On WORD PLAY and Happiness

As part of the general goal of recognizing, appreciating and effectively utilizing the nuances of language – Raffy was given several activities dealing with subtleties on the word-level. One such activity deals with the transforming “magic” that affixes have on word-meanings. The following are just some examples of Raffy’s word definitions:

v    The Universe is a place that consists of galaxies and stars.

v    Semifinal is a term in games that signals halfway to become the champion.

v    A Superhighway is a long road that can support many vehicles.

v    Prepaid is a term that means that you pay before you get it.

Another task for nuanced language deals with words with multiple meanings. For this part, we would simulate a guessing game that Raffy – THE GAME MASTER – played with several reading clinicians (and even his mom) one afternoon. To prepare for this fun activity, Raffy had to independently choose word(s) that may be used in different contexts, note down the word’s dictionary meanings, and produce original sentences as clues leading to the word in question.

To make it slightly easier for the readers, the number of items has been reduced, and the choices for the correct answers have been provided:

RAFFY’S WORD LIST and their dictionary meanings, as noted. Table : a piece of furniture consisting of a flat part resting on legs : a compact arrangement of information in parallel columns. Type : a kind or class : to write on a typewriter, computer keyboard, etc. Abuse : to use wrongly : mistreatment

RAFFY’S GAME:

Fill in the blanks of each pair of sentences with ONE word that would satisfy the context of BOTH sentences:

o       The king has been _______ his power ever since.

o       There are a lot of _______ children.

o       We brought a new ______ from the warehouse.

o       This _______ has information about our resources.

o       There are so many different _______ of animals.

o       Too much ______ can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

In this last work featured, Raffy was given the chance to express how he equates summer to family togetherness.

Since there was an acknowledged difficulty in recalling events and details, he was first asked to enumerate as many occasions and/or activities he could remember, and then to plot them on a timeline to establish time order.

He was then tasked to list supporting details for the events given, all based on self-generated “wh” questions. Raffy’s final pre-writing activity was the production of a bulleted guide for his main idea – together with its supporting details – for each paragraph.

My Favorite Parts of Summer

I went to Davao at the start of summer. I went there by plane for one hour. I went with my mom first, while my dad came later. I left Davao fifteen days before the end of summer. My three favorite parts of summer are when I was playing videogames, and then when I went to Maxima, and when I celebrated my birthday.

I played video games when I did not have plans. I played them in my house with my cousins. Second, I went to Maxima, a popular place that is home to a big water slide. I went there by boat. I went there to have fun with my relatives. Last, I celebrated my 13^th birthday in May 12 with my cousins and relatives in Davao.

I like my favorite parts of summer because they make me happy but the most favorite part of my summer is my 13^th birthday. In the future, I will spend more time with my relatives.

Raffy is currently a 7^th grader in a progressive school in Alabang. As can probably be gleaned from his set of works – Raffy enjoys games, and develops best when allowed to infuse learning with creativity and fun. His interests extend from science to chess to boxing and to (a more recent addition) drum playing. His favorite activity, however, is still spending time with family.