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Language Focus

Language Functions

• Making Suggestionseg. Shall we do something on reading?

Shall we organize a Best ReaderCompetition?

• Giving InformationThe sportsmeet of the school ispostponed indefinitely.

• Asking for Informationeg. What shall we have for the Best

Reader Competition?

• Giving Instructionseg. Draft a similar announcement.

List the verb forms given.Listen and change roles.

Grammar

• Expressing future withis / are + ‘going to’

eg. We are going to have the English Day of our school in June.

• Expressing future passive withwill be + past participle eg. English Day 2009 of Vijitha

Maha Vidyalaya will be held on 10th June.

will have to be + past participle eg. The above competitions will

have to be completed by 30th May.

must be + past participle eg. Their names must be writtenclearly and certified by the respectiveclass teacher.

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Unit 02 Reading for Learning

Different types of reading materials.

ReadingSome materials we read are given in column ‘A’ and what they contain aregiven in column ‘B’. Match ‘A’ with ‘B’ and write them in your writing book.

A B

Magazine Stories about fairies.

Legend A printed publication daily or weekly containing news,advertisements and correspondence.

Newspaper A pamphlet or leaflet giving descriptive information.

Brochure A traditional story, sometimes historical, based onbeliefs or myths.

Fairy tales A publication containing articles and storieswith photographs and illustrations.

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a) Activity 2.1 (Group Work)

Reading / Speaking Read the role play given below and find the answers for the following questions.

1. What are the students of Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya going to have?2. Which grade is going to have a Best Reader Competition?3. What is the theme of the English Day?4. Why do they need a notice about the competition?5. What else do they need?

The Students of Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya are busy making arrangements fortheir English Day. Grade eight students are discussing their items with theirclass teacher.

Children : Good morning teacher!

Teacher : Good morning children, I have some special news for you today.

We are going to have the English Day of our school in June this

year.

Sita : What are the items we are going to have on that day, teacher?

Nizam : Shall we do something on reading?

Teacher : That’s good. The theme of this year’s English Day is ‘Reading

maketh a full man’. We can have an item related to that theme.

Deva : Shall we organize a Best Reader Competition?

Teacher : That’s fine.

Nizam : How can we do it teacher?

Teacher : First, you need a notice giving details, rules and deadlines of the

competition.

Sita : What else do we need, Deva?

Deva : I think we also need an announcement to be read at the assembly,

and a poster giving information about the competition.

Teacher : You are quite right, Deva.

b) Now practise the role play in your groups. Your teacher will help you.

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Activity 2.2 Reading Notices

• Copy the grid given into your writing book • Read the notices carefully and record the relevant information in the grid. If the information is not given, write ‘not given.’

Notice 4The Prize Giving of the college will be held on 28th July 2009 at 3.00 p.m. in themain hall. The Chief Guest will be Mr. T.M. Perumal the Zonal Education Officer.Thestudents are expected to be in the main hall before 2.45 p.m.

The Organizing Committee.Vijitha M.V., 22nd July 2009.

Notices 1 2 3 4MessageTo whomBy whomVenueDate

Notice 1The sportsmeet of the school scheduled for25th March 2009 is postponed. Studentswill be informed of the new date and thetime as soon as possible. Games Captain, Mirissa M.V., 18 March 2009.

Notice 2There will be a specialtalk on‘The Advantagesof Reading’ organizedby the Junior EnglishLiterary Union of theSchool. The talk will begiven by Mr. C. P.Rajapakse, a scholar inthis field.It will be heldin the school auditoriumon Wednesday 27 th

July 2009 at 9.30 a.m.All members of theJunior Literary Unionare welcome.

The Secretary,Junior Literary Union,Katunayake M.V.23 July 2009.

Notice 3The library will be open from 9.00 a.m. to2.30 p.m. The students can return andborrow books before 1.00 p.m.Thebooks must be returned on time. All thebooks returned after the due date will befined.

The Librarian,Mahanama College, 15 February 2009.

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Activity 2.3 Here is the notice prepared by Deva, giving details, rules and deadlines of the competitions of the English Day 2009. Read the notice carefully.

When we write “Notices” and “Invitations” we can use the following phrases.

eg. i. will be + past participlewill be held.will be organized.

eg. ii. will + have to be + past participlewill have to be given

eg. iii. should / must + be + past participleshould be + toldmust be + given

Notice

The English Day 2009 of Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya will be held on10th June 2009.The following competitions will be organized by the respective grades.

Item GradeSinging 12Debate 11Drama 10Speech 09Creative writing 08Best reader 07Handwriting 06

The above competitions will have to be completed by 30th May 2009. The namesof the winners of the competitions will have to be given to the organizing committeeon or before 30th May 2009. Their names must be written clearly, correctly andcertified by the respective class teacher. Certificates and prizes will be awarded tothe winners on the English Day.

…………………………SecretaryThe Organizing Committee.

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Read the sentences and practise the structures.

1. The meeting will be held on Monday.

2. The sportsmeet will be organized by the sports club.

3. The singing competition will have to be completed before the end of July.

4. The books must be distributed before December.

5. The students should be told to obey their teachers.

Activity 2.4 Writing

Use the above underlined verb phrases and make similar sentences on one of the events - the Prize Giving, the Parents’ Day, an Exhibition, a Shramadana Campaign. Follow the guidelines given. Write the sentences in your writing book.

- When?- Where?- Who will organise ............?- What will be given for refreshments?

Activity 2.5 Writing

Fill in the blanks with a suitable word or a phrase and complete the notice given below. Copy it into your writing book.

NoticeThe English Day of …………… will be ............... (hold) on ………………..The

…………….. , …………….. and ……………..competitions and a ……………

…………….. contest …………….. (organize) by the …………….. . These items

…………….. (complete) before 30th May 2009. The names of winners

…………….. (give) to the Organizing …………….. . The winners will be given

certificates and valuable prizes.

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Activity 2.6 (Pair Work)

Speaking / WritingWrite a notice under LOST.

Describe :The appearanceBreedGive it a nameGive date, time and place where it was lostOffer a rewardGive contact address or phone numberPresent your notice to the classDisplay your notice in the class. (you may draw a suitable picture)

Activity 2.7 Reading / Writing

Read the story and answer the questions given below.

One day while I was walking along the road I saw a black leather purselying on the pavement. I picked it up and opened it to see if I could find out theowner’s name. There were some hundred rupee notes, a photograph – a pictureof a family with two young girls, an old woman and an old man with two kids. I

put the photograph back and tookthe purse to the police station. Ihanded it over to the police officerin charge of lost articles. Before Ileft he made a note of my name andaddress and I had to give details ofwhen and where I found it.

That evening I went to adinner at my aunt’s. They hadinvited another family. There were

two young girls and two kids there. The members of this family were quite familiarbut I couldn’t remember where I had seen them. I was sure that we had not metbefore. In the course of the conversation the old gentleman said that he lost hispurse that afternoon. Then I suddenly remembered where I had seen them. Theywere the ones in the photograph. I related my story. I told them that I handed

This dog is lost.

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over the purse to the police. My uncle wanted to go to the police stationimmediately to claim the purse. I too went with them.The police officer laughedand handed over the purse saying that he wished more people were like mebringing not only lost goods but their owners as well .

(adapted from Donn Byrne – Intermediate Comprehension Passages – LongmanGroup Ltd.)

(1) Choose the best answer.a. The purse which the writer found

(i) had no money in it.(ii) had some money in it.(iii) had some hundred rupee notes and a photograph in it.(iv) had two identity cards.

b. The writer recognised the family because(i) he had met them somewhere earlier.(ii) he had seen their photograph.(iii) they often had dinner at the same place.(iv) the family recognized the writer.

(2) Write five questions that the police officer would have asked the narrator.(3) Give short answers to the following questions.

a) Did the writer find the owner’s identity card in the purse?b) Were the members of the other family surprised when the writer described the purse?c) Where did they go to get the purse back?

(4) VocabularyChoose the best explanation according to the context.

a) familiar means(i) uncommon (ii) known(iii) popular (iv) domestic

b) immediately means(i) hurriedly (ii) soon(iii) without loss of time (iv) as soon as possible

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Role Play

Nizam : What shall we have for the Best Reader Competition?

Deva : We can give lists of different supplementary readers for each grade

from six upwards.

Sita : We’ll get the selected reading material from the library with the

help of our teachers.

Anne : Yes, the competitors can borrow them from the library, and prepare

themselves for the competition.

Sita : Then we can select the Best Reader from each grade and give

prizes.

Deva : Ah! How can we do it by ourselves?

Sita : No. I didn’t mean that.

Nizam : Well in that case, we’ll ask the teachers to give us the list of books

and give the necessary instructions to the children about the

competition.

Sita : Finally our English teachers can select the winners.

Anne : How can we find money to buy the prizes for the winners?

Deva : Funds can be collected from the parents, donors and well-wishers.

Sita : That’s right. We’ll have a lovely competition.

Activity 2.8 Reading / Writing

Read the role play again and fill in the blanks with suitable words.

There will be a ________ for the students from grade ________ . The organizersare going to give ________ for the ________ . Their ________ teachers will give a________ to select the ________ . Funds will be collected from the ________ ,________ and ________ . Children can borrow books from the library.

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Teacher : ……………………….......... (asks Deva to prepare the notice)Deva : ……………………………... (agrees to prepare the notice)

Teacher :………………………………(asks Anne when she is going to prepare the announcement)Anne : ………………………………(tells the date)

Teacher :……………………………………(asks the children to suggest good reading materialfor the competition)Children : …………………………………… (answer)

Activity 2.9 (Group Work)

Speaking / WritingNow write the dialogue between the teacher and these students. Once youhave practised in your group, present the role play to the class.

Match A with B and write sentences in the writing book as shown in theexample below.

Example - I will recite a poem on the next English Day.

a poema speecha songa booka story

A B

1. narrate 2. recite 3. deliver 4. sing 5. read

Teacher : ………………………………… (asks what they are going to include in theposter)Sita & Nizam : ……………………………….. (answer)

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Activity 2.10 Reading and Matching / Writing

a) Look at the cover pages of some of the books selected for the BestReader Competition. Read the description of the cover pages.

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b)Guess the cover page and complete the sentence.

The cover page gives the title of the story. It does not have the name of the author. Thepicture gives us an idea of the story. At the bottom it tells us the level of reading. Thatis given in capitals. It is ...................

c) In Groups write a description of a cover page in your writing book.

d) Match the authors with the titles of the books and write a few sentences on each as shown in the example.

Title Author

The Emperor’s New Clothes Hans Christian Andersen

Hamlet Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist Not given

Robinson Crusoe Hans Christian Anderson

Beauty and the Beast Daniel Defoe

The King of the Golden River William Shakespeare

e.g. - - - - - - - - - was written by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -No one knows who first related the story of - - - - - - - -. It is - - - - - - - - -

e) Select a story book that you like from the library and write a short account of it in about fifty words.

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Activity 2.11Reading / Writing

a) Here are some of the reasons why we like reading different materials. Read them carefully.

Some like historical stories because • they tell of the past events of a nation.• they are related to their lives.• they help to trace the development of countries.• they describe the brave deeds of kings.

Some like adventure stories because • they are thrilling.• they are unusual.• they are exciting.• the characters take risks.

Some students like novels because • there are interesting characters in these stories.• they are long stories.• characters and events relate to life.• they are not expensive.

Some students like dramas because • the actors make them laugh.• of their actions.• it is audio visual.• they are short.

b) Given below is a list of different types of reading materials.Write sentences giving reasons for your choice of different reading material. The above ‘Reading’ text may help you. You may use the words : as / because / since.

a) Adventure stories b) Books of travelc) Historical books d) Books on Inventionse) Newspapers/magazines/ articles f) Fairy talesg) Short stories h) Novelsi) Short Plays j) Science fiction

eg : I like reading adventure stories because they are thrilling.

