Chapter 13 — 2.6 Ad‘wise’ Customers

Introduction
Start by preparing to read the story carefully. Read the title and predict what the story might be about. Think: Who could be the customers? Why are they called 'Ad'wise'? Look at any pictures or headings if available. Prediction helps set a purpose for reading.

First Reading
Read the story aloud once slowly so you hear the rhythm and speech. Then read silently to yourself and mark the sentences or words you find difficult. Pay attention to who is speaking in dialogue and where the scene takes place. Notice small details such as a product name, a price or a special line in the advertisement; these details often explain what happens.

Second Reading and Notes
Read the story a second time to understand events fully. While reading, write three short notes: (1) the main problem, (2) what each important character wants, and (3) how the problem is solved. Use short phrases, not full sentences in your notes. Compare notes with a partner and discuss any differences. Talking about your notes helps you remember the story better.

Check Pronunciation and Meaning
Underlined or difficult words should be tried for meaning from the sentence first. If you cannot guess, use a dictionary or ask the teacher. Say the difficult words aloud to practise pronunciation. Teachers can ask volunteers to read paragraphs in different voices to understand characters' emotions.

Comprehension Focus
During reading, ask simple questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? These questions will help you notice how the advertisement in the story influences customers and what lesson the author may be giving. Finish by telling a partner the story in two or three sentences to practise concise retelling.

Finding the Main Idea
To write a good summary, first understand the most important message or main idea of the story. The main idea is what the story is mostly about: sometimes it is a lesson, sometimes a description of events that teach a point. For this story the main idea often relates to how people respond to advice or advertisements and the consequences of quick decisions made because of persuasive words.

Order the Events
Once you know the main idea, make a list of the main events in order. Think of the story as a timeline. Use simple headings such as Beginning, Middle and End. In the Beginning, introduce characters and setting briefly. The Middle shows the problem and events that follow. The End covers the solution and any lesson learned. Keep these descriptions short — one line each — because a summary is brief.

Write the Summary
Write the summary in your own words. Start with one sentence stating the main idea. Follow with two or three sentences that outline the key events in sequence, using words like 'first', 'then', 'after that' and 'finally' to connect ideas. End with a short concluding sentence that states the result or moral of the story. Avoid copying long sentences from the text; paraphrase instead.

Useful Tips
1. Stick to important events only — leave out small details. 2. Use present tense when summarising (The customer reads the ad and decides to buy.) unless your teacher asks for past tense. 3. Keep the summary to three to five sentences for class 6. 4. Re-check your summary against the story: does it capture the main idea? Does it leave out important events?

Practice Activity
Exchange summaries with a partner and see if they agree with your main points. If there is disagreement, read the story again together to find which part led to different interpretations. Doing this helps you to be precise about the main idea and sequence of events.

Who are the Characters?
Start by listing every person or important figure in the story. For many short stories you will have a main character or two and a few minor characters. In "Ad‘wise’ Customers" typical figures are the customers, the shopkeeper, maybe a helper or the narrator. Write the names or descriptions in a column to make them clear.

What are Traits?
Traits are qualities that describe how a character thinks, feels or acts. Words like careful, curious, greedy, polite, clever, foolish or patient are traits. To identify them, look at what the character says and does. Actions are stronger proof than opinions. For example, a character who reads the label twice shows carefulness; a character who buys at once without asking shows haste or gullibility.

Finding Evidence
Always support a trait with evidence from the story. Write a short sentence for each trait: name the trait and then quote or paraphrase the line that shows it. For class 6, two or three pieces of evidence for a main character are enough. If a character changes during the story, note how their actions differ at the end compared to the beginning.

Character Change
Many stories include character development. Ask: Did anyone learn or behave differently at the end? This change often points to the moral. If a customer who was careless becomes careful after a lesson, write one sentence explaining the change and refer to the exact event that caused it.

Activities
Make a two-column chart: left column 'Trait' and right column 'Evidence'. Work in pairs and role-play a scene to show a chosen trait; your partner will guess the trait and point to the evidence in the story. This joins reading with speaking and helps fix the idea of character traits more firmly.

