CURRICULUM VITAE

RENOEL A. VERGARA
District 1 San Manuel, Isabela
Contact Number: 09675122586
Gmail: renoelvergara15@gmail.com

PERSONAL DATA
Name: RENOEL A. VERGARA
Age: 22 years old
Birthdate: February 15, 2002
Birthplace: District 1, San Manuel, Isabela
Citizenship: Filipino
Civil Status: Single
Father’s Name: Gerry D. Vergara
Mother’s Name: Lilibeth A. Vergara

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Elementary Level: San Manuel Central School
San Manuel, Isabela (2014)
Secondary Level: Callang National High School
San Manuel, Isabela
Grade-10 Completer (2018)
Senior High Scchool: Callang Ntional High School
San Manuel, Isabela (2020)
Experiences, Evidence,
and Reflections on the
Different Philippine
Professional Standards
for Teachers (PPST)
Domains
 DOMAIN 4: CURRICULUM AND PLANNING (LEARNING
OUTCOMES ALIGNED WITH LEARNING COMPETENCIES)
Demonstration
Teaching
 Callang National High School
District 4, San Manuel, Isabela, Philippines
Basic Education S.Y. 2023-2024

Detailed Lesson Plan

In English 10
I. Learning Outcome
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:
a. give the theme of the literary selection;
b. critique a literary selection based on a reader-response approach; and
c. show appreciation of the story” The Last Leaf by relating it to real life situation.
II. Content/Subject Matter
A. Topic: The Last Leaf by O. Henry
B. Reference: Grade 10 Text Book (Celebrating Diversity Through World Literature- pp. 337-380)
C. Materials: Powerpoint/ visual aids, activity sheets
D. Values Integration: Making sacrifices for the people we love and giving them hope in times of
adversaries.
III. Procedures
Teacher’s Activity Student’s Activity
A. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES
1. Prayer
Before we start let us pray with the Our Father………………
presence of the Lord.

2. Greetings
Good morning class! Good morning, Sir!

3. Checking Attendance
Who is the secretary in this class?

4. Classroom Rules
 Be articipative
 Respect and be kind to others
 Don’t talk when someone is talking.
Wait to be called on
 Raise your hand before speaking
 Avoid being noisy
5. Review
What is Reader response approach?

B. MOTIVATION

The students will watch a short video clip. 1. I can say that they love each other.
Motive Questions: True friendship is manifested to them.
1. What can you say about the 2. True friendship is a deep and meaningful connection
bond/relationship of the two friends? between individuals characterized by mutual trust,
2. What is true friendship? respect, understanding, and support.

C. PRESENTATION OF THE LESSON

The video that I presented has something to do
with our lesson for today but before that, let me
present to you our objectives for today.
Learning Objectives:.
a. give the theme of the literary selection;
b. critique a literary selection based on reader-response
approach; and
c. appreciate the valuing of the story in real life situation;

Introduction of the Author

Real name: William Sydney Porter

Born: September 11, 1862

Died: June 5, 1910

An American short story writer.

His father is a doctor.

When he was 15, he left school and look for a

job.

He had several jobs, one of it is a bank clerk.

He was accused of embezzlement ( theft of

money from a business or employer ). Then he
escapes from the police. When he learned that
his wife was dying he came back to the US and
surrendered himself. He was sentenced to 5
years in jail.

Then, he started to write stories to support her

only daughter Margaret. After 3 years he was
released for good behavior.

He published 12 stories in the jail.

Later, his success brought him pressure and he
suffered from alcohol addiction. Then his
second wife left him in 1909. He died of
cirrhosis of the liver in New York.

