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Developing Worksheet Template to Achieve the Basic Competences in

the 2013 English Syllabus for Junior High School
Chandra Yuniarto1 Olyvia Vita Ardhani 2,
1,2
Sanata Dharma University, Indonesia
1
laurensiuschandra375@gmail.com; 2olyviavitaa19@gmail.com

Abstract
Worksheets are beneficial to provide more learning experiences expand students’
horizons since it provides sufficient exercises to support the students’ learning
activity. This research aims to design the worksheet template to help students’
achieve the basic competencies in the 2013 english syllabus and provide the
accountability of the template. To achieve the aims of the study, the researchers
utilize the early stages of the Research and Development method to develop the
worksheet particularly steps one to four. Moreover, in the process of developing the
worksheet, the scaffolding and teaching learning cycle theories were very well
connected. The results show that the worksheet is valid based on the accountability
of each learning outcome.
Keywords: worksheet, backward design, RnD

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, learning should be done in a more effective and flexible way.
Therefore, as a teacher, it is a challenge to be able to provide the best learning
experience for the students because of COVID-19 pandemic. The government
established some strict rules to ensure the safety of both students and teachers from the
disease by replacing the traditional model of face-to-face learning with online learning
methods. On one hand, online learning makes the students gain new information easily
and it provides them a forum to exchange information (Tareen & Haand, 2020).
However, there are a lot of limitations and challenges in order to teach the students with
the new teaching method. Although some of the practices used in the face-to-face
method can be adapted and used in the online method, it is not simply the case of
applying a “one size fits all approach” (Gillett-Swan, 2017). Both students and teachers
are relatively unready and unfamiliar with the online environment which raises some
challenges. Based on our observation, one of the major problems that arises during
online learning is that the students are not really provided with sufficient exercises to
expand their horizons.
The students of SMP Joannes Bosco Yogyakarta, do not receive any books for
them to learn or to work on the exercises. The school decided that the students can
freely borrow the books from the school library, but only very few students really
borrow the books from the school’s library. The school does not want the students to
have the books for their own because the school also has to ensure the students’ and the
teachers’ safety from the virus. The school actually had to come up with a solution to
limit the contact between the students and the teachers. Thus, in SMP Joannes Bosco, the

Chandra Yuniarto
Developing Worksheet Template to Achieve the Basic Competences in the 2013 English
Syllabus for Junior High School
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students only receive the learning module that the teacher made at the start of each K.D
(Kompetensi Dasar or Basic Competence). The modules were made by the teachers using
books at the school’s library. The module covers the material, but does not provide
sufficient exercises for the student. Exercises will help the students to cope with the
difficult materials and help them to understand the materials profonderly. Worksheet is
one of the effective ways to provide the students with some exercises. Lee (2014)
mentions that worksheets are used for the purposes of supporting studying, promoting
active learning, raising interest in learning science, and assessing.
Research and Development is the main tool to produce a product. RnD facilitates
us to innovate, create, and introduce a new product in order to provide the students
with enough learning sources. Tomlinson (2012) says that material development refers
to all the processes made use of by practitioners who produce and/or use materials for
language learning, including materials evaluation, their adaptation, design, production,
exploitation and research. The researchers focus more on the students’ needs in the
classroom. Therefore, before the researchers develop the activities in the worksheet, the
researchers had to decide what were the most suitable learning outcomes based on the
chosen K.D. Hence, the researchers adopt the backward design in developing the
worksheet. Backward design is a well-designed method in developing a worksheet. It is
because backward design starts with identifying the desired result before organizing the
content and the learning experiences. Richard (2013) states that backward design starts
with a careful statement of the desired results or outcomes. Despite its name, backward
design is forward thinking that promotes deliberate planning to create assessments and
course activities that support desired learning outcomes. Backward design is student-
center where the process starts with thinking about what students should be able to do.
The backward design focuses on the learning process, encouraging teachers to think
deliberately about how classroom activities and assessments will ensure that course
objectives and learning objectives are met.
Previous research relating to the development of worksheets have been found.
Hanifah & Putri (2020) developed a worksheet for morphology class. It was for
university students who take morphology class. The results reveal that a worksheet
based on games is an effective way to make the students understand the material easier,
and also make the evaluation section run more effectively than using conventional
methods. Megahayati et al (2018) also developed a worksheet for university students
who take genetic subjects. Based on their research, they found out that their product is
practical and effective. Moreover, Mahsunah & Shobah (2022) created an English
worksheet for ten grader students. Their worksheet got a high score from the experts
which means their worksheet is valid to be used.
After reviewing some literature, several similarities and differences between the
previous research and the current research are found. The similarities are the topic of
the research which is a worksheet. The differences lie in the research method. The
material development made by Hanifah & Putri utilized an ADDIE model, while the
research by Megahayati et al and Mahsunah & Shobah used a 4D model. However, in the
current research, the researchers utilized the material development models by Borg and
Gall. Moreover, the current research also utilized the backward design to meet the
students needs.
Due to the issues above, the researchers develop a worksheet. Thus, the research
questions are (1) How to construct a worksheet template? and (2) What does the

