PRE-TEST

A. Read an excerpt from the Story of My Life, Hellen Keller’s autobiography to answer the first
five questions. Write the letter of your answers in this activity and in all other tasks on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. A
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. D
8. A
9. C
10. B

Activity 3. Word Finder

You are about to read a story by O. Henry about an artist who has been afflicted with
pneumonia, a deadly disease which is also one of the symptoms of the Corona Virus that is
affecting the world today. Read through the story and fill out the table with the correct data.

Words to be defined Word Phrase Clue Possible Meaning

1. masterpiece Triumph, marvelous feat, a work of outstanding

sensation, outstanding,
paragon, great work,
showpiece, gem
2. fierce ferocious, barbarous,
savage, cruel mean showing
fury or malignity in looks or
actions.
3. watchdog Ombudsman, monitor,
scrutineer, inspector,
observer, supervisor,
custodian, guardian, guard
4. silly Foolish, stupid, unintelligent
idiotic, brainless, mindless
witless, imbecilic, imbecile,
doltish, imprudent,
thoughtless rash.
5. quaint Picturesque, charming
sweet, attractive, pleasantly
old-fashioned, old-fashioned
artistry, skill, or
workmanship.
having or displaying an
intense or ferocious
aggressiveness.
a person or committee
whose job is to make sure
that companies do not act
illegally or irresponsibly.
having or showing a lack of
common sense or judgment;
absurd and foolish.
attractively unusual or old-
fashioned.

1
 cunning, unusual, different,
out of the ordinary.

Activity 4. Image Makers

Answer the following questions based on the selection.
1. What is the setting of the story?
- Greenwich village is the setting of the story.
2. What ailment has afflicted Johnsy?
- Johnsy is afflicted with pneumonia.
3. How did Sue and Mr. Behrman feel about the situation of Johnsy?
- Sue felt extremely worried that the lead would fall off by the next morning
4. How did Mr. Berhman help Johnsy recover from her illness?
- Mr. Behrman who was the painter painted a duplicate ivy leaf and helped her to come out
of the depression and fear that she had born in herself.
5. Do you think Mr. Behrman would have done this if he had known he would catch pneumonia
and die?
- Behrman did not paint the leaf because he wanted to achieve fame and fortune, although
it had always been his desire to complete such a painting, but because he wanted to save
a life.

Activity 5. Themes and Symbols

Answer the following questions briefly but comprehensively.
1. What does the story want to convey?
- the message that this story wants to convey is the spirit of sacrifice we need
to have in our life. The old artist, Behrman sacrificed his life so that Johnsy could
live. In this process, he also achieved his ambition of painting a masterpiece.
The other message is that we should have a positive attitude in life.
2. What four letter word does the “last leaf” symbolize?
- “Life” because the story is about the value of life of a person who’s about to
lose it.
3. Why does Sue consider the painting “as Behrman’s masterpiece”?
- Because of this Masterpiece that Johnsy regains her will to live. Thus
Behrman's painting proves a Masterpiece in that it saves the life of a girl who
has lost all hopes of recovery.

Activity 8. Life’s Connection

1. Have you ever encountered a problem which made you almost give up? How did you
overcome it?
- Yes, I overcome it by facing and fighting it bravely.
2. What have you learned from the experience? Explain.
- I learned about the harmful effects that affected me that I didn’t even realize and how to
avoid it from happening again.
3. Mention someone whom you consider as your motivator/inspiration in life? Describe
him/her. Why do you consider him as such?

2
 - I consider her as my soulmate in life and as my inspiration to continue living. I consider
her that because she has given me the love that I’ve never felt before and she makes me
feel like I finally belong and that I’m finally home.
Activity 9. Delving Deeper
Answer the following questions briefly on your answer sheet.
1. What is the first sign that things are going wrong in Oran?
- The gates of the city are locked against the Nazis.
2. Why did the authorities in Oran finally declare a quarantine?
- The ship has crashed, leaving the diseased patients stranded in Oran. The people in the
town have been leaving by the dozens. They were ordered to by the governor of Algeria.
3. Who is the first victim of the plague?
- A man who died more than 5,000 years ago in Latvia was infected with the earliest-known
strain of the disease, according to new evidence.
4. What did Raymond Rambert and some others try to do?
- They tried to escape while still being infected and In his attempt to pull some strings,
Rambert approaches Rieux to ask for a note saying he is plague-free and should therefore
be allowed to leave.
5. How did Cottard react to the arrival of the plague?
- Only after it becomes impossible to deny that a serious epidemic is ravaging Oran, do
the authorities enact strict sanitation measures, placing the whole city under quarantine.
6. How did the public first react to the total quarantine of Oran?
- The public reacts to their sudden imprisonment with intense longing for absent loved
ones.
7. How did Paneloux interpret the plague in his second sermon?
- The priest interprets the sudden plague as just punishment for the sins of his
congregation. He is vividly adamant during his sermon and further confuses an already
puzzled, fearful populace.
8. Who is responsible in fighting the plague?
- The doctors and medicinal experts in that time.
9. How do the reactions of Dr. Bernard Rieux's and Father Paneloux's differ?
- Dr. Bernard Rieux's first reaction is to identify the plague, name it publicly, and then fight
against it. Father Paneloux's first reaction is to frame the plague as God's punishment and
try to make sense of it.
10. Which characters in The Plague have heroic qualities?

