Basic 6 · English Language

Poems and Experience, Content and Function Words, Articles, Brainstorming National Issues and Noun Phrases for Conditions

In this topic you will relate poems to your experiences, use content and function words, use articles, brainstorm a national issue and use noun phrases to describe conditions.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

Relate the central message of a poem to your experience
Use content and function words appropriately
Use definite and indefinite articles correctly, including zero article
Brainstorm ideas on a national issue
Use noun phrases to describe conditions

What you already know

Composing Songs, Minimal Pairs, Proper Nouns, Modes of Writing and Quotation Marks

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Lesson 1

Strand: Oral Language
Sub-strand: Poems
Indicator: B6.1.3.1.1 – Relate the central messages of poems to personal experiences

Introduction

Poems can describe situations we have lived through. When we relate a poem to our own lives, we understand it more deeply.

Relating a Poem to Experience

"First Day"

"The gate was tall, the walls were wide,

I held my mother's hand inside;

The faces new, the voices loud,

I felt so small within the crowd.

But then a girl with braided hair

Said, 'Come and sit with me right there.'

And from that moment, fear was gone;

A friend can make the weak feel strong."

Understanding the poem

Question	Answer
How did the speaker feel at first?	small, nervous and afraid
What changed the speaker's feelings?	a girl invited the speaker to sit with her
Central message	kindness and friendship can remove fear
Personal link (example)	when I joined a new school, a classmate showed me around

A nervous child being welcomed by a girl with braided hair on the first day of school — Figure 1: A friend on the first day Draw your first day at a school and write how you felt.Illustration: Sirbus

New words

central message: The main idea of a poem.
nervous: Feeling worried or afraid.
relate: To connect one thing with another.

Summary

"First Day" shows how kindness removes fear.
Relating poems to experience makes them meaningful.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. How did the speaker feel at first?
- A. small and afraid
- B. happy and proud
- C. angry
- D. bored
Show answer
Answer: small and afraid"I felt so small".
2. A girl helped the speaker feel welcome.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueShe invited them to sit.
3. "A friend can make the weak feel ______."
Show answer
Answer: strongLast line.
4. Relate the poem to an experience of your own.
Show answer
Answer: Answers will vary, e.g. a classmate helped me on my first day.Personal link.

Lesson 2

Strand: Reading
Sub-strand: Vocabulary
Indicator: B6.2.6.1.1 – Use level-appropriate content words and function words appropriately in spoken and written communication

Introduction

In Basic 5 you learnt that content words carry meaning and function words hold sentences together. Now you will use them to speak and write more clearly.

Using Content and Function Words

Examples

Sentence	Content words	Function words
The farmer sold his yams at the market.	farmer, sold, yams, market	the, his, at, the
Ama and Kofi quickly finished their work.	Ama, Kofi, quickly, finished, work	and, their

When we speak, we stress content words and say function words lightly: "The FARMER SOLD his YAMS at the MARKET." When we write headlines or text messages, we often leave out function words: "Farmer Sells Yams at Market"; "Coming home now."

In formal writing, keep all the function words so your sentences are complete and clear.

New words

content word: A word that carries meaning (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
function word: A word that connects (article, preposition, conjunction, pronoun).
headline: A short title, often without function words.

Summary

Content words are stressed; function words are said lightly.
Headlines drop function words; formal writing keeps them.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Which is a function word?
- A. at
- B. farmer
- C. sold
- D. yams
Show answer
Answer: atPreposition.
2. Headlines often leave out function words.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueTo save space.
3. In speech, we stress ______ words.
Show answer
Answer: contentThey carry meaning.
4. Rewrite as a full sentence: "Pupils Win Quiz Contest."
Show answer
Answer: The pupils won the quiz contest.Add function words.

Lesson 3

Strand: Grammar
Sub-strand: Determiners
Indicator: B6.3.2.1.1 – Identify and use definite and indefinite articles

Introduction

Articles help show whether a noun is general, particular or not used with an article at all.

Articles and the Zero Article

Articles

Article	Use	Example
a / an	one of many, not specific	a teacher; an orange
the	specific or already mentioned; unique things	the teacher we met; the sun
no article (zero article)	plural or uncountable nouns in general; most names	Mangoes are sweet. Water is life. Ghana is beautiful.

