HSC English First Paper - Unit Five - Adolescence
Lesson 1: The Storm and Stress of
Adolescence
1. Warm up activity:
* What age group do you belong to?
(16-17,18-21,22-23).
* Do you think you are old enough to lace the
world?
* Do you ever feel that people do not pay you much
attention because of your age? Why?
2. Read the text below and answer the questions
that follow:
i. Children
must pass through several stages in their lives to become adults. For most
people, there are four or five such stages of growth where they learn certain
things: infancy (birth to age 2% early childhood (3 to 8 year?), late childhood
(9 to 12 years) and adolescence (13 to 18 years). Persons 18 and over are
considered adults in our society. Of course, there are some who will try to act
older than their years. But, for the most part, most individuals have to go
through these stages irrespective of their economic or social status.
ii. World
Health Organisation (WHO) identifies adolescence as the period in human growth
and development that occurs after childhood and "before adulthood. This
phase represent* one of the critical transitions in one's life span and is
characterized by feat paced growth and change which are second only to those at
infancy. Biological processes drive many aspects of this growth and development
with the onset of puberty marking the passage from childhood to adolescence.
The biological determinants of adolescence are fairly universal; however, the
duration and defining characteristics of this period may vary across time,
cultures, and socio-economic situations. This period has seen many change over
the past century-puberty for example, comes earlier than before, people marry
late, and their sexual attitudes and behaviors are different from their
grandparents, or even parents. Among the factors responsible for the change are
education, urbanization and spread of global communication.
iii. The
time of adolescence is a period of preparation for adulthood during which one
experiences several key developments. Besides physical and sexual maturation,
these experiences include movement toward social and economic independence,
development of identity, the acquisition of skills needed to carry out adult
relationships and roles and the capacity for abstract reasoning. While
adolescence is a time of tremendous growth and potential, it is also a time of
considerable risks during which social contexts exert powerful influences.
v. Adolescents
are different both from young children and adults. Specifically, adolescents
are not fully capable of understanding complex concepts, or the relationship
between behaviour and consequences, or the degree of control they have or can
have over health decision-making, including that related to sexual behaviour.
This inability may make them particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and
high-risk behaviors. Laws, customs, and practices may also affect
adolescents differently than adults. For example,
laws and policies often restrict adolescents' access to reproductive health
information and services, especially when they are unmarried. In addition, even
when services do exist, provider attitudes about adolescents often pose a
significant barrier to the use of those services.
vi. Adolescents
depend on their families, their communities, schools, health services and their
workplaces to leam a wide range of skills that can help them to cope with the
pressures they face and make a successful transition from childhood to
adulthood. Parents, members of the community, service providers, and social
institutions have the responsibility to both promote adolescent development and
adjustment and to intervene effectively when problems arise.
[Source: http://www.who.int/maternal child
adolescent/topics/adolescence/dev/en/
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/teens_stages]
3. The passage above has six paragraphs (i-vi).
Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs (i-vi) from the list given
below. There are more headings in the box than the number of paragraphs, so you
will not use all of them.
List
of headings
a. A journey towards adulthood
b. Adolescence and education
c. Stages of human life
d. Need for collective efforts
e. An observation by World Health Organisation
f. A transition period
g. The adverse effects of taking drugs
h. Influence of culture on adolescents
i. Potential health hazards
j. A vulnerable age
4. Match the words in Column A with the meanings in Column B in the table below:
Column
A
|
Column
B
|
|
adolescence
|
extraordinarily
large in size, extent, amount, power, or degree
|
|
determinants
|
something
that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition
|
|
acquisition
|
to
become involved in something (such as a conflict) in order to
have
an influence on what happens
|
|
tremendous
|
the
period of physical and psychological development from the onset
of
puberty to maturity
|
|
exert
|
||
susceptible
to injury or disease
|
||
consequence
|
a
change from one thing to the next, either in action or state of being
|
|
vulnerable
|
the
act of acquiring or gaining possession
|
|
intervene
|
a
factor or cause that makes something happen or leads directly to a
decision
|
|
transition
|
to
put forth effort to do something
|
5. Answer the following questions:
a. What changes are experienced by the adolescent
youths?
b. What are some of the potential health risks
faced by the adolescents?
c. How are the adolescents different from the
children and adults?
d. What role can the society and community play in
promoting the adolescents?
e. Do you think you are getting enough support from
your family, school and community? What do you expect them to do for your
proper development?
