Activity

Sheet in
ENGLISH 6
QUARTER 1
Week 9-Day 1

Reading Comprehension
EN6RC-Ii2.24.4
EN6RC-Ii2.24.5
Evaluate narratives based on how the author developed the
element:
-theme

Oral Reading Fluency

EN6F-Ii-1.13
Read grade level text with 135 words correct per minute
 EN6Q1W9D1

Let’s Try This

Picture Prediction
Look at the picture below then answer the following questions.
 What do you think are the red hen, the duck, the cat, and the dog
talking about? Do you think they agree with each other?
 What do you think is the narrative going to be about?

Sharing One’s Experience

Answer the following questions then share your answers to the class.
 Have you experienced asking someone to help you carry out a task?
 Did he/she help you? How? If not, why?
 How does it feel to be turned down by your friends after asking them a request
or favor? Explain your answer.
Do you know that the red hen (in the narrative you are about to read) was refused by
her friends when she had asked them to do some favors? Let’s find out.

Let’s Read and Learn

Read the following narrative then answer the questions that follow.

The Red Hen and Her Friends

Once, there lived a hen with her five chicks. The hen was as red as beetroot. She had
three friends: a duck, a cat and a dog. They all lived happily.

One day, the red hen stumbled on to a wheat seed. “Hey, who among you wish to plant
this seed?" she asked.

“Not me, friend" refused the duck.

“Nor can I." declined the cat.

“Count me not." the dog turned his back.

“All right. I will do it then by myself," said the hen.

What do you think would the red hen do? Why do you think so?

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 She planted the seed and watered it. Alas! It grew quickly to yield the brownish wheat.
“Hi! There, who among you wish to harvest the wheat?" asked the red hen.
“Not me, friend," the duck sounded bored.
“Nor can I." shrugged the cat.
“Count me not!" avoided the dog.
“If so, I will do it by myself," the red hen spoke up as she labored all day along. By
evening she had two gunny bags full of wheat.

What did the red hen ask her friends to do? Did they help her?
What are the clues that tell you that the red hen’s friends did not help her?

“Hello pal! Who among you will lend me a hand to grind this wheat? She queried. All the
three refused as usual.

"I will see that I grind this by myself. I will make flour, knead dough and bake bread!" she
announced. The next day she baked delicious bread.

What did the red hen ask her friends to do? Did they help her?
What did the red hen do all by herself?

“Howdy, who among you wish to eat this bread?" she asked merrily.

“I want to!" answered the duck, smacking her lips.

“Me too!" said the cat with his mouth watering.

“Yummy, smells good," spoke up the dog, shuffling his feet eagerly.

What did the red hen ask her friends to do?

What was the reaction of the duck, the cat, and the dog?
What do you think will be the response of the red hen to her friends? Will she let them
eat the bread?

“None of you can have a bite! I slaved in the field and at home. Only my children and I are
entitled to eat this bread!" So saying, the red hen fed her chicks and ate a sumptuous
meal that day.
What was the response of the red hen to her friends? Did she let them have a bite of the
bread? Can you identify the clues that help you figure out the red hen’s response?

Reference:

"The Red Hen and Her Friends: Moral Stories: Short Stories: Animal Stories." English for Students.
Accessed June 14, 2017. http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Red-Hen-and-Her-Friends.html.
 Let’s Do This

Task 1. Questions for Discussion

1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. What did the red hen ask her friends to help her with?
3. What did the three animals tell the red hen when she asked them to help her?
4. What specific tasks did the red hen do in the story?
5. When did the red hen’s friends finally want to help her? Why?
6. Why didn’t the red hen let them eat the bread?

Let’s Study This

UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVE
A narrative refers to a story or an account of something, dealing with sequences
of events and experiences, though not necessarily in strict order. It may be actual or
fictional, and can be expressed orally or in writing. (Harris and Hodges, eds, 1995).

A narrative contains several elements, such as characterization, plot and setting,

that all work together to construct the narrative’s theme.

