Lesson 8

Meeting and
Being Heroes
Introduction
BICOL EXPRESS (10 minutes) a. Show
pictures of Mayon volcano, pili nuts, and
laing. Ask where the three come from. b.
Point at the Bicol region in the Philippine
map. State that in the olden days, the
people there called their land Ibalon. c. Tell
students that the main selection for the
week is about three heroes of a Bicol epic.
d. Tell students what an epic is and why it is
important. See given example
PRE-ASSESSMENT: AGREE OR
DISAGREE? (5 minutes)
a. Give the students the
following pre-assessment. On a
half sheet of paper, write A if
you agree with the statement, D
if you disagree with it, and NS if
you are not sure
_____ 1. Heroes have extraordinary
powers.
_____ 2. One has to die to be a hero.
_____ 3. Heroes are found only in epics,
comics, and movies.
_____ 4. Heroes save people from
danger.
_____ 5. Ordinary people can be
heroes.
An epic is a narrative (usually in
verse) centered on a hero and the
fate of a nation or people. It is
passed on from generation to
generation through storytelling to
remind people where they came
from and to make them understand
their identity.
Collect and keep students‟ papers.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? (10 minutes)
See Task 1, „Your Initial Tasks‟.
a.Have students accomplish the
task. b. Have some students
explain their answers. c.
Synthesize the answers and lead
students to the next task.
WHO ARE THEY?
(15 minutes)
See Task 2, „Your Initial
Tasks‟.
Everyday Heroes
Traffic jams bring about everyday
heroes. When traffic enforcers go
missing and intersections come at a
bind, there is usually that one (raise
pointer finger) man who steps out of
his car and begins navigating traffic.
He may be in a suit (raise both hands
at chest level, then slowly bring them
down to hips).
Sometimes he‟s a bystander (raise
one hand, palm up) in rags who steps
in to unclog the streets, then goes
about his merry way once the knots
are undone. There‟s the taxi driver
(extend arm, palm up, and point to
the window) who sees us struggling
with a stalled car. Without hesitation
(shake head),
he helps us out with our engine
and brings our car back to life. No
(raise pointer finger and move
from side to side) payment is
required and he even refuses it.
We drive away, thankful for the
kindness of strangers, and resolve
(straighten back) to pay it forward.
a. Tell the students that they will listen to a text
that you will read only once. As you read the
text, they should listen to find out who the
heroes are and what gestures you make in
connection to them. b. When you read, use
appropriate gestures and posture to enhance the
delivery of the message. You may follow the
instructions given in certain parts of the text. c.
Have the students do Task 2, „Your Initial Tasks‟.
d. Have some students explain their answers in
front.
Answer Key:
Heroes Speaker‟s Gestures
man in a suit - raise both hands at chest level,
then slowly bring them down to
hips
bystander - raise one hand, palm up
taxi driver - extend arm, palm up, and point
to the window
e. Add important information missed, as needed,
before synthesizing their responses.
f. Make the students infer why you did such
gestures when and where you did them
YOUR INITIAL TASKS
Task 1. What Do You Think?
Choose a partner.
Take turns sharing your answers to
the following questions:
1. Who are heroes?
2. What are the qualities of heroes?
3. What are the powers of heroes?
Be ready to explain your answers to
the class.
Task 2. Who Are They?
Watch and listen to the
speaker carefully. On a
half sheet of paper,
complete the table on the
next page as you do this.
HEROES SPEAKER’S
GESTURE
Task 3. Can You Guess?
Fill in the boxes below to form a
word from the given story about a
heroic brother. The meaning of the
word and the paragraph number
where it can be found are provided
to help you accomplish this task.
Write your answer on a half sheet
of paper.
ACROSS
1 lead into error (paragraph 2)
4 defeated, won over (paragraph 3)
5 courage, bravery (paragraph 3)
6 very violent (paragraph 1)
DOWN
2 put under a spell (paragraph 2)
3 wild (paragraph 1)
Show the puzzle
The Heroic Brother
1 Everyone in the land of
Barogan feared the deep dark
woods. The people were afraid
not only of savage animals that
lived there but of fierce monsters
and giants that walked around
the forest as well.
