Why do you think these older women are happy?

Can you imagine being 70 and going to elementary school?

The number of babies born in South Korea is declining. So one South Korean elementary school has come up with a clever way to keep their doors open. The school has stayed open amidst their lack of new young students.

Daegu Elementary is one of the many countryside schools in Gangjin County searching for kids to fill up their classrooms.

The school used to teach about 90 kids back in the 1980s. But now there are only 22.

So to save the school, the principal invited elderly illiterate women to finally fulfill their dreams of learning to read and write.

Eight senior women enrolled as first graders at the school. And four more women pledged to enroll next year.

70-year-old Hwang Wol-geum said that she used to cry with sadness whenever she had to watch her friends go to school while she stayed home to look after her younger brothers and sisters. But now, she is crying tears of happiness that she may finally learn to write letters to her children.

“I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me,” said the senior. “Carrying a school bag has always been my dream.”

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=7, B=8, C=1, D=3, E=4, F=2, G=6, H=5

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1. The dollar declined in value after President Trump said he would increase taxes on Chinese products.

2. We come up with some good ideas to fix climate change.

3. Buying property when the price was low and nobody was buying was a clever idea.

4. Amidst all the difficult time, I kept trying.

5. We were poor but we never lacked food.

6. Hangul made Korea the most literate country in Asia.

7. I hope to fulfill my dreams to play at the Olympics.

8. Many people have pledged money to help after the disaster.

    

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1. How do you feel knowing these older women no longer lack reading and writing skills?

2. What do you think of the school principal’s clever idea to keep the school open?

3. Why is South Korea’s birth rate declining? What things caused this?

4. Describe a time you had a problem. What idea/s did you come up with to solve it?

5. How would you feel if you were a child at Daegu Elementary school amidst much older women?

6. Can you imagine life being illiterate?

7. What education dreams do you want to fulfill in your future?

8. What have you pledged yourself to fulfill your dreams?