- Joseph Grand is identified as a hero because he brings salvation to the society of Oran.
Joseph Grand's authenticity and heroism are manifested through relieving suffering,
sacrifice, and devoting his life to work.

Activity 10. Put in Order

Trace the plot of the story The Plague by labeling the jumbled incidents below with
numbers before them. Start with 1 as the first incident, and so on.

7 A. Joseph Grand recovers from illness; the plague declines.

8 B. Jean Tarrou dies.
4 C. Oran is placed under quarantine, and the gates are shut.
5 D. There were early attempts to use an anti-plague serum fail.
6 E. The plague takes on a more deadly and contagious form.
9 F. The plague is over; the gates of Oran are opened.
1 G. Rats begin to die in the town of Oran.

3
2 H. The number of dead rats increases exponentially.
3 I. Human deaths begin, and the disease is diagnosed as plague.

CLIMAX

5
8

3
9

2
1 EXPOSITION

Activity 11. Themes and Symbols

Answer the following questions briefly.
1. How did Dr. Rieux describe the phenomenon of dying rats?
- On the phenomenon of the rats, Dr. Rieux states that it is as if an infected abscess had
burst open, implying that Oran itself is diseased in some way.
2. What is the main idea of the story? Explain.
- The main idea of the story talks about how the plague was created or first known and how
people deal with it and the lives they lived having to prevent it.
3. What does Tarrou think the plague symbolize?
- He does not believe in the illusion of an intrinsic rational and moral meaning in death,
suffering, and human existence. For him, human existence gains meaning only when people
choose freely to participate in the losing, but noble struggle against death and suffering.

Activity 12. Analyze the Art

Analyze whether the story, “The Plague,” meets the following criteria:
1. Explores great themes in human nature and human experience that many people can
identify with. Write the evidences from the text.
- “He reflects on the epidemic and declares he wrote the chronicle "to simply say what
we learn in the midst of plagues: there are more things to admire in men than to
despise".
2. Expresses universal meaning. Write the evidences from the text.

4
 - "to simply say what we learn in the midst of plagues: there are more things to admire
in men than to despise"

3. Conveys a timeless message. Write the evidences from the text.

- "to simply say what we learn in the midst of plagues: there are more things to admire
in men than to despise"

4. Creates vivid impressions of characters and settings. Write the evidences from the
text.
- In the town of Oran, thousands of rats, initially unnoticed by the populace, begin to
die in the streets. Hysteria develops soon afterward, causing the local newspapers to
report the incident. Authorities responding to public pressure order the collection and
cremation of the rats, unaware that the collection itself was the catalyst for the spread
of the bubonic plague.
5. Creates vivid impressions of characters and settings. Write the evidences from the
text.
-The main character, Dr. Bernard Rieux, lives comfortably in an apartment building
when strangely the building's concierge, M. Michel, a confidante, dies from a fever. Dr.
Rieux consults his colleague, Dr. Castel, about the illness until they conclude that a
plague is sweeping the town. They both approach fellow doctors and town authorities
about their theory but are eventually dismissed on the basis of one death.

Activity 13. Compare and Contrast

Compare and contrast The Plague with the Corona Virus that we are experiencing now.

Disease Source Signs/Symptoms How People Religious Belief

Deal with It
Plague It is caused Patients develop Remove brush, As in Christian
by the sudden onset of rock piles, junk, Europe, Muslims
bacterium, fever, headache, cluttered believed that
Yersinia chills, and firewood, and God's will caused
pestis. weakness and one possible rodent the plague. But
Humans or more swollen, food supplies, Muslim religious
usually get tender and painful such as pet and scholars taught
plague after lymph nodes wild animal food. that the plague
being bitten (called buboes). Make your home was a “martyrdom
by a rodent and outbuildings and mercy” from
flea that is rodent-proof. God, assuring the
carrying the Wear gloves if believer's place in
plague you are handling paradise. For
bacterium or or skinning non-believers, it