2 There were also stories about
creatures that could change their
appearance to deceive people.
One of these was a serpent that
could change into a lady. It had
enchanted many of those who
explored the woods. Some of them
were turned into stone while the
others were put to sleep forever.
3 One day, a man with
extraordinary strength went into the
forest in search of his missing brother.
Unafraid, he fought every monster
and giant with gallantry, until all of
them were vanquished. The man
returned home with his brother and
the people of Barogan never had to
fear the deep dark woods again.
YOUR TEXT
Ibalon
(Three Heroes of the Bicol Epic)
1 When the hero Baltog came to the rich
land of Ibalon, many monsters still
roamed around in its very dark forest.
Baltog, born in Baltavara to the brave
clan of Lipod, was the first to cultivate
the fields in the rich land of Ibalon.
2 Then the Tandayag attacked and
destroyed Baltog‘s fields and crops.
The Tandayag was a monstrous wild
boar but the hero Baltog was not
afraid. One night, he waited for the
Tandayag and wrestled with it with
all his might. The Tandayag had very
long fangs
The earth shook at the
Tandayag‘s step. But
Baltog was strong and
brave. He was able to pin
down the monstrous wild
boar and tear out its
mouth.
3 Baltog carried the Tandayag and
hung it on a talisay tree in front of
his house in Tondol. The people
celebrated when they learned of
the victory of their king Baltog. The
clans of Panicuason and Asog came
over to marvel at the monstrous
wild boar in Ibalon.
4 At that time the hero Handiong came
with a band of warriors to the land of
Ibalon. Handiong and his men had to
fight thousands of battles, and face
many dangers to defeat the monsters.
They first fought the one-eyed giants in
the land of Ponon. They fought without
rest for ten months until all the one-
eyed giants were killed.
5 They went to the lair of the
giant flying fishes called Tiburon
which had slimy, scaly, and hardy
flesh and sawlike teeth that
could crush rocks. Handiong and
his men did not stop until they
vanquished every Tiburon.
6 They tamed the fierce tamaraws.
They drove away the giant Sarimaw
which was larger than an elephant
and very fierce. They used their
spears and arrows to kill all the
crocodiles which were bigger than
boats. The savage monkeys were
frightened and hid when they saw
the rivers and swamps of Ibalon turn
red with blood.
7 Oriol was the hardest to
kill. A serpent with a
beautiful voice, Oriol
could change its image to
deceive enemies. Oriol
had escaped every trap
and disappeared.
8 All by himself, Handiong looked for
Oriol in the heart of the forest. He
followed the beautiful voice and
was almost enchanted by it in his
pursuit. It is said that Oriol admired
Handiong‘s bravery and gallantry.
Thus, the serpent taught the hero
how to conquer the monsters until
peace came to the whole Ibalon.
9 Handiong built a town in Isarog
and a season of progress followed.
Under Handiong‘s leadership, the
people planted rice which they
named after him. He built the first
boat to ride the waves of Ibalon
seas. Because of his good example,
inventors came forth from his
people.
Ginantong made the plow, harrow, and
other farming tools. Hablom invented the
first loom for weaving abaca clothes.
Dinahon, an Aeta, created the stove,
cooking pot, earthen jar, and other
kitchen utensils. The brilliant Sural
thought of the alphabet and started to
write on white rock. It was a golden
period in Ibalon when even slaves were
respected under the laws of Handiong.
10 But there came the big flood
freed by Unos, with earthquakes
and the eruption of the volcanoes
of Hantik, Kolasi, and Isarog. Rivers
dried up and the seas receded. The
earth parted, mountains sank, and
many towns in Ibalon were
destroyed.
11 Then appeared
the giant Rabot,
half-man half-beast,
with terrible
powers.
