Talking about Self

Task 1: Jigsaw

Read the text carefully. Your teacher will identify you as A or B. Students identified as A, read Text 1; students identified as B, read Text 2.

Text 1

An email from Hannah

Hello, Alia! Let me introduce myself. My name is Hannah.

I know your name from my friend, Caroline. She told me that you sent her an email telling her that you would like to have more pen pals from the US. I’d really like to be your E-pal. You sound really cool!

I guess I’d better tell you something about myself first. I’m 16 years old and I attend Thomas Edison High School here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. I have two brothers and two half-sisters and I’m the middle child. My father died a few years ago so my mother runs the house and the family business. My father was a barista.

I have lots of hobbies. I like music – mostly classical music and folk music – but I don’t play an instrument.  I like sports, especially tennis and basketball. At school I’m in the basketball team and I spend most of my extra-curricular time playing basketball. I’m into animals very much. My sister and I have three dogs, a rabbit and an iguana. They need lots of attention as you can imagine. At school, I have many Hmong friends who were not fully fluent in English. Their family moved here from Asia. I enjoy talking to them about our different cultures. My favorite subjects at school are art and geography. I think I’d like to become a park ranger when I graduate, perhaps work for the National Parks Service.

I haven’t got much interest in fashion, although we have ‘Mall of America,’ the biggest mall in Minnesota. We can reach the mall very easily. A commuter train runs every 15 minutes; buses also come from different directions. We can also drive to the mall. It’s much faster than going there by train or by bus.

I don’t like reading but I love drawing and painting.

How about you? Please drop me a line, Alia! Can’t wait to hear from you! Hannah

Text 2

A letter from Saidah

Assalamu’alaikum Alia,

It was very interesting to read your letter about yourself and your hometown.

I would really like to be your pen friend.

I’m a sixteen-year-old school student from Johor Bahru in Malaysia. Actually I attend an Islamic boarding school just outside the city but my family live in Kuala Lumpur.  My eldest sister is a medical doctor. She will get married soon. My younger brother is an elementary school student in KL but he often writes to me via email.

My favorite subjects are social sciences.  I like history very much; it helps me know more how different countries existed in the past.  At school  we are supposed  to use English  at  all  times,  even when we are  in  the dormitory, so  we have become  quite fluent although sometimes  we slip  back into Malay,  which is our mother  tongue.

As for hobbies, I’m really into songs and music.  My favorite singer is Yusuf Islam whose former name was Cat Steven. He’s so cool! Another singer I like is Maher Zain with his religious songs.  My favorite Malay singer is of course Siti Nurhaliza. I also like watching movies, especially comedies.  The actor I like best is Tom Cruise.

I’m really into books.  I like reading novels and short stories, mostly by Malay authors who you probably haven’t heard of. I like some writers in English, like JK Rowling and Indonesian writers too, like Andrea Hirata and Ahmad Fuadi. My  dream, when I’m older,  is  to be a  writer of science  fiction books  set in  the distant future.

I’d really love to come to Indonesia someday. I   heard that it has the largest number of Muslims of any country.  A book that I’ve just read mentions that there are some magnificent places to visit, such as, Bali, Sulawesi, Papua and Borneo!  What about you, do you want to visit my country? Wassalam, Saidah

Cheers, Saidah

Task 2

After reading the text, in the chart below, identify the main ideas of the paragraphs, and then write the most important details in your own words. Students identified as A, refer to Text 1; students identified as B, refer to Text 2.

  Text 1

Paragraph	Main Idea	Details
1	Hannah introduces herself.	- Hannah knew Alia from Caroline. - Caroline told Hannah that Alia wanted to have pen pals from USA
2
3
4
5
6

Text 2

Paragraph	Main Idea	Details
1	Saidah was happy to receive Alia’s letter.	Saidah wants to be Alia’s pen friend.
2
3
4
5
6

Task 3

Work in pairs. If you have read Text 1, refer to Questions II; if you have read Text 2, refer to Questions I. Read the questions for your partner to answer.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS I

Answer the following questions briefly.

1.      How does Hannah contact Alia? Is there anybody introducing Hannah to Alia?

2.      Does Hannah want to be Alia’s friend?

3.      Where does Hannah study?

4.      Tell me about Hannah’s family!

5.      What are Hannah’s hobbies?

6.      Does she like animals? What animals does she have?

7.      What do Hannah and her Hmong friends love to do?

8.      What profession would she like to have after graduating from her school?

9.      She isn’t interested in fashion. Why?

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS II

Answer the following questions briefly.

1.      Does Saidah want to be Alia’s friend?

2.      Where is she from?

3.      Where does Saidah study?

4.      Tell me about Saidah’s family!

5.      What are Saidah’s hobbies?

6.      Does she have favorite singers? (If yes, who are they?)

7.      Does she like reading books? Which authors does she like?

8.      What profession would she like to have later?

9.      Is she interested in visiting Indonesia? How does she know Indonesia?