Unlocking of Difficulty:
Direction: Match column A to Column B to its
correct definition to column B by drawing an
arrow.
1. Trying to solve this puzzle is starting to
frustrate me.
2. The hailstorm pounded the roof with icy
pellets.
3. The thunderstorm rattled the windows with
its booming roar.
4. The painting was immediately recognized as
a masterpiece.
5. He had been in hospital with viral 1. B
pneumonia and we were all concerned. 2. D
Column A Column B 3. A
1. Frustrate a. A violent short- 4. E
2. Hailstorm lived weather 5. C
3. Thunderstorm disturbance that is
4. Masterpiece almost always
5. Pneumonia associated with
lightning, thunder,
dense clouds, heavy
rain, and strong
gusty winds.

b. To annoy someone
or cause someone to
be disappointed or
discouraged

c. A serious disease
that affects the lungs

d. Balls of ice that

fall like rain

e. Something is done
with great skill; obra
maestra.

(The students will do popcorn reading)

D. DISCUSSION
(Distributing the copy of a short story) Possible answers:
1. The story took place in the apartment of Johnsy and
Guide questions: (Group Activity) Sue in the Greenwich Village in New York.
1. Where did the story take place? 2. Johnsy, Sue and Mr. Berhman.
3. They are both painters.
2. Who are the characters in the story? 4. Mr. Berhman painted a leaf before he died to let Johnsy
3. What are the occupations of Sue and Johnsy? realize that just like the leaf it was able to survive from
4. What did Mr. Berhman paint? falling despite the heavy rain and wind.
5. What is Johnsy’s illness? 5. Johnsy had Pneumonia.
6. How does Mr. Berhman show that Johnsy's 6. Mr. Berhman was able to let Johnsy realize that if the
belief in getting better is like how the vines can vine's leaf was able to endure the heavy rain and wind and
keep the leaf? so does she. The vine's ability to hold the last leaf during
7. How would you describe the character of the bad weather signifies a tough treatment of life's
Sue from “The Last Leaf?” challenges. If a vine which is considered as a weaker
8. How does Behrman's final painting in "The entity was able to endure the most difficult challenge and
Last Leaf" become a lifesaving masterpiece? so much more the human. being who are endowed with
9. What is the significance of ivy leaves in 'The varied talents, skills, knowledge, and potentials.
Last Leaf'? 7. Sue from "The Last Leaf" could be described as a
10. How does "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry strong, resourceful character, who loves her friend dearly
depict hope, friendship, and sacrifice? and rises to the occasion in a time of crisis.
8. Behrman's last painting becomes a true masterpiece
because of its realism. It was so true to life that it fooled
everyone, but especially Johnsy, for she was the one he
had done the painting for.
9. In O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf," the ivy
leaves are significant because, for Johnsy, they have
become a measure of her time on earth.
10. Hope is depicted as Sue encourages Johnsy to fight
her illness, contradicting Johnsy's despair with a positive
outlook. The theme of friendship is seen in Sue's
unwavering support for Johnsy and her collaboration with
Mr. Behrman. Sacrifice is embodied by Mr. Behrman
who, knowing of Johnsy's condition, paints an ivy leaf in
the cold night, ultimately costing him his life but
restoring Johnsy's will to live.

True friendship lasts.

A true friend is to be cherished.
1. When you give yourself up to others, you could be
suffering from chronic self-sacrifice.
2. I struggled with believing in myself and my abilities,
which often held me back from pursuing my goals and
dreams.
3. In "The Last Leaf," I would approach tough situations
with resilience and adaptability, making decisions based
on a combination of logic and empathy. I would strive to
find creative solutions and offer support to those around
me, fostering a sense of hope and determination.

(The students will go to their friend/s in their classroom

and give the message)
11. What is the theme/ message of the story?

1. If you were in Sue’s situation, would you be

willing to sacrifice yourself and your happiness
for your friend?
2. Have you ever encountered a situation in
 your own life where hope played a crucial role,
and how did it influence your perspective on
challenges or obstacles?
3. If you were in a tough situation, how would
you handle them and what decisions would you
make when facing difficulties?

