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Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
Agoo, La Union

MODULE IN READING FOR GRADE 10

Submitted to
Dr. Floribeth Cuison- Panay
Info-Tech Adviser

Submitted by
Vincent C. Milanes
MALT

July 16, 2016

Acknowledgments
Above all, we thank the almighty God who helps us to finish productively this module.
We submit our heartiest gratitude to the people who saw us through this module; to all
those who provided support, talked things over, read, wrote, offered comments, and assisted in
the editing, proofreading, and design.
We are deeply indebted to our respected professor, Dr. Floribeth Cuison-Panay in guiding
and assisting us and other members of Language Department for their invaluable help in
preparing this module to be successful.
We want also want to thank our family, who supported and encouraged us in spite of all
the time it took us away from them. It was a long and difficult journey for them.
Our joy knows no bounds in expressing our cordial gratitude to our Dean/Adviser, Dr. Fe
Tangalin. Her keen interest and encouragement were a great help throughout the making of the
module.
We humbly extend our thanks to all concerned persons who co-operated with us in this
regard.

The Author

Introduction
English language proficiency is important to function productively in the society today. It
is a necessity that one should acquire to communicate effectively to the world. To be proficient in
the English language you need to master the four major skills listening, speaking, reading, and
writing.
This module will help you in your journey to be proficient in the English language by
focusing on one skill which is reading skill. This can help you strengthen your foundation in
learning the language. There are two reading skills that will be focused in this module: determine
the effect of textual aids like advance organizers, titles, non-linear illustrations, etc. on the
understanding of a text and explain how the elements specific to a selection build its theme.
To help you easier learn, this module is guided by the constructivist theory. It is believed
that learners construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world, through
experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Constructivists also said that language is
developed through social interactions. Thus, the activities in the module will also cater some
collaborative activities. Moreover, the activities will also enable you to learn on your own; to
discover in search for knowledge, and to relate your past experiences to your present situation.
Learning styles are also addressed in this module. The various activities will give way for
learning of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.
There are more things to discover in the English language. The world offers many
opportunities to learn it. We hope that through this module, you will be inspired to begin your
journey in becoming proficient in the language.

Instruction the Users

This reading module contains a variety of texts from the different parts of the world.
Through these texts, you will gain an understanding of cultures and people from other countries.
Furthermore, it also provides various activities that are carefully chosen to engage, motivate, and
inspire you to learn more.
Basically, this module is divided into two units:
Unit 1 Determine the effect of textual aids like advance organizers, titles, nonlinear illustrations, etc. on the understanding of a text
Unit II Explain how the elements specific to a selection build its theme
Every unit is composed of several lessons. Each lesson is developed through the
following phases:

1. Objectives
It gives you an overview of your learning targets or what are expected to learn
in each lesson. It can also help you to focus on your goals.
2. Initial Activities
These are the activities that will prepare you in learning the lesson. It will also
give you an idea on how familiar you are with the lesson.
3. Discussion
It provides the information like definitions, types, and examples about the
lesson.
4. Reading Activity
It contains text to be read in relation to the lesson. Usually, these are stories,
poems, essays, etc.

5. Understanding the Text

Its now the time to test your understanding of the lesson. This part will
evaluate how far you have gone in learning the lesson.
6. Life-related Activities
These are activities that will enable you to relate your learning to real life
situations.
7. Key Points
It is the summary of the lesson. It gives the important information you need to
remember about the lesson.
8. Reflection
It allows you to reflect your learning at the end of the lesson. Have you achieved
your goals? This is one of the questions to reflect in this part.
9. References
This is the list of sites where the information, details, examples, and activities are
based. You can use this to read more about the lesson.
In using the module, keep in mind the following:

Follow the sequence of activities

Read and analyze the lessons in every unit
Do all the activities for you to move on the next lesson
Be honest in performing the all activities
Take your time and enjoy all the learning tasks