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Activity 2.12 (Pair Work)

a) ListeningCopy the following form into your writing book.

Here is Anne’s announcement. Read it and complete the form. It must bedone in pairs. One may read the announcement and the other can completethe form.

b) Reading / WritingRead the following verb forms given in Anne’s announcement. Constructsimilar sentences related to your school and write them in your writing book.

(i) Maha Oya Light House School is going to have an Essay Competition forgrade eight students to mark the English Day celebrations of 2009.

(ii) The topics for the respective grades will be put on the notice board.(iii) The competition will be held in the second week of June.(iv) The winners will be given certificates and valuable prizes.

Announcement

Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya is going to have a Best Reader Competition forgrade eight students to mark the English Day Celebrations 2009. Booksselected for the respective grades are in the library. The students areexpected to borrow them from the library and read them. Each student isexpected to read at least two books by the end of May. A test will beheld in the first week of June and the winners will be given certificates andprizes on the English Day. For further details contact the librarian.

i. Name of the school -ii. Name of the grade -iii. Name of the event -iv. Where books are available -v. What has to be done to enter the competition -vi. Important dates -vii. Further details that can be obtained from the librarian -viii. Conclusion -

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Thirty days hath September,April June and November.All the rest have thirty one,Except February alone,Which has but twenty-eight daysAnd twenty nine,in each leap year.

Monday’s child is fair of face,Tuesday’s child is full of graceWednesday’s child is full of woe,Thursday’s child has far to go,Friday’s child is loving and givingSaturday’s child works hard for its livingBut a child that is born on a SundayIs fair and wise and good and gay.

A B

Activity 2.13 Reading

a) Recite the two rhymes given below with correct stress and intonation. Your teacher will help you.

(Pair Work)b) Read rhyme ‘A’ and ask questions from your partner to get the answers from the rhyme as given in the example.

Example:X : On which day were you born?Y : I was born on a Wednesday.X : So,aren’t you a child full of woe?

Read rhyme ‘B’ again. Write sentences in your writing book for all the monthsas given in the example.

Example:There are thirty days for the month of September.

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Tuna Shark

Activity 2.14 (Pair Work)

Reading / Speaking

Tuna and Shark are on their way to school.* Read the Conversation between them.* Practise the dialogue.

Tuna : Come on , Shark. Hurry up. You are late today.

Shark : I missed the bus.

Tuna : Why? What happened?

Shark : I read an interesting book on fairies till late last night.

Tuna : Can I have a look at it?

Skark : It’s in my bag. I’m going to return it to the library today. Then

you can borrow it.

Tuna : What’s the title of the book?

Shark : It’s ‘The Sleeping Beauty’.

Tuna : Ha...ha..., That’s why you had a sound sleep last night.

Shark : Oh! If you read it, you will also have a good sleep.

Tuna : Now I feel like reading it very much.

Shark : Shall we run to the library quickly?

Tuna : That’s good.

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Activity 2.15 a) Reading

Read the following text about the months of the year.

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today. It wasfirst proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius. It was decreed by Pope GregoryX11I on 24 February 1582. The calendar was named as ‘The Gregorian calendar’because it was decreed by pope Gregory X111. The months of the year of this calendarare January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October,November and December. People have been using this calendar since 24 February1582.

b) Reading / WritingHere are the origins of the English names of the months used in the Gregoriancalendar. Match the months in A with their origins in B and write sentencesin your writing book as given in the example.

A BJanuary Decem (Latin for ten)February Septem ( Latin for seven)March Janus (Roman god of gates)April Juno ( Roman Goddess, wife of Jupiter)May Aprilis (mensis) Latin for “month of Venus”June Julius Caesar (Roman Dictator)July Februs (Etruscan god of death)August Octo (Latin for eight)September Mars (Roman God of war)October Augustus (First Roman emperor)November Maia Maiestas (Roman goddess)December Novem (Latin for nine)

Example : January is the first month of the year.It is named after Janus, the Roman God of Gates.

c) Writing Learn the Sinhala / Tamil names for the months of the year. Find out the associations for each month. Write them in your writing book.

eg. The month of May is called Vesak. The Vesak fullmoon day is aninternational holiday. It is associated with Lord Buddha.

