ADA APA DI RUMAH MENTARI? - Kelas Bahasa Inggris 1, Minggu 28 Juli 2013

Hari ini kegiatan belajar Bahasa Inggris di Rumah Mentari sederhana saja.

Anak-anak membaca sebuah artikel mengenai atlet sprinter yang bernama Bolt yang berasal dari Jamaika. Artikel ini dari majalah Readers Digest Asia, dengan sedikit modifikasi. Berikut artikelnya:

BOLT! Fastest Man Ever?

It just took 9.69 seconds for Usain Bolt to become one of the most famous men on the planet. The Jamaican Sprinter seized Gold in the 100 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, destroying the world record and leaving the rivals to fight for second. A year later, he beat his own 100 m record – in 9.58 seconds. Usain

Bolt was born on August 21, 1986, in Trelawny, Jamaica – an area known for its sugar plantation. He grew up with his father Wellesley, his mum Jennifer, his half-sister Christine and half-brother Sadiki.

When he was in High School, his physical education teaching Dwight Barnett noticed that he can run very quickly. At 12, Bolt ran 52 seconds flat for the 400, on a grass track. Dwight Barnett urged Bolt to become a sprinter. At 15 he became the youngest ever male world junior championship, running 200 m at 20.61 seconds.

Although he was a champion, he actually hated training. As a result, I a combination of injuries and ill-discipline led to failure at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Disillusioned, he knew things had to change.

He turned to Glen Mills, a Jamaican coach, and told him he wanted to be the best. With Glen Mills as his coach, Bolt started training harder and kept himself out of nightclubs. All the work paid out in Beijing.

Now, Bolt lives with his best friend Sadiki in Kingston, Jamaica. He enjoys socializing and relaxing with his friends. He loves music, friends, chicken, and his family.

*Adopted from “Bolt!” by Alison Kervin in Readers Digest Asia August 2013 p. 92 - 96.

Secara bergantian anak-anak membaca kalimat-kalimat dalam artikel tersebut. Kami pun membahas arti dari kalimat-kalimat tersebut. Apa saja kosa kata baru yang ditemui setelah membaca artikel ini. Kata anak-anak, kosa kata baru yang mereka temui di antaranya :

seize = meraih 

destroy = menghancurkan = memecahkan

beat = mengalahkan

half-sister = kakak/adik tiri (perempuan)

half-brother = kakak/adik tiri (laki-laki)

 although = walaupun

ill-discipline = tidak disiplin

disillusioned = merasa kecewa

paid out = terbayar

coach = pelatih

Setelah membaca artikel tersebut, anak-anak diminta membayangkan seakan-akan mereka bertemu dengan Bolt. Mereka belum tahu Bolt itu siapa, tapi mereka mau memulai perbincangan dengannya, kira-kira bagaimana dialognya? Apa yang akan mereka tanyakan pertama kali? Data-data di dalam artikel bisa digunakan untuk dipakai dalam dialog. Anak-anak berdiskusi bersama-sama kadang saya bantu, dengan memberi beberapa petunjuk. Ini dialog yang dihasilkan:

Me   : Hi! What’s your name?

Bolt : I’m Bolt. Usain Bolt.

Me  : Where do you come from?

Bolt : I’m from Jamaica.

Me  : Wow! That is far from here.  What are you doing here in Indonesia? 

Bolt : I’m having a holiday.

Me : I hope you enjoy your stay here. So, you were born in Jamaica?

Bolt : Yes, I was born there, in 1986.

Me  : Oh, so you are now 27 years old! Me too! What do you do?

Bolt : I’m an athlete.  I’m a sprinter.

Me  : Wow! That’s cool! You are the first sprinter I have ever known.

Bolt : How about you? What do you do? 

Me  : I work in a café, near here. Anyway, I am curious, how did you end up becoming a sprinter?

Bolt : That's a long story. One of my high school teacher, my physical education teacher, Dwight Barnett, realized that I run very quickly. He helped me joined the national championships in sprinting. I won and became a professional athlete since then.

Me : What an interesting story! As an athlete, you must have been training a lot!

Bolt : Yes. Now I train every day. However, at first I didn’t like training at all. After I lost in the Athens Olympics 2004, I realized that training is very important. Now, my coach, Glen Mills makes sure that I train every day. I’m glad to have him as my coach.

Me : Well, nice to meet you! Good luck with your future!

Bolt : You too!

Setelah itu, anak-anak diminta untuk mempelajari dialog. Mereka akan maju ke depan dengan mempraktikkan dialog tersebut. Ada yang pura-pura menjadi Bolt dan ada yang mengajak berkenalan. Dialog juga boleh dimodifikasi sehingga bisa menjadi dialog baru. Ini foto-foto kegiatan di mentari.

Anak-anak praktek berdialog. Ada yang pura-pura menjadi Bolt, ada yang mengajak berkenalan. 

Setelah ini, diharapkan anak-anak punya bayangan bahwa ketika berkenalan dengan seseorang, kita tidak harus melulu bertanya "What's your name?","How old are you?", "Where do you live?". Ketika mencoba mengenalkan diri kita juga bisa bercerita lebih daripada sekadar mengatakan, "My name is...", "I come from...", "I live at...", "I am.... years old".  Ada banyak cara untuk berkenalan dengan seseorang. Bahkan menambahkan sedikit cerita sebagai "bumbu-bumbu" percakapan tidak ada salahnya.

Semua anak maju dengan percaya diri. Kadang mereka lupa beberapa kosa kata, tapi tidak apa-apa.

"Bagaimana perasaan kalian setelah mengikuti kelas ini?" tanya saya.
"Saya lebih percaya diri sepertinya. Kalau lebih sering berlatih seperti ini, mudah-mudahan nanti akan lebih lancar bahasa Inggrisnya," kata seorang anak.
"Yang lain bagaimana?"
"Senang belajar kosa kata baru?"
"Lebih berani bicara."
"Saya juga!"
"Senang saja."
"Oke, kalau begitu! I hope you enjoyed the lesson. See you next week!"

Kelas pun berakhir. Sampai bertemu di kelas Bahasa Inggris Rumah Mentari berikutnya!