Grade 6 Long Test Coverage

Grade 6 students, here are the lessons covered by the long test:

• The Young Jose Rizal
• Determining the Author's Purpose
• Using Figurative Language
• Identifying and Using Prepositions
• Identifying Functions of the Prepositional Phrases
• A New Me
• Predicting Outcomes
• The Hand that Serve
• Identifying Sentences According to Function
• Identifying the Basic Parts of a Sentence 

Good Luck!

Topics for today:

Structure of dialogs and mode of delivery in Afro-Asian drama:

The specifics of theatrical dialogue are governed by the essential features of the theatrical environment. These are perhaps best explored by considering other media in which dialogue plays a part, such as film, literature and radio:

·         Film is probably the most realistic of all creative media insofar as it engulfs viewers' minds with sights and sounds. Dialogue is not necessarily important, since film's power to communicate lies largely in the richness of its visual imagery and non-verbal soundscapes.

• Nor is dialogue necessarily important in literature. Novelists and storytellers can easily get their message across through reported speech, or even exclusively through descriptive text. Where dialogue occurs, it usually depends heavily on the context of descriptive text, so that the reader may understand who is speaking and may know enough about the character to be able to create a reasonably satisfying mental picture of the situation.
• Dialogue is crucial in radio, however. The absence of the visual dimension may be partly compensated by imaginative, suggestive use of sound and, to a lesser extent, a narrator. Only the dialogue can provide any further information needed to complete the visual picture in listeners' minds. Accordingly, radio dialogue must be cleverly designed to impart information that fills the gap of the missing visual dimension.

Of these examples, only radio dialogue comes close to theatrical dialogue in terms of its nature and importance.

Theatre audiences obviously have the benefit of the visual dimension that radio listeners lack, so that theatre playwrights do not need to put the same visual slant on their writing as do radio playwrights. Having said that, the visual power of theatre is not nearly as intense as that of the film. Whereas the film director can fill the screen with a meaningful flicker of an eyelid, the theatre director must rely to a far greater extent on the writer and the actors to ensure that subtle imagery communicates itself all the way to the back of the upper balcony. Dialogue that might readily be cut from a screenplay, where the camera says it all, may come into its own in the theatre, where words are a crucial factor in the process of communication.

In short, whereas most writers in fields other than theatre can "get by" with lacklustre dialogue-writing skills, writers for theatre (and radio) simply cannot. 

Click here for the reference of this article 

Variety of character portrayal:

Characterizations in play encompass four separate processes:

1.    Conception – this where the character is born out of the playwright’s mind. It is from the moment where the play is formed as an idea, and then when it is being written down. The character will depend on the plot, structure, or theme that will ultimately become drama.

Characters may develop or change radically in the process of conception, and nothing in this process is really complete or final until the other three processes are also complete.

2.    Presentation – the way the character deliver his/her line through the words and actions specified in the text or script.

The artistic decision about how much to present and when to present it can have an important effect on how the audience responds to a character and what sort of character ultimately is realized in the play. But the full effect of characterization in a play comes out when the play is fleshed out on the stage with a live-actor playing the part.

3.    Casting – it is the process of deciding what actors are to play the parts – usually, a director takes a major step in determining how a character will seem to be to the audience. Choosing an actor is determined not only of the physical appearance, voice quality, and stage presence but also more subtle details of presentation. The acting talent of each individual actor, the quality of intelligence and understanding of the role that the actor is capable of shall determine how a character will ultimately seem to an audience.

4.    Acting – the last step in characterization. It is in the actual production that the actor makes something distinctive of his or her talents in relation to the author’s original conception.

Local color or regionalism:

It refers to any fictional prose or poetry that shows or focuses on the characters, dialects, customs, topography, and other features that is unique or particular to a specific region. Sometimes, it requires a setting outside the world of modern development, a zone of backwardness where locally variant folkways still prevail. Its characters are ethnologically colorful, personifications of the different humanity produced in such non-modern cultural settings. Above all, this fiction features an extensive written simulation of regional vernacular, a conspicuous effort to catch the nuances of local speech.

The usual content of a literature showing regionalism:

Setting: The emphasis is frequently on nature and the limitations it imposes; settings are frequently remote and inaccessible. The setting is integral to the story and may sometimes become a character in itself.

Characters: Local color stories tend to be concerned with the character of the district or region rather than with the individual: characters may become character types, sometimes quaint or stereotypical. The characters are marked by their adherence to the old ways, by dialect, and by particular personality traits central to the region. In women's local color fiction, the heroines are often unmarried women or young girls.

