GENERAL

ENGLISH 1

Lecturer: Yessy Purnamasari, S.S.,M.Hum. Skill Focus: Reading
Politeknik Negeri
Bandung
Duration: 4x50’ Topic : Previewing and Predicting

Equipment:
White board, board marker, handout, projector, screen, laptop

Objectives: After completing this lesson, students are expected to be able to:
1. preview the content of a reading
2. predict content of a reading

Student’s name Date:

In This Chapter: Education and Student Life

Connecting to the Topic

1. What do you see in the photo?
2. What do you think the students are talking about?
3. What do you think is important at an educational institution? Name five things.

Part I: Reading Skills and Strategies

1
Before You Read
1. Previewing the Topic: Look at the photos and discuss the questions.

1. Where is each scene taking place? What is happening?

2. What might be similar about education in these countries? Make guesses.
3. What might be different about education in these countries? Make guesses.
4. In your opinion, what are important cultural values in each of these countries?

Elementary School Student in Indonesia Music Education in Japan

University Student in Germany Primary School in Canada

2
2. Previewing Vocabulary: Read the word and phrases below. Listen to the pronunciation. Put a check
mark (√) next to the words that you know. For the words that you don’t know, don’t use the dictionary.
Try to understand them from the reading. You’ll work with some of these words in the activities.

Nouns Verbs Adjective Idioms

possibilities examines lowest Wake-up call
complexity represent centralized
policy interfere private
feedback measure
weaknesses establish
sector raise
remained

3. Getting Meaning from Context: This exercise will help you with the vocabulary that you will find in the
first reading selection. Read the sentences. Figure out the meanings of the underlined words from the
context and write them on the lines.

1. The findings point to education quality issues in Southeast Asia’s most populous country.
Populous = ________________________________________________________________________
2. It is a wake-up call for all of us in the education sector.
Wake-up call = _____________________________________________________________________
3. Indonesian teachers also work for low wages and are often appointed as favors to others, Rosser says.
Hundreds of native languages are spoken in the island nation, adding to the complexity of its education
system.
Wages = __________________________________________________________________________
Native languages = __________________________________________________________________
4. He announced this week that the country’s national examination will be reworked to test students on
math, reading and writing skills.
National examination = ________________________________________________________________
5. Almost two-thirds of the country’s secondary schools are private and offer Islamic education.
Secondary schools = _________________________________________________________________
Private = ___________________________________________________________________________
Islamic education = __________________________________________________________________

3
4. Reading an Article: As you read the following section, think about the answer to the following question:
What can we learn about Indonesian recent educational system? Read the selection. Do not use a
dictionary. Then do the exercises that follow the reading.

Education in Indonesia Lags Behind Neighbor Countries

A Indonesian students are among the lowest performers in Southeast Asia, says a recent report
released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD.

The OECD Program for International Student Assessment, PISA, is a test given every three
years to 15-year-olds across 79 countries. It examines student ability in math, reading and
science. The results from the 2018 PISA place Indonesia in the bottom 10 of the countries.

The findings point to education quality issues in Southeast Asia’s most populous country.

“It’s a wake-up call for all of us in the education sector,” or field, said Totok Amin Soefijanto, a
policy expert at Paramadina University in Jakarta.

Indonesia has a large youth population in the country of 260 million. These young people
represent considerable possibilities for economic growth. However, education problems can
interfere with that aim.

B Poorly qualified teachers are a major problem. Sixty-five percent of students PISA questioned
said their teachers rarely provided direct feedback to them. The Indonesian government uses
teacher ability tests. In 2015, three million teachers in the country took the test. The average
score was 53 percent, reported University of Melbourne professor Andrew Rosser, who
examined the results.

The tests have not been repeated since then. Paramadina University’s Soefijanto thinks they
should be. “Because if we don’t measure this,” he said, “we don’t know where their skills are
decreasing.”

One in five teachers often misses school, the World Bank reported in 2017.

