MODULE

on
“Sing to the Dawn”

NAME : __________________________________________

FORM : __________________________________________

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR...

Minfong Ho is an award-winning Chinese–American writer. Her various types of writing

frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries. Her stories
are always set against the backdrop of real events, such as the student movement in Thailand in
the 1970s and the Cambodian refugee problem with the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime at
the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. Her simple yet touching language and her optimistic themes
have made her writing popular among children as well as young adults. Minfong Ho was the
winner of S.E.A. Write Award in 1996.

Sing To The Dawn by Minfong Ho

SYNOPSIS
The story is about a young Thai girl called Dawan, living in a small village, who won a
scholarship to study in a city middle school. She faced the disapproval of her father who
thought that studying was not for girls and she should have given the scholarship to her
brother as he was second in the test. Dawan tried many ways to persuade her father to
let her further her studies. She fought for her right to get basic education to see more of
the world beyond her small village. Even though she failed many times, she managed to
convince her father in the end. When the bus arrived to take her to the city, she almost
changed her mind because she was reluctant to leave everything and everyone in the
village. After her grandmother convinced her, she finally went, leaving the village behind
her to pursue her dream.

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A village Thai family

Typical village boys

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A Thai girl in school uniform The city

Note :
‘Sing to the Dawn is set in a time period in which
women are considered inferior to men and are perceived
to be undeserving of education.’

CHAPTER SUMMARIES
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Dawan (14 years old) and Kwai (13 years old) spent the morning talking about
the scholarship to study in a city school.
1 Kwai was quite hopeful and Dawan felt that she would not get the scholarship
because she was a girl.
Their parents thought that it was foolish and wasteful to send girls to school.
The teacher asked his students what they saw beneath their houses in the
morning.
He had a long discussion with the students about the landlord taking away sacks
of rice beneath their houses.
2
The headmaster headed to their class and listened to the discussion before
going off.
The teacher and students discussed what they should do if they won the
scholarship.
The teacher announced that Dawan won the scholarship.

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 The classmates surrounded Dawan as soon as they heard that she won the
scholarship.
Kwai was unhappy and upset that Dawan won the scholarship, not him.
Dawan told her family that she got the scholarship and that made her father
angry.
3 He accused Dawan of taking her own brother's chance away from him.
Dawan’s mother was reluctant to give her opinion (being scared and loyal to her
husband).
Dawan's grandmother however supported her.
Dawan and her grandmother planned to go to Noi's house. However, halfway
there, Dawan's mother decided to go with Dawan instead of her grandmother -
her grandmother was too old and it was a long journey (3 kilometres) to walk
under the hot sun.
The conversation at Noi’s house - Dawan’s mother, Noi (Dawan’s cousin, 5-6
years older than her, married and had a small baby) and Ghan (Noi’s husband).
Noi said that going to the city was useless, not good and not healthy. She went
to the city to work, not to study but had to come back home because the city was
an ugly and cruel place to work.
Ghan worked in the city as part of a work crew.
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Noi and Ghan tried to discourage Dawan from going to the city because it would
bring more harm than good.
Mr Phaspras (Army officer) made a deal with Noi's family in order not to take
Ghan into the army (Noi and Ghan had to pay him a lot of money)
After listening to what Noi and Ghan said, Dawan was still determined to go to
the city.
Kwai was upset when he knew that Dawan and their mother went to see Noi and
Ghan.
Kwai and Dawan argued over the issue of winning the scholarship.
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Kwai came in second in the examination but he was hoping to go to the city.
At the same time, Kwai was scared of telling their father his result because
Dawan might not be allowed to go. He was in a confused state.
Dawan's father was very unapproachable. He did not want her to go to the city.
He thought that boys going to the city to study would be better than girls.
Kwai was hopeful after he heard that.
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Dawan’s father would not listen to her reasons. She decided to see the gentle
old monk of the village temple. Maybe he could influence her father to change
his mind.
Dawan went to the busy and crowded marketplace alone early in the morning
because she wanted to meet the monk at the temple.
She met a girl, Bao who sold lotus buds and caged sparrows.
Dawan wanted to buy a lotus bud but Bao gave it for free to her.
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She also wanted to free a caged bird to make merit but she did not have enough
money (only ten cents).