Narrator: The narrator is typically an educated observer from the world beyond who learns something from the characters while preserving a sometimes sympathetic, sometimes ironic distance from them. The narrator serves as mediator between the rural folk of the tale and the urban audience to whom the tale is directed.

Plots: It has been said that "nothing happens" in local color stories by women authors, and often very little does happen. Stories may include lots of storytelling and revolve around the community and its rituals.

Themes: Many local color stories share an antipathy to change and a certain degree of nostalgia for an always-past golden age. A celebration of community and acceptance in the face of adversity characterizes women's local color fiction. Thematic tension or conflict between urban ways and old-fashioned rural values is often symbolized by the intrusion of an outsider or interloper who seeks something from the community.

Phrases and Clauses:

Phrases and clauses are group of related words that serve as the building blocks of sentences on a larger scale than parts of speech. A clause contains both a subject and a verb whereas a phrase does not.

Understanding phrases and clauses and knowing how to organize them help writers create varied sentences and avoid problems such as run-on sentences, fragments, and punctuation errors.

Grammar:

Phrases and Clauses:

Phrases and clauses are group of related words that serve as the building blocks of sentences on a larger scale than parts of speech. A clause contains both a subject and a verb whereas a phrase does not.

Understanding phrases and clauses and knowing how to organize them help writers create varied sentences and avoid problems such as run-on sentences, fragments, and punctuation errors.

HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY PHRASES AND CLAUSES?

A phrase, which generally consists of multiple parts of speech, behaves as a unit like a single part of speech.  In the following examples, note how phrases take on the roles of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.  (Phrases that begin with a preposition—called “prepositional phrases”—can fulfill various functions, particularly as adjective phrases, adverb phrases, or part of noun phrases.)

• Noun phrases name a person, place, thing, or idea.

Buying a home can be a stressful ordeal.

My elegant Aunt Ida adores that mangy one-eyed mutt of hers.

• Verb phrases express action or state of being.

We may have been mistaken about the car’s reliability.

The Sampson twins will be traveling in Belize all next month.

• Adjective phrases describe nouns.

The bird, a beautiful yellow grosbeak, is chirping gleefully.

The tree on your left is a popular haven for such species.

• Adverb phrases describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or even whole sentences.

Because of the recent rainfall, our vegetable garden is thriving.

I wish all people could live with music in their hearts.

·   Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition and a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of the preposition.

In the canteen             At the school

            From the governor      Around the corner       Under the table

·   Infinitive phrases consist of an infinitive (to + base form of the verb) and any associated modifiers

To raise funds             To win the elections

Clauses fit into two main categories: independent and dependent. 

An independent clause may stand alone as a complete sentence because it contains a subject and a verb and forms a complete idea.  A sentence made of one independent clause is called a “simple sentence.”  A sentence made of two or more independent clauses is called a “compound sentence.”  Note that these distinctions rely on the particular combination of subject (underlined) and verb (double-underlined) rather than the length of the sentence.

[Uncle Jay’s two Siamese kittens kept me awake all night long with their constant mewing and wrestling.]

[I sing,] and [she dances.]

• A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb but does not form a complete idea.

[When Laney scratched off the final number on the lottery ticket]

Do you feel the suspense?  A dependent clause needs an independent clause to finish the thought and become a complete sentence.  This type of sentence is called a “complex sentence.”  A sentence with at least one dependent clause and at least two independent clauses is called a “compound-complex sentence.”

[When Laney scratched off the final number on the lottery ticket,] she remembered the reason for her nickname, Luckless Laney.

The movie [that I saw last weekend] wasn’t nearly as good as the popcorn.

Mr. Wu will not visit tomorrow [unless he can get his car repaired this afternoon].

Click here for the online reference of this grammar topic

For Grade-6 Students:

Since the 2nd Quarterly long test is fast approaching, and there is the probability that our time would be allotted for examination, I am providing you the coverage of the exam here. Also, I am posting the topics that were not discussed. 