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template look like? The researchers believe that it is important to know about how to
construct a worksheet for the students since the teacher is the one who is responsible
for the students’ development in the classroom. The researchers made the worksheet
based on the backward design approach since the researchers believe that knowing the
students’ needs is the most important thing to make a worksheet. Hopefully by making
the worksheet, the researchers can expand the students’ knowledge in understanding
certain materials.
METHOD
This study aims to enrich the students' knowledge by giving them the worksheet.
As a result, the researchers employ a Research and Development method to build the
model by adopting the Borg and Gall Model. The target audience is students in the
seventh grade of junior high school. Borg & Gall (1983:775) proposed ten steps in
conducting the R&D Method. The subject of this research is the seventh grade students.
To make the process of creating the product easier and more manageable, the
researchers only follow five processes according to Borg & Gall. In addition, the
researcher adjusts the procedure to meet the demands of development. The following
will be the process that the researchers adopt to gain the data and to analyze the data
based on the Borg & Gall theory. Below are the modified version of the processes:
1. Researching & Collecting information
In the first phase the data were collected based on the English subject
syllabus. The researchers decided to choose K.D. 3.7 since in this part the
students were only given the explanation of the materials based on the
researchers’ observation. After the K.D. was decided, the researchers continue the
process of making the learning outcomes based on the students’ needs.
2. Planning
After all the data were collected and the learning outcomes had been
decided, the researchers proceeded to make the template of the worksheet that
will later be discussed in the results and discussions part.
3. Developing preliminary for of product
Developing activities and the materials that are suitable for the students
are also discussed in this phase. Deciding the suitable learning materials and
activities is not a walk in the park. The researchers had gone through several
versions of the worksheet that was being developed to meet the desired result.
4. Revising main product
Even though the researchers did not implement the worksheet to the
seventh grader students, this particular worksheet has gone through several
stages of development. The researchers develop the worksheet in every week of
the class in the master’s program.
5. Accountability
The accountability of the worksheet was achieved through the focus group
discussion with the lecturer that happened every week. The researchers will
provide sufficient information about the accountability of the worksheet by
pointing out which learning outcomes refers to which activities that are in the
worksheet.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Based on the researchers’ observation, many teachers only design the worksheet
for the students without following a certain template. It is true that following a certain