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 From their conversation, Dawan found out that Bao was Vichai’s sister (Dawan’s
classmate – the boy who sat behind her in class).
Dawan went to see the old monk/head monk/elderly abbot in the temple.
They talked in the open courtyard outside the temple.
Dawan's teacher and the old monk were good friends, so he already told the
monk about Dawan’s scholarship.
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Dawan pleaded with the monk so that he could persuade her father to let her go
to study in the city (her father respected the monk and would listen to what he
said).
The old monk did not see the need for Dawan to go to the city school. He
refused to help her because he did not believe in the idea of girls furthering their
studies.
He talked much about the Holy One’s teaching and Heaven.
Dawan ran off in bitterness and tears.
Bao allowed Dawan to release a bird for free.
Bao's brother, Vichai, came to the market stall and hit her because of that.
Kwai stopped Vichai from hitting Bao.
After realising that Bao knew about what happened between Dawan and Kwai,
9 Kwai wanted to slap Bao. Bao accused of both Vichai and Kwai as big bullies.
Kwai pushed Dawan away when she tried to stop him from hitting Bao.
Dawan landed on top of a pile of broken birdcages, injuring herself.
Cousin Noi helped Dawan with her bleeding ankle.
Dawan limped off alone to return home.
In the heavy rain, Dawan went to the river to sit on the old bridge but Kwai was
already there.
Kwai was thinking about Dawan's words (about him being a bully).
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The siblings talked about what happened and expressed their feelings about the
whole issue.
Kwai realised that Dawan was a caring sister and he finally made his decision.
Both of them returned home together.
On their way home in the heavy rain, they saw their father leading the buffalo
home (which Kwai forgot to do).
They decided to hide from him because he looked angry but later they
approached him.
Their father heard from the teacher that Kwai got second in the test and was
angry at him for not telling him about it.
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Back at home, their grandmother tried to comfort the scared Dawan.
Father had a good and serious discussion with Kwai and Dawan about the
scholarship.
Father was very reluctant to let Dawan go to the city school but Dawan and Kwai
managed to convince him. He finally allowed Dawan to go.
Kwai was both happy and sad at the same time about their father’s decision.
Dawan’s last morning at home.

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 At dawn, she went to the top of the old wooden bridge and saw that Kwai was
12 already there.
The siblings talked about Dawan’s leaving the village.
Kwai would miss Dawan because no one would be there to watch the sunrise
with him.
He cried and ran off.
Dawan started singing her morning song one last time before going home to get
ready to go to the city.
At first Dawan was unsure if she wanted to leave because she would miss
everything and everyone in her village.
Her grandmother gave her a lot of advice and encouragement to persuade her
to go. She gave Dawan a glass jar of lotus bud.
When she was boarding the bus to go to the city, Kwai was nowhere to be seen.
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Although many people in the village sent her off, she was not happy as Kwai
was not there.
Along the bus journey, she saw Kwai on the bridge that they usually went to, he
was waving goodbye at her, singing their favourite morning song, which she
continued singing until she could not see him anymore.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Read each chapter and write notes about each of the characters below. Find the evidence to
support your description. Some examples have been given.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION EVIDENCE

DAWAN 1) Determined/ Dawan tried very hard to convince her father that he
Ambitious should give her the chance to study. She never gave
up and continued until she succeeded in going to a
city school.

2)

KWAI 1) Bad tempered When Dawan tried to stop Kwai from hitting Bao at the
marketplace, he pushed her until she fell and injured
her ankle.

2)

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 FATHER

MOTHER

GRANDMOTHER

BAO

NOI

GHAN

HEAD MONK

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 TEACHER

Who do you think they are?

___________ ___________ __________ __________ ___________ _____________

THEMES

 Close family ties

 Gender inequality/biasness (boys versus girls)
 Ideals versus reality
 Village life versus city life
 Poverty
 Future and opportunities

MORAL VALUES

Love & Care Responsibility Sacrifice Bravery

Courage Patience Friendship Concern
Honesty Kindness Determination Tolerance

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 Loyalty Perseverance Helpfulness Obedience
Gratitude Appreciation Confidence Discipline

MORAL LESSONS

1. Everyone deserves an equal right to education

2. We should work hard to improve the quality of our family life
3. Appreciate and take care of nature
4. We should have a positive attitude
5. Be open-minded and approachable
6. We have to listen to others and be more tolerant
7. Have confidence in life
8. Determination is the key to success
9. We should respect our elders
10. Focus on the family

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 QUICK CHECK ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING
(BASED ON EACH CHAPTER)
Use the following graphic organiser to complete the information for each chapter.

WHO?

WHAT MORAL
HAPPENED? VALUES?

