Directorate: Curriculum GET
LESSON PLAN
English First Additional
Subject
Term
1
Language
Grade
9
Week
3-4
Link to Teaching and According to amended TAP for Gr 9 English FAL.
Assessment Plan
Introduction
Euphemism as critical language in every day conversations. Euphemisms also
used in advertisements and as figurative device in Poetry
Consolidation
Paper based
resources:
Textbooks
Language structures and conventions: Exercise on euphemism
Reading and viewing: Questions on poem, “The Death-bed” by Thomas Hood
Writing and presenting: Use of euphemism in world of advertising (Advertisement)
Digital resources:
https://wcedeportal.co.za/curriculumsupporthttps://wcedeportal.co.za/partners/#103031
Three comprehensive explanations of Euphemism
https://youtu.be/iaT6OphtS9o (15 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lfVsjYIayc (11 min) – 15 kinds of euphemism and
in advertisements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWAG-2fbdR8 (10 min) English with Nery
“Dead is dead” – Phyllis Sommer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUqr4P7P3gM
Testimony of a mother whose son was diagnosed with Leukaemia and died. (15 min)
Her opinion on “sugar-coating” death with euphemisms
“The Death-bed”: http://bit.ly/The_Deathbed_reading
Skills
(WHAT I am going to
teach/guide/support)
Listening & Speaking:
Reading & Viewing:
TEACHER’S
ACTIVITIES
Writing & Presenting:
Teaching Methodologies/
(HOW I am going to
teach/guide/support…)
Resources / LTSM
(WHAT I am going to use
to
teach/guide/support…)
Listen to “Dead is Dead”
YouTube video and discuss
euphemism
1. Dead is dead” – Phyllis
Sommer
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=UUqr4P7P3gM
Many of the learners in our
Notes
Recital of The Death-bed
classes were faced with the loss
(mp3)
of loved ones during the
http://bit.ly/The_Deathbed_r
pandemic.
eading
Poetry: “The Death-bed” by
Thomas Hood
Advertisement
Notes
http://bit.ly/Study_guide_for_
writing
Euphemism in
advertisements
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=4lfVsjYIayc
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1
PARENT’S
ACTIVITIES
Language Structures &
Conventions:
Discuss the Figure of Speech:
Euphemism as critical language
in every day conversations (You
could also play the videos
provided)
Notes and YouTube
videos (links provided)
Reading and Viewing
Discuss the poem “The Death
bed”
Many of us were faced with the
loss of loved ones during the
pandemic.
Notes and YouTube
videos (links provided)
http://bit.ly/The_Deathbed_r
eading
We will focus on euphemism as
critical language in every day
conversations
Learner activities:
1. Watch the YouTube videos provided to understand what euphemism is.
2. Complete the short exercise on euphemism.
3. Read and study the poem “The Death-bed” by Thomas Hood.
4. Complete the questions based on the poem
5. Advertisement in which a pre-owned object using euphemism is advertised.
LEARNER’S
ACTIVITIES
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2
Language structures and conventions: Critical language usage (Euphemism)
What is Euphemism?
ShermansISD:
https://www.shermanisd.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=8769&dataid=20596&FileName=Literary%2
0elements%20dictionary%20.pdf
Purpose of Euphemism?
To substitute unpleasant and severe words
with more gentle ones to ‘hide’ the harshness.
To lend a touch of exaggeration or irony in
satirical writing e.g. “to put out to pasture”
when one implies retiring a person because
they are too old to be effective.
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3
Exercise on Euphemism:
Instructions: Find the meaning for the Euphemism written in capital letters.
1. Sarah was LESS FAVOURED BY BEAUTY than her friends.
A
prettier
B
uglier
C
happier
D
sadder
2. Sam BORROWED MONEY from his mother WITHOUT ASKING.
A
used
B
stole
C
earned
D
spent
3. I am getting UP THERE IN YEARS.
A
tired
B
lazy
C
old
D
crazy
4. John is a COUCH POTATO. He sits around and does nothing all day.
A
excited
B
tired
C
ugly
D
lazy
5. I am so over him. I am going to write him a DEAR JOHN letter.
A
break-up
B
loving
C
threatening
D
happy
6. I LOST MY LUNCH on that roller coaster because it made my stomach flip so much.
A
became dizzy
B
vomited
C
dropped something
D
used the bathroom
7. I cannot afford a new car, so I am going to buy a PRE-OWNED vehicle.
A
used
B
fancy
C
junk
D
recent
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Narrator: First-person narrator. Makes it personal,
someone “We” know. We, our, ours
Reading and Viewing:
The Death-bed by Thomas Hood
Stanza 1: Message – The speaker and some others
(possibly family members/friends) waited around
We watch’d her breathing through the night,
the bed of a woman who is close to death
Her breathing soft and low,
(perhaps an old person/ a very ill person). Critics
say it is his sister Anne.