Why Learn New Words?
New words improve reading and speaking. When you meet an unfamiliar word while reading the story, try to guess its meaning from the sentence and the situation before looking it up. This habit trains your mind to use context clues and makes learning deeper than just memorising a dictionary meaning.

Methods to Understand Words
Use these steps: 1) Read the whole sentence where the word appears. 2) Look for nearby words that help explain it (definition, example, contrast). 3) Think of a similar word you already know. 4) If still unsure, check the dictionary and then write the meaning in simple words. Write one sentence of your own using the new word so you remember it better.

Word Families and Forms
Notice word families. A verb can change to a noun or adjective. For example, 'advise' becomes 'advice', 'careful' becomes 'carefully'. Write three forms of at least two words from the story so you learn how they change. This also helps you use words correctly in sentences and in grammar exercises.

Practice Activities
Make flashcards: word on one side, meaning and a sample sentence on the other. Group words by topic — for example, words about shopping, feelings, or action. Play a guessing game in class where one student acts and others guess the correct word. Also do fill-in-the-blanks and matching exercises to fix meanings.

Using a Dictionary
When using a dictionary, note part of speech (noun, verb, adjective), one simple meaning and an example sentence. Avoid copying long dictionary entries. For exam preparation, learn five new words each week from the story and write a short sentence with each word to show you know its use.

Understanding Theme
The theme is the central idea that runs through the story — not a single line of action but the deeper message the author wants to share. It might be about honesty, being careful, the power of words, or learning from mistakes. To find the theme read the story twice and ask: what idea repeats? What lesson do the characters learn? In "Ad‘wise’ Customers" the theme often focuses on how persuasive language affects choice and the need to think before acting.

Finding the Moral
The moral is a clear lesson or advice that the story gives. It is usually short: think before you buy, do not trust everything you read, or ask questions when unsure. To find the moral, look at the ending: who benefits and who suffers? The consequences of characters’ actions point toward the moral. Write the moral as a short sentence in your exercise book.

Linking Theme to Real Life
To make the theme real, ask students to recall a time they were influenced by an advertisement or a friend's advice. Did the result match their expectation? This helps students connect story lessons to their own decisions and to think critically about advertisements and promises in everyday life.

Class Activities
Discuss in small groups and write one sentence theme statements. Make two-panel drawings: one panel shows a poor choice and its result, the other shows a wise choice and a better result. Under each drawing write a sentence explaining the lesson. Share these with the class and explain which one matches the story’s theme.

Practice Writing
Finally, practise writing a short moral in two forms: positive (Do this) and negative (Do not do this). For example, positive: Always read labels carefully. Negative: Do not buy at once without asking questions. This exercise helps students state the moral clearly in class tests and exams.

What is Dialogue?
Dialogue is the spoken words between characters in a story. It is usually written inside quotation marks and shows how characters speak. Dialogue is important because it reveals personality, feelings and relationships. Short, sharp lines can show anger or excitement; long polite lines can show respect or calm. Practise reading dialogue aloud to hear different voices and emotions.

Understanding Tone
Tone is the speaker's attitude toward what is being said. A character may sound happy, rude, doubtful, angry or caring. Tone is shown through word choice, punctuation and how sentences are spoken. A question mark shows doubt or curiosity; an exclamation mark shows surprise or strong feeling. Words like 'certainly', 'maybe' or 'sure' change the tone. When you describe tone in answers, point to the exact words or punctuation that create it.

How Dialogue and Tone Work Together
Dialogue carries tone: the same sentence can sound different depending on punctuation and the speaker’s mood. For example, "I will come" said calmly is different from "I will come!" said with excitement. In class, try rewriting a line with different punctuation and explain how tone changes. This helps you understand nuance in spoken language and how authors use it to shape meaning.

Practice Activities
1. Pick a short dialogue from the story and act it out twice: once with a friendly tone, once with a worried tone. Discuss how meaning changes. 2. Identify dialogue tags (said, asked, replied) and explain how each affects the tone. 3. Rewrite one dialogue line changing the tone by substituting words and punctuation and explain your choice.

Writing Tip
When you write dialogue, use commas before closing quotation marks if a tag follows (e.g., "I agree," she said.). Use simple tags for class 6 and focus on matching punctuation to intended tone. Teachers will check if you can point to words or punctuation that show tone when answering questions.