Table of Contents
Acknowledgement ........ ii
Introduction ...... iii
Instruction to the Users ........ iv
UNIT 1 Determine the effect of textual aids on the understanding of a text.......... 1
Pretest ....... 2
Lesson 1 Cause and Effect Graphic Organizers ........ 6
Lesson 2 Sequence Effect Graphic Organizers ........ 20
Lesson 3 Compare and Contrast Effect Graphic Organizers ........ 34
Lesson 4 Story Maps ............ 48
Posttest ........ 58
UNIT II Explain how the elements specific to a selection build its theme ....... 62
Pretest ............. 63
Lesson 1 Theme ........... 66
Lesson 2 Setting ........... 77
Lesson 3 Characters ......... 90
Lesson 4 Plot .......... 100
Posttest ...... 109

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2
5

Unit 1
Determine the
effect of textual
aids on the
understanding of a
text

Pretest
I. The jumbled letters are examples of graphic organizers. Arrange the jumbled letters and match
them to their appropriate illustrations in the next page. Write you answer on the space
provided.

Graphic Organizers

1. LETENIMI

__________________________

2. BEIHONSF

__________________________

3. CRTAH

__________________________

4. SUNEECQE IAADMRG

__________________________

5. TYORS MPA

__________________________

6. EBTAL

__________________________

7. ERET GIDMARA

__________________________

8. PCOCETN PMA

__________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________
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II.

Write the use of the following graphic organizers.

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uve finished the initial task. Just click the button to begin.

Start!

Posttest
I. Determine the graphic organizer to be used in each number. Write your answer on the space
provided.
1. Arranging the plot of a short story
__________________________
2. Analyzing the characteristics of Pro and Anti Divorce in the Philippines
__________________________
3. Showing the causes of climate change
__________________________
4. Identifying the basic elements of a short story
__________________________
5. Ordering your daily schedule
__________________________
6. Looking at the similarities and differences of your mother and father
__________________________
7. Presenting the results of K-12 in the learning process
__________________________
8. Looking at the plot, characters, setting, and conflict in a role play.
__________________________

II. Draw an example of the following graphic organizers.

Fishbone

Timeline

Venn Diagram

Story Map

III. What is the effect of the graphic organizers in understanding a text?

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Let your friends know about your success in this unit.
Click share

Share!

Unit 2
Explain how the
elements specific
to a selection build
its theme

Pretest
Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on the blank before each number.
________ 1. It is the time and location in which a story takes place.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Plot
Conflict
Setting
Theme

________ 2. It is the underlying meaning or main idea of a story.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Theme
Mood
Plot
Setting

________ 3. It is the sequence of events of a story.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Theme
Mood
Plot
Setting

________ 4. This is a person or animal which takes part in the action of a story.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Setting
Plot
Character
Narrator

________ 5. This is the central or main character of a story.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Antagonist
Protagonist
Antagonizer
Instigator

________ 6. It is the opposition of forces, essential to the plot.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Climax
Conflict
Character
Exposition

________ 7. It is the most exciting part of the story.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Resolution
Exposition
Climax
Rising Action

________ 8. It is the sequence of events involving characters and a central conflict.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Setting
Plot
Character
Theme

________ 9. This is the character who opposes the main character

a.
b.
c.
d.

Protagonist
Antagonist
Dynamic
Static

________ 10. This is the type of character does not change.

a.
b.
c.
d.

Dynamic
Round
Flat
Static

________ 11. This is the type of character changes point of view and develops throughout the
story?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Dynamic
Round
Flat
Static

________ 12. It refers to all events leading up to the climax

a.
b.
c.
d.

Exposition
Resolution
Falling Action
Rising Action

________ 13. It refers to all events after the climax leading to the resolution
a.
b.
c.
d.

Exposition
Resolution
Falling Action
Rising Action

________ 14. A type of theme that refers to what a reader understands the work to be about
and usually abstract.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Thematic Sentence
Thematic Scene
Thematic Concept
Thematic Paragraph

________ 15. A type of theme that is usually a sentence highlighting the argument of the
piece of literature.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Thematic Sentence
Thematic Scene
Thematic Concept
Thematic Paragraph

The next level is unlocked.

Lets go!

Ok

Lesson 3

Characters
1
2

7
7

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
identify the characters in a story
analyze the characters in a story
use characters in building the theme of the text
relate characters in your life
reflect on your learning about characters

Initial Activities
Activity 1 Choose a Pix
Identify each character if s/he is a protagonist or an antagonist. Write PROTAGONIST below the
picture if s/he is a protagonist; write ANTAGONIST if otherwise.