As on her breast the wave of life
Lines 3-4 Simile “As”. Her faint breathing and the
Kept heaving to and fro.
4
movement of her chest (wave of life) is compared
to the movement of the waves of the ocean
moving to and fro.
So silently we seem’d to speak,
So slowly moved about,
As we had lent her half our powers
To eke her being out.
8
Our very hopes belied our fears,
Our fears our hopes belied;
We thought her dying when she slept,
And sleeping when she died.
12
For when the morn came dim and sad
And chill with early showers
Her quiet eyelids closed; - she had
Another morn than ours.
Listen to the
reading by Dru Conway (LibriVox)
http://bit.ly/The_Deathbed_reading
16
Stanza 2: The speaker tells us that they were very
quiet or hushed around her. Their movements and
speech were subdued.
Alliteration: S-sound hints at a hushed/ subdued/
quiet atmosphere.
It is almost as if they had given her power to live a
bit longer even if it is with great effort.
(…we had lent her half our powers
To eke her being out)
Stanza 3: The speaker states that their hope/
belief/ trust that she would survive was stronger
than the fear (that she would die).
IRONY: He says that they mistakenly thought that
she was dead when only she had slept, but when
they thought she was only asleep, she was actually
dying
Stanza 4: The next morning comes cold and rain
(chill with early showers) – foreshadowing of what is
to come. She would become cold (when she dies)
and the early showers (rain) could refer to their
crying/tears.
“morn” (lines 13 and 16): Two possible meanings.
Morning (l. 13) and morn (l.16) could refer to
mourning.
While they will be mourning for their loss she
experiences another morning – when she has
passed away.
Euphemism
Her quiet eyelids closed; - she had
Another morn than ours.
The poet/ speaker tells us that “Her quiet eyelids
closed”, instead of telling us that she had died.
Use of apostrophe: omission (for rhythm purposes)
“watch’d”GET
and
“seem’d”DIRECTORATE / 5
CURRICULUM
Exercise on ‘The Death-bed’ by Thomas Hood (1799-1845)
THE DEATH-BED
e watch'd her breathing thro' the night,
Her breathing soft and low,
As in her breast the wave of life
Kept heaving to and fro.
1
So silently we seem'd to speak,
So slowly moved about,
As we had lent her half our powers
To eke her living out.
5
Our very hopes belied our fears,
Our fears our hopes belied-We thought her dying when she slept,
And sleeping when she died.
10
For when the morn came dim and sad,
And chill with early showers,
Her quiet eyelids closed--she had
Another morn than ours.
15
Questions
Answers
1.1
Her breathing was low
1.2
Her breathing is described as “…the wave of life/ heaving to and fro.
Make her life last longer
She died peacefully/ quietly as if she was asleep
dim/sad/chill
She had died and would wake in the afterlife
3.
4.
5.
Refer to stanza 1. How do we know she was struggling to breathe?
How has the poet softened the fact that she was struggling to breathe?
Refer to stanza 2. When looking at the stanza as a whole, what do you
think is the meaning of the word, ‘eke’?
Refer to stanza 3. What does this stanza tell us about the way she died?
Refer to lines 13-14. Which words do we associate with death and dying?
Explain the meaning of lines 15-16.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.1
1.2
2.
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Writing and presenting:
The Advertisement (Shorter transactional piece)
Euphemism in
advertisements
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=4lfVsjYIayc
Important factors to keep in mind: Your advertisement must contain the following: n eyecatching heading
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Must show evidence of the AIDA-principle (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action)
Emotive/persuasive/euphemistic language: Bargain, Best, Sale, Pre-owned, one-of-a-kind
Description of product
Brand name
Slogan
You are only allowed 90Contact details
100 words. PLAN carefully
Price
Target audience
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Study guide for writing
essays and transactional
texts (L Neethling – La
Rochelle GH)
-
Adapted from DBE
Writing study guide
http://bit.ly/Study_guide_for
_writing
Now it is your turn:
You have learnt in this lesson plan about euphemism. You must include at least
one example of euphemism as used in advertisements. (Refer to YouTube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lfVsjYIayc (11 min))
You have a used bicycle/ other item that you want to sell. Write the advert that
you will post on the school’s billboard and in the local newspaper. (90-100
words)
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8