- Living in a World of Fear
Pre-Reading
- Do you feel safe in school? You can consider safety from either physical abuse or verbal abuse or both.
- I feel safe most of the time in school as there as safety measures in place at school to protect us. I am also quite friendly and I feel that not much people are bullies and the learning environment is very safe.
During-Reading
- Why did a stranger deem Kelly ‘the crazy girl’ in Basha High school?
- She wanted to shoot or kill the people in her school.
- Why did Sarah, the author of the article, respond with anger by correcting her that it was ‘Kelly’ and not ‘the crazy girl’?
- Kelly is her friend and she thinks that she will not shoot or kill her teachers and friends.
- What was the school’s reaction to the plans made for a school shooting and anything related to it? Why do you think they reacted so?
- The school was shocked as she had planned to kill her teachers and friends, which is something almost everyone would not do.
- Do you think Kelly was fairly treated? Give reasons to support your answer.
- No, as she had family problems and learning problems, so she might feel as though she is the odd one out and she may not like it, and maybe she cannot cope with the stress.
Post-Reading
- When people have fear of what they don’t know or don’t understand, they tend to over react or at least make decisions. Is this a justifiable reaction?
- It is what sometimes people do not know, as they want to find out, but is afraid something bad might happen to them or someone else, so they rather not find it.
- Students snap under pressure and sometimes they act this out violently against other students and teachers. In Singapore, there is little possibility for carrying a gun to school but there are other acts of violence that happen. What are some of them and how can you prevent them?
We can prevent them by counseling everyone, and make sure they are feeling alright, and have meetings with parents to find out how are they cooping at home. The moment someone changes his or her attitude, it will be weird and so must consult him or her and try to correct the situation immediately.
- The Day We Lost So Much
Pre-Reading
- Do you have any fears? What are they if you have them? If you don’t have any fears, what are some fears you know your friends or other people have?
- People have common fears of insects, people behavior and attitude, heavy work load, things that are difficult to do.
During-Reading
- What were the reactions of the following people mentioned in the article when the Twin Towers were attacked and then when it later collapsed and during the aftermath:
Jane; the author of the article; her parents; students in school in general; the girl in her school whose mother was in New York then; the teachers in school; and some other people in general.
Jane was confused, she feels that that should not have happened, and many people lost family members and loved ones.
Jane parents were shocked and were looking at the television, and that people had loss their lives, loved ones, family members and more.
Students keep talking about it, and even someone whose parents were in New York also got worried. They made a huge deal out of it, and when it collapsed, it stunned everyone.
The teachers tried to keep calm and calm everyone, but actually they know that something very bad and wrong has happened in New York City.
Everyone was in the state of shocked as it is very bad for someone to attack the twin towers and killed hundreds or people.
Post-Reading
- Towards the end of the article, Jane suggested that we should not spend our energy looking for people to blame for something bad that had happened. She instead, suggested a proactive approach to help people affected by the bad incident, remember the good in their glorious moments and smile in the face of despair. She believes this might change the future. What do you think of Jane’s stand? Give reasons to support your stand.
- To get people to help the families which had loss lives and people, loved ones, to donate and help them recover, get on with life to be happy.
- Looking Back
Pre-Reading
- Have you ever thought of or have been involved in raising funds or helping out in any voluntary situations for disaster relief?
- I have not been involved in such things yet, but I have been ask by the school to donate items like clothing. I feel that we should all help everyone else, the less fortunate and those who are unlucky to suffer from natural disasters, help should be provided to them. W should all do out part and maybe contribute somehow, like maybe donate money, food, clothings or other items.
During-Reading
- How is the author of this article, Paulina, different in her reaction to the 9/11 tragedy from the Jane, the author of the previous article? In particular, what sort of feelings does she have?
- She is feeling very scared that such things might happen again, and also angry about the war I the middle east. So many lives had been lost in the attacks and the war.
- Why is it that every time an airplane passes by, Paulina’s mood changes as quickly as the plane passes?
- She is afraid the airplane might crash into another building or crash somewhere and she had not taken a plane for a long time already.
Post-Reading
Do you think Paulina’s fears are rational? Why or why not?
Yes, her fears are rational as anyone who most likely suffer such an incident would most likely feel and think the same, be afraid that it might just happen again, and kill so many lives.
- Recovering from My Own Epidemic
Pre-Reading
- What do you remember (you were probably 6 or 7 years old then) or know about the SARS (Avian bird flu pandemic) scare?
- It was a serious sickness, people were quarantined, schools were closed to prevent the spreading of it. It was dangerous and people had died from it and it spread very fast and taking many lives.
During-Reading
- What were the steps taken by the teachers and school for the prevention and the spread of SARS?
- They teach students to wear Mask, washing hands, do not touch each other.
- How did the SARS epidemic change the author of this article, Eri’s life?
- The author had to cope with the stresses, and all the work and things happening around her.
- What were the thoughts that motivated this change?
- He felt very different, a lot of things had change and he had to adapt very quickly.
Post-Reading
- How appropriate do you think the title of this article ‘Recovering from my own epidemic’ is? Give a reason(s) to support your answer.
- It is appropriate as it talks about him recovering from the effects of SARS had on him, which is quite a lot of trouble for him to deal with.
6. Prejudice
Pre-Reading
-Why do you think students are constantly asked to recite the Singapore pledge? We the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build democratic society so as to achieve happiness, prosperity for our nation.
This is to let everyone and remind everyone that we are part of the country and each and every single one of us represent it.
During-Reading
- What is meant by ‘Difference is the brother of inferiority’?
- It means different of race and culture, religion, or group. Both of us are different somehow and some way.
- Why is it that when the dark skinned girl is saying the same words that came out the author, Brooke’s mouth yesterday, it will be disregarded?
- The author does not like her has she is of different culture from her, and will think that she is not a friend and will not like her.
Post-Reading
- Universities and educational institutes with a global focus strive to have a 10-20% percentage of foreign students. What are some of the advantages of having classmates from different races and different countries?
- They will learn to help each other and interact together and will not be particular to one religion or race.
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