EARTH HEALERS LESSON PLANS

LESSON PLAN Chapter 2: The Underground Rat

THIS lesson plan is for Chapter 2 of "Earth Healers" by Cyan Abad-Jugo (p. H4, Learning, Inquirer, Sept. 17, 2012). This is Group 2's output during the IIE Teachers' Workshop, with revisions by teacher Marnelli Bautista of Kabayanan Elementary School in San Juan. Teachers, parents and students: Feel free to use the entire plan or just parts of it. I. Objectives A. Analyze characters through differentiated activities. B. Unlock difficult words through context and picture clues. C. Write a letter to a character in the story. D. Identify the emotions being expressed in the statements, pictures, and other media. II. Subject Matter A. Chapter 2 The Underground Rat Analyzing characters through graphic organizers Writing Skills Identifying emotions expressed in statements, pictures, and other media B. Philippine Daily Inquirer Learning Section Earth Healers by Cyan Abad-Jugo Value Integration: Compassion C. Pictures, video clips, exercises, art materials, graphic organizers III. Learning Activities A. Pre-reading activities 1. Motivation The class will answer the first column of the KWL chart. The teacher may use guide questions if necessary.

KNOW Parts, features of a rat What do you know about a rat? How does a rat look? What do rats do? Where do you usually find rats?
2. Vocabulary Development

WANT

LEARNED

***

***

The teacher will use context clues for the first two items and picture clues for the last three items. a. beckoned The teacher beckoned to the students who seemed to have forgotten the next scene for their acting class on stage. What could the teacher do to beckon to the students? What does beckon mean? 1. To nod or gesture 2. To reprimand 3. To smile 4. To greet b. jolted My naughty cousin jolted his kid sister who was busy reading a story book.

1. ran 2. kissed 3. amazed 4. moved in a jerky or abrupt manner How did the kid sister react after she was jolted? What does jolted mean? c. whiskers The cats whiskers framing its mouth are as soft as its fur. 1. mouth 2. tail 3. body 4. bristles or hairs growing on the side of the mouth of an animal D. forepaw The lion attacked and it raised its forepaw . It caught the animal by surprise. What could be the equivalent of a forepaw in a human being? 1. Front limb of an animal 2. Back limb of an animal 3. Hind leg of an animal 4. wings E. cavern The cavern is big enough to house a group of mountaineers stranded on their journey. 1. space 2. lobby 3. enclosure 4. natural underground chamber/cave Where can you find caverns? What does cavern mean? 3. Raising of the Motive Question The students will construct their own questions based on the title of Chapter 2 or from what they still remember from Chapter 1, in order to set the purpose for reading.

KNOW ***

WANT The teacher may either write the question on the board or allow the students to write on the board themselves.

LEARNED ***

B. During Reading Activities Readers Theater (Pre-select some students to read specific story parts.) C. Post-Reading Activities 1. Complete the KWL chart. The class will have to go back to the KWL chart and check the questions that were answered from the Want column. Then, they will have to write down what else have they learned from the story. 2. Comprehension Check-up a. Whose voice did Jopi hear as they went home in their tricycle? What did it say? b. Who is Mang Celso? What happened to him according to Mang Pedring? c. Who visited Jopi in the middle of the night? What did it want to do with him? d. How did Jopi manage to go out with Tim without being seen by his parents? e. If you were Jopi, would also go out with Tim or not? Why? f. What details in the story would tell you of the dangers at the mines? 3. Differentiated activities The class will be divided into six groups to do different activities. a. Dress-a-character Task: Choose a member to be dressed up as Tim, the Rat. Use any available materials to fit the description in the story. Provide a line or two that Tim can say in order to convince Jopi to come with him to the mines. b. Different Perspective Task: Fill out the graphic organizer below from the point of view of Tim to come up with a position statement