6. Suppose you are going to give a presentation on
the possible health problems that adolescent youths may face: What problems
will you highlight and what solutions would you offer? Write a paragraph (about
150 words) introducing the topic.
7. What do the following words and terms mean?
a. infancy
b. puberty
c. transition
d. defining characteristic
e. provider attitude
Lesson 2: Adolescence and Some
(Related) Problems in Bangladesh
1.
Warm up activity;
* Look at the pictures and discuss the following
questions in pairs.
b. What are some typical health problems affecting
adolescent boys and girls?
c. Who, do you think, are more vulnerable to
adolescent health problems-boys or girls? Why?
d. Why should all of us say 'No' to habit-forming
drugs of every kind?
2. Now read about some typical health problems
experienced by adolescent girls and boys in Bangladesh.
i. Adolescents constitute a nation's core resource
for national renewal and growth. Adolescence is a period in life when transition
from childhood to adulthood takes place and behaviours and life styles are
shaped. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adolescence is the
period which shapes the future of girls' and boys' lives. There are 28 million
adolescents in Bangladesh; 13.7 million of them are girls and 14.3 million
boys.
ii. The situation of adolescent girls in Bangladesh
is characterised by inequality and subordination within the family and society.
This inequality leads to widespread practice of child marriage, marginalization
in exclusion from health, education and economic opportunities, and
vulnerability to violence and sexual abuse.
v. When adolescent girls are pulled out of school,
either for marriage or work, they often lose their mobility, their friends and
social status. The lack of mobility among adolescent girls also curtails their
economic and non-formal educational opportunities. Moreover, they lack
information about health issues. According to a study, only about three in five
adolescents have even heard of HIV. It is also reported that more than 50
percent of adolescent girls are undernourished and suffer from anemia.
Adolescent fertility is also high in Bangladesh. The contribution of the
adolescent fertility rate to the total fertility rate increased from 20.3% in
1993 to 24.4% in 2007. Moreover, neonatal mortality is another concern for
younger mothers.
Sources:
1. Health Profile of Adolescents and Youth in
Bangladesh, Government of Bangladesh, 2007, available at: http ^/bamsearo. who.
m t/LinkFUcs/Publicati(»_Hcalft_Pro pd£
2. Unite for Children, UNICEF, Adolescent
Empowerment Project in Bangladesh, 2009, available at
http://www.unicef.org./bangladcsh/Adolcseent
Empowerment %28KA%29.pdf
3. Read the following statements and decide if they
are true or false. If a statement is false, correct it.
a. In Bangladesh there are more adolescent boys
than adolescent girls.
b. Many girls in Bangladesh get married before they
reach the legal age for marriage.
c. A bride's family has to pay dowry only before
the wedding.
d. More than half of Bangladeshi adolescent girls
cannot meet their dietary needs.
e. Many adolescent boys in Bangladesh are likely to
be involved in various forms of criminal offence.
4. Column A of the following table
lists some causes while Column B lists some effects. Match the causes
with the effects and join them to make sentences using 'as', 'since' or
'because'.
Column
A: Causes
|
Column
B: Effects
|
I. Some
adolescent girls have higher level of education.
U. Boys
are usually more concerned about their financial independence.
iii. Many
girls drop out of school after marriage.
Iv. Married
girls have no status and bargaining power in their in-laws' house.
v. Most
adolescent brides have no or
little knowledge of reproductive health and contraception.
vi. Many adolescent boys
arc
unemployed and unaware of many social or health issues. |
a. This leads to increased mortality
rates among adolescent brides during childbirth.
b. They have to work all day long at
their in-laws' household.
c. They gel married several years after
adolescence and young adulthood.
d. They become victims of domestic
violence.
e. They have a tendency of getting
married at a later age.
f. They have the risks of getting
involved in criminal activities, including drug abuse. |
5. Find out the meanings of the words given below
and make sentences with them:
a. dowry
b. mobility
c contraception d. undernourished
c. vulnerable
6. The above text has six paragraphs (i-vi). Choose
the most suitable headings for the paragraphs from the list of headings below.
There are more headings in the box than the paragraphs, so you will not use all
of them.