Harry Potter

Joker

Katniss

Snow White

Loki

Voldemort

Old Witch

Thor

Discussion
Characters

A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a
short story or other literary work.

Types of characters

Protagonist
-

central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character

Antagonist
-

opposer of the main character

Characterization

In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real.
Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves.
The author may reveal a character in several ways:

a. his/her physical appearance

b. what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
c. what he/she does or does not do
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d. what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Note: Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)

Characters are...

1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.

2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or

worse, by the end of the story.

3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are
emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.

Reading Activity
Arachne
Translated by Olivia Coolidge

Arachne was a maiden who became famous throughout Greece, though she was neither
well-born nor beautiful and came from no great city. She lived in an obscure little village, and
her father was a humble dyer of wool. In this he was very skillful, producing many varied
shades, while above all he was famous for the clear, bright scarlet which is made from shellfish,
and which was the most glorious of all the colors used in ancient Greece. Even more skillful than
her father was Arachne. It was her task to spin the fleecy wool into a fine, soft thread and to
weave it into cloth on the high, standing loom within the cottage. Arachne was small and pale
from much working. Her eyes were light and her hair was a dusty brown, yet she was quick and
graceful, and her fingers, roughened as they were, went so fast that it was hard to follow their
flickering movements. So soft and even was her thread, so fine her cloth, so gorgeous her
embroidery, that soon her products were known all over Greece. No one had ever seen the like of
them before.
At last Arachnes fame became so great that people used to come from far and wide to
watch her working. Even the graceful nymphs would steal in from stream or forest and peep
shyly through the dark doorway, watching in wonder the white arms of Arachne as she stood at
the loom and threw the shuttle from hand to hand between the hanging threads, or drew out the
long wool, fine as a hair, from the distaff as she sat spinning. Surely Athene herself must have
taught her, people would murmur to one another. Who else could know the secret of such
marvelous skill?
Arachne was used to being wondered at, and she was immensely proud of the skill that
had brought so many to look on her. Praise was all she lived for, and it displeased her greatly that
people should think anyone, even a goddess, could teach her anything. Therefore when she heard
them murmur, she would stop her work and turn round indignantly to say, With my own ten
fingers I gained this skill, and by hard practice from early morning till night. I never had time to
stand looking as you people do while another maiden worked. Nor if I had, would I give Athene
credit because the girl was more skillful than I. As for Athenes weaving, how could there be
finer cloth or more beautiful embroidery than mine? If Athene herself were to come down and
compete with me, she could do no better than I.
One day when Arachne turned round with such words, an old woman answered her, a
gray old woman, bent and very poor, who stood leaning on a staff and peering at Arachne amid
the crowd of onlookers. Reckless girl, she said, how dare you claim to be equal to the
immortal gods themselves? I am an old woman and have seen much. Take my advice and ask
pardon of Athene for your words. Rest content with your fame of being the best spinner and
weaver that mortal eyes have ever beheld.
Stupid old woman, said Arachne indignantly. Who gave you a right to speak in this
way to me? It is easy to see that you were never good for anything in your day, or you would not
come here in poverty and rags to gaze at my skill. If Athene resents my words, let her answer
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them herself. I have challenged her to a contest, but she, of course, would not come. It is easy for
the gods to avoid matching their skill with that of men.
At these words the old woman threw down her staff and stood erect. The wondering
onlookers saw her grow tall and fair and stand clad in long robes of dazzling white. They were
terribly afraid as they realized that they stood in the presence of Athene. Arachne herself flushed
red for a moment, for she had never really believed that the goddess would hear her. Before the
group that was gathered there she would not give in; so pressing her pale lips together in
obstinacy and pride, she led the goddess to one of the great looms and set herself before the
other. Without a word both began to thread the long woolen strands that hang from the rollers,
and between which the shuttle moves back and forth. Many skeins lay heaped beside them to
use, bleached white, and gold, and scarlet, and other shades, varied as the rainbow. Arachne had
never thought of giving credit for her success to her fathers skill in dyeing though in actual truth
the colors were as remarkable as the cloth itself.
Soon there was no sound in the room but the breathing of the onlookers, the whirring of
the shuttles, and the creaking of the wooden frames as each pressed the thread up into place or
tightened the pegs by which the whole was held straight. The excited crowd in the doorway
began to see that the skill of both in truth was very nearly equal, but that, however the cloth
might turn out, the goddess was the quicker of the two. A pattern of many pictures was growing
on her loom. There was border of twined branches of the olive, Athenes favorite tree, while in
the middle, figures began to appear. As they looked at the glowing colors, the spectators realized
that Athene was weaving into her pattern a last warning to Arachne. The central figure was the
goddess herself competing with Poseidon for possession of the city of Athens; but in the four
corners were mortals who had tried to strive with gods and pictures of awful fate that
had overtaken them. The goddess ended a little before Arachne and stood back from her
marvelous work to see what the maiden was doing.
Never before had Arachne been matched against anyone whose skill was equal, or even
nearly equal to her own. As she stole glances from time to time at Athene and saw the goddess
working swiftly, calmly, and always a little faster than herself she became angry instead of
frightened, and an evil thought came into her head. Thus, as Athene stepped back a pace to watch
Arachne finishing her work, she saw that the maiden had taken for her design a pattern of scenes
which showed evil or unworthy actions of the gods, how they had deceived far maidens, resorted
to trickery, and appeared on earth from time to time in the form of poor and humble people.
When the goddess saw this insult glowing in bright colors on Arachnes loom, she did not wait
while the cloth was judged, but stepped forward, her gray eyes blazing with anger, and
tore Arachnes work across. Then she struck Arachne across the face. Arachne stood there a
moment, struggling with anger, fear, and pride. I will not live under this insult, she cried, and
seizing a rope from the wall, she made a noose and would have hanged herself.
The goddess touched the rope and touched the maiden. Live on, wicked girl, she said.
Live on a spin, both of you and your descendants. When men look at you, they may remember
that it is not wise to strive with Athene. At that the body of Arachne shriveled up, and her legs
grew tiny, spindly, and distorted. There, before the eyes of the spectators hung a little dusty
brown spider on a slender thread.
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All spiders descend from Arachne, and as the Greeks watched them spinning their thread
wonderfully fine, they remembered the contest with Athene and thought that it was not right for
even the best of men to claim equality with the gods.