regarding the mining activity in Mount Zoilo. (Please see the last page.) c. Create-a-scene Task: Act out a scene of how other animals and creatures can get the attention of Jopi and signal him for help like what the tree spirits and Tim did in the story. d. Character Report Card Task: Evaluate the character of Jopi with regards to his actions and feelings in the story. Write at least five adjectives and his corresponding grade for each. Provide one detail in the story that will support the grade you will give in your oral explanation. e. Interview with Mang Celso Task: Choose two members to act as Mang Celso and a news reporter. Use at least ten WH and YN questions to conduct an interview about his experiences as a victim of a mining accident. f. Character Monologue Task: Choose one member to act as another victim of a mining accident. She/he will narrate her/his experiences using past tense of the verbs. Provide props and sound effects if necessary. F. Reading-Writing Connection Choose any of the activities below: 1. Write a letter of support to any of the characters that you identify with in the story. Indicate your feelings and insights about what they did in the story and the reason why you are supporting them. 2. Write a get-well letter to Mang Celso. Discuss your feelings about the accident that took place and how you might want to help him in any way possible. 3. Write a wish list to Tim, the Rat. Choose a controversial or problematic place you wish to visit and convince him why he should accompany you there. G. Skill Development 1. Using statements Directions: Choose from the word below the emotion that is best expressed in the following statements. a. Will I ever be as good as my father? Maybe Ill never amount to anything. I am such a loser. b. Gee, the talent scouts are coming to town. I better prepare for my solo act. My moment has finally arrived. c. What a day! I failed in my Math quiz, I lost my favorite ballpen and now, my best friend wouldnt talk to me. But, guess what? This day shall pass and tomorrow will be another day. d. Oh, what did I do to deserve your kindness? This cake is my favorite and you bought it for me. You are such an angel. Thank you. e. I cant see why in the world you would buy an expensive gadget. You dont even have a regular job yet. f. It is already half past 8:00. If she is coming, she should have been here an hour ago. I wonder if she is really planning to join us. confused hopeful 2. Using pictures Directions: Form a triad. Choose any picture from the newspaper that elicits a specific emotion. Identify that emotion and explain the detail in the picture that best illustrates it. 3. Using multi-media Directions: Watch the following excerpts from a video. (The teacher will show at least 5 video clips) What emotion is being expressed by the characters? If you were there in the scene, how would you have reacted? Act it out in the class. H. Application (Using the Inquirer) 1. Look at the editorial cartoon. Discuss among your group mates the emotion that is highlighted in the issue. Explain the connection of the emotion to the drawing. (3 groups will work on this.) 2. Find a news story that features attachment of humans to animals. Compare the similarity to the story where Tim sought the help of Jopi so he could better understand the real scenario underneath the mines. (The remaining 3 groups will work on this.) I. Generalization What factors do you consider in getting the emotion being expressed by a character? J. Evaluation excited doubtful disappointed surprised

Directions: Complete the following statements. Write the appropriate emotion and explain your answer. 1. I feel ________ for Jopi because ________________________________. 2. I feel ________ for Tim because ________________________________. 3. I feel ________ for Mang Celso because __________________________. 4. I feel ________ for the people of Mount Zoilo because ______________. 5. I feel ________ after reading the story because _____________________. K. Assignment Create a mask that bears a single emotion. Be ready with a line or two that can go with that emotion and present it in class.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2012

Unless . . .
THE most important word in "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss, I think, is "unless" and if you've read the book, you'll most probably agree with me on this. "Unless someone cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

I made the mistake of attributing this quote to the Lorax in my story in the Learning section of the Feb. 27th Inquirer. The words are actually from an older, poorer, wiser and contrite Once-ler, a central character in this cautionary tale from the universally beloved Dr. Seuss. If you haven't read the book and if you have children in the house who haven't either, I suggest you get a copy and read it (easy at 71 pages) before you all go see the movie, which is scheduled to be shown in March. "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" owes its animated 3D version to Universal and Illumination Entertainment, the same team that brought us the immensely wicked and enjoyable "Despicable Me". It features the voices of Danny DeVito as the Lorax, Zac Efron as the boy Ted, Taylor Swift as the girl Audrey, Betty White as the grandma, and Ed Helms as the Once-ler. The book says nothing about why the boy has wandered into the Street of the Lifted Lorax, but the movie gives him a reason for being there. "It' a girl, right?" guesses the Once-ler whom the boy seeks out for information on where he can get a real tree. You see, where Ted and Audrey live (Thneed-ville in the new movie) there are no trees, this being long after the Once-ler and his factory have denuded and degraded the place. Now the town is entirely artificial but for the folks who live there. Thus Audrey's fondest wish is to see a real truffula tree. The boy has no name in the book, and the girl is not even in the original story, but both are given names in the movie. I like it that they are named after Dr. Seuss, whose real name is Theodore Seuss Geisel (Ted for short), and his wife Audrey. I've read that Geisel's widow gave a lot of input during the filming, so I have high hopes that this won't be one of those movies that are disastrously far removed from the original material. Dr. Seuss first published "The Lorax" in 1971, long before Al Gore became the poster boy for global warming due to all kinds of human abuse of the planet. The story is amusing for its use of invented words and clever rhymes, a Seuss trademark (great for teaching phonetic reading to beginning readers) and distinctive illustrations (the trees, in candy colors, look delicious enough to eat). Beyond this whimsical presentation, however, is a message that seems to have been made to-order for the present time. Massive floodings? Frequent landslides? We all know what brings about these disasters. "I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues," says the Lorax to the enterprising Once-ler who has started to cut down the truffula trees at an alarming speed to mass produce "thneeds" or "the things that man needs". We all know that many "thneeds" are really not "needs" but "wants," don't we? Unlike the Lorax, however, we don't put up a fight. The Once-ler, consumed by greed, doesn't heed the pleas of the Lorax and plunders what is once a paradise for the brown Barbaloots, the Swamee Swans and the Humming Fish. Trees are felled not just to make thneeds but also to make way for a factory and houses for the families who work the assembly line. Soon after the last truffula tree is axed down, the place turns into a ghost town, breaking the Lorax's heart so bad it lifted itself up and out a hole in the sky. Is there salvation for the world after this? Fret not because from Dr. Seuss' pen always comes a stroke of hope. The Once-ler, that dirty scoundrel, has saved a tiny truffula tree seed, it turns out. And this is where the "unless" quote comes in handy.

Dr. Seuss came out with a short-film version of "The Lorax" for television in 1972. Logging companies vehemently fought the airing of the short animation, so I've read, and that was that. Almost two decade later, when people had become more concerned about the environment, "The Lorax" was re-issued on VHS format, just in time for my children to enjoy it in their childhood years. A remastered deluxe edition of this short-film in DVD format was released on Valentine's Day. Also, a pop-up edition of the book. As for the new full-length 3D movie, it will be screened in the United States on March 2 on the occasion of the 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss. It is slated for showing locally on March 14, which is too bad because by then the kids will be deep in final exams, if not already off on vacation. There won't be time for teachers to use "The Lorax" story to teach about conservation, about materialism and about the ill effects of progress. I remember infecting a gifted class of fifth and sixth graders with my enthusiasm for Dr. Seuss. They had as much fun with "The Lorax" as I did teaching it, and what was nice was, well, it wasn't empty fun. (We also took up "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" in this Language Arts class around Christmas.) Unfortunately, I cannot find my lesson plans for these Seuss stories, or I would have posted them here. But I know they will turn up one day when I'm not looking for them and when they do, I will definitely share them with our readers. The possibilities for teaching a classic like "The Lorax" are almost limitless. You can plan all kinds of ageappropriate activities for the kids in their art, science, language and values classes. And the teaching doesn't have to be left to classroom teachers only. Parents will get as much satisfaction from imparting to their kids the ideas and values in both the book and the movie. "The Lorax" is definitely a family story and will make for a great dinner-time family discussion. The local distributors of "The Lorax," United International Pictures and Solar Entertainment, have teamed up with Greenpeace on a massive eco-awareness contest for students. For more, check out the Feb. 27, 2012 Learning section story on "The Lorax" (just click on the blue title).

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012

IN THIS CORNER: InqSpots for Schools

In the Inquirer Learning Corner program, public schools will receive free subscriptions to the Inquirer through the sponsorship of readers (individuals, groups, corporations, etc.) The newspaper copies will be kept in a permanent place in the school where they can be made easily accessible to students and teachers, Monday to Friday from June to March. What does a public school have to do get into the program? The school must determine the permanent nook or corner it wants to transform into an Inquirer Learning Corner (ILC or Inqspot), which may be situated in the library, hall or cafeteria. It must designate a teacher-in-charge (TIC) of the Inqspot. The TIC must submit a photograph of the ILC to the Inquirer Learning editor, indicating in the caption the following information: school name, school address, telephone number, fax number, email address, number of students, name of principal, and name of TIC. The TIC will be responsible for receiving the copies daily and for displaying these in the Inqspot, making sure these are accessible to students and teachers all day. The TIC will also look after the cleanliness and safety of the corner. In addition, the TIC will coordinate with the Inquirers Learning editor on the scheduling of Inquirer in Education workshops for the teachers. What is the responsibility of the Inquirer? Inquirer will provide a logo for the news reading corner and a peg where to hang the donated copies. It will also hold workshops for teachers on how to use the newspaper in classroom teaching. The papers circulation team will see to the delivery of the sponsored copies on school days during the school year. At the opening of each Inqspot an Inquirer editor will be present and the subscription sponsor will be invited to meet the students and perhaps have a discussion with them. Inquirer will acknowledge school subscription sponsors through feature stories to be published in the Learning section. How can readers help support public education through the program? An individual or a group of individual readers who wish to donate copies of the Inquirer to a public school Inqspot will have to pay for a minimum of five (5) copies of the Inquirer daily, Monday to Friday, from June to March, to be delivered to a school of choice or one on the ILC programs list of partner schools. The cost of the copies will be paid in full at the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement among the sponsor, the school and Inquirer. A sponsor may designate the recipient school provided that the school meets the requirements set above. A supporter may sponsor subscription for one school or as many schools as preferred, but every subscription must be for an entire school year. Who can become a sponsor? Corporations, owner-managed businesses, foundations, civic or church groups, alumni, and individual readers to whom learning is important and who want to help improve public education. How will public school students benefit from this program? The aim of the ILC is to create a place in every public school in the country where students and teacher can read the newspaper and discuss the news and issues of the day. A study in the United States has found that students who used the newspaper in class scored up to 10 points higher on standardized tests than students who did not (http://www.wan-press.org/nie/articles.php?id=432). Also, there is much evidence that the students who are exposed to the newspaper at an early age become readers for life. They grow into adults who are better informed about current events, are sharper critical thinkers, and are more involved in charity, community and political activities. When students are taught to read, understand and analyze the news, they become well-informed individuals who know their rights, are open to new ideas and make informed decisions.

Partner teachers in the Inquirer in Education program who have used the newspaper to teach the class a serialized story in the Learning section have learned from first-hand experience that students may be introduced to newspaper reading without boring them to tears. The students got so used to reading the newspaper that, after the eight-week series, they began to miss the newspaper. For more information, call Inquirer trunkline at 8978808 and ask for the Marketing Department or text 09183824061. Or email learning@inquirer.com.ph.