Halaman
55
Unit 4 - What Are They?
UNIT 4
What Are They?
Pic.4.1 (http://images.co.id/
In this unit, you will learn how to:
•
understand short and simple reports in the form of monologues
•
read aloud short and simple written reports
•
read short and simple written reports
•
write short and simple reports
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Section One:
Spoken Report
Presentation
Activity 1
You know a mouse, don’t you? In the following picture you see more than one
mouse. You see many mice. Say (not write) as many words as possible about
a mouse. Work with your friend in your group. Your teacher will help you do
this. He or she will also show you how to say the words correctly. The table
below can help you
fi
nd the words.
Parts
head, sharp teeth, ...
Colour
dark grey, ...
Size
small, ...
Food
rice, meat, ...
Habit
gnaw, climb ...
About parts
long, pointed, ...
Traits (=sifat)
cute, ...
Can you mention the kinds of mice shown in the picture?
Pic. 4.2 (Dit. PSMP, 2006)
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
Activity 2
Below are some statements about a mouse. Learn how to say them.
• A mouse is a rodent.
• A mouse has four legs.
• A mouse runs fast.
• A mouse is a big eater.
• A mouse smells well.
• A mouse has a tail.
• A mouse is a small mammal with short fur, a long tail and pointed face.
Activity 3
To talk about something in general, you may also use the plural form.
So, you can either say:
• A mouse is a rodent or Mice are rodents.
• A mouse has four legs or Mice have four legs.
• A mouse can run fast or Mice can run fast.
Do the same thing with the rest of sentences in activity 2.
Activity 4
Here are more exercises to pronounce the plural -s. Read the following sentences
aloud individually:
1. Tigers like to stay near a tree to catch their preys.
2. Pigeons can
fl
y at sixty miles an hour.
3. Chickens, ducks, and turkeys lay eggs.
4. Cheetahs cannot draw in their claws.
5. Leopards are members of the “big cat” families.
6. Ostriches
fi
nd their food in grasslands.
Activity 5
Now, let us see what you say about a mouse in general. When you say “mice
have long tails”, you mention the physical characteristics. Look at the pictures
below and
fi
nd an animal with one of the following characteristics mentioned
in the table below. Then, say the sentence, for example, “Giraffes have long
necks”.
A long tongue
a short tail
long arms
small spots
A small nose
a long neck
soft fur
big spots
A hard shell
small ears
thin legs
black and white stripes
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Pic. 4.3 (Dit. PSMP, 2006)
Practice
Activity 1
Listen to your teacher read the following text about gorillas. After that read the
text yourself and anwer the questions that follow.
Questions:
1. How tall can gorillas be?
2. How much can they weigh?
3. Do gorillas like
fi
ghting?
4. Where do they live?
GORILLAS
Gorillas are the largest of all the primates. A male gorilla can be 180 centimeters
tall and can weigh 200 kilograms. Gorillas are very strong but they do not
often
fi
ght. In fact they are peaceful animals.
Gorillas live in small family groups of about 15. In a group there is one
strong, older male, some young males, and a few females with their babies.
They move slowly around a large area of jungle eating leaves and bushes.
In some ways gorillas are very like humans. When they are happy, they
laugh and wave their arms. When they are angry, they beat their chests. When
they are sad, they cry. But they cry quietly, without any tears.
Unfortunately, people hunt and kill gorillas. They also cut down and burn
their trees. There are now only about 10,000 gorillas left in the world.
(Source : Abbs, Brian, et.all. Take Off, Student Book 2, p 68)
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
5. Do gorillas usually live alone?
6. What do they eat?
7. What do gorillas do when they are happy? Sad? Angry?
8. How many gorillas are there left in the world?
9. Why are not there many left?
Activity 2
Here’s another text that your teacher will read. Listen and try to understand the
text with your books closed.
Now, read the text above, and while reading it, complete the following table.
Family
Physical description
Way of hunting
Differences between
Cheetahs and other big cats
THE CHEETAH
The cheetah is the fastest animal on land. It
can run 100 kilometers an hour. It is now rare
and is one of the animals which is in danger of
extinction.
The cheetah has a small head and ears, and
long, powerful legs. It always hunts and chases
its prey on open ground.
This is a different way of hunting from the
other “big cats.” They like to stay in and near trees to catch their prey. The
cheetah is also different from other cats because it cannot draw in its claws.
(Source: Abbs, Brian, et.al. Take Off. Student Book 2, p. 52)
Activity 3
When you have a closer look at the text about cheetahs above, you will
fi
nd that the
text starts with a de
fi
nition or classi
fi
cation of cheetahs. This is then followed by the
description of the animal. The description may cover physical, behavioural characteristics
or other characteristics of the animal. If necessary, to make your description clearer you
may compare the animal with other animals of the same family.
