DOMINICAN SCHOOL OF CALABANGA

San Francisco, Calabanga, Camarines Sur

MODULE IN ENGLISH GRADE 7

FIRST QUARTER

WEEK 1

FOREWORD

This module was designed in response to the “new normal” school year, resilience must be built into our
educational systems to ensure that knowledge and skills remain a priority for all students. This module contains the Most
Essential Learning Competencies (MELC), an innovative response to the present situation of our educational system. With
the distance education or learning, the school hoped for a continuous learning for the students who may not be
physically present at school. This is also to ensure the safety and health of the students.

Below are the essential elements of the module which will help you to understand the lesson as you gradually
proceed with every activity.

Each lesson follows a designed pattern, described as follows:

This gives you an overview of what is expected for you to achieve at the end of the
worktext. Knowing your objectives gives you a clear purpose for you to focus on the
significant sections.

Synonymous to “Stop!”, this word is used to describe the sound tires make when the
car stops unexpectedly. In this section, you should stop for a while to complete an
initial activity or to take time pondering some guide questions. Some activities are
also used to test if you already have background knowledge about the topic.

Just as Netflix provides you some movies and TV series for leisure and relaxation, this
part also let you enjoy some reading texts that would take you to different
dimensions while learning your lessons.

After perusing the text, an easy activity is waiting for you! This will not just check if
you understand what you read but also give you some clues if you comprehend it
correctly.

Once is never enough – in this section you have to complete another task that would
enhance your understanding of the lesson. Similar to mobile and computer games,
you have to take another step higher of difficulty in order to gain higher level
rewards.

Keep on practicing until you master it. This includes activities that are way too
difficult than the previous tasks. Nevertheless, it helps you assess yourself if you
really had deep understanding about the text/lesson.

Finally, after finishing the tasks and answering worksheets, this section may contain
writing activity which may be a reflection essay, questionnaire etc. that would mirror
your realizations and expected actions to be done after learning your lessons.

Here are some random informational bits which may appear on any part of the module:
This contains some unfamiliar/vocabulary words which will help deciphering the
meaning of the text or add some daily words to your vocabulary breakfast, served
hot! E.g. Logomaniac – a person obsessed with words 😊

As quick as the Flash, this section shares English facts and trivia that you probably
never heard before. Read it quick, but remember it for a long time.
Lesson 1: Precolonial Philippine literature in the form of Folk Speeches
At the end of this module, you must be able to:

 Explain the importance of knowing one’s own identity and culture.

 Identify Riddle, Proverb, and Tanaga
 Write examples of tanaga

Have you ever wondered why we are taught to write our name before learning anything
else? That is because teachers want us to know our own identity first before learning others’.
It would also be the same thing in learning literature. Prior studying the literature of other
countries, we should understand and appreciate the significance of our own literature which existed
even before the Spaniards and other conquerors came. Hence the term, PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE.

Guess the Gibberish

You might be already familiar with this activity since that this is very popular online with
Instagram app being used by famous celebrities and comedians. On this activity, you will guess
the word from the words which make no sense until you figure it out their true meaning.
These words are terminologies which are mostly related to Philippine Literature.

I know, you still don’t get the hang of it, so here are some of the examples:
 Do-mean-in-can: ______________ (Answer: Dominican)
 Bye-by-Inn: _______________ (Answer: Baybayin)
o Clue: Ancient writing script of the Philippines

Okay, it’s now your turn!

 Let you rate your: _________________
o Clue: Oral/written works that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance.
 Prow hoe verb: _______________
o Clue: Traditional sayings used by Filipinos
 Ray hid dale: ______________
o Clue: Statement or a question that has double meaning like a puzzle to be solved
 Who we say risk salt: _____________
o Clue: He is widely considered one of the greatest heroes of the Philippines   
 The moon honk key end the two are tool: ______________
o Clue: A well-known fable in the Philippines
 Feel Lip Fin Leech Irate Sure: ___________________
o Clue: a literature that includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the
Philippines.

How did you….?! Okay, either you were so smart enough to answer all of those or I just gave you
the easiest ones. Were just getting started you know. Anyways, take note of these. . .
Philippine literature has four (4) periods:
 Precolonial Period  Period of Emergence
 Period of Apprenticeship  Contemporary Period

On this quarter, we need to focus on the first one, the Precolonial Period of Philippine Literature.
 Folk Speeches
1. Riddles
 These were used by our ancestors to test
someone’s wit and also to serve as a game

Before Rizal’s novels opened our eyes against the

Spanish Regime and Jose Garcia Villa’s poems
touched our souls, Filipinos has an already
existing form of literature. Precolonial or
Traditional Oral Literature of the Philippines
which was used either as pastime or to challenge
someone’s wit. These are mostly verbally passed
on to other since writing was not yet popular
during that before. One of those forms that
emerged are Folk Speeches. Your parents or
grandparents probably did a “bugtungan” during
their childhood or you might have been
reprimanded then hit you with their “wisdom
phrases.” These were some of the influence of
Precolonial Literature that exists up until today.

