass that a prince entered these woods and
happened onto the dwarves' house, where he sought shelter for the night . He saw
the coffin on the mountain with beautiful Snow White in it, and he read what was
written on it with golden letters Then he said to the dwarves, "Let me have the coffin. I
will give you anything you want for it." But the dwarves answered, "We will not sell it for all the
gold in the world." Then he said, "Then give it to me, for I cannot live
without being able to see Snow White. I will honor her and respect her as my
most cherished one."
As he thus spoke, the good dwarves felt pity for him and gave
him the coffin. The prince had his servants carry it away on their
shoulders. But then it happened that one of them stumbled on some brush, and this dislodged
from Snow White's throat the piece of poisoned apple that she had bitten off.
Not long afterward she opened her eyes, lifted the lid from her coffin, sat up,
and was alive again.
"Good heavens, where am I?" she cried out.
The prince said joyfully, "You are with me." He told
her what had happened, and then said, "I love you more than anything else
in the world. Come with me to my father's castle. You shall become my
wife." Snow White loved him, and she went with him. Their wedding was
planned with great splendor and majesty.
Snow White's wicked step-mother was invited to the feast, and
when she had arrayed herself in her most beautiful garments, she stood before
her mirror, and said:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,The mirror answered:
Who in this land is fairest of all?
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But the young queen is a thousand times fairer than you.
Not knowing that this new queen was indeed her stepdaughter,
she arrived at the wedding, and her heart filled with the deepest of dread when
she realized the truth - the evil queen was banished from the land forever and the
prince and Snow White lived happily ever after.
source: http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/snowwhite/story.html
Narrative text: The Mouse and The Lion
Once, as a lion lay sleeping in his den, a
naughty little mouse ran up his tail, and onto his back and up his mane
and danced and jumped on his head so that the lion woke up.
The
lion grabbed the mouse and holding him in his large claws, roared in
anger. 'How dare you wake me up! Don't you know that I am King of the
Beasts? Anyone who disturbs my rest deserves to die! I shall kill you
and eat you!'
The terrified mouse, shaking and trembling, begged the lion to let him
go. 'Please don't eat me Your Majesty! I did not mean to wake you, it
was a mistake. I was only playing. Please let me go - and I promise I
will be your friend forever. Who knows but one day I could save your
life?'
The lion looked at the tiny mouse and laughed. 'You save my life? What
an absurd idea!' he said scornfully. 'But you have made me laugh, and
put me into a good mood again, so I shall let you go.' And the lion
opened his claws and let the mouse go free.
'Oh thank you, your majesty,' squeaked the mouse, and scurried away as fast as he could.
A few days later the lion was caught in a
hunter's snare. Struggle as he might, he couldn't break free and became
even more entangled in the net of ropes. He let out a roar of anger that
shook the forest. Every animal heard it, including the tiny mouse.
'My friend the lion is in trouble,' cried the mouse. He ran as fast as
he could in the direction of the lion's roar, and soon found the lion
trapped in the hunter's snare. 'Hold still, Your Majesty,' squeaked the
mouse. 'I'll have you out of there in a jiffy!' And without further
delay, the mouse began nibbling through the ropes with his sharp little
teeth. Very soon the lion was free.
'I did not believe that you could be of use to me, little mouse, but today you saved my life,' said the lion humbly.
'It was my turn to help you, Sire,' answered the mouse.
Even the weak and small may be of help to those much mightier than themselves.
source: www.longlongtimeago.com
Adjective order (after Verb)
An adjective can come after some verbs, such as: be, become, feel, get, look, seem, smell, sound
Even when an adjective comes after the verb and not before a noun, it always refers to and qualifies the subject of the sentence, not the verb.
Look at the examples below:
Even when an adjective comes after the verb and not before a noun, it always refers to and qualifies the subject of the sentence, not the verb.
Look at the examples below:
Adjective order (adjective before noun)
We sometimes use more than one adjective before the noun:
1. The general order is: opinion, fact:
2. The normal order for fact adjectives is size, age, shape, colour, material, origin:
When we want to use two colour adjectives, we join them with "and":
- I like big black dogs.
- She was wearing a beautiful long red dress.
1. The general order is: opinion, fact:
- a nice French car (not a French nice car)
2. The normal order for fact adjectives is size, age, shape, colour, material, origin:
- a big, old, square, black, wooden Chinese table
- articles (a, the)
- possessives (my, your...)
- demonstratives (this, that...)
- quantifiers (some, any, few, many...)
- numbers (one, two, three)
| adjectives | noun | ||||
| deter- miner |
opinion | fact | |||
| age | shape | colour | |||
| two | nice | old | round | red | candles |
- Many newspapers are black and white.
- She was wearing a long, blue and yellow dress.
The rules on this page are for the normal, "natural"
order of adjectives. But these rules are not rigid, and you may
sometimes wish to change the order for emphasis. Consider the following
conversations:
Conversation 1
A "I want to buy a round table."
B "Do you want a new round table or an old round table?"
Conversation 2
A "I want to buy an old table".
B "Do you want a round old table or a square old table?"
Conversation 1
A "I want to buy a round table."
B "Do you want a new round table or an old round table?"
Conversation 2
A "I want to buy an old table".
B "Do you want a round old table or a square old table?"
Narrative Text : Monkey and Crocodile
Once there lived a monkey in a jamun tree by a
river. The monkey was alone - he had no friends, no family, but he was
happy and content. The jamun tree gave him plenty of sweet fruit to eat,
and shade from the sun and shelter from the rain.
One day a crocodile came swimming up the river
and climbed on to the bank to rest under the monkey's tree. 'Hello',
called the monkey, who was a friendly animal. 'Hello', replied the
crocodile, surprised. 'Do you know where I can get some food?' he asked.
'I haven't had anything to eat all day - there just don't seem to be
any fish left in the river.'
'Well,' said the monkey, 'I don't eat fish so I
wouldn't know - but I do have plenty of ripe purple jamuns in my tree.
Would you like to try some?' He threw some down to the crocodile. The
crocodile was so hungry that he ate up all the jamuns even though
crocodiles don't eat fruit. He loved the sweet tangy fruit and shyly
asked whether he could have some more. 'Of course', replied the monkey
generously, throwing down more fruit. 'Come back whenever you feel like
more fruit', he added when the crocodile had eaten his fill.
After that the crocodile would visit the monkey every day. The two
animals soon became friends - they would talk and tell each other
stories, and eat as much of the sweet jamuns as they wanted. The monkey
would throw down all the fruit the crocodile wanted from his tree.
One day the crocodile began talking about his
wife and family. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier that you had a wife?'
asked the monkey. 'Please take some of the jamuns for her as well when
you go back today.' The crocodile thanked him and took some of the fruit
for his wife.
The crocodile's wife loved the jamuns. She had
never eaten anything so sweet before. 'Imagine', she said, 'how sweet
would be the creature who eats these jamuns every day. The monkey has
eaten these every day of his life - his flesh would be even sweeter than
the fruit.' She asked her husband to invite the monkey for a meal -
'and then we can eat him up' she said happily.
The crocodile was appalled - how could he eat his
friend? He tried to explain to his wife that he could not possibly eat
the monkey. 'He is my only true friend', he said. But she would not
listen - she must eat the monkey. 'Since when do crocodiles eat fruit
and spare animals?' she asked. When the crocodile would not agree to eat
the monkey, she pretended to fall very sick. 'Only a monkey's heart can
cure me', she wailed to her husband. 'If you love me you will get your
friend the monkey and let me eat his heart.'
The poor crocodile did not know what to do - he
did not want to eat his friend, but he could not let his wife die. At
last he decided to bring the monkey to his wife.
'O dear friend', he called as soon as reached the
jamun tree. ' My wife insists that you come to us for a meal. She is
grateful for all the fruit that you have sent her, and asks that I bring
you home with me.' The monkey was flattered, but said he could not
possibly go because he did not know how to swim. 'Don't worry about
that', said the crocodile. 'I'll carry you on my back.' The monkey
agreed and jumped onto the crocodile's back.
The crocodile swam with him out into the deep
wide river. When they were far away from the bank and the jamun tree, he
said, 'My wife is very ill. The only thing that will cure her is a
monkey's heart. So, dear friend, this will be the end of you and of our
friendship.' The monkey was horrified. What could he do to save himself?
He thought quickly and said 'Dear friend, I am very sorry to hear of
your wife's illness and I am glad that I will be able to help her. But I
have left my heart behind on the jamun tree. Do you think we could go
back so that I can fetch it for your wife?'
The crocodile believed the monkey. He turned and swam quickly to the
jamun tree. The monkey leaped off his back and into the safety of his
tree. 'False and foolish friend,' he called. 'Don't you know that we
carry our hearts within us? I will never trust you again or ever give
you fruit from my tree. Go away and don't come back again.'
The crocodile felt really foolish - he had lost a
friend and a supply of good sweet fruit. The monkey had saved himself
because he had thought quickly. He realised that a monkey and a
crocodile could never be true friends - crocodiles preferred to eat
monkeys rather than be friends with them.
source: www.longlongtimeago.com
tenses part 2: Simple Past Tense
| I sang |
How do we make the Simple Past Tense?
To make the simple past tense, we use:- past form only
or - auxiliary did + base form
Juni 07, 2012
BIll and Pat Taylor, To Bali With Love
about 5 years ago..
“Originally envisioning Bali as a beautiful vacation spot, we also learned of the poverty that was far, far more pervasive than we’d ever imagined,” Bill Taylor said.
While on that first trip almost seven years ago, the Taylors were invited to visit an orphanage by a women they were traveling with.
The orphanage, in Untal-Untal, just north Denpasar, is one of seven in Bali operated by the Widhya Asih Foundation, which is sponsored by the Christian Church of Bali. They are home to about 400 children who receive a safe and healthy place to live, food, school fees and uniforms, and job training.
“While we were there at the orphanage, we were really impressed with the work the director, Nengah Swikrama, was doing, and agreed to sponsor two girls, named Siska and Murtini,” Taylor said. “It was simply seeing the orphanage, appreciating the critical need and acknowledging the good work of the director. Bali simply was a place where we could offer our services and make a meaningful difference in the world.”