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template is time consuming because the teachers also have to think more on the
materials that are going to be given to the students. However, it is actually one of the
crucial parts of monitoring and supporting the development of the students, especially
when the learning process happens outside the classroom. The following section will
discuss how the researchers constructed the template for the worksheet.
Researching and Collecting Information
In this very first phase, one of the researchers of this research is a teacher, and the
researcher wanted to develop a material based on certain K.D. In the hope of helping the
students’ learning process in the classroom. The researchers collected the information
by observing the students in the learning process. The result of the observation, the
researchers decided to develop the materials based on K.D. 3.7. The material was about
the descriptive text for seventh grader students in SMP Joannes Bosco Yogyakarta. The
researchers then collect the necessary information about K.D. 3.7 on the syllabus. In this
case, the researchers did not need to conduct needs-analysis as for the first method
while collecting the information from the syllabus, because the syllabus was already
made by the government.
Planning
After the researchers have done with collecting the information about the K.D, then
the K.D. was broken down to determine the learning outcomes that were suitable for the
students. The first result there was only seven learning outcomes based on the syllabus.
However, the researchers made and revised the desired learning outcome based on the
students’ needs. The following section, the learning outcomes will be shown.
1. Mention the social function and structure of spoken and written descriptive texts.
2. Ask for and give information related to descriptions of things (Unit 1), People
(Unit 2), and Animals (Unit 3).
3. Identify the language feature in descriptive text.
4. Identify nouns, adjectives, and verbs used in descriptive text.
5. Find word references and word meanings in spoken and written descriptive
texts.
6. Compose phrases, sentences from jumbled words.
7. Compose paragraphs from jumbled sentences.
The next step is designing the template of the worksheet. The researchers used a
backward design approach to design the worksheet. The researchers linked the
backward design planning with people’s experiences, where to achieve those big goals,
they have to start with the big idea first before thinking about how they will accomplish
those aims (Llerena, 2020). Since it is using the backward design approach, the
researchers wanted to incorporate the certain theories which are closely related to the
process of developing worksheets. The researchers wanted to incorporate the theory of
scaffolding that was proposed by Vygotsky, because the researchers believe when
designing the worksheet the students have to be able to move beyond the Zone Proximal
Development. The next important theory is about the theory of Teaching Learning Cycle.
The researchers used all four stages of TLC when developing the worksheet. The last
theory that is closely related to the development of this worksheet is the four stands
theory. Specifically, the researchers focused on meaning focused input and language
focused learning.
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Developing Preliminary of the Product

In developing the product, the researchers divided the worksheet into three
Units. Since the focus in the worksheet is K.D 3.7, based on the syllabus, it is stated that
the worksheet should provide three essential materials to be taught to the students. The
main material is descriptive text, and the worksheet should talk about things, animal,
and people. Therefore, the first unit of the worksheet provides the exercises regarding
the topic about “Things”. As for the second unit, the researchers provide the exercises
about “People” suited for the students’ needs. The last unit of the worksheet. the
researchers provide the exercises about “Animals”. All of the materials are in the scope
of Descriptive text, thus the main goal is to make students to get accustomed in doing the
exercises in that area.
After planning the unit, the researchers went on by making the template of the
worksheet. The first template that the researchers used for the worksheet was very
simple, because it was only consisted of two main aspects. The first aspect wast about
“Explanation” and the second one was about “Exercises”. Clearly after having the focus
group discussion with the lecturer, the template was not suitable for the worksheet.
After that, the lecturer showed an example of a template that was inspired by the theory
of TLC. It consisted of five parts including warm up, observe and inquire, apply, analyze,
and creating. However, the main goal is to make a worksheet that the students can do
while they are not in the classroom. After the researchers implemented the TLC
template, the worksheet that was being developed looked more like a couse book.
Finally the researchers proposed a template based on the focus group discussion
that it should only consists of one part for each unit. The only part that the researchers
focused on was on the exercise. After all the researchers’ goal is trying to develop a
worksheet and not a course book. After deciding the template the researchers began to
develop the materials, and the researchers decided for each Unit it should consist a
number of activities that should be done by the students.
Revising Main Product
Revising the product that the researchers have developed is not an easy task.
Fortunately, with the help of doing the focus group discussion, the researchers were able
to come up with so many improvements which are useful for the process of developing
the worksheet. The researchers have gone through so many versions of the worksheet
for it to be good for the students. In the last step, the researchers have developed the
template and the exercises. However, the researchers realize that there was no actual
template of the worksheet. The worksheet only consists of list of activities. After the
researchers had many focus group discussion with the lecturers the researchers have
come up with this template. The template consists of eight aspects that are listed below.
Reading Comprehension
The researchers provide dialogues and questions regarding the dialogue.
Vocabulary Building
Deconstruction of the text
Reading Comprehension
Text Construction: Focusing on rearranging jumbled words
Text Construction: Focusing on the reading comprehension and vocabulary

