Learner Resource
School Name
Upper Coomera State College
Subject
English
Description
This pre assessment for Unit 2 will provide diagnostic information to assess
students’ needs and abilities. This instrument is skills based and probes for
prior knowledge around key content descriptors. It focuses on
deconstruction of text. It gives students opportunities to demonstrate their
skills and prior knowledge in both the receptive and productive modes. It
uses a genre specific extract (the personal memoir) to reflect the
assessment.
Instructions
Students use a range of comprehension strategies to evaluate how authors
convey different perspectives in personal memoirs.
Task designed by
Beverley Gurney
and Linda Carroll
South East Region
Topic
Contact
Features of
personal memoirs
Year
9
Janelle Dickman 0467777965
Learner Resource template
V1 – Aug 2013
Learner Resource
The Happiest Refugee – Extract 5:
Even teachers can be cruel.
All through my primary school years I had a thick Vietnamese accent: 'Fipteen minat twell equal tree'.
Even though my English was getting better year by year, it was still definitely not as good as an Aussie
kid's. It didn't seem to matter too much as I did well enough academically and socially, becoming a
candidate for school captain at the end of Year 5.
There were four class captains in the running to become the big head honcho school captain. It was a very
big deal, and the four of us were to make a speech in front of the whole school at the next assembly, to tell
everyone why we were the best candidate for the job. The teacher pulled us aside and told us that it was
okay to get help from our parents to write this speech, as it was such a big deal. I went home and said to
Mum and Dad, `You have to help me write a speech to become school captain'.
`Six! Anh needs your help to write his speech.'
Uncle Six had done a couple of years of school in Australia, and at the time he was the best at English in
our whole household, but this didn't mean he was any good. Together we wrote my speech and on the day
of the assembly I was ready to wow the school armed with a migrant's second-year English speech.
That morning I was first to speak.
`Hello School Peoples.' `I am Anh.'
I could hear a few snickers from the other classes, but I was determined to go on.
`I will try for my hardest to be very friendly boy, and I will always saysing hello to all you school
peoples...'
Everyone started laughing. The worst thing was when I looked down, I even saw teachers laughing. I
looked across at my own teacher and she wasn't laughing, but I could see her trying not to laugh!
I was so mad at her. I froze. I didn't know what to do. It was almost like time stood still. In that moment I
just totally blanked out and forgot what to say next.
The only people who weren't laughing were my little classmates. They were on my side. Just then I heard
a tiny girl's voice:
`C'mon, Anh.'
I looked down and there was Karen, an 11-year-old face full of support. A few of her friends joined in.
`Keep going, Anh.'
`I ... I ... should be school captains because I want to helping the students ...'
I stood as still as I could, just blanking out everyone, every noise, every snicker and laugh, and saying
everything that I had to say like a monotone robot. Soon it was over. Thank God. My first ever public
speaking experience.
Do, Ahn (2010), The Happiest Refugee, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, 2065, pp. 45-46.
South East Region
Learner Resource template
V1 – Aug 2013
Learner Resource
Student Name
Class
Date
1. Read the personal memoir extract from The Happiest Refugee by Ahn Do.
2. Comprehend the personal memoir by answering the following questions. You will need
to reread sections of the text to respond to the questions.
a) What elements of the extract reveal that Ahn Do is a refugee?
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b) According to the extract, Ahn Do had difficulties with English. Identify and record two
examples from the text which show that this was the case.
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c) The writer has deliberately misspelt the word saying (‘I will always saysing hello’). Explain
why you think the author did this.
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d) What is the effect of using direct speech in the extract?
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e) Ahn Do uses repetition as a language feature in the extract (snickers, laughing). Why do you
think he has used this language feature?
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f) Identify a simile in the final paragraph and describe the effect of using this simile.
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South East Region
Learner Resource template
V1 – Aug 2013
Learner Resource
g) Punctuation is used in the text as a device to reveal the voice of the writer. Find an
example of the purposeful use of punctuation to reveal the voice of the writer.
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h) How do you think the writer felt about his first ever public speaking experience?
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3. How are the language features in the extract used to convey meaning? Give examples of
the language features and explain their effect in the table below.
Language Features
Identify examples from the
personal memoir extract.
Explain their effect on the
audience.
1
2
3
4. Write an analytical paragraph about the personal memoir extract using your notes about
the text structures and language features.
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South East Region
Learner Resource template
V1 – Aug 2013