Self-study and classroom lessons based on newspaper feature stories

This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations.

June 3, 2003

Getting a good start

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the lessons here in feature focus is to help you improve your reading skills. Usually the lesson is based on one story and provides background information that is needed and activities to focus on the difficult or interesting aspects of the story. The stories in feature focus have appeared in recent issues of the Outlook section of the Bangkok Post.

Today, the lesson is based on the beginning of five different stories. All appeared in Outlook on Tuesday, May 27^th. The background and questions about each story will give you practice in reading skills you can use with other feature stories.

Before you begin reading any story, you should do what comes naturally – read the headline and the subheading, look at the pictures and read any captions. That should give you an idea what the story is about. Try to remember anything you already know about the topic and have some questions in mind. Having ideas and questions in your mind as you read makes you an active reader.

You should always try to guess the meaning of new words. That’s another skill of a good reader.

In case you get frustrated by having only the beginning of each story here today, there is an Internet link following each excerpt so you can read the rest of the story on-line.
First steps

Read the following information about each excerpt and answer questions one by one. This will give you practice in skills for reading feature stories.

The Moderndog story: What word in the subheading tells you this is going to be a positive story. What phrase means the same as ‘wow’? Do you think ‘legion’ mean a few or many?

What word in the first sentence of the story is the opposite of ‘alternative’? Can you guess the meaning of both? Do you think ‘swagger’ and ‘bluster’ are small or large actions? You can check the exact meanings later in a dictionary.

In the second paragraph, the writer says the recent trip "could possible change all that." What is the ‘that’ that might be changed? When ‘indie’ is used about the entertainment industry it refers to small independent production companies.

What would you like to learn in the rest of the story? Write two or three questions.

Moderndog wows Japan
The Thai alternative rock gods created a stir on their recent visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, and they may just have gained a new legion of fans
ONSIRI PRAVATTIYAGUL
It has long been a tradition for successful Thai mainstream artists to swagger and bluster about how much they want to "go inter". Bless their hearts for wanting to make a name for this country on the world stage, but doing so is often easier said than done.

Then again, Moderndog's recent trip to Tokyo from May 7 to 20 could possibly change all that. Sure, the Thai alternative rock gods who sparked interest in indie music a decade ago aren't the first local lads to play on an international level, but they might, just might, be poised to become the coolest musical ambassadors from these shores by far.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/en/270503_Outlook/27May2003_out70.html

Dear Abby is one of the regular columns in the Bangkok Post. The writer gives advice to readers who write with problems. Often other readers answer, too. The writer of the problem letter signed "Anonymous" because she did not want to use her own name. After you read the first letter, can you guess why?

The prefix paed- refers to young; endocrin- refers to hormones produced by small organs called glands. Can you guess the meaning of ‘intervention’ in Abby’s letter to Jeri? What does ‘read on’ mean? What do you expect in the rest of the column?

Helping her stand tall: readers' tips
Dear Abby: I'm writing in response to the "Anonymous Girl in North Dakota", a fifth-grader who said she is teased because she's "really short". My 10th-grade daughter was in the same boat, always the tiniest and suffering from comments made not only by other kids, but by adults as well.

Please let that girl's parents know they should see a paediatric endocrinologist as quickly as possible. Their daughter may be a candidate for treatment with HGH (human growth hormone). Time is of the essence! Once the growth plates close, the window of opportunity also closes. For children who do not produce enough growth hormone, the treatment is a medical necessity.
Jeri in Southern California.

Dear Jeri: Thank you for an important letter. I did not realise that the solution to the girl's problem might be solved by medical intervention. Her letter generated comments from many readers who wanted to help. Read on:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A8126-2003Mar21&notFound=true

Earthy experience: The writer of this story decided on an education theme. Circle the education-related words you find in the excerpt. The writer thinks that education does not take place only in schools. Explain why you agree or disagree.

The words ‘chapter’ and ‘arm’ in the second paragraph obviously do not have the usual meanings. Can you think of an appropriate synonym for each? ‘Ornate’ means very fancy, the opposite meaning of ‘earthy’ in the title.

Write two or three questions you would like answered by the story.