The following are the coverage of the long test:

• Getting the Meaning of the Words through Prefixes
• Personal Pronouns
• Sequencing Events and Information When Speaking
• Elaborating Ideas
• Different Reference Materials
• Kinds of Verbs: Action and Linking Verbs
• Developing the Middle Paragraph of an Essay
• Forming and Supporting an Opinion
• Context Clues

For the discussion about the prefix, please refer to your previous notes about it. With regards to Personal Pronouns, I have already discussed this in class and you were able to have your quiz. Also, you all know about Elaborating Ideas. The mini poster you are making is what it is all about. You also had a short recitation activity tackling the Different Reference Material. About the Kinds of Verbs, I have given it as your reading assignment; this can be read on page 52 of English Language. As an additional assignment, read "Cherie Gil In the Eye of the Storm" pages 48 - 49 and answer Reflect, Reword, and Rethink of your English Language book. Write your answers in your notebook which I will be collecting next week for checking.

Now, please read the following:

Developing the Middle Paragraph of an Essay:

You all know about the importance of the topic sentence; it acts as the introduction or provides an overview to the reader about your ideas. Now, the question is how are you going to support your topic? The answer lies on how well you develop your middle paragraph. 

Once you have written your introduction or opening paragraph, you can start developing the middle paragraph which acts as the supporting details of your writing. However, you must remember that each middle paragraph must represent the reasons supporting your opinion statement. It is also important that specific details be given for each reason. In fact, you can use the skills you have learned from elaborating your ideas in making a strong middle paragraph.

Google image

Imagine your essay as a sandwich or a hamburger. The upper bun is your introduction, the content of the sandwich is your middle paragraph or the body, and the lower bun is the conclusion. And what would make a sandwich delicious is the content! That same goes with the when writing your middle paragraph.

 In order for your middle paragraph to be easily understood, you can use transitional words. These transitional words helps the reader to follow your idea from paragraph to paragraph. 

You can learn more about these transitional words by following this link: http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/qwrtcntr/resources/handouts/transitions.htm

To sum up:

Each paragraph has three parts.

1. Topic sentence states reasons that support the opinion statement.
2. Middle Sentences provide details that support the reason, including facts and opinions.
3. Closing sentences summarizes information in the paragraph.

Forming and Supporting an Opinion:

This is just a short discussion about how to form and support an opinion. You already know the difference between facts and opinion. Through this, we are going to strengthen your knowledge about opinion making. As stated, an opinion is your personal belief or feeling about an issue or topic. Once you have decided on your stand or belief, you must give the reasons as to why you are supporting an issue or topic. Since an opinion need to be proven, you are given the freedom to gather pieces of evidence to support your topic. You can do this by giving facts and examples.

You can follow these steps as a guide when making an opinion:

1. Brainstorm your ideas first and then make a draft. In this manner you would be able to list down all possible ideas that comes to your mind, and of course, it would make you easily remember them when you do have your notes.

2. Write your introductory paragraph. You present your opinion clearly in the introductory paragraph. At this part, you don't have to write the proof of your opinion, but as to how you are going to support your opinion. 

3. Make the body of the paragraph. Topic sentences must be clear and it is related to your opinion. 

4. Write your conclusion. The conclusion must also be connected with your introduction to have the necessary continuity.

5. Expression. This means that if you are writing formally, you should avoid using slang, casual language, or unclear comments. Again, apply the transitional words to have a clear flow of ideas.

(adapted from an online article from www.calconline.net)

Context clues:

The words that surround a word are called its context. Information about the meaning of a word that is contained in the surrounding words is called a context clue. There are five types of context clues: (1) synonym, (2) definition, (3) example, (4) contrast, and (5) inference.

The first steps in a strategy for figuring out the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase from the context in which it appears are as follows: 

Step 1: Check for synonyms or definitions embedded right there. If you find a synonym or definition, reread the sentence with the new term keeping the synonym or definition in mind. Then tell yourself in your own words what the sentence is saying to you.

Step 2: Check for a contrast clue. If you find one, think about its meaning, actually telling yourself the opposite meaning. Then reread the sentence and rephrase it in your own mind.

Step 3: When you read a sentence that you have trouble understanding because it contains an unfamiliar word, reread the sentence and substitute a word that seems to make sense in the context.

Step 4: Read on. If the word you substituted does not make sense in the context of the rest of the paragraph, try again.

Step 5: If the sentence still does not make sense to you and you do not understand the main point the author is making in the paragraph, look for a synonym, definition, and contrast clue. If you are still uncertain, check a dictionary.

Completing these exercises will help you learn how to define words without having to spend time looking in a dictionary. The exercises will also help you practice using context to define terms, thus resulting in better comprehension of what you read. (http://wps.ablongman.com/long_licklider_vocabulary_2/0,6658,416421-,00.html)