TEACHER-MADE

SELF-READING MATERIAL

DEVELOPING READING INDEPENDENCE

For

ELEMENTARY LEARNERS

Prepared by:

JANET ROSARIO P. LUIS

Master Teacher I
 Preface
“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and
writing an exact man; and, therefore, if a man writes little, he
had need have a great memory; if he confers little, he had
need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need
have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not.” – F.
Bacon
This material is made for distance learners. This is a
reading material or tool that contains activities which are
paralleled to the passages to check the learner’s
comprehension level and skill.

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 Direction: Read the passage below. Then
answer the following questions that follow. You
can use a separate sheet for your answers.
Good luck! You can do it!

Story 1

The Monkey and the Turtle Read

The Monkey and the Turtle is a perfect example of folktale short story
written by Philippine national hero Jose Rizal. The story focuses on the monkey
and turtle who started as friends. They both saw a floating banana plant on the
water. They thought of splitting it so they could plan it. The monkey chose the
upper part of the plant for he thought it was better. Meanwhile, the turtle got
the bottom part with the roots so he grew an abundant plant. Since the turtle
couldn’t climb the tree to get the fruits, he asked the monkey to get it for him.
Instead, the monkey betrayed the turtle and ate every fruit. The turtle planned
a revenge to him which ended to the monkey’s death. The friends of the
monkey also planned a revenge but they did not win over the turtle.

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 The Monkey and the Turtle
A monkey, looking very sad and dejected, was walking along the bank of
the river one day when he met a turtle.
"How are you?" asked the turtle, noticing that he looked sad.
The monkey replied, "Oh, my friend, I am very hungry. The squash of Mr. Farmer
were all taken by the other monkeys, and now I am about to die from want of
food."
"Do not be discouraged," said the turtle; "take a bolo and follow me and
we will steal some banana plants."
So they walked along together until they found some nice plants which they dug
up, and then they looked for a place to set them. Finally the monkey climbed a
tree and planted his in it, but as the turtle could not climb he dug a hole in the
ground and set his there.
When their work was finished they went away, planning what they should
do with their crop. The monkey said :
"When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and have a great deal of money."
And the turtle said: "When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and buy three varas
of cloth to wear in place of this cracked shell."
A few weeks later they went back to the place to see their plants and
found that that of the monkey was dead, for its roots had had no soil in the tree,
but that of the turtle was tall and bearing fruit.
"I will climb to the top so that we can get the fruit," said the monkey. And he
sprang up the tree, leaving the poor turtle on the ground alone.
"Please give me some to eat," called the turtle, but the monkey threw him only a
green one and ate all the ripe ones himself.
When he had eaten all the good bananas, the monkey stretched his arms
around the tree and went to sleep.

The turtle, seeing this, was very angry and considered how he might
punish the thief. Having decided on a scheme, he gathered some sharp bamboo
which he stuck all around under the tree, and then he exclaimed:

"Crocodile is coming! Crocodile is coming!"

The monkey was so startled at the cry that he fell upon the sharp bamboo
and was killed.

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 Then the turtle cut the dead monkey into pieces, put salt on it, and dried
it in the sun. The next day, he went to the mountains and sold his meat to other
monkeys who gladly gave him squash in return. As he was leaving them he called
back:
"Lazy fellows, you are now eating your own body; you are now eating
your own body."
Then the monkeys ran and caught him and carried him to their own
home.
"Let us take a hatchet," said one old monkey, "and cut him into very small
pieces."
But the turtle laughed and said: "That is just what I like. I have been struck
with a hatchet many times. Do you not see the black scars on my shell ?"
Then one of the other monkeys said: "Let us throw him into the water."
At this the turtle cried and begged them to spare his life, but they paid no
heed to his pleadings and threw him into the water. He sank to the bottom, but
very soon came up with a lobster. The monkeys were greatly surprised at this and
begged him to tell them how to eatch lobsters.
"I tied one end of a string around my waist," said the turtle. "To the other
end of the string I tied a stone so that I would sink."
The monkeys immediately tied strings around themselves as the turtle
said, and when all was ready they plunged into the water never to tome up again.
And to this day monkeys do not like to eat meat, because they remember
the ancient story.

Are you ready? Let’s do it then!

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Who are the characters in the story?

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2. Describe the feeling of the monkey in the first

part of the story.
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3. How did the turtle approach the monkey in

their first encounter? Give a line from the
passage that proves your answer.
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Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 4. Why did the turtle become so angry to
monkey?
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5. How would you describe the character of

monkey?
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6. What lesson can you get from the story?

