Our World through English

Class VI

TEXTBOOK DEVELOPMENT & PUBLISHING COMMITTEE

Chief Production Officer : Smt B. Seshu Kumari

Director, SCERT, A.P., Hyderabad.
Chief Production Organiser : Sri B. Sudhakar,
Director, Govt. Textbook Press, Hyderabad.
Organising Incharge : Dr. N. Upender Reddy
Prof. & Head, Curriculum and Textbook Department,
SCERT, A.P., Hyderabad.

Asst. Organising Incharge : Sri K. Yadagiri

Lecturer, C&T Dept., SCERT, A.P., Hyderabad.

Published by:

The Government of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati

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 © Government of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati.

First Published 2012

New Impressions - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of
the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than
that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition
being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The copyright holder of this book is the Director of School Education, Amaravati,
Andhra Pradesh.

This book has been printed on 70 G.S.M. SS Maplitho

Title Page 200 G.S.M. White Art Card

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Printed in India
at the Andhra Pradesh Government Textbook Press,
Andhra Pradesh.

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ii
 Textbook Development Committee
English Class VI
Members
Dr. P. Dinakar, SA, ZPSS, Venkatapur (Kalan), Warangal Dist.
Sri K. Daniel Prabhakar, SA, ZPHS, Markapuram, Prakasam Dist.
Sri B. Manikya Sastry, SA, GHS, Mynampadu, Prakasam Dist.
Dr. M. Manjusha, Lecturer, IASE, Masab Tank, Hyderabad.
Sri YGK. Murthy, Staff Tutor, ELTC, DIET, Khammam Dist.
Sri S. Satyanarayana, SA, ZPSS, Manchu Konda, Khammam Dist.
Sri G. Sreenivasa Rao, Tutor, DCE, Krishna Dist.
Smt N. Sri Devi, Chief Tutor, DCE, Visakhapatnam Dist.
Sri K. Srinivasa Rao, SA, ZPSS, Thallada, Khammam Dist.
Sri M. Venkateswarlu, SA, GHS, Narendra Nagar, Warangal Dist
Sri K. Ramesh Rao, SA, GHS, Huzurabad, Karimnagar Dist.

Academic Coordinators
Sri K.Venkata Rama Rayudu, HM, ZPPHS Patha Tungapadu, East Godavari District
Dr. A. Ramakrishna Rao, Officer in-charge, ELTC, DIET, East Godavari Dist.

Chief Coordinator
Dr. P. Jani Reddy, Lecturer, DIET, Vikarabad, Ranga Reddy Dist.

Academic Advisors
Dr. Jayasheelan, Rtd. Professor, E.F.L.U., Hyderabad
Dr. D. Kanakadurga, Rtd. Professor, Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Smt Adithi Majumder, Faculty Assistant, Vidya Bhawan Education Resource Centre, Udaipur

Editors
Dr. A. L. Khanna, ELT Consultant, Formerly Asst. Professor , University of Delhi
Dr. K. N. Anandan, Linguist & ELT. Expert from Kerala

Chief Editor
Dr. Rama Kant Agnihotri, Rtd. Professor, University of Delhi

Illustrators
Sri Ch. Venkata Ramana, SGT, PS. Veeryanaik Thanda, Nalgonda Dist.
Sri Narasimhulu, SA, UPS, Burgupally, Rangareddy Dist.

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 Preface
The State Council of Educational Research and Training has developed the State
Curriculum Framework - 2011 and Position Papers in tune with the National Curriculum
Framework - 2005 and the Right to Education Act - 2009. Accordingly a new set of textbooks
have been designed to be introduced in a phased manner. In the year 2012-13, the first of this
series of textbooks have been developed for classes I, II, III, VI, and VII. Practicing teachers
have been involved in the production of the books along with the state level and national level
experts.
Hitherto, English was introduced in Non-English Medium Schools in class III. The
Government of Andhra Pradesh introduced English for the first time in class - I in 2011-12 in all
Non-English Medium Schools also. This year, i.e., 2012-13, English is being introduced in class
II in all Non-English Medium Schools. With this, all classes from I to X will have English as one
of the subjects, irrespective of the medium of instruction. Therefore, in order to have parity
among students of English and non- English medium students, a common English Textbook is
introduced in all media from June 2012. Moreover, since IT enabled learning, multilingualism,
and language across the curriculum would greatly enhance the child's learning, it would not be a
problem for the non- English medium child to learn English as effectively as the child in English
medium does. This single textbook norm is already in practice in many states including
Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Kerala. Further, students of all media have a common English Textbook
at Intermediate level in our state.
This textbook, “Our World through English” class VI, is an integrated one in the sense
it has the Main Reader component, the Supplementary Reader component and the Workbook
component interwoven into a single textbook. Hence, these components are found in each and
every unit. The language skills like listening, speaking, reading, and writing are integrated in the
larger context of the themes as suggested in the NCF - 2005. The activities are so designed as to
ensure the holistic treatment of language.
The main aim of teaching English is to help learners evolve themselves as independent
users of English. I hope this textbook will help teachers and students achieve this by making the
teaching-learning process effective.
I thank all the institutions and experts at the state and national level, the members of the
textbook Production and Development Committees, the staff members of the SCERT, AP,
Hyderabad and all others who have contributed directly or indirectly for the successful production
of this textbook.
Any suggestions for the improvement of this book are welcome.

29-02-2012 Smt. B.Seshu Kumari

Hyderabad Director, SCERT, A.P, Hyderabad

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 CONTENTS
Unit Contents Syllabus Page
Coverage No.

1. A Reading Peace and Harmony

B. Reading (Poem) I Want Peace June-July 1-15
Extensive Reading Grand Contest in the Forest

2. A. Reading The Lost Casket

B. Reading (Poem) In the Bazaars of Hyderabad Aug-Sept 16-29
C. Reading Tyagaraja, the Immortal Musician

3. A. Reading What Can a Dollar and Eleven Cents Do?

B.Reding (Poem) A Nation’s Strength Oct-Nov 30-46
C. Reading Wilma Rudolph

4. A. Reading An Adventure
B. Reading (Poem) The Naughty Boy Dec-Jan 47-59
C. Reading Robinson Crusoe

5. A. Reading Plant a Tree

B. Reading (Poem) If a Tree Could Talk Feb 60-78
C. Reading Children, Speak Up!

6. A. Reading P.T.Usha, the Golden Girl

B. Reading (Poem) Indian Cricket Team Mar 79-96
C. Reading Ranji’s Wonderful Bat

APPENDIXES

Appendix-I Texts for Listening 97-101

Appendix-II A Note to the Teacher 102-112

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 Acknowledgements

The State Council of Educational Research and Training, Andhra Pradesh

is most grateful to the following for their valuable contributions in the
development of this book - Professor R.K.Agnihotri, Dr.A.L.Khanna, and Dr.
K.N.Anandan.

The Council also thanks the following authors, copyright holders for
permission to use stories, articles and poems included in this book.

‘Plant a Tree’ from English – 400 developed by The English and Foreign
Languages University, Hyderabad; Peace and Harmony, Grand Contest in the
Forest from The Hindu (Young World).

It has not been possible to trace the copyright in all the cases. The
publishers apologise for any omissions and would be glad to hear from any
such unacknowledged copyright holders.

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vi
OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM

- Rabindranath Tagore

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Vanga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage,
Tava shubha aasisha mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

PLEDGE
“India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I love my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders respect,
and treat everyone with courtesy. I shall be kind to animals
To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.
In their well-being and prosperity alone lies my happiness.”

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Note to the students
Dear Student,
• As you all know, your English textbook is student-friendly and interactive in nature.
• The new teaching methods and the activities given in the textbook demand your
active participation.
• The questions the teacher asks at various stages of learning may have more than one
answer;
• you are expected to express your ideas and thoughts freely.
What you have to do
• You learn most of the things through interactions, discussions and sharing; better
learning takes place when you participate in them actively.
• Try to understand the main ideas by guessing the meaning of words and sentences.
You may use the glossary given at the end of the text or use a dictionary.
• Try to identify the features of the text (such as story, essay, poem, etc.) you are
reading and share them with your classmates.
• While working in groups, take turns to share what you could understand, what you
could not understand and the parts you liked the most.
• Think critically (offer multiple points of view) to answer the questions the teacher
asks you.
• Your teacher will give you a possible writing task (conversation, description,
narrative, etc.) after reading a part of the text. Brainstorm the task in the whole class
and then attempt it individually and present it before the group /class.
• After getting further inputs/feedback from your teacher / group, work individually
to improve your writing. Share your writing with your group to refine it.
• The project work and study skills are as important as the other components in a
unit.
• Most of the examination will be text independent. You will get unseen texts to
answer writing tasks relating to language.
• At the end of each unit you will find a page meant for self assessment. You are
expected to read the statements and respond to them.
• Since most of the examination will be text independent, the guides and question
banks may not be of much use to you for your examinations.
• You can improve your language by interacting in English with your friends and
teachers and by reading stories, newspapers, etc. and by listening to and watching,
English programmes on TV.
• If you are not able to express your ideas in English, you can share them in your
mother tongue. Later, collectively decide how to say it in English.
Wish you happy learning!

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 1 Peace and Harmony

Look at the picture and discuss the questions that follow:

1. What does this picture tell you about the animals?

2. Are they happy or unhappy? How do you know?

A. Reading
Read the following story and answer the questions that follow:
Once upon a time, in a very thick forest there lived many animals, birds, snakes and
insects. They all lived together happily. They roamed about the jungle, and played together
in the open fields without any fear. The peacocks were very proud of their dances but admired
the melodious songs of the cuckoos. The elephants enjoyed watching the fish swimming in
the pool. The pythons which were blessed with long bodies, spoke well of the fine fur of
the flat-footed rabbits. The tiny ants, which were always busy, tickled the dark buffaloes.

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 They often held musical evenings in a large open field. The elephant and the deer
danced. The mynahs and the parrots sang. The tiger and the bear exhibited gymnastics. They
called the moon and his friends, the stars, to be the guests of honour at their musical evenings.
One day a jackal entered the forest. He was dirty, dangerous, and very cunning too. He
told the elephants, “You are the biggest animals in the forest. Why do you want to play with
the squirrels and the rabbits?” He poisoned the minds of the peacocks saying, “You are the
loveliest birds in the forest. Why do you want to praise the mynahs?” The jackal then
approached the deer and whispered that the tiger was waiting for a chance to kill them.

Gradually, all the animals began suspecting one another. Earlier they had lived together,
slept together and roamed around the forest together. Now they started to put up boundaries
and build fences around their properties. They moved about individually or with their own
group.
Now it was easy for the jackal to hunt the smaller animals and the birds. And when the
smaller ones cried out for help, no one came to help them. One by one, the little ones
disappeared. The forest slept as the animals were afraid. There were no more musical
evenings. The moon was sad. He cried.
The moon thought for a while and decided to come down among the animals and the
birds as a sadhu. As soon as the sadhu appeared in the forest, the animals and the birds
approached him to narrate their tales of woe. They cried, sobbed and blamed each other for
disturbing the peace in the forest. And the sadhu listened to them.

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 The sadhu brought together the lions and the rabbits for a common meal. He visited
the python and the viper, and had a long chat with them. He advised the eagle not to attack
the little chicks that had lost their mother. The sadhu accompanied the tiger and the wild
bear to the nearest market. He played with the bulbul, the owl and the monkeys.
But the jackal was very angry with what the sadhu was doing. He did not want the
animals to live in peace and harmony. So he was waiting for an opportunity to attack the
sadhu.
One day, the animals, insects and birds held an emergency meeting and they
unanimously decided to approach the sadhu and pleaded with him to kill the jackal. The
sadhu said, “I will not kill the jackal but will help you in a different way.”
When the sun went to sleep, the jackal came to the house of the hens to take a few of
them for his supper. The sadhu, who had been lodging nearby, came out of the house and
spoke to the jackal. “Take me today for your meal.”
The jackal who had been waiting for this opportunity, dragged the sadhu and ran into
the jungle. He took the sadhu to a lonely place, tore him into pieces and ate him up. The
animals were very sad, angry and disappointed with what had happened to the sadhu. They
were afraid that the hungry jackal would appear again the next day. Then they heard a strange
noise. All of them ran in that direction. What they saw surprised them. They saw the stomach
of the jackal growing bigger and bigger. It continued to bloat until it burst. Then they heard
a soft voice: “May my animals, birds and insects live in peace and harmony! May there be
no fences around you! May you sing and dance once again! Remember me and be not afraid.”
When they looked up at the sky, they saw the moon shining brilliantly, spreading
milky brightness over the earth. The animals once again started to roam, sing, and sleep in
peace. They broke down the fences which they had built. They invited the moon and the
stars for their cultural evenings.

Glossary\

gymnastics (n) : physical exercises

property (n) : objects or things owned by somebody
woe (n) : extreme sadness
harmony (n) : a state of living together peacefully
unanimously (adv) : unitedly
bloat (v) : become bigger and bigger (swell unpleasantly)

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How well did I read?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the passage.
I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. How were the animals before the jackal joined them? Pick out the words which
describe their mood.
2. What happened to the animals after the jackal came to the forest?
3. What was the jackal’s plan? How did it succeed?
4. What did the animals do to check the jackal’s evil design?
5. How was the moon disguised? Why did he choose that form?
*6. Why did the sadhu ask the jackal to take him for his meal? Would you do the
same if you were in his place?
7. What did the sadhu teach the animals in the forest?
*8. Do you think the sadhu sacrificed his life for the sake of animals in the forest?
Give reasons for your answer.
II. Read the following paragraph and analyse it in terms of cause and effect /
consequence. One has been done for you.
The animals in the forest were friendly, so the jackal could not eat any animal. The
jackal then thought of a plan and implemented it. The animals started suspecting each other
as the jackal’s plan worked. The life in the forest became dull because there were no
musical evenings. All the animals requested the sadhu for help, so he talked to the animals
and the birds and solved their problem. However, the sadhu didn’t want to kill the jackal,
but preferred to teach a lesson to it.

Cause Consequence
All the animals in the forest were friendly. The jackal couldn’t eat any animal.

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III. Rearrange the following sentences in the order of their occurrence in the story.
Then rewrite them into a meaningful coherent paragraph using appropriate
linkers.
1. The animals and the birds requested the moon to help them.
2. The moon came in the form of a sadhu.
3. The jackal created an unfriendly atmosphere.
4. The peace and harmony in the forest was disturbed.
5. The jackal entered the forest.
6. The peace and harmony in the forest was restored.
7. The jackal did not like this, so it killed the sadhu.
8. The sadhu talked to everyone in the forest and tried to restore peace.
9. They often held musical evenings.
10. The animals and the birds began suspecting each other.
11. The animals and the birds were living happily together.
12. The stomach of the jackal bloated and then burst.
Here is the first sentence: The animals and the birds were living happily together.