5
 by handling potentially was a
an animal infected animals punishment.
infected with to prevent contact
plague. between your skin
and the plague
bacteria.
Corona Virus Severe acute Most common Maintain a safe Some religious
respiratory symptoms: distance from leaders call
syndrome fever others (at least 1 COVID-19 “God’s
coronavirus 2 cough metre), even if punishment”
(SARS-CoV- tiredness they don’t appear because they
2) is a novel loss of taste or to be sick. Wear a view bad things
severe acute smell mask in public, as examples of
respiratory Less common especially indoors divine wrath.
syndrome symptoms: or when physical Before this virus,
coronavirus. sore throat distancing is not they claimed God
It was first headache possible. Choose punished us with
isolated from aches and pains open, well- tornadoes,
three people diarrhoea ventilated spaces earthquakes and
with a rash on skin, or over closed ones. AIDS. It’s a
pneumonia discolouration of Open a window if particular
connected to fingers or toes indoors. Clean theology that sees
the cluster of red or irritated your hands often. God messaging
acute eyes Use soap and us through nature,
respiratory Serious water, or an and the news is
illness cases symptoms: alcohol-based never good.
in Wuhan. All difficulty breathing hand rub. Get
structural or shortness of vaccinated when
features of breath it’s your turn.
the novel loss of speech or Follow local
SARS-CoV-2 mobility, or guidance about
virus particle confusion vaccination.
occur in chest pain Cover your nose
related and mouth with
coronaviruses your bent elbow
in nature. or a tissue when
you cough or
sneeze. Stay
home if you feel
unwell.

6
 LEARNER’S
COPY
What I Have Learned

Activity 15. Commonality in Diversity

Using the Venn diagram below, state the differences and similarities of the stories The
Last Leaf and The Plague.

“The Last Leaf” concerns The plague is a serious

Johnsy, a poor young bacterial infection that can
woman who is seriously ill - both be deadly. Sometimes
with pneumonia. She depicts a referred to as the “black
believes that when the ivy lesson plague,” the disease is
vine on the wall outside about life. caused by a bacterial
her window loses all its - both are strain called Yersinia
leaves, she will also die. about pestis. This bacterium is
Her neighbor Behrman, an hardships found in animals
artist, tricks her by painting in life throughout the world and
a leaf on the wall. is usually transmitted to
humans through fleas.

POST-TEST
A. Read and understand the sentences/paragraphs below. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. B
2. D
3. A
4. C
5. C
6. D
7. D
8. B
9. B
10. B

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Learning Competency: Evaluate and make judgement about a range of texts using a set
of criteria, e.g., comparing arguments on the same topic, critiquing a short story.

7
SITUATION:
The pandemic has affected the lives of the people in the world in all aspects. We often
ponder how much this pandemic has affected us, how much it has taught us, and how much
there is that we have known of ourselves and of our lives while continuing to battle a global
mission to save the world.

Specifically, one way of surviving in this scenario is by taking care of our mental health
which includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think,
feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy
choices.

The young ones are vulnerable to this challenge. So, this time around, the provincial
government of Ilocos Norte has sponsored an essay writing contest where high school
students can express their lessons and realizations of this pandemic.
GOAL:
Write a reflective essay to evaluate and make judgement using a variety of writing
techniques expressing pandemic lessons and realizations highlighting positive values.

ROLE:
You are a learner who inspires others to learn from a practical personal experience. You
explore the experience, reflect on the positive and negative aspects of it, and to formulate
goals to improve the experience or results of the activity the next time it occurs.
PRODUCT:
A reflective essay to evaluate and make judgement using a variety of writing techniques that
expresses positivity

AUDIENCE:
The judges will be the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members. The winning pieces will be read by
the authors to the people of Ilocos Norte through the social media

STANDARDS:
You should adhere to the principles of reflective writing. Write your own title for the essay.

8
 Happiness is...

There will be times when all you have to do is question your existence. Life can be
very difficult for any of us. There are always days when we are so lonely and
depressed. When we cry. When the world has lost its colors. When the rest of the world
is happy and you are not. There will be times when we lose all reason to live; And the
problems will seem so difficult that we wish there was no tomorrow.

But on the other hand, we must also know that they are just another bitterness in
life that tries to twist the personality in each one of us; and spoil our perception of life.
When these times come, don't succumb to the temptation to give up. Yes, living is
suffering, and the only way to be happy is to suffer voluntarily. The worst times often
bring the best lessons in life. We have to move on at the extremes of life. We don't
have to give up.

This life is a gift, it is a blessing, so don't just exist, live life to the fullest. Always
strive to excel at what you do and see the magic. You will feel more satisfied with
yourself. We are all unique and different from each other. So, don't compare yourself
to others because it's like comparing an apple to an orange. If we really want to rise
and grow beyond a certain period of time, we should be competing with ourselves. Try
to become a better person every day. So, it is our duty to make our life worthy of living.
The key to happiness is to do things you love doing.