Catch Us If You Can - Characters & Characteristics

Here are the characteristics for the Main characters in the novel Catch Us If You Can for SPM and simple explanations from the text which you can use as your answer.

1. Rory
• Caring/ Loving/ Kind/ Responsible - Takes very good care of Granda, prepares meals, prepares medicine, takes Granda to the doctor
• Pleasant - Easy to make friends and get along with other people
• Loyal to Granda - Believes it is his duty to take care of Granda
• Polite - Knows how to respect other people especially adults
• Honest - Tells the truth to the doctor
• Brave - Not afraid to run away with Granda
• Intelligent - Quick to plan their escape from Rachnadar
• Understanding/ Sensitive/ Considerate - Understands Granda's situation and health condition
2. Granda
• Selfish sometimes
• Senile/ Forgetful
• Proud sometimes
• Stubborn - Does not want to go to Liverpool to meet his son
• Quick-tempered - Angry when he knows they are on the way to Liverpool
• Caring and loving - Takes care of Rory
• Charming and loveable - Knows how to talk with others especially women
• Resourceful - Able to catch fish and steal a car when in need
• Brave - Hit the boy who threatens Rory
• Understanding- Reconciles with his son and his family at the end of the story

Catch Us If You Can - Memorable Event

In SPM, the novel question gives a total of 15 marks (10 for content and 5 for language). The best way to structure your answer is in 5 paragraphs.

Paragraph 1 - Answer the question
Paragraph 2 - Point 1 + Evidence
Paragraph 3 - Point 2 + Evidence
Paragraph 4 - Point 3 + Evidence
Paragraph 5 - Conclusion (Summarise all the points and state the lesson you learn from the novel)

Choose an event in the novel you have studies which you find to be the most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.

Sample answer

I have read the novel Catch Us If You Can written by Catherine MacPhail. The story is about Rory and Granda running away together from the authority. I want to write about the most memorable event which is The Great Escape.

Firstly, this event is memorable because it shows Rory's love and care towards Granda. Rory loves and always take care of Granda. For example, he packs Granda's stuffs and medicines before they go on their adventure. He also always worry for Granda's health.

Then, this event is memorable because it shows Rory's bravery. Despite being young, Rory is also a very brave boy. He is not afraid being chased by the police and is ready to protect Granda when necessary.

On the other hand, this event is memorable because it shows  Rory's cleverness. Although Rory is still young, he plans the Great Escape alone and manages to break Granda out from Rachnadar without being detected. He is also quick to plan their escape route to evade the authority.

In conclusion, the Great Escape is the most memorable event because it shows how the main character, Rory reacts upon the challenges he faced. The event shows Rory's love and care towards Granda, bravery and cleverness. Therefore, we should always face our challenges bravely and find creative solutions to our problems.

*Provide 5 paragraphs like this and you will find it easy to score your content marks. To get high language marks, use linkers, write variety of sentences and avoid making grammatical mistakes.

Catch Us If You Can - Theme Love

In SPM, the novel question gives a total of 15 marks (10 for content and 5 for language). The best way to structure your answer is in 5 paragraphs.

Paragraph 1 - Answer the question
Paragraph 2 - Point 1 + Evidence
Paragraph 3 - Point 2 + Evidence
Paragraph 4 - Point 3 + Evidence
Paragraph 5 - Conclusion (Summarise all the points and state the lesson you learn from the novel)

How is the theme love shown in the novel you have read? Support your answer with close reference to the text.

Sample answer

I have read the novel Catch Us If You Can written by Catherine MacPhail. It is an interesting novel. One of the main themes of the novel is love.

Firstly, love between a grandparent and a grandchild. Granda loves Rory. For example, Granda has been taking care of Rory ever since his mother passed away and his father walked out of their life. Granda also sees the needs of Rory at school and goes to see his teacher whenever being called.

Next, the theme of love is shown in love between Rory and his friends. Darren and Tyrone are Rory's friends. In example, Darren gives the key of his mother's caravan to Rory in the Great Escape. Meanwhile, Tyrone agrees with her mother to help Rory and Granda in their journey because he could emphatise with Rory and his Granda.

Moreover, the theme of love is shown by the love from the public for Rory and Granda such as Rab and his friends. Rab gives shelter to Rory and Granda knowing that they are in trouble. In addition, Norma and her daughter, Nicola allow Rory and Granda to stay overnight at their house.

In conclusion, the theme of love is shown between the main character, Rory and the people around his such as his Granda, Darren, Tyrone and his family and Rab and his friends. Therefore, we should learn to love each other and appreciate all the love we have.

*Provide 5 paragraphs like this and you will find it easy to score your content marks. To get high language marks, use linkers, write variety of sentences and avoid making grammatical mistakes.

Catch Us If You Can - Character you admire

In SPM, the novel question gives a total of 15 marks (10 for content and 5 for language). The best way to structure your answer is in 5 paragraphs.

Paragraph 1 - Answer the question
Paragraph 2 - Point 1 + Evidence
Paragraph 3 - Point 2 + Evidence
Paragraph 4 - Point 3 + Evidence
Paragraph 5 - Conclusion (Summarise all the points and state the lesson you learn from the novel)

Based on the novel of your choice, write about a character you admire. Give reasons for your choice.

Sample answer.

I have read the novel Catch Us If You Can written by Catherine MacPhail. The story is about Rory and Granda running away together from the authority. I want to write about the character I admire which is Rory.

Firstly, I admire Rory because he loves and cares for his Granda. Rory loves and always take care of Granda. For example, he packs Granda's stuffs and medicines before they go on their adventure. He also always worry for Granda's health.