Vocabulary
I. Read the following sentences from the story:
They heard a soft voice.
He was dirty and dangerous.
It was easy for the jackal to hunt the smaller animals and birds.
The jackal told the elephant, “You are the biggest animal in the forest.”
He said to the peacock, “You are the loveliest bird in the forest.”
The underlined words are called Adjectives.
1. They come either before or after a noun ( a tall boy )
2. They take intensifiers like very, quite (a very tall boy)
They have degrees of comparison - Positive, Comparative and Superlative.
Here are the three forms of some adjectives.
Positive Comparative Superlative
dark darker darkest
small smaller smallest
near nearer nearest
big bigger biggest
lovely lovelier loveliest
dirty dirtier dirtiest
melodious more melodious most melodious

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 Read the following paragraph carefully, underline all adjectives and write
the other degrees of comparison for them.
Yesterday we went for a picnic to Nehru Zoological Park which is one of the biggest
zoos in the country. The climate was cool and pleasant. We saw many animals, birds, reptiles
etc. We also saw a very large elephant. After that, we saw a tall giraffe with a long neck.
There were also some small birds which sang sweet songs. There was a beautiful peacock
which danced majestically. We went very close to the brown cobra. We felt very happy. We
reached home late in the evening

II. Read the following words. Each pair has one word and the other word is its
opposite in meaning:

big X small near X far

dark X light open X close
happy X unhappy start X stop
large X small thick X thin
live X die appear X disappear
long X short common X uncommon

Now fill in the blanks in the sentences given below with the word opposite in
meaning to the one in bold letters.
1. The elephant’s eyes are small but its body is ————————————
2. The animals were happy in the beginning. After the jackal entered the forest,
they became ————————
3. The giraffe’s neck is very long but its tail is —————————
4. Mangoes are sweet but lemons are ——————————————
5. The coconut is a tall tree but the guava is a ——————— tree.

III. The following pairs of words are similar in meaning. Pick out such pairs
from the story you have just read.
animals – creatures small – tiny
build – construct talk – speak
large – big, huge

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Grammar
I. Read the following sentences.
The elephant is bigger than the donkey.
The donkey is not so big as the elephant.
In the above sentences the elephant and the donkey are compared with respect to
their size. The words “big” and “bigger” are adjectives that are used to compare their
size.
Here is some information about a group of pupils in 6th class.
Name of the Student Age in Years Height in Ft. Weight in Kgs.
Harini 11 4.9 27
Seshagiri 12 5.1 30
Akhila 12 4.8 28
Bhaskar Raju 10 4.5 24
Siddu 13 5.3 35
Rajesh 11 5.1 28
Raghava 12 4.9 28
Vamsi 13 4.5 27
Manoj 12 5.1 30
Gopi 10 4.5 25

Now make 20 sentences comparing the ages, heights and weights of the students
as shown in the examples given below:
Harini is as tall as Raghava.
Harini is not so heavy as Raghava.
Harini is older than Gopi.
Siddu is the heaviest boy in the group.
II. Look at the following sentences paying special attention to the underlined
words.
The tiny ants, which were always busy, tickled the dark buffaloes.
They often held musical evenings in a large open field.
The underlined words are adverbs, which tell us how often something happens.
They are called adverbs of frequency.

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 Read the following passage and underline the adverbs of frequency.
Sekhar is a busy taxi driver. He never finds time to read books. He often takes food
outside. He reaches home early in the evening. But he seldom goes to bed early. So, his
children always ask him for a bed time story. Sometimes he takes his children for picnics
and buys toys and gifts.
Look at the conversation between two friends, Murthy and Krishna. Fill in the
blanks with always, never, often, seldom, sometimes.
Murthy : Do you like to watch films?
Krishna : Yes, very much. I —————— watch films, a film a day. How about
you?
Murthy : I like films too. But I ——————watch films, not always.
Krishna : How ——————— do you watch films?
Murthy : Once or twice a month.
Krishna : Oh, that’s fine. Have you watched Sri Ramarajyam?
Murthy : No, I haven’t. I’ll watch it next month. How ________does your
wife watch films?
Krishna : She ______ watches films. She watched one 10 years ago.

Writing
I. Here is an invitation card from the animals about a musical programme in the
forest. Read it carefully.


Invitation - Musical Programme

Venue : Greenwood Forest
Date & Time:
Guests of honour : 1) Moon 2) Stars 9th Aug. 6 pm onwards
Welcome Address : Peacock
Cultural Programmes
1. Dance : Made for Each Other by Elephant and Deer
2. Song : Victory over the Jackal by Parrots and Mynahs
3. Gymnastics show : Health Tips for All Animals by Tiger and Deer
4. Skit : Fine Fur of Rabbit by Cuckoo and friends
5. Vote of thanks : Wild Buffalo
All are welcome.
- By Animals of the Forest


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 Suppose you are planning to conduct a cultural programme in your school on
the occasion of your School Anniversary. Design an invitation card. You may use the
model given above.

How well did I write?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The ideas were arranged in proper sequence.
I used proper punctuation marks.

How well did I edit my work?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words.
I corrected the punctuation errors.
I added new words wherever necessary.
I corrected the misspelt words.
II. Read below how Peacock, the organizer, compered the whole programme in
the Greenwood Forest.
Dear Mr Moon, Stars and dear Friends,
I welcome you all to the Peace and Harmony Programme organised in the Green
wood Forest. As you’re aware, we have with us Mr Moon and Stars as our guests of honour.
On behalf of our animal kingdom, and on my behalf, I thank them for sparing some of their
valuable time for us. I’d request Mr Moon to say a few words on this occasion.
(Mr Moon says a few words)
Mr Moon sir,...............
Thank you sir, for saying very kind words for us.
Now I will begin our cultural programme with a dance item called “Made for Each
Other”. This will be presented by Elephant and Deer.
(Dance item by Elephant and Deer)
I’m sure you have liked the item. The next item in our programme is a song called
“Victory over the Jackal.” This will be sung by Parrots and Mynahs.
(A song by Parrots and Mynahs)

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 How was the song? Did you like it? Now you will see the gymnastic show called
‘Health Tips for All Animals’. This will be presented by Tiger and Deer.
(Gymnastic show by Tiger and Deer)
I am sure you have enjoyed the show. Now you will see a skit called ‘Fine Fur of
Rabbit’. It will be presented by Cuckoo and Friends.
(Skit by Cuckoo and friends)
Now I invite the Wild Buffalo, the President of the animal kingdom to propose a vote
of thanks.
(Vote of thanks by Wild Buffalo)
Finally, I invite you all to have a mouthful of juice before you leave.
III. Imagine that you are the cultural Secretary of your school. You have been asked
to compere the programme on the school Anniversary day. Prepare your script
and then give a mock performance before your group.

Study Skills

Read the following Table of Contents of a book:

Unit No Lesson Page No.
Unit 1 : Dolphins 1
Unit 2 : Olympic Games 9
The Swing (Poem)
Unit 3 : Hovercrafts 19
Unit 4 : Vikram Sarabhai 24
Trees( Poem)
Unit 5 : Fossils 32
Unit 6 : Crocodiles 38
Four Chairs (poem)
Unit 7 : Kites 47
Unit 8 : Habits 52
Mosquito (poem)
Unit 9 : Fingerprints 62
Unit 10 : An Act of Bravery 68
I Wonder (Poem)

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Fill in the blanks with the information in the Table of Contents given above.
1. “Fossils” is found on page ___________
2. If you want to know about crocodiles you must turn to page ________________
3. “Mosquito” is found in Unit __________
4. The Unit 7: “Kites” is found from page _________ to _________
5. Unit 4 talks about ______________

Listening and Speaking

Listen to the story “The Friendly Mongoose” and answer the following
questions:

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 *1. Which character do you like the most in the story and why?
2. Do you think the mongoose would have bitten the child?
*3. Is the woman right in killing the mongoose? What would you have done?
4. Why did the husband go to fields leaving the child to the mongoose?
5. Why do you think the mongoose killed the snake?
6. Suggest one word that describes the character of the mongoose in the story?
*7. Is it a good idea to have a mongoose as a pet? Give reasons.

Poem
Read the poem.
I Want Peace

I am big and round,

I wonder if there will be peace,
I hear the sound of people who are being killed,
I see the people crying for life,
I want to help the poor people.

I am big and round,

I feel the weight of sorrow on me,
I touch the feelings of the people,
I worry about the future of the people on me,
I cry for help from God.

I am big and round,

I understand the problems of the people on me,
I say grace for all people,
I dream about my past,
I try to handle my sorrow,
I hope I won’t be destroyed,
I am big and round.

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How well did I read the poem?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the poem.
I got the idea of the poem on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the poem.
I used the glossary given at the end of the poem.

Answer the following questions:

1. What does the earth wish to have and why?
2. “I am big and round”. What do you think is suggested by the repetition of this
line?
*3. Was the earth happy or sorrowful? Give reasons for your opinion.

Project
Work in groups and collect information on the following.
- different types of forests,
- the ways in which forests constitute our life line
* Discuss what would happen to life on earth if the forests disappeared.

C. Reading

Grand Contest in the Forest

( The animals, birds and trees were excited. They began to prepare for the Great Day
when they would give their best to the Great One except the little grey squirrel.)

There was excitement in the air. There was going to be a grand contest. Everyone
should show something special, and the best one would be praised by the Lords of Fire,
Wind, Water, and Sun...The animals and trees began preparations.
“I’ll shine like sparkling sun-shine,” said the laburnum. “My flowers will look like
golden raindrops.”
The gulmohar said, “I’ll dress myself so that I look like the early morning sun -
golden-red, spreading radiance.”
“I’ll offer the best honey I can find,” shouted the bear.

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 The elephant said, “I’ll get the best fruit, so fresh it would still be on the branches...
And lay them at her feet.”
Everyone had something beautiful or wonderful to offer on the great day.
Everyone, except a little grey squirrel, who talked sadly to himself, “What does a
little grey squirrel with black stripes have to offer?”
The palash said, “The forest will be ablaze with my beauty. Though late, I’ll save some
flowers.”
“And though early, I’ll make some flowers bloom,” snapped the gulmohar.
The beautiful trees and creatures had started competing and fighting.
“My mangoes are ready,” announced the mango tree.
The peacock said, “Emeralds and turquoises are my feathers.”
The lark trilled, “I’ll sing a song, beautiful and moving...”
The dove cooed, saying the Great One would love her soft notes.
Gifts and beauty abound, thought the squirrel in despair. He thought and thought. “But
I will do what I can do best,” he decided. He found hollow branches and filled them with as
many nuts and seeds of different trees as he could find.

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 The next day everyone was
ready. The Great One came. The
air became soft and balmy. The
streams tinkled as they tumbled
over little rocks.
“Great One, here is my
gift,” said each, laying gifts at her
feet. After everyone had given
their gifts, the Great One looked
at the little grey squirrel, and
asked “Little one, why are you
quiet”?
“I have nothing grand to offer you. I don’t glow or sing, but what I have I give with my
heart,” and he scampered away. He returned, dragging his dry branches. The Great One
looked grave.
“I see beauty in form and sound...” all waited holding their breath. “But the prize
goes to the grey squirrel, for I can use the seeds and sow them; new life will burst forth...trees
will bear more fruit. It is a gift not only for today but also for all our tomorrows.”

The creatures then marvelled saying, “How foolish we were to think only of the
present. Three cheers for the little squirrel!” Gl

Glossary

laburnum (n) : a small tree with groups of yellow flowers hanging down
palash (n) : a tree with red flowers, supposed to be sacred
turquoise (adj): a bluish green colour

Answer the following questions:

1. “There was excitement in the air.” Why?
2. Who will sing a song?
3. How was the squirrel? Why?
4. Who was the winner of the contest?
5. Why did the Great One give prize to the squirrel?
*6 If you were the judge, who would get the prize? Why?
Give reasons for your answer.

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 2 The Lost Casket

Look at the pictures and discuss the questions that follow:

Akbar Shah Jahan Shivaji

1. What do you know about the persons in the pictures?
2. One of the above was a brave Maratha king, also known as Chatrapathi. Can you
name him?
3. There are many stories about his acts of bravery and generosity. Talk about
one of them.

A. Reading
Read the following story and answer the questions that follow:
Shivaji once attacked the city of Surat, which was under the Mughals then. The En-
glishmen who lived in Surat ran away for safety. Though they escaped, their belongings
were taken away by the soldiers of Shivaji to Raigarh, the capitalof Shivaji’s kingdom.
The attack shook two English men, Adam Smith and his nephew John. Adam Smith
was particularly upset because he had lost a small gold casket. the casket contained a
beautiful picture of his dead wife, decorated with rubies and diamonds.
John wanted to recover the casket. He decided to go into the Maratha country se-
cretly.
Many days later, He overtook a train of bullock carts carrying all the spoils of war to
Raigarh. The soldiers of Shivaji caaught John and took him as a prisoner.
At the durbar, the spoils of Surat had been spread out. A rich carpet was piled high
with gold, silver, diamonds, rubies and emeralds.

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 The gold casket of Adam Smith was also there along with the other looted things.
Now, John saw Shivaji for the first time. He hoped to have a private talk with the king.
Luckily for him, Shivaji was curious about the Englishman in his court.
“What brings you to Raigarh?’’ asked Shivaji. John told him the whole story. Shivaji
listened. He explained that everything was now the property of our kingdom and it was
noot good to give away the casket because it was the property of the people of our king-
dom. He added that he was freeing John but that he would have to leave Raigarh within
three days. He gave permission to John to stay in his fort for three days.
The next evening, John went to a lonely part of the fort, which overlooked the sur-
rounding country. After watching the sunset, he turned to go back. Ahead of him, he saw a
single Maratha soldier walking, head down, as if he were lost in thought. The next minute,
John realised with shock that the soldier was being followed by three men! All at once the
three men drew their swords and rushed upon the lonely soldier. But the soldier with
remarkable swiftness threw off his heavy shawl. He drew his sword and ran to a narrow

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passage between two blocks of stone. In that position, he was waiting for the three men
who tried to attack him.
John had no weapon except a walking stick, but he hit the last attacker with it and
knocked him to the ground. The next man attacked John and thrust his sword under his arm,
but it only cut his thick overcoat. As he withdrew the sword, John fell upon him. He used
all his strength, threw him down and pinned him to the ground. He then turned to the re-
maining two men.
To his surprise, he found that the lone Maratha soldier was none other than the great
Shivaji himself. Though his enemies were taller and stronger, Shivaji managed this by the
quickness of his movements and his wonderful skill with his sword, called Bhawani. It
flashed like lightning and he soon drove it through the heart of the attacker.
Shivaji turned to John who rose to his feet to greet him. The man beneath John took
advantage of this and attacked Shivaji. But Shivaji caught and threw him over the parapet.
The attacket fell over the parapet to the rocks below and died.

