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Build vocabulary by finding words related to the lesson concept. |
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Listen for both facts and opinions. |
this week's Leveled Readers. See pp. 170f–170g 
| 1. | What does Jenny say is hard about her life in America? Are these facts or opinions? (Possible responses: Some are facts and some are opinions. She says kids tease her, which is a fact. But she says she feels special because she is Chinese. This is an opinion.) Fact and Opinion |
| 2. | Why do you think Jenny wants to learn to read Chinese? (Possible response: She wants to know everything she can about her culture.) Draw Conclusions |
I was born in the Guangdong area of China, in the southern tip, pretty close to Hong Kong. I don't have any brothers or sisters. You're only supposed to have one child in China. I've been in America about four years and am now in middle school. I like to play softball and volleyball and other sports. I play the piano too, and I'm going to be taking clarinet. Bach's my favorite composer. I like to collect stamps and have a collection of Chinese stamps because we get mail from China sometimes.When I get home from school I have to do homework. Afterwards, I like to curl up in my bedroom and read. I love mysteries. Sometimes I like ghost story mysteries.I can't read in Chinese, though. I have this special book that my mom teaches me out of. I'm memorizing the characters. I know probably one hundred. You need to know about two thousand to be able to read the Chinese newspaper.My mom is learning English, so we speak both English and Chinese at home. Sometimes I say everything in Chinese except one word, because I can't think of it right then. I speak English more than I speak Chinese, because I'm at school more than I'm at home.It's different being Chinese. I feel special. We use chopsticks when we eat. We don't use knives and forks. It gives me privileges too. I can go to different special things that are Chinese, like the Chinese New Year, or special holidays. And sometimes I can dress in special clothes, and get to visit a place like Beijing. China is really, really big.I think of myself as more American than Chinese, though. I used to use my Chinese name, Yingyi. But sometimes I was teased about it. I tried to just either ignore it, or I said to them, "I bet if you went to China people would tease you about your name, because your name would seem different." Maybe then they'd find out how bad teasing is. But then I thought, Jenny sort of sounds like Yingyi. If I was Jenny nobody would tease me. So now when people ask, I say my name is Jenny.Some people just don't accept you for who you are. Since you don't look like them, they think you don't belong with them, like you're different inside too. I look Chinese, and I might have an accent. Some people make fun of others because they have an accent. I think it's unfair. What would they think if they were trying to speak, and they had a little accent? Would they want everybody to laugh at them like they laugh?Everybody's personality is different. The way they think is different, and their culture is different. But just because they look different on the outside, they are still human beings. You just have to respect other people's rights. If you see someone who is really different, you should try to be friends. They might be really interesting. It might open you to another world.continued on TR1 