List
of headings
1. Reasons for adolescent fertility
2. Concerted efforts to address adolescents' needs
3. Significance of adolescent population
4. A process of disempowerment of women
5. The curse of early marriage
6. Consequences of taking drugs
7. Unfortunate state of adolescent girls
8. Boys are not free from risks
9. Violence within the family
Lesson 3: Why Does a Child Hate
School?
Children's right to education also implies that the school they go to
will have a pleasant and learning-friendly environment where everyone will have
an enjoyable time. Teachers will be kind, caring and supportive and children
will feel relaxed. No harsh words will be spoken to them and special care will
be taken of children with learning disabilities.
That, unfortunately is not the general picture in
our schools. The system of education in our part of the world does not allow
children much freedom, and classrooms look more like cages where they are pent
up for hours. Rabindranath Tagore (read his "An Eastern University"
in Unit Six) found it unacceptable; so did William Blake (1757-1857), an
English poet and painter, whose favourite subjects included children. In his
poem "The School Boy" Blake writes about a young boy who is unhappy
with his school where dour-faced teachers give joyless leassons. He would
rather like to be outdoors and enjoy the summer day. He pleads with his parents
to rescue him from the drudgery of school.
1. Warm up activities:
□ Think about your own school days. Did you feel
like the boy in the poem or did you have a different experience? Discuss in a
group.
□ Ask your friends to talk about their experiences
in school and see where you are similar, and where different.
□ Give a 5 minute lecture in class on what you
consider to be an ideal learning environment in school.
2. Now read the poem and answer the questions that
follow:
'The Schoolboy' by William Blake
I love to rise in a summer morn,
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me:
O what sweet company!
But to go to school in a summer morn,
O it drives all joy away!
Under a cruel eye outworn,
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.
Ah then at times I drooping sit,
And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning's bower,
Worn through with the dreary shower.
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
O father and mother if buds are nipped,
And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are stripped
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, -
How shall the summer arise in joy,
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear?
3. The poem begins by invoking a bright summer
morning and ends with a 'blast of winter/ What is the significance of this
shift?
4. The poem moves between innocence (first stanza)
and loss of innocence (the remaining stanzas). What is behind the loss?
5. What does the boy do in school? How does he
endure his joyless lessons?
6. What does 'a cruel eye outworn' refer to? What
does 'dreary shower' refer to?
7. What request does the boy make to his parents?
8. What is the mood of the poem?
9. Find out the meaning of the following phrases:
a. sweet company
b. drooping sit
c. learning's bower
d. fears annoy
e. buds are nipped
f. mellowing year
10. A metaphor is a comparison of one thing to
another without the use of 'like' or 'as' to provide a clearer description. An
example from the poem is 'learning's bower' which actually means a garden where
a child can learn happily. Find a couple of other metaphors from the poem.
11. What is the meaning of the following words:
a. huntsman
b. dismay
c. dreary
d.
annoy
e. blast
12. Write a 150-200 word passage on the importance
of joyful learning in
childhood.
Lesson 4: The Story of Shilpi
1.
Warm up activity:
□ Think about what the adverse effects of child
marriage can be and write a 200 word passage on the topic.
□ Imagine that a child marriage has been arranged
in your neighbourhood. Discuss with your friends how you would convince the
parents of the girl to cancel the marriage.
2. Read the text and answer the questions that
follow:
Shilpi was only 15 years old when she married
Rashid in 2008. Marrying off daughters at an early age is a standard practice
for many families living in rural Bangladesh. After her wedding, Shilpi joined
a local empowerment group that provides adolescent girls with the tools needed
to gradually change cultural practices, particularly those pertaining to early
marriage and pregnancy.
While maternal mortality in Bangladesh has declined
by nearly 40 percent since 2001, the rate remains high with 194 maternal deaths
per 100,000, live births in 2010-dropping from 322 in 2001 with a projected
decrease to 143 by 2015. Girls who get pregnant are at risk of serious health
complications. These include dangerous
hemorrhage and fistula, a painful internal injury
caused by obstructed childbirth that commonly leads to serious maternal
morbidities and social exclusion.
When Shilpi heard about those risks, she invited
her husband, Rashid, to discuss pregnancy with a counsellor. After hearing
about the risks, Rashid agreed to delay having children for five years despite
pressures from his parents and neighbours to produce an offspring. Together,
the couple met with a female health care provider, who informed them about the
various family planning options available.