UNDERSTANDING THEME
Narratives always contain at least one theme. Single themes can build on one
another to convey a larger message, or a work may stick to one key theme.
The theme is the central message or idea of a narrative. It tells the reader what
the literary piece is all about. It is expressed through what the characters say, do and
think, and through the actions that take place within the story. The theme is also
revealed in how the plot and setting of the narrative are constructed and presented.

By telling the reader what the story is about, the theme expresses what ideas or
issues are raised within the story. Though a longer narrative, like a novel, might deal
with several themes at once, most narratives contain one theme.
Examples of themes include friendship, family, love, respect for others,
helping one another, world peace, equality, patriotism and nationalism, loyalty,
cooperation, determination to succeed, etc.

EVALUATING THE STORY'S END

The way a narrative ends can provide key insights into the author's message. If
something bad happens to a character, the author may be trying to convey that the
character made the wrong choices or that the world is unfair. In some narratives, the
end of the story attempts to sum up the theme or provide additional clues to the
story's point, so pay careful attention to any surprises in the ending or any insight the
characters themselves offer.
References:

"What Is a Theme in a Narrative?" The Pen and The Pad. Accessed June 14,
2017. http://penandthepad.com/theme-narrative-1732.html.
"How to Identify an Authors Theme in a Narrative." How to Identify an Authors Theme in a Narrative
| Education - Seattle PI. Accessed June 14, 2017. http://education.seattlepi.com/identify-authors-
theme-narrative-5319.html.

Let’s Do More

Task 2. Let’s Read Aloud

Read the narrative “The Red Hen and Her Friends” aloud in the class. Read it
aloud again - this time, with your partner, then with your groupmates.

Task 3. Pair and Share

Answer the following questions in each column in the table. Write your answer inside
the box. Then, choose your partner and discuss your answers with each other.
Share your common answers to the class.
Title of the Narrative: The Red Hen and Her Friends
What have you learned What is your reaction What message do you
about the narrative? about the narrative? think the author tried to
convey in this narrative?
(theme)

Let’s Test Ourselves

Task 4. Read and Analyze

Read the following narratives then answer the questions that follow.

Narrative 1:

Long ago in a little town in the East, there lived a couple. They lived in a
modest house together with their son and the father of the husband. For a while, the
old man lived happily with his son, his daughter-in-law and his grandson.
 But when he grew very old, he became very feeble. Every time he ate at the
table, he always broke a plate because his hands trembled so much. The old man’s
awkwardness soon made his son angry, and one day he made a wooden plate for
his father. The poor old man had to eat all his food on his wooden plate.

When the grandson noticed what his father had done, he took some tools and
went down under the house. The he took a piece of board and began to carve it. His
father saw him and said, “What are you doing son?” The boy replied to him, “Father,
I am making wooden plates for you and my mother when you are old.”

As the son uttered these words, tears gushed from the father’s eyes. From
that time on, the old man was allowed to eat at the table with the rest of the family.
He was no longer made to eat from a wooden plate.

1. What would happen if the man did not change his attitude towards his own father,
the old man?
A. He would have a peaceful and orderly life.
B. He would have lived happily and abundantly.
C. His own son would also be afraid of the old man.
D. His own son would be angry with him.
2. What human right is highlighted in the last two sentences of the selection?
A. Right to acquire property
B. Right to be respected
C. Right to education
D. Right to vote
3. What is the theme of the narrative?
A. Treat others as you would wish them to treat you
B. Presence of mind does more good than harm
C. The old man and the weak never deserve good treatment
D. Treat parents well only when they are young and capable

Narrative 2:

A traveler once lost his way in a desert. The sun was so hot. He was very
tired and thirsty. Soon, he came to an oasis. An oasis is a low fertile place in the
desert where there is water.
The weary traveler exclaimed, “I guess I’m too lucky.” As the traveler, came to
the water, he saw lying upon the bank, a sack half filled with something.
“Oh, God!” he exclaimed as he knelt beside the sack, opening it with his both
hands. “May there be some fruits or coconuts inside so that I may have something to
eat as well as water to drink.” With his thought, he took his knife and hurriedly cut the
sack. When he saw what’s inside, he said in a sad, disappointed way, “How poor I
am. It’s only diamonds!”

