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Compose 'The First Mentor' (excerpt, Trendy Atomist), 7th-grade Literature - Bridging intellect with life.
Concise overview of the key content in 'The First Mentor' at its shortest.
I. Before Reading
Share a brief story about a teacher whom you particularly cherish.
Students' sharing...
The most beloved teacher for me is my first-grade teacher - Mrs. Nine. She guided me in forming my initial handwriting, holding my hand and helping me refine each stroke to fit the lines. She is gentle and affectionate towards us. Every day when we arrive at school, she is already in the classroom. I deeply respect and adore her.
📝Character Analysis of An Tu Nai - Grade 7 Literature - ICT
II. Reading the Text
1. Identification: Who is the storyteller here?
- The narrator in section (1) is the painter.
2. Monitor: Evolution of the narrator's role.
- In section (1), the storyteller is the painter; transitioning to section (2), the storyteller becomes An-tu-nai.
3. Monitor: Dialogues of the characters.
- Dialogues of Teacher Duy-sen: friendly, encouraging, 'How about it, do you enjoy studying? Will you go to school?', 'An-tu-nai, what a lovely name, and I bet you're very obedient, right?', 'Just call me teacher. Do you want to see the school? Come in, don't be shy.'
- Dialogue of An-tu-nai and the other children: obedient, polite, innocent, sincere 'If my sister allows me, I will go', 'She's an orphan, sir. She lives with her uncle and aunt', 'Yes, sir', 'No, we have to go home',...
4. Monitor: Details depicting Teacher Duy-sen's care and attention towards his students.
- Teacher Duy-sen carries the little ones across the stream in winter 'At those times, Teacher Duy-sen carried us across the stream'.
- Teacher comes up with amusing stories to make students forget their sorrows and frustrations 'Usually, the teacher comes up with a funny story that makes us burst into laughter, forgetting everything'.
- Lift An-tu-nai ashore and care for her when she had cramps 'Teacher Duy-sen swiftly hopped onto the rocks, immediately by my side. He lifted me up, carried me to the shore, and laid me down. He draped a coat over me, placing me on it. After massaging my legs, bruised and stiff like wood, he tightly squeezed my ice-cold hands in his warm palms, then brought warm breath to my mouth'.
- Teacher guessed that An-tu-nai left her talisman at school 'An-tu-nai, that time, did you leave your talisman at school?'.
5. Monitor: Thoughts, emotions of An-tu-nai about everyone, about Teacher Duy-sen.
- An-tu-nai's thoughts and emotions about the rich families who reside on the mountain only coming down to the village to mill rice: An-tu-nai thinks they are terrible, ignorant people 'You shouldn't speak about our teacher like that. You are ignorant, and you are bad people'.
- An-tu-nai's thoughts and emotions about Teacher Duy-sen: Teacher is optimistic, persistent, unaffected by the insults of the wealthy 'But Teacher Duy-sen seems to pay no attention to those insults, as if he doesn't hear anything. Usually, he comes up with a funny story that makes us burst into laughter, forgetting everything'.
6. Visualization: Image of Teacher Duy-sen in An-tu-nai's memories.
In An-tu-nai's memories, Teacher Duy-sen is hardworking, caring for the students: he arranges rocks across the stream to step over in order to keep our feet dry in the freezing winter. He takes care of An-tu-nai when she has cramps.
7. Monitor: An-tu-nai and the students' feelings towards Teacher Duy-sen.
- Every student cherishes Teacher Duy-sen: 'Certainly, every one of us loves Teacher because of his compassionate heart, for the benevolent thoughts, for Teacher's dreams about our future'.
8. Identification: Who is the narrator in section (4)?
The narrator in section (4) is the painter.
9. Inference: What is the narrator pondering and contemplating about?
The storyteller anxiously worries about being unable to complete a beautiful painting for the first teacher of the village.
III. After Reading
1. Identify the narrator and the narrative perspective in each part of the excerpt.
- The narrator in sections (1) and (4) is the painter from the same village as An-tu-nai; the narrator in sections (2) and (3) is An-tu-nai.
- The story is narrated in the first person.
2. How are the characters narrating the story related to each other in the excerpt?
- Mrs. An-tu-nai Xulaimanov and the young painter are from the same hometown.
3. Based on the conversation between the children and Mr. Duy-sen in section (2), how do you imagine An-tu-nai's living situation?
An-tu-nai's living situation:
- An-tu-nai is an orphan living with her uncle and aunt 'She is an orphan, living with her uncle and aunt.
- Her family is very poor 'using hands to cover the torn part of the dress to expose a knee'.