Special uses of "the": with rivers, seas and groups of islands (the Volta, the Atlantic Ocean), with superlatives (the tallest), with musical instruments (play the drum) and with national groups (the Ewe).

No article: with most countries and cities (Ghana, Accra), meals (We had breakfast), and school subjects (I like Mathematics).

A map of West Africa with countries and rivers labelled — Figure 2: "The" with rivers, not with countries Write five sentences using the, a/an and no article.Base map: Sémhur, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New words

definite article: "the".
indefinite article: "a" or "an".
zero article: Using no article before a noun.

Summary

Use a/an for any one; the for specific or unique things.
Use no article with general plurals, uncountables and most names.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Choose: ___ Volta is a long river.
- A. The
- B. A
- C. An
- D. no article
Show answer
Answer: TheRivers take "the".
2. We say "I like Mathematics" without an article.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueSchool subjects.
3. She plays ______ guitar very well. (a/the)
Show answer
Answer: theMusical instruments.
4. Correct: "The Ghana is a beautiful country."
Show answer
Answer: Ghana is a beautiful country.No article with most countries.

Lesson 4

Strand: Writing
Sub-strand: Writing As a Process
Indicator: B6.4.9.1.1 – Select a topic of choice on a national issue brainstorm ideas and organize them before writing

Introduction

Writing about national issues starts with choosing a topic you care about and brainstorming ideas.

Brainstorming a National Issue

National issues

Issue	Possible focus
galamsey	effects on rivers and farms
unemployment	why young people cannot find jobs
road accidents	causes and prevention
plastic waste	flooding in cities
teenage pregnancy	effects on girls' education

Brainstorming methods

listing: write every idea quickly in a list
mind map: put the issue in the centre and branch out causes, effects and solutions
questions: ask who, what, why, where, when and how
discussion: talk with classmates and note new ideas

Example mind map for "Road Accidents": causes (speeding, drunk driving, bad roads, phone use); effects (deaths, injuries, poverty, orphans); solutions (enforce speed limits, repair roads, education, seat belts).

New words

national issue: A matter affecting the whole country.
brainstorm: To generate many ideas quickly.
mind map: A diagram linking ideas to a central topic.

Summary

Choose a national issue you care about.
Use lists, mind maps and questions to brainstorm.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Which is a national issue?
- A. road accidents
- B. my pencil
- C. my lunch
- D. my shoe
Show answer
Answer: road accidentsAffects the country.
2. A mind map links ideas to a central topic.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueBranches.
3. Brainstorming means generating many ______ quickly.
Show answer
Answer: ideasBefore writing.
4. List three causes of road accidents for a mind map.
Show answer
Answer: Speeding, drunk driving, phone use (or bad roads).Any three.

Lesson 5

Strand: Writing Conventions/ Extensive Reading
Sub-strand: Using Naming Words, Building the Love and Culture of Reading
Indicator: B6.5.3.1.1 – Identify and use noun phrases to describe conditions

Introduction

A noun phrase is a group of words built around a noun. Noun phrases can describe conditions in detail.

Noun Phrases for Conditions

Building noun phrases

Head noun	Noun phrase	Condition described
road	a narrow, pothole-ridden road	poor road condition
rain	a heavy, non-stop downpour	weather
patient	a weak, feverish patient	health
market	a crowded, noisy market	situation
harvest	a poor harvest after the long drought	farming

Reading extract: "After three days of a heavy downpour, the narrow, pothole-ridden road to our village became a muddy river. A long queue of stranded trotros stood at the broken bridge, and a group of tired, hungry passengers waited under the trees."

New words

noun phrase: A group of words built around a noun.
head noun: The main noun in a noun phrase.
stranded: Unable to move or continue a journey.

Summary

Noun phrases add detail to the head noun.
They describe conditions such as weather, health and roads.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. In "a crowded, noisy market", the head noun is…
- A. market
- B. crowded
- C. noisy
- D. a
Show answer
Answer: marketMain noun.
2. Noun phrases can describe conditions.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: Truee.g. weather.
3. A long queue of ______ trotros stood at the bridge.
Show answer
Answer: strandedFrom the extract.
4. Write two noun phrases describing the condition of your school compound.
Show answer
Answer: E.g. a clean, sandy compound; a tall, shady mango tree.Head noun + description.

Homework

Draw a mind map for a national issue and write two noun phrases about it.