A smile lit up Shivaji’s face as he looked at John. “ You have helped me today. Ask me
for what you like totake. I cannot refuse to one who has helped me and the Maratha people.”

At the durbar next morning, the casket was waiting for John. Shivaji also gave him a
necklace of precious pearls, and arranged to send him back to Surat.

Glossary

casket (n): a small, decorated box for keeping jewellery and valuables
spoils (n): the benefits that someone gets when they win something, for
example a war.
loot (v): take by force after fight / war
parapet (n): a small supporting wall on the roof
I. Answer the following questions:
1. Why was Adam Smith so possessive about the casket?
2. How did John reach Shivaji’s durbar?
3. Why did John wish to have a private audience with the king?
4. Why do you think Shivaji disguised himself as a soldier?
5. What did John do to save the soldier?
6. What surprised John in the fight?
* 7. What would have happened, if John had not saved Shivaji?

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 * 8. Do you agree that John was as brave as Shivaji? Justify your answer.
9. How did Shivaji repay John?
10. Which line in the last paragraph tells us about Shivaji’s generosity?
*11. What qualities of Shivaji impress you / inspire you most?
*12. If you were John, would you save Shivaji? Justify your answer.

II. Say whether the following statements are True or False. Correct the false state-
ments.

1. Surat was under the control of Englishmen at the time of Shivaji’s attack.
2. The casket was one among the spoils of Surat displayed at the durbar.
3. Shivaji agreed to give back the casket when he listened to the whole story in the
durbar.
4. John did not know before the fight that the lone soldier was Shivaji.
5. Adam Smith was not worried about the loss of the small casket.
6. John attacked Shivaji to kill him.
7. Shivaji was pleased with the nature of John.

III. Rearrange the following sentences in the order as they occur in the text.

1. One evening when a Maratha soldier was walking in the fort, three men attacked
him violently.
2. At the end, the casket was returned to John.
3. Shivaji expressed his gratitude to John by presenting him a precious necklace.
4. John was shocked to know that the Maratha soldier was none other than Shivaji.
5. Shivaji killed the assassin with his sword, the Bhawani.
6. Shivaji refused to give away the casket to John because it belonged to his people.
7. When Shivaji attacked the city of Surat, the Englishmen fled for safety.

Vocabulary

I. Look at the following words.

quickness swiftness
The above words are nouns, but they are formed when the suffix “-ness” is added to
the adjectives “quick” and “swift.”

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Read the passage again, pick out adjectives, and see if they take the suffix ‘-ness’ to
form nouns. Check your work using a dictionary. Then write them in your note-
book.

Grammar

Read the following passage. Observe the underlined words.

It was the New Year’s Day. It was celebrated by people all over the world. Sushma
wanted to buy a bunch of flowers for her teacher. She rushed to the florist. But there was a
huge crowd. With great difficulty, she bought one and quickly reached her school. When
she entered the class, there were already a heap of greetings and bouquets on the teacher’s
table. But the teacher accepted Sushma’s flowers as if they were special. Then she
distributed a packet of sweets to all the children. It was a wonderful day for them.
The above underlined words refer to a group of people or things. Such words are
called “collective nouns”.

I. Write sentences of your own using these collective nouns.

army group herd pile fleet flock bunch

II. Look at the words “secretly”, “luckily”, and “savagely”. They are formed by
adding the suffix “-ly” to the adjectives “secret”, “lucky” and “savage”. They
are adverbs of manner. They tell us how an action happens.
Read the following passage about Rohini and circle the adverbs of manner.
Then pick out the verbs of action that the adverbs refer to.
Rohini was seriously preparing for the state level dance competition at Ravindra
Bharathi. I went along with her mother to see the programme . We were comfortably seated
in the first row of the auditorium. She appeared to be an angel on the stage, and danced
wonderfully. We watched the programme enthusiastically. Though Rohini performed
excellently, her mother was nervous as she waited for the announcement of the winner.
After all the participants had finished, the judges took the stage. The results were
announced. Unfortunately, Rohini missed the first prize. However, she accepted the second
prize, a cheque for Rs.50,000, with tears in her eyes. She voluntarily donated the sum to an
orphanage. The audience stood up and loudly applauded her saying “Rohini, you are really
generous.’

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III. Fill in the blanks in the following conversation between Rohit and his father.
Change the words in brackets into adverbs.

Father : Your exams are approaching. Are you studying ______________? (serious)
Rohit : Yes dad, I’m studying all the subjects_____________.(careful)
Father : Last time you failed in Maths. Are you working__________(thorough) on the
exercises?
Rohit : I’ve revised them several times. Now I can do them __________(confident)
Father : I hope you’ll do the exam_____________. (excellent)
Rohit : Sure, dad.

Writing
*I. Write a paragraph on John focussing on his character.
Also, talk about the reversal in the attitude of John and Shivaji about each
other.

II. Given below is a brief biographical sketch of Shivaji.

Shivaji was born in Shivneri on 10th April, 1627 to Jijabai and Shahaji
Bhosle. His father Shahaji was a nobleman in the royal court of Bijapur.
Shivaji was named so after Lord Shiva of the Hindu mythology as his mother
was an ardent Hindu devotee. Since childhood, Shivaji was brave and never
feared anything. There were many instances in his childhood that showed he
was a born ruler. At the young age of fourteen, he had the dream of building
his kingdom. At the age of 20, he took out his very first military attack and
captured the Torna Fort of the kingdom of Bijapur.
After that, there was no stopping for him and he had a series of triumphs.
Shivaji was known for his protective and fatherly attitude towards his citizens.
He is remembered till date as a hero who worked for the welfare of his
subjects and state. Shivaji breathed his last in 1680 after suffering from fever
for three whole weeks.

Based on the information given above and the information you already have, write a
brief speech about Shivaji, which you are to deliver on the occasion of naming one of
the Houses in the school as “Shivaji House.” You may begin like this:
Dear friends,
It’s a matter of great pride and pleasure for me to talk about Shivaji, a brave Maratha
king, also known as Chatrapathi.
Shivaji was a born ruler. …………………..................................

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How well did I write?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The ideas were arranged in proper sequence.
I used proper punctuation marks.

How well did I edit my work?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words.
I corrected the punctuation errors.
I added new words wherever necessary.
I corrected the misspelt words.

Study Skills

Study the following results.

Notice Board
Z.P. High School, Ponnaluru, Prakasam Dist. (A.P)
Percentage of marks of students in S.S.C. Examination in 2011.

Girls Percentage Boys Percentage

Swathi 86 Abhilash 85.6

Swetha 82 Farooq 85
Naga Rani 78 Sai Krishna 79.6
Hemalatha 69 Bhanu Prasad 67.6
Mamatha 68 Uday Kumar 76
Sruthi Geetha 68 Vinod Kumar 76.8
Manjula 67.6 Masanna 71

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 Answer the following questions:
1. Name the school topper.
2. Which two students scored equal percentage?
3. Who got the lowest percentage?
4. How many have scored eighty percent and above?
5. Comment on the overall performance of the students.
6. Who performed well, boys or girls? Support your answer.

Listening and Speaking

Your teacher will tell you an interesting story about a great person “Charaka.”
Listen carefully and do the following exercises.

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I. Fill in the blanks after your teacher has finished reading the story.

1. Prevention is better than ____________________.

2. Charaka presented the concept of digestion ____________ and immunity.

3. Charaka ___________ the anatomy of human body.

4. Charaka gave the number of ___________ present in the human body including
____________.

5. Charakasamhita is a great contribution in the field of ____________.

6. Charaka said that the heart is the controlling _____________.

7. The two ancient physicians who guided Charaka were ________ and ________.

II. Tick  the correct answer.

1. A physician should have...

a) impatience. c) arrogance.
b) sense. d) patience.

2. The first person to find out the cause of human sickness was...
a) Susruta. c) Charaka.
b) Dharmapada. d) Charakasamhita.

3. Charaka was a great...

a) surgeon. c) philosopher.
b) physician. d) translator.

4. Charakasamhita was written...

a) nearly twenty years ago. c) nearly twenty decades ago.
b) nearly twenty centuries ago. d) nearly twenty five years ago.

III. Group work

Have you ever been to a historic place? Talk about it in your group. Describe the
things that you liked / disliked.

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B. Reading
Read the following poem.
In the Bazaars of Hyderabad
What do you sell, O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirror with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.
What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna, and spice.
What do you call,, O ye peddlers?
Chessman and ivory dice.
What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlets and anklets and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons
Frail as a dragonfly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.
What do you cry, O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
What do you play, O ye magicians?
Spells for aeons to come.
What do you weave, O ye flowergirls
With tassels of azure and red?
Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom,
Chaplets to garland his bed,
Sheets of white blossoms new-garnered
To perfume the sleep of the dead.
- Sarojini Naidu

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Glossary
O ye: a meaning “you” used in the past especially to address more than
one person
wares (n): goods that someone sells in a market or on the street
brocade (n): expensive thick cloth with a pattern woven into it
amber (n): a hard yellow-brown substance used for making jewellery
jade (n): a precious stone used for making jewellery and art objects
vendor (s): someone who sells something
peddler (s): someone who goes from one place to another selling things
ivory (n): the yellowish white bone that an elephant’s tusk is made of
dice (n): a small block with six sides marked with spots
frail (v): thin and delicate
scabbards (n): a cover for the blade of a sword or dagger
aeon (s): an extremely long period of time
tassels (n): a group of strings tied together at one end and fastened to clothing
or objects for decoration
azure (n): bright blue
chaplets (n): a circle of flowers and leaves that you wear on your head

How well did I read?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the poem.
I got the idea of the poem on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the poem.
I used the glossary given at the end of the poem.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the poet talking about in the first stanza?

2. What is that you like most about the poem?
3. Which words or images describe the grandeur of the market?
4. What impression do you form about the market?
5. *When you happen to visit the bazaars of Hyderabad, what things in the poem
come to your mind?

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 Project

Collect details about some historical persons like Srikrishna Devaraya, Harsha,
Ashoka and Akbar and write a biographical sketch. Display it on the wall
magazine or publish it in the school magazine. Talk about the significance of
their rule.

C. Reading

Read this biographical sketch of a famous musician.

Tyagaraja, the Immortal Musician

Tyagaraja was a gifted musician. He was
also a great composer of songs. He composed as
many as seven hundred songs in Telugu. There
were three great composers in Carnatic music.
They were Tyagaraja, Shyama Sastri and
Muthuswami Dikshitar. Among them Tyagaraja
was the greatest and most famous. Tyagaraja was
also a great saint. He was a great devotee of Lord
Rama, whom he worshipped in his house every day.
He even had “darshan” of the Lord, people say.
Tyagaraja was born at Tiruvarur in Tanjavur
District of Tamil Nadu on May 4, 1767. He was
the third child of his parents, Ramabrahmam and
Sitamma. They spoke Telugu at home. Tyagaraja
had an elder brother named Panchapakesan or Jalpesan.
There was music in Tyagaraja’s blood. His mother was a good singer. He had his
first lessons in music from her. His father was a good scholar in Telugu and Sanskrit. He
learnt both the languages from him. When he was seven years old, the family moved to a
village called Thiruvaiyaru.
Tyagaraja was interested in music from his childhood. Even as a young boy he used
to compose songs and write them on the walls of his house. Noticing his son’s interest in
music, his father took him to Sonti Venkataramayya, a musician at the court of King Sarabhoji
of Tanjavur. Tyagaraja became his disciple and learnt music from him.

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 When he grew up, he spent most of his time composing songs and singing them in
front of the idol of Lord Rama in his house. He married at the age of eighteen. He had only
one child, a daughter named Sitalakshmi. Once a week, he went along the streets singing
songs in praise of God and maintained his family with what people gave him. He never
cared for wealth. He did not want to join the royal court. But his elder brother, Jalpesan,
wanted him to earn money through his music.
One day the Raja of Tanjavur invited Tyagaraja to sing in his court. He offered him a
gift of fifty acres of land and a lot of gold coins. But Tyagaraja refused to sing in the King’s
Court. Jalpesan, his elder brother was wild with anger. “Your Rama is not going to give you
food. Why don’t you sing in the king’s court? We can be rich and live a happy life,” he said
to Tyagaraja. But Tyagaraja did not heed his brother’s words. Jalpesan took the idol of
Lord Rama and threw it into the river Kaveri.
Not finding his deity at home, Tyagaraja was in a great sorrow. He composed many
songs in praise of Lord Rama and sang them with great feeling. After two months he had a
dream. In his dream, he saw the place where his idol of Lord Rama was lying. The next
morning he went to the place, found the idol and brought it back home. In a joyful mood, he
sang many fine songs in praise of his deity.

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 In his old age, Tyagaraja set out on a pilgrimage. He went to Tirupathi to have “darshan”
of Lord Venkateshwara. In the temple he saw a curtain in front of the image of Lord
Venkateshwara. He could not see the Lord’s image. He was disappointed. Then he sang a
song expressing a strong desire to see the Lord. As he sang, the curtain parted and he had
‘darshan’ of Lord Venkateshwara.
After his pilgrimage,Tyagaraja returned to Thiruvaiyaru and spent the rest of his days
there. He composed songs in praise of his deity and sang them with great devotion. One
day, when he was eighty years old, he said to his disciples, “I am going to join my Lord
Rama tomorrow.” The next day he passed away.
But Tyagaraja lives through his music. He is as popular today as he was two hundred
years ago. Today Thiruvaiyaru is a place of pilgrimage for musicians. In the month of
January every year, musicians from all over South India gather at Tiruvaiyur to sing his
songs and show their regard to the great saint musician.

Glossary

composer (n): a person who makes songs

grief (n): a great sorrow
pilgrimage (n): a journey to a holy place
heed (v): to pay attention to something

How well did I read?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the passage.
I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why does the writer say that Tyagaraja was an immortal musician?
*2. Which part of the passage is appealing to you? Why?
*3. Does this remind you of any other eminent musicians like Bhaktha Ramadasu?
Who are they? How are they similar to or different from Tyagaraja?

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 3 What Can a Dollar and Eleven Cents Do?