- The girl might not be allowed to go to school 'If my aunt lets me go, then I'll go'.
Crafting the shortest version of 'The First Teacher' (excerpt, Trinidad Atomatov) for 7th-grade Literature, Connecting Knowledge with Life.
4. Carefully read section (3) of the passage and answer the following questions:
a. Whose emotions and thoughts reveal the image of Mr. Duy-sen in the narration?
In section (3), the image of Mr. Duy-sen is portrayed through the narration of the character An-tu-nai.
b. What distinctive details does the author employ to depict the character of Mr. Duy-sen?
The author employs the following distinctive details to depict the character of Mr. Duy-sen:
- Dialogue language: Warm, gentle, expressing care for An-tu-nai and the little ones, 'How about, do you like studying? Will you go to school?', ' - Why won't your sister let you? Always let her. What's your name?', ' - An-tu-nai, such a lovely name, and you must be well-behaved, right?', ' - Thay's clear stream', 'You're very smart... Oh, if only Thay could send you to the big city.'
- Actions:
+ Single-handedly transforming the warehouse into a classroom 'As for your school, it can be considered complete now. Thay just plastered and put a chimney on the corner of the house, you can take a look! Now, we just need to stockpile firewood for heating in winter, but no worries, there's plenty of dry wood around. We'll spread a lot of straw under the house, and we can start studying.'.
+ Carrying the little ones across the stream in the middle of the freezing winter 'At those times, Mr. Duy-sen carried the kids across the stream'.
+ Persistently teaching the students to read and write despite the simple and deprived circumstances 'Even though we sat inside, every breath we exhaled left freezing white on our noses, hands, and clothes. We dared only to take turns standing by the stove, while all of us had to sit in place and listen to Mr. Duy-sen's lectures.'.
+ Dreaming of a bright future for the students 'Oh, how I wish Thay could send you to the big city. You will be better off there, I'm sure.'.
c. Overview of the character traits of Thay Duy-sen.
Thay Duy-sen is a person with noble and beautiful life purposes, full of love, kindness, and forgiveness.
5. How did An-tu-nai express her feelings towards Thay Duy-sen? How did her life change thanks to that 'first teacher'?
- An-tu-nai expressed love, respect, and gratitude towards her first teacher, Thay Duy-sen, whose presence changed her life.
- Thanks to that 'first teacher,' An-tu-nai learned to read and write, escaped from poverty, and went to the city for education. Eventually, she became a renowned scholar.
6. In part (4), what ideas did the character, the painter, have for the painting of Thay Duy-sen? Which idea do you support?
- Some ideas of the painter:
+ Illustrating the two pine trees of Thay Duy-sen and An-tu-nai.
+ Illustrate a barefoot child climbing up high and sitting on a pine branch, with joyful eyes gazing into the distant and magical horizon.
+ Paint a scene of Thay Duy-sen carrying children across the stream, with wild and fierce horses nearby, and rough-looking people wearing red fox fur hats mocking him.
+ Depict the teacher bidding farewell to An-tu-nai as she embarks on her journey.
- I support the idea of painting the two pine trees of Thay Duy-sen and An-tu-nai as it captures the childhood memories of An-tu-nai and Thay Duy-sen in their hometown.
7. In your opinion, what is the purpose of the author changing the narrative style in different sections of the passage?
- The storyteller being the painter helps recreate the teacher-student relationship objectively while revealing the character's thoughts and emotions about the story.
- An-tu-nai as the storyteller helps deeply express the character's thoughts, feelings, and emotions about her teacher.
=> Changing the narrative style in different sections enriches the story's content, providing diverse perspectives and making it more engaging.
IV. Connecting with Reading
Write a paragraph (about 5 - 7 sentences) retelling the content of either (1) or (4) of the text 'The First Teacher' in the third-person narrative.
The painter opened the window to let the morning breeze and sunlight flood into the room. In that light, he carefully examined the research sketches for the recently started painting. Regardless of the sketch, he felt that his artwork was just an intention. With many ideas for the unfinished piece dedicated to the 'First Teacher' in the village, the painter remained anxious. Ultimately, he aimed to create a painting that echoed the call of Mr. Duy-sen, a resonating sound that An-tu-nai still hears, echoing in her heart.
The excerpt 'The First Teacher' successfully portrays Mr. Duy-sen's image with a compassionate heart and noble spirit. Simultaneously, we sense the admirable qualities of An-tu-nai, always resilient, rising above her fate. How did these two characters impress you? Share your thoughts with your teachers and friends.
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