C Indonesian teachers also work for low wages and are often appointed as favors to others,
Rosser says.

Hundreds of native languages are spoken in the island nation, adding to the complexity of its
education system.

Under military ruler Suharto from 1965 to 1998, the Indonesian school system was highly
centralized. But as the government moved towards democratic reform, control of educational
policy began moving to local governments. Because Indonesia covers an area of 15,000
islands, this spread makes it difficult to establish national education guidelines or teacher
qualifications.

School populations growing

D The OECD report notes that Indonesia has made progress in getting children into school. From
2001 to 2018, those taking the PISA increased from 46 percent to 85 percent of 15-year-old
students.

The report says increasing student populations can create weaknesses in school systems. It
points out that Indonesia’s PISA results have remained about the same since 2001, suggesting
the country “has been able to raise the quality of its education system.”

4
 Indonesia’s education minister, Nadiem Makarim, told the Indonesian newspaper Kompas that
the PISA results “should not be packaged as good news.” He announced this week that the
country’s national examination will be reworked to test students on math, reading and writing
skills.

E Math was a difficult PISA subject for Indonesian students. Just one percent of those tested
performed at the highest levels. This compares to 44 percent in mainland China and 37 percent
in Singapore. Some resources for math and science study have been reorganized to support
other subjects, such as religion. Almost two-thirds of the country’s secondary schools are
private and offer Islamic education. Students at these schools generally score lower on tests
than students at nonreligious schools, a 2017 study reported.

Indonesia spent about 3.6 percent of its gross domestic product on education in 2015, lower
than neighbors like Malaysia and Vietnam. The amount, however, observes a constitutional
requirement to spend 20 percent of the national budget on education.

In the meantime, there is one area in which Indonesian students score high: 91 percent of them
report “sometimes or always feeling happy,” a full six points higher than the world average.

Source:
Krithika Varagur wrote this story for VOA News. Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English. Caty
Weaver was the editor.
Retrieved from https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/education-in-indonesia-lags-behind-
neighbor-countries/5217205.html

5. Identifying Main Idea: Find one sentence in paragraph A that seems to be the main idea of the entire
reading passage. Then find another sentence in paragraph D that seems to mean about the same. Write
them here.
From Paragraph A: ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
From Paragraph D: ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

6. Understanding Reading Structure: Paragraphs divide reading material into topics or subjects. One
paragraph is usually about one topic. Match the paragraphs from the above article with their topics below.
Write the letters of the paragraph on the lines.
1. _________ Students in Indonesia find difficulty in handling Math as a subject.
2. _________ One of the problems in Indonesian education system is the lack of qualified teachers.
3. _________ Comparing to another Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia students is among the lowest.
4. _________ The growth of students entering school shows the raising quality of the education.
5. _________ There is still some issues related the unworthy payment for teachers.

5
7. Checking Your Vocabulary: Check your understanding of vocabulary from the reading selection. Read
the definitions below and write words and expressions that fit these definitions. The letters in parentheses
refer to paragraphs in the reading.
1. Condition that must be fulfilled before a right can be acquired; official requirements (C) _____________
2. Relating to an established set of principles governing a state (E) _______________________________
3. Possession of the means or skill to do something (B) ________________________________________
4. Development towards an improved or more advanced condition (D) ____________________________
5. Things that may happen or be the case (A) ________________________________________________
6. The amount of money needed or available for a purpose (E) __________________________________
7. Relate to or characteristic of soldiers or armed forces (C) _____________________________________
8. A person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area (A) ______________________
9. Information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis
for improvement. (B) __________________________________________________________________
10. General rules, principles, or piece of advice (C) ____________________________________________

8. Organizing Information: Using a T-Chart in the following T-chart, write the supporting ideas from the
article. Work in groups of four.
Paragraph Points

6
 Worksheets
Making Predictions

A. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Directions: Study each picture. What is going on? What do you think might happen next?

