B.

Presentation
1. Milling around activity
Put these pairs of opposite personal characteristics in strips (one trait per strip). Distribute the strips
to the students and have them mill around to find the opposite term.
a. shy out-going f. gentle rough
b. serious lively g. quiet vocal
c. easily sayed have a mind of my on h. patient impatient
d. sensitive can ta!e criticism i. aggressive submissive
e. daring not a ris! ta!er ". considerate inconsiderate
#. $elf-rating
%ave the student put a chec! mar! on the blan! closest to the trait they feel they have in these pairs
of opposite traits.
a. shy - - - - -out-going
b. serious - - - - - lively
c. gentle - - - - - rough
d. quiet - - - - -vocal
e. patient - - - - - impatient


f. aggressive - - - - - submissive


g. daring- - - - - not a ris! ta!er


h. sensitive - - - - - can ta!e criticism



i. considerate - - - - - inconsiderate

". easily sayed - - - - -ith a mind of my on
D. Development &a!ing up 'Dahong Palay( by )rturo *otor
1. )ssignment given the day before
a. *ead the short story 'Dahong Palay( by )rturo *otor
b. +ocabulary study
1. Pair off the folloing ords and state hy they go together desperation hopelessness
ludicrous de,terity hilarious proess

#. -roup together in a cluster the ords that are related in meaning
admiration gloing slender
applause luminous slight figure
approval moc!ing sneering
bantering puny
bla.ing searing
/. Determine the ords that ma!e up these compounds and use them to help you guess the
meaning of each term
hairpin hetstone
horseshoe shamefaced
merryma!ers spindleshan!s

c. )nser the folloing questions0
1) %o many times and at hat points in the story is reference made to a 1sna!e2
#) 3hy does the sna!e figure prominently in the story2