Then, I admire Rory because of Rory's bravery. Despite being young, Rory is also a very brave boy. He is not afraid being chased by the police and is ready to protect Granda when necessary.

On the other hand, I admire Rory because Rory is a clever and intelligent boy. Although Rory is still young, he plans the Great Escape alone and manages to break Granda out from Rachnadar without being detected. He is also quick to plan their escape route to evade the authority.

In conclusion, the character I admire is Rory because he is quick to react upon the challenges he faced. He is also loving and caring towards Granda, brave and a clever and intelligent boy. Therefore, we should always face our challenges bravely and find creative solutions to our problems.

*Provide 5 paragraphs like this and you will find it easy to score your content marks. To get high language marks, use linkers, write variety of sentences and avoid making grammatical mistakes. 

Vocabulary for describing people

Descriptive essay is one of the most commons type of essay writing. You can write descriptive essays to describe scenes, events, places or people.

In this entry, I will share with you a list of vocabulary you can use to describe people. When you know these descriptive words, you will definitely improve your writing or speaking skills!

Physical Description

1. Face
1. Shape of face: oval, square, round, broad, heart-shaped, pointed, egg-shaped
2. Complexion: fair, dark, freckled, pimpled, rosy complexion, rosy cheeks
2. Eyes
• Sparkling, bright, alert, dreamy, almond-shaped, sorrowful, sunken, lustrous, bloodshot eyes, hazel eyes, squinted
3. Hair
• Type/ Length: bald, balding, crew-cut, lustrous, frizzy, permed, shoulder length, with a fringe, straight, thick, wiry, wavy, afro, curly, disheveled
• Colour: blonde, brunette, redhead, auburn, chestnut, jet-black, greying at the temples, a streak of grey, strands of white hair
4. Eyebrows/ Eyelashes
• Thick, arched, fluttering, long/ bushy
5. Nose
• Big, flat, crooked, broad, aquiline, bulbous, straight, pointed, flared nostrils
6. Mouth
• Thin, thick full, ruby red, protruding, pouting mouth
7. Moustache/ Beard
•  Thick/ thin, a moustache curled at its end, a goatee, clean-shaven
8. Cheeks
• Rosy, pale, sunken, dimpled, drooping
9. Build
• Man: stocky, stout, muscular well-built a bulk of a man, broad-chested, paunchy
• Woman: slim-waisted, petite, slender, plump
• Man or woman: slim, skinny, fat, obese, overweight, of average size
10. Height
• Tall, short, lanky, of average height, of medium height, towering over 180 cm

MUET band qualification

In the recent Budget 2015 announcement, the Prime Minister has announced the increase of MUET band for local university entrance.

This is another good step to encourage the use of English among our local students.

Catch Us If You Can - Important Events

In the novel Catch Us If You Can (you can read the synopsis HERE), there are a number of important events that students need to master in order to use as evidence when answering SPM question. I conclude, from the whole story, these are among the most important events.

1. Flat on fire!

Rory goes to buy lunch for Granda and himself after school. When Rory arrives home, he finds out their flat is on fire. Granda tries to cook lunch for them but he forgets about the pan that he left unattended. This has led to the fire. Rory then tries to find Granda who is taken to the hospital. Their neighbour scolds Granda and this made Rory mad. Rory throws himself at her to defend Granda.

This event is important as it marks the beginning of the separation between Granda and Rory. In this event, we can clearly see Rory's unconditional love towards Granda. He cries and worries about Granda. Rory also gets angry when someone scolds his grandfather because he understands his Granda's condition.

2. The Separation

After their flat was burnt, Rory has no where else to go. Without any cousins or siblings, Rory only has his Granda. Yet, Granda is sick and being treated in the hospital. The fire at the flat has led to Rory being sent to Castle Street and Granda to Rachnadar.

This separation made both of them unhappy. Granda becomes increasingly sick and senile while Rory does not like the life at Castle Street. This event is important as it leads to the next essential event which is The Great Escape. Due to the their separation, Rory plans a major breakout for Granda from Rachnadar.

3. The Great Escape

This is the biggest event in the story where Rory and Granda runs away from authority together. It starts when Rory breaks Granda out of Rachnadar. Then, Darren helps Rory to hide in his mother's caravan for some time before the police come. After that, Rory and Granda runs up north and meet various characters who help them along the way.

This event is interesting because it helps Rory and Granda understand each other as they go through the difficulties together. This is where they meet many strangers who are kind enough to help them. As the story unfolds, they find themselves heading towards Liverpool, where Rory's father currently resides. 

4. Granda's breakdown

When Rory and Granda know the police are coming, they go out to run away at night. It is cold and dark, Granda is not feeling well too. Then they stop to rest. This is where Rory finds Granda unconscious. Afraid he might lose Granda, Rory runs around looking for help. Help arrives to rescue Granda but surprisingly, so does Rory's father who is looking for them all this while.

This is the final event that leads Rory and Granda to meet with Rory's father. After they meet, Rory and Granda find a new family. Rory can then participate in his school activities and play football because he does not need to look after Granda alone anymore. Granda too has resolved his issues with his son. Thanks to Granda's breakdown, they are able to find a new happy life together as a family.

*For SPM students, it is vital to know these important events as they will help you provide evidence to answer the question in examination. Moreover, they also enhance our understanding of the story because we can see the relation between each event that leads to the next.

Catch Us If You Can - Synopsis

Catch Us If You Can is a novel written by Catherine MacPhail. It is a warm and interesting novel which revolves around the theme of love and care among people. This novel is one of the necessary components in SPM 1119 English. It is to be answered in Section D: SPM Paper 2 and allocates a generous amount of 15 marks.