The Taylors could have left it at that but sponsoring two orphans was only the beginning. The following year, the couple returned to meet Siska and Murtini.
“During that trip we learned how many more girls were without sponsors, so we asked the director to give us the bios for an additional eight girls,” Taylor said.
When they returned to the States, Taylor and his wife told some of their friends about the work the foundation was doing to help Balinese children, and they quickly found sponsors for the eight girls.
The visits to Bali and the search for additional sponsors became an annual ritual for the Taylors. “So as time progressed, we had an increasing number of girls sponsored,” Taylor said.
He coordinates the sponsorships to simplify the administrative work for the growing number of people willing to help.
“I have been coordinating all the one-on-one sponsorships for this orphanage and several others in the system for the past three years,” he said. “We now sponsor about 140 girls at an annual rate of $400 per year.”
Sometimes, Taylor said, it does take some effort to convince people to sponsor one of the girls in Bali.
“In the current economic situation in the US, money is tight for many people,” he explained. “On balance, I’d say that people here want to help others within their limited ability to do so. So far, we’ve continued to successfully raise money to support these children.”
Over the years the couple has helped to improve the programs and facilities at the orphanages.
“We’ve built a vocational training center at Untal-Untal, purchased a bus to transport girls to and from school, acquired water purification systems for all seven orphanages and funded a new dormitory building for girls at Blimbingsari [in West Bali],” Taylor said. “We also provided laptop computers for several locations and assisted in the origination of several profit-making businesses for the orphanages.”
A semi-retired management consultant, Taylor has also worked closely with the foundation’s director, Nengah, and his staff to create a strategic plan for the orphanage.
“Success is measurable,” Taylor said. “Success means the percentage of children coming to the orphanages, graduating from high school, passing their national exams and obtaining self-sustaining employment. Anything short of that is failure.”
While these are orphanages, most of the girls are not orphans but come from very poor families that are unable to pay for their children’s education and sometimes don’t even have the means to feed them properly.
The orphanages provide a home for both girls and boys, but the Taylors decided to focus their efforts on the girls, who they felt lacked adequate representation, which was something the couple wanted to change.
“One quote often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi says, ‘If you educate a man, you educate one individual, if you educate a woman, you educate a family,’ ” Taylor said.
“Our personal focus is on eliminating poverty. Time and time again experience has shown that the most effective way to do this is to educate girls, who then gain control over their bodies, marry later in life, have fewer children and healthier children, are healthier themselves and are able to contribute meaningfully to the support of the family.”
The Taylors still travel to Bali four times a year and stay for at least two weeks each visit.
They’ve come a long way since their first visit in 2005, and the work that they’ve been doing has been rewarding, Taylor said.
“We’ve spent a lot of time with Siska, one of the first girls we sponsored nearly seven years ago when she was in junior high school,” he said. “Occasionally, she had some difficulties at the orphanage, so we gave her more responsibilities and kept her busy, including teaching English to the younger girls. She did well and became a positive influence for the other girls.”
Siska applied to university hoping that she would be able to study English. Out of 268 applicants, she had the second highest score on the entrance exam and is now in her third year of studies.
“She is growing into a responsible, resourceful young woman,” said Taylor, who still see Siska during his visits to Bali, even though she no longer lives at the orphanage. “I’m terribly proud of her. Siska will change the world for not only herself, but for her family and future generations as well.”
original source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/to-bali-with-love/485178
see more information: http://www.balifund.org
from the writer of this post::
now it has been 8 years of sponsoring me..this post will always remind me about us,,
I'm very proud to be yours, my beloved Taylor...
Narrative Text: The Smartest Animal
Once there was a farmer from Laos. Every morning and every evening, he ploughed his field with his buffalo.
One day, a tiger saw the farmer and his buffalo working in the field. The tiger was very surprised to see a big animal listening to a small animal. The tiger wanted to know more about the big animal and the small animal.
After the man went home, the tiger spoke to the buffalo; “you are so big and strong. Why do you do everything the man tells you?” The buffalo answered; “oh, the man is very intelligent”.
The tiger asked; “can you tell me how intelligent he is?”. “No, I can’t tell you”, said the buffalo; “but you can ask him”
So the next day the tiger asked to the man; “Can I see your intelligence?”. But the man answered; “it at home”. “Can you go and get it?” asked the tiger. “Yes” said the man; “but I am afraid you will kill my buffalo when I am gone. Can I tie you to a tree?”
After the man tied the tiger to the tree, he didn’t go home to get his intelligence. He took his plough and hit the tiger. Then he said; “Now you know about my intelligence even you haven’t seen it.
One day, a tiger saw the farmer and his buffalo working in the field. The tiger was very surprised to see a big animal listening to a small animal. The tiger wanted to know more about the big animal and the small animal.
After the man went home, the tiger spoke to the buffalo; “you are so big and strong. Why do you do everything the man tells you?” The buffalo answered; “oh, the man is very intelligent”.
The tiger asked; “can you tell me how intelligent he is?”. “No, I can’t tell you”, said the buffalo; “but you can ask him”
So the next day the tiger asked to the man; “Can I see your intelligence?”. But the man answered; “it at home”. “Can you go and get it?” asked the tiger. “Yes” said the man; “but I am afraid you will kill my buffalo when I am gone. Can I tie you to a tree?”
After the man tied the tiger to the tree, he didn’t go home to get his intelligence. He took his plough and hit the tiger. Then he said; “Now you know about my intelligence even you haven’t seen it.
Narrative Text: Rabbit and Bear
Once
upon a time, there lived as neighbours, a bear and a rabbit. The rabbit
is a good shot. In contrary, the bear is always clumsy ad could not use
the arrow to good advantage.
One
day, the bear called over the rabbit and asked the rabbit to take his
bow and arrows and came with bear to the other side of the hill. The
rabbit was fearing to arouse the bear's anger so he could not refuse it.
He consented and went with the bear and shot enough buffalo to satisfy
the hungry family. Indeed he shot and killed so many that there was lots
of meat left after the bear and his family had loaded themselves and
packed all they could carry home.
The
bear was very gluttonous and did not want the rabbit to get any of the
meat. Th e rabbit could not even taste the blood from the butchering as
the bear would throw earth on the blood and dry it up. The poor rabbit
would have to go home hungry after his hard day's work.
The
bear was the father of five children. The youngest child was very kind
to the rabbit. He was very hearty eater. The mother bear always gave him
an extra large piece of meat but the youngest child did not eat it. He
would take it outside with him and pretended to play ball with the meat.
He kicked toward the rabbit's house and when he got close to the door
he would give the meat with such a great kick. The meat would fly into
the rabbit's house. In this way, the poor rabbit would get his meal
unknown to the papa bear.
Narrative Text: The Myth of MAlin Kundang
A long time ago, in a small village near the beach in West Sumatra,
a woman and her son lived. They were Malin Kundang and her mother. Her
mother was a single parent because Malin Kundang's father had passed
away when he was a baby. Malin Kundang had to live hard with his mother.
Malin Kundang was a healthy, dilligent, and strong boy. He usually went to sea to catch fish. After getting fish he would bring it to his mother, or sold the caught fish in the town.
One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing, he saw a merchant's ship which was being raided by a small band of pirates. He helped the merchant. With his brave and power, Malin Kundang defeated the pirates.
The merchant was so happy and thanked to him. In return the merchant
asked Malin Kundang to sail with him. To get a better life, Malin
Kundang agreed. He left his mother alone.
Many years later, Malin Kundang became wealthy. He had a huge ship and
was helped by many ship crews loading trading goods. Perfectly he had a
beautiful wife too. When he was sailing his trading journey, his ship
landed on a beach near a small village. The villagers recognized him.
The news ran fast in the town; “Malin Kundang has become rich and now he
is here”.
An old woman ran to the beach to meet the new rich merchant. She was Malin Kundang’s mother. She wanted to hug him, released her sadness of being lonely after so long time. Unfortunately, when the mother came, Malin Kundang who was in front of his well dressed wife and his ship crews denied meeting that old lonely woman. For three times her mother begged Malin Kundang and for three times
he yelled at her. At last Malin Kundang said to her "Enough, old woman!
I have never had a mother like you, a dirty and ugly woman!" After that
he ordered his crews to set sail. He would leave the old mother again
but in that time she was full of both sadness and angriness.
Finally, enraged, she cursed Malin Kundang that he would turn into a
stone if he didn't apologize. Malin Kundang just laughed and really set
sail.
In the quiet sea, suddenly a thunderstorm came. His huge ship was wrecked and it was too late for Malin Kundang to apologize. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship. He fell on a small island. It was really too late for him to avoid his curse. Suddenly, he turned into a stone.
Narrative Text: The Story of Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih
BAWANG Putih lived with her step mother
and her step sister, Bawang Merah. Bawang Putih's mother died when she
was a baby. Her father remarried another woman and later her step
sister was born. Unfortunately, not long after that her father died.
Since then, Bawang Putih's life was sad. Her step mother and her step sister treated Bawang Putih badly and always asked her to do all the household chores.
One morning, Bawang Putih was washing some clothes in a river. Accidentally,her mother's clothes were washed away by the river. She was really worried so she walked along the river side to find the clothes. Finally she met an old woman. She said that she kept the clothes and would give them back to Bawang Putih if she helped the old woman do the household chores. Bawang Putih helped her happily. After everything was finished, the old woman returned the clothes. She also gave Bawang Putih a gift. The old woman had two pumpkins, one pumpkin was small and the other one was big. Bawang Putih had to choose one.