2. Proverbs
 Filipino proverbs are unwritten knowledge passed down from generation to generation and typically
contain advice from our ancestors. These are commonly observations about the nature of life or about
wise or unwise behavior to serve in some societies/barangays as a sanction for decisions and may even
be employed basis for their laws.
 Example:
o A broom is sturdy because its strands are tightly bound.
Matibay ang walis, palibhasa'y magkabigkis.
Meaning: People gain strength by standing together
 If you plant, you harvest.
Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.
Meaning: Your future will be the result of your actions today. Plan ahead
 If someone throws stones at you, throw back bread.
Kung pukulin ka ng bato, tinapay ang iganti mo.
Meaning: Instead of looking for revenge, show love and forgiveness
3. Tanaga

 Being poem as the oldest form of literature, our ancestors have their own versions of short rhyming
poetry known as Tanaga. This is a quatrain with seven (7) syllables each, often has a title as its subject.
 Example:

“Sipag” “Ikaw lamang” “Tanaga”

Magsikhay ng mabuti Dasal ko sa Bathala Ang tanaga na tula
Sa araw man o gabi Sana’y makapiling ka Ay sining at kultura
Hindi mamumulubi Sa luha ko at dusa Tatak ng ating bansa
Mabuhay parang hari Ikaw ang aking sigla Hanggang wakas ng lupa

Just so you know, riddles and proverbs are both in a form of couplet (poem with two lines) while tanaga is a
quatrain (poem with four lines). Yeah, you’re welcome!
 Now that you already know what are the different folk speeches, try
answering some Filipino riddles. Whoops! Don’t try to search the answers
on the internet. I had installed a CCTV in your house. I’m watching you,
careful kid… 😊

I. Write your answer on the blank space provided. You may use the Filipino or English terms.
1. Kung kailan mo pinatay, saka pa humaba ang buhay. (clue: it melts) _________________________
2. May puno walang bunga, may dahon walang sanga. (clue: used for soup) ________________________
3. Dumaan ang hari, nagkagatan ang mga pari. (clue: keep it close, often.) ________________________
4. Sa araw ay bungbong, sa gabi ay dahon. (clue: used during night) _________________________
5. Maliit pa si Kumpare, nakakaakyat na sa tore. (clue: sweets hunter) _________________________
6. Nagtago si pedro labas ang ulo. (clue: a metal)
7. Bugtong pala bugtong, kadenang umuugong (clue: Thomas and Friends)
8. Buto’t balat na malapad, kay galing kung lumipad.(clue: look at the sky)
9. Yumuko man ang reyna, di malalaglag ang korona. (clue: green)
10. Lumuluha walang mata, lumalakad walang paa. (you’re using it right now)
Try answering some English riddles as well.
11. What goes up when rain goes down? _________________________
12. I’m the beginning of eternity,
the end of time and space
the beginning of the end
and the end of every place. _________________________
13. Mary’s father had five daughters – Lala, Lele, Leli, Lolo . . .
What’s the name of the fifth daughter? _________________________
14. It has one entrance but three exits. _________________________
15. One of the oldest riddles in the world. Try it!
“What animal in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening on three?”
_________________________.

Did you know that our forefathers’ have age-old

discombobulate /ˌdiskəmˈbäbyəlāt/ verb
system of writing called Baybayin which is
- disconcert or confuse (someone).
believed to have existed in our archipelago even
"this attitude totally discombobulated Bruce"
before the first Spanish colonizers sailed toward
our shores. Our ancestors used it to pen songs,
prayers, verses and messages or letters on such
materials as tree barks, bamboos, leaves, rock
faces, and metals.

II. Make a short comic strip about your understanding of the proverb given below. You may
also use an extra paper.

1. A quitter never wins, a winner never quits

(Ang umaayaw ay hindi nagwawagi, ang nagwawagi ay hindi umaayaw)
 \

2. Of what use is the grass when the horse is already dead

(Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo)

Good job! You were able to reach this part, I knew you can! Now let’s see if
you can make some tanaga. Remember, tanaga is a four-line poem with 7
syllables each and has ending rhymes.

III. Make a tanaga for every topic provided below. You may use English or Filipino.

Kasalukuyan (Present/Nowadays)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Aking Pamilya (My Family)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Kulturang Pinoy (Filipino Culture)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________

We are almost done. Now let us see if you can already identify riddle,
proverb, and tanaga.

I. Draw a star ( ) if it is a riddle, heart( ) if it is a proverb, and a smiley( ) if the example is

a tanaga.

________1. Bato-bato sa langit, 'pag tinamaan huwag magagalit.

________2. Palay siyang matino,
Nang humangi’y yumuko;
Nguni’t muling tumayo
Nagkabunga ng ginto procrastinate
/prəˈkrastəˌnāt/ verb
1. - delay or postpone
action; put
________3. Dala mo dala ka, dala ka ng iyong dala.
________4. Ako ay may kaibigan, kasama ko kahit saan.
________5. Wala iyan sa pabalat
at sa puso nakatatak,
nadarama’t nalalasap
ang pag-ibig na matapat.
________6. Ang taong nagigipit, sa patalim kumakapit.
________7. Malaking supot ni Mang Jacob, kung sisidlan ay pataob.
________8. Ang katoto kapag tunay
hindi ngiti ang pang-alay
kundi isang katapatan
ng mataus na pagdamay.
________9. Heto na si Kaka, bubuka-bukaka.
________10. Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga.
You made it, great job! Since that you already understand the different folk speeches during the
Precolonial Literature, write some tweets by answering the questions given below. Put a hashtag
for every tweet. (ex. #RevivePhilippinePoetry

Why is it important to know In your opinion, should

our own literature before Filipinos revive the use of
studying the literary works Baybayin in their daily writing?
from other countries?

1. What I have learned?

__________________________________________________________________________

2. What were the difficulties encountered in the topic?

__________________________________________________________________________

3. In summary/In a nutshell…

How can we differentiate Filipino Riddles from Proverbs and Tanaga?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
“The identity of the Filipino today is of a person asking what is his identity.”
- Nick Joaquin