To read texts and write creatively  (Page 4/4)

Background of characters

Here follow the suggested answers of all the questions related to Mila’s Magic .

Mila’s family background and living conditions

1. The roof has not been repaired.

The clothes on the line were old and torn.

3. c and d. She shows constant disapproval and frustration.

4. angry / dissatisfied / unhappy.

5 make sure the learners use appropriate adjectives or participles (and that they know the difference!).

6. Recognize neatness and accuracy and clarity. (Encourage them to find out about their own family!).

7. Folding washing; cleaning floors.

8. She had to bring in money for the family. She had to keep the family going. She had to show her servitude.

9. Sara scolded Mila and also sometimes beat her.

10. “steal away”.

11. Dogs cox their ears when they hear a sound. Spot heard the noise of the creased paper.

12. Mila wrapped the book in paper for protection. She handled it with care.

13. a) Sara and Gram were both poor and unsophisticated.

b) Gram was happy but Sara was dissatisfied.

ACTIVITY 2

It is wonderful to allow the learners to experience their different senses.

You will need to prepare small containers containing things which have a very definite taste.

The items in the book are merely suggestions.

Sense of smell – Fill small containers with different strong-smelling liquids or other food stuffs. Ensure that they cannot see into these containers (perhaps a blindfold) and then ask them to guess the different smells. Ten is usually a good number to use.

Suggestions: Antiseptic, correction fluid, vinegar, vanilla essence, cod liver oil, herbs – thyme, rosemary, etc. ; spices – cinnamon/nutmeg, bleach, different flowers.

Use your imagination. Use about five things which you are sure the learners will be familiar with and then introduce some others.

You can put a competitive edge to the exercise by creating teams and awarding a prize to the winning team.

This exercise can be extended to the other sense as well:

Sense of hearing: Here you can record various sounds on a tape recorder e.g. toilet flushing; telephone ringing; door banging; a match being struck, etc.

Sense of touch: Once again put some articles into a bag which the learners cannot see. Let them decide what the articles are by feeling them e.g. jelly; acorn; leaf

Sense of sight: Put 20 articles onto a table / desk / tray. Give each group about two minutes to look at them and then cover the articles. They then go off and write down all the articles they can remember. The group naming the most, wins.

To complicate this game you can ask questions about the articles e.g. what colour was the pen? Did the pencil have a sharp point? How many people were on the photograph?

• This exercise will increase their skills of observation too.

The writing of the essay: It is of great importance that learners familiarize themselves with the process of writing i.e. planning by brainstorming and mind-mapping, writing a first draft, editing and revising the first draft and then rewriting the essay as a final product.

• When editing, the learners may exchange their work with partners.

Here it is important for the learners to realize how much their senses can help them to write well, to write convincingly. So the exercises are set to “wake up” their senses and their words to describe the different senses.

• The activity on ‘A Winter’s Day’ should reflect real feelings, emotions, actions and reactions.

Then, when the learners feel they have handled the CONTENT well enough, deal with STYLE:

Length of sentences;

Some interesting punctuation;

Some original figurative language.

Let them do some good ‘short’ writing to prepare them for longer essays.

Then let them understand what is meant by editing – that this is a process.

Let them edit specifics before they write the final copy.

They need to understand that ALL good writers do editing!