Bawang Putih was not a greedy girl. So she took the small one. After thanking the old woman, Bawang Putih then went home. When she arrived home, her step mother and Bawang Merah were angry. They had been waiting for her all day long. Bawang Putih then told about the clothes, the old woman, and the pumpkin. Her mother was really angry so she grabbed the pumpkin and smashed it to the floor. Suddenly they all were surprised. Inside the pumpkin they found jewelries. "Bawang Merah, hurry up. Go to the river and throw my clothes into the water. After that, find the old woman. Remember, you have to take the big pumpkin," the step mother asked Bawang Merah to do exactly the same as Bawang Putih's experience. Bawang Merah immediately went to the river. She threw the clothes and pretended to search them. Not long after that, she met the old woman. Again she asked Bawang Merah to do household chores. She refused and asked the old woman to give her a big pumpkin. The old woman then gave her the big one. Bawang Merah was so happy. She ran very fast. When she arrived home, her mother was impatient. She directly smashed the pumpkin to the floor. They were screaming. There were a lot of snakes inside the pumpkin! They were really scared. They were afraid the snakes would bite them. "Mom, I think God just punished us. We had done bad things to Bawang Putih. And God didn't like that. We have to apologize to Bawang Putih," said Bawang Merah.
Finally both of them realized their mistakes. They apologized and Bawang Putih forgave them. Now the family is not poor anymore. Bawang Putih decided to sell all the jewelries and used the money for their daily lives.
source: http://www.englishdirection.com/2011/01/contoh-lain-text-narrative-story-of.html
One morning, Bawang Putih was washing some clothes in a river. Accidentally,her mother's clothes were washed away by the river. She was really worried so she walked along the river side to find the clothes. Finally she met an old woman. She said that she kept the clothes and would give them back to Bawang Putih if she helped the old woman do the household chores. Bawang Putih helped her happily. After everything was finished, the old woman returned the clothes. She also gave Bawang Putih a gift. The old woman had two pumpkins, one pumpkin was small and the other one was big. Bawang Putih had to choose one.
Bawang Putih was not a greedy girl. So she took the small one. After thanking the old woman, Bawang Putih then went home. When she arrived home, her step mother and Bawang Merah were angry. They had been waiting for her all day long. Bawang Putih then told about the clothes, the old woman, and the pumpkin. Her mother was really angry so she grabbed the pumpkin and smashed it to the floor. Suddenly they all were surprised. Inside the pumpkin they found jewelries. "Bawang Merah, hurry up. Go to the river and throw my clothes into the water. After that, find the old woman. Remember, you have to take the big pumpkin," the step mother asked Bawang Merah to do exactly the same as Bawang Putih's experience. Bawang Merah immediately went to the river. She threw the clothes and pretended to search them. Not long after that, she met the old woman. Again she asked Bawang Merah to do household chores. She refused and asked the old woman to give her a big pumpkin. The old woman then gave her the big one. Bawang Merah was so happy. She ran very fast. When she arrived home, her mother was impatient. She directly smashed the pumpkin to the floor. They were screaming. There were a lot of snakes inside the pumpkin! They were really scared. They were afraid the snakes would bite them. "Mom, I think God just punished us. We had done bad things to Bawang Putih. And God didn't like that. We have to apologize to Bawang Putih," said Bawang Merah.
Finally both of them realized their mistakes. They apologized and Bawang Putih forgave them. Now the family is not poor anymore. Bawang Putih decided to sell all the jewelries and used the money for their daily lives.
source: http://www.englishdirection.com/2011/01/contoh-lain-text-narrative-story-of.html
Juni 06, 2012
assessing language skill
Teaching and Assessment
Teaching can be seen from two sides, traditional and modern. Traditionally, Hamalik(2003) in Jihad, Asep, M.Pd., Drs.(2010) stated that teaching is a process of delivering or transferring knowledge from teacher at school. The main point is the teacher (Slameto(2003) in Jihad, Asep, M.Pd., Drs.(2010)), while the students are only listening to the teacher. It will make the students be silent and apathetic. In other hand, modernly teaching is the guidance of learning(Jihad, Asep, M.Pd., Drs.(2010)).
The term “assessment” is not a new term in teaching. They are related each other. Assessment is given to the students in the end of the teaching and learning process. It used to measure the students’ understanding of the material that given in the teaching learning process. There are passing grade that be the standard if the student pass or not. To measure the students’ understanding and ability, teacher should assess not in only once, but continuous, not only assessing subjectively, but also strengthen by objective assessment.
In teaching language, there are many skills and elements that have different way to assessed. Each skill included elements has it own type of assessment to measure. But it can open any additional or suggestion to combine some type of assessment in assessing a language skill.
The English language skills assessment is a group of tests designed to measure English language proficiency of subjects. The test is designed for non-native speakers, with different levels of testing available from beginners to advance. The tests can be utilized to track progress among those studying English or to measure proficiency for employment or education where English language skills are required. The test focuses on real-life, integrated English language that students will encounter at English-speaking tertiary institutions. It tests a person’s ability to understand and communicate in the real world.
The English assessment language skill is usually for:
1. Individuals who:
o Wish to provide potential employers with information as to their English language level
o Wish to master the English language and monitor their own progress
2. Employers who:
• Use English within their company for communication
• Need to establish the English language level of employees
• Wish to identify English speaking staff for promotion and / or transfers
• Wish to evaluate different English language training programs
3. Universities and colleges that:
• Need to establish the English language level of students to evaluate their ability to follow their chosen course of study
• Wish to offer students a test which will provide them with internationally recognized certification of their English language competence
Not at all language tests are same kind. They differ with respect to how they are designed, and what they are for (language testing. Oxford university press. 2000. P: 5). There are some types of tests. They are applied in different situation of assessing language skill.
1. Norm-referenced vs. Criterion-referenced tests
• Norm-referenced tests are tests that measure individual’s understanding of single score. Which students will be equalized with others, rather than to an agreed criterion score.
• Criterion-referenced tests are tests measure individual’s understanding of single score. Which students will be equalized with a referenced range or rubric, rather than to the scores of other students.
2. Proficiency vs. Achievement tests
• Proficiency tests are tests that ‘look for the future situation of language use without necessary any reference to the previous process of teaching’ (language testing. Oxford university press. 2000. P:7)
• Achievement test are tests that associated after several time learned.
3. Objective vs. Subjective tests
• Objective tests are tests that have provided answer and there will be no other answers except the real answer. There are any kinds of objective test. They are multiple choice test items, true or false statement, matching, sentence re-arrangement, etc.
• Subjective tests are tests that have vary answer for each student. There are some kinds of subjective test. They are: making dialogue, making sentence or paragraph, recognition test, oral test, completion test, etc.
4. Integrative vs. Discrete-point tests
• Integrative tests are tests that combine all skills in a test.
• Discrete-point tests are tests that the language skill tested separately, individual points of knowledge.
Assessing Language Skill
If and when students have been exposed to language whose meaning and construction they understand, it makes sense for them to practice it under controlled conditions. This will allow them to check that they have got the explanation right.
• Listening
Students cannot be successful in school if listening skills are not developed and honed. Teachers can assess students' listening skills by conducting a few simple activities. Record the results from the activities and develop an action plan addressing how to improve listening skills if needed.
How to assess listening
Teacher who wants to assess listening skill usually uses objective tests. Here some examples of giving students assessment of listening:
1. Perform a listening/writing exercise. Provide each student with an activity sheet and either a pencil or pen. Read directions aloud and ask the students to write down exactly what you say. For example, ask them to place a dot on the letter "i." next ask them to write the word. The idea is to have the students write and structure their paper according to your verbal directions.
2. Review and answer questions based on the activity. Ask students to show the class the answer for each verbal command to determine if directions were followed.
3. Conduct a group listening activity where students can observe each other's listening skills. Divide the group into two teams. Have one team form an inner circle and the other team form an outer circle around team one. Ask the inner circle group to discuss a topic of your choice such as "animals" or an upcoming dance.
While the inner group is chatting, ask the outer group analyze the inner group's listening skills. The outer group must rate each member of the inner group's listening skills from one being the lowest, "does not listen to speaker; absorbed in own thoughts" to five being the best, "shows by comments that he or she understands the feelings behind others' comments." Rotate teams so the outer group becomes the inner group and the original inner group can do the rating. Assess this activity by measuring each student's involvement in the discussion. Use student-based ratings to assist you with your review
• Speaking
Teachers are often asked to evaluate learner progress during courses, maybe by preparing progress tests. They often feel unsure as to the best way to do this. It can seem straightforward enough to test grammar or vocabulary with pen and paper tests – but if our students’ work includes speaking – then it also seems necessary to assess their speaking skills. Teachers often feel unsure as to how they could do this. To assess speaking skill, teacher uses some subjective tests and uses rubric to give point of students’ performance. Here are some ideas how to assess speaking:
1. Criteria rather than marks
A progress test is used to give encouragement that something is being done well - or to point out areas where a learner’s not achieving as much as they could. With this kind of aim, giving 'marks' may not be the most effective way to assess. To prepare a criteria list think of about ten kinds of speaking that students have worked on over the course and turn them into criteria.
2. Speaking tasks
What are possible speaking tasks for assessment? Well, almost anything you do in normal class work – e.g. narrating a picture story; role-plays; pair work information gap exchanges; discussions etc. If you have a smaller class and enough time then a “three learners with one teacher” activity is a very good way to assess, i.e. setting a task that gets the three learners to interact together while you watch and evaluate.
3. Self-assessment
Although fear of bad marks can sometimes be motivating, it’s surprising to find the amount of power that students feel when assessing themselves. It can be a real awareness-raising activity. Distribute a list of criteria and ask students to first write a short line comparing themselves against each criterion (in English or in their own language) – a reflective view rather than just a 'yes' or 'no'. Encourage 'guilt-free' honest reflection. After the writing stage, learners can meet up in small groups and talk through their thoughts, explaining why they wrote what they did.
4. Work in pair
One has a number of elements (e.g. pictures) arranged in certain way. The other students have the same elements, but loose, and have to arrange them in the same way by talking to his/her partner without looking at the partner’s picture/plan.
5. Make a list
Students make a list of the kind of things that people like or do (e.g. go jogging, brush teeth, etc.). They have to go round the class to find someone who does, did, likes, etc. those thing.
• Reading
There are many reasons why getting students to read English text is an important part of the teacher’s job. In the first place, many of them want to be able to read texts in English either for careers, for study, or simply for pleasure. Reading ability is very difficult to assess accurately. In the communicative competence model, a student's reading level is the level at which that student is able to use reading to accomplish communication goals. This means that assessment of reading ability needs to be correlated with purposes for reading.
