UNIT 1 — MEETING 2

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY:

WHAT’S THE FUSS?
SUBSKILLS: UNIT OF COMPETENCE:
Reading and Writing 1. Mark important parts of a text
2. Summarize and paraphrase a text
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
After completing this meeting, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the significance of Independence Day celebration
2. Use basic annotation techniques to mark important parts of a text
3. Summarize and paraphrase a text
LEARNING ACTIVITIES

A. ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Indonesia’s Independence Day is not only a historical day for Indonesian people, but also
a meaningful one. Find 1-2 interesting or unique facts about our Independence Day, and
write them below!
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Work in a small group of 3-4 members, and share your findings with your partners! Why are
those facts interesting or unique to you? Write down a few more facts shared by your group
members below!
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There are two types of Indonesian proclamation text:

klad and authentic texts. The klad text was the original
proclamation text that was directly hand-written by Ir.
Soekarno, assisted by Mohammad Hatta and Mr.
Ahmad Soebardjo. This text was not signed by Ir.
Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta. On the other hand,
the authentic proclamation text was the typed version
of the klad text. This version was typed by a young man
named Sayuti Melik. There are several differences
between the klad and authentic proclamation texts, one
of which Sayuti Melik changed the closing sentence of
the proclamation, from originally written as
“Representatives of the Indonesian nation” to “On
behalf of the Indonesian nation”.

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B. READING
Reading Text
In the previous meeting, you have read the following text. Read the text once again and
answer the questions that follow!

CELEBRATION OF INDEPENDENCE DAY IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES

1Most countries in the world appoint one day in a year as the country’s Independence Day.
It is usually regarded as a national day and a holiday for all citizens in the country. As it is
a national day, Independence Day is considered an important and special day for all the
country’s citizens. Around the world, Independence Day is celebrated by citizens in various
ways to represent the countries’ histories, cultures and uniqueness.
2Australians commemorate the establishment of the first British settlement in the land
annually on January 26th. During this national holiday, also called Australia Day, the
Australians typically hold festivals, music concerts, picnics, barbecues, regattas and family
gatherings. Different cities in Australia have their own special ways to make the celebration
special. Perth in Western Australia, for example, is famous for its biggest colossal fireworks
that are often launched from skyscrapers, moving boats and bridges. Sydney, located in
the southeastern coast of the land, celebrates the national day by holding the world-
renowned boat races with around 700 boats taking part in the races. On the other hand,
Melbourne, also located on the southeastern coast, usually holds a People’s March, in
which people from diverse communities walk together in colorful costumes to represent
the diversity of the nation and to celebrate unity.
3South Korea’s Independence Day is celebrated on August 15. The Independence Day, also
known as Gwangbokjeol (meaning “the day when the light returned”) as its official name,
celebrates the Korean liberation from 35 years of oppression under Japanese rule. The
public usually hangs the Korean flag on the streetlights and outside public buildings and
holds fireworks displays. The truly interesting part of Gwangbokjeol, however, is the very
literal way in which the country celebrates freedom. Every year on this special day, the
president grants special prison pardons in honor of the liberation day.
4Unlike some countries where Independence Day represents liberation, France’s
Independence Day rather marks the start of a republican form of its government. The day
is celebrated on July 14, and is known as Bastille Day to honor the storming and mobbing
of the thousands of people who took control of the castle after hours of fighting, proving to
France and the world that the monarchy was weak, and eventually leading to full-blown
revolution. The French celebrate the big day with fireworks displays, traditional military
parades, festivals and plenty of patriotism. During Bastille Day, it is also customary for
firefighters to organize dance parties that are open to the public in fire stations across

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Paris. This is regarded as a unique way to bring communities together in celebration of
France.
5In Indonesia, Independence Day falls on August 17. On this national holiday, the national
flag is hung in every household, on the streets and in various public places, and the citizens
as well as the government usually hold a ceremony in the morning. Independence Day is
also celebrated lavishly with various traditional competitions that highlight the beauty of
the nation’s diversities across the country. For example, in Aceh, the most western province
in the country, there is a tradition of Tepat Kude Goya or horse race. In some other
provinces, such as Riau and South Borneo, the people hold sailboat and rowing race
competitions that require teamwork, which represents the struggles of the national heroes
who fought for independence in the past.

celebrations of Independence Day in various countries

Critical Thinking: Responding to a Text

Think about these following questions, and then write your thoughts briefly.
1. In your opinion, must we celebrate our country’s Independence Day? Why or why not?
2. What are some meaningful ways for young people to celebrate Independence Day? Why
do you think those are meaningful?

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C. READING AND WRITING SKILLS 2: BASIC TEXT ANNOTATION
Watch the Reading and Writing Skills 2 Lecture Video.