Understanding the Text

Activity 1: Identify Me

List all the characters in the story, Arachne. Then, write a short description of each character.

Activity 2: Character-Check
Analyze the major character in the story, Arachne through completing the graphic organizer
below. (Work with a partner in this activity)

Characters Name:
________________________________________
Characters Appearance

Characters says/done

Character traits

Characters think/feel

Evidence from the text

Activity 3: Write it!

Determine the theme of the story, Arachne based on its characters.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Life-related Activity
Activity 1 Pro or Anti?
Who are the protagonists and antagonists in your life? How do they help you become the person
you are today?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Key Points
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Characters

Character
-

a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short
story or other literary work

Types of characters

Protagonist

Reflection
My Learning
After this lesson, I learned that
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
It made me realized that
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I can apply what I learn in my life through...
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

References
http://www.pnoytalks.com/2015/06/k-to-12-learning-materials-for-grade-10.html
https://www.wattpad.com/147114744-english-ten-module-arachne
https://mythicbliss.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/piccit_disney_characters_1920x1200_20
16378203-1680x0.jpg
http://orig12.deviantart.net/efec/f/2013/050/5/9/friendship_by_bludy_chu-d5vj70r.jpg

Treasure Ahead!

Complete one more level to claim the treasure inside the chest.

Continue

Lesson 4

Plot
1
2

5
6
8

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
label the parts of a plot in a story pyramid
identify the plot of a story
describe the parts of a plot in a story
use the plot in building the theme of the text
relate plot in your life
reflect on your learning about plot

Initial Activities
Activity 1 Label Me
Label the story pyramid. Choose your answers from the box below.

Denouement

Falling Action

Rising Action

Introduction

Story Pyramid

Climax

Activity 2 Order Please!

Listen to the story in Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nT_qPiPaDs. Then, arrange
the events chronologically. Write the numbers 1-5 on the blank below each picture.