Here's a synopsis of the novel Catch Us If You Can by Catherine MacPhail.

The story is about Rory and his grandfather, Granda. They live and take care of each other since Rory's father ran away from the family. They live in a small flat. Rory is a filial grandson. He sacrifices a lot to take care of his Granda. He gives up football to spend time with Granda and always buy lunch for him after school too. This is all because Granda is getting old and forgetful! One time, Granda accidentally sets fire to himself after forgetting to put off his pipe. In another instance, Granda sets fire to his and Mrs Foley's coats during Parents Night at school. This may seem funny, but not to Rory as it shows that Granda's memory is becoming worse.

One day, the unwanted thing happens. Granda set fire to their flat while trying to cook. This changes their lives as Rory is sent to Castle Street and Granda to Rachnadar. When this happen, Rory and Granda become very sad. He can see Granda's life falling apart. So, he plans the Great Escape with Granda.

First, Rory breaks Granda out of Rachnadar and together they run away to hide in Darren's mother's caravan. Darren is Rory's best friend. The police starts searching for them and they appear on national news! From then onward, Rory and Granda starts running away and meet many good and kind-hearted people who help them. During the escape, Rory learns many new things about Granda and they go through adventurous journey together.

Rory learns that his father is currently in Liverpool but he knows Granda will not want to meet him. Granda is still angry at his father for leaving them. Thus, with the help of Rab, a friend Rory meets on the Great Escape, he quietly plans their journey to Liverpool. One night, Rory and Granda has to run away because the police is coming after them. They run in the cold night and sleep at a bus shelter. When Rory wakes up, he tries to wake Granda up but fail. He is afraid Granda might be dead. So, Rory runs around looking for help.

Luckily, help arrives for Granda and amazingly, Rory's father comes too! The truth is, he has been searching for Rory and Granda since the first time he heard about them on national news. After that incident, Granda is sent to the hospital and recovers with good health. Rory and Granda then live with Rory's father in Liverpool. At last, their Great Escape has led them to a new and better life as a family.

Easy Information Transfer Steps (SPM 2008)

Hello endless learners.

For SPM students, Information Transfer in Section B - Paper 2 is one of the places where you should score full marks. This section is actually very-the-very easy to answer as the only thing you need to do is 'find the keywords'.

Using the real SPM 2008 questions, let us try to unlock the tricks to answering this section and getting your full mark of 10 over 10. Simply follow this step by step guide. Ready? Let's go!

Easy Information Transfer Steps

1. Read the questions first and identify the keywords you need to get your answer.
2. Read the text/ diagram given and try to find matching keywords.
3. The answer is normally in the same sentence as the keyword you found in the text/ diagram.

FIRST: Read the questions first and identify the keywords you need to get your answer

First part of the question

So there are 10 questions from number 16-25. Let's take a look at the first part which is a diagram. The article is about The History of The Olympics. In the question, students need to fill in answer (to be taken from the text) on the differences between Ancient Olympics and Modern Olympics (as underlined in red).

I've highlighted 3 key words in the questions being Competitors, Prize and Purpose of the Games.

SECOND: Read the text/ diagram given and try to find matching keywords

First part of the text

From the underlined Ancient Olympics and Modern Olympics, I have zoomed in the second and third part of the passage. Then I examined the text to find the keywords.

The keywords found for Competitors is compete and for Prize is winner. Meanwhile for Purpose there is no direct keyword but students need to understand the meaning of purpose.

THREE: The answer is normally in the same sentence as the keyword you found in the text/ diagram

Let's look at the section Ancient Olympics.

1. Competitors - compete without clothes (The word compete helps you find the answer without clothes)
2. Prize - winner/ a crown of olive leaves (From the word winner, student can find the answer which is a crown of olive leaves as the prize)
3. Purpose of the Games - to honour Gods in Greek mythology (To get this answer, student must understand the meaning of purpose)

Now, look at the section Modern Olympics.

1. Competitors - women to compete along with men (The answer is in the same sentence as the keyword compete)
2. Prize - winners / Medals/ Gold Medals/ Silver Medals/ Bronze Medals (From the word winner, student can find the answer which is medals as the prize)
3. Purpose of the Games - unites the world (To get this answer, student must understand the meaning of purpose.)

Okay, we have found the answers for question 16 to 21. Next, let us have a look at the second part of the question, 22 - 25.

Second part of the question

Right, again, I have identified 4 keywords from the 4 questions which are:

1. Logo
2. Five colours/ represent
3. Meaning/ Olympic motto
4. Traditional Custom/ Remains

Second part of the text

If you observe the text, all of the keywords we have identified can be found in the last part of the passage. So, from the keyword, students should be able to identify the answers as the following:

1. Logo - The Olympic Rings
2. Five Colours/ Represents - The unity of five continents
3. Olympic motto/ Meaning - "swifter, higher, stronger"
4. Traditional Custom/ Remains - the lighting of the Olympic flame

Thus teachers, the only thing left for us to train our students is how to find the keywords and match them appropriately. Only some questions may deviate and need further understanding of words or text but most of them will give direct answers.

For very weak students, they may not know which part of the text to select although they have found the keywords. Let them copy the entire sentence if it is not too long (less than 5 words).

There you go, this guide actually shows how easy it is to score in Information Transfer Section. Students who read English materials constantly should be able to score a 10. On the other hand, weak students if they know how to spell and match the keywords, they should be able to get at least 6 marks. 

