This document contains materials for an English lesson on interpreting narratives. It includes a sample narrative text called "The Aged Mother" and questions for students to answer. The lesson aims to help students understand how narratives are structured and what they can reveal. It encourages close reading of the text and justification of answers. A second lesson focuses on the difference between narratives and recounts. It uses the example of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition to illustrate the typical structure of a recount, with an orientation, sequence of events, and optional conclusion. Students are given questions to test their understanding of how recounts are organized and what details they include.

1. NATIONAL
LEARNING CAMP
2023
Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School
ENGLISH 8 CONSOLIDATION
CAMP

2. LESSON 3
INTERPRETING
NARRATIVE

3. Component 1 – Short Review
1. Knowing that The Aged Mother is a
narrative like Androcles and the Lion,
what do you expect it to be about?
2. Knowing that The Aged Mother is a
narrative, how do you expect it to be
structured?
3. How would your expectation change
if The Aged Mother was a romantic
comedy or a crime or a horror film?
Pick one of those. Types of film for this
answer.

4. Component 2 – Purpose of the Lesson
In this lesson, we are going to
read a more complex folktale and apply
our knowledge of narratives to work out
what it means and extent to which it
conforms the features of narrative that
we have seen In lessons one and two.

5. Component 3 – Language Practice
Word Meaning
Shogun A military ruler of a part of Japan a long time ago
Aged Old
Widowed A woman whose husband has died
Province A state or region within a country
Proclamation An announcement by a government that affects the citizen
The kindest mode of
death
A way of dying that involves the least suffering
The summit of the
mountain
The top of the mountain
The Shogun and his
officials
The leader of a province and the people who help him to carry out his
tasks

7. Component 4B
1.What event causes the farmer to take
his mother up to the mountain?
2.Find evidence of Mother's love for her
son.
3.Find evidence that the mother is very
wise despite her age.

8. Component 4C
1. What reason does the Shogun have for
ordering all aged people to be killed?
You will have to look very closely at the
text to find the answer.
2. Write the meaning of “with the crown of
snow, there comes wisdom” in your
own words.
3. Your teacher has asked for your opinion
about whether this story should be used
again next year in year 8. Write a short
paragraph in the workbook, either
justifying it being kept or being dumped.
Give your reasons.

9. Component 5
1. The focus of the lesson was on
learning more about how
narratives work, how has the
lesson help you to understand
this?
2. Which questions were easy to
answer? Why?
3. What strategies did you use to
answer the harder questions?

10. LESSON
READING THE TEXT -
RECOUNTS

11. Component 1 – Short Review 1. What is a narrative text?
2. What is a factual text?
Factual text. It's also called a recount. It involves a sequence of
events, except this time it's not a fictional imagined text, but a
nonfiction. It is factual.
1.How can you tell from the title that
Shackleton's journey is more likely to be
a factual rather than a fictional text?
2.Knowing that Shackleton's journey is a
recount, what are you expecting to see
in it?
3.In what ways is a factual text different to
a fictional text?

12. Component 2 – Lesson Proper
RECOUNT - Involves a sequence of
events it's not a fictional imagined
text, but a nonfiction or factual text.
Recounts generally have three
stages.:
1. Similar to a narrative, they begin
with who is involved and when and
where the events happen.
Sometimes called orientation.
2. They then outlined the sequence
of events.
3. The optional section there may be
a comment on the events.
Shackelton's journey is about the adventures of a famous Antarctic explorer. More than 100 years ago.

13. Component 3 – Language Practice
WORDS MEANING
Expedition A journey, sometimes dangerous, needing a lot of planning and
organization, usually involving a big crew and often to places that are
remote from humans.
Resilience Toughness; Ability to keep going despite setbacks
A desolate and
uninhabited landmass
It is an island covered with ice; no one lived there
Whaling Station Small village where ships and hunted whales would go for harbor
Grueling Difficult, Exhausting
Embarked A tool used in spinning
Crevasses Cracks in the eyes where the explorers were walking that could
suddenly open under feet
Ordeal A difficult experience

14. Component 4 – Lesson Activities
Shackleton’s Journey
Sir Ernest Shackleton's was one of the most famous explorers of Antarctica. In 1914, he set out on an
expedition to cross the Antarctic continent in his ship, the Endurance, but it became trapped in the ice of the Weddell
Sea and could not move. What happened next was a journey of amazing courage, resilience and determination in the
face of huge challenges.
Shackleton and his crew made their way across the ice to Elephant Island, a desolate and uninhabited landmass. At
least there was fresh water and they were able to hunt seals and sea lions for food. However, Shackleton knew that
no-one would find them there so their only chance of survival was to find help.
Shackleton decided that he and five of his men would set sail in a small lifeboat on an incredible 800- mile
journey across the treacherous Southern Ocean. They were looking for South Georgia Island, where Shackleton knew
there was a whaling station. Battling freezing temperatures, monstrous waves, and relentless winds, they navigated
through icy waters, always hoping they would reach South Georgia Island, where they knew they could get help.
After a grueling seventeen days, they finally reached South Georgia, however they were on the wrong side of
the island and faced a dangerous journey over its rugged and icy land. Shackleton and two others embarked on this
perilous journey, leaving the rest behind to await their return. Through blizzards and crevasses, they made their way,
pushing their bodies to the limits of endurance.
Miraculously, they arrived at the whaling station on the other side of the island. Shackleton immediately
organized a rescue mission to save the men he left behind on Elephant Island.
After several attempts, Shackleton finally succeeded in reaching Elephant Island, rescuing his stranded crew members
and bringing them all back to safety. Not a single life was lost during this extraordinary ordeal.

15. Component 4B
1. How did Shackleton and his
men survived on Elephant
Island?
2. List the problems Shackleton
and his men faced on the
journey from Elephant Island
to South Georgia Island.
3. Look at the first paragraph of
the text? How does it match
the typical opening
paragraphs of a Recount?

16. Component 4C
1.What difficulty did Shackleton and his men face
once they got to South Georgia Island?
2.Find evidence that Shackleton was an
intelligent leader who was not afraid to make
hard decisions.
3.This Recount does not have a concluding
paragraph that sums up the significance of the
events. Write a paragraph giving the text such a
conclusion.

17. Component 5
1. The focus of the lesson was on learning
about how recounts work. How has the
lesson helped you to understand the
difference?
2. Which questions were easy to answer?
Why?
3. What strategies did you use to answer
the harder questions?

18. END OF ENGLISH DAY
2