Dengue
This is the season of dengue*,
Do not wear an outfit like jangue*.
My grandmother is afraid of my father, but not the mosquito,
She sets a mosquito net so that no mosquito bites on her toe.
I hope, she will understand,
She will be so sick that she cannot stand.
Be careful of dengue !
Do not wear an outfit like jangue.
Learning Activities
Vocabulary
There are six important words from the 2nd 1000 high frequency General Service Word List to learn from this poem, they are...
| afraid | bites | grandmother |
| net | sick | toe |
Another useful and common English word to learn is the word 'insect', though it is not in this poem.
Check the meaning of 'mosquito' and 'outfit' in the dictionary. These two words are not so common, so only learn them if you already know all the other words in the poem.
*Dengue = a disease spread by mosquitoes. Jangue = a kind of underwear
Think and discuss...
1. Are you afraid of insects? Which ones? Why/Why not?
2. How do you keep yourself safe from mosquito bites? Do you use chemical methods or natural methods? Which methods are better, do you think? Give a reason for your answer.
3. Did you ever try to catch and keep insects when you were younger? Describe an experience you have had with an insect.
Write
Can you replace the missing words in the first part of this poem with words of your own? Try to make your poem rhyme, in a similar way to the original poem. Try to make your poem funny, if you can.
This is the season of __________,
Do not __________.
My grandmother is afraid of __________, but not __________,
She __________ so that _______________.
Add a drawing of your own to your poem and make it into a poster. Share your poem and poster with a partner. Your teacher may like to hang your class's poems and posters on the wall of your classroom.