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Text Construction: Focusing on working on the whole descriptive text

Reading Comprehension
Accountability
Accountability is one of the most important aspects to have when designing a
worksheet for the students, since it is for the development of the students outside the
classroom. The accountability of the worksheet that was designed by the researchers
was achieved in two ways. The first one was through the activity called the focus group
discussion or FGD. Gundumogula (2020) states that focus group discussion helps to
discover new aspects and information of one’s research, as the participants own and
contribute together much more and more diverse perspectives on the selected topic
than the researcher could imagine alone.The focus group discussion happened weekly
throughout one semester, or it is around six months. The focus group discussion was
done primarily with the lecturer, the researchers, and also other master’s degree
students. The second way of achieving accountability is through matching the learning
outcomes with each activity that are in the worksheet which will be explained in the
following part.
1. Mention the social function and structure of spoken and written descriptive texts.
Unit 1
a. Activity 1: question number 1 and 2 of dialogue 1 and 2: (1) & (2) What is
the dialogue about?
b. Activity 4: question number 1 and 2: (1) Which part of the text is
considered a detailed description? (2) What is the writer’s purpose for
writing it?
c. Activity 11: question number 1: (1) What does the dialogue talk about?
Unit 2
a. Activity 1: question number 1 and 2 from both of the monologues: (1)
What does the monologue talk about? (2) What does she describe?
b. Activity 1: question number 5 from both of the monologues: (1) What are
their purposes in talking about them? (5) What is her purpose to describe
it?
c. Activity 4: question number 1 and 4: (1) What is the text about? (4) What
is the writer’s purpose to write the text?
d. Activity 11: question number 1: (1) What does the text talk about?
Unit 3
a. Activity 1: question number 1 and 2 from both of the monologues: (1)
What does the monologue talk about? (2) What animal is described?
b. Activity 1: question number 5 from both of the monologues: (1) What are
their purposes in describing the animal?
c. Activity 4: question number 1 and 4: (1) What is the text about? (4) What
is the writer’s purpose to write the text?
d. Activity 11: question number 1: (1) What does the text talk about?

2. Ask for and give information related to descriptions of things (Unit 1), People

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(Unit 2), and Animals (Unit 3).

Unit 1
a. Activity 1: question number 2 and 3 of dialogue 1: (2) What color is the
notebook’s cover? (3) What does it look like?
b. Activity 1: question number 2, 3, and 4 of dialogue 2: (2) What does the
house look like? (3) Where is the location of Lina’s house? (4) Where does
the handicraft in Lina’s house come from?
c. Activity 4: question number 4: (4) Why does the writer think that his bag
is very strong?
d. Activity 11: question number 3: (3) Why does Ravi try another pair?
e. Activity 12: question number 2: (2)When was the first Non-Aligned
Movement held?
Unit 2
a. Activity 1: question number 2, 3, and 4 of monologue 1: (2) What is he/she
like? (3) What does he/she usually do? (4) What does he/she never do?
b. Activity 1: question number 2,3 and 4 of monologue 2: (2) What does it
look like? (3) What does it usually do? (4) Why does she feel happy with
it?
c. Activity 4: question number 2, 3, and 5: (2) Why do you think that the
writer loves her mom so much? (3) What does the writer’s mother always
do when the writer’s going to go? (5) What is the last paragraph about?
d. Activity 11: question number 2 and 4: (2) What does Catty look like?
(4) Who bought Romy’s rabbit?
e. Activity 12: question number 2 and 3: (2) What does she look like? (3)
What eye color does the new student have?
Unit 3
a. Activity 1: question number 2 and 3 of dialogue 1: (2) What color is the
tiger? (3) What does it look like?
b. Activity 1: question number 2, 3, and 4 of dialogue 2: (2) What does the
tiger look like? (3) Where is the tiger habitat? (4) Where did the tiger
come from?
c. Activity 4: question number 4: (4) Why does the writer think that the
eagle is very strong?
d. Activity 11: question number 3: (3) Why is the Cendrawasih bird a
protected animal?
e. Activity 12: question number 2: (2) Why do grasshoppers camouflage?
3. Identify the language feature in descriptive text
Unit 1:
1. Activity 2
2. Acitvity 9
Unit 2:
1. Activity 2
2. Activity 9