Shilpi's mother-in-law and neighbours continued to
pressurize the newlyweds. Deeply rooted cultural practices and traditions
caused a rift between Shilpi and Rashid and their extended family, some of
whose members insulted and criticized the couple. Unable to convince their
close relatives of the risks, Shilpi and Rashid returned to the counsellor.
They took the help of a parent peer who has been trained to speak to other
parents about adolescent issues. Shilpi's mother-in-law and neighbours
eventually came to understand the harmful effects of early pregnancy on mother
and child.
Today, the village no longer pressurizes the couple;
their parents and neighbours now support them and speak out against early
marriage and pregnancy.
3. Discuss the following questions in pairs:
a. Why did Shilpi decide to delay her pregnancy?
b. How were Shilpi and her husband able to handle
the pressure for having children?
c. What are the various health-related services
that couples like Shilpi and Rashid need?
d. Is there any empowerment group working in your
area? If yes, what do they do?
e. As an adolescent boy/girl, what peer support can
you provide to boys and girls in your locality who have already married?
4. The graph below shows the percentage of 15-19
and 20-24-year-old married women in urban and rural areas in Bangladesh who
have experienced physical or sexual violence. What do you think arc the reasons
for violence against women? Discuss the graph in small groups.
5. Complete the passage below that describes the
graph. Use the words given in the below:
evident in
contrast than older
victims alarming compared
to with
The graph illustrates the percentage of married
women aged 15-19 and 20-24 who have experienced physical or sexual violence. In
general, it is seen from the graph that women of both age groups arc more
likely to be victims of physical violence (a)-------sexual violence. The graph
shows that 39.8 % of rural married adolescents (aged 15-19) and 35.3 % of urban
adolescents have experienced some form of physical violence. On the other hand,
11.8% and 16.8% respectively of the urban age groups of 15-19 and 20-24 have
been (b)--------of sexual violence. According to the graph, 11.8% and 16.8%
married women in urban areas in the age groups of 15-19 and 20-24 respectively
have experienced sexual violence (c)--------22.2% and 20.2% married women in
rural areas, It is also (d)-------from the graph that young women aged 20-24
are more likely to have experienced physical violence than adolescents aged
15-19. (e)-------, younger women in rural areas are somewhat more likely to
have experience of sexual violence than (f)------women. Overall, the graph
shows an (g)-------picture of rural and urban adolescents and young becoming
victims of violence.
6. Adolescent health quiz:
Take the quiz to see how healthy you are. Tick each
item that is true for you. Each tick mark is worth 1 point. Add up the points
and check your score.
Life at home
□ You have the opportunity to make decisions that
are important to you.
□ You can talk to caring and responsible adults
about important things.
□ You feel safe at home.
□ You understand and follow the rules your parents
have set for you.
Life at College
□ You do well in college and ask for help when you
need it.
□ You plan to do well in your HSC examination.
□ You can complete your homework/college tasks on
your own.
Making good choices
□ Your friends do not use or offer you cigarettes,
alcohol or drugs.
□ You have friends who are trustworthy.
□ You are active in college sports, cultural clubs
and voluntary organizations.
Healthy lifestyle
□ You have 3 healthy meals each day including
breakfast.
□ You take 3 calcium rich food items, such as milk
or yogurt everyday.
□ You eat enough fruit and vegetables daily.
□ You avoid eating food high in fat, sugar and salt
most days of the week.
□ You watch 2 hours of TV or less every day.
□ You exercise or play sports daily.
Bonus points
□ You volunteer in your community to help others.
□ You do things to help out at home.
Your total score
is...........
□ If your total score is 6 or less, you really need
to think about changing yourself.
□ If your total score is 7-10, you still need to
work toward a healthier you.
□ If your total score is 11 or higher, you have a
healthy life. Keep it up)
[Source: Hnghl future:
hllp^'www.m^duloc.cuin'l.inkt 'lick fuqn.':iiitit»UL—I ,.I X ,*X981,
ID&tabid-W]
7. If your score is II or higher, explain how
important the family is in shaping one's future.
8. If your score Is less than 10, write a page
discussing how you think you can change your situation for the better.