Dahong Palay
)rturo 4. *otor
&he big a, sang its ay through the large arc and then came don on the bloc! of ood ith a mighty
crash. 5t neatly cleaved in to formidable mass6 the pieces flying for a long distance in opposite directions. $urveying
his feat ith gloing pride6 $ebio felt a ripple run don the muscles of his arms6 forearms6 shoulders. %e dropped the
heavy a, and iped the perspiration from his bro6 from his bare bron arms6 letting his fingers rest caressingly on
each muscle. $mall ere his muscles and flat and flabby hen rela,ed. 4ut ho hard and poerful they became
hen he tensed them7 )s hard as seasoned6 !notted yantok! &riumphantly he raised his arms above his head and6
facing the afternoon sun6 he thrust out his chest and made every muscle of his body tense. %e as quite tall6 above
the height of the ordinary native6 but he had paid for this increased height in diminished breadth. %is chest as flat6
his nec! long6 his legs thin. %e as one of those boys ho6 the village people said6 'gre too fast.(
'%e ill become bigger and stouter hen he reaches his tenty-fifth year6( his mother had alays told
solicitous friends and relatives.
%o deceptive his figure as6 $ebio thought7 8o onder those ho !ne him called him Sebiong
Pasmado ($ebio the ea!ling) because of his slight figure6 his spindle-shan!s6 his timidity. 8one of them ould
believe that he could lift to $ocony cans full of ater ith either hand and raise them shoulder-high6 or that he could
carry three sac!s of rice on those narro shoulders. )s he thought of them he snorted scornfully. &he sna!e is the
most slender6 the most timid creature of the field6 and yet people are afraid of it.
'$ebio6 hat are you staring at2( a querulous voice came from the nipa hut.
'8othing6 Nanay. 5 as "ust stretching my cramped arms6( came the sheepish anser.
'3ell6 it is groing late. %o do you e,pect me to coo! rice ithout fireood2(
'9es6 yes6 Nanay.
3ith reneed vigor he sei.ed the a, and heed aay. &he thic! blade fairly sang as it sung bac!
and forth over his shoulder. %e paused and6 for a hile6 as lost in thought. 5f he could only summon such
strength in those foolish games of strength and s!ill7 %e had alays failed there6 miserably. $omeho his
courage alays ran out before a noisy6 bantering crod.
'3hat strength can there be in those puny arms6 in that flat chest2( %e ould hear people say
around him.
)nd6 most unbearable of all6 his friends pitied him. &he men said6 '9ou have no strength.( &he
omen6 '9ou have no fighting heart.(
'&hunder and lightning 8ame of $atan. . . 7( he muttered. &hose memories angered him.
:nce more he savagely attac!ed the ood before him. Perspiration blinded his eyes1 his unruly
hair got into them every time he bent don1 but he minded not. 5n a last tremendous sing he put every
ounce of energy in his arms and brought don the a,. &he eager blade passed through the entire thic!ness
of the bloc!6 through the stone prop6 and san! into the soft earth beneath. ;or a moment he regarded the
result ith a feeling of satisfaction1 than gathering together the chips6 he ent into the house.
&hat evening6 as his mother sat in front of him at their humble table6 he as strangely silent.
')re you thin!ing of going to Tia Binays tonight2( she as!ed.
'9es6 Nanay. %e didn<t add that he had been thin!ing of almost nothing else all day.
'3hen you go6 ta!e ith you our hetstone. :ne of her or!ers came over and told me she
anted to borro it. &ell her also that the herbs she used for her uncle<s rheumatism did me good too6 and
than! her for me6 $ebio.(
&he ay to &ia 4inay<s led through recently harvested rice fields. ) fe ee!s before6 the grain had
lain mello and golden in the all-enveloping light of the full moon. 8o only short6 thic! stubble6 isps of
stra and traces of the delicate6 elusive fragrance of the ripe palay remained to remind one of the hectares
of slender6 heavy laden stal!s of grain that had once rippled in graceful undulation ith each breath of the
harvest ind. &here as scarcely any beaten path across these fields1 but ith hardly a glance about him6
$ebio made his ay through them6 avoiding each stal! of sharp stubble or the holes here the carabao<s
feet had sun! heavily during the rainy season and hich had ca!ed since then in the hot sun. &he lovely
night as full of the sounds and odors of life. &he slender6 saying bamboos hispered to each other
eternal secrets of the night6 and from the distance came the dying croa! of a frog caught in the "as of a
sna!e.
3hen he reached &ia 4inay<s place6 he sa that the evening<s or! had already begun. )ll about
the moonlit clearing that stood at a distance from the house ere grouped young men and omen hose
gay laughter and voices carried far into the distance. 5n the center as a square of concrete here the
golden grains of palay had been laid to dry. :n one side ere five ooden mortars6 around each of hich
three persons6 to men and a girl6 stood pounding grain. =ach individual brought don his pestle in definite
rhythm and succession. :ne first and then6 "ust as he has lifted his pestle6 the ne,t ould bring his don6
and so on. =very no and then the gifted voice of someone in the group ould brea! into song6 and the
notes of a haunting !undiman ould be afted into the bree.e to add seetness to the silence of the
countryside. )t intervals6 hoever6 a sleepy coc! perched aloft in a tree nearby ould let out an
obstreperous cro as if he disapproved of so much gaiety and lightness of spirit.
$ometimes6 to vary the monotony6 the men pounding palay ould sho off tric!s ith the pestle.
:ne of a group ould ma!e the heavy tool stand on the tip of the little finger or on the nose6 toss it in the air6
his! it beteen the fingers of one hand6 and bring it don on the palay ithout upsetting the regular rhythm
of his companions< pounding. $uch demonstration of approval from the
onloo!ers6 and repeated applause ould encourage more difficult stunts. )round the inclosure as a sort of
bench built by tying together several strips of bamboo. %ere many sat and6 hile aiting their turn at the
mortar and pestle6 laughed and "o!ed and ate unsparingly of the suman and bibingka ofTia Binay.
'%o6 there6 $ebio7(
'-ood evening to all of you. -ood evening6 Tia Binay!
Tia Binay peered at him. $he as getting old and ith her failing eyes unable to see ell even in
the daytime6 as finding it difficult to recogni.e her guests at once.
'3ho is this2( $he as!ed !indly.
'5t<s $ebio6 Tia Binay.
'$ebio2( she could not place the name.
'$ebiong Pasmado7( roared someone from a group close to him.
')h > yes6 no 5 !no.(
&here as a hilarious outburst from the group and6 ith bla.ing eyes6 $ebio turned to the cruel
"o!er. 4ut he sa only hat seemed to him a surging sea of sneering faces. %is face smarted as if from a
slap. %e turned again to Tia Binay.
'Nanay told me to give this to you and to than! you for those herbs.(
&he old oman gave a grunt of satisfaction. ':f course they ould do her good. 3hy6 my
grandmother used them before 5 did6 and so did her great-grand uncle before her.(
%e found a seat in the farthest and dar!est corner.
)fter a hile6 so lost as he in his thoughts that he did not see a pac!age done up in banana leaf
hich a small hite hand held out to him > not until a voice spo!e0
'%ere6 $ebio6 never mind those people. &hey are idlers. &ry this suman. 5 made it myself.(
8ot until she spo!e did he recogni.e Merci. Dumbly he too! the pac!age6 tore open the rapper6
and tasted the contents. $loly he became his old self again.
'Merci6 you must have flavored this ith your !isses6( he boldly ventured.
&he gratified girl blushed to the roots of her hair. '-ive me bac! that suman,( she demanded.
$ebio laughed. %e as again his li!eable self. %e tried to catch the outstretched hand6 but li!e
lightning it as ithdran6 and hen he stood up the girl as gone. %e sat don again. :h6 for a throne and
a cron and a universe to lay at the foot of Merci7 8o he had fully recovered his composure6 and he could
study the crod better. &here as )mbo and others. %o strangely beautiful the moonlight made
everything7 %e sa the play of moonbeams on the matchless hair of ?armeling and ondered if its
fragrance as more soul-satisfying than the champa!a-scented bree.e that ever and anon caressed the
chee!s of @ourdes. )nd then he remembered the starlight that he sa in the dar! eyes of Merci6 and he
ondered no more.
%e became aare that the or!ers ere being changed. &he second shift as ready. %e got up.
'%ere6 Milio6 you and Ai!o or! here. )nita6 go to that mortar ith &onio. 9ou6 $ebio6 come here >
and you too6 Pacio.( Tia Binay as assigning each to his place. $ebio found himself ith Pacio and >
onder of onders > Merci as ith them to complete the group of three. ;or a moment he could hardly
contain his "oy6 and then he remembered that he as also ith Pacio6 the bully6 the braggart.
4og-bog-bog7 =very pestle fell ith a dull thud each time. ;irst he6 then Merci6 then Pacio6 in strict
rhythm. Pacio6 as sure as death6 ould soon sho off his proess before the orld6 before Merci. $ebio
ould have to compete ith him6 hich he !ne ould be another trial before a moc!ing6 unsympathetic
crod > another effort doomed to failure.
Merci6 conscious of the strain under hich $ebio had begun to labor6 endeavored to relieve it. '&his
morning e chased a big sna!e across the yard6 but it escaped.(
'&hey say that nothing can prevent death from the bite of some sna!es.(
'5f you are bitten on the arm6 you may have to cut it off.(
':r burn it6( volunteered Pacio sneeringly.
'%ere6 $ebio6( suddenly said Pacio in a tone that carried to everybody. '&ry this one.(
%e tossed up the heavy pestle6 causing it to describe the figure 'B( in id-air6 caught it and brought it
don "ust as Merci had lifted hers up. 5t as ell timed.
'3onderful6( everyone said.
$ebio felt himself groing hot all over. Pablo had challenged him1 everybody had heard the
challenge. )lthough his eyes ere intent on his or! he could feel everybody loo!ing at him.
'$ee ho industriously $ebio or!s. %e does not even see us. Tia Binay, you really ought to
consider him for a son-in-la.( &he taunt as flung by a heartless rival.
3hat a noise they made7 %e dared not raise his eyes lest they see the light in them or he sees
Merci<s on.
'Nanay does not need any son-in-la. 5 am still strong enough to do or! at home6( came the
surprising retort from Merci.
)t this they all laughed and teased her about her proud mouth6 her delicate hands6 and her duty to
se,6 to her country. &o Pacio6 the "o!e as too good to cut short.
'&ia 4inay6( he as!ed ith a confident smile6 'hat must your son-in-la be li!e2(
4ut Tia Binay refrained from ansering after a long loo! at her daughter6 so somebody ansered
for her0
'%e must have many rice fields7(
'8o6 first of all6 he must be industrious6( another put in.
')bove all6 he must be handsome.(
'9ou are all rong6( cried the e,asperated Merci. 'My mother<s son-in-la must first be my
husband.(
&hat seemed to silence them > for a hile.
'3ell6 ell > your husband then > he must be !ind and obedient and loving6 eh2(
')nd fleet of foot and strong of arm2(
'%ere then6 you beautiful men6 can anybody do this2(
5t as Milio6 the village clon. %e seemed to be holding a short rod that loo!ed li!e iron. %e as
trying to bend it and6 in his apparent efforts to do so6 his hole body as contorted in the most ludicrous
ay. $uddenly it crac!ed into splinters and by the sound they !ne that
it as only a cleverly painted piece of bamboo.
3hile they ere still holding their sides and slapping their thighs6 Pacio stood up. %e stepped up to
one of the mortars and too! from it a horseshoe that as nailed there for good luc!.
'%ere6 Milio6 is an imitation of your feat6( he said6 attempting to in"ect a modest note in his tone.
%e sei.ed each end and gripped hard. 5n that light no one could see Pacio very ell6 and they
felt rather than sa the bulging lines of his muscles as he strained them convulsively. 3hat they
actually sa as the curved piece of iron being sloly straightened out by Pacio<s hands.
) murmur of admiration rose from the crod.
'4ravo7(
'Cnheard of7(
'5ncomparable7(
'&ry that6 Milio. 4ut don<t crac! it7( and Pacio laughingly tossed the piece of iron to him.
'8o6 than!s. $uppose 5 vomit blood7( )nd Milio tossed it to $ebio.
;or a moment the young man did not !no hat to do. $omeho he felt that this as his chance6
that he could bend bac! that thing into the li!eness of a horseshoe6 easily. $uddenly he got up ith a bound
and sei.ed it. $houts of derision immediately folloed. =ven those fe ho ished him ell stared at him
ith doubt on their faces.
'Aba, hat is he going to do2(
'%ey6 $ebio6 drop that7 &hat<s iron > not bamboo7(
%e could feel the heat mounting to his chee!s as he gripped the to ends and strained. %is lips
clamped together6 his face ent pale6 %is eyes bulged. %e held strained and his breath during the effort. )n
eternity > it seemed > passed. %e thought he felt the iron give ay6 and he opened his eyes. %e sa that it
had bent only a little.
'%o6 my strong man6 hat no2(
'5 told you it as not a bamboo7(
'$ebio ould be a strong man and do mighty deeds if only he ould eat more.( )nd yet $ebio !ne
for a certainty that he could have done it. %e cursed himself as6 li!e a hipped dog6 he sought for a place to
hide the horseshoe.
'8o trength6( said the men.
'8o fighting heart6( hispered the omen.
$hamed face6 $ebio retired to a corner. %e anted to leave6 to be alone ith an a, and some logs
on hich he could give vent to all the bitterness that as in him. 4ut to leave no6 he reali.ed6 ould be an
admission of his
desperation6 his hopelessness.
'$ebio6( hispered Merci6 ho6 unnoticed6 had approached him hen his tormentors had left him
alone6 '5 ant to ma!e a fire so e can roast some corn. 3ill you help me get some hay2(
@i!e a droning man ho suddenly found a floating ob"ect to cling to6 he eagerly folloed Merci to
the hay pile. %ere as someone ho understood him.
'%o could 5 do anything ith that crod2( he murmured a little apologetically. &hen his disgust at
himself rising6 he !ic!ed the pile of hay. &his eased his feelings somehat.
'9es 5 !no6( she sympathi.ed6 as she pulled out an armful.
'Dust let me try again7( and again he struc! savagely at the hay pile. &hey dropped their burden at
the center of the clearing. )nd then as he turned aay a blood-curdling scream from Merci pierced the noise
being made by the merry-ma!ers. %e turned around to see hat had frightened the girl. ;rom the bundle
that Merci dropped6 had emerged6 rearing its head li!e some fantastic toy6 its slender6 green body poised to
stri!e6 > a sna!e7 )nd Merci stood and stared li!e one hypnoti.ed7 $ebio !ne that it ould stri!e6 stri!e
before his ne,t breath. &here as no time to plan hat to do6 to ill hat part of the body to move.
5nstinctively6 hoever6 he made a move to place himself beteen the girl and the danger. )s he did this he
struc! at the bundle of hay on hich the sna!e lay poised to stri!e. &he effort as so ill e,ecuted6 hoever6
that he missed it entirely. %e fell on his face and before he could recover the serpent had bitten him on the
calf of the leg6 and then as gone.
$ebio staggered up and loo!ed at his leg. ;rom tin spots on the s!in6 blood as beginning to
oo.e. ) momentary sense of faintness came over him and he closed his eyes. )lready he seemed to feel
the searing course of the deadly poison to his thigh6 to his heart. %e felt an impulse to run6 to dance about6
to do anything. &he faces around him ere becoming ha.y. :nly the e,cited voices of those croding
around him prevented his mind from becoming completely numbed.
'&he deadly dahong palay7(
'-et some vinegar7(
'$ebio is dying7( ailed someone.
%is thoughts hirled cra.ily6 his breath became convulsive. :ver and over he rolled in the dust6
clutching idely at the air6 at the earth around him as if he sought for something solid6 some divine
support that ould bolster up his nerve. %e came up violently against one of the mortars6 and something
heavy fell in the dust almost on his face. %e sei.ed it. 5t as a horseshoe. 5t as as if out of a dar! hole a
stalart hand had lifted him6 so clear and so sharply did he see light. %e aved the babbling group aay.
) fire here6 quic!ly7( he muttered in an agoni.ing voice.
5t as Merci6 obeying uncomprehendingly6 ho scooped a handful of hay and hus!6 and in no time
at all had a bla.ing fire. 5t as she ho tore a piece of her s!irt and bound up his leg tightly above the
ound. 5t as her delicate hands no suddenly gron poerful that had tightened the ligature above the
ound on the leg of the dying man. &he others ere paraly.ed to inaction.
') !nife6 for the love of ?hrist7( $ebio again muttered convulsively.
$everal sped to get a !nife and several moments > eternities > passed. %e could feel his foot
becoming cramped and cold. &hen a large !nife as handed to him.
)nd no the crod itnessed the act that they ere to relate to their children in after-years. 3ith a
lo cry6 $ebio sei.ed the horseshoe and6 before the same faces that had frequently taunted him6 he
straightened it as if it ere a slender hairpin. &hen he rapped a piece of cloth around one end and thrust
the other end into the fire. &here as no applause from the onloo!ers6 "ust heavy labored breathing. &hey
could only stare and stare6 no at the colorless face of $ebio6 grim and tisted as if by some terrible
resolution6 no at the piece of iron turning an angry6 luminous red.
'3hat is he going to do2(
'Merciful -od7(
;or $ebio had ta!en the sharp !nife and had slashed across the to pin pric!s. Dar! blood oo.ed
out sloly. &hen he grasped the red-hot iron and before their horrified ga.e plunged it into the ound. &he
gloing point si..led draing the blood out of the ound. &he smell of burning flesh filled the air. &he
omen shrie!ed. $everal of them ho could no longer stand the sight fainted.
&hen6 calmly6 $ebio laid aside the iron6 and his frothy lips rela,ed into the semblance of a smile.
$loly his eyes closed. $omebody held him up. 4ut before unconsciousness came he had seen their eyes.
)nd they told him that never again ould he be called Sebiong Pasmado.

#. ?learance of Difficulties
a. Differentiated group activities
1) Mi 1) Milling-around activities
-roup ) Mill around in your group and loo! for the person hose ord may be paired ith
yours. Decide beteen the to of you hy you thin! your ords may be paired off (3ords are
ritten on strips and distributed to si, students. &he e,pected pairs are a follos)



-roup 4 Mill around and loo! for your classmates hose ords are related in meaning to your
ord. Decide among yourselves hy you thin! you belong together (ords are ritten on strips
and are distributed to thirteen students. &he e,pected groupings are as follos)0




#) $mall group or! Determine the ords that ma!e up these compounds and use them to help you
guess the meaning of each term. (3rite the ords in strips and distribute the strips to si, pairs of
students ho or! on the tas! together. 5n their report to the class one in the pair gives the ords
that ma!e up the term and the other gives the meaning of the compound ord.)
hairpin hetstone
horseshoe shamefaced
merryma!ers spindle shan!s

b. Presenting and
processing the results of the vocabulary activities

/) Motivation

a. 5f you ere to go by the title of the selection alone - 'Dahong Palay( hat ould you e,pect the
story to be about2 3hy2
b. Did it come out as you e,pected2 3hy not2 3hat is the story all about2
c. Pair off and ta!e turns intervieing each other to find out hat you !no and feel about sna!es. Cse
the e,pressions you learned to signal opinions and the sentence pattern ($ @+ $?) in your
statements
d. Processing the activity $hare ith your class hat you found out from your partner6 after hich
your partner ill in turn give you feedbac! about ho ell you listened by indicating hether you
omitted6 changed or added anything to hat heEshe shared.

F) Discussion proper using semantic ebbing
a. Presentation
1) ?ore Guestion )t hat points in the story is reference made to a sna!e2 (8ote that
reference to a sna!e is made at four points in the story. &his s!etch may be placed on the
board to sho the core question and the eb strands hich contain the anser to the core
question.

#) $upport Guestions - (8ote that the ansers to these questions provide the items to be
placed under the eb strands)
a) 3hat is said about $ebio and the sna!e at each of those points2
b) 3hy are so many references made to a sna!e even before the Dahong Palay
incident2

c) 3hy must the frog be salloing a croa!ing frog in the second episode2 3hat do
the frog and the sna!e stand for2 %o does this prepare you for the last episode2
d) 3hat are the conflicting factors in the story2

hat seems to be
- hat really is
appearances- reality
ho others see you - ho
you see yourself
e) 3hat is the conflict all about2 (illusion vs. reality)
f) %o is it resolved2
) transformation ta!es place and changes the opinion others have of $ebio.

/) @in! question
Pic! out the line that tells you the conflict is resolved. (8ote the ansers connect the eb
strands one to the other)

F)Development
a) 3hatis the author trying to say in the story2
b) 5s it possible that $ebio ho could not bend the horseshoe earlier
was able to do so
after he was bitten by the snake2 3hy2
c) 3hy as the sna!e chosen as the central figure2 5s it ell chosen2 3hy2
d) 3hat insight did you get from the story2
H) =nrichment
a) ?omplete the statements belo to e,press hat you learned. 3rite your statements
in your "ournal

1. )fter reading the story of $ebio6 5 reali.e that.
#. 5t is important that e !no ourselves because
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.


5t is also important that e believe in ourselves because
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII .



b) Ma!e a rite-up of your self-assessment based on the results of your self-rating. Cse
the e,pressions signalling opinions and the sentence pattern ($-@+-$?) in your
paragraph. )dd a follo-up sentence for every trait you mention to e,plain it further.
8ote the underlined sentences in the sample te,t that follos. 3hich trait do they
e,pand further2
)s 5 see it6 5 am the outgoing type. 5 easily ma!e friends and 5 have many of them.
People say 5 am lively because 5 love crac!ing "o!es and ma!ing people laugh . .