1. How did the traveler feel when he lost his way in a desert?
A. Happy and contented C. Tired and hungry
B. Afraid and worried D. Surprised and excited
2. What is the appropriate title for the narrative?
A. The Traveler and the Oasis
B. Only Diamonds
C. The Legend of Desert
D. The Poor Man in the Desert
3. What is the theme of the narrative?
A. Fruits are none existent in the desert
B. Priority of man depends upon his needs
C. A traveler can never appreciate diamonds
D. Disappointment is part of life

Narrative 3:

There was once a shepherd boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain
near a forest. His life was pretty boring, so he thought of a plan to amuse himself
and have a little fun. He ran towards the village calling out "Wolf! Wolf!" and the
villagers came out to help him, only to find him laughing like a hyena. The boy
enjoyed his trick very much, so the next day he tried it again, and fooled the
villagers for the second time. But shortly after this, a wolf actually did come out from
the forest and began to chase the sheep, and the boy of course cried out again,
"Wolf! Wolf!" But this time, the villagers didn’t pay attention to him, thinking the boy
was playing again with them. So the Wolf made a good meal of the boy's flock and
then went back into the forest.

1. What plan did the shepherd boy do to amuse himself?

A. He played with his sheep at the foot of a mountain
B. He told the villagers that a wolf was around
C. He called his friends to go to the forest
D. He went back to the forest and tried to hunt the wolf
2. How did the villagers respond to the boy after crying out that a wolf actually
did come out of the forest?
A. They did not believe him
B. They went out to help him
C. They showed concern towards him
D. They got mad at him
3. What is the theme of the narrative?
A. Take good care of animals
B. Regret is always at the end
C. The search for the truth is a never ending process one has to face
D. Liars are not believed the moment they speak the truth
 Let’s Enrich Ourselves

Task 5. The Search for the Narratives

Complete the table below by writing down the titles of the five narratives that you
have read in the left column and by identifying the theme in each narrative in the
right column.

Title of the Narrative Theme

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Let’s Remember This

Themes in narratives are oftentimes varied. They may be stated directly or indirectly
Therefore, it is necessary to read, understand, and analyze the entire narrative to
figure out its underlying theme – the message or idea the author wants to convey in
the narrative.

Prepared by:

DENN MARC P. ALAYON

 ANSWER KEY
(For Teachers’ Use Only)

Task 1. Questions for Discussion

1. The characters in the story are the red hen, the duck, the cat, and the dog.
2. The red hen asked her friends to plant the wheat seed, harvest it, and grind it.
3. The three animals refused to help the red hen.
4. The specific tasks the red hen did in the story are planting and watering the wheat,
harvesting it, grinding it, making a flour, kneading a dough, and finally, baking a
bread.
5. The red hen’s friends finally wanted to help her when she had asked them if they
could eat the bread she baked.
6. The red hen did not let her friends eat the bread because they refused to help her in
planting, harvesting, and grinding the wheat.

Task 2. Let’s Read Aloud

Note to teachers: You may either use the rubrics in Week 2-Day 2 Activity Sheet in
English 6 or you may develop and use your own rubrics.

Task 3. Pair and Share

Title of the Narrative: The Red Hen and Her Friends

What have you learned What is your reaction What message do you
about the narrative? about the narrative? think the author tried to
convey in this narrative?
(theme)
Answers may vary. Answers may vary. There are no gains without
pains. If you want something,
you have to work hard for it.

Task 4. Read and Analyze

Narrative 1:
1. D
2. B
3. A
Narrative 2:
1. C
2. D
3. B
Narrative 3:
1. B
2. A
3. D

Task 5. The Search for the Narratives

Answers may vary.

Prepared by:

DENN MARC P. ALAYON