Valuing (Writing a thank you letter to a

friend)
Write a message/s to their friend in their
classroom.
E. APPLICATION
Directions: Based on the theme of the selection
we discussed, each group will do the given
activities.
Task 1: Compose or choose a song for Johnsy.
Task 2: Compose a poem.
Task 3: Write a paragraph.
Task 4: Make a slogan.
Task5. Make a dialogue and act it out.

F. GENERALIZATION
1. What is real friendship?
2. In our discussion, how is reader-response
approach was used?

IV. EVALUATION
Direction: Complete the phrases below to express to the author how the story he wrote gave you wisdom in
coming up with realizations and learning in life

Dear O. Henry,

After reading the story "The Last Leaf" I realized that…

__________________________________________________________________
____________________________
I learned that …
__________________________________________________________________
___________________.

V. ASSIGNMENT
Have an advance reading in the story “The Lady and The Tiger.”Which is more intense emotion, love or
jealousy?

Prepared by:

RENOEL A. VERGARA
 Practice Teacher

Checked by:

ZENAIDA F. CONCEPCION
Cooperating Teacher
EVALUATION
FORM
 ACTION
REASEARCH
 ENHANCING READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY OF GRADE 7 STUDENTS
AT CALLANG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL USING LITERATURE
CIRCLES OF ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024

CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Reading is the mental activity of understanding and making sense of written or printed symbols and in

order to get meaning from a text. It includes recognizing and grasping words, sentences, paragraphs, as well as

understanding the main message or information in the written material. Reading involves skills like knowing

words, understanding vocabulary, grasping grammar, and using background knowledge and context clues. It's

an essential and intricate language skill that is vital for gaining knowledge, communication, and overall mental

development.

Furthermore, Reading is the motivated and fluent coordination of word recognition and comprehension.

Reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, and motivation (Carlson et al.,

2014). Reading involves the comprehension of written texts, encompassing a multifaceted process that engages

both perception and cognition (Samiei & Ebadi, 2021). This intricate activity is comprised of two

interconnected processes: word recognition and comprehension (Nurjanah, 2018). Word recognition pertains to

the ability to recognize how written symbols correspond to spoken language (Hungwe, 2019), while

comprehension involves deriving meaning from words, sentences, and interconnected texts. To comprehend

written text, readers typically draw upon background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical understanding, text-

related experiences, and various strategies. Despite the significance of these processes, students encounter

significant challenges in learning reading (Kim & Pae, 2021). Some of these challenges include a lack of prior
knowledge about the given text, difficulties in interpreting the text, limited vocabulary, and inadequate

grammatical competence (Gruhn et al., 2020).

Through reading, the students can get a lot of knowledge or idea to improve their grade point average

change their behavior, and complete for a good place in any aspect of life in the world (Wawire & Zuilkowski,

2021; Wu et al., 2021). Therefore, reading is a course offered at schools and universities that plays an essential

role in improving human development.

Reading comprehension is the ability of a person to translate the essence of the sentences using his own

words. This also consists of applying the text read in one’s life. One aspect of reading comprehension is when a

person articulates some of his life experiences and relates them to the text written. It is a sign that a person truly

comprehends because some personal emotions are attached to it (Wilhelm, 2018). Analyzing the reading levels

will provide important information to us for identifying the factors that affect student's ability to learn reading

skills.

Moreover, reading comprehension is a fundamental skill that serves as a cornerstone for academic

achievement and lifelong learning. It is not merely the ability to decode written words but the cognitive process

of extracting meaning, interpreting information, and engaging critically with textual content. Reading

comprehension is indispensable for success in various educational domains and is intricately linked to cognitive

development, academic achievement, and broader societal participation. Besides, reading not only enhances

comprehension but also contributes to improved writing skills. Exposure to written language through reading

provides students with incidental contact with grammar rules, fostering a better grasp of language structure and

vocabulary expansion (Johnson, 2008). Despite the recognition of its importance, reading comprehension

remains a challenge for a significant number of students. Factors contributing to these challenges are

multifaceted, ranging from individual differences in cognitive processes to variations in instructional

methodologies. There are many factors for successful reading comprehension.