How to assess reading
As one of the most important aspects of learning language, reading comprehension is indispensable to guide students of all ages toward academic success. Reading comprehension tests are the most common techniques of testing reading skills, as they are designed to reveal what the reader has taken away from various written materials and to gauge their overall reading level. While there are a multitude of assessment methods used today, the below steps should help you get started in providing accurate measures of reading comprehension
1. Before getting started, make sure that you have some idea of the student's reading level or projected abilities. For example, if a student is in fifth grade, prepare standard fifth grade reading assessment materials.
2. Have the student read a passage from a book, a poem or an article that is written at her projected reading level. Next, decide which type of assessment will best fit the reading material and the student. This could be a question and answer test asking about what happened in the text or inferential questions about what was implied in the reading material. Other common assessments include exercises where words are left out of the passage, and the pupil must fill in the blanks with fitting words. For younger children, you might try having them read simple instructions such as "raise your hand" or "stand up" to test comprehension.
3. Once the student has finished reading administer the reading assessment, giving him a set amount of time to finish the test and answer any questions that he may have.
4. Read over the work after the student has handed it in. You may assess her comprehension by giving scores in four different categories--poor, adequate, good or excellent, depending on how well she was able to summarize the ideas in the text and reflect on what she had read.
There are also some other ways that teachers can be used in assess reading, such as:
1. Reading aloud
A student's performance when reading aloud is not a reliable indicator of that student's reading ability. A student who is perfectly capable of understanding a given text when reading it silently may stumble when asked to combine comprehension with word recognition and speaking ability in the way that reading aloud requires.
In addition, reading aloud is a task that students will rarely, if ever, need to do outside of the classroom. As a method of assessment, therefore, it is not authentic: it does not test a student's ability to use reading to accomplish a purpose or goal.
However, reading aloud can help a teacher assess whether a student is "seeing" word endings and other grammatical features when reading. To use reading aloud for this purpose, adopt the "read and look up" approach: ask the student to read a sentence silently one or more times, until comfortable with the content, then look up and tell you what it says. This procedure allows the student to process the text, and lets you see the results of that processing and know what elements, if any, the student is missing.
2. Comprehension questions
Instructors often use comprehension questions to test whether students have understood what they have read. In order to test comprehension appropriately, these questions need to be coordinated with the purpose for reading. If the purpose is to find specific information, comprehension questions should focus on that information. If the purpose is to understand an opinion and the arguments that support it, comprehension questions should ask about those points.
In everyday reading situations, readers have a purpose for reading before they start. That is, they know what comprehension questions they are going to need to answer before they begin reading. To make reading assessment in the language classroom more like reading outside of the classroom, therefore, allow students to review the comprehension questions before they begin to read the test passage.
Finally, when the purpose for reading is enjoyment, comprehension questions are beside the point. As a more authentic form of assessment, have students talk or write about why they found the text enjoyable and interesting (or not).
• Writing
Like many other skill of English, the type of writing we get students to do will depend on their age, interests, and level. We can get beginner to write simple poems, but we probably will not give them an extended report on town planning to do. When we set tasks for elementary students, we will make sure that the students have or can get enough language to complete the tasks. Such students can write a simple story but they are not equipped to create a complex-narrative.
However, in general we will try to get students writing in a number of common everyday styles. We may also want to have students write such type of text.
Whether you're assessing writing to determine whether a student passes a class or assignment or are deciding student writing placement, you will have to assess student writing levels many times throughout your career. Both teachers and students have difficulty with assessments, often because of the high stakes involved. However, a well-planned, well-executed assessment can make the process easier. Here are some steps how to assess students in writing skill.
1. List what writing traits the assessment measure. These traits will differ depending on the situation. If you are assessing students to place them in the appropriate course level, for instance, you will test the traits that will be taught in the various courses they might take. Next to each trait on your list, write a description of what constitutes a well and poorly executed trait.
2. Clearly define each writing level. If you are giving students grades, explain what grades "a" through "f" means. For example, a student with a "b" might have an excellent understanding of the subject matter but mediocre grammar skills. If you are assigning students into classes or groups, explain what writing traits or difficulties students in these groups have in common. For example, students in level three might have somewhat rhetorically effective prose but with many minor grammar errors.
3. Create an assessment designed to test the traits you chose in step 1. For example, if you are testing composition skills, ask students to write an essay in which they defend an argument. According to the national council of teachers of English (NCTE), an ideal assessment would include multiple pieces of a student's writing collected over a long time period.
4. Tell students about the assessment. The note notes that students should not only understand that they are being assessed, but they also should know why they are being assessed. Tell students about the assessment and its purposes. Provide them with the list of traits being assessed from step 1, as well as the writing levels from step 2. Answer questions about the assessment.
5. Give the assessment in a positive environment and grade it objectively. Give students handouts on how to prepare for the assessment and show them examples of successfully completed assessments from the past. Make sure students understand time and word limitations. After collecting the assessment, grade it objectively using a rubric that corresponds to the well-executed and poorly executed traits explained in step 1
Conclusion
The term of teaching, learning, and assessing are can not be separated in process of teaching language specifically. They are have their own objective and they are needed each other.
A teaching process is can not be succeed if the teacher does not do assessment. Meanwhile, an assessment will be not reliable if there are no explanation before given to. The purpose of assessment is to measure teacher if their students already understood the material given before or not.
Teachers have to make sure if the assessments reliable or not, valid or not, and or practical or not. Those make the assessment are acceptable or not.
There are many ways to assess language skill. They can measured by some types of test. Sometimes every single skill has its way to be constructed and it is different with other skills. In other hand, teacher also can use same type of assessment to assess students’ ability of language skill.
References
- Oxford University Press. 2000. Language Testing. New York
- Harmer, Jeremy. How to Teach English. Cambridge: Longman
- Australian Council for Educational Research. 2011. The English Language Skills Assessment Retrieved from http://www.acer.edu.au/tests/els/ downloaded December 22th 2011.
- The National Capital Language Resource Center. 2003, 2004. Assessing Reading Proficiency retrieved from http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/reading/assessread.htm
- Jihad, Asep, M.pd, and Haris, Abdul, M.Sc. 2008. Evaluasi Pembelajaran. Jakarta: Multi Press
Teaching can be seen from two sides, traditional and modern. Traditionally, Hamalik(2003) in Jihad, Asep, M.Pd., Drs.(2010) stated that teaching is a process of delivering or transferring knowledge from teacher at school. The main point is the teacher (Slameto(2003) in Jihad, Asep, M.Pd., Drs.(2010)), while the students are only listening to the teacher. It will make the students be silent and apathetic. In other hand, modernly teaching is the guidance of learning(Jihad, Asep, M.Pd., Drs.(2010)).
The term “assessment” is not a new term in teaching. They are related each other. Assessment is given to the students in the end of the teaching and learning process. It used to measure the students’ understanding of the material that given in the teaching learning process. There are passing grade that be the standard if the student pass or not. To measure the students’ understanding and ability, teacher should assess not in only once, but continuous, not only assessing subjectively, but also strengthen by objective assessment.
In teaching language, there are many skills and elements that have different way to assessed. Each skill included elements has it own type of assessment to measure. But it can open any additional or suggestion to combine some type of assessment in assessing a language skill.
The English language skills assessment is a group of tests designed to measure English language proficiency of subjects. The test is designed for non-native speakers, with different levels of testing available from beginners to advance. The tests can be utilized to track progress among those studying English or to measure proficiency for employment or education where English language skills are required. The test focuses on real-life, integrated English language that students will encounter at English-speaking tertiary institutions. It tests a person’s ability to understand and communicate in the real world.
The English assessment language skill is usually for:
1. Individuals who:
o Wish to provide potential employers with information as to their English language level
o Wish to master the English language and monitor their own progress
2. Employers who:
• Use English within their company for communication
• Need to establish the English language level of employees
• Wish to identify English speaking staff for promotion and / or transfers
• Wish to evaluate different English language training programs
3. Universities and colleges that:
• Need to establish the English language level of students to evaluate their ability to follow their chosen course of study
• Wish to offer students a test which will provide them with internationally recognized certification of their English language competence
Not at all language tests are same kind. They differ with respect to how they are designed, and what they are for (language testing. Oxford university press. 2000. P: 5). There are some types of tests. They are applied in different situation of assessing language skill.
1. Norm-referenced vs. Criterion-referenced tests
• Norm-referenced tests are tests that measure individual’s understanding of single score. Which students will be equalized with others, rather than to an agreed criterion score.
• Criterion-referenced tests are tests measure individual’s understanding of single score. Which students will be equalized with a referenced range or rubric, rather than to the scores of other students.
2. Proficiency vs. Achievement tests
• Proficiency tests are tests that ‘look for the future situation of language use without necessary any reference to the previous process of teaching’ (language testing. Oxford university press. 2000. P:7)
• Achievement test are tests that associated after several time learned.
3. Objective vs. Subjective tests
• Objective tests are tests that have provided answer and there will be no other answers except the real answer. There are any kinds of objective test. They are multiple choice test items, true or false statement, matching, sentence re-arrangement, etc.
• Subjective tests are tests that have vary answer for each student. There are some kinds of subjective test. They are: making dialogue, making sentence or paragraph, recognition test, oral test, completion test, etc.
4. Integrative vs. Discrete-point tests
• Integrative tests are tests that combine all skills in a test.
• Discrete-point tests are tests that the language skill tested separately, individual points of knowledge.
Assessing Language Skill
If and when students have been exposed to language whose meaning and construction they understand, it makes sense for them to practice it under controlled conditions. This will allow them to check that they have got the explanation right.
• Listening
Students cannot be successful in school if listening skills are not developed and honed. Teachers can assess students' listening skills by conducting a few simple activities. Record the results from the activities and develop an action plan addressing how to improve listening skills if needed.