Look at the picture and discuss the questions that follow:

1. What can you say about the shop?

2. When does one go to such shops?
3. Why do you think the girl has come to the shop?
4. What do you think the girl is saying to the shopkeeper?
5. Does she look happy? What makes you think so?
6. Who might be ill?

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 A. Reading
Read the following story and answer the questions that follow:
An eight-year-old child, Tess, heard her parents talking about her little brother, Andrew.
All she knew was that Andrew was very sick and her parents did not have enough money for
the treatment. They were moving into a smaller house because they could not afford to
stay in the present house after paying the doctor’s bills. He needed a costly surgery now
and there was no one to loan them the money, so her parents lost their hope and gave up
their efforts.

When Tess heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him
now,” she went to her room and pulled a jar of coins from a cupboard. She poured all the
money out on the floor and counted it carefully. Holding the jar tightly, she made her way
to the medical store and placed it on the glass table.
“What do you want?” asked the chemist. “It’s for my little brother,” Tess answered,
“He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.”
“We don’t sell miracles here, child. I’m sorry,” the chemist said, smiling sadly at the
little girl. “Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I can try and get some
more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

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 At the shop there was a well-dressed customer. He bent down and asked the little girl,
“What kind of a miracle does your brother need? “I don’t know,” she replied with her eyes
welling up. “He’s really sick and Mummy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t
pay for it, so I have brought my savings.” “How much do you have?” asked the man. “One
dollar and eleven cents, but I can try and get some more,” she answered barely audible.
“Wonderful,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents, the exact price of a miracle
for your little brother!” He took her money in one hand and held her hand with the other.
He said, “Take me to your home. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s
see if I have the kind of miracle he needs.”
That well-dressed man was Dr.Carlton Armstrong, a famous neurosurgeon. He had
Andrew admitted to hospital where he operated on him without any charges. Within a few
weeks Andrew was back at home and doing well.
“That surgery,” her Mum whispered, “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would
have cost.”

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost - one dollar and eleven
cents.....plus the love of a little child.

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Glossary

miracle (n): a wonderful event that seems impossible and that is believed to be
caused by god
chemist (n): a person who is qualified to prepare and sell medicines
whisper (v): murmur / to speak very softly to somebody so that others cannot
hear what you are saying
audible (adj): loud enough to be heard
neurosurgeon (n) : a doctor who performs operations on the nervous system especially
on the brain
How well did I read?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the passage.
I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.
I. Answer the following questions:
1. Do you think Tess can buy the miracle with her savings? Why?
2. Why did the mother say that the surgery was a real miracle?
3. What did the little girl understand by the word “miracle”?
4. What kind of a man was Dr. Armstrong?
*5. Why did the doctor say that one dollar and eleven cents was the exact price of
the miracle?
6. Find out the words that have been used to describe Tess. Would you like to add
some from your side?
*7. Can you suggest another title for the story? Give reasons.
II. Say whether the following statements are True or False. Give reasons for
your answer. Correct the false statements.
1. Andrew’s parents had very little money. ( )
2. Tess’s parents were very poor. ( )
3. Tess’s parents were not interested to take her little brother, Andrew,
to the hospital. ( )
4. Andrew was seriously ill. ( )
5. Tess thought that “a miracle” was the medicine that was available
in a medical store. ( )

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III. Tick the correct answer.
1. “I’m sorry,” the chemist said, because the miracle the girl had asked for
a) was not available in his shop.
b) was very costly.
c) was not a medicine.
2. Dr. Armstrong wanted
a) to help the child.
b) to collect a lot of money.
c) to make fun of the child.

Vocabulary
I. Given below is a paragraph written by a 6th class student. Some words are
spelt wrongly in it. Circle them and write the correct spellings.

Food and Nutrition

We need a balanced diet to be healthy. Balanced diet provides us major nutrients
such as carbohydrates, fats, vitamns, minerals, and protins. There are two diferent types of
source of protins – animal sources and plant sources. Animal sources include fish, eggs,
meet, etc. Peas and beans are important sourses of protin.
II. In each group of words below, find the odd one out and circle it. Give justifica-
tion for your answer. The first one is done for you.
1. hospital, nurse, patient, passenger.
Hospital, nurse and patient are related to medical profession, whereas “passen-
ger” is not related to the medical profession. So, passenger is the odd one out.
2. shop, customer, cost, temple
3. dollars, things, rupees, cents
4. treatment, operation, surgeon, blackboard
5. exam, question, answer, chocolate operation
III. Write words related to “Hospital”.
Write as many words as possible.

Hospital

medicine

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Grammar
I. Question mark ( ? ) and Exclamation mark( ! )
Read the following conversation paying special attention to the use of question
marks, and exclamation marks.

“Where’s the champion of Israel?” shouted Goliath.

“Let him come and fight with me!”
“Who is this man?” said David.
“I’ll go and fight him.”
“How stupid you are!” Goliath exclaimed.
You understand from the above sentences that a question ends with a question
mark (?) and an exclamatory sentence with an exclamatory mark (!)

Now read the following conversation and use question marks or exclamatory
marks wherever necessary.
Tess : I want to buy a miracle. How much does it cost
The Shopkeeper : I am sorry.
Tess : Why
The shopkeeper : Because we don’t have any medicine like ‘‘a miracle”.
Tess : What a pity

II. Apostrophe ( ' ) in possessive case of nouns and contractions

Read the following passage.

Andrew’s disease worried Tess’s parents because they did not have enough money
for the treatment. Tess heard her father’s words. She decided to buy a miracle to cure her
brother’s disease. She went to the medical store to buy the medicine. The shopkeeper
said, “We don’t sell miracles here. I’m sorry.”
As you can see from the words / expressions in bold, the apostrophe is used to indicate
the following.
Possessive form Contracted form
Andrew’s disease don’t
brother’s disease I’m

Here, Tess’s parents means, the parents of Tess. Similarly, Andrew’s disease means
the disease of Andrew.

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 The apostrophe is used here to talk about something that belongs to somebody or
something. But it is also used to indicate the omission of a few letters, thus forming short
forms or contractions. Don’t is the short form of do not. Similarly, I’m is the short form
of I am. June’09 is the short form of June 2009. In this case, apostrophe indicates that
some letters/ numbers are omitted.

Read the following sentences and identify the contracted forms. Rewrite them
in long form.
1. “I don’t know’’ she replied. “He’s really sick and Mummy says he needs an
operation.”
2. But Daddy can’t pay for it.
3. Let’s see if I’ve the kind of miracle he needs.

III. Read the following story:

Two rats fell into a milk pot. The first rat stopped making attempts to swim thinking
that no one would save it. So, it drowned and lost its life. The other rat decided to continue
swimming in the pot round and round. After some time, the milk turned into curd, the rat sat
on it, and thus saved its life.
Look at the verbs underlined above. They fall into two categories as shown below.

Regular verbs Irregular verbs

Present Tense Past Tense Present Tense Past Tense

decide decided (d) fall fell

stop stopped (ed) lose lost

The past tense forms of regular verbs are formed by adding ‘d’ or ‘ed’ to their present
tense forms. Irregular verbs have different forms for the present and past tenses. Here
are some irregular verbs.
Present Tense Past Tense Present Tense Past Tense
fall fell sing sang
give gave leave left
rise rose teach taught
speak spoke drink drank

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 Read the table given below and fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the
verbs. Write “regular” or ‘irregular’ in the third column.

Present tense Past tense Regular or Irregular

......... bought
clean -----
close -----
........ danced
........ ate
swim -----
take -----
........ thought

IV. Read the following sentences.

Andrew needed a costly surgery now and there was no one to loan them money.
Dr.Armstrong operated on Andrew without any charges, and within a few weeks he was
back at home doing well.
Observe the underlined words. They do not specify the exact amount or number but
quantify things. They are called quantifiers. The words no, none, any, a lot of, much,
many, a little, a few, etc. come under this category.
1. We use no or none of to indicate not or not any in order to emphasise the
negative idea in a sentence.
2. We use a few and a little to talk about a small number and quantity.
3. Much is used with uncountable nouns like sugar, and many is used with countable
nouns like pen, book, etc.

Examples:

1. Chandu has so much interest in English that he reads one book a week.
2. He has many friends in school.

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V. Study the table of marks carefully. The minimum marks required to pass is 35.

Name of the Marks scored in Name of the Marks scored in

Sl. No. Sl. No.
student English student English

1 Rani 65 16 Bhanu 67
2 Lata 60 17 Ramya 73
3 Kamala 73 18 Saleem 80
4 Lakshmi 80 19 Sai 71
5 Krishna 64 20 Ruchira 85
6 Bharat 75 21 Nandu 67
7 Ganesh 82 22 Mary 62
8 Meghana 63 23 Usha 64
9 Meenakshi 67 24 Sarada 75
10 Nithya 73 25 Bujji 82
11 Sindhu 80 26 Sandhya 63
12 Chandu 71 27 Sridhar 67
13 Mani 85 28 Jyothi 73
14 Chinni 67 29 Kumar 80
15 Ravi 62 30 Swarna 71

1. Answer the following questions using ‘no’, ‘none’, ‘any’, ‘a few’ and ‘many’.
Write them down in your notebook. The first one has been done for you.
1. How many students have scored more than 70 marks?
Ans. Many students have scored more than 70 marks.
2. Are there any students who have scored 90 marks?
3. How many students have failed in English?

4. How many students have scored below 60 marks?

5. How many students have scored between 64 and 75?

2. With the help of the information given in the above table, write a short paragraph
about the performance of the class in English subject using no, none, any, a few
and many.

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 Writing

I. Tess had the habit of writing a diary. On the day when she heard the news that her little
brother Andrew had a serious illness, she began writing the entry in her diary like this:
‘Today is a very bad day. What terrible news! Mummy and Daddy are worrying so
much about Andrew. My poor brother, Andrew! Why such big illness? Shocked to know
that he was in a danger.'

Continue the diary entry in your notebook.

II. Letter writing

Imagine that you were Tess and write a letter to Dr. Armstrong in your notebook
thanking him for saving the life of the little boy.

*III. What would have happened to Andrew if Tess had not met Dr.Armstrong?
Imagine this and write another ending to the story.

How well did I write?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The ideas were arranged in proper sequence.
I used proper punctuation marks.

How well did I edit my work?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words.
I corrected the punctuation errors.
I added new words wherever necessary.
I corrected the misspelt words.

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Study Skills

Look up the word ‘miracle’ in the following two dictionary entries.

Collins Cobuild Advanced Illustrated Dictionary, 2009

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary , Third Edition

1. What do you understand by the word ‘miracle’? Write a brief note.

2. Use the word “miracle” as a noun and an adjective in a few sentences.
3. What do N-COUNT and ADJ mean?

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Listening and Speaking

Your teacher will read the story “Glenn

Cunningham.” Listen carefully and answer the
questions given below.

1. What was Glenn’s ambition?

2. Why was he burnt?
3. What did he shout?
4. How long was Glenn in bed?
5. What was Glenn’s achievement?
*6. What qualities of Glenn do you like? Do you
have them in you? Speak about them.
*7. What would any normal child do
if he/she were in Glenn’s place?

I. Tess wanted to buy a medicine for her brother, Andrew. But she didn’t know
the way to reach the medical store. She approached the traffic policeman for
help. Now read the following conversation between Tess and the Traffic
Policeman:
Tess : Excuse me, Sir. I want to buy some medicines. Could you
please tell me the way to a medical stores nearby?
Traffic Policeman : Sure, go straight up to the Municipal Office. Then turn left,
and walk straight. You’ll find a medical stores there.
Tess : How far is it from here?
Traffic Policeman: Not very far. It’s just one kilometre away from here.
Tess : Can I catch a city bus to reach there?
Traffic Policeman : Oh, yes. Take the bus 17M. It’ll take you there.
Tess : Thank you very much.
Traffic Policeman : You’re welcome.

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II. Study the route map given below:

You are at the court and want to go to the railway station. How do you ask for
the way? Work in pairs and develop a conversation between you and a stranger.

You : Excuse me, __________________________the railway station?

Stranger : Sure, ____________________________
You : _______________________________
Stranger : __________________________________
You : ____________________________________
Stranger : _____________________________________

III. Enact the story “What Can a Dollar and Eleven Cents Do?” as a play let / skit.
Follow the procedure given below.
(Group work – Let the students form 3 or 4 groups)
G Read the story once again.
G Identify the characters.
G Pick out the dialogues of the characters.
G Identify the locations of the events.
G Decide scenes and setting accordingly.
G Assign roles to the members of the groups.
G Enact the drama before the whole class.
IV. Have a discussion in the whole class on how the performance could be improved
in terms of delivery of dialogues, costumes, action, settings, etc.

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How well did I write the skit?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to fix the events of the skit well.
I fixed the characters of the skit.
I used appropriate dialogue in my skit.
I was able to express the feelings of the characters.
I concluded my skit well.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I used proper punctuation and spacing.

B. Reading

A Nation’s Strength
Not gold, but only men, can make
A people great and strong
Men who for truth and honour’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep
Who dare while others fly-
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Glossary
stand fast: refuse to give up
dare (v): face difficulty

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How well did I read the poem?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the poem.
I got the idea of the poem on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the poem.
I used the glossary given at the end of the poem.

Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of people can make a nation great and strong?
2. What do you think the word “men” refer to?
3. What does “sleep” mean here?
4. What does “fly” mean here?
*5. In what sense can you call, for example, Gandhiji a pillar of the nation?

Project

Though Tess was a young girl and had a little money, she was able to save her brother.

Collect a few success stories like that of Tess from magazines and newspapers.
Talk about one of them in the class.

Why Third?
Gandhiji travelled a lot. He always travelled third class in trains. He did so because all
poor people in India travelled third. (In those days there were three classes in trains.)
Once Gandhiji got off at Bombay from a third class railway compartment. Lots of
people had come to meet him. Among them were some American men and women. They
went into Gandhiji’s compartment. They saw that it was very small.
“Why doesn’t he travel first?” asked one of the ladies.
“I don’t know. Let’s go and ask him,” replied one of the gentlemen.
“Mr. Gandhi, we’ve come to ask you a question,” the gentleman said to Gandhiji.
“You’re the leader of the Indian people, but you travel third. Please tell us why you travel
third.”
Gandhiji laughed and said, “The answer is very simple. I travel third because there is
no fourth.” He laughed again. And the American ladies and gentlemen laughed with him.

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C. Reading

I. We have seen how the little girl, Tess, with strong faith and determination
saved her little brother, Andrew. Let’s read a poem on faith.