CHAPTER:
______

WHEN?
WHY?
WHERE?

HOTS :-

Give your own opinion about the main event(s) in the chapter.

Given a chance, how would you change the event(s) in this chapter? Why?

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DISCUSSION TIME (HOTS)
With your teacher’s help, try to discuss with your friends
the following quotations and pictures below.

QUOTABLE QUOTES
The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.
~Robert Maynard Hutchins

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. ~Malcolm S. Forbes

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves. ~Abbé
Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928

Education is the movement from darkness to light. ~Allan Bloom

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey

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 “PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT”
PLAN YOUR ANSWER :
NOTE: Answering the question on the novel is not like doing essay writing. However, the question
requires you to use your higher order thinking skills (HOTS). So, you need to be systematic and
organised in your approach.

PARAGRAPH ANSWER
1 INTRODUCTION
2 POINT 1 + EVIDENCE + JUSTIFICATION
3 POINT 2 + EVIDENCE + JUSTIFICATION
4 POINT 3 + EVIDENCE + JUSTIFICATION
5 CONCLUSION

???

Point 1 Point 2 Point 3

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Justification Justification Justification

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NOTE: As you read the question, highlight/underline the key words.

EXAMPLE:
Choose ONE character that has undergone some major changes in his/her life. Describe the
changes and support each change with evidence from the novel.

Character

Change 1 Change 2 Change 3

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Justification Justification Justification

Example:

DAWAN

[After she won the scholarship]

more more more

POINTS : determined courageous mature

EVIDENCE : to further her approached thought about

studies in the the old monk her future & how
city & her father to help her family

JUSTIFICATION : To emphasize She needed to To improve the

on the equality convince others life of her family
of education about her & to get out of
(not only for boys) ability poverty

Based on the given points, try to write your answer. The introductory paragraph is already done
for you.
PARAGRAPH 1 Based on the novel “Sing to the Dawn” by Minfong Ho, the character
that has undergone some major changes in his/her life is Dawan.
PARAGRAPH 2

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PARAGRAPH 3

PARAGRAPH 4

PARAGRAPH 5

PRACTICE

1) Write about ONE important theme in the story. Relate the theme to some of the
characters in the story.

Theme

Character 1 Character 2 Character 3

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Justification Justification Justification

2) What lessons have you learnt from one of the characters in the novel?

Character

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 Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Justification Justification Justification

3) Did you enjoy reading the novel? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

YES/NO

Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Justification Justification Justification

4) State ONE event which you feel should not have happened. Explain why you think so.

Event

Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Justification Justification Justification

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5) Describe THREE events in the novel that have touched your feelings. Give reasons for
your choices.

Novel….

Event 1 Event 2 Event 3

Reason Reason Reason

Justification Justification Justification

6) “Hope is an important factor in life.“ Choose ONE character in the novel. What does
he/she hope to achieve? Show how this hope affects his/her life.

Character + hope

Achieve 1 Achieve 2 Achieve 3

Effect Effect Effect

Justification Justification Justification

7) State an important decision made by one of the main characters. Show how the decision
changed his/her life.

Character + Decision

How 1 How 2 How 3

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 Justification Justification Justification

FURTHER ACTIVITIES

“A picture paints a thousand words”

Based on your understanding of each picture below, discuss with your teacher or friends on the
issue. Try to relate each picture with the characters and events in the novel.

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SPM QUESTIONS:

2001 Based on the novel that you have studied, write about a character that you like.
Give three reasons.
2002 Write about an important moral value in the novel that you have studied.

2003 Based on the novel that you have studied, write about a character you sympathise
with. Explain why you choose him/her.
2004 Based on the novel that you have studied, write about the most memorable event
in the story. Give reasons for your choice.
2005 Based on the novel that you have studied, write about the theme, family love.

2006 Based on the novel that you have studied, write about determination. Support your
answer with evidence from the story.
2007 Based on the novel that you have studied, write about a character you look up to.
Give reasons for your choice.

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2008 Based on the novel that you have studied, describe what happens at the end of
the story. Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad.
2009 Write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters. Do you think this
was the right decision?
2010 Write about an important incident that you remember. Give reasons why you
remember the incident.
2011 Which part of the story do you like most? Give reasons for your choice.

2012 Write about an event that makes you angry. Give reasons why the event makes
you feel this way.
2013 Write about an important decision made by on of the characters. Explain how it
affects the other character(s).
2014 “One has to struggle to improve one’s life.”
How far is this true of the novel you have studied?

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