How to assess listening
Teacher who wants to assess listening skill usually uses objective tests. Here some examples of giving students assessment of listening:
1. Perform a listening/writing exercise. Provide each student with an activity sheet and either a pencil or pen. Read directions aloud and ask the students to write down exactly what you say. For example, ask them to place a dot on the letter "i." next ask them to write the word. The idea is to have the students write and structure their paper according to your verbal directions.
2. Review and answer questions based on the activity. Ask students to show the class the answer for each verbal command to determine if directions were followed.
3. Conduct a group listening activity where students can observe each other's listening skills. Divide the group into two teams. Have one team form an inner circle and the other team form an outer circle around team one. Ask the inner circle group to discuss a topic of your choice such as "animals" or an upcoming dance.
While the inner group is chatting, ask the outer group analyze the inner group's listening skills. The outer group must rate each member of the inner group's listening skills from one being the lowest, "does not listen to speaker; absorbed in own thoughts" to five being the best, "shows by comments that he or she understands the feelings behind others' comments." Rotate teams so the outer group becomes the inner group and the original inner group can do the rating. Assess this activity by measuring each student's involvement in the discussion. Use student-based ratings to assist you with your review
• Speaking
Teachers are often asked to evaluate learner progress during courses, maybe by preparing progress tests. They often feel unsure as to the best way to do this. It can seem straightforward enough to test grammar or vocabulary with pen and paper tests – but if our students’ work includes speaking – then it also seems necessary to assess their speaking skills. Teachers often feel unsure as to how they could do this. To assess speaking skill, teacher uses some subjective tests and uses rubric to give point of students’ performance. Here are some ideas how to assess speaking:
1. Criteria rather than marks
A progress test is used to give encouragement that something is being done well - or to point out areas where a learner’s not achieving as much as they could. With this kind of aim, giving 'marks' may not be the most effective way to assess. To prepare a criteria list think of about ten kinds of speaking that students have worked on over the course and turn them into criteria.
2. Speaking tasks
What are possible speaking tasks for assessment? Well, almost anything you do in normal class work – e.g. narrating a picture story; role-plays; pair work information gap exchanges; discussions etc. If you have a smaller class and enough time then a “three learners with one teacher” activity is a very good way to assess, i.e. setting a task that gets the three learners to interact together while you watch and evaluate.
3. Self-assessment
Although fear of bad marks can sometimes be motivating, it’s surprising to find the amount of power that students feel when assessing themselves. It can be a real awareness-raising activity. Distribute a list of criteria and ask students to first write a short line comparing themselves against each criterion (in English or in their own language) – a reflective view rather than just a 'yes' or 'no'. Encourage 'guilt-free' honest reflection. After the writing stage, learners can meet up in small groups and talk through their thoughts, explaining why they wrote what they did.
4. Work in pair
One has a number of elements (e.g. pictures) arranged in certain way. The other students have the same elements, but loose, and have to arrange them in the same way by talking to his/her partner without looking at the partner’s picture/plan.
5. Make a list
Students make a list of the kind of things that people like or do (e.g. go jogging, brush teeth, etc.). They have to go round the class to find someone who does, did, likes, etc. those thing.
• Reading
There are many reasons why getting students to read English text is an important part of the teacher’s job. In the first place, many of them want to be able to read texts in English either for careers, for study, or simply for pleasure. Reading ability is very difficult to assess accurately. In the communicative competence model, a student's reading level is the level at which that student is able to use reading to accomplish communication goals. This means that assessment of reading ability needs to be correlated with purposes for reading.
How to assess reading
As one of the most important aspects of learning language, reading comprehension is indispensable to guide students of all ages toward academic success. Reading comprehension tests are the most common techniques of testing reading skills, as they are designed to reveal what the reader has taken away from various written materials and to gauge their overall reading level. While there are a multitude of assessment methods used today, the below steps should help you get started in providing accurate measures of reading comprehension
1. Before getting started, make sure that you have some idea of the student's reading level or projected abilities. For example, if a student is in fifth grade, prepare standard fifth grade reading assessment materials.
2. Have the student read a passage from a book, a poem or an article that is written at her projected reading level. Next, decide which type of assessment will best fit the reading material and the student. This could be a question and answer test asking about what happened in the text or inferential questions about what was implied in the reading material. Other common assessments include exercises where words are left out of the passage, and the pupil must fill in the blanks with fitting words. For younger children, you might try having them read simple instructions such as "raise your hand" or "stand up" to test comprehension.
3. Once the student has finished reading administer the reading assessment, giving him a set amount of time to finish the test and answer any questions that he may have.
4. Read over the work after the student has handed it in. You may assess her comprehension by giving scores in four different categories--poor, adequate, good or excellent, depending on how well she was able to summarize the ideas in the text and reflect on what she had read.
There are also some other ways that teachers can be used in assess reading, such as:
1. Reading aloud
A student's performance when reading aloud is not a reliable indicator of that student's reading ability. A student who is perfectly capable of understanding a given text when reading it silently may stumble when asked to combine comprehension with word recognition and speaking ability in the way that reading aloud requires.
In addition, reading aloud is a task that students will rarely, if ever, need to do outside of the classroom. As a method of assessment, therefore, it is not authentic: it does not test a student's ability to use reading to accomplish a purpose or goal.
However, reading aloud can help a teacher assess whether a student is "seeing" word endings and other grammatical features when reading. To use reading aloud for this purpose, adopt the "read and look up" approach: ask the student to read a sentence silently one or more times, until comfortable with the content, then look up and tell you what it says. This procedure allows the student to process the text, and lets you see the results of that processing and know what elements, if any, the student is missing.
2. Comprehension questions
Instructors often use comprehension questions to test whether students have understood what they have read. In order to test comprehension appropriately, these questions need to be coordinated with the purpose for reading. If the purpose is to find specific information, comprehension questions should focus on that information. If the purpose is to understand an opinion and the arguments that support it, comprehension questions should ask about those points.
In everyday reading situations, readers have a purpose for reading before they start. That is, they know what comprehension questions they are going to need to answer before they begin reading. To make reading assessment in the language classroom more like reading outside of the classroom, therefore, allow students to review the comprehension questions before they begin to read the test passage.
Finally, when the purpose for reading is enjoyment, comprehension questions are beside the point. As a more authentic form of assessment, have students talk or write about why they found the text enjoyable and interesting (or not).
• Writing
Like many other skill of English, the type of writing we get students to do will depend on their age, interests, and level. We can get beginner to write simple poems, but we probably will not give them an extended report on town planning to do. When we set tasks for elementary students, we will make sure that the students have or can get enough language to complete the tasks. Such students can write a simple story but they are not equipped to create a complex-narrative.
However, in general we will try to get students writing in a number of common everyday styles. We may also want to have students write such type of text.
Whether you're assessing writing to determine whether a student passes a class or assignment or are deciding student writing placement, you will have to assess student writing levels many times throughout your career. Both teachers and students have difficulty with assessments, often because of the high stakes involved. However, a well-planned, well-executed assessment can make the process easier. Here are some steps how to assess students in writing skill.
1. List what writing traits the assessment measure. These traits will differ depending on the situation. If you are assessing students to place them in the appropriate course level, for instance, you will test the traits that will be taught in the various courses they might take. Next to each trait on your list, write a description of what constitutes a well and poorly executed trait.
2. Clearly define each writing level. If you are giving students grades, explain what grades "a" through "f" means. For example, a student with a "b" might have an excellent understanding of the subject matter but mediocre grammar skills. If you are assigning students into classes or groups, explain what writing traits or difficulties students in these groups have in common. For example, students in level three might have somewhat rhetorically effective prose but with many minor grammar errors.
3. Create an assessment designed to test the traits you chose in step 1. For example, if you are testing composition skills, ask students to write an essay in which they defend an argument. According to the national council of teachers of English (NCTE), an ideal assessment would include multiple pieces of a student's writing collected over a long time period.
4. Tell students about the assessment. The note notes that students should not only understand that they are being assessed, but they also should know why they are being assessed. Tell students about the assessment and its purposes. Provide them with the list of traits being assessed from step 1, as well as the writing levels from step 2. Answer questions about the assessment.
5. Give the assessment in a positive environment and grade it objectively. Give students handouts on how to prepare for the assessment and show them examples of successfully completed assessments from the past. Make sure students understand time and word limitations. After collecting the assessment, grade it objectively using a rubric that corresponds to the well-executed and poorly executed traits explained in step 1
Conclusion
The term of teaching, learning, and assessing are can not be separated in process of teaching language specifically. They are have their own objective and they are needed each other.
A teaching process is can not be succeed if the teacher does not do assessment. Meanwhile, an assessment will be not reliable if there are no explanation before given to. The purpose of assessment is to measure teacher if their students already understood the material given before or not.
Teachers have to make sure if the assessments reliable or not, valid or not, and or practical or not. Those make the assessment are acceptable or not.
There are many ways to assess language skill. They can measured by some types of test. Sometimes every single skill has its way to be constructed and it is different with other skills. In other hand, teacher also can use same type of assessment to assess students’ ability of language skill.
References
- Oxford University Press. 2000. Language Testing. New York
- Harmer, Jeremy. How to Teach English. Cambridge: Longman
- Australian Council for Educational Research. 2011. The English Language Skills Assessment Retrieved from http://www.acer.edu.au/tests/els/ downloaded December 22th 2011.
- The National Capital Language Resource Center. 2003, 2004. Assessing Reading Proficiency retrieved from http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/reading/assessread.htm
- Jihad, Asep, M.pd, and Haris, Abdul, M.Sc. 2008. Evaluasi Pembelajaran. Jakarta: Multi Press
teaching vocabulary : games 1
Vocabulary Word Sentences
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This activity utilizes the letters of a vocabulary word to construct a sentence. Write a vocabulary word on the board. Have the students use each letter as the beginning letter of words to create a sentence. For example, if the vocabulary word is "lions," the sentence could be, "Little iguanas only need sun." Encourage the students to develop creative sentences. They need not make sense, but they should maintain proper sentence structure. Take turns sharing the sentences. Repeat the activity with other vocabulary words.