Understanding academic text could be a struggle for university students due to specific
academic vocabulary and the complexity of the reading contents. One way to help students
to be more focused in reading is by doing annotation while reading. Annotation is an activity
of marking important parts and making notes of any form while reading. Annotation helps
readers to read, think and write simultaneously, which allows them to become actively
involved and focused during the reading. Some basic annotation techniques include:

a. Circling and highlighting

In annotating, the circling and highlighting techniques are commonly applied in the text
to mark unknown vocabulary, keywords or key terms, or other shorter parts of the text
that need to be paid a close attention to. After circling or highlighting a certain part in
the text, we need to follow it up by writing some notes (annotate) about the marked part
on the text margin. For example, if we circle or highlight an unknown vocabulary, we can
follow it up by writing the definition of the vocabulary on the text margin.

b. Using symbols and underlining

In annotating, using symbols and underlining techniques are commonly applied in the
text to mark longer parts of the text that need to be paid a close attention to, such as
the main idea or topic sentence and the supporting details. Some symbols that can be
used may consist of acronyms, such as M.I. (Main Idea), S.D. (Supporting Details), ex.
(Example), or other visual symbols, such as asterisk (*), star ( ), exclamation mark (!),
checklist mark (), brackets ([ ]), etc. After underlining or marking a particular part in
the text with a certain symbol, we need to follow it up by writing some notes (annotate)
about the marked part on the text margin. For example, if we underline a topic sentence
in a paragraph, we can follow it up by writing the symbol ‘M.I.’ (Main Idea) on the text
margin next to the underlined part.

c. Numbering
In annotating, numbering technique is commonly applied in the text to mark certain
parts that have connections, i.e., logical connection, chronological connection, cause-
and-effect connection, and so on. Numbering technique must be applied in order; for
example, from the most general to most specific, or from a starting point to the finishing
point, etc. That way, the connection between those parts can be shown and understood.
After numbering the specific parts of a text, we need to follow it up by writing some notes
(annotate) about the marked part on the text margin. For example, if we number several
chronological steps of a process, we can follow it up by listing those numbered steps on
the text margin.

d. Summarizing and paraphrasing

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 In annotating, summarizing and paraphrasing technique are commonly applied to
shorten and simplify important or particular ideas or information in the text.
Summarizing is synthesizing the key ideas of a text, while paraphrasing is restating those
key ideas in your own words. As these two techniques are connected with one another,
they are usually applied together. When you annotate, you also paraphrase at the same
time. These two techniques can be applied several times in different parts of the text, or
they can also be applied at the end of the text, as in summarizing and paraphrasing the
overall text.

D. READING AND WRITING SKILLS 2 EXERCISE

Basic Text Annotation

Reread the reading text “Celebration of Independence Day in Various Countries” and apply
all four annotation techniques:
a. Circle or highlight unknown vocabulary, keyword(s) or key term(s), and write a note on
the text margin next to the circled or highlighted part(s)
b. Underline or mark with symbols the main idea and supporting details of each paragraph,
and write on the margin either M.I. for Main Ideas or S.D. for Supporting Details
c. Number some parts of the text that have connection, and write on the margin the points
of those numbered parts (listing in order)
d. Summarize and paraphrase the overall text in 3-5 sentences at the end of the text
e. Scan your annotation and put it here (you can paste the full image of the annotation or
just the link to your annotation file for your Instructor to check later)

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 f. Work with a partner and share your annotation results with him or her. Explain why you
annotated the text the way you did to your partner, and see if they also did the same
thing for the same reason(s) as you. Then write some results of your discussion below.
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E. LEARNING REFLECTION
Think about your learning in this meeting, and answer the following questions!

1. In scales 1 (poor) to 5 (very well), how well do you understand the overall materials in
Meeting 2? Tick one box that is suitable to your evaluation.

1 2 3 4 5

2. Put a checklist next to the statement below that you think is true.
_____ I can explain the significance of celebrating Indonesia’s Independence Day
_____ I can make connection between the celebration of Independence Day and the
love for this country
_____ I can annotate a text using various basic annotation techniques
_____ I can make a good summary and paraphrase of a text

3. Describe briefly particular points that you have learnt as Indonesian citizen from Meeting
2 materials (100-150 words).
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4. Describe briefly particular points that you have learnt about the Reading and Writing
Skills 2 (100-150 words).
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F. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blancard, K. & Root, C. (2005). Get Ready to Read: A Skills-Based Reader. New York: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Cambridge Online Dictionary. (n.d.). Accessed July 26, 2022 from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Dummett, P., Stephenson, H., & Lansford, L. (2016). Keynote Intermediate Student's Book. London:
Cengage.
Grammer, M. F. & Ward, C. S. (2011). Q: Skills for Success: Reading and Writing 3. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. (2014). Paragraph to Essays. New York : Pearson Education.
Phillips, D. & Oshima, A. (2004). Longman Introductory Course. New York: Pearson Education.

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