Now, read the text and decide the paragraph that de
fi
nes cheetahs and those that
describe the animal.
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Activity 4
When we give descriptions of animals or other things, we may use complex
sentences. Look at the following sentence which is taken from the text about
cheetahs.
A cheetah is one of the animals which is in danger of extinction.
This complex sentence has been composed from two smaller sentences.
a. A cheetah is one of the animals.
b. A cheetah is in danger of extinction.
The word “which” combines the two sentences. Thus, the following two simple
sentences can be combined into a complex sentence.
a. Robins are birds.
b. The birds sing beautifully.
• Complex sentence : Robins are birds which sing beautifully.
Exercise
Use these notes to write sentences with “which”
Example: Baluran/national park/Banyuwangi, East Java
Baluran is a national park which is located in Banyuwangi, East Java.
1. The American bald eagle/bird/in danger of extinction.
2. Zebra/animal/has black and white stripes.
3. Bee/insect/produces honey.
4. Greenpeace/a group/helps protect the environment.
5. World Wildlife Fund/a group/helps save animals and plants.
6. Whales/biggest mammals/live in the sea.
7. Amphibians/animals/live in both water and land.
8. Gorillas/largest primates/are very like humans in some ways.
9. “Panji Sang Penakluk”/interesting TV program/teaches us to love animals.
10. Green Turtles/giant turtles/lay their eggs on the shore.
Production
Activity 1
Now, work with a friend to describe at least three different animals. Say
fi
ve
expressions about each animal. Use is/are, have/has, and action verbs (e.g., run,
eat, sleep, etc.).
For example:
• Cats are tame animals.
• Cats have sharp eyes.
• Cats are afraid of water.
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
Activity 2
Prepare an outline of report text for oral presentation about one of the following
pictures. Follow the structure or outline of the report text you have learnt.
De
fi
nition/
Classi
fi
cation
Description
(behaviour & qualities)
Summary (optional)
CATFISH
BUTTERFLY
PENGUIN
Pic. 4.4 (Clipart 2005)
Activity 3
Find a picture of an object from a magazine or postcard, bring and present it
orally to the class.
Then, use the information to make a dialogue with your partner.
Look at the example:
A : What’s special about a giraffe?
B : It has a very long neck, long thin legs, and small ears.
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Section Two:
written report
Presentation
Activity 1
Look at this picture of a baby elephant below.
1. Which parts of its body attract you the most?
2. Tell your reasons to the class.
3. What is this elephant doing?
4. Is the elephant still very young? How do you know?
Parts of the elephant’s body: head, trunk, eyes, ears, tail ...
Label each part of its body.
Activity 2
Elephants are amazing animals. Do you agree?
Complete the following sentences. Use the suitable words from the box.
1. Elephants are the ______ land animals.
2. Elephants’ ______ are strong enough to pick up trees.
3. Elephants are good swimmers and use their trunks like _____.
4. Elephants live together in _____ groups.
5. Elephants ______ each other when in trouble.
6. Elephants’ trunks are _______ enough to pick up
fl
owers.
help (v) family (n) snorkels (n)
largest (adj) trunks (n) sensitive (adj)
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
Activity 3
Match the words with their de
fi
nitions.
1. earth
2. discover
3. trunk
4. pick up
5. scratch
6. swat
a. to
fi
nd unexpectedly
b. animal’s body apart from the limbs and head.
c. the planet on which we live
d. to rub (a part of one’s body) with one’s
fi
ngernails to relieve
itching
e. to take hold of and remove
f. to hit or crush with a sharp blow
Practice
Activity 1
Read the following report text about elephants. Then, answer the questions that
follow.
(Dit. PSMP, 2006)
Comprehension questions
1. What kind of animal is reported in the text?
2. What is its brain like?
3. Mention its parts of the body as described in the text.
4. Which of the following descriptions is not correct?
a. Elephants can’t take
fl
owers.
b. They can communicate well with their babies.
c. They are cooperative among others.
5. How do they sweep paths?
6. Who discovered that elephants have different types of calls they use for
communication?
7. Do elephants like to isolate themselves from other elephants? Why or why not?
Elephants: The Amazing Animals
Elephants are the largest land animals on earth. They have the largest brains
of any mammal. Elephants talk to each other. Researchers have discovered
more than 50 different types of calls that they use to communicate with each
other. Their trunks are strong enough to pick up trees but sensitive enough to
pick up a
fl
ower. They use them as tools to sweep paths, to scratch themselves,
to swat
fl
ies, and to draw in the dirt. They are good swimmers and use their
trunks like snorkels. They live together in family groups. They help each other
when in trouble. They join together to care for and rescue their young.