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Activity 2.16 (Pair Work) a) Speaking / Writing

Given below is an incomplete dialogue that Araliya (tree) had with the Margosa(Kohomba tree). Complete the dialogue and practise it with your partner.

Araliya : Hello ! How are you this morning?

Margosa : I’m fine and how are you ?

Araliya : I’m fine too. Thank you.

Margosa : ............................................................... (asks Araliya why she is in a happy mood)

Araliya : ................................................................................................. ( says children who go to Dhamma School come to her)

Margosa : ............................................................................................... (asks why they come to her)

Araliya : ................................................................................................. (says : to take her flowers to the temple)

Margosa : .............................................................................................. ( says: she is also very happy about Araliya)

Araliya : .....................................................(says : Margosa is also very useful tothe villagers)

Margosa : ......................................................................................................................(says : She is happy to help the villagers)

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WantedCasual workerscall: 2291540

b) ReadingNewspapers consist of a lot of news items. Given below are different kindsof advertisements. Read them and answer the questions given on the nextpage in your writing book.

Newspaper Advertisements

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Activity 2.17 a) Writing

Select the correct answer from a, b, c, or d from 1-4 and write it in yourwriting book.

1) There is a sale for a (a) motor bicycle, (b) car, (c) van, (d) jeep for Rs 89,000/=

2) There are jobs advertised fora) Telephone Operator/ Teacher/ Computer Operatorb) Telephone Operator/ Receptionist/ Computer Operator / Washing Quality

Controllerc) Telephone Operator/ Computer Operator/ Electrician/ Driverd) Telephone Operator/ Receptionist/ Computer Operator / Doctor

3) The lottery results advertised area) i. Development lottery, ii.Lakmina Vasanab) i. Development Fortune ii. Viduravic) i. Development Fortune ii. Suwasethad) i. Vasana Sampatha ii. Sethmaga

4) An experienced electrician is wanted for a company. Fax your bio-data toa) 2448786 b) 2447886 c) 2446788 d) 2448876

5) Find the name of the company that gives the Trophy------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Group Work)

b) WritingRead Anne’s announcement again.

Draft an announcement for the English Day of your school in your writingbook. You can select any item for the competition poetry / essay / singing ,poster etc.Follow the ‘Announcement’ given in this unit as a model.

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Reading stories is very interesting and exciting. Here is a part ofthe story from one of the stories given on the cover page of the titlesof books.

* Read it and guess what the title is.* Relate the story to the class in your own words.* Look for the book in the library and read the story to the end.* Read the other books, the titles of which are given on page 34

and enjoy yourself.

I was born in the city of York in the year 1632. When I was still a

boy, I wanted to go to sea. But my father would not let me go. I stayed at

home till I was a young man. Then some friends asked me to go to sea

with them. I went without asking my father, trusting in God to help me, Iwent to sea.Our ship was a small one, carrying fifteen men.

It was sailing to Africa. At the beginning, theweather was good and the winds was

favourable. Later on, a terrible storm arose. Our

ship was driven here and there. Its sails weretorn and some parts of the ship were broken.

For twelve days the storm continued. On the

thirteenth day, we sighted land.

“Land!” we all shouted with great joy.

Enrichment

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Activity 2.18 Listening / Reciting

Poems make beautiful images. An image is a picture that you can make inyour mind. Read and enjoy this funny poem.

A Strange World

What a strange worldIf fishes went to school !And the boys and girls,Spent all the daySwimming in the pool.

How strange if treesCould walk and talk,And flowers couldDance and sing.

How strange ifElephants could fly,Oh! What a funny thing.

1. Do you think that this poem is really funny? Write five reasons in your writing book.

2. Write a similar poem and show it to the teacher.

3. Recite the poem aloud to the class.