1. ____________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

3.____________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

7
B. PREDICTIONS
Directions: What do you think happens next? Explain your answer using evidence from the text.

1. Rachel’s friends told her that Joshua really likes her. Rachel really likes Joshua, too. When he walks up
to her in the cafeteria…
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Kim didn’t study for his Grammar test. He isn’t doing well in class, and if he fails another test, he won’t
have any hope of saving his grade. In a panic, he glances around and sees that Ian, who does very well in
the class, is sitting in such a way that Kim can clearly see Ian’s test paper…
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Isabel has been very short and a bit sullen lately when Carter has called. She doesn’t smile at him
anymore, and it’s starting to make Carter feel uncomfortable. He wants to ask Isabel if she is still his
girlfriend, but when she comes up to him after school, she speaks to him first.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Carol was making a cherry pie. She put her pie in the oven, but forgot to set the timer. Then she left the
kitchen and went to clean up her bedroom. While she was doing that, the phone rang, and she sat down
on her bed to talk to her best friend. They talked for over an hour, until Carol was startled by a shrill, piercing
noise that wouldn’t stop…
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. John was out hiking in the woods. Though he had been warned by the man behind the desk at the hotel
desk to wear bells on his shoelaces, and to carry bear repellant, John had gone out into the wilderness
unprepared. He was walking along, carefree and humming, when he rounded a bend and in his path there
was . . .
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

8
C. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Directions: Read the following passages. Determine what you think is going to happen next. Explain your
answer using textual evidence.

1. The old dog snoozed in his dog house, with nothing but his big nose poking out. The cat crept closer and
closer to the big bone that the dog had only half-finished. When the cat was only a few inches away, and
certain that she was going to have a fantastic lunch, a low rumble burst forth from the dog house. It grew
louder and louder, and the dog’s nose began to twitch. Just as the cat reached for the bone…

What do you think is going to happen next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What evidence from the text supports your answer?

2. As the moon slid out from behind the clouds, the dilapidated old house, widely believed to be haunted,
stood out against the black night like a silhouette. Frank crept closer and closer to it. Behind him, the
school bully, Roger, who had dared him to go into it, egged him on with taunts and jeers. Frank thought
he saw something moving in the window. Trembling with fear, but determined to earn Roger’s respect,
he climbed the steps up onto the ancient and rotting front porch. Behind him, Roger was doubled over
with laughter. With a creak, the door of the house flew open…

What do you think is going to happen next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What evidence from the text supports your answer?

3. Linda’s father did not like interruptions. And he certainly didn’t like interruptions that brought bad news.
Still, she had no choice. If she didn’t tell him now, as soon as she got home, then when he found out
later he would be angry then too. So, it was best to get it over with. She gripped her report card in a
nervous hand, and with her other hand tapped lightly on her father’s study door.

What do you think is going to happen next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

9
What evidence from the text supports your answer?

4. The job interview was going well. Paul had worn his best suit, and he had been on time. The secretary
had been pleasant, which had given him a confidence boost just before going in for his interview, and it
turned out that the man who was interviewing him had a son on Paul’s son’s basketball team, and they
had made comfortable small talk before getting into the tough questions that Paul had prepared for. Now
the man across from him smiled, stood up, and offered Paul his hand to shake.

What do you think is going to happen next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What evidence from the text supports your answer?

5. John sat in the classroom and drew pictures of the Tatakai Fighting Warriors in his notebook while his
teacher lectured about biology or something. He didn't really know for sure. The last thing he
remembered her saying was that there would be a test tomorrow. His heart jumped. He went home to
study for the test, but he was soon drawn to his Game Box. He played Tatakai Fighting Warriors long
into the night. When his alarm clock rang the next day, he was too tired to hit the snooze button, so he
let it beep for about 20 minutes before he got up and went to school. As she had promised, the teacher
has prepared a test. She reviewed the testing procedures and directions with the class and then passed
out the test. John looked at his test and scratched his head...