Faith is the success in life

Faith is the catalyst within
Faith is the belief to begin
Faith is the foundation and the frame
Faith is the power that helps you win
Faith is the concentration of your brain
Faith is the power to know and to do
Faith is the cure for ‘NO’ and those that ‘Lose’
Faith is your spirit, your sinews, your soul
Faith is the body that truly has all control
Faith is the beginning and the end
Faith is everything therein
Faith can move mountains and valleys and hills
But faith can do NOTHING...
Unless YOU are there.

II. Can you imagine a disabled person winning a gold medal in Olympics? Let’s
read a story about an extraordinary girl who has done that.

Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph was born in a poor family in Tennessee.
At the age of four, she had pneumonia with scarlet fever which
left her paralyzed with polio. She had to wear a brace and the
doctor said she would never put her foot on earth. But her
mother encouraged her. She told Wilma that with God-given
ability, persistence and faith she could do anything she wanted.
Wilma said, “I want to be the fastest woman runner in the
world.” At the age of nine, against the advice of the doctor,
she removed the brace and took the first step. At the age of
13, she entered her first race and came way, way last. And then
she entered her second, and third, and fourth races, and came
way, way last until a day came when she came in first.

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 At the age of 15 she went to Tennessee State
University where she met a coach by the name of Ed
Temple. She told him, “I want to be the fastest runner
in the world.” Temple said, “With your spirit nobody
can stop you and besides I’ll help you.”

The day came when she was at the Olympics –

and at the Olympics, you are matched with the best of
the best. Wilma was matched against a woman named
Jutta Heine who had never been beaten. The first event
was the 100-metre race. Wilma beat Jutta Heine and
won her first gold medal. The second event was the
200-metre race and Wilma beat Jutta a second time
and won her second gold medal. The third event was
the 400-metre relay and she was racing against Jutta
one more time. In the relay, the fastest person always
runs the last lap and they both anchored their teams.
The first three people ran and changed the baton easily. When it came to Wilma’s turn, she
dropped the baton. But Wilma saw Jutta shoot up at the other end; she picked up the baton,
ran like a machine, beat Jutta a third time, and won her third gold medal. It became a
history: that a paralytic woman became the fastest woman on this earth at the 1960 Olympics.

Answer the following questions:

1. What was Wilma’s dream?

2. What did the doctor advise Wilma?
3. Who won the gold medal in 100 metre race?
4. How was Jutta Heine matched with Wilma?
*5. What qualities of Wilma helped her win the Olympic medals?

Golden Words

A man who wants to do something will find a way;

a man who doesn’t, will find an excuse.

- Stephen Dolley

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 4 An Adventure

Look at the picture and discuss the questions that follow:

1. What is the man in the picture doing?

2. Where do you think he is going?
3. Can you imagine the dangers he is likely to face? Mention a few of them.
4. What is this type of activity called?
5. Have you ever participated in such an activity? If yes, share your experience with
your classmates.

A. Reading

Read the following story and answer the questions that follow:
“Let’s go,” said Seema, “or it will be time for lunch before we know it.”

“Yes, let’s go towards the old temple,” said Arun, her cousin.

As always, they had come to Vishnupur on a vacation to their grandparents. It was a

small, quiet town surrounded by green hills and some ancient ruins.

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They particularly loved going for walks and spent hours exploring the old temple in a fort
nearby. Sometimes they pretended to be rulers of an ancient kingdom. At other times, they
played hide-and-seek.
“Catch me if you can,” shouted Arun, and he ran ahead.
“I’ll catch you in a minute,” replied Seema, as she followed.
Arun was soon out of sight as he went round the corner. Seema knew his favourite
hiding place and smiled to herself thinking, “He won’t escape me.”
She ran down the hill towards the old temple where she knew Arun would be hiding.
But he wasn’t there!
‘He must have gone to the cave,’ she thought. This was another favourite place for
them – a cave hidden behind some creepers.
“Arun... I’m here,” Seema called out
as she reached the cave.
There was no reply. Seema could not
see anyone. She was about to enter the cave
when she caught sight of a piece of torn,
crumpled paper on the ground. She picked
it up and unfolded it out. How odd! It had
letters CLP written on it!

Just then she heard Arun calling out,

“Seema, where are you?”
“Here,” said Seema to Arun, who
was standing at the entrance of the cave.
“I was looking for you.”
“What have you got in your hand?”
asked Arun.
“It’s nothing - just a piece of paper
with CLP written on it,” said Seema.
“Don’t throw it. Let me see it,” said Arun, as he took the paper from her. He looked at
it carefully and said, “See, if you look at the torn edge of the letter, which could be an E and
not a C.”
“Do you think it could be HELP?” asked Seema.
“HELP... My goodness! Someone is in trouble. We must find him,” said Arun.
“Or her,” added Seema. “But where do we go? There is no one in the temple and there
is no one in the cave too.”
“Let’s try the Meena Bazaar. There is a secret passage...” said Arun excitedly.

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 Meena Bazaar was once a popular market for royal ladies, but all that remained now
was just a few crumbling walls. A secret passage was connected to the market. They ran
towards it.
There they found a man with his hands and feet tied up. He had a gag on his mouth and
was struggling to free himself. The children removed the gag and helped him free his hands
and feet.
“Hurry!” the man said. “The smugglers will be back.”
They ran all the way through the secret passage. They were soon out of breath.
“Don’t... stop... yet,” panted the man. “They’ll be back any moment.”
Soon they reached home. Their grandparents were surprised to see them.
“Now tell us who you are,” Seema asked the man.
“And who tied you up,” added Arun.
“And why,” continued Seema.
“I’ll tell you the whole story... but first call the police,” said the man.
The police arrived in no time. The man they had freed was a police officer in plain
clothes! He was following a gang of smugglers who had caught him and tied him up. Before
that, he had managed to write HELP on a piece of paper and had thrown it, hoping that
someone would find it.
“They were going to kill me, but thanks to you. I’m safe. We will now go and catch the
smugglers,” said the man.
“What an adventure! Wait till I tell my friends about it,” said Seema.
“They’ll never believe us!” said Arun.
“That’s enough, children. It is time for lunch!” said Granny.

Glossary
ruins (n): collapsed and decayed buildings
explore (v): to search or travel through
crumbling (v): breaking / cracking into pieces
passage (n): a long narrow way through
gag (n): a piece of cloth put in a person’s mouth to prevent him from speaking
smugglers (n): persons involved in moving goods illegally in or out of a country
pant (v): breathe with short quick breaths
gang (n): an organized group of criminals

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How well did I read?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the passage.
I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of a town was Vishnupur?
2. What did Seema find?
3. How did the children know that someone was in trouble?
* 4. What do you think is the turning point in the story? Give reasons.
5. Where was the secret passage?
* 6. What would have happened if the police had not arrived on time?
* 7. Do you think the children took a risk? If so, what could it be?
II. Write whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE. Correct the false
statements.
1. The man the children found near the secret passage was a smuggler. [ ]
2. The man advised the children not to call the police. [ ]
3. Seema and Arun rescued the man from danger. [ ]
4. The children ran back to their grandparent’s house with the man. [ ]
5. The children are not brave. [ ]
III. Tick the correct answer for the following questions:
1. Seema and Arun went to Vishnupur on... [ ]
(a) a study tour. (b) a vacation. (c) an adventure.
2. At the entrance to the cave, Seema found... [ ]
(a) Arun (b) a piece of paper (c) a man
3. The man Seema and Arun helped was... [ ]
(a) their uncle. (b) a smuggler. ( c) a police officer.

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Vocabulary

I. Read the following:

He was following a gang of smugglers who had caught him and tied him up.
The word gang is a group noun. Here it refers to an organized group of criminals.
Match the group nouns in Column A with what they refer to in Column B
A B
mob 1. a number of players
board 2. a number of people listening to a concert or lecture
troupe 3. a number of judges
army 4. people collected without any specific purpose
bench 5. some people gathered for destructive purpose
crowd 6. a number of people watching a match or something else
audience 7. a number of directors of a company
team 8. a number of soldiers
spectators 9. a number of artists, dancers, acrobats

II. Read the following :

They particularly loved going for walks and spent hours exploring the old temple in a
fort nearby. Sometimes they pretended to be rulers of an ancient kingdom. At other times,
they played hide-and-seek.
The underlined words in the above paragraph are “verbs.” Look at the nouns
corresponding to these verbs.
Verbs Nouns
loved love
pretended pretension
played play
Supply the noun forms of the verbs underlined in the following sentences.
The first one has been done for you.
1. I don’t know what you are thinking about.
I don’t know what your thoughts are.

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 2. I saw an old man who was begging in the street.
I saw an old _______________ in the street.
3. It is not possible to succeed without hard work.
________________ without hard work is not possible.
4. You are not allowed to enter the theatre without a ticket .
Without a ticket your ________________ into the theatre is not allowed.
5. I have corrected all your homework.
I have made all ______________ in your homework.
6. Vishnumurthy knows everything. I wonder how he acquired that much _________.

Grammar

Read the following sentences from the story ‘An Adventure’.

“Children, it is time for lunch!’’ said Granny. When the actual words spoken by a
person are placed within the inverted commas like this, it is called direct speech.
When the words of a speaker are told by another speaker as shown below, it is called
Indirect Speech (Reported Speech). Granny told the children that it was time for lunch.

Notice how the verb changes and how different connectors are added.
Direct Speech : Ram said to Sita, “I like swimming.”
Indirect Speech : Ram told Sita that he liked swimming.

The change in pronoun is based on the person of the subject and object in direct speech.

Direct Speech : Ram said to Sita, “I like swimming but Gopal likes badminton.”
Indirect Speech : Ram told Sita that he liked swimming but Gopal liked
badminton.
Change of tense: If the verb in the reporting clause is in the present tense, the verb
between the quotes will remain unchanged.

Direct Speech : Ram says to Sita, “I like laddu.”

Indirect Speech : Ram tells Sita that he likes laddu. (present)
Direct Speech : They will again say, “We want more marks.”(future)
Indirect Speech: They will again say that they want more marks.

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If the verb in the reporting clause is in the past tense, the verb between the quotes
will also be in the past tense.
Direct Speech : Ram said to Sita, “I like swimming”.
Indirect Speech: Ram told Sita that he liked swimming.
An exception to this past tense rule is when the reported clause is a universal truth
or a scientific fact.
Direct Speech : Ram said, “Wood floats on water.”
Indirect Speech: Ram said that wood floats on water.
Now change the following into Indirect Speech / Reported Speech.
1. “Sindhu is my daughter,” said Ramakrishna Reddy.
2. “I’ll catch you in a minute,” replied Seema.
3. “Shyam has eaten my chocolate,” says Arun.
4. “The smugglers will be back,” the man said.
5. Seema will say, “It is a wonderful adventure!”

Writing

I. If you were Seema, how would you narrate your adventure to your classmates?
Write a paragraph about your adventure.

How well did I write?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The ideas were arranged in proper sequence.
I used proper punctuation marks.

How well did I edit my work?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words.
I corrected the punctuation errors.
I added new words wherever necessary.
I corrected the misspelt words.

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Study skills
Read the following passage about the origin of the Bravery Awards and the
courageous children who displayed their bravery at different situations.
The origin of the Bravery Award dates back to 2 October 1957. When India’s first
Prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was watching a performance at Delhi’s Ramlila grounds,
at the Red Fort, a fire broke out in a shamiana (decorated tent) due to a short-circuit. Then
Harish Chandra, a 14-year old scout, promptly took out his knife, and ripped open the
burning shamiana, saving the lives of hundreds of trapped people. This incident inspired
Pandit Nehru to initiate the awards. He asked the authorities to constitute an award to
honour brave children from all over the country, and the tradition has continued since then.
Harish Chandra became the first recipient of the award. In 2001, a commemorative book
titled “Brave Hearts” was released featuring winners of the National Bravery Awards.
The 2008 Bravery Awards were given by the Vice-President, Mohammad Hamid
Ansari instead of the Prime Minister. For the first time the real name of a 2008 award
winner, 12-year-old balloon seller, “Rahul” was withheld, as he had identified the men who
planted bombs on Barakhamba Road in New Delhi, during 13 September 2008 Delhi
bombings. He helped the police make sketches of the suspects. Amongst 21 bravery awards
for 2009, two posthumous awards are included. These are the awards given to three girls,
Rekha Kalindi (11), Sunita Mahato (11), and Afsana Khatun (12), who revolted against
child marriage.

Work in groups. Transfer the information given above into a table.

The following questions help you in deciding on what should go into the table.

● Who received the award?

● What are his/her personal details?

● When was it received?

● Who gave the award?

● What was the act of bravery?

● Also, include the details of the latest bravery awards.

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Listening and Speaking

I. Your teacher will read the story “To Catch Some Thieves.” Listen carefully
and answer the following questions:

1. What did Ali do to get home soon?

2. Whom did Ali see from behind the tree?
3. “Ah! These watches will get us a lot of money for the coming year.” Who said
this? What did Ali think they were?
4. How did Ali feel, when he was taken in a police car with the siren on?
5. What was the uncle’s gift to Ali on the New Year’s Day?
*6. Do you think Ali was a brave boy? Give your reasons.
II. Collect an incident involving an adventure from newspapers and speak about
it in your group.

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B. Readaing

Read the following poem.

The Naughty Boy

There was a naughty boy,
And a naughty boy was he,
He ran away to Scotland,
The people there to see.
There he found
That the ground
Was as hard,
That a yard
Was as long,
That a song
Was as merry,
That a cherry
Was as red,
That lead
Was as weighty,
That fourscore
Was as eighty,
That a door
Was as wooden
As in England.
So he stood in his shoes
And he wondered.
He wondered,
He stood in his shoes
And he wondered.
- John Keats

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How well did I read the poem?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the poem.
I got the idea of the poem on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the poem.
I used the illustration to understand the poem.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. In the above poem ‘as hard (as)’ is a simile. Pick out other similes from the
poem.
2. Find out the rhyming words from the poem. One is done for you.
found – ground
………………………
………………………
………………………
………………………
3. Why is the boy called naughty?
4. What did he find out in Scotland?
5. What did the boy wonder about?
*6. What do you like about the boy?
7. What do you understand by “he stood in his shoes?”
*8. Which lines are repeated? Why? What was its effect on the poem?
9. What was the boy’s opinion about Scotland before and after visiting it?
*10. What do you think about countries or places you have never been to? which
things there do you expect to be different? Talk about them in your group.

Project

I. You often find interesting news about people who are doing adventurous deeds
like going round India on a bicycle, going from Kashmir to Kanyakumari on
foot, sailing across oceans in small boats, etc. Collect a few adventurous stories
with beautiful pictures, paste them on a chart, talk about it in your class, and
display it on the wall magazine.