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Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 Story 2

The Story of Pina

Why the Piña has a Hundred Eyes as

narrated by Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz depicts the folktale
about Pinang, an adorable yet lazy girl. The time came
when her mother asked her to cook which she ignored
at first. When she finally agreed to do it, she could not
find the ladle. Her frustrated mother hoped that Pinang
could grow hundred eyes for being lazy and so that she
could find everything. Later on, Pinang disappeared and
then a yellow fruit with hundred eyes grew in their
backyard.

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 The Legend of the Pineapple: A Filipino Folk Tale

Once upon a time, there was a woman who lived with her
daughter Pina in a tiny hut in the village. They were poor, and the
mother worked day and night to make both ends meet. No
matter how hard she worked, though, she never got any help
from her daughter. Pina was a lazy, spoiled kid who liked to play
in the backyard all day. Whenever her mother asked for help
around the house or tried to send her on an errand, she would
always find an excuse by saying she can’t find the object that was
needed to complete that task. If her mother asked her to sweep
the house, for example, she would say she cannot find the
broom, even if it was right there in front of her. Needless to say,
her mother always ended up doing the work herself.
One day, her mother became very ill. She called out to
Pina, who as usual was playing in the backyard. “Pina! Pina!
Come over here, anak. I am very sick. Can you cook some
porridge for me please? I am too weak to get up.” Pina ignored
her mother and continued to play.
“Pina, come over here this very instant, or else!” Pina’s
mother mustered all her strength just to say this, but it worked.
Pina grudgingly stopped playing and went inside the house. She
poked her head inside her mother’s room.
“What do you want, Nanay (mother)? You really expect me
to cook for you? That’s too hard,” protested Pina, pouting and
stomping her feet.
“Pina, it is very simple. Just put some rice in a pot and add
water. Once the water boils, let it simmer for awhile. Stir it
occasionally with a ladle. Everything you need should be right
there in the kitchen.”

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 Pina reluctantly left and went to the kitchen. Her mother
could hear her banging the drawers and cabinets. Then her
mother heard her open the back door and sneak out into the
backyard. Her mother waited and waited. Finally, she called out
to Pina again. “Pina, did you cook like I told you to?”
“No,” was the defiant response. “And why not?” was her
mom’s exasperated response. “Because I could not find the
ladle,” was her flippant reply.
“Oh, you lazy child! You probably did not even bother to
look for it! What am I going to do with you? Here I am, sick, and I
cannot even count on you!”
Her mother wept bitterly. In her anger, she shouted, “I
wish you would grow a thousand eyes all over your head! Then
you can find what you’re looking for. Maybe then you won’t
have any more excuses.”
As soon as she said this, there was complete silence. Her
mother thought, “She is trying to be quiet so I will forget about
asking her again.” She sighed.

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 She waited a little bit to see if Pina would come back. Realizing
the wait was futile, she wearily got up to do the cooking herself. When
she looked out into the backyard, Pina was nowhere to be found. She
sighed again and said to herself, “That lazy kid probably went to a
friend’s house so she did not have to do any more errands for me.”
Exhausted from the exertion, she soon went back to her room
for a much-needed rest. Weak as she was, she just tried to do
everything by herself, having given up on any help from Pina. Hours
passed by, and then days. Still no sign of her wayward daughter. With a
heavy heart, she thought that Pina had ran away for sure.
When she finally recovered from her illness, the first thing she
did was look for Pina. No one had seen or heard from her. It was like
she disappeared into thin air.
Months passed and still no sign of her. The mother felt bad for
her angry outburst, and she feared that she might probably never see
her daughter again.
One day, she was sweeping the backyard where Pina used to
play. For months now, she had noticed this strange plant growing on
the very spot where she last saw Pina. By this time, the leaves of the
plant had fully opened. Inside, she saw this strange yellow fruit that
resembled a child’s head with a thousand eyes. A thousand eyes…
She suddenly remembered the spiteful words she used that
fateful day. With horror, she realized that in the same way her
mother’s love had spoiled her daughter, so did her anger unwittingly
curse her. Somehow, her daughter had been turned into this plant.
To honor the memory of her beloved daughter, she named the
fruit Pina. She took such loving care of it like it was her own daughter.
The fruit flourished so well that it bore more and more fruits, and
became popular among the village and the entire country.

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Describe Pina in the story?

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2. Why did her mother become so upset about

Pina’s attitude?
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3. What did her mother wish towards Pina?

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Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 4. What is the message of the story?

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5. Do you think the story is real or not? Justify

your answer!

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Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners

 References

* https://www.TheTurtleandtheMonkey.com
* https://www.TheLegendofPineapple.com

Self- Reading Material *Elementary Learners