Vocabulary Riddles
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Riddles provide an entertaining way for students to identify vocabulary words. Use the definition of a vocabulary word to create a riddle. For example, a riddle for the word "umbrella" might go, "When the drops start to fall, I come in handy. My waterproof top is really quite dandy." Whether or not the riddles rhyme, use a playful tone to appeal to the students. Vocabulary riddles work as an oral activity for the class or as a written assignment in the form of a worksheet.
Juni 05, 2012
analysis of "The Parakeet King" fiction trough 7 elements of fiction
INTRODUCTION
Fiction writing is any kind of writing that is not factual. Fictional writing most often takes the form of a story meant to convey an author's point of view or simply to entertain. The result of this may be a short story, novel, novella, screenplay, or drama, which are all types (though not the only types) of fictional writing styles. Every story has the elements of fiction whether it is a short story, a novel, a play, a movie, or even a television sit-com.
1. Plot
Plot is the arrangement of events which occurred and happened in a story. It is often divided into five parts, as in pyramid, namely:
a) Exposition is the introduction of characters and setting of the story and any necessary background information.
b) Rising Action is show the problem will be arising. Rising Action, introduces the central conflict, the problem which will drive subsequent events.
c) Climax is the peak of the conflict. Climax is the most exciting point and turning point of the story. The reader wants to know what happens next.
There are types of conflict:
• Person-against-self
• Person-against-person
• Person-against-society
• Person-against-nature
• Person-against-God
• Person caught the middle
• etc.
d) Falling Action is result or effect of the conflict to the characters and setting.e) Conclusion is the end of the story where the problems is worked out.
2. Character
Character is the participant of the story. They are usually human, but can also be non-human beings, as seen in genres like science fiction or horror.
It can be divided into two:
a. Simple (flat) character is less representation of a human personality than the embodiment of a single attitude or obsession in a character. We see only one side of the character.
b. Complex (round) character is obviously more lifelike than the simple, because in life people are not simply embodiment of single attitudes. We see all side of the character.
Characterization is the way how the author conveys his character. There are two characterizations:
a. Direct (explicit) is the author simply write the character in the story.
b. Indirect (implicit) is the reader should find out the characteristic of the character by seeing their looks or appearance, speech, or words and action and also their interaction with another character.
Method of Character Portrayal
There are a number of methods available to the author to present their character. These are the methods :
a. Discursive Method is a method which the author simply tells the reader about the character.
b. Dramatic Method is a method which the author tells the character through their actions or dialogues.
c. Character on the other character is the reader knows the character based on the opinion of the other character.
d. Contextual Method is a method that tells the character by the verbal context that surround the character.
e. Mixing Method is the combination of some method which is the author used in writing the story.
3. Setting
Setting is the element of story that tells the reader the where and when of events take place. There are two types of setting:
a. Neutral Setting is the setting that describes general and simple data about the place and time.
b. Spiritual Setting is the setting that describes in more detail about the place and the time.
4. Point of View
Point of View is the way whose perspective uses to view the story. Point of view is related to the perspective. Through the character’s side, point of view can be divided into three:
a. First Person Point of View is when the author be the part of the story and referring by “I” and ‘We”.
b. Second Person Point of View is when the author refers to one of the character as “you”
c. Third Person Point of View is when every character is referred by the author as “he”, “she”, “it” or “they”.
Through the narrtor’s side, point of view can be divided into two:
a. Omniscient Narrator is when the narrator simply knows everything just like God, and he can enter the main of any character.
b. Limited Narrator is the narrator does not know anything he may appear both in story from the inside as the first person narration and from the outside as third person narration.
5. Style and Tone
Style is the manner in which the writer tells the story. There are three parts of style namely:
a. Diction is the author choice of words.
• Connotation is word which has suggestion and association.
• Denotation is has the real meaning(dictionary meaning).
• Combination is the combination of connotation and denotation.
b. Imagery is the collection of image in the entire work. There are three types of imagery namely:
• Literal Imagery involves no necessary change or extension in the meaning of the words without connotation.
• Recurrent Image consists of a number of repetitions of the same image which related to a single theme.
• Figurative image is when the story must be understood in some sense other than the literal one.
c. Syntax is the reader should find out what the author uses in his story, whether simple or complex sentence.
Tone is a quality of style that reveals the attitude of the author toward his subject and his audience. There are six parts of tone namely
a. Understatement is the author treats his subject less seriously than most authors would.
b. Irony is the author uses his subject to criticize something.
c. Hyperbole is the author uses his subject for rhetorical effect.
d. The middle style is the combination of understatement and hyperbole.
e. Sentimentality is when the material got a greater emotional burden.
f. Inhibition is the author’s failure to give emotional weight to his material.
6. Structure and Technique
a. Description is direct presentation of qualities of a person, place and thing. Description extends to the presentation of sensory qualities.
b. Narrative Technique is divided into two:
• Panoramic Technique lets the reader know where exactly the story occur or take place. It concern about the detail in explanation of the setting itself.
• Scenic Technique is the presentation of the scene from a story. This technique tends to emphasize or focus on the sequence of the scene.
c. Dialogue is the presentation in fiction of the actual words of characters speaking to one another. It uses the actual words and has function to make the story lifelike or real.
7. Theme
Theme is the total meaning of the story dicovered by the writer in the process of writing and the reader in process of reading. Theme is not the moral of the story, not the subject of the story, not also the illustration of hidden meaning in the story.
STORY:
The Parakeet’s Trick
Once upon a time was a boy whose name was meseukin. One day when he was in the forest gathering the firewood, he saw many parakeets around. Meseukin wanted to catch the birds and sell them at the market.
The following day he return. Need to the forest carrying a good supply of glue. He smeared the glue on each nest. Meseukin heard one bird returned to its nest and certain that the bird got trapped. When the sun set, the remaining birds returned to the nest and all were trapped.
The parakeet king realizing that all of them had been caught in trap said, “ Be calm! Lets pretend that we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. Since that very moment, you must begin counting. When you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at the same time.
The following day, when the meseukin climed up the tree, and inspected the trap, he found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest. Meseukin thought that all were dead and dicide to throw them to the ground. Meseukin had the parakeet king in his hand when a banana fell off. The bird scatteres all over the ground thought that it was the sound of the last thrown bird and flew away accordingly. Meseukin suddenly realized that he had been tricked. Then he returned home bringing the captured parakeet king.
Meseukin reared the parakeet king and put him in a beautiful cage. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers. They gave mesekuin a variety of gifts that made him rich and famous.
The king heared the news of parakeet. He then summoned mesekiun to the palace. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
Meseukin returned home carrying a lot of money and gifts. The king parakeet put in a luxurious cage.
Everyday the king spared his time to enjoy seeing the beautiful bird. One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way. When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.The parakeet could live happily again with his beloved friends.
ANALYZE:
1. Plot
• Exposition
1st to 2nd sentence:
Once upon a time was a boy whose name was meseukin. One day when he was in the forest gathering the firewood, he saw many parakeets around.
Analysis: because in these sentences the writer introduces the setting and the character of the story.
• Raising action
3rd to 30th sentence
Meseukin wanted to catch the birds and sell them at the market.
The following day he return. Need to the forest carrying a good supply of glue. He smeared the glue on each nest. Meseukin heard one bird returned to its nest and certain that the bird got trapped. When the sun set, the remaining birds returned to the nest and all were trapped.
The parakeet king realizing that all of them had been caught in trap said, “ Be calm! Lets pretend that we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. Since that very moment, you must begin counting. When you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at the same time.
The following day, when the meseukin climed up the tree, and inspected the trap, he found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest. Meseukin thought that all were dead and dicide to throw them to the ground. Meseukin had the parakeet king in his hand when a banana fell off. The bird scatteres all over the ground thought that it was the sound of the last thrown bird and flew away accordingly. Meseukin suddenly realized that he had been tricked. Then he returned home bringing the captured parakeet king.
Meseukin reared the parakeet king and put him in a beautiful cage. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers. They gave mesekuin a variety of gifts that made him rich and famous.
The king heared the news of parakeet. He then summoned mesekiun to the palace. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
Meseukin returned home carrying a lot of money and gifts. The king parakeet put in a luxurious cage.
Everyday the king spared his time to enjoy seeing the beautiful bird.
Analysis: because we can see that the problems start arise by his willi ng to catch the birds and sells them to the market. And also in this part we can see the problem that faced by the Parakeet King.
• Climax
31st sentence:
One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
Analysis: because in this part, climax, we can see the peak of the problem that will effect to the character and setting.
• Falling action
32nd to 33rd sentence:
The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way. When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.
Analysis: this part shows the effect of the climax toward setting and character:
a. The King was very sad.
b. The bird will be buried.
c. The bird flew away
• Conclusion
34th sentence:
The parakeet could live happily again with his beloved friends.
Analysis: it shows the ending of the story which is the main character was being happy.
2. Character
1. Parakeet King (Protagonist)
Type: Round Character
Analysis: because The Parakeet king has more than one characteristic. . It could seen as:
Fast responding: The parakeet king realizing that all of them had been caught in trap.
Smart: Lets pretend that we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. Since that very moment, you must begin counting. When you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at the same time.
Shrewd: When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.
Patient in running his days :
a. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers.
b. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted
See, how patient he is in running his days after he got catched by meseukin. Everyone still can hear his melodious voice.
Characterization: indirect, because the writer don’t tell the reader what character the parakeet king is
Method: dramatic, because the reader should find out the characterization by analyze through his speech, action, and interaction.
2. Mesekuin (Antagonist)
Type: Round Character
Analysis: because Mesekuin has characteristics not only one. It could seen as:
Bad: Meseukin wanted to catch the birds and sell them at the market.
Shrewd: He smeared the glue on each nest.
Careful: when the meseukin climed up the tree, and inspected the trap, he found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest.
Characterization: indirect characterization, because the reader should see the characteristics of the character by seeing their appearance. Method: dramatic, because the reader will know the characteristic only by seeing his speech, interaction, and action.
Method: dramatic, because readers can see the characteristic of the character through speech, action, and their interaction.