9. Find out the meaning of the following words and
w rite sentences using them:
a. empowerment
b. reproductive
c. counselling
d. peer
c. potential
f. hemorrhage
g. obstructed
h. morbidity
i. option
j. advocate
Lesson 5: Amazing Children and Teens
Who Have Changed the World
1.
Warm up activity:
□ Find examples of young people in our country who
have done something exceptional like the boy who stopped a train running on a
track with missing fishplates and speak to your friends about them.
□ Now share the following introduction with a
friend.
It's an adults' world They make the decisions,
create the laws, make the money, and have all of the freedoms. But there have
been exceptions. Take for example, these child visionaries— boys and girls who
have changed oar world through their good actions or examples. Some have
mobilized millions for a good cause; others have moved us simply by their
generous and hopeful view of humanity. Let's read about some of these amazing
young people.
2. Read the text and answer the questions that
follow:
Dylan Mahalingam
At the age of nine, Dylan Mahalingam became the
co-founder of Lil' MDGs, a nonprofit international development and youth
empowerment organization. Lil' MDGs' mission is to use the power of the digital
media to engage children in the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). His organization has mobilized more than 3 million children around the
globe to raise 780,000 US dollars for tsunami relief and more than 10 million
dollars for hurricane relief. He has built a dormitory in Tibet, a mobile hospital
in India, and a school playground serving AIDS orphans in Uganda. Dylan is a
youth speaker for the United Nations.
Alexandra 'Alex' Scott
Alexandra 'Alex* Scott was born in Connecticut in
1996, and was diagnosed with neuro blastula, a type of childhood cancer,
shortly before she turned one. In 2000, just after turning four, she informed
her mother that she wanted to start a lemonade stand to raise money for doctors
to help children. Her first lemonade stands raised 2,000 dollars and led to the
creation of the Alex's Lemonade Stand
Foundation. Alex continued
her lemonade stands
throughout her life, ultimately raising over one
million dollars toward cancer research. She passed away in August 2004 at the
age of eight Today, Alex's Lemonade Stand sponsors a national fundraising
weekend in the United States which is pojwlariy known as Lemonade Days. Each
year, as many as 10,000 volunteers at more than 2,000 Alex's Lemonade Stands
make a difference tor child with cancer.
Ryan Hreljac
Katie Stagliano
Anne Frank
family in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam in a soxet annex
with four other Jews. Betrayed and discovered in 1944, Anne was sent to the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died of typhus in 1945. Anne's
father, Otto Frank, was the only occupant of the sextet annex to survive the
war. In 1947, he published Anne's diary as The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne's
account of her internment, as well as he deep belief in humanity has become one
of the world's most widely read books.
3. Answer the following questions:
a. What are some examples of the humanitarian
services provided by Lil' MDGi?
b. Why did Alexandra Scott want to start a lemonade
stand when she was only four?
c What compelled Ryan Hreljac to make wells for the
people in Africa?
d. How did Katie Stagliano raise money to help
people?
e. When was The Diary of a Young Girl published?
4. Discuss the following questions in pairs:
a. Which of die five children/teen activists
inspired you the moat? Why?
b. Do you think you have to wait to be an adult to
help people who are in need?
c. Do you know any young boy/girl who has given
exceptional humanitarian
services to the people in your
society/community/country? How old is s/he?
d. What could be some possible activities that you
can start right now to help poor
or sick people in your area?
5. Find the meaning of the following words ud make
sentences with them:
a. empowerment
b. mobilize
c fundraising
d. betray
e. grace
f. holocaust
6. Find 5 adjectives in the text and make sentences
with them.
7. Match the words/phrases in column A with their
meanings in column B in the table below:
column A
column B
by removing waste, trash and garbage
lemonade (noun)
to describe a scries of events in the order that
they happened
determination (noun)
agricultural products, especially fresh fruits and
vegetables
sanitation (noun)
imprisonment of large groups without any legal
process
fresh produce (noun phrase)
to use (a quality or advantage) to obtain a desired
effect or result
chronicle (verb)
something that serves as tangible proof or evidence
concentration camp (noun phrase)
a quality that makes you continue trying to do or
achieve something that is difficult
internment (noun)
a drink made oflemon juice, water, and sugar
testament (noun)
a type of prison where targe numbers of people who
are not soldiers are kept during a war and arc usually forced to live in harsh
conditions
adolescence paragraph
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