--------------------

--------------------

--------------------

--------------------

--------------------

Discussion
Plot
The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea. It is the sequence of
events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning,
middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting.
There are five essential parts of plot:
a. Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is
revealed.
b. Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the
conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
c. Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The
reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
d. Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The
reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events
between climax and denouement).
e. Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

Reading Activity
Orpheus
by Alice Low
There were nine goddesses called Muses. Born of Zeus and a Titan named Mnemosyne,
each muse presided over a different art or science.
Calliope, one of these sisters, was the inspiration of poets and musicians. She was the
mother of Orpheus (a mortal because his father was one) and gave to her son a remarkable talent
for music.
Orpheus [played his lyre so sweetly that he charmed all things on earth. Men and women
forgot their cares when they gathered around him to listen. Wild beasts lay down as if they were
tame, entranced by his soothing notes. Even rocks and trees followed him, and the rivers changed
their directions to hear him play.
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Orpheus loved a young woman named Eurydice, and when they were married, they
looked forward to many years of happiness together. But soon after, Eurydice stepped on a
poisonous snake and died.
Orpheus roamed the earth, singing sad melodies to try to overcome his grief. But it was
no use. He longed for Eurydice so deeply that he decided to follow her to the underworld. He
said to himself, No mortal has ever been there before, but I must try to bring back my beloved
Eurydice. I will charm Persephone and Hades with my music and win Eurydices release.
He climbed into a cave and through a dark passage that led to the underworld. When he
reached the river Styx , he plucked his lyre and Charon , the ferryman, was so charmed that he
rowed him across. Then he struck his lyre again, and Cereberus, the fierce three0headed dog who
guarded the gates, heard the sweet music and lay still to let him pass.
Orpheus continued to play his lyre tenderly as he made his way through the gloomy
underworld. The ghosts cried when they heard his sad music. Sisyphus, who had been
condemned to roll a rock uphill forever, stopped his fruitless work to listen. Tantalus, who had
been sentenced to stand in a pool of receding water, stopped trying to quench his thirst. And even
the wheel to which Ixion was tied as punishment stopped turning for one moment.
At last Orpheus came to the palace of Hades and Persephone, king and queen of the
underworld. Before they could order him to leave, he began his gentle song, pleading for
Eurydice.
When stern Hades heard Orpheuss song, he began to weep. Cold Persephone was so
moved that, for the first time in all her months in the underworld, her heart melted.
Oh please, my husband, she said to Hades, let Eurydice been reunited with Orpheus.
And Hades replied, I, too, feel the sadness of Orpheus. I cannot refuse him.
They summoned Eurydice, and the two lovers clasped each other and turned to leave.
Wait! said Hades to Orpheus. Eurydice is yours to take back to earth on one
condition.
What is that? asked Orpheus.
She must follow you, and you must not look back at her until you are on earth again.
I understand, said Orpheus. And I am forever grateful.
Orpheus and Eurydice left the underworld and made their way through the dark passage
that led to the upper world. At last they reached the cave through which Orpheus had descended.
I can see daylight ahead, called Orpheus to Eurydice. We are almost there. But
Eurydice had not heard him, and so she did not answer.
Orpheus turned to make sure that she was still following him. He caught one last glimpse
of her with her arms stretched out to him. And then she disappeared, swallowed up by darkness.
Farewell, he heard her cry as she was carried back to the underworld.

Orpheus tried to follow her, but this time the gods would not allow it. And so he
wandered the earth alone. He sang his sad songs to the rocks and the trees and longed for the
time when he, too, would die and be reunited with his beloved Eurydice in the underworld.

Understanding the Text

Activity 1: Visualization Sketch

Form a triad and draw the parts of a plot of the story, Orpheus. Then, explain why you choose
that event as the specific part of a plot. Remember to share your ideas, thoughts, and experiences
in presenting your work in the class.

Oral Presentation Rubric

Activity 2: Questions to Ponder

Determine the theme of the story, Orpheus based on its plot.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Life-related Activity
Activity 1 The Story of My Life
Write the story of your life. Then, label the parts of a plot in your story.