3. The King (Minor Character)
Type: Round Character
Analysis: The King has more than one characteristics. It could seen as:
Greedy : When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
Caring person:
1. The king parakeet put in a luxurious cage.
2. The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way
Characterization: indirect, because the writer don’t tell the reader simply about the character
Method: dramatic, because readers can see the characteristic of the character through speech, action, and their interaction.
4. Servant ( Minor,
Type: round character
Analysis: because the Servant has 2 characteristic that can be seen as:
• Faithful : One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
• Full trusted their king: The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way. When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.
Characterization: indirect, because ther reader should find out the characteristic of the character by themselves.
Method: dramatic, because readers can see the characteristic of the character through speech, action, and their interaction.
5. Parakeets (Minor)
Type: Flat Character
Analysis: because the reader only see the characteristic by only one side.
◦ Full trusted their king:
When the king said that they have to pretend that they all die, mesekuin found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest.
(9th to 11th sentence and 15th sentence)
When the king said that they have to all immedately fly away at the same time when they hear the 99th dropped, they do it, eventhough they don’t know that the 99th dropped was bananas.
(14th sentence and 17th to 18th sentence)
Characterization:: indirect, because the writer don’t tell the reader simply about the character
Method: dramatic, because the reader should find out the characterization by analyze through his speech, action, and interaction.
3. Setting
a. At the forest
Type: neutral setting, because no spesific information about the forest included in the story.
In the forest, happened such as:
One day when he was in the forest gathering the firewood.........
When the sun set, the remaining birds returned to the nest and all were trapped.
b. At Mesekuin’s house
Type: neutral setting, because no spesific information about mesekuin’s house included in the story.
In his house happened such as:
Meseukin reared the parakeet king and put him in a beautiful cage. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers.
c. At the Palace
Type: neutral setting, because no spesific information about palace included in the story.
In the palace happened such as:
He then summoned mesekiun to the palace. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
d. Once upon a time
Type: neutral setting, because it does not has any spesific information.
e. One day
Type: neutral setting, because it does not has any spesific information.
f. The following day
Type: neutral setting, because it shows only general information of setting
g. On each nest
type: neutral setting, because no specific information that shown in this setting.
On each nest happened such as:
◦ Glue smeared.
◦ All the birds got trapped.
h. King Parakeet’s cage in Mesekuin’s house.
Type: neutral setting, because the writer does not tell the reader any spesific information or description about the cage. It just said as “beautiful cage”.
i. King Parakeet’s cage at the Palace
Type: neutral setting, because the writer does not tell the reader any spesific information or description about the cage. It just said as “luxurious cage”
4. Point of View
• This story’s point of view is third person point of view.
Analysis: because we can see on the story that the author uses “he” as a third person.
• The author uses the omniscient narrator
Analysis: because the narrator simply know everything just like God and he can enter main of any character and tells the reader what the character is thinking.
5. Style and Tone
• Denotation diction is used in this story.
Analysis: because the entire work using words that has dictionary meaning.
• Literal image is used in this story.
Analysis: because there is no connotation diction in the material so we do not need to change or extension in the meaning of the words.
• Syntax, the author uses complex sentence. We can see from the entire story.
• Tone, understatement uses in this story.
Analysis: because he treats the subject less seriously than most writers would.
6. Structure and technique
• Scenic tecnique
Analysis : bacause there is no simply detail of explanation of the setting. The narrator emphasize the presentation of the story.
• Dialogue
Analysis : Because we can find the dialogue in the third paragraph. “ Be calm! Lets pretend thet we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. since that very moment, you must begin counting. when you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at same time”.
7. Theme
The them of this story is about “the firmness of life”.
Analysis: because in this story we can see the firmness of the Parakeet King in running his live. Although he was catched by Mesekuin, he still sung melodiusly, so many people come to Mesekuin’s house to enjoyed the voice. The Parakeet King did not being stressed because of his problem happened. And also when he was being bought by the King, he still gave the melodious voice. We can see if he ready to fight with his fate and still have a clear idea to fly away.
REFERENCE
• Simon & Schuster.1966. How to Analyze Fiction. New York. Monarch Press
• http://www.ehow.com/info_8638540_7-key-elements-fiction.html#ixzz1c3OPYtdL
• http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/ficElmnts.html
• Listyarini,Ika. 1997. The Parakeet’s Trick. Jakarta:balai Pustaka
Fiction writing is any kind of writing that is not factual. Fictional writing most often takes the form of a story meant to convey an author's point of view or simply to entertain. The result of this may be a short story, novel, novella, screenplay, or drama, which are all types (though not the only types) of fictional writing styles. Every story has the elements of fiction whether it is a short story, a novel, a play, a movie, or even a television sit-com.
1. Plot
Plot is the arrangement of events which occurred and happened in a story. It is often divided into five parts, as in pyramid, namely:
a) Exposition is the introduction of characters and setting of the story and any necessary background information.
b) Rising Action is show the problem will be arising. Rising Action, introduces the central conflict, the problem which will drive subsequent events.
c) Climax is the peak of the conflict. Climax is the most exciting point and turning point of the story. The reader wants to know what happens next.
There are types of conflict:
• Person-against-self
• Person-against-person
• Person-against-society
• Person-against-nature
• Person-against-God
• Person caught the middle
• etc.
d) Falling Action is result or effect of the conflict to the characters and setting.e) Conclusion is the end of the story where the problems is worked out.
2. Character
Character is the participant of the story. They are usually human, but can also be non-human beings, as seen in genres like science fiction or horror.
It can be divided into two:
a. Simple (flat) character is less representation of a human personality than the embodiment of a single attitude or obsession in a character. We see only one side of the character.
b. Complex (round) character is obviously more lifelike than the simple, because in life people are not simply embodiment of single attitudes. We see all side of the character.
Characterization is the way how the author conveys his character. There are two characterizations:
a. Direct (explicit) is the author simply write the character in the story.
b. Indirect (implicit) is the reader should find out the characteristic of the character by seeing their looks or appearance, speech, or words and action and also their interaction with another character.
Method of Character Portrayal
There are a number of methods available to the author to present their character. These are the methods :
a. Discursive Method is a method which the author simply tells the reader about the character.
b. Dramatic Method is a method which the author tells the character through their actions or dialogues.
c. Character on the other character is the reader knows the character based on the opinion of the other character.
d. Contextual Method is a method that tells the character by the verbal context that surround the character.
e. Mixing Method is the combination of some method which is the author used in writing the story.
3. Setting
Setting is the element of story that tells the reader the where and when of events take place. There are two types of setting:
a. Neutral Setting is the setting that describes general and simple data about the place and time.
b. Spiritual Setting is the setting that describes in more detail about the place and the time.
4. Point of View
Point of View is the way whose perspective uses to view the story. Point of view is related to the perspective. Through the character’s side, point of view can be divided into three:
a. First Person Point of View is when the author be the part of the story and referring by “I” and ‘We”.
b. Second Person Point of View is when the author refers to one of the character as “you”
c. Third Person Point of View is when every character is referred by the author as “he”, “she”, “it” or “they”.
Through the narrtor’s side, point of view can be divided into two:
a. Omniscient Narrator is when the narrator simply knows everything just like God, and he can enter the main of any character.
b. Limited Narrator is the narrator does not know anything he may appear both in story from the inside as the first person narration and from the outside as third person narration.
5. Style and Tone
Style is the manner in which the writer tells the story. There are three parts of style namely:
a. Diction is the author choice of words.
• Connotation is word which has suggestion and association.
• Denotation is has the real meaning(dictionary meaning).
• Combination is the combination of connotation and denotation.
b. Imagery is the collection of image in the entire work. There are three types of imagery namely:
• Literal Imagery involves no necessary change or extension in the meaning of the words without connotation.
• Recurrent Image consists of a number of repetitions of the same image which related to a single theme.
• Figurative image is when the story must be understood in some sense other than the literal one.
c. Syntax is the reader should find out what the author uses in his story, whether simple or complex sentence.
Tone is a quality of style that reveals the attitude of the author toward his subject and his audience. There are six parts of tone namely
a. Understatement is the author treats his subject less seriously than most authors would.
b. Irony is the author uses his subject to criticize something.
c. Hyperbole is the author uses his subject for rhetorical effect.
d. The middle style is the combination of understatement and hyperbole.
e. Sentimentality is when the material got a greater emotional burden.
f. Inhibition is the author’s failure to give emotional weight to his material.
6. Structure and Technique
a. Description is direct presentation of qualities of a person, place and thing. Description extends to the presentation of sensory qualities.
b. Narrative Technique is divided into two:
• Panoramic Technique lets the reader know where exactly the story occur or take place. It concern about the detail in explanation of the setting itself.
• Scenic Technique is the presentation of the scene from a story. This technique tends to emphasize or focus on the sequence of the scene.
c. Dialogue is the presentation in fiction of the actual words of characters speaking to one another. It uses the actual words and has function to make the story lifelike or real.
7. Theme
Theme is the total meaning of the story dicovered by the writer in the process of writing and the reader in process of reading. Theme is not the moral of the story, not the subject of the story, not also the illustration of hidden meaning in the story.
STORY:
The Parakeet’s Trick
Once upon a time was a boy whose name was meseukin. One day when he was in the forest gathering the firewood, he saw many parakeets around. Meseukin wanted to catch the birds and sell them at the market.
The following day he return. Need to the forest carrying a good supply of glue. He smeared the glue on each nest. Meseukin heard one bird returned to its nest and certain that the bird got trapped. When the sun set, the remaining birds returned to the nest and all were trapped.
The parakeet king realizing that all of them had been caught in trap said, “ Be calm! Lets pretend that we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. Since that very moment, you must begin counting. When you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at the same time.
The following day, when the meseukin climed up the tree, and inspected the trap, he found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest. Meseukin thought that all were dead and dicide to throw them to the ground. Meseukin had the parakeet king in his hand when a banana fell off. The bird scatteres all over the ground thought that it was the sound of the last thrown bird and flew away accordingly. Meseukin suddenly realized that he had been tricked. Then he returned home bringing the captured parakeet king.
Meseukin reared the parakeet king and put him in a beautiful cage. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers. They gave mesekuin a variety of gifts that made him rich and famous.
The king heared the news of parakeet. He then summoned mesekiun to the palace. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
Meseukin returned home carrying a lot of money and gifts. The king parakeet put in a luxurious cage.
Everyday the king spared his time to enjoy seeing the beautiful bird. One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way. When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.The parakeet could live happily again with his beloved friends.
ANALYZE:
1. Plot
• Exposition
1st to 2nd sentence:
Once upon a time was a boy whose name was meseukin. One day when he was in the forest gathering the firewood, he saw many parakeets around.
Analysis: because in these sentences the writer introduces the setting and the character of the story.
• Raising action
3rd to 30th sentence
Meseukin wanted to catch the birds and sell them at the market.
The following day he return. Need to the forest carrying a good supply of glue. He smeared the glue on each nest. Meseukin heard one bird returned to its nest and certain that the bird got trapped. When the sun set, the remaining birds returned to the nest and all were trapped.
The parakeet king realizing that all of them had been caught in trap said, “ Be calm! Lets pretend that we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. Since that very moment, you must begin counting. When you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at the same time.
The following day, when the meseukin climed up the tree, and inspected the trap, he found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest. Meseukin thought that all were dead and dicide to throw them to the ground. Meseukin had the parakeet king in his hand when a banana fell off. The bird scatteres all over the ground thought that it was the sound of the last thrown bird and flew away accordingly. Meseukin suddenly realized that he had been tricked. Then he returned home bringing the captured parakeet king.
Meseukin reared the parakeet king and put him in a beautiful cage. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers. They gave mesekuin a variety of gifts that made him rich and famous.
The king heared the news of parakeet. He then summoned mesekiun to the palace. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
Meseukin returned home carrying a lot of money and gifts. The king parakeet put in a luxurious cage.
Everyday the king spared his time to enjoy seeing the beautiful bird.
Analysis: because we can see that the problems start arise by his willi ng to catch the birds and sells them to the market. And also in this part we can see the problem that faced by the Parakeet King.
• Climax
31st sentence:
One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
Analysis: because in this part, climax, we can see the peak of the problem that will effect to the character and setting.
• Falling action
32nd to 33rd sentence:
The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way. When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.
Analysis: this part shows the effect of the climax toward setting and character:
a. The King was very sad.
b. The bird will be buried.
c. The bird flew away
• Conclusion
34th sentence:
The parakeet could live happily again with his beloved friends.
Analysis: it shows the ending of the story which is the main character was being happy.
2. Character
1. Parakeet King (Protagonist)
Type: Round Character
Analysis: because The Parakeet king has more than one characteristic. . It could seen as:
Fast responding: The parakeet king realizing that all of them had been caught in trap.
Smart: Lets pretend that we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. Since that very moment, you must begin counting. When you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at the same time.
Shrewd: When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.
Patient in running his days :
a. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers.
b. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted
See, how patient he is in running his days after he got catched by meseukin. Everyone still can hear his melodious voice.
Characterization: indirect, because the writer don’t tell the reader what character the parakeet king is
Method: dramatic, because the reader should find out the characterization by analyze through his speech, action, and interaction.
2. Mesekuin (Antagonist)
Type: Round Character
Analysis: because Mesekuin has characteristics not only one. It could seen as:
Bad: Meseukin wanted to catch the birds and sell them at the market.
Shrewd: He smeared the glue on each nest.
Careful: when the meseukin climed up the tree, and inspected the trap, he found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest.
Characterization: indirect characterization, because the reader should see the characteristics of the character by seeing their appearance. Method: dramatic, because the reader will know the characteristic only by seeing his speech, interaction, and action.
Method: dramatic, because readers can see the characteristic of the character through speech, action, and their interaction.
3. The King (Minor Character)
Type: Round Character
Analysis: The King has more than one characteristics. It could seen as:
Greedy : When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
Caring person:
1. The king parakeet put in a luxurious cage.
2. The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way
Characterization: indirect, because the writer don’t tell the reader simply about the character
Method: dramatic, because readers can see the characteristic of the character through speech, action, and their interaction.
4. Servant ( Minor,
Type: round character
Analysis: because the Servant has 2 characteristic that can be seen as:
• Faithful : One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
• Full trusted their king: The king was very sad and ordered his servant to bury the bird in proper way. When the bird was about to be buried, it flew away.
Characterization: indirect, because ther reader should find out the characteristic of the character by themselves.
Method: dramatic, because readers can see the characteristic of the character through speech, action, and their interaction.
5. Parakeets (Minor)
Type: Flat Character
Analysis: because the reader only see the characteristic by only one side.
◦ Full trusted their king:
When the king said that they have to pretend that they all die, mesekuin found out that all the birds were laying stiff in the nest.
(9th to 11th sentence and 15th sentence)
When the king said that they have to all immedately fly away at the same time when they hear the 99th dropped, they do it, eventhough they don’t know that the 99th dropped was bananas.
(14th sentence and 17th to 18th sentence)
Characterization:: indirect, because the writer don’t tell the reader simply about the character
Method: dramatic, because the reader should find out the characterization by analyze through his speech, action, and interaction.
3. Setting
a. At the forest
Type: neutral setting, because no spesific information about the forest included in the story.
In the forest, happened such as:
One day when he was in the forest gathering the firewood.........
When the sun set, the remaining birds returned to the nest and all were trapped.
b. At Mesekuin’s house
Type: neutral setting, because no spesific information about mesekuin’s house included in the story.
In his house happened such as:
Meseukin reared the parakeet king and put him in a beautiful cage. A lot of people came to his house to enjoy the melodious voice of the bird and seeing its beautiful feathers.
c. At the Palace
Type: neutral setting, because no spesific information about palace included in the story.
In the palace happened such as:
He then summoned mesekiun to the palace. When he saw the beautiful bird and listened to its melodious voice, the king got enchanted. He decided to buy the bird.
One day his servant came to inform him that the bird died.
d. Once upon a time
Type: neutral setting, because it does not has any spesific information.
e. One day
Type: neutral setting, because it does not has any spesific information.
f. The following day
Type: neutral setting, because it shows only general information of setting
g. On each nest
type: neutral setting, because no specific information that shown in this setting.
On each nest happened such as:
◦ Glue smeared.
◦ All the birds got trapped.
h. King Parakeet’s cage in Mesekuin’s house.
Type: neutral setting, because the writer does not tell the reader any spesific information or description about the cage. It just said as “beautiful cage”.
i. King Parakeet’s cage at the Palace
Type: neutral setting, because the writer does not tell the reader any spesific information or description about the cage. It just said as “luxurious cage”
4. Point of View
• This story’s point of view is third person point of view.
Analysis: because we can see on the story that the author uses “he” as a third person.
• The author uses the omniscient narrator
Analysis: because the narrator simply know everything just like God and he can enter main of any character and tells the reader what the character is thinking.
5. Style and Tone
• Denotation diction is used in this story.
Analysis: because the entire work using words that has dictionary meaning.
• Literal image is used in this story.
Analysis: because there is no connotation diction in the material so we do not need to change or extension in the meaning of the words.
• Syntax, the author uses complex sentence. We can see from the entire story.
• Tone, understatement uses in this story.
Analysis: because he treats the subject less seriously than most writers would.
6. Structure and technique
• Scenic tecnique
Analysis : bacause there is no simply detail of explanation of the setting. The narrator emphasize the presentation of the story.
• Dialogue
Analysis : Because we can find the dialogue in the third paragraph. “ Be calm! Lets pretend thet we all die! That man will then throw us to the ground. since that very moment, you must begin counting. when you hear the 99th drop, you must all immedately fly away at same time”.
7. Theme
The them of this story is about “the firmness of life”.
Analysis: because in this story we can see the firmness of the Parakeet King in running his live. Although he was catched by Mesekuin, he still sung melodiusly, so many people come to Mesekuin’s house to enjoyed the voice. The Parakeet King did not being stressed because of his problem happened. And also when he was being bought by the King, he still gave the melodious voice. We can see if he ready to fight with his fate and still have a clear idea to fly away.
REFERENCE
• Simon & Schuster.1966. How to Analyze Fiction. New York. Monarch Press
• http://www.ehow.com/info_8638540_7-key-elements-fiction.html#ixzz1c3OPYtdL
• http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/ficElmnts.html
• Listyarini,Ika. 1997. The Parakeet’s Trick. Jakarta:balai Pustaka
simple present tense
Simple Present Tense is a tens which function is to show habitual activity, to say the fact, to quote of book, article, etc, used in imperative sentence
Structure:
( + ) S + V1 + …..
S + V1 +s/es + ….
( - )S + V1 + do + not + ……
S + V1 + does + not + ….
(?) Does + S + V1 + ….?
Do + S + V1 + ….?
note
S = I, You, We, They, and plural subject
auxiliary verb used "do"
S= She, He, It, and singular subject
auxiliary verb used "does"
verb added by s/es
es only used in verb ended by O,CH,X,Z,Y(after consonant),S
example: do = does
look=looks
see=sees
example:
(+) we play footbal
(-) We don’t play football
(?) Do we play football?
(+) He speaks English
(-) He Does not speaks English
(?) Does he speak english?
Adverb of time :
Always, sometimes, usually, seldom, every.... , often, never, on… , in… , etc.
Structure:
( + ) S + V1 + …..
S + V1 +s/es + ….
( - )S + V1 + do + not + ……
S + V1 + does + not + ….
(?) Does + S + V1 + ….?
Do + S + V1 + ….?
note
S = I, You, We, They, and plural subject
auxiliary verb used "do"
S= She, He, It, and singular subject
auxiliary verb used "does"
verb added by s/es
es only used in verb ended by O,CH,X,Z,Y(after consonant),S
example: do = does
look=looks
see=sees
example:
(+) we play footbal
(-) We don’t play football
(?) Do we play football?
(+) He speaks English
(-) He Does not speaks English
(?) Does he speak english?
Adverb of time :
Always, sometimes, usually, seldom, every.... , often, never, on… , in… , etc.
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