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Unit 3:
1. Activity 2
2. Activity 9
➢ Identify nouns, adjectives, and verbs used in descriptive text.
Unit 1:
1. Activity 3
Unit 2:
1. Activity 3: Text 1, 2, and 3
Unit 3:
1. Activity 3
➢ Find word references and word meanings in spoken and written descriptive
texts.
Unit 1:
1. Activity 1: question number 5 from both dialogues: (5) “It’s shiny,
white, round with ...” The word ‘it’ refers to .... (5)“It is a triangle
with beautiful carving.” The word ‘it’ refers to …
2. Activity 11: question number 5: (5)“It fits fairly well” the word it
refers to …
3. Activity 12: question number 5: (5)“…I don't know where it is” the
word it refers to …
Unit 2:
1. Activity 11: question number 5: (5) “It is white…” the word it
refers to …
2. Activity 12: question number (5): “I haven't seen her yet.” The
word her refers to …
Unit 3:
1. Activity 1: question number 5 from both texts: (5) His body that is
not so tall…” The word His refers to… (5)“Sometimes I let him out
of the cage…” The word him refers to…
2. Activity 11: question number 5: “...I think it still looks so cute also.”
The word it refers to…
3. Activity 12: question number 5: “...wooly coat keeps it warm in the
cool forests…” The word it refers to …

➢ Compose phrases, sentences from jumbled words.

Unit 1:
1. Activity 6
2. Activty 7
Unit 2:
1. Activity 6
2. Activity 7
Unit 3:
1. Activity 6
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2. Activity 7
➢ Compose paragraph from jumbled sentences
Unit 1:
1. Activity 8
Unit 2:
1. Activity 8
Unit 3:
1. Activity 8

CONCLUSION
This part consists of two (2) sub-parts: conclusion of the article and suggestions or
recommendation from the research. Conclude your article critically and logically based
on the research findings. Please be careful in making generalization of the findings. You
should also state your research limitation in these parts. Generally, the conclusion
should explain how the research has moved the body of scientific knowledge forward.
In suggestion, please describe your recommendation for further studies regarding
your research implication.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
State the contributing parties or institutions which help your research. It is important
to acknowledge those who help you in funding, research facilities, or meaningful
suggestions in improving your article. If your article has been presented in a seminar or
conference, you can also mention the forum in this section.
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Hanifah., & Putri, Widyarini Susilo. (2020). Developing A Teaching
Supplementary Worksheet for Morphology Class. EnJourMe (English Journal of
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Lee, Che-Di. (2014). Worksheet Usage, Reading Achievement, Classes’ Lack of Readiness,
and Science Achievement: A Cross-Country Comparison. International Journal of
Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 2(2), 96-106.
Llerena, C. L. A. (2020). The Benefit of Backward Design in the English as a Foreign
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Megahayati, R. R. P., Yanti. F., & Susanti. D. (2018). Effectiveness of students worksheet
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