What do you think is going to happen next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What evidence from the text supports your answer?

10
D. Making Predictions
Directions: Read the following passages. Determine what event is likely to occur next. Explain your
answer using textual evidence.

1. Cameron threw the rope into the field. It landed near the creek. Doris did not wait for the rope to land.
She darted out into the field and picked the rope up off the ground with her teeth. If she had been a little
bit faster, she might have beaten the rope to its landing spot. She brought the rope back to Cameron,
released it, and then started barking. Cameron patted Doris on the head and praised her. Then he
wound up and threw the rope as hard as he could. The wind must have caught the rope too, because it
just kept moving. It landed in the middle of the creek...

What event is most likely to occur next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence from the text supports your prediction?

2. "You have a pimple on your forehead!" Eric snooted to Katie. Katie snapped back at him, "I do not!"
Eric was delighted to see that he had gotten under her skin. He laughed, "Ha ha! You do too, and now
that you're turning red, it's easier to see." Katie scowled then she charged at Eric. Eric knew better than
to stand still when Katie charged, so he started running. Katie caught up to him in the living room. Mom
had a beautiful antique vase on a large marble pedestal near the corner of the room. Eric took refuge
behind it, knowing that as long as he could keep running around the vase faster than Katie, she would
never catch him. Katie yelled at the top of her lungs, "Take it back!" As she circled around the pedestal,
her foot bumped into the corner. The antique vase wobbled on the top of the pedestal. "Your pimple
looks really red when you get mad!" Eric remarked snidely. He was really enjoying this. The vase
continued wobbling but remained upright. Katie charged again. This time she bumped the pedestal with
her elbow as she circled it...

What event is most likely to occur next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence from the text supports your prediction?

3. "You have to water the tomatoes in the morning, not a midday or night," Veronica told her brother A.J.
He nodded, but it didn't really look like he was paying attention. "They need to aspirate water all day, so
please water them in the morning," she continued. "Yeah, yeah, water the plants," A.J. said with
frustration. Veronica was travelling out of the country to Spain for two weeks. She was counting on her
brother A.J. to water her plants. He had been irresponsible in the past, but she was giving him another
chance. She had heard that gardening was therapeutic and A.J. needed therapy. She hugged and
kissed him goodbye and then went to the airport. While she was gone, A.J. stopped by the garden once

11
or twice at the start of the first week, and then he lost interest. Veronica wanted to call her brother to
remind him to water the plants, but she was having so much fun in Spain that she forgot. When Veronica
finally returned, the first thing she did was check out her garden. She walked up to the patch and...

What event is most likely to occur next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence from the text supports your prediction?

4. Ding! The timer rang. Cassandra pulled the oven door open and the fragrance of hot cherry pie filled
the room. Steam was emanating from the surface of the pastry. Cassandra took a deep whiff and said,
"Mm..." She then put the pie on the kitchen table to cool and went off to knit a hat for her grandson. Her
dog Champ must have smelled the pie too. He wandered into the kitchen, put his forelegs on the table,
licked his lips...

What event is most likely to occur next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence from the text supports your prediction?

5. Tex opened the can of peaches with his knife and cooked them over the fire. He shared them with his
buddy Dusky and they told stories of stampedes and bandits until they tired of talking. Tex took off his
boots and unrolled his blanket. He didn't mind sleeping under the stars. He put his hat over his face and
fell asleep with his head on his pack. During the night a scorpion found itself next to Tex. The scorpion
was very tired and, unlike Tex, the scorpion did not want to sleep under the stars. He liked small dark
places, like Tex's boot. He crawled into the front of Tex's boot and fell asleep. When Tex awoke in the
morning, he couldn't wait to get a jump on the day. He put on his hat, clicked on his belt and gun
holsters...

What event is most likely to occur next?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence from the text supports your prediction?

12