Footnote:

*This question is taken from the real SPM 2008 Paper 2 under Section B.

*This is not the real answer scheme.

Elevate - an app for your brain

Ever wonder how your brain perform when doing activities such as reading, listening, calculating or memorising? 

Introducing Elevate - an app designed to track and train your brain to its full potential. With carefully designed games focusing to enhance your brain's capability in the mentioned activities and more, this app is a wonderful tool for students and teachers to progressively improve skills essential to the learning and teaching experience.

Available on both Google Play and Apple Store for free, it's definitely an app worth a look at. The free version allows users to complete three activities per day while the pro version allow users to complete numerous activities without any limitations.

Using this app, you can elevate your following skills: speaking, writing, reading, listening and mathematics. Here are some pictures of the app's interface.

Track your progress

Different skills to elevate

Example of game activity

Variety of difficulty level with high score

For further information, visit the developer's website at http://elevateapp.com/

Nowadays, we have so much use for technology in terms of education and improving ourselves. So get your phone and start downloading!

Here's Endless English, bringing you EduTech, endless free new technology in a world of endless education.

*Credit to Lee Jul, a teacher-trainee from Malaysia Teacher's Education Institution Ipoh Campus, soon to be posted English teacher for insight to this useful app!

Easy SPM Reading Comprehension Steps (SPM 2008)

Aloha!

It feels great to write another entry on how to easily answer SPM Reading Comprehension questions! As we know, comprehension questions in Section C - Paper 2 of SPM gives a total of 10 marks. Many students may find the text intimidating or worry they lack enough time to really understand the text.

Well, for students with limited language skills, here's how you should tackle the comprehension questions. If you do it correctly, you may find it easy to locate the answers. Why? Simply because the answers are all in the text! (Maybe only 1 or 2 questions which may ask for your opinion, in this kind of question, you have to give your own answer)

Easy SPM Reading Comprehension Steps

1. Read the question first! And identify the key words in the question.
2. Match the question with the paragraph. 
3. Locate similar key words in the paragraph, the answer is normally in the same sentence, next to or before it.

Let's give it a try on the same text which we did our summary earlier (<--- click to read awesome SPM summary tips!) taken from SPM Examination Paper 2008 - Paper 2 - Section C (Reading Comprehension) and observe how we find the answer from similar key words.

FIRST: Read the question first! And identify the key words in the question.

My advice for students who find it difficult to read quickly and understand the whole text is to not attempt to read the entire text before reading the questions. Instead, you can try reading the question first and identify the key words in the text. For example (We will use some questions from real SPM Examination Paper 2008):

26. From paragraph 1, where does the writer hunt? [1 mark]

In the question above, I have highlighted the key words I found which are 'where' and 'hunt'. The part highlighted in green is very important as it shows which area of the text you need to focus on to get the answer.

SECOND: Match the question with the paragraph.

The question says 'From paragraph 1', so to find answer to this question, look at paragraph 1. Pretty straight forward, right?

THIRD: Locate similar key words in the paragraph, the answer is normally in the same sentence, next to or before it.

We have identified the key words 'where' and 'hunt'. Now look at 'paragraph 1' and locate similar key words. Here's the text in paragraph 1:

I have spent 20 years hunting wild animals in the Sarawak jungles. The leopard is one of the most unpredictable animals I have ever come across. A cunning animal, it will change its direction for no obvious reason. Although I had faced numerous encounters with ferocious creatures, none scared me the way the leopard did, the day it attacked me. (Paragraph 1)

It is quite a lengthy paragraph for weak students. Yet, fret not! Since we have identified the key words in the question which is 'where' and 'hunt'. Look for similar key words in the paragraph as highlighted above. From the text you can find the word 'hunt' in the first sentence and the answer to 'where' is also in the same sentence which is Sarawak.

Let's try to answer all the other questions in this Reading Comprehension paper too, aite?

27. From paragraph 2,
(a) what had happened to the farmers' livestock? [1 mark]
(b) "... that was the worst mistake of my life." (Line 9)
(i) What was the mistake? [1 mark]
(ii) Why was it a mistake? [1 mark]

Paragraph 2
On January 24, a goat was killed at a nearby farm. Two weeks earlier, farmers had reported missing livestock. A leopard had been seen around the area at dusk. On that very day, fifteen experienced men volunteered to track it. Before the hunting party arrived, I went out to look for the tracks. Without a thought, I left my rifle in the car and that was the worst mistake of my life. Unarmed, I was exposed to danger. (Paragraph 2)

In paragraph 2, you can obviously find the word 'livestock', the answer to it is 'missing livestock'. Then the answer to 'what' and 'why' was it a mistake can be found in the same sentence and in the next sentence as highlighted above according to the colours.

28. From paragraph 4,
(a) what threw the writer off the balance? [1 mark]
(b) which word means fell? [1 mark]

Then it happened. The leopard leapt onto my back. I heard nothing when it hit me as it happened very fast. The impact was enough to set me off balance. For a moment I felt dizzy, as it the surroundings were spinning. I could not make sense of the things around me. They seemed to be blurring. Before I realised it, I slumped onto the ground with the leopard clawing at my back. I could faintly hear the grunting from the leopard. Although I could feel sharp pain all over my back, I still managed to gather enough strength to roll over. My sudden action took the creature by surprise - I had caused it to let go of me and I was free for a short time. (Paragraph 4)

The key word off balance help us to find the answer which is the impact. Students can also copy the entire sentence as answer (provided the sentence is not too long) Meanwhile, 28(b), you will need vocabulary knowledge or try to guess which is the most suitable word. The answer here is 'slumped', with the phrase 'onto the ground' indicates something falling on the ground.