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Activity 2
When a writer reports something, he or she begins with some de
fi
nitions and
then goes on with some descriptions.
De
fi
nition:
Complete the beginning sentence of the ‘Amazing Animals’ text.
Elephants are .....
Descriptions of behaviours or qualities:
Copy the suitable words from the text
to complete the descriptions.
1. Elephants have ... , and are able to ... .
2. They ... strong trunks, and are able to ... .
3. The can also ... .
4. They live together and ... .
Activity 3
Study the words in the following list. Then, read the report text and answer the
questions provided.
Vocabulary list:
mate (n)
: pamer
outstreched adj) : terbentang
show off (v)
: ujung jari
twirling (adj)
: berputar-putar cepat
tip-toes (n) : kawan alive (adj) : hidup
Comprehension questions
1. What kind of bird is reported in the text?
2. Why do they dance?
3. Which of the following description is not correct?
a. Birds may dance to attract their mates.
b. Ostriches dance for fun.
c. Ostriches dance without their friends.
DANCING BIRDS
Many birds dance to attract a mate, especially in springtime. From pigeons
to parrots, birds like to show themselves off by dancing. Have a look at the
birds near where you live and see what kinds of dances they perform.
Ostriches are the only birds which dance for fun. Early in the morning,
the birds gather and begin to dance in circles on tip-toes with their wings
outstretched. Very soon, the whole group joins in with the twirling dance.
Scientists think that this dance is purely an expression of joy at being alive!
(Dit. PSMP, 2006)
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
4. When do they dance?
5. Who says that the ostriches’ dancing is an expression of joy?
6. The writer uses a pronoun to replace a noun. What does ‘their’ in ‘their wings
outstretched’ refer to?
a. circles
b. tip-toes
c. ostriches
Activity 4
When a writer reports something, he or she begins with some de
fi
nitions and
then goes on with some descriptions.
De
fi
nition :
Complete the beginning sentence of the ‘Dancing Birds’ text.
Ostriches are the only birds .
Descriptions:
The writer shows how and why ostriches dance. Copy the suitable
words from the text to complete the descriptions.
1. Early in the morning, they ______ and _____ to ____ in circles on ______ with
their wings ______ .
2. The whole group _____ in with ______ ______ .
3. They dance to express _____
Activity 5
Work in pairs.
Which of the following sentences may be included in a general description or
de
fi
nition of a snake? Put a cross (X) in the corresponding boxes. When you
fi
nish,
discuss your work with your teacher.
• I saw a snake this morning.
• Snakes are reptiles.
• Snakes have a scaly skin and no legs.
• We don’t like snakes.
• A female snake is laying eggs in the basket.
• Female snakes lay eggs.
• When the baby snakes hatch out of the eggs they are small, sticky and have a
bright scaly skin.
• I think the baby snakes are very small but strong.
• The mother is not doing anything to help the babies come out of the eggs.
• Baby snakes have to look after themselves and
fi
nd their own food.
• The snake ate a big frog and a rat.
• Some snakes kill animals such as frogs,
fi
sh, rabbits, rats and mice.
• First she killed them, and then swallowed them slowly.
• They can kill these animals in two ways.
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Activity 6
Work in pairs.
Now discuss the incomplete text ‘Praying Mantis’ below with your partner. Then,
rewrite it by
fi
lling in the missing parts from the box.
a. the mantis eat them
b. small frogs and birds
c. praying mantis are a type of insect
d. including the rainforests of south Africa
e. some of them are very beautiful
f. so that they cannot get away
Activity 7
Work in pairs.
Now discuss the incomplete text ‘Praying Mantis’ below with your partner. Then,
rewrite it by
fi
lling in the missing parts from the box.
a. the m an tis eat t hem
d. including the rainforests of south Africa
b. small frogs and birds
e. some of them are very beautiful
c. praying mantis are a type of insect
f. so that they cannot get away
Praying Mantis
__________________________. They live in many parts of the world,______
________________. They eat small insects and spiders but some big mantis
eat_____________________. Some mantis eat other mantis. They start with the
head
fi
rst _____________ . They come in many different colours.___________
___________. The
fl
ower mantis from Africa look like
fl
owers. Insects land on
them to get food but, instead,__________________! Mantis live for about
fi
ve
to seven years.
(Dit. PSMP, 2006)
Production
Individual Activity
Every one of you has to write a report (general description) about an animal
or a thing that you are interested in about 75 – 100 words long. Put them in your
portfolios or send them to the wall magazine in your school.
Follow these steps.
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
Homework
Activity 1
Read these jumbled sentences carefully. Arrange them into a good text.
1. They run fast.
2. They have sharp teeth.
3. They have black spots.
4. They have furry skin.
5. Cheetahs are big cats.
Answer these questions
1. What is the correct arrangement of the text?
2. After being correctly arranged, what is the type of the text?
3. Which sentence is identi
fi
ed as classi
fi
cation?
4. Are most of the sentences declarative or descriptive?
5. Is the description of cheetahs general or speci
fi
c?
Step 1
Choose a topic.
Step 2
Collect information for your report. Observe the real animal/plant/
object. If this is impossible, observe the photo. You may also need to
come to someone or to read a book to get useful information about it.
Step 3
Plan what to include in the de
fi
nition, and what to include in the
description section.
Step 4
Write the
fi
rst draft.
Step 5
Revise the
fi
rst draft and make sure you have the right grammar,
vocabulary, spelling and punctuation.
Step 6
Show the second draft to the teacher or to a friend. Ask them for their
comments and evaluation. They may be useful for you to improve
your draft.
Step 7
Write the last draft and put this in your portfolio.
In order to write good reports, you may also need to come to your friends and your
teacher for help. A lot of reading will surely help you improve your writing skill!
Activity 2
Use these notes to write sentences with “which”
Example: Baluran/national park/Banyuwangi, East Java
Baluran is a national park which is located in Banyuwangi, East Java.
1. The Sumatranese tiger/animal/in danger of extinction.
2. Sharks/kinds of
fi
sh/aggressive when they smell wound.
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Summary
In this unit you have learned how to respond to and produce the report text.
The following are what we understand about the text:
a. This text is factual text used to describe things as they are with reference to a
whole range of natural and social phenomena in our environment.
b. The text comprises general classi
fi
cation or de
fi
nition and description of
parts and their functions, qualities, or behaviors.
c. The use of the verb be: is and are
d. The use of the verb have and has.
e. The use of the action verb: run, eat, chase, etc
Evaluation
Activity 1
Study the following report text and identify:
a. sentences that contain de
fi
nition or classi
fi
cation.
b. sentences that contain description.
A seed is a little plant. It is a plant that has not started to grow. There are many
different types of seeds: tree seeds,
fl
ower seeds, and grass seeds. They vary in
size from the small to the large one. All seeds have three parts: a food store, a
baby plant or an embryo, and a seed coat. Seeds are produced from
fl
owers of
plants. They are carried by the wind, by insect, by water, by birds, by animals
and humans. Some seeds, such as beans, grow very fast; but others are slow
growing, like the oak seed.
3. Butter
fl
y/kind of insect/can
fl
y.
4. Car/type of vehicle/has four wheels.
5. Electric car/type of car/powered by battery
6. Sharks/biggest wild mammals/live in the sea.
7. English/language/spoken all over the world.
8. Shimpanses/largest primates/behave like humans in some ways.
9. “Kick Andy”/interesting TV program/teaches us to be wise.
10. A /giant /lay their eggs on the shore.
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Unit 4 - What Are They?
Activity 2
Fill in the blanks with is, are, have or has.
1. There ..... many types of
fl
owers in the park.
2. A seed ..... a food store, an embryo, and a seed coat.
3. All cheetahs ..... a small head and small ears.
4. Cheetahs ..... the fastest runners on land.
5. ..... there any cheetah in the zoo near your house?
6. There ..... no singing bird in the park near my house.
7. Baluran ..... a national park located in Banyuwangi.
8. Tigers ..... sharp teeth, so do cats.
9. There ..... much water under the ground.
10. A singing bird ..... a very beautiful sound.
Activity 2
Write a report about an animal or a thing that you are interested in. Your writing
is about 75 words long.
Re
fl
ection
1. What have you learned from this unit?
2. Which part in this unit is the most interesting to you?
3. Which part in this unit is the least interesting?
4. Have you found your English improved after doing the activities in this
unit.
Vocabulary List
Words
Parts of
speech
Phonetic
Transcription
Indonesian Equivalents
rodent
prey
hunt
trunk
amazing
discover
ostrich
extinction
snorkel
n
n
v
n
adj
v
n
n
n
binatang pengerat
buruan
berburu
belalai
menakjubkan
menemukan
burung onta
musnah
alat bantu
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Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas IX
Fun Page
Read this poem with proper pronunciation and intonation.
Poetry
How would you feel if a cow ate you?
Caught you and bopped you,
And chopped you in two,
Fried you or broiled you or put you in a stew
With carrots, potatoes and an onion or two?
So sometimes at dinner when you
‛
re starting to chew,
Put down your steak and ponder this through,
How would you feel if a cow ate you?
By Peter Traynor
(Dit. PSMP, 2006)