WELCOME TO 12A1
Thach That High School
WARM –UP: Look at the picture and answer the questions:

1. What do you know about him?
2. How can we learn from other people’s lives?
2. By reading reasons for a person’s failure or success may help us avoid similar failure or to adopt a new way of life so we can improve ourselves and become better human beings.
Carlos, a champion swimmer .
Vo Thanh Tung/
gold medal/
swimming
Le Van Cong/
gold medal/ 181 kg/
PARALYMPIC 2016
Unit 1: LIFE STORIES
LESSON 6: WRITING
Topic: WRITING A LIFE STORY
What is your life story?

Learning is lifelong journey. Share your life experiences with other people so that they can learn from your own. Don’t hesitate to post your story of overcoming hardships and achieving success
Activity 1. Read the story of a champion swimmer and complete the blanks. Use the words in the box.
VOCABULARIES
perseverance (n)  /ˌpɜː.sɪˈvɪə.rəns/ US  /ˌpɝː.səˈvɪr.əns/
= continued effort and determination:
hardship (n) =  condition of life that causes difficulty or suffering
literacy /ˈlɪtərəsi/  (n): = ability to read and write
= trình độ học vấn
  poverty /ˈpɒvəti/  (n): sự nghèo đói
 acknowledge /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/  (v): công nhận, ghi nhớ
 motto /ˈmɒtəʊ/  (n): châm ngôn


Misfortune, perseverance, success
By Carlos
Published: 09:00 GMT, 10 September
I was born without legs and was abandoned outside an orphanage in the Philippines, where I was brought up until I was eight. My foster mother Molly Page (1)............... me and brought me back to her home in Perth, Australia, for medical treatment.
After getting used to my prosthetic legs, I became (2)............ with sports and wanted to play soccer like all other children of my age. However, keeping balance on my legs while playing with the ball was a problem, so I was advised to try swimming instead. That was when my sporting carreer began.
My mother sent me to a swimming club where I received the best instruction from Bruce Murphy. I would never forget my fear when I got into the pool for the first time. I felt so (3) .............. and scared that I thought I would drown. However, Bruce was there, guiding me through the different stages and helping me to (4)............... my fear. I was surprised that I could make progress very quikly.
In 2012, I (5).............. in my first local competition. The following years, I started winning gold medals in different Australian Championships for parathletes. Now at the age of 20, my dream in to become a champion swimmer in the paralympic Games.
I’ve told my own story hoping to encourage other people like me to try something new and challenging. Don’t allow (6) ............. and disabilities to get in your way to success. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This is my motto.
overcome competed misfortune adopted obessed helpless
competed
adopted
obessed
helpless
overcome
misfortune
Activity 2. Put the following parts of the story in the correct order they appear in the story.
a. Writer`s name (Tên tác giả)
b. Writer`s ambitions and achievements 
(Hoài bão và thành tựu của tác giả)
c. Childhood (Tuổi thơ ấu)
d. Posting date and time (Thời gian và ngày đăng bài)
e. Story title (Tiêu đề câu chuyện)
f. Story`s message (Thông điệp của câu chuyện)
g. Turning point in writer`s life (Bước ngoặt trong cuộc đời của tác giả)

Activity 2. Put the following parts of the story in the correct order they appear in the story.
1 - e. Story title (Tiêu đề câu chuyện)
2 - a. Writer`s name (Tên tác giả)
3 - d. Posting date and time (Thời gian và ngày đăng bài)
4 - c. Childhood (Tuổi thơ ấu)
5 - g. Turning point in writer`s life (Bước ngoặt trong cuộc đời của tác giả)
6 - b. Writer`s ambitions and achievements (Hoài bão và thành tựu của tác giả)
7 - f. Story`s message (Thông điệp của câu chuyện)


Activity 3. Use the given information to write another story of 180-250 words. You can add further details to make your story more interesting.
OUTLINE
1. Story title:
Poverty is no shame
2. Writer`s name:
By Thu Ha
3. Posting date and time :
Published: 06:00 GMT, 20 September 
4. Childhood :
My parents died in a traffic accident when I was ten years old, so I grew up with my grandmother who was too old and weak to work. I had to leave school and did odd jobs to earn a living: selling lottery tickets, washing dishes and doing babysitting. When I was 15, my grandma encouraged me to attend evening classes, so I could improve my literacy and job prospects.
OUTLINE
5. Turning point in writer`s life :
After lots of hardship and effort, I completed secondary education and passed a challenging exam to enter Medical University, which is the dream of many students. However, I could not pay the tuition fees and had to reject the offer. The door to a new life was closed before me. I was completely disappointed and saw only gloomy days ahead. Then something incredible happened: I was awarded a scholarship from The Thanh Nien for college students from poor families. This was really a turning point in my life because I could start my university studies and hope for a better future.
OUTLINE
6. Writer`s ambitions and achievements :
Six years of hard work at the university and of trying to live on a very tight budget came to an end at last. Now I am working as a doctor at a hospital, but I will never forget those difficult days. I am planning to set up and run a charitable organisation to help poor students, as a way to acknowledge other people for supporting me.
7. Story`s message :
I`ve told my own story hoping to encourage other people like me to overcome hard times. Don`t let poverty defeat you and destroy your hopes for a better future. This is my motto: Poverty is no shame.

HOMEWORK
Write your own story or the story of a person who has overcome hardship to become successful.