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II. Prepare a poster showing dos and don’ts to help a road accident victim.
How well did I prepare the poster?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I used apt words.
I used a good lay out.
I was able to convey the message through my poster
I used proper punctuation marks.

C. Reading

Read the following story and answer the questions that follow :

Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe’s ship had been destroyed by the sea. He had been alone for
many years on a lonely island and longed for company. One day he discovered a footprint
on the sand. Let’s find out what he did then. It was narrated by him.
One day, when I was going towards my boat, I was surprised to see the footprint of a
man on the sand. I stood amazed! I listened; I looked around me; I could neither hear nor see
anything. I went up higher to look down; I went up the shore and down the shore, but it was
no good; I could find no other footprint but that one. I went to it again to see if there were
any more footprints and to tell if it had been my imagination. But I was not mistaken, for
there was exactly the print of a foot - toes, heel, and every part of a foot. I could not
imagine how it came there. I stayed for a long time thinking, but became more and more
confused.
At last, I returned home very frightened, looking behind me after every two or three
steps, mistaking every bush and tree to be a man.
When I came to my cave (which I called my castle), I ran inside it as if I was being
chased. I did not remember whether I used the ladder or went by the hole in the rock, which
I called the door. I ran for cover faster than any animal could run.
I did not sleep that night. The more I thought about what I had seen, the more afraid I
was. I thought it could be one of the savages of the mainland who had wandered out to the
sea, in a small boat.
Luckily I was not on shore at that time, but what would have happened if he had seen
my boat! If he had seen the boat, he would have realised that someone lived on the island
and would soon return with others to kill and eat me up.
And so I lay fearful for many days and prayed for protection. In doing so, I was much
comforted and began going out to investigate. But even now as I went forward, I looked
behind me frequently because I was still very frightened.

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 However, as I went about for two or three days and saw nothing, I became a little
bolder. I decided to go down to the shore again and examine the footprint once more.
I decided to measure it with my own footmark.
My fear returned! I went home again, believing that there was someone there.
The island was inhabited!
(Adapted from Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe)
Answer the following questions:
1. Why did Robinson Crusoe get confused?
*2. What would you do if you were in a similar situation?
*3. Do you know of any islands where primitive people live even today? Share what
you know among the members of your group.
# # #

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 5 Plant a Tree
Look at the picture and discuss the questions that follow:

1. What do you see in the picture?

2. What do you like/dislike in it?
3. What would happen if all the trees were cut down?
4. How are trees helpful to everyone living on earth?

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A. Reading

Read the following and answer the questions that follow:

Trees are the most useful things in the world. Children play under them. Travellers
rest in their cool shade. Trees give us fruit to eat and firewood to burn. We build houses
and make furniture with the wood of the trees. We need trees for our lives. If there were no
trees, there would be no life on earth. Living things (people and animals) breathe in air.
They breathe in oxygen from the air and breathe out carbon dioxide.
If all the oxygen in the air was used up leaving only carbon dioxide, what would
happen to all of us? Everyone would die. But trees help us to live. They breathe in the
carbon dioxide from the air and let oxygen out into the air. With the help of the sunlight,
they break up carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen. They use the carbon to make starch
and let the oxygen out into the air.

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 Trees make all the starch in the world. Starch is the most important part of our food.
Without trees we will not have any starch to eat.
Trees help us to get rain. The leaves of trees breathe out a lot of water vapour into
the air. This makes the air cool. The cool air helps rainfall. Rain gives us water. No one
can live without water. And we need trees to get water.
Trees have many more uses. The rubber tree grows in many parts of the world. From
the sap of this tree we get rubber. Rubber is a very useful thing. Some trees like eucalyptus
give us medicines. In South America there is a tree called the cow tree. People drink the
sap of this tree instead of milk! It is less expensive than milk.
How long can a big tree live? Nobody knows. Some trees have already lived for
more than four thousand years. They can live for five to six thousand years more. Some of
them will live as long as ten thousand years. There is a tree called General Sherman in
California in America. It is a huge evergreen tree. It is said to be several thousand years
old.

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 How do we know the age of a tree? Do trees have birthdays? Yes, they do. They
even get gifts on their birthdays. They get rings!
Every year a tree grows a little bigger. As it grows, the trunk gets another layer of
wood; it gets another ring. You cannot see the rings because they are inside the tree. But if
you look at the trunk of a cut down tree carefully, you will find the rings. One ring indicates
one year. Some trees can live only for five to ten years. But some can live for hundreds or
even thousands of years, like General Sherman.
Man cuts down hundreds of trees every year to build houses, to make furniture, to
cook food, and to make paper. If this continues, one day there will be no more trees in the
world. What will happen then? We will all die!
So what shall we do? We should avoid cutting trees as far as possible. Meanwhile,
we must plant a lot of trees. Every one of us should plant at least one tree every year.

Glossary
vapour (n): a mass of very small drops of water in the air

eucalyptus (n) : a kind of tall tree

How well did I read?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the passage.
I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. How are trees useful to us?
2. How is starch prepared by trees?
3. What are annual rings of a tree?
*4. Do you think trees are enemies to people? Why do people cut down trees?
5. What will happen if we do not stop felling of trees?
6. How can we provide a better environment for the future generation?
7. What are the most useful things in the world?
*8. Which piece of information do you find most interesting in the passage?

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II. Read the following statements carefully and write TRUE or FALSE in the brack-
ets. Correct the false statements.
1. Green leaves can split the carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen. ( )
2. We get our food mainly from trees. ( )
3. Trees help us get rain. ( )
4. It is usually cooler under the shade of a tree than in the Sun. ( )
5. Trees are the shortest living things on earth. ( )

Vocabulary

I. Match things in part A with their uses or meanings in part B.

Part-A Part-B

1. oxygen ( ) important part of our food produced by trees

2. carbon dioxide ( ) juice or milk from a tree
3. starch ( ) useful for human life
4. sap ( ) water drops in the air

5. vapour ( ) useful for trees

II. Prepare a word map related to “furniture” and “medicinal plants.”

1.

table

Furniture

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 2.
Neem tree

Medicinal
plants

Grammar
If clause
I. Look at the following sentence from the lesson.
If you look at the trunk of a cut down tree carefully, you will find the rings.
The condition introduced by ‘if’ in this sentence expresses a real possibility
whose result/effect is felt in the second part of the above sentence.
Note the following points about ‘if clauses’.
1. An ‘if clause’ is also known as a conditional clause. It expresses a condition or
cause whose result/effect is expressed or felt in the second part of the sentence.
2. If the verb in the ‘if clause’ is in the present tense, the other clause (the main
clause) normally uses will + verb.
3. An ‘if clause’ can be placed either at the beginning or at the end of the main
clause. If it comes before the main clause, it is followed by a comma. However,
if it follows the main clause, there will be no comma preceding the conditional
clause.

Example:
if clause comma here main clause

If you look at the trunk of a cut down tree, you will find the rings.
main clause no comma here if clause

You will find the rings if you look at the trunk of a cut down tree.

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 Rewrite the following sentences as a single sentence. Use “if” at the beginning
of the sentence. The first two have been done for you.
1. Work hard. You’ll get success.
If you work hard, you will get success.
2. Don’t tease the dog. It’ll bite you.
If you tease the dog, it will bite you.
3. Walk fast. You’ll catch the bus.
___________________________________________.
4. Study regularly. You will do well in the examination.
___________________________________________.
5. Give respect to others. They too will respect you.
__________________________________________.
6. It does not rain. I will come to your house.
___________________________________.
7. Don’t tire yourself now. You won’t be able to work in the afternoon.
_______________________________________________________.
8. Stop eating sweets. You’ll feel better.
_______________________________.
9. Do as you are told. You’ll get a prize.
_______________________________.
10. Read regularly. You’ll get more knowledge.
__________________________________.
11. Do your exercises promptly. You’ll not fail.
___________________________________.
12. Go to bed early. You’ll be healthy.
__________________________________.
II. Supply a condition / a possible result to the following.

Condition Result

If you do not water the plants,

If you keep your surroundings clean,
you will pass with distinction.
If you quarrel with everybody,
you will be sick.
If you step on a snake,

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III. Use of ‘must’
Read the following sentence from the story.
We must plant a lot of trees.
In the above sentence, ‘must’ shows some obligation and compulsion. It expresses
that the work is to be done without fail.
Note : The verb that comes after ‘must’ is always in present tense (V1).
Read the following sentences and observe how “must + V1” is used to express obligation
and compulsion.
Ex : You must work hard to get good marks.
You must take care of your parents.
She must go home now because she has forgotten to lock the door.
Give sentences of your own using the given ‘must + V1’ combinations where
only must can be used. One has been done for you.
1) must stop
Sentence : You must stop at the traffic light.
2) must eat
Sentence : .................................................................................
3) must drink
Sentence : .................................................................................
4) must walk
Sentence : .................................................................................
5) must play
Sentence : .................................................................................
6) must learn
Sentence : .................................................................................
7) must read
Sentence : .................................................................................

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IV. Use of the Simple Present
You have already learnt about simple present tense in your previous classes. The lesson
“Plant a Tree” also contains many sentences in simple present tense.
Observe the following sentences in simple present tense from your lesson.
Trees make all the starch in the world.
Trees help us to get rain.
Rain gives us water.
We need trees for our life.
Now, study the routine of a class VI student, Rajesh.

S.No. Time of the day Activity

1. 5:00 a.m. gets up from bed

2. 5:15 a.m. brushes his teeth
3. 5:45 a.m. takes his bath
4. 6:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. attends to his homework
5. 7:30 a.m.- 7:45 a.m. takes his breakfast
6. 8:00 a.m. walks to the main road to board the school bus
7. 8:30 a.m. reaches school
8. 8:45 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. attends classes at school

Now write answers to the following questions using simple present tense.
1. What time does Rajesh get up?
2. What does Rajesh do between 6:00 and 7:30 a.m.?
3. How does Rajesh reach his school?
4. When does Rajesh take his breakfast?
5. How long does Rajesh stay at school?

V. The Present Continuous Tense

Look at the underlined words in the following passage.
It is 4 pm now. All the children are at play. Raju and his friends are playing
Volleyball. Sindu is practising running. The Physical Director (PD) is giving instructions

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to Kabaddi players. Some girls are watching Tennis. A few boys are drawing lines of
Ball badminton court.
The underlined words in the passage above refer to an “action” in progress. That
means, it gives an idea that the action is not completed yet, but, is still going on. This is
called Present Continuous Tense.

Complete the following sentences using the present continuous form.

1. The old man is silent. He _____________ on what advice he has to give to the
soldier. ( ponder)
2. He has not done his homework. He _____________ it now. (do)

3. My shirt is dirty. I ______________ it. ( wash)

4. You must carry your umbrella. It ________________ heavily. (rain)

5. Don’t disturb her. She ________________ very seriously. (study)

VI. ‘Wh-’ question words.

Look at the underlined words in the following sentences taken from the text.
How do we know the age of a tree ?
What would happen to all of us ?
How long can a big tree lives ?
The underlined words are called ‘wh-’ words. The other ‘wh-’words are ‘where,’ ‘whom,’
‘which,’ ‘when,’ ‘why’ and ‘who.’ They are used to ask questions.
Read the following paragraph and make questions using appropriate wh-words
The first one is done for you.
Dileep and Sindhu are in the class. Sindhu is sitting in the front row. Chandu is
reading English but Sindhu is doing exercises. Rajani is sitting in the second row. She is
sharpening her pencil carefully. The English teacher is writing on the blackboard. The
children in the front bench are taking down the notes. The children in the back bench are
murmuring something. Sunita is going out to drink water.
eg: Where are Dileep and Sindhu?

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Writing

Read the following announcement made by the Headmaster of a Govt. High

School.

NOTICE
Z.P. High School, Ponnaluru, Prakasam Dist.

Green India Survey

Date: 25-11-2012

This is to inform you that Green India Survey Group, Vijayawada havs done a lot
of work in raising awareness among the people living in Vijayawada about how all of
us make our surroundings neat, clean and healthy. In order to make their efforts more
focussed they wish to conduct a survey among the youth through a questionnaire. All
of you are requested to cooperate with the Green India Survey Group and fill in the
questionnaire distributed by them.

Sd/-
Headmaster

I. Imagine that you are the Secretary of the Environment Club of your school.
Write an announcement suggesting that your school will organise a tree
plantation week in the next month.

II. Imagine that you have been asked by Green India Survey Group to complete
the following questionnaire. Fill in the questionnaire giving all the details.
Write a paragraph on how you will protect the forests.

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 Green India Survey Form
1. Name :
2. Age :
3. Class/School :
4. Gender :
5. Contact Number :
6. E-mail ID :
7. Do you use plastic carry bags? Tick (Yes/No)
8. Are you a member of Green Club? Tick (Yes/No)
9. Do you organise NGC (National Green Corps)
programme in your school? Tick (Yes/No)
10. Do you observe the Earth Day in your school? Tick (Yes/No)
11. Your local forest is very important to you because it
provides you with ….
i. fodder (grass, green leaves, etc.) for your animals
ii. _____________________________________
iii. _____________________________________
iv _____________________________________
v. ______________________________________
vi. ______________________________________
12. What do you do to protect your local forest?
i. Take turns to guard the forest with my classmates
ii. ________________________________________
iii. ________________________________________
iv. ________________________________________
v. _________________________________________
13. When do you do this?
_______________________________________________
14. How do you develop greenery in your surroundings?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

Signature

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III. List the stages how a seed grows into a tree. List the steps that you took to
plant a tree in your kitchen garden/school.

How well did I write?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The ideas were arranged in proper sequence.
I used proper punctuation marks.

How well did I edit my work?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words.
I corrected the punctuation errors.
I added new words wherever necessary.
I corrected the misspelt words.

The First Fruit

One morning, a king went on horseback to the countryside. He came to a village and saw an old
man in a field. The old man was digging the earth and planting mango saplings. He was working
very hard.
King : Good morning, my friend. You’re planting these saplings. When will you get the
fruit from them?
Old Man : These saplings will be big trees in ten or fifteen years. They’ll bear fruit then.
King : But you’re old and weak. You’ll die in a few years. You’ll not eat their fruit.
Old Man : You’re right, Sir. I’ll not eat the fruit of these trees. But others will eat it. I’m
planting these saplings for them, and I’m happy.
King : I’m pleased with you, old man. You love other people. You’re a good man. Please
take this bag of money. It’s for you.
Old Man : Thank you, Sir. This bag of money is the first fruit of my little trees.

