UNIT 4: READING

The twenty five children , who are learning how to read and write in her class, are disabled.. At first, there were a lot of opposition from the parents of the disabled children.They us

1 What do you call the people who can not see ?

2 What do you call the people who can not hear ?

3 What do you call the people who can not speak ?

We call them dumb people.

We call them deaf people

We call them blind people

Unit 4: Special education

A Reading

I Before you read.

1 Look at the pictures.

…… ………… …… ……… I AM A TEACHER

Can you work out this message ?

2 Look at the activities Which ones do you think would be difficult for blind, deaf and dumb children ?

Activities deaf dumb blind

Listen to teachers

Read the words, sentences

Raise hands

Close / open fingers

Phone friends

Look at the board

Sing a song

Play football

II While you Read

A teacher in a special class

Like other teachers, Pham Thu Thuy enjoys her teaching job However, her class is different from other classes The twenty five children , who are learning how to read and write in her class, are disabled Some are deaf, some dumb and others mentally retarded Most of the children come from large and poor

families, which prevents them from having proper schooling.

At first, there were a lot of opposition from the parents of the disabled

children.They used to believe that their children could not learn anything at all

In the first week , only five children attended the class.Gradually more children arrived Their parents realised that the young teacher was making great efforts

to help their poor kids.

Watching Thuy taking a class, one can see how time – consuming the work is During a maths lesson, she raised both arms and opened up her fingers one by one until all ten stood up She then closed her fingers one by one She continued the demonstration until the children realised they had just learned how to add and subtract.The children have every reason to be proud of their efforts They know a new world is opening up for them

II While you read

* New words:

schooling (n)

opposition (n)

effort (n)

add (v)

subtract (v)

disabled (adj) mentally retarded time – consuming (adj) demonstration (n)

gradually (adv)

Task 1 : Match the words in A with their deffinitions in B

1.disabled

2.mentally retarded

3.time - consuming

4.demonstration

5.gradually

a.taking or needing a lot of time b.an act of showing or explaining how to

do something c.unable to use a part of the body in the normal way

d.slowly, over a long period of time

e less mentally developed than normal.

Answer:

1 …… 2 …… 3…… 4……… 5……… c e a b d

T F

F

Task 2 : Read the passage then decide whether the

statements are true (T) or false (F).

1 The children in Thuy’s class are disabled.

2 Most of the children in the class are from rich families.

3 At first, the parents of the disabled children wanted to send

their children to the special class.

4 In the first week, fifteen children attended the class.

5 Gradually, the disabled children’s parents understood

Thuy’s efforts and more children were sent to her class.

6.Teaching in a special class is very hard and time consuming.

T

T F

III After you read.

1 Fill each of the blanks of the summary below with a suitable word from the ones given (There are more words than needed)

disabled, efforts, schooling, maths, raised, read, write,

time-consuming, attend, opposition, arms, fingers, proud

Twenty-five (1)……….………children have the chance of learning how to (2)……….….and (3)……… thank to the (4)

……… of a young teacher , Pham Thu Thuy.

Although her idea, at first, met with (5) ……… from the parents

of the disabled children, more children attended her class later The

teaching work in the special class is (6) ……….… For example,

in a (7)……… ……lesson, the teacher has to use her (8)

……….and (9)……….……… to teach the children how to add

and subtract The children are now (10)………and happy.

disabled read write efforts

opposition

time-consuming maths

arms fingers

proud

1.The reading passage about teacher Pham Thu Thuy and her special class.

2.New words.

schooling (n)

opposition (n)

effort (n)

add (v)

subtract (v)

disabled (adj) mentally retarded time – consuming (adj) demonstration (n)

gradually (adv)

1.Do Task 2 in the textbook (pages 45,46)

2 In your own words, write a short passage about teacher Pham Thu Thuy and her special class.

Thank you and goodbye

2 Work in groups Talk about Thuy’s class.