Key Points
Plot

Plot
-

Sequence of events in a story

Parts of a Plot

a. Introduction
o beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.
b. Rising Action
o events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is
revealed

Reflection
My Learning
After this lesson, I learned that
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
It made me realized that
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I can apply what I learn in my life through...
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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

References
http://www.pnoytalks.com/2015/06/k-to-12-learning-materials-for-grade-10.html
http://trubalcava.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/JQ6_story_illos004.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zYSxil-ncF4/TXk0q_LCdI/AAAAAAAAAM8/Zl_tQcnufNk/s1600/head.png
http://pirun.ku.ac.th/~g5614653392/webquest/images/1-3.jpg

Posttest
I. Read the story carefully. Then, analyze it through completing the graphic organizer.
The Golden Buddha
by Jack Canfield

In the fall of 1988 my wife Georgia and I were invited to give a presentation on selfesteem and peak performance at a conference in Hong Kong. Since we have never been to Far
East before, we decided to extend our trip and visit Thailand.
When we arrived in Bangkok, we decided to take a tour of the citys most famous
Buddhists temples. Along with our interpreter and driver, Georgia and I visited numerous
Buddhist temples that day, but after a while they all began to blur in our memories.
However, there was one temple that left an indelible impression in our hearts and minds.
It is called the Temple of Golden Buddha. The temple itself is very small, probably no larger than
thirty feet by thirty feet. But as we entered, we were stunned by the presence of a ten-and-halffoot tall, solid-gold Buddha. It weighs over five-and-half tons and is valued at approximately two
hundred and fifty million dollars! It was awesome sight the kindly gentle, yet imposing solidgold Buddha smiling down at us.
As we immersed ourselves in the normal sight-seeing tasks (taking pictures while oohing
and ahhing over the statue), I walked over to a glass case that contained large piece of clay about
eight inches thick and twelve inches wide. Next to the glass case was a type written page
describing the history of this magnificent piece of art.

Back in 1954 a group of monks from a monastery had to relocate a clay Buddha from
their temple to a new location. The monastery was to be relocated to make room for the
development of a highway through Bangkok. When the crane began to lift the giant idol, the
weight of it was so tremendous that it began to crack. What is more, rain began to fall. The head
monk, who was concerned about the damage to the sacred Buddha, decided to lower the statue
back to the ground and cover it with a large canvas tarp to protect it from the rain.
Later in the evening the head monk went to check on the Buddha. He shined his
flashlight under the tarp to see if the Buddha was staying dry. As the light reached the crack, he
noticed a little gleam shining back and thought it strange. As he took a closer look at this gleam
of light, he wondered if there might be something underneath the clay. He went to fetch a chisel
and hammer from the monastery and began to chip away at the clay. As he knocked off shards of
clay, the little gleam grew brighter and bigger. Many hours of labor went by before the monk
stood face to face with the extraordinary solid-gold Buddha.
Historians believe that several hundred years before the head monks discovery, the
Burmese army was about to invade Thailand (then called Siam). The Siamese monks, realizing
that their country would soon be attacked, covered the precious golden Buddha with an outer
covering of clay in order to keep their treasure from being looted by the Burmese. Unfortunately,
it appears that the Burmese slaughtered all the Siamese monks, and the well-kept secret of the
golden Buddha remained intact until that fateful day in 1954.
As we flew home on Cathay Pacific Airlines I began to think to myself, We are all like
clay Buddha covered with a shell of hardness created out of fear, and underneath each of us is a
Golden Buddha, a golden Christ, or a golden essence, which is our real self. Somewhere
along the way, between the ages of two and nine, we begin to cover up our golden essence, our
natural self. Much like the monk with the hammer and the chisel, our task now is to discover our
true essence once again.

Title:

Characters:

Setting:

Plot
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Theme:
i

II. Explain how the elements of a short story build its theme.
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Level completed!

Congratulations

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.- T.S. Eliot

Claim Prize

Certificate of
Completion
is awarded to
______________________________________________
(Name)

of

______________________________________________________
(Name of School)

for having satisfactorily completed this

Reading Module in Grade 10.
Given this ______ day of ______ in the year
of our Lord two thousand and ____________.
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English Teacher
i