29. From paragraph 7,
(a) what made the young man rush to the scene? [ 1 mark]
(b) why did the young man hesitate to shoot? [1 mark]

A young man, who was a member of the hunting group, was scouting the area. Suddenly, he heard a loud growl. Sensing someone in danger, he rushed towards the scene. He stood hesitatingly about three metres away from the leopard, not knowing whether he could shoot accurately. Frantically, I yelled at him to move nearer. Bang! The first shot went off target. Then the second shot hit the leopard in the spine. This time he did it. There was a loud growl before it went limp. Seeing the lifeless animal next tome me, I was overcome with relief. (Paragraph 7) 

The key words 'rush to the scene' help students find the answer 'sensing someone in danger' which is in the same sentence. The key word 'hesitate' is changed to 'hesitatingly' but it still help students find the answer 'not knowing whether he could shoot accurately' for the question.

30. In your own words, give two reasons why do you think the writer felt sorry for the leopard. [ 2 marks]

For questions like number 30, it asks for your own opinion, basically, any relevant and suitable answer will be accepted here. So, do not leave this empty instead try to write suitable answers such as 'the leopard is also a living thing', 'the leopard is hungry', 'the writer is kind-hearted' and so on based on the key words from the question.

In conclusion, this reading comprehension leads us to few important notes!

1. The key words in the question is usually mentioned in the paragraph either using the same word, or with different grammatical structure or synonymous word. (livestock - livestock/ hunt - hunting/ off the balance - off balance/ hesitate - hesitatingly)
2. Do not leave any question unanswered. The answer is kind of explicit once you know how to identify suitable key words.
3. The answer is normally in the same sentence with the key word found in the paragraph.
4. If you are not sure which part of the sentence to choose as the answer, copy the whole sentence as answer (Provided the sentence is not too long - Do not copy more than 1 sentence!)

Let's count using this question as example, even if the students simply identify key words and copy the sentence with key words as answer, they will get these questions correct:

• 26
• 27 (a)
• 27 (b) (i) 
• 28 (a) 
• 29 (a)
• 29 (b)

Add all together, this section will give the student (who only find key words and copy the sentence with the key words as answer) a total of 6 out of 10. A better student will have no problem to score at least 8.

One more thing, if you notice in this article, we only look at 4 paragraphs (para 1, para 2, para 4 and para 7) but we can still find answers to all the questions. There are actually 8 paragraphs altogether. Therefore, it is also a good way to save time by using these Easy SPM Reading Comprehension Steps, read questions first - identify key words in questions - match key words in paragraph - find the answer. 

Until then, Man Jadda Wajada, practice, practice and practice!

Footnote:

• This text is taken from SPM Examination Paper 2008
• This is not the real answer scheme.
• This is just answering technique. Those who want to master reading in English still need to read a lot of English materials to be proficient.

Easy Descriptive Writing Steps: 'My School'

Hello happy people!

English is about equipping ourselves with the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. As of writing, it is one of the most important aspects to be tested in examination in Malaysia. Writing carries the most marks in exam.

Apart from exam purposes, writing can also be a unique and useful way to express oneself. For teachers, how do we teach writing effectively? From my little experience in teaching English to second or foreign language learner, I find out that teaching writing is about supplying the students with step by step guidance, questions and sentences as the contents for their essay.

Many students find it hard to write in English. It's not something odd actually. Many students find it hard even to write in their mother tongue! What more a foreign language like English, right? So, in this entry I'm going to share one method I use to help students write a descriptive essay entitled 'My School'.

Before, here's some background of my students. They want to write essay in English but they do not really know what to write. Often, they do not know the words in English. Most of the time, they are not sure of the correct grammatical structure. And if I just give them the title, usually they fail to write anything because they have 'no idea'.

In order to tackle this problem, here's what I do:

Easy Descriptive Writing Steps

1. Decide how many paragraph you want in your essay and decide the key points for each of your paragraph. Normally we write in 5 paragraphs. (Introduction, Body 1, Body 2, Body 3 and Conclusion)
2. Use WH-questioning method to brainstorm. (Who, Why, Where, When, Which, How...)
3. Use the sentence structure in the question to construct proper sentences. (Useful for students with limited language)
4. *Use 5-Senses method to brainstorm descriptive style of writing. (Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste & Touch)
5. **Add in proverbs, idioms, phrasal verbs for more variety in writing.

FIRST: Decide how many paragraph in the essay and decide the key points for each paragraph.

We decided on the normal 5 paragraphs approach. For this essay, I suggested a few key points. Then we decided as a class to focus on the following key points.

Introduction - Overview of the school (Give an overview of the school)

Body 1 - Friends (Write about their friends at school)

Body 2 - Teachers (Write about their teachers at school)

Body 3 - School buildings (Write about any school building)

Conclusion - Your Feelings (Express their feeling for being a student there)

*You can have many more key points for the paragraph such as Clubs, Societies, Representing the School, Teacher's Day Celebration, Exam Day, The Happiest Day, The Day I will not forget etc etc etc (the list is actually endless!)

SECOND: Use WH-questioning method to brainstorm. (Who, Why, Where, When, Which, How)

This is a very important strategy to brainstorm. We ask questions about what we want to write to think of suitable points. As my students needed extra guidance, we did a classroom brainstorming session and decided on suitable questions:

Introduction - Overview

• What is the name of your school?
• Where is it located?
• Is it a big or small school?
• How many years have you been in the school?
• What is the name of your class?

Body 1 - Friends

• How many best friends do you have?
• What are the name of your best friends?
• Where do they live?
• Why do you like them?
• How have they helped you before?

Body 2 - Teachers

• Who are your favourite teachers?
• What subject do they teach?
• Why do you like them?

Body 3 - School buildings

• What building does your school have?
• What do you do in the building mentioned?
• Where do you normally hang out during recess?
• Do you like your classroom?
• What do you like about your class?

Conclusion - Your feelings about being a student here.

• How do you feel now?
• How do you think you will feel when you have left school?
• How do you want to feel when you come to school to get exam result?

THIRD: Use the sentence structure in the questions to construct proper sentence.

I like to show my students that they can lift sentence structure in a question and use it as their sentence. I give many examples such as.

Q1 - 'What is the name of your school?' can be lifted and turned into 'The name of my school is...'

Q2 - 'Where do you normally hang out during recess' = 'I normally hang out at the canteen during recess.'

Q3 - 'Why do you like them' = 'I like them because...'

Q4 - 'How have they helped me before' = 'They have helped me before by...'

This is not a 'fit for all' model but I figure that when I learnt in high school, relating sentence structure from the question and using it as the answer can make it easier for me to write the sentence correctly. Through this practice, I learnt to observe the patterns too and with many practices, students may gain more confidence in their writing ability.

Thus, as a teacher, we can always guide them by giving them these questions, not only to brainstorm but also to be used as their own sentences.

FOURTH: *Use 5-Senses method to brainstorm descriptive writing style

In a classroom, the level of the students may vary. For weaker students, the first 3 steps should be enough as practice for their writing. For students who want more, I expose them to the 5-Senses method. Asking themselves if they can imagine any of the 5 senses (Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste and Touch) in their writing.

In example, in Body 2, they can ask more questions related to the 5 senses.

Body 2 - Teachers

• How can you describe their appearance? (Sight)
• How do they smell? What kind of smell from their perfume? (Smell)
• Is their voice loud or clear enough? (Sound)

From this approach, students who want to go beyond the first 3 steps, they can work on their own using this guide. The teacher can then go around the class to facilitate individual students, supply vocabulary or help them brainstorm.

FIFTH: **Add in proverbs, idioms, phrasal verbs for more variety in writing

This is also an extra step for the students. Teacher can give examples of relevant proverbs, idioms or phrasal verbs such as:

• Laughter is the best medicine - When describing why they like to laugh with their friends.
• Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner anywhere - When talking about the importance of learning at school.
• As easy as ABC
• Bookworm
• Crack a book
• Cut class
• Make the grade
• and so many more...

When I taught one or two proverbs, idioms or bombastic words and the students use them in later essay assignment, I find it to be thoroughly satisfying for me.

Usually, I will use 30 - 40 minutes for this kind of lesson, to brainstorm and prepare students for the writing. Then, I will either let them write for another 30 - 40 minutes in class with me facilitating or I give it as homework (Where they get to do more research and have more time to spend on the writing)

Admittedly, writing in a foreign language can be a very demanding task. Yet, when explained, prepared and divided the task in steps, the writing will appear more achievable. That is the task of the teacher, to carry students through the process of writing while equipping them with necessary vocabulary, sentence pattern and language to be used in their writing.

Try to write this essay and let me know of any feedback! And I will share some of the writing from my students later on too.

Till then, Man Jadda Wajada, practice, practice and practice!

Cambridge Phrasal Verbs Game (Phone App)

Good day!

In this EduTech session, we'll bring to you a hot and spicy stuff created by Cambridge University Press ELT. It is a mobile phone game application named Cambridge The Phrasal Verbs Machine. (Click on the link to read further from them)

Understanding phrasal verbs may be tricky or to a certain extent confusing. This particular app is indeed a useful tool to get all teachers and students a wonderful time understanding such peculiar aspect of the English language.

Available for free on Android and IOS platform, and without the need to upgrade for PRO or internet connection, Cambridge Phrasal Verbs Machine app is definitely a quick and convenient tool for teachers and students to further enhance their understanding of phrasal verbs.

This app features a combination of different verbs with different prepositions that come along with meanings and use of the selected phrasal verbs.

Here are some pictures of the nicely done layout.

The home page

We feel this is a professionally done Home Page. Thumbs up!

Game like exercise

You can play this game and not feel like doing grammar exercise when in fact it is drilling your understanding of phrasal verbs unconsciously. The attempts and errors bits make it interesting. How many right attempts can you get?

Phrasal Verbs Views.

In this section, it matches the verbs with correct prepositions to produce the phrasal verbs. Learning phrasal verbs is not that dull any more huh? So, this app is actually pretty neat. A thoroughly satisfying effort from a leading ELT organisation.

So get your phone and start downloading!

Here's Endless English, bringing you EduTech, endless free new technology in a world of endless education.

*Credit to Lee Jul, a teacher-trainee from Malaysia Teacher's Education Institution Ipoh Campus, soon to be posted English teacher for insight to this useful app!

Film English

Hey peeps. How's it cooking there?

Tonight I'm sharing a totally cool website. It's so cool that I'm gonna freeze. Okay, the site name is Film English. The link is here (click it!) ---------> Film English

This is a great website for teachers to use as it uses technology (the IN thing right now for education right?), is out of the norm than normal conventional textbook teaching, filled with interesting lesson ideas with complete and comprehensive guide.

Sooo, if you are a teacher, go and subscribe. What will you get?

