Grade Six English

Hello boys and girls of Grade Six, happy New Year! I hope you have a plan to continue to use your time wisely as you prepare for your examination. Today you will learn about common nouns and find out how to use sentences to support the topic sentence in a paragraph. The exercise in comprehension will help you to use skills which you should have acquired previously. Enjoy your session!

GRAMMAR

WITH MY FRIEND

- Revise the notes on Proper Nouns - Read these sentences aloud.

The pupils observed the leaves, stems and roots of different plants. I dried the cups, plates and bowls before placing them in the cupboard.

- Pick out the nouns.

- Tell how these nouns differ from proper nouns. - Discuss the notes.

COMMON NOUNS

● Common nouns are ordinary names.

● A common noun names any member of a group or class. ● Any noun that is not a proper noun is a common noun. ● A common noun is not capitalized.

ON MY OWN

Exercise

Pick out the common nouns from each sentence.

1. The turtles laid their eggs in the sand.

2. The cow and its calf are in the pasture.

3. Regent Street was crowded with busy shoppers.

4. We sat at the desk to do homework.

5. Alana loved the fishes and snails in the aquarium.

6. There are less oranges in the bowl than in the basket.

7. Mom gave me fruits to take to school.

8. Many children love ice-cream, sweets and chocolate.

9. The jockey fell off his horse and broke his leg.

10. My brother works in a factory which manufactures crackers.

COMPOSITION WITH MY FRIEND

Read and discuss the notes.

Paragraph Building Using Supporting Sentences

- Support sentences are used in a paragraph to develop the topic sentence. - They make up the rest of a paragraph.

Follow these steps to help you develop paragraphs

1. Think about the main idea which you wish to express in the paragraph. 2. Write a topic sentence which tells what the paragraph is about.

3. Make a list of ideas that support your topic sentence.

4. Use supporting sentences in one of these ways to develop the topic sentence:

Give reasons

Provide examples

Give explanations

List facts

Tell a story

5. Include only sentences that support the topic sentence.

(Remember to check your support to make sure it is correct, detailed and appropriate.)

6. Read your paragraph after you have written it. Check the spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Read the paragraph below carefully.

- Underline the topic sentence then circle each support sentence.

One important function of the skin is to regulate the body temperature of some animals. In warm blooded animals, the skin has the vital function of helping to regulate the temperature of the body. It grows hair, feathers or fur to insulate the animal from the temperature of the air around it. Also, the skins of some animals also have sweat glands which wet the surfaces of their skin, and upon evaporation of the sweat, help to cool their bodies. So, it can be restated that the skin acts as the thermostat of the body for some animals.

( Adapted from Practising Comprehension – A Skill Based Approach p. 13)

ON MY OWN

Rearrange the sentences below to form a paragraph.

Also, fishing and trading manioc, tobacco and cotton would have been impossible without them. In fact, these wooden vessels were the only means of transport between the islands and along the rugged coastlines. Finally, it must be stated that the Arawaks cherished their wooden vessels for many years. Canoes were often the most valuable property of Arawak tribes.

COMPREHENSION

ON MY OWN

Read the passage carefully then answer the questions which follow.

New Year’s Day is, of course, the first day of the year. It is a national holiday in most countries around the world. January 1st is among the most celebrated public holidays in the world. It is often observed with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts in each time zone. It is a time when families get together and celebrate with a meal.

One global New Year’s tradition is making New Year Resolutions. These are usually plans people make to improve their lives for the rest of the year. Some people decide to lose weight, get fit, stop smoking, study harder or save more money. Most people are serious about these plans on January 1, but then forget about them before the end of the week. Then one year later, it’s New Year’s Day all over again and people make the same resolutions again.

On New Year’s Day there are usually television programmes that look back at the previous year. They are like highlights shows of the news. These always remind me how fortunate I am because a lot of the news is about wars, famines, natural disasters, plane crashes and other terrible things. The shows also look back at the lives of people who died that year but then there are happier moments, like the top sports and music stories.

(Adapted from ESL Worksheet for Grade Six )

Questions

Read each question carefully then draw a heavy black line through the letter (A, B, C or D) which is near the answer you choose.

1. All the following are true about New Year’s Day

A) it is observed on January 1 each year.

B) it is a national holiday in all countries.

C) it is one of the most popular holidays.

D) it is a time when families get together and celebrate with a meal.

2. According to the passage, fireworks in most countries start A) twelve minutes before midnight.

B) one minute before midnight.

C) at the stroke of midnight in each time zone

D) two minutes after midnight in each time zone.

3. Which word would best replace the phrase “get together” in the passage?

A) connect B) merge C) separate D) band

except

4. The passage implies that New Year Resolutions are A) taken seriously by everyone.

B) applied at the time they are made. C) forgotten shortly after they are made. D) observed throughout the year.

5. The passage states that highlights on the news on New Year’s Day include all the following except

A) wars B) plane crashes

C) natural disasters D) religion

Goodbye boys and girls!