According to Learning Point Associates (2014), there are three major components of reading comprehension

needed to be an efficient reader, these are vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The first component to

become an effective reader is vocabulary. Vocabulary is not a skill unlike the other components, but this is very
important as well. It is like a toolbox of words that increases as a person grows older and encounters new words.

Vocabulary helps the students with their Reading Comprehension. When a student meets a new word, he may

refer to his vocabulary and find some context clues that can help him decode the meaning of a word and use it

in a context. Students with a wide range of vocabulary are sound readers and very confident in public speaking.

The instrumentalist perspective is based on the finding that when a reader knows more words in a specific

passage, the reader comprehends it better (Schmitt et al., 2011). Vocabulary training produces improved

comprehension when the target words are in the tested comprehension passages (Wright & Cervetti, 2017).

Apart from vocabulary we also need to become fluent in reading. Fluency is the ability to let words flow

while reading. It is the ability to read and comprehend the text’s message even if reading silently. Therefore,

there could be several causes of this poor comprehension; one of them could be that they have not developed a

good reading fluency nor have poor decoding skills. Fluent reading involves accuracy, speed and good

expression National Institute of Child Health, and Human Development (2000). These three characteristics

depend on several cognitive processes and are usually achieved in that order, although overlapping. There is

evidence about the relationship between text reading fluency and reading comprehension (Kim & Wagner,

2015) showed that the role of text reading fluency walks together the reading comprehension improvement.

Text reading accuracy is one of the more decisive factors in reading comprehension. Thus, if a child makes

many mistakes, he cannot understand what he is reading. Moreover, there are some words that are more difficult

to read, such as long words (Muncer et al., 2014), low frequency words (Fischer-Baum et al., 2014), late age of

acquisition words (Monaghan and Ellis, 2010; Davies et al., 2014) or words with complex syllabic structure

(Taft, 1979; Rouibah et al., 2000). These kinds of words are often read with less accuracy, and that could affect

comprehension Fluency is also about the emotions while reading, pausing, and stopping inappropriate

punctuation marks, and the ability to read at speed and accurately. It served as a bridge between word

recognition and reading comprehension. Fluency can help a person read fast and accurately; the reason behind

this is that the reader is no longer focused on decoding. Instead, he is focused on the word itself and

comprehending it (Cotter, 2012).

 Lastly is comprehension, it is one of the main goals because people read. Comprehension includes image

visualization on the readers and seeks to ask questions. It is also concerned with answering the questions like

“what,” “how,” “when,” “who,” and “why.” As observed, most of the reading comprehension assessments

include questions at the end of the story to evaluate the students’ ability to understand what was read. Aside

from the questions like what, how, when, who, and why, it also assesses whether the students can summarize the

story using their own words. The readers should restate the stages of the story, stating the plot, theme, setting,

and even identifying the attitude and behaviors of the characters (Allen et al., 2014). These components work

together for the readers to be influential, decisive, fast, and critical thinkers.

The recent 2022 research conducted by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tested

around 690,000 students aged 15-year-old over 81 participating countries. The results reveal that, on average,

student performance in reading remained relatively stable compared to the 2018 assessments. The reading

literacy score in the Philippines increased from 340 points in PISA 2018 to 347 points in PISA 2022 but still

remained way below the global average reading score of 476 points.

However, this positive shift was not mirrored in reading and science, where the gap between high and low

performers did not show significant changes. Additionally, the proportion of students scoring below the baseline

proficiency level (Level 2) did not exhibit significant changes in any of the assessed subjects when compared to

the 2018 results. These findings provide insights into the evolving dynamics of student achievement across core

subjects, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to address disparities and enhance overall educational

outcomes. Reading comprehension is interconnected with other academic skills such as writing, critical

thinking, and problem-solving. Thus, difficulties in reading can have a cascading effect on these related skills,

further impacting overall academic performance. Consequently, there is an ongoing need for research that not

only delves into the underlying mechanisms of reading comprehension but also explores innovative approaches

and interventions to address the diverse needs of learners. Various teaching methods and strategies exist to

enhance reading comprehension, among which literature circles have proven effective.

