Bulat and his parents moved into my neighborhood. On the
first day at school he ran into trouble. My classmates whispered
and laughed at him as it was unusual to have a newcomer. Poor
Bulat was surrounded by the unfriendly atmosphere, so he sat
alone at the last desk. He was alone all day.
I didn’t like this situation, and I asked an older friend about
this. She gave me good practical suggestions and told me to talk
to him, to befriend him. She said, “Everyone wants to be
accepted by others. No matter how they are different: religion,
age, skin color or just being new, they want to be treated with
respect and friendliness.”
“It is true. In class last year, our teacher said that it is
everyone's right to be respected,” I said.
The next day Bulat came to school and again sat alone at the
last desk. I went to the back and sat by him. He looked at me, but
didn’t say anything. He got “good” during the next class for his
homework assignment. I found him during lunch break and we
ate together. “Bulat, do you like any kind of sports?”
“I really like basketball; actually I was the best player in my
school.” After our lessons we went to the playground and played
basketball. Bulat definitely is a great player! We walked home
together because he lives near my house. We like a lot of the
same things. Bulat is such a talented and interesting person! I
was lucky to be the first one in our class to discover his
personality.
The first class next day was physical training and we played
basketball with my classmates. It was after Bulat proved to be a
strong player that the others started to respect him. Later he
taught the boys some tricks, and they were thankful. Now our
“newcomer” has many friends and he is happy with his present
status in our class. I wish my classmates didn't need a newcomer
to prove he is good at something before they give respect. Maybe
they learned a lesson. I don't know. We all need to be a little
more tolerant.
Exercises
I. Understanding the Story
Discuss this story's main idea with a partner; write down what
you think is the main idea.
II. Vocabulary
In pairs create a sentence for each of the words.
1. surrounded
2. atmosphere
3. practical
5. assignment
6. status
III. Now you Talk
1. What is your first reaction after reading this story?
2. What would you have done differently from the writer or
Bulat?
3. Describe a similar situation you know about or experienced
yourself.
IV. Now you Write
1. Write about one of the discussion topics above.
2. Write your opinion of the story.
V. Grammar Practice
Change the verb to present progressive. Example: Bulat played
basketball well. Bulat is playing basketball well.
1. Bulat sat alone in the classroom.
2. I walked to the back of the room.
3. We lived near each other.
4. Bulat proved to be a strong player.
5. He taught the other boys some basketball tricks.
VI. Role Play
1. Bulat and his mother: They talk about his going to the new
school.
2. Bulat and the teacher: Bulat complains and the teacher gives
suggestions.
3. The writer and Bulat: They become friends and talk.
4. Three students in the gym: They talk about Bulat and about his
playing basketball. |