What is Reported Speech?
Reported speech is used to tell what someone else said without using their exact words. It helps in summarising conversations and is common in speaking and writing. In class 6, we practise changing direct speech (the exact words) into reported speech by using reporting verbs and shifting tenses and pronouns when necessary.

How to Change Statements
For statements, remove the quotation marks and add a reporting verb such as 'said' or 'told'. Often you change the tense back: present simple becomes past simple ("I like it" → He said he liked it). Change pronouns to match the new speaker: "I" may become "he" or "she". Including 'that' after the reporting verb is optional but helpful: She said (that) she was ready.

How to Change Questions
For yes/no questions, use 'asked' plus 'if' or 'whether' and change the question order to statement order: "Do you like it?" → He asked if I liked it. For questions with question words (who, what, where, why, how), use the question word after 'asked' and again change the tense and word order: "Where is the shop?" → He asked where the shop was.

Practice Steps
1. Identify the direct speech and the speaker. 2. Choose the correct reporting verb (said, told, asked). 3. Shift the tense back if necessary. 4. Change pronouns and time words (today → that day, tomorrow → the next day). 5. Rearrange word order for questions.

Class Activity
Work in pairs: one student reads a line from the story in direct speech, the other converts it into reported speech. Write five examples in your notebook, including both statements and questions. Teachers will check for correct tense changes and pronoun adjustments.

What are Modal Verbs?
Modal verbs are special helping verbs like can, could, may, might, must, should and ought to. They do not change form with different pronouns and are used to show ability, permission, possibility, necessity and advice. In this unit we focus on using modals to give advice and make polite requests in everyday shop situations.

Modals for Advice
'Should' and 'ought to' are commonly used to suggest the best action: You should read the label. You ought to ask about the return policy. These modals are softer than 'must'. Use 'must' when something is necessary: You must keep the receipt if you want a refund. Explain to students that 'should' gives helpful guidance while 'must' gives strong instructions or rules.

Modals for Requests and Permission
Use 'could' or 'can' to make requests: Could you help me? Can I try it on? 'Could' is more polite than 'can'. Use 'may' for formal permission: May I use this pen? Add 'please' to make polite requests friendlier: Could you help me, please? Teach students to use modals with the base form of the verb: could + see, should + check.

Practice Activities
Role-play common shop dialogues using modals: asking for help, seeking permission to try items, or advising another customer. Make a short advice list for customers at a shop using 'should' and 'must': e.g., You should check the expiry date. You must keep your bill. Correct usage of modals helps students sound polite and clear in real life.

Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not add 'to' after modal verbs (correct: should read; incorrect: should to read). Use the base verb form after modals. Practice with many short sentences and peer correction to reduce errors before exams.

Purpose and Audience
An advertisement shares information and tries to persuade readers to act: to buy, visit or join. For class 6, advertisements are short and simple. Think first who will read your ad: students, parents or neighbours. This affects the words you choose and the style you use. A school notice needs clear information while a sale ad can have brighter words to attract attention.

Structure of a Short Ad
A clear short advertisement usually has three parts: a headline, the main information and a call to action. The headline is the eye-catcher: make it short and strong (e.g., 'BIG BOOK SALE!'). The main information answers the questions: what, where, when, who and cost if needed. The call to action tells readers what to do next: 'Visit today!' or 'Call now!'. Keep the ad to two or three lines for class exercises.

Language and Presentation
Use active, positive words: 'new', 'free', 'limited', 'discount'. Avoid long sentences and unnecessary details. Use punctuation and line breaks to make the ad easy to read. If writing for a board or notice, include contact details like a teacher’s name or phone number. Handwriting should be neat; if typing, choose a clear font and use bold for the headline if possible.

Steps to Write an Ad
1. Decide the main point (what you want people to do). 2. Write a short headline. 3. Add 1–2 lines with essential details. 4. Add a call to action. 5. Check spelling and clarity. 6. Ask a partner to read and tell you if the ad is clear and persuasive.

Activities and Examples
Students write ads for a school book fair, lost-and-found, or a small shop sale. Swap ads with a partner and give one suggestion for improvement. Revise the ad and display good examples on the classroom board for others to learn from.