An earthy experience
Think Earth Exhibition Hall has lots to teach
CHOMPOO TRAKULLERTSATHIEN
Bangkok has long been criticised for its lack of museums, science centres and nature centres, such as those found in cities around the world. But a new addition to Bangkok's growing collection of such places, the Think Earth Exhibition Hall, will provide a new place for visitors wanting to explore nature — from blue skies to the deep blue sea.

"This is a place where children, students, and those interested in nature preservation and natural resources can learn a great deal about our planet. It's like a brief yet complete chapter on our environment — nature and human beings," said Boonphee Banvorn, general manager for public relations for the Thai arm of the Think Earth Project.

Located on the ninth floor of the Siam Nissan Automobile Building, the roomy and ornate exhibition hall introduces visitors to how the Think Earth Project got started some 12 years ago, and how it turned out to be one of the most successful private projects to campaign for nature preservation.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/en/270503_Outlook/27May2003_out75.html

Catching the beat: Read the title and the subheading. What phrase gives you a hint what this story is about?

Read the three paragraphs. Is ‘Grateful Dead’ the name of an Egyptian music group or an American rock group? ‘World music’ is a term used to describe traditional music and modern songs with traditional origins. Do you think ‘unorthodox’ means ordinary or unusual? What are the clues?

‘Heroic’ is in quotes because it is used with an unusual meaning. Can you guess if it means large or small in the story? Hashish, by the way, is cannabis or marijuana. If you don’t know what Bedouins are, think about the kind of land that makes up most of Egypt? What kind of people live there?

A ‘rite of passage’ is a ceremony or event to enter a new stage of life. Why did Mickey Hart say he had to smoke as a rite of passage?

Will the rest of the story be about Egypt or other countries? How do you know? Do you think there will be other events like the Egypt episode in the story?

Catching the beat
Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart trips through music history
ADAM TANNER
Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, who has long held a passion for world music, says the hunt to record exotic melodies in remote locations requires unorthodox techniques.

He recounts one 1978 episode to record Bedouin musicians in Egypt that involved smoking "heroic" amounts of hashish in what he called a rite of passage to win local favour.

"Smoking a lot of hash, it wasn't so bad, I mean, it was an amazing adventure," he said in an interview at the Dead's office and studio complex north of San Francisco. "Hey, I'm in the Grateful Dead. There were drugs around me all the time."

http://www.etonline.com/reuters/N23234410.htm

Ancient artwork: Read the title and the subheading and look at the pictures. What do you think ‘crack’ means?

As you read the first paragraph the picture will help you with the meanings of ‘sunken’ and ‘gaping’. What do geologists study? Think of another ‘geo’ word you know. Archaeologists and antiquity researchers both study ancient civilisations.

What is the mystery? Write two or three of your own questions about the stone faces.

When you have finished the practice here, find the Outlook section of today’s Bangkok Post and see if you can use some of the same skills.

Ancient artwork or modern hoax?
Geologist tries to crack mystery of stone faces
ADAM GORLICK
They've been overlooked as useless oddities for decades _ flat-backed stones with sunken eye sockets and gaping mouths carved into them _ stowed in bowling ball bags, left in barns or fashioned into candle holders by those who found them in the woods of central Massachusetts.

Now in the hands of retired state geologist Joseph Sinnott, the five stone faces found in Sturbridge and Southbridge are getting the attention of archaeologists and antiquity researchers throughout New England. They are wondering whether the stones were sculpted by American Indians, prehistoric settlers or practical jokesters.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/144/region/Ancient_artwork_or_modern_hoax:.shtml

Answers: Moderndog: gods, created a stir, many, mainstream, large actions, its not easy making a name for Thailand internationally; Dear Abby: maybe because she is sensitive or embarrassed (no right answer), some action to help in a situation, keep reading, more advice; Earthy experience: think, teach, learn, people learn in many places like museums, science and nature centres, an amount of related material, branch or section; Beat: music history, rock group, unusual (clues: exotic, remote), large, desert people who travel a lot, to be allowed into the group, other countries and stories; Artwork: solve, the earth, whether the carvings are old or a modern joke.

•This lesson was prepared by Maureen Paetkau, a professional teacher of English as a second and foreign language and Assistant Manager and Webmaster for Learning Post at the Bangkok Post.

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