2.4 Creative writing

English first additional language

Grade 7

Module 7

Creative writing

1. Group Oral Discussion

Machines have been invented to make our lives easier. However, if we do not follow instructions, we can cause more problems for ourselves.

Divide the class into five groups and, in your groups, read the passage. Each group gets four questions to discuss. Each group gets an opportunity to stand before the class. They pose their specific questions to the rest of the class and control the feedback.

(Peter and Sally were staying at home while their mother was in hospital. Daddy was at work during the day and they spent their time at school.)

The laundry

After school on the third day since their mother has been away there seemed to be a little laundry crisis. Sally, the elder of the two, insisted on wearing clean clothes every day as her mother had taught her. Mom was not there to do the washing. When they opened their cupboards their favourite clothes were not there. They then realised that since Mom has been away, nobody did the washing. They also knew that Dad would need a clean shirt for Monday. Fortunately it was Friday and they decided that they would talk to Dad and tell him that they would do the washing. After they spoke to their father, they decided to do the washing the next day. There was no school on Saturday and they could therefore join hands and do the washing as well as cleaning the house.

On Saturday they divided the work amongst themselves and each one had a job to do. Sally's job was to do the laundry. She had been watching her mother doing the washing and said she knew how to do it. She took the loads of washing and divided them into different groups: white clothes, mixed, and the dark clothes. She then took the washing powder and added it to the machine. She also added the fabric softener. She then went away to do something else. When she came back, there was a bigger crisis than the one on Friday. There was soap all over the place. She called her dad to come and have a look. Something was wrong with the machine. Her father then asked her which washing powder she used. She indicated which one and her father then showed her that the powder that she used was for washing by hand. They then went and added the correct washing powder. Sally was glad that her father could help.

1. Answer the following questions:

1. On what day of the week did the children decide that their laundry was becoming a problem?
2. What was the cause of so much dirty laundry?
3. Why could they not do the laundry every day?
4. Who, did they decide, would they discuss their problem with?
5. Did their father also have a problem with his laundry?
6. Why did they decide that Saturday would be a good day to do the laundry?
7. Were they only to do the laundry?
8. Whose job was it to do the laundry?
9. Why did Sally divide the clothes into different groups?
10. What did Sally do wrong when she did the laundry?
11. Suggest other words which might have been used in the passage instead of the following:

crisis:

washing: