English for Life
Integrated language text
Home Language
Lynne Southey • Megan Howard
Learner’s Book
Grade 6
www.bestbooks.co.za
Pretoria • Cape Town
Introduction
Do you have a pet, such as a dog or a cat at home? Or perhaps you live on a farm or in a village where you keep animals such as chickens or donkeys or goats? In this module we are going to look at the important part that animals play in our daily lives.
Animals serve us in many ways: they are loyal and loving companions, they work for us and, sometimes, they provide us with the food that we need. But we also have a duty to care for the animals that belong to us. We should treat them with kindness and love, and not do anything to hurt or frighten them.
In this module, you are going to read and listen to stories about animals. You will also be given the chance to write your own stories, letters, diary entries, comic strips, poems and advertisements. You will give a speech and have group discussions about animals. You will do your own research on some of the topics that you read about and write a pamphlet. You will also study how language has been used in the texts and practise using those language structures.
Famous dogs
Dogs have always been known as intelligent and loyal animals. People have kept them as pets or used them in their work for many centuries. In some of the activities in this module, you are going to read and write about two famous dogs, both from the British Isles, who lived long ago but who are still remembered to-day for the loyalty and affection that they showed to their owners.
The dog in the first story is a breed of dog called a Skye terrier. As well as giving animals names like ‘dog’, ‘cat’, or ‘horse’, we have names for the different kinds (or breeds) in each group. Before you start the first activity, test your own vocabulary: see how many dog breeds you can add to the list below. As you work through the module, you will come across more names which you can add to your list.
1. Read the article below and then answer the questions that follow it.
'Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all'
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. People come from all over to see its old buildings, visit its churches, museums and theatres, and eat in its restaurants. Like most cities, it has many statues of famous men and women who lived there in the past. You can see statues of the kings and queens who once ruled Scotland, as well as those of other famous Scots: soldiers, scientists and politicians who have become part of Scottish history. But the statue that most tourists want to see is not of a person: it is the statue of a dog, a little Skye terrier called Greyfriars Bobby.
At the base of the statue, there is a plaque with these words:
It is now more than a hundred years since Bobby died, but he is still remembered today. This is the story of Greyfriars Bobby, how he got his name and how he became one of the most famous dogs in the world.
Bobby belonged to a man called John Gray. In about 1850, John, with his wife, Jess, went to live in Edinburgh. John joined the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman. It was his job to patrol the cobbled streets of Edinburgh every night, guarding the sleeping citizens and protecting them from danger.
Bobby, John’s watchdog and faithful companion, went with him on his rounds. The man and his dog soon became a familiar sight as they walked the streets of the city every night. People looked out for them, and felt safe knowing that they were on duty.
Night after night, week after week, month after month, year after year, the pair watched over the people of Edinburgh, sometimes walking together in the cold, rain and snow. They did it without complaining because it was their job. But being outside in all kinds of weather soon began to affect John’s health. He became ill. When he went to the police doctor, it was found that he was suffering from tuberculosis. In those days, many diseases, such as tuberculosis, could not be cured, and John soon became very ill. Sadly, in 1858, he died and was buried in the cemetery next to Greyfriars church, a place known as Greyfriars Kirkyard.
But Bobby’s story does not end there. Just as he had always been at his beloved master’s side as they walked through the streets at night, so he wanted to remain with him now. Bobby refused to leave his master’s grave, even in the worst weather. In the beginning, the caretaker tried to evict him because dogs were no allowed in the kirkyard. But the faithful little dog kept coming back, returning to the grave and sitting there, shivering on the cold wet ground. In the end, the caretaker took pity on him and allowed him to stay. He even provided Bobby with a comfortable place to sleep by putting some sacks under a shelter near John’s grave. This would be Bobby’s home for the rest of his life.
Bobby only left the kirkyard when he went to have his midday meal at the same coffee house that his master had always gone to. Every day, when a gun was fired at Edinburgh Castle nearby to signal that it was one o’clock, Bobby could be seen making his way to the coffee house, where the kind owners would feed him. As soon as he was finished, he would return to his place next to the grave.
Many people had known Bobby when John was alive, but now his fame spread even further. People would gather outside Greyfriars Kirkyard to watch him make his daily journey to the coffee house and back. He became known as Greyfriars Bobby.
In 1867 a law was passed in Edinburgh that all dogs had to be licensed. Any dog found without a licence would be destroyed. The question was: who would buy Bobby’s licence, since he had no master? Everyone knew him but no one owned him. Poor Bobby’s life was in serious danger. But, by that time, he had become so well known that the most important person in Edinburgh, the Lord Provost, offered to pay for his licence. Bobby was given a collar. On it, written in brass letters, were the words:
Greyfriars Bobby remained loyal to the memory of his dead master until his own death in 1872. In all that time, he was cared for by the generous people of Edinburgh, who admired him for his loyalty and devotion. They also remembered how he had served them in the past. After he was buried, a headstone was placed on his grave. On it were these words:
The statue of Bobby was also erected opposite the Greyfriars Kirkyard by Baroness Burdett-Coutts, a member of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Today, so many years later, visitors to Edinburgh can still see Bobby’s grave and statue, and marvel at the loyalty of the little dog who never forgot his master, even in death.
2. Explain the meanings of the following words from the text. If you are not sure of the meanings of the words, try