The Literature Circle method offers a valuable approach to addressing reading challenges among students,

involving small groups that come together to delve into a piece of literature. These discussions are driven by the
students' reactions to the material, encompassing elements such as events, characters, authorial techniques, and

personal connections to the narrative. Utilizing Literature Circles can present an engaging avenue to foster

extensive reading in foreign language courses (Varita, 2017).

This method yields numerous benefits for English teachers, lecturers, and learners alike. Primarily,

Literature Circles serve as potent motivators for students, significantly influencing their enthusiasm for utilizing

English in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom. Engaging in group discussions about reading

materials encourages students to communicate in the foreign language, enabling them to apply language skills

authentically and share ideas and experiences with peers. Consequently, Literature Circles contribute to

elevating students from passive recipients of information to active participants who generate thoughts and

knowledge. By fostering active involvement, Literature Circles not only enhance motivation but also instill a

sense of capability in students, making them aware of their capacity to contribute meaningfully to their own

learning (Fitriana, 2020).

Literature circles consist of small student groups meeting regularly to discuss books or other literary

works. Within these groups, participants take on distinct roles such as leader, discussion director, character

analyst, and vocabulary expert. Additionally (Farris et al., 2007) posit the nature of literature circles provides

unique opportunities for ELL students to practice and refine their language and literacy skills in authentic

situations. The benefits of literature circles are numerous and can be applied across age and grade levels helping

to prepare preservice teachers with effective strategies to work with diverse populations. Research indicates that

literature circles can significantly enhance reading comprehension skills across different educational levels.

A study spanning six weeks demonstrated substantial improvement in reading comprehension scores

among students engaged in literature circles. According to research, literature circles are an effective way to

help motivate students to read (Daniels, 2002). As discussed by Daniels, Karen Smith’s fifth grade class was

one of the first to officially implement literature circles in 1982. Literature circles can be used to help students

learn several skills. According to (Detty, 2017) in her article entitled “The Effect of Literature Circles Strategy

to Improve the Reading Comprehension Ability”. The resulting study of a show that the students who were

taught using literature circles strategy did significantly better in reading comprehension than those who were
not, and literature circles strategy can be better ways of teaching English reading comprehension for third grade

(year 12) senior high school ESL students.

Literature circles will be employed for a limited time of 30 minutes weekly session. The assessment of

students' written work and performance will concentrate on the following areas: categorizing text kinds, using

appropriate reading methods, using lexical and contextual clues, and reading comprehension (word recognition,

vocabulary, and comprehension).

The nature of reading instruction and the particular subjects that will be covered in this course are well

suited for literature circles. Students can practice reading comprehension in a more interesting and pleasurable

way with the help of literature circles. Additionally, students will receive immediate feedback on their

inaccuracies in the topics through this activity, enabling them to recognize and quickly correct their mistakes.

This instantaneous feedback is essential for improving their comprehension skills when reading.

This study delves into the use of literature circles as a means to enhance reading comprehension ability

of the seventh-grade students at Callang National High School. It explores the advantages of literature circles,

delineates the various roles students can assume within them, and provides tips for their successful

implementation in the classroom. Literature circles contribute to the development of prior knowledge,

vocabulary, and reading fluency. Importantly, they foster a positive and supportive reading environment,

offering students the opportunity to deepen their understanding through discussions and related activities.

Overall, literature circles emerge as a valuable tool for improving reading comprehension across diverse

student populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to raise the reading comprehension ability of Grade

7 students enrolled at Callang National High School. The findings of this study will provide valuable insights

into the use of Literature Circle as a pedagogical tool for improving reading comprehension ability of high

school students. The results of the study may also be used to develop evidence-based interventions to help

students who are struggling with these skills and abilities.