Reading skillUnit: People

Topic: Community Members

Sup-topic: Position and Hierarchy of community members

Question

What is the story about?

What did you see in the VDO?

How many characters are there in the VDO?

Vocabulary

swordfish (n.)

sharp (adj.)

raja (n.)

captain (n.)

attack (v.)

Structure

Simple Past Tense

S+ main verb (past)

We use the past simple tense to talk about an action or a situation - an event - in the past. The event can be short or long. Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past. Also it does not matter how long the event is. It can be a few milliseconds (car explosion) or millions of years (Jurassic period).

We use the past simple tense when:• the event is in the past• the event is completely finished• we say (or understand) the time and/or place

of the event

Example

The Raja wanted to get rid of the boy.

Main verb (past)

Subject

They found a strange old woman. Subject

Main verb (past)

Text

Many years ago, wild swordfish filled the sea around Singapore. The people were very afraid of these fierce fish. They attacked the fishermen out at sea and scared people away from the beaches. Raja Iskandar, the ruler of Singapore, decided that something must be done. “Kill the swordfish!” The Raja ordered his soldiers. The soldiers tried to stab the fish with their sharp spears. But the swordfish defeated them. The killed and injured many soldiers. The Raja walked sadly up the beach. “What can I do to stop these dreadful swordfish?” he exclaimed aloud. “I have an idea,” whispered a little voice. The Raja turned around and saw a young boy sitting on a rock. “Build a wall of banana stems in the water,” suggested the little boy.

The Red Hill

“Then, when the fish come in on the tide, their sharp swords will pierce the soft stems and they will be trapped.” “What a great idea,” the Raja thought. So, he ordered his soldiers to cut down all the banana trees they could find. Then, they built a long wall of banana stems along the beach. At high tide, the fish swam towards the shore and their swords stuck fast to the sticky stems of the banana trees. The soldiers quickly killed the trapped fish. What a feast of the fish the people had that day! No soldier had died and no swordfish remained to frighten them. The people felt safe and happy again. The Raja, however, felt uneasy. “That little boy is too clever,” he told his Captain.

“I fear he will be more powerful than me one day.” The captain thought the Raja wanted him to get rid of the boy. The next night, he ordered four men to kill the little boy. They crept up the hill to the boy’s hut and kicked the door open. To their surprise, they found a strange old woman with long white hair there. The boy was nowhere to be seen. “You wicked men!” she screamed. “The boy helped you and yet you want to kill him. I will not let the world forget how ungrateful you are!” The terrified soldiers fled at once. Suddenly, a hole opened up in the ground before them! Thick red blood gushed from it and streamed down the hill after them. It stained the ground red. From that day on, the hill has been called Red Hill or Bukit Merah.

-Why Raja wanted to kill swordfish?-Why they were afraid of the swordfish?

-Who suggested Raja the way to kill swordfish?

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Activity

Activity 1: Setting

Direction

-Make a group of four people-Write down the events that are relevant to the setting of the Red Hill -Come up with your idea and present in front of the class-15 minutes to do the activity

Guideline questionWhere and when is

the story set?Who is the mysterious character?

Activity 2: Initiating event

Direction -Make a group of three people-Then compete with your friends to classify the parts of initiating events from the mixed piece of the story.-Put the events onto the given paper.-Come up with your idea in front of the class-15 minutes to do the activity

Guideline questions-What happen at the beginning of the story?-What happen to the Raja?-Why does the Raja want to kill the swordfish?

Activity 3: Internal response

Direction-Make a group of four people-Write down the events that are relevant to the Internal response of the Red Hill -Come up with your idea and present in front of the class-15 minutes to do the activity

Guideline questions-What is the aim of the Raja?-What does the Raja try to do?

Activity 4: Attempt

Direction-Make a group of four people-Write down the events that are relevant to the Attempt of the Red Hill -Come up with your idea and present in front of the class-15 minutes to do the activity

Guideline questions-What does the Raja attempt to do?-Why does the Raja attempt to kill the little boy?

Activity 5: Consequence

Direction-Make a group of four people-Write down the events that are relevant to the Consequenceof the Red Hill -Come up with your idea and present in front of the class-15 minutes to do the activity

Guideline questions-Does the Raja achieve his goals? Why?-Does the boy succeed killing the swordfish?-Do the Raja’s soldiers succeed killing the little boy?

Activity 6: Reaction

Direction-Make a group of four people-Write down the events that are relevant to the Resolution of the Red Hill Then, Summarize the Red Hill using the element of Story Grammar: Setting, Initiating event, Internal Response, ----Attempt, Consequence, and Resolution -Discuss in your own group.-Come up with your idea and present in front of the class (equal share in presenting)-15 minutes to do the activity

Guideline questions-What happens in the end?-How is the problem solved?-What important bit of information does the narrator finally reveal to the reader?