Warming up

Ask students to play a game and let them experience the frustration of not being able to communicate with their eyes or ears. e.g. wearing some ear plugs and eye shades. Students work in pairs. One wears eye shades and one wears ear plugs. Assign the pairs to do some work e.g. filling up a cup with water, writing something, bringing a glass of water from the toilet, etc. After all have experienced not being able to see or hear, ask students how they feel when they cannot communicate with each other and how they solve the problem e.g. writing words on hand.

Introduce Helen Keller, a woman who was blind and deaf ever since she was a child. Ask students to write down problems they think they would experience if they were Helen Keller, how they would feel. Introduce some words like frustrated, angry, bad-tempered, impatient, etc.

Chapter 1
Ask students to read the text in Chapter 1 aloud and then ask them comprehension questions to check understanding.

Ear plugs
Eye shades
A paper cup

PowerPoint (to show the meaning of frustrated, angry, bad tempered, impatient)

e-book (Helen Keller)

Ask how the mother found out Helen was deaf and blind. e.g. Helen had no response when one asked her name, she said nothing; she did not cry, etc. Ask why Helen often cried and held on to her mother.

Critical thinking questions:
Ask students to look at the picture. Helen was reading a newspaper just like her father. And the story says, “Sometimes she made herself look like her father. She put on his glasses and held up his newspaper.”
How could a blind and deaf child know what her father did?

Ask students to refer to the line “Some people did not think Helen could learn anything and ask them whether they agree or not. e.g.” Do you agree? Can you give some examples that a blind and deaf person can do?"

Homework
Ask students to read Ch 2 at home.

Guessing word meanings using  contextual  clues

Making inferences

Evaluating  ideas given in the book

Ch 2

Review what happened to Helen Keller in the first chapter. Then tell the class that they are going to see how Helen grew up.

Read the first line in Ch. 2 “Helen began to grow wild.” Ask students to guess the meaning of “wild”. Students will give examples of how wild Helen became e.g. She would not let anyone comb her hair; she made her clothes dirty; she often got angry and lay on the floor, etc. Ask students why Helen became wild and angry.

Ask students to read the rest of the chapter and ask them comprehension questions. Ask students, “Do you think a special teacher can help Helen? Why or why not?”

Homework
Ask students to read Ch.3 as homework.

Ch 3

Ask students the following questions: “What would you do if you first met Helen?” Why? Would you introduce yourself? Would you tell her your rules? Would you tell her what she would learn? Explain why you would/would not do certain things.”

“What did Anne do when she first met Helen? How did she teach her words?” “Why not the normal way?”

“After reading this part of the book, what kind of a person was Anne?” Give some adjectives to describe her.” e.g. loving, smart.

Ask students to continue to read the rest of the chapter. Ask students the following questions:“What did Anne do when Helen behaved very badly? Why did she do such a thing?”

“If you have a younger sister who behaves badly, what would you do?”

“Could you use more adjectives to describe Anne?” e.g.  persistent, firm, assertive, patient

Help students learn the connectives: “even though” and “unless”. Give students more examples.

“Miss Sullivan shouted, even though Helen couldn’t hear her.”
“Even though I had two hours to spare for shopping, I couldn't find the dress I wanted.”
“I cannot teach Helen unless I can control her,” Miss Sullivan said.
“You cannot drink wine unless you are over 18.”

Homework
Ask students to read the text in Ch.4

Ch 4

Ask students the following questions: “How did Miss Sullivan teach Helen Keller the ideas of words?”
“How did she teach Helen the meaning of water?” (She put Helen’s hand in the water and spelled w-a-t-e-r on Helen’s hand)
“When Helen understood that “water” was a word, how did she feel? (very happy / excited)  How do you know? (My heart began to sing.) (It was as if I had come back to life after being dead.)”
Introduce “as if”  to students and use examples to explain the meaning:   
Example 1: “My heart began to sing,” she later wrote. “It was as if I had come back to life after being dead. 
Example 2: He talks as if he has known all about it.
Example 3: We talk as if we have known each other for a long time.

Ask students to guess the meaning of the word “burst”.
“I think my heart would burst,” Helen wrote.  Can you guess the meaning of the word “burst”?  How did Helen feel when she understood the meaning of different things?”

Worksheet 2 (Connectives)
unless / even though /as if

Teach the following phrasal verbs:

1. put on
2. hold up
3. lock up
4. reach out
5. worry about
6. give up
7. mix up

Write the word “adversity” on the blackboard. Explain what it means by giving examples from the book. Then ask students to give examples of everyday life e.g. failing in exam, breaking a leg in an accident, death of one’s beloved pet or  a family member, being isolated or bullied by classmates, etc.

Help students group the examples into three categories: school, family, society. Then ask them the following questions: “Which one(s) of them is/are caused by yourself? Which one(s) are caused by forces outside and beyond control?”

Tell students that they may face difficulties every day. It is necessary for them to  learn how to solve these problems and grow up. Sometimes it takes a short time, but sometimes it may take a whole life’s time just like Helen Keller. Encourage students not to give up and be positive. Tell them that there are “more solutions than problems.” Ask them the following questions: “How did Helen Keller overcome difficulties? Did anyone support her?”

Divide students into different groups. Give each group an obstacle (problem) and ask them to give as many solutions as possible, e.g. what to do when they fail their English ever since P1. Ask them to write down how they feel and write at least 10 practical solutions. Students report their solutions in class.

Writing task

Give students a book review form. Teach them how to use it. Then based on the book about Helen Keller and show students how to make use of the information written in the form to write an oral book report. Before asking students to write, tell them the assessment criteria.

Non fiction book review form
Oral book report sample
Assessment criteria of oral book report

Integrated skills

Follow up

Each student will read a book about how a famous person overcomes difficulty. Then they will fill out the book report form first and then write a short oral book report.

Students will be asked to do the oral book report in class. Choose the best 5 to introduce the book to junior form students during lunch time or morning assembly time.