Writing
Learning Objective:
By the end of this lesson, you are able to write a linear narrative text
about an environmental igure using simple past tense correctly.
Building Knowledge of the Field
Activity 1a
Look at the following picture of two young environmental activists
from Bali.
Picture 4.13 Isabel Wijsen (left) & Melati Wijsen (right)
Source: highend/Clara E.B Sagala (2021)
Next, check the following picture that captures one of their contributions
to our environment.
Picture 4.14
Young
environmental
activists
Unit 4 Indonesian Environmental Figures 167
Activity 1b
Work individually. Answer the following questions:
1. Have you ever heard about Melati and Isabel Wijsen?
2. What did you hear about them?
3. Do you know other young environmental igures from Indonesia?
4. What are their contributions to our environment?
5. What have you done so far for our environment?
Activity 2
Now, work in pairs. Through Think-Pair-Share, share your
answers with your partner.
Modeling of Text
Activity 3a
Read the following materials about linear narrative text and the type of
tense used in it: past tense, speciically simple past tense.
Linear Narrative Text
It presents events in the order they occurred.
Source: Now Novel, n.d.
Narrative Tenses
We use narrative tenses to talk about the past. We can use them to
tell a story or to describe past events, including personal anecdotes.
The four narrative tenses are the past simple [simple past tense],
past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous and one
or more of these can be used in a sentence.
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Simple Past Tense
We can use simple past tense for actions that started and inished in
the past, for example a series of events in someone’s life.
Nelson Mandela was born in 1918. He became the irst black
President of South Africa. He spent 27 years in prison in his battle
against the system of apartheid.
Source: BBC Learning English, n.d.
Activity 3b
After reading the above materials, ask your teacher if you have any
questions or need an explanation regarding the text type and its tense.
Activity 4
This is individual work. Read the following narrative text about
Melati and Isabel Wijsen.
This pair of sisters from Bali is known as climate activists in Indonesia.
Since 2013, Melati and Isabel have carried out many campaigns to
reduce plastic waste on the island. One of them is the Bye Bye Plastic
Bag campaign which is the key to getting rid of plastic bags in Bali. In
practice, they had to go on a hunger strike for 1 day in order to meet
the governor of Bali at the time, I Made Mangku Pastika. Thanks to
this action, Pastika signed a warrant prohibiting the use of styrofoam,
plastic bags, and straws in Bali effective 2018.
In 2018, these Indonesian-Dutch blooded sisters were included
in the list of the 25 Most Inluential Teens of 2018 according to Time
magazine. They also briely spoke at the United Nations World Ocean
Day event in New York City, United States in 2017. Melati Wijsen’s
contribution to environmental preservation was even shown in the
documentary ilm Bigger than Us (2019), directed by Flore Vasseur
and produced by Marion Cotillard.
Source: Think Conscious, 2021
Unit 4 Indonesian Environmental Figures 169
Activity 5
Work in pairs. Together with your partner, complete the following
tables based on the above text.
Events in Linear Narrative Text
Years Events
Simple Past Tense in Linear Narrative Text
Regular Verbs Irregular Verbs
Activity 6a
Now, work individually. Create
similar tables in your notebook and
read the following narrative text about
another Indonesian environmental
igure, Swietenia Puspa Lestari (see her
picture also on the side). Based on the
text, complete the tables.
Picture 4.15 Swietenia Puspa Lestari
Source: Screenshot of IG @swieteniapuspa (2016)
170 Bahasa Inggris: English for Change untuk SMA/MA Kelas XI
Even though she is not a celebrity, Swietenia Puspa Lestari is an
inspiring environmentalist and has many positive impacts on
environmental sustainability. This Bogor Institute of Technology
graduate focuses on tackling plastic waste in the ocean through an
organization he founded with his partner, Divers Clean Action (DCA).
The organization, which was founded in 2015, initially consisted
of only three volunteers whose main activity was picking up trash
in the sea. Currently, DCA has grown bigger with more than 1,500
volunteers spread throughout Indonesia.
Not only at DCA, but Swietenia is also active in various
environmental conservation activities. Starting from establishing the
Indonesian Youth Marine Debris (2017), becoming a representative
of Indonesia at the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference
in Bonn, Germany, to helping the anti-plastic straw movement
and successfully convincing 700 restaurants to reduce the use of
single-use straws. She even had time to become one of the 100 most
inluential and inspiring women in the world according to the BBC.
Source: Think Conscious, 2021
Activity 6b
With your partner from Activity 5, compare the completed tables.
With her/him, talk about:
1) what’s meant by linear narrative text
2) how simple past tense (regular and irregular verbs) is used to write
about past events/actions
What Have You Learned So Far?
In your notebook, write the answers to the following questions:
1. When do we need to write a linear narrative text?
2. Why is simple past tense important in a linear narrative text?
Unit 4 Indonesian Environmental Figures 171
A Mid-Lesson Relection
Picture 4.16 Young environmentalists and their action
There are environmental problems that we face daily. Which
problem do you think is pressing to solve in your neighborhood?
According to environmental activists and experts, what are the
solutions to the problem? Which solution is doable for you? When
will you do it?
Joint Construction of Text
Activity 7
Picture 4.17 Farwiza Farhan
Source: DetikEdu/Farwiza Farhan, 2021
172 Bahasa Inggris: English for Change untuk SMA/MA Kelas XI
Work in groups of four. Search for references about Farwiza
Farhan (see her photo above), a female environmentalist from Aceh,
Indonesia. You might also want to watch her interview (“Talkshow
with Farwiza Farhan, Forest Under Female Conservationist” SEA Today
News, n.d.). Use the two tables from Activity 5 to take notes. Next, write
a two-paragraph linear narrative text about her. Make sure you use
simple past tense to write about the past actions/events in her journey
as an environmentalist. Ask your teacher when you need help in the
writing process.
Independent Construction of Text
Activity 8
This is individual work. Follow the same steps as you took in
Activity 7. This time your two-paragraph linear narrative text is about
an Indonesian environmental igure of your choice. Remember to
use simple past tense to write about the past actions/events in her/his
journey in preserving our mother nature.
Linking Related Texts
Activity 9
Do you remember Greta Thunberg (a Swedish environmental activist)
whose picture is available in Unit 1? Read some online articles about
her. Then, read more about one of the environmental igures showcased
in this Writing Lesson. Next, answer the question: How was their strong
determination in preserving nature formed?
Note: In a teaching context where the Internet connection is an issue,
ask students to choose one of the Indonesian environmental igures
that they think is the most inspiring along with their reasons.
Unit 4 Indonesian Environmental Figures 173