1. Lesson plans. With comprehensive step by step guide. (All teachers dream come true!)
2. Downloadable materials.
3. Short exciting videos.
4. Full of awesomeness in the eyes of the students (Compared to those who simply chalk and talk or 'read from the textbook')
5. It's f-o-c and it is ad-free too! (You can donate if you like it)
6. Lots and lots and lots of lessons to be chosen!

I would really recommend using this website especially if you have all the equipments needed to carry out the lesson. The topics chosen are wide enough to get you going for lessons and are suitable for pretty much all levels of learners. Well, except for some which may not be culturally suitable for certain students.

So why wait?

Here's Endless English, bringing you EduTech, endless free new technology in a world of endless education.

Amazing Teachers! built their own stage during school holiday.

This is a story of an awesome school with heroic teachers. It is not a big school with only 63 pupils, 13 teachers and 3 support staffs.

In order to get to this school, you need to get on a boat so many of the teachers opt to live at school instead of having the luxury to live in their own comfortable houses. Those who live at school, they depend on rain as the main source of 'clean water'.

The teachers get up early every morning to carry water from the tank to their quarters before boiling it just to enjoy hot bath.

Most of the students are natives and they live in Rumah Panjang. Some of the students come to school because they get to eat for free in the canteen during recess.

Nowadays, it's pretty much easier for you to get funding, if your school can produce 'excellent' students. Thus, since the school is a small, rural school with no 'excellent' students, it is normal to find such school facing problems in terms of facilities and funding.

Yet, all these fail to stop them from being awesome! How? They literally build their own school and by they, I mean the Amazing Teachers! (including the Headmaster and Assistant okay!)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Have a look at these 2 pictures. They describe the condition of the school where the Amazing Teachers! decided to build a new DIY stage.

Picture 3

Picture 4

Pictures 3 and 4 show the semi-finished stages built using a mixture of used and new wood. Painted in white. Pretty neat huh? Wait, there's more!

Picture 5

Picture 6

Now, here's the finished version. Stage with sky blue paint. It may not look as great as an expensive stage with curtains in a huge school hall but I'm sure the teachers and students felt great for this amazing community achievement.

Picture 7

Picture 8

What about picture 7 and 8? This PJK platform was also built through gotong-royong effort by the teachers assisted with donations from kind-hearted people and organisations.

Now, the best thing I like about this effort by these Amazing Teachers! is they built the stage during school holiday! When it should be the time for them to be with their family, instead they chose to stay at school to finish the work. You rock-lah Cikgu! Try to imagine what the students felt when they start their first day after school holiday, seeing the finished stage, in sky blue some more?

This post is dedicated to all teachers who continuously put extra effort just to make school a better place for learning. Kudos to you guys out there!

Picture 9

Okay, last picture. The Amazing Teachers and Staffs of the awesome school: Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Pinang, Dalat, Sarawak. This school is trying to achieve the status 'cluster' school and is waiting for observation from the Nazirs. Pray for them!

* Credit to Teacher Mona from SK Sg. Pinang for the information and pictures.

** If you have more infos on Amazing Teachers! in your area, send an email to teslthinktank@gmail.com for the content to be published. Together we spread the good vibes of Amazing Teachers!

Easy SPM Summary Writing Steps - Story Passage (SPM 2008)

Hi kind folks!

In SPM English Examination Paper, summary writing gives a total of 15 marks. 10 of the marks go for contents while 5 for language. It is actually fairly easy to score at least 10 marks in summary writing provided you know the tips and techniques. Don't worry, I'll share with you 5 simple steps.

Before that, bear in mind, although the question gives 10 marks for content, there are usually more than 10 points given in the text suitable for your summary. So, you can actually have more than 10 points in your summary but the full mark for content will still be 10.

Easy SPM Summary Writing Steps

1. Read and understand the question. Identify the key words in the question.
2. Cross out the unnecessary texts of the passage given.
3. Identify the key points in the text related to the keyword and underline them.
4. Read and understand the key points. Choose the best points related to the summary question.
5. Write down your summary. Use linkers and complex sentences to score marks in language.

Okay, the points may seem quite general (like who don't know that you need to identify the key words, right?) So, we will go through a few types of passage and try to summarise the passage using the Easy SPM Summary Writing Steps.

The first one, A story passage. 

If you get a story passage then it is pretty much easier for you, yay! That's because a story will have characters and usually the summary is about the characters' action. Thus, here's what we should do to tackle a story passage summary writing.

The story is about a professional hunter of wild animals being attacked by a leopard.

FIRST: Read and understand the question. Identify the key words in the question.

Picture 1

As you can see in Picture 1, the question has 2 Points. The first is how the leopard attacked the writer and the second is what he (the writer) did to save himself. 

Since this is a story passage, as I mentioned earlier, we need to identify the characters. As highlighted in orange, there are 2 characters being 1- the writer and 2- the leopard.

The one highlighted in yellow are the points required by the question while the green colour is the necessary parts. For now let us take a look at Green and Orange. 

SECOND: Cross out the unnecessary texts of the passage given.

Okay, read the information in Green. It says use materials from lines 13 to 37. (For those who don't know, the numbers on your right are the lines and on your left are for paragraphs) So what we have to do is draw a line under line 13 and above line 37. Then we cross out what is not needed. The result will look like this.

Picture 2

There you go. From a long passage, you are now left with a shorter version to focus on and summarise. Psychologically, this will help us tend to the task better as there are less words and it looks so much easier.

THIRD: Identify the key points in the text related to the keyword and underline them.

After we know which part to focus on, the next step is to identify the characters (the orange key words in the question). I have done this as well but instead of underlining, I highlighted the characters. Here comes the knowledge of pronouns to be tested.

