ASK YOUR WAY OUT!

By

IRWAN AFFENDI MD NAIM

Title : Ask Your Way Out

Purpose :

To learn to identify information in reading comprehension texts using 5W 1H questions.

Main Idea and Usage :

Sometimes it is hard to locate some information in a text. However, you can do it easier if you

know that all information belong to different classes. One way of doing it is by asking yourself

the 5W 1H questions. The 5W 1H questions are What, Who, When, Where, Why and How.

Steps :

1. Read the 5W 1H manual and try to understand the use of each question.

2. Read the sample essay provided. As you read, notice that some words are underlined and

coded according to their corresponding 5W 1H question.

3. Refer to the 5W 1H mind map provided too. Now the coded words are each put in the

mind map.

4. After looking at the examples provided, now it’s your turn to try. Read the essay

provided.

5. Underline and code the information in the text according to the corresponding 5W 1H

question.

6. Then, prepare a 5W 1H mind map on your own. Place the information you found in the

essay into the mind map.

7. Practice this when you read anything and see how your understanding improves!

5W 1H Manual

What (/) Who (+) Where (-) When (X) Why (*) How (#)

Refers to something that is unknown and general in nature

Can be a word, phrase or sentence

Can be a noun, verb, or adjective

Refers to a character– name of people, animal, etc.

Refers to the doer or receiver of an action.

Spelled with Capital letter for Proper Nouns

Refers to a place or location.

Spelled with Capital letter for Proper Nouns

Refers to time, whether specific or general – date, unit of time

Can be in the form of numbers or words for time

Spelled with Capital letter for Proper Nouns

Refers to a reason, factor for something that happened.

Can be a word, phrase or sentence

Clue :Preceded by words such as “because”, “because of”, “due to”, etc

Usually describes about something – process, appearance

Can be a word, phrase or sentence

Clue : If it’s a process, transitional clues can help – first, second, next…

Example :What is your favourite place? (school-noun), What is your hobby? (cycling- verb) What is its shape? (Round – adjective)

Example : Ali, Siti, boy, girl, elephant, ant, etc.

Example :Kuala Lumpur, Bangi, school, house, etc.

Example :3.30pm, 12.00am, yesterday, last week, January, (in) 2minutes, two hours (ago), etc.

Example :Popeye is strong because he eats spinach

The flash flood was due to the heavy rain yesterday

Example :How to bake a cake (process)How long/many…(measurement)How do I look (appearance)

SAMPLE ESSAY

You can achieve what you want if you are determined and a good example is Jaclyn. She

has always been singing. Even as a baby, she used to hum. It has been and still is her passion -

something she loves doing. It has become a part of her. She did not realise she had a talent for

singing until one day when she was nine. It was in December 2001. After a duet with her cousin,

Jack during a concert in Kuala Pilah, she was praised for her singing skills. That was an eye-

opener.

She was a shy teenager who had the responsibility of helping to provide for her family

due to her father's death. With the encouragement of an uncle, she started singing to help out.

She was glad to help her mother who had to support her family of three younger brothers. Her

mother was working at three jobs to keep the family going and to make ends meet.

For the next 7 years, she used every chance to build her voice and performance skills. She

learned from her mistakes. Most of all, unknown to her she gained confidence and went on to

qualify, win and be the first Malayan Idol. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for as

she had been training for it. She wanted to win it so badly that she did not give up on herself and

her dream. That is exactly what she became - the first Malayan Idol.

^

^

* +

+

+

#

#

X

-

WHY (*)

her father's death

5W 1H

WHAT (/)

singing

Malayan Idol

WHERE (-)

a concert in Kuala Pilah

HOW (#)

(how many) three younger brothers

(how long) 7 years

WHEN (X)

December 2001

WHO (+)

Jaclyn

Uncle

Jack

EXERCISE

As far back as I can remember, the large pickle jar sat on the floor beside the dresser in my

parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins

into the jar. As a 7 year old boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they

were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then

the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled.

I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar and admire the copper and silver circles that glinted

like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window.

Every two months, when the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins

before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production.

Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat

of his old truck.

Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. "Those coins are

going to give you a bright future, son. You will not need to work at Jelebu Gold Mines like me

and your grandfather. You're going to do better than me. This old mines town is not going to

hold you back." Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at

the bank towards Mr. Muthu the cashier, he would grin proudly. “I’m doing this because of my son.

He’ll go to college some day. He'll never work at the mines all his life like me”.

(Adapted from Chicken Soup For The Soul)

WHY (*)

(Why does ‘Dad’ keep the money at the bank?)

WHO (+)

(Who accepts the writer’s money when he goes to the bank?)

WHERE (-)

(Where does ‘Dad’ work at?)

HOW (#)

(How old is ‘I’ in the story?)

WHEN (X)

(When will ‘Dad’ take the money to the bank?)

WHAT (/)

(What did the writer symbolize his coins as?)

5W 1H