Answering Comprehension Questions
Read each question carefully and go back to the story to find the sentence or paragraph that gives the answer. For short-answer questions (Who? What? Where?), write one or two clear sentences that directly respond to the question. For 'Why?' or 'How?' questions, give a reason and support it with a line or phrase from the story. Paraphrase where possible rather than copying long sentences.

Revision Steps
To prepare for a test, follow an organised plan: Day 1 re-read the story and underline key lines; Day 2 review vocabulary and write five new words with meanings; Day 3 convert dialogues to reported speech; Day 4 practise writing a short ad and a paragraph on the theme. Short, daily revision sessions are more effective than one long session. Keep a small notebook for quick review of important words and rules.

Exam-style Practice
Practice with timed tasks to build confidence. For example: give students 15 minutes to read a passage and answer five short questions and one longer question that needs three to five sentences. Focus on neat handwriting, correct punctuation and clear paragraphing for longer answers. Teachers may set a past-paper style exercise: one comprehension passage, two short answers and one long answer worth more marks.

Self-check and Peer Review
After finishing practice answers, check them against model answers or discuss with a partner. Mark mistakes and make a small list of errors to avoid: wrong tense in reported speech, missing quotation marks, weak vocabulary use. Peer review helps because another student may spot missing details that you missed.

Final Tips
Read questions first before reading the passage in tests to know what to look for. Underline keywords in questions. Manage time by answering short questions quickly and leaving more time for the longer response. Practise these steps often so they become routine during exam time.

Planning Your Paragraph
Before writing, plan three main points about being a wise customer: for example, reading labels, asking questions, and comparing prices. Use a simple outline with one sentence for the introduction, three short sentences for the body points, and one sentence for the conclusion. Planning saves time and keeps your writing organised.

Writing the Paragraph
Begin with a clear topic sentence: 'A wise customer thinks before buying.' Then write three short sentences explaining why the actions are important. Use linking words like 'first', 'next' and 'finally' to connect ideas. Each body sentence should give a small example or reason: ‘First, they read the expiry date; this keeps them safe.’ Keep your paragraph about 80–100 words in class exercises.

Language and Style
Use simple and correct sentences. Include one example to show you understand how advice works. Avoid long and complex sentences at this stage. Check grammar, spelling and punctuation after writing. Use correct capital letters at the start of sentences and for names. A neat and clear paragraph gains marks in school tests.

Peer Review and Improvement
Swap paragraphs with a partner. Give one positive comment and one suggestion for improvement such as adding an example or correcting punctuation. Revise your paragraph accordingly. This peer feedback step teaches editing and improves clarity in writing.

Practice Prompts
Write on similar topics: 'How to choose a good pen', 'How to buy snacks wisely', or 'Tips for saving money when shopping'. These prompts use the same paragraph structure and help you practise composing clear short pieces on practical subjects.

Purpose of Role Play
Role play makes classroom learning active and helps students practise real-life language. In this unit, role plays focus on shop situations where one student is the shopkeeper and the other is a customer. This helps practise asking questions, making requests, giving advice and using polite language.

Preparing a Role Play
Work in pairs and choose a simple scenario: buying a snack, asking for a school bag, or returning an item. Decide who will be the shopkeeper and who will be the customer. Write a short script of 4–6 lines for each role including a greeting, a question or request, an answer or advice, and a closing line. Use modal verbs for requests and advice: 'Could I try this?', 'You should check the label.'

Performing and Observing
When performing, speak clearly and use polite expressions such as 'please' and 'thank you'. Use gestures: smile, nod, and hold the item. Other students observe and note correct grammar, polite language and helpful body language. After the role play, observers give one positive comment and one suggestion to improve clarity or politeness.

Extending the Activity
Swap roles and repeat with a different item or problem. Try improvisation where the shopkeeper adds unexpected details and the customer must ask follow-up questions. Record the role plays in writing and use them as scripts to practise later. Teachers can also make short competitions for the best polite and clear dialogue to motivate students.

Learning Outcomes
Through role play students become more confident speaking in front of others, learn polite conversational forms, practice modals and reported speech, and become better at listening and responding. This activity bridges reading the story and using its language in real situations.