For the writer. We can highlight the word 'I' in the text. (Since the text uses 'I'. If the text uses He or She then go for that)

For the leopard. There are a few choices in the text such as 'The leopard', 'the creature', 'the animal' and 'it'.

For beginners, I tell them to just underline all the characters-related words you can find. After that only we filter them. So, here is the highlighted version of the text.

Picture 3

From Picture 3 you can see that there are PLENTY OF CHOICES! for students to choose as content for their summary. I did this purposely to show that no students should hand in empty paper because identifying the key words is actually very easy!

FOURTH: Read and understand the key points. Choose the best points related to the summary question.

Here comes the more challenging part of summary writing. We have identified ALL the key words in the text (in this case, the characters). Now, we need to read the questions again and identify the key points. As highlighted in yellow in Picture 1, the 2 key points are: 1- How the leopard attacked and 2- What the writer did to save himself.

Reading from these points in the question can help us understand that the points involve actions. Actions by the leopard to attack and actions by the writer to save himself. Hence, the fourth step for us is to identify, from ALL the key words we have highlighted in orange, which are suitable to be used as content points for the question. How to know? First is by understanding the text or if it's too hard, just select the key words that comes together with a suitable action verb. How? Like this following example.

Picture 4

Allright, in Picture 4 you can see I have highlighted the points. The ones in yellow are the points related to the leopard's attack and those in green are the actions of the writer to save himself. Here the knowledge of vocabulary and identifying verbs are tested.

If you count, there are 13 points suitable to be used as content. You can choose to use all 13 or select 10. It's up to you but don't forget, never go beyond 130 words including the 10 words given.

FIFTH: Write down your summary. Use linkers and complex sentences to score marks in language.

The last step is to write down your summary. Don't forget to use the 10 words given in the question. And use linkers to score at least 3 marks for language. Linkers like secondly, thirdly, then, next, furthermore, moreover, after that and so on. However, please do not forget to change the word 'I' for the writer with 'He' when you write the summary.

Let's take the first few points and write a simple 'copy paste' summary using suitable linkers.

Example: He realised he was being attacked by a leopard when the leopard leapt onto its back. Secondly, the leopard claws at his back. Then, he still managed to gather enough strength to roll over. Next, the creature had grabbed his right shoulder and became more aggressive. Furthermore, it started shaking me vigorously... (and so on)

Reading the example, I actually copy and pasted most of the words from the text but I join them using linkers. This should be easy for students with limited language skills because they can just copy and paste the points identified. If they score more than 8 correct content points, they may get at least a 3 for language. Add that up it becomes 11 out of 15. Not too bad huh?

For those who want to score perfect marks, we will cover it up in another article, okay? Until then, Man Jadda Wajada, practice, practice and practice. :)

Footnote:

• This summary question is taken from SPM Examination Paper 2008.
• This is not the real answer scheme so it may differ from the official answer scheme.

Starter

3 years ago, I made this blog to fulfil my coursework requirement (blog about technology) during my undergraduate studies. It has stopped for a while but from time to time, the few contents posted here still attracted some visits.

Therefore, from today onwards, it will be a personal-education blog for me to express my views and opinions on education issues especially those happening in Malaysia apart from serving as a platform to share my teaching and learning activities while building up useful contents for my English class.

Categories:

1. Writing
2. Reading
3. Language Games
4. EduTech
5. SPM 1119 English
6. Issues & Opinions
7. Amazing Teachers!

Writing

• For classroom use or do-it-yourself writing activities with step by step guidance to allow room for practice even without a teacher.
• Writing contents include descriptive, narrative, factual and directed writing.

Reading

• Reading comprehension guide and practice exercises similar to those conducted in PT3 and SPM. It is actually very easy to read and spot the key points for the text given. 
• Step-by-step guidance and tons of practice for those looking to improve their reading skills.

Language Games

• Learning English is supposed to be fun! So, here's a compilation of simple language games I have conducted in my classroom. The students love it, so must you! 

EduTech

• Education and technology always come together in a sentence nowadays. In this label, I will expose some from the many technology used in education for various purposes.

SPM 1119 English

• In Malaysia, at the end of the day, it is going to be about your score in the exam! Thus, in this section, I will go through the following matters:
• Summary-writing technique
• Novel answering technique
• Information transfer technique
• Marking, grading and the criteria
• Past year writing topics

Amazing Teachers! 

• Great and Excellent teachers are really amazing. Despite the mediocre pay, negative criticism, lack of job satisfaction due to the filings and documentations, they are still there trying to make a difference for the students. 
• Hence, this section is specially dedicated to the teachers (and lecturers of course!) who have given themselves to the education world, created and inspired many young minds.
• Let us spread the good vibes happening in our education world. Because without them, it's a surprise we can actually get this far.

Man Jadda Wajada

Let's start
;)

Speed-Vocab

A simple vocabulary game which can be done to suit any level. You don't even need much preparation but a dictionary for each group will greatly help for weak and intermediate students.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Divide students into small groups.

2. Provide each group with dictionary. I suggest 2 dictionaries for a group of 4.

3. Give students the first word. For example I gave the word 'fame'

4. Each student will take turn to write a new meaningful word based from the word given. The student can only change one letter of the word at a time.

5. They can refer to the dictionary to find words. 

6. The group with the most number of meaningful words win the game.

Extra note:

1. I ask my students to write the meaning of the words they write and ask them to explain the meaning to their friends when we go through the word-list they have created.

2. My students are in form 3, I did the game for only 15 minutes. Throughout this game, they found and used many words they have never come across before!

So, good luck trying this in your class. ;)