12 Bantong, Handiong‘s good friend,
was ordered to kill the new monster in
Ibalon. He took with him a thousand
warriors to attack Rabot‘s den. Bantong
used his wisdom against Rabot. He did
not attack the giant‘s den right away but
instead observed Rabot‘s ways. He saw
many rocks around the den. They were
people turned into rock by Rabot.
13 He also learned that Rabot
loved to sleep. When Rabot
slept very soundly, Bantong was
able to go near him. The giant
died with a single stab by the
brave and wise Bantong. Ibalon
was at peace once more.
YOUR DISCOVERY TASKS
Task 1. I Know It!
Complete the following table
as you read the selection. Do
this on a half sheet of paper.
Be ready to explain your
answers to your classmates.
HERO ENEMY/IES HOW HE WHAT ELSE TRAITS
WON OVER HE DID FOR SHOWN
HIS IBALON?
ENEMIES?
Task 2. Make the Grade!
On a half sheet of paper, make a report
card for each hero. Using the given guide,
grade how well each one saved Ibalon.
Remark on the heroism of each and
choose the most heroic among them. You
may refer to your answers in the previous
task (Task 1, ‗I Know It!‘) to help you do
this. Be ready to explain your answers to
your classmates.
 GRADE
A – Outstanding
B – Excellent
C – Satisfactory
D – Needs Improvement
 REPORT CARD
GRADE
Name of Hero

Strength
Courage
Intelligence
Perseverance
Remarks
He is heroic because________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Elements of an Epic
Plot centers around a hero of
unbelievable stature.
Involves deed of superhuman strength
and bravery.
Vast setting.
Involves supernatural and other worldly
forces.
Sustained elevation of style-lifting or
praising someone or something
Task 4. Then and Now
Read the following text. Fill in the
table to show the similarities and
differences between this text and
―Ibalon‖ in terms of topic, setting,
purpose, intended audience, and
relevance today. Do this on a half
sheet of paper.
Overseas Filipino Workers as Everyday Heroes
1 Overseas Filipino Workers take a huge
risk when they travel and work abroad.
OFWs sacrifice a lot in order to give a
better life for their families. They are
heroes in their own right because they
live to help their families and
sometimes even other people they do
not even know, but are in need of their
help and support.
2 Heroes think of other people first
before they think of themselves. Heroes
are unique individuals that sacrifice
themselves for the sake of others. OFWs
face great challenges head on with only
their faith, hope, and determination to
carry them through. They strive hard to
ensure that their children‘s future would
be bright and that they would live a life
that they have dreamed of.
3 What are OFWs made of? They are
made of determination, courage, a
risk-taking attitude, a heart of gold,
and other qualities that make them
everyday heroes to a lot of people.
They go beyond their call of duty to
help their families, to help their
country and sometimes people in
need, even if it means putting
themselves in danger.
4 You do not have to be an OFW to be a
hero. You are a hero if you sacrifice a part of
yourself to help other people who are in
need. You are a hero if you can make
someone else smile despite the trials and
challenges he has. You are a hero if you can
make others feel better about themselves. If
you do any of these, then you are a hero in a
person‘s heart.
“Ibalon”
.
Read the given excerpt from an
earlier retelling in verse of the
Bicol epic ―Ibalon‖. Take note
of the underlined phrase.
Sing and tell us of the kings of…
courage and the war that took
place until the defeat of Oriol.
―Took place‖ in the stanza
means ―happened‖. It is an
idiomatic expression or idiom.
Its meaning is different from
what the individual words
literally mean. Idioms are used
for different purposes and in
varied situations.
Read the following idioms
and their meanings. With a
partner, use each idiom in a
sentence. Then identify to
whom you will say it and in
what situation. Do this on
one half sheet of paper
1. zip it (stop talking)
2. grab a seat (sit down)
3. at your earliest convenience (as
soon as possible)
4. look up to (admire)
5. on cloud nine (very happy)
6. on the ball (alert)
7. a piece of cake (very easy)
8. in a nutshell (as briefly as possible) 9. once in a blue moon (rarely) 10. an act of
God (a natural and unavoidable event that results in great loss)