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 Study Skills
Look at the picture and read the following text and the subscription form carefully.

Terra Green is a leading

monthly environmental
magazine. It promotes
the concept of sustain-
able development.
Launched in June 2004,
this magazine from TERI
is an effort to bring forth
information and knowl-
edge in the fields of en-
ergy, environment and
sustainable development.

Tick one Term (yrs) No. of Issues Cover price You pay You save % saving
Rs. USD Rs. USD Rs. USD
1 12 480 120 400 102 80 18 17
2. 24 960 240 750 192 210 48 22
3 36 1440 360 1000 252 440 108 30
* Free online access to those subscribing tor 3 years
Customer Code ............................... (in case of renewal)..................................................................
Name of the Customer (IN BLOCK LETTERS) ...............................................................................
Designation ................................ Company / Organisation ................................................................
City ............................................ State ............................. Pin ................. Country...........................
Email ...............................................................................................................................................
IF YOU WANT TO GIFT A SUBSCRIPTION
Name .......................................................................................... Contact No. ...............................
Address ...........................................................................................................................................
City ............................................ State ............................. Pin ................. Country...........................
Contact No. ................................ Email ............................................................................................
PAYMENT PROCEDURE
Enclosed a Cheque / Draft number ............................................ drawn in favour of ‘TERI’ payable at
New Delhi for Rs. ........................................... for 1/2/3 year subscription of TerraGreen.
Buy online at http:// bookstore.teriin.org
For Subscription queries contact Kakali Ghosh. Asst. Executive (Mktg) e-mail: [email protected]
The Energy and Resources Institute
Darbari Seth Block, IHC Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003
Tel. 2468 2100 or 4150 4900, Fax 2468 2144 or 2468 2145. India-91 Delhi(O)11 www.terragreen.teriin.org
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the name of the periodical?
2. What does “TERI” stand for?
3. What is the annual subscription rate of the magazine?
4. What is the website address of the periodical?
5. What bonus will you get if you subscribe to the magazine for three years?

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Listening and Speaking

I. Your teacher will tell you the story, “The Little Boy and a Kind Tree.” Listen
carefully and answer the following questions:

Tick the correct answer.

1. Who helped the little boy?
a) mother b) the animals c) a tree
2. “I am going to marry,” who said these words?
a) the captain b) the young man c) the old man
3. What did the young man become?
a) a sailor b) a doctor c) a captain
4. What does the story tell us?
a) selfish giving b) selfless giving c) humanity
II Say whether the following are true or false.
1. The young man helped the tree to grow well. ( )
2. The captain was a kind man. ( )
3. The tree helped the little boy till the end. ( )
4. The tree was loving and affectionate. ( )

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III. Pair work
Suppose you were the little boy in the story, how would you describe the kind
tree to your classmate? You may use the following phrases.
G very kind, friendly

G caring, sympathetic
G self-less, cheerful
G loving, affectionate

B. Reading

Read the following poem.

If a Tree Could Talk

If a tree could talk, what would it say?

“Don’t chop me down, just walk away.”

If a river could talk, what would it say?

“Don’t dump in trash, throw it away.”

If the air could talk, what would it say?

“The factories must learn to keep smoke away.”

If the animals could talk, what would they say?

“Help us to live, we wish to stay.”

If the Earth could talk, what would it say?

“Protect me by making every day Earth Day!”

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Glossary
chop (v): to cut
trash (v): something that is worthless and of low quality
How well did I read the poem?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the poem.
I got the idea of the poem on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the poem.
I used the glossary given at the end of the poem.

Answer the following questions:

1. Who is being addressed in the poem?
*2. What would animals say if they could talk? Prepare some slogans.
3. Pick out the rhyming words from the poem.
4. What does the tree wish for?
5. How are trees and animals useful to us?
6. Pick out all the bad things we do that make our surroundings unclean.
*7. How are we responsible for pollution on earth?
*8. Write a poem based on what more a tree, air, river, and earth could pray for.

Project

Collect information about the common “shade giving,” “flower bearing” and “fruit
bearing” trees and the medicinal plants. Share the information with your classmates.

S.No. Name of the Tree Useful Part Brief Description Other Information

1. Neem tree leaves, Leaves are smaller Oil is extracted from

seeds, in size and pointed. neem seeds. Neem
bark Fruits are fleshy seeds are used as
and sweet. The bio-pesticide. The oil
and roots
seeds are used for and the extract of
extracting oil. leaves, bark, and roots
are used in preparation
of Ayurvedic medicine

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C. Reading

Children, Speak Up!

This is an extract from a speech given by Severn Suzuki, a 13-year-old girl from
Canada, on June 11, 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki, speaking for ECO, the Environmental Children’s
Organisation. We are a group of four 12 and 13-year-olds from Canada trying to make a
difference—Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg, and me. We raised all the
money ourselves to come 6000 miles to tell you adults that you must change your ways.
I am here to speak for all future generations to come. I am here to speak on behalf of
all the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to speak for the
countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go.

I am afraid to go out in the sun now, because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to
breathe the air, because I don’t know what chemicals are in it. I used to go fishing in
Vancouver, my home town, with my Dad, until just a few years ago we found the fish full of
cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going extinct every day – vanishing
every day.
In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles, and
rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my
children to see. Did you have to worry about these things when you were my age?

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 Here you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organisers, reporters
or politicians. But really, you are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles.
And all of you are someone’s child. I am only a child yet I know we are all part of a family,
five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the same air, water
and soil – borders and governments will never change that. I am only a child yet I know we
are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal. In my
anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I’m not afraid to tell the world how I feel.
I’m only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty
and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this Earth would be.
At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us how to behave in the world. You teach us
not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to
hurt other creatures, to share – not to be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things
you tell us not to do?
Do not forget why you are attending these conferences, you are doing this for your
own children. You are deciding what kind of a world we will grow up in.
Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying, “Everything is going to be
alright. It’s not the end of the world. We are doing the best we can.” But I don’t think you
can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities?
My dad always says, “You are what you do, not what you say.” Well, what you do
makes me cry at night. You grown-ups say you love us. I challenge you, please, make your
actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening.
source: http://criticaldocs.wordpress.com

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of life does Suzuki want for herself and for all the children of the
world?
2. What advice does Suzuki give to the adults?
3. “I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.” Why does the speaker
say so?
4. My dad always says, “You are what you do, not what you say.”
a. Who said these words?
b. Who did the speaker say these words to? What do they mean?
5. What is Suzuki’s speech about?

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6 P.T. Usha, the Golden Girl

Look at the picture and discuss the questions that follow:

1. Which sport is shown in the picture?

2. How many sports and games do you know?
3. Which sport/game do you play?
4. What is the difference between a sport and a game?
5. How important are sports/games for everyone?

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A.Reading
Read the following story and answer the questions that follow.
“P.T. Usha, India.” This was the address on a letter
from the Middle East. The letter was delivered by the
postal department with no delay whatsoever. This was
the status of PILAVULLAKANDI THEKKEPARAMBIL
USHA who was born as the second daughter of Paithal
and Lakshmi Amma on 20th May 1964 in the village of
Payyoli, Kozhikode District, Kerala.
It was November 1973 when a dedicated physical
education teacher called Balakrishnan discovered Usha
while conversing with a parent. His eyes, ever watchful,
kept drifting to a group of small girls playing blind man’s
bluff just across the field. Was there a pair of feet that
were moving extraordinarily fast? Was that tiny, dark
girl in her blue skirt and white blouse moving like an instinctive athlete? Patient as ever,
Balakrishnan waited for the game to be over. Calling the little girl, he gently enquired of
her, “What’s your name, child?” The shy little girl hardly raised her eyes from the ground.
“Usha,” she whispered and added, “from Class IV.”
Thus was made one of the greatest discoveries in the athletic arena of Asia, a simple
question from an observant master, and an equally unassuming answer from a tiny village
girl from a distant village in Malabar in Kerala. That same evening, at 4.15 p.m., Usha heard
the magical words for the first time in her life – On your Marks. Get set. Go. The Master
had explained to her what to do, and why. Confused, but very much aware of the ‘seriousness’
of the occasion, she ran for her life. The rest is history.
In 1975, Usha was 11 years old and was practising vigorously for the sub-junior District
Meet – her first ever. With three days to go, Usha badly injured her heel, while practising for the
long jump. The day of the event; all eyes were on her; she was so puny, so unbelievably tiny that
she was the crowd’s favourite even before the race started. A white bandage on her heel won her
even more sympathy. She came first in all the four events she participated in –100m, 200m,
long jump, and high jump. She was also the individual champion at the Meet.
Academically, Usha was an extremely bright student. She was always amongst the top
three in her class and was popular with her teachers. She passed her standard VII exams
with a first class grade. Just then, the government of Kerala announced a separate Sports
Division for girls at Cannanore, a town with special facilities for sports in addition to
regular studies.

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 Usha joined the Sports Division at Cannanore to improve her sport talent. She was
left in the safe hands of C.H. Paithal, the headmaster of the school. It was at Cannanore that
another great master fired her imagination so much that together they achieved the
impossible. His name was Madhavan Nambiar.
By 1977, Usha and Nambiar were inseparable.
Nambiar had found the ward he had been waiting
for all his life and Usha had found her guru. Nambiar
would, from now on, care for her like a father.
Usha’s meticulous, systematic training began in
earnest.
Usha had a regular training run on the beach
of Payyoli. She preferred to be trained alone, for
the vastness of the beach gave her a sense of
freedom. She ran joyfully and freely, and she
derived her strength from the serenity and peace
of her beloved Kerala surroundings. Nambiar
introduced his sand training in her programme to
enhance her performance in the athletics, just after
the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games. Sand training had enhanced the performance of many
great athletes, from Edwin Moses to top flight Indian athletes like Milkha Singh and Sriram
Singh.
Usha’s athletic achievements are well-known to almost all Indians – two silver medals
in the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games; 4th place in the 400m at the 1984 Jakarta Asian Meet;
and four Golds and one Silver at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul.
P.T. Usha’s story is that of a gifted child, from humble origins, achieving international
success through sheer dedication and immense hard work. “Never, never in the history of
independent India has a youngster from a remote background town of rural origin caught
the imagination of youth in particular and the public in general as Usha has,” said a Professor
of English in Usha’s home town.

Glossary
instinctive (adj): arising from natural ability
vigorously (adv): working with strength and energy
puny (adj): small and weak
earnest (adj): serious
serenity (n): calmness
enhance (v): to make greater or better

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How well did I read?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the passage.
I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. At what age was Usha’s sports talent recognized first? Who did it?
2. What quality do you notice in Usha while she practised athletics from a young
age?
3. How was Usha in her studies?
4. How does Usha’s life inspire the young girls of our country?
5. What qualities in Usha made her great in athletics?
*6. Can you name some great Indian women athletes who may have been inspired by
P .T.Usha?
7. List different events in athletics.
II. Write on ‘‘the time line’’ given below the important events from the life of P.T.
Usha.

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III. Write whether the following statements are True or False in the brackets.
1. P.T. Usha is also called the golden girl. [ ]
2. She is the only daughter of her parents. [ ]
3. Usha was the individual champion in the sub-junior District Meet. [ ]
4. Usha was an average child in her studies. [ ]
5. Madhavan Nambiar alone was responsible for her international fame. [ ]

Vocabulary
I. The following is the list of some sports and games. Classify them into sports
and games. Add some other games or sports you know to the list.

Volleyball Cricket
Running Chess
Badminton Table tennis
Soccer Skiing
Swimming Motor racing
Baseball Sailing
Carrom Lawn tennis

Sports Games

II. Pick out from the reading passage the synonyms of the following words:

devoted title-holder attained exceptional

small happily tranquility increase
talented

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III. Look at the following sports goods. Write the number of the sports item and
its name in your notebook. You may use the words from the box.

weights goggles shorts a tennis racket a volley ball

running shoes a football football socks a football skirt a basketball
a track suit running shoes a hockey stick a cricket ball a shuttle cock

1 2 3 4

7 9
6
5

7
10

11
12 13

Grammar
I. Adjectives and their order in a phrase
Look at the following sentences from the reading passage:
Usha was a tiny village girl. She was an extremely bright student.

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 The underlined words are adjectives. They describe Usha. We may use more than
one adjective to describe a person, place or thing or an object. They may give us information
about things like quality, colour, age, make, shape etc., of a person, place, thing or an
object.
Quality : a pleasant day Size : a small room
Age : a young man Temperature : a hot day
Shape : a square table Colour : a black cat

Order of adjectives
When we use two or more adjectives to describe a noun, we have to take care of
their order. The position of the adjectives depends on how closely they are related to the
noun. Though hard and fast rules cannot be given, the following guidelines will be of some
help.

Adjectives : usual order

determiners quality size/ colour/ past material noun

(articles, age/ origin participle
demonstratives, shape
possessives)
Rani’s beautiful old brown hand wooden table
table
Indian made

Example: It is Rani’s beautiful old brown Indian handmade wooden table.

I. Rewrite the following sentences with the correct order of adjectives:
1. Usha was born at farm mother’s old her house.
2. Usha is dark little a shy girl.
3. There are flowers some beautiful rose white in our garden.
4. It is new my textbook English.
5. Sunitha was dressed in saree Kancheepurm expensive an silk.
II. Look at the following sentences paying special attention to the underlined
phrases:
1. Usha joined the Sports Division at Cannanore to improve her sport talent.
2. Nambiar introduced the sand training in her programme to enhance her perfor-
mance in athletics.

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 The underlined phrases in the above sentences are used to talk about the purpose of
activity and answer the question ‘‘why’’ as shown below.
Why did Usha join the Sports Division at Cannanore?
… to improve her sports talent.
Why did Nambiar introduce her sand training?
… to enhance her performance.
1. Ask and answer the following questions as shown in the example:
A: Why do people go to library?
B: They go to library to read books.
A: Why do people go to school / post-office / the cinema / hospital / market /
bus-stand / railway station
B: Why do people use a watch / an umbrella / a toothbrush / a microscope / a mirror
/ shoes /...
2. Make sentences using the clues given. The first one is done for you.

Smt. Lakshmi Devi is an old woman.

eg. She / like / eat / sweets. - She likes to eat sweets.
She / like / eat / soft things - she / hate / eat / hard things - One day she / -want / eat /
palkova - She / ask / her neighbour / buy / some palkova - The young woman / agree / get /
some - She / promise / buy / a kilo - The old woman / promise / pay her later - In the market
/ the young woman / remember / buy / something for Lakshmi Devi. - She bought pakodis!
- The old woman / refuse / pay.

3. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the verbs in the brackets.

1. Reema is planning _______ admission in French classes from next year. ( take)
2. She practised_______with a pitcher on her head.(walk)
3. My grandfather has promised_______care of Sheru, the dog, in our absence.
(take)
4. I have no idea how they are planning_______the New Year’s Eve this year.
(celebrate)
5. I have decided_______the job in view of my financial position. ( accept)
6. My mother dislikes_______alone in the kitchen. (work)

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Writing
I. You have read about P.T.Usha . Using that information and any other information
you may have, try to write a short profile of this great athlete. You can use the
following skeleton if you like.

P.T. Usha - The Payyoli Express

Name : ____________________________________________________
Father’s Name:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Name of the Coach:
Brief Biographical Sketch:

Achievements in Olympics:
1.
2.
Achievements in Asian Games:
1.
2.
Records Set / Broken:
1.
2.
Medals Won:
1.
2.
Awards and Honours:
1.
2.

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*II. Suppose you have Rs. 10,000 to spend on sports equipment. Write in your
notebook the things you would want to buy. As the Secretary of The Sports Club
in your school, write a letter to M/S. India sports, Hyderabad for placing order
for these sports goods. You should ask them to send you the price list of the
goods before you place the final order.

*III. The A.P. Sports Club, Hyderabad has decided to collect data about the popularity
of sports in schools in your locality. Prepare a notice about the A.P. Sports
Club’s visit to your school.

How well did I write?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well.
The sentences I used were properly connected.
I was able to express my ideas in apt words.
The ideas were arranged in proper sequence.
I used proper punctuation marks.

How well did I edit my work?

Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words.
I corrected the punctuation errors.
I added new words wherever necessary.
I corrected the misspelt words.

Study Skills

Read this questionnaire and write your answers in the notebook. The points
you get depend on your choice of answer, a, b, or c. Look at the table given
below the questionnaire for points. For example, if your answer to question 1
is b, you will get 0 points. Mark your answers and calculate your score. Then
you will know how sporty you are.

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 How sporty are you?
1. How often do you play sports per week?
a. Three times b. Never c. Every day
2. What do you like to do on a Sunday afternoon?
a. Watch television b. Study c. Play sports with friends
3. How often do you watch sports on television?
a. Never b. Sometimes c. Often
4. During the last world cricket cup
a. I watched some of the matches.
b. I watched most of the matches.
c. I didn’t watch any of the matches.
5. What do you think of your physical education classes at school?
a. I hate them. b. I think they are O.K. c. I love them.
6. Which of these do you have?
a. A lot of sports books, magazines and equipment.
b. Some sports books, magazines and equipment.
c. No sports books, magazines and equipment.
7. Do you ever think of becoming a famous sports player?
a. Never b. Sometimes c.Often
8. Do you plan to participate in sports this weekend?
a. Yes b.May be c. No

Question Points Question Points

No. a b c No. a b c
1. 1 0 2 5 0 1 2
2 1 0 2 6 2 1 0
3 0 1 2 7 0 1 2
4 1 2 0 8 2 1 0

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Score: Less than 5 points – you hate sports.
From 5 to 9 points – you like sports.
More than 9 points – you love sports.
Give the questionnaire to the members of your group and tell them how sporty
they are.

Listening and Speaking

I. Your teacher will read the story, “The Olympic Champion and the Ducks.”
Listen carefully and say whether the following statements are True or False.
Write T for True and F for false statements in the brackets.

1. The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia. [ ]

2. Olympic Games are held once in a year. [ ]
3. Bobby Pearce learnt sculling from his father. [ ]
4. When Bobby won his first race, he was six years old. [ ]
5. Myers slowed down the boat because he loves animals. [ ]
6. People praised Bobby for his kindness towards the innocent creatures. [ ]
7. He lost only a single race. [ ]
8. He completed thirty three races in his life. [ ]

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Group work

II. Given below are some statements expressing the views of some people about
sports and games in schools. Discuss them in your group. Each member should
either agree or disagree with the statement and give reasons. One member
should record while the others give their opinions. After everyone has finished,
the group leader can summarize and present before the class.

Sports/games slow down students’ progress in their studies.

When school children participate in sports/games, they become tired.

Girls should not be encouraged to participate in sports/games

When girls take part in sports/games, they become masculine and insensitive.

Participating in sports/games is a mere waste of time.

Sports/games spoil the entire career of students.

The success rate is very low in sports/games.

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B. Reading
Read the following poem:

Indian Cricket Team

When the umpire puts the toss,
Dhoni is the boss.
When Gambhir hits a century,
Bret Lee goes for a knee injury.
When Sehwag hits the ball to the fence,
Ponting becomes tense.
When Taylor’s run out is taken
To the third umpire’s decision,

He loses his batting position.

When India is in need of a run,
Down goes the blazing sun.
When India gets the cup,
They raise it up.

Glossary

fence (n): (here) boundary

blazing (adj): burning brightly
How well did I read the poem?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the poem.
I got the idea of the poem on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group.
The teacher helped me to understand the poem.
I used the glossary given at the end of the poem.

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92
 1. Do you like the poem? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Write a similar poem by changing the names of players of another cricket team.

Project
Collect the measurements of the courts of different games like volleyball, badminton,
Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, etc. and share them with your classmates. Also, draw the charts
of the courts of some games/sports along with their measurement and display them
in your class/sports room.

C. Reading

Ranji’s Wonderful Bat

“How’s that!” shouted the wicket-keeper, holding the ball up in his gloves.
“How’s that!” echoed the fielders. “How?” growled the fast bowler, glaring at the
umpire.
“Out!” said the umpire. And Suraj, the captain of the school team, was walking slowly
back to the tool-shed at the far end of the field.

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 The score stood at fifty-three for four wickets. Another sixty runs had to be made for
victory, and only one good batsman remained. All the rest were bowlers who could not
make many runs.
It was Ranji’s turn to bat. He was the youngest member of the team, only eleven but
strong and bold. Ranji prepared to face the bowler. The hard, shiny, red ball came speeding
towards him.
Ranji was going to leap forward and play the ball back to the bowler, but at the last
moment he changed his mind and stepped back, planning to push the ball through the ring of
fielders on his right, or off side. The ball swung in the air, shot off the grass, and came
through sharply to strike Ranji on his pads.
The umpire raised a finger. “Out,” he said. And it was Ranji’s turn to walk back to the
tool-shed. The match was won by the visiting team.
“Never mind,” said Suraj, patting Ranji on the back. “You’ll do better next time.” But
their cricket coach was more strict. “You’ll have to make more runs in the next game,” he
told Ranji, “or you’ll lose your place in the side!”
Avoiding the other
players, Ranji walked slowly
homewards. He was very
upset. He had been trying so
hard and practising so
regularly, but when an
important game came along, he
failed to make a big score.
On his way home, he had
to pass Mr. Kumar’s Sports
Shop. He liked to chat with the
owner or look at all the things
on the shelves—footballs,
cricket balls, badminton
rackets, hockey sticks and
balls of various shapes and
sizes. Mr. Kumar had been a
state player once, and had
scored a century in a match
against Tanzania.

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 But this was one day when he did not feel like stopping. He looked the other way and
was about to cross the road when Mr. Kumar’s voice stopped him. “Hello, Ranji! Why are
you looking so sad? Lost the game today?”
Ranji felt better as soon as he was inside the shop. “Yes, we lost the match.”
“Never mind,” said Mr. Kumar. “What would we do without losers? Anyway, how
many runs did you make?”
“None. A big round egg. I haven’t made a good score in my last three
matches,” said Ranji. “I’ll be dropped from the team if I don’t do something
in the next game.”
“Well, we can’t have that happening,” said Mr. Kumar. “Something
will have to be done about it.”
“I’m just unlucky,” said Ranji.
“May be. But in that case, it’s time your luck changed.”
Mr. Kumar began looking closely at a number of old cricket bats,
and after a few minutes he said, “Ah!” And he picked up one of the bats and
held it out to Ranji. “This is it!” he said. “This is the luckiest of all my old
bats. This is the bat I made a century with!”
He held it out to Ranji. “Here, take it! I’ll lend it to you for the rest
of the cricket season. You won’t fail with it.”
Ranji took the bat and gazed at it with awe and delight. “Is it really the
bat you made a century with?” he asked.
“It is,” said Mr. Kumar. “It may get you a hundred runs too!”
Ranji spent a nervous week waiting for Saturday’s match. He asked
Koki, the girl next door, to bowl to him in the garden. Koki bowled quite
well.
At last Saturday arrived, bright and sunny. Just right for cricket. Suraj
won the toss for the school and decided to bat first.
The opening batsmen put on thirty runs without being separated. The
visiting fast bowlers couldn’t do much. Then the spin bowlers came on,
and immediately there was a change in the game. Two wickets fell in one
over, and the score was thirty-three for two. Suraj made a few quick runs,
and then he too was out to one of the spinners, caught behind the wicket.
And it was Ranji’s turn.

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 He walked slowly to the wicket. The
bowler took a short run and then the ball
was twirling towards Ranji. And then a thrill
ran through Ranji’s arm as he felt the ball
meet the bat.
CRACK! The ball, hit firmly with the
middle of Ranji’s bat, streaked past the
helpless bowler and sped towards the
boundary. Four runs!
And that was only the beginning. Now
Ranji began to play all the strokes he knew.
He sent the fielders scampering to all
corners of the field.
Twenty minutes after lunch, when
Suraj closed the innings, Ranji was not out with fifty-eight and Ranji’s school won the
match. On his way home, Ranji stopped at Mr. Kumar’s shop.
“We won!” he said, “And I made fifty-eight—my highest score so far. It really is a
lucky bat!”
- Ruskin Bond
Answer the following questions:
1. What kind of inspiration do you get from this incident?
2. What role did Mr. Kumar play in making Ranji successful?
3. Have you been inspired by anyone in any field like the one above? If so, describe
him/her.
4. Do you think that the bat was really a lucky one? Do you believe in such things?
Share your ideas with your group.

Do not believe...

‘‘Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in any-
thing simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything
simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything
merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions be-
cause they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and
analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good
and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.’’
-Buddha

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 Appendix - I
Texts for Listening
UNIT - 1
The Friendly Mongoose
Once, a farmer and his wife lived in a village with their small son. They loved him
very much. “We must have a pet,” the farmer said to his wife one day. “When our son
grows up, he will need a companion. This pet will be our son’s companion.” His wife
liked the idea.
One evening, the farmer brought with him a tiny mongoose. “It’s a baby
mongoose,” said his wife, “but will soon be fully grown. He will be a friend to our
son.’’
Both the baby and the mongoose grew. In five or six months, the mongoose had
grown to its full size — a lovely animal with two shining black eyes and a bushy tail.
The farmer’s son was still a baby in the cradle, sleeping and crying alternately.
One day, the farmer’s wife wanted to go to the market. She fed the baby and
rocked him to sleep in his little cradle. Picking up the basket, she said to her husband,
“I’m off to the bazar. The baby is sleeping. Keep an eye on him. Frankly, I don’t like to
leave the child alone with the mongoose.”
“You needn’t be afraid,” said the farmer. “The mongoose is a friendly animal. It’s
as sweet as our baby and they are the best of friends, you know.”
The wife went away, and the farmer, having nothing to do in the house, decided to
go out and take a look at his fields not far away. He ran into some friends on the way
back and didn’t return for quite some time.
The farmer’s wife finished her shopping and came back home with a basket full
of groceries. She saw the mongoose sitting outside as if waiting for her. On seeing
her, he ran to welcome her, as it was customary. The farmer’s wife took one look at
the mongoose and screamed. “Blood!” she cried. The face and paws of the mongoose
were smeared with blood.
“You wicked animal! You have killed my baby,” she screamed hysterically. She
was blind with rage. She hit the mongoose hard with a stick and ran inside to the
child’s cradle.
The baby was fast asleep. But on the floor lay a black snake torn and bleeding. In
a flash she realised what had happened. She ran out looking for the mongoose.
“Oh! You saved my child! You killed the snake! What have I done?” she cried
touching the mongoose, who lay dead and still, unaware of her sobbing. The farmer’s
wife, who had acted hastily and rashly, stared long at the dead mongoose. Then she
heard the baby crying. Wiping her tears, she went in to feed him.

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 UNIT – 2
Charaka
“Prevention is better than cure” is the principle we follow today. But in ancient
times people bothered about their health only when they fell ill. But now the physicians
have discovered the factors responsible for patients’ diseases. A physician should
have a thorough professional knowledge, patience and sympathy towards patients to
cure diseases.
Nearly twenty centuries ago a great man named Charaka made certain remarks
related to human health and diseases, in his famous Ayurvedic treatise
Charakasamhita. This treatise contains many things related to human body which
our doctors follow even today.
Charaka was the first person to find out what actually makes a human being fall
sick. As a great physician, he presented the concept of digestion, metabolism, and
immunity. He differentiated the body of one human being from the other by showing
how the same quantity of food taken by different people makes some fat, and some
others thin and strong.
Charaka studied the anatomy of human body. He gave the number of bones present
in the human body including teeth. He was right when he said that the heart is a
controlling centre.
Charaka, under the guidance of the ancient physicians Atreya and Agnivesa wrote
the treatise Charakasamhita. It remained a standard work on the subject and was
translated into many languages of the world including Arabic and Latin.
In spite of his great contribution in the field of medicine, we know very little
about Charaka as a person.

UNIT – 3
Glenn Cunningham
Glenn Cunningham was a good runner. In races at school, he ran faster than his
friends. “I want to become the fastest runner in the world,” Glenn told himself.
One day, there was a big fire at Glenn’s school. He was burnt very badly. His legs
were burnt more than any other part of his body. The doctors looked at his legs and
said that he would not be able to run again.
“I want to run!” shouted the boy. “ I want to run!”
“You will not be able to run,” said the doctors.
“You should be happy if you can walk.” But Glenn did not listen to the doctors.
“I won’t give up,” he told himself. “I’ll run!”

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 Glenn was in bed for a year. When he got up, he tried to walk. He fell down. But
Glenn did not give up. He kept trying. At last, Glenn was able to walk. The doctors
were surprised. Then Glenn started to run. Soon he could run faster than his friends.
Later, Glenn became the fastest runner of his time. Glenn Cunningham showed
that anything can be done if one tries hard.

UNIT – 4
To Catch Some Thieves
One evening Ali was cycling home after a cricket match. It was getting dark and
there was no moonlight. He was in a hurry to get home. He took the shortest way
home and happened to pass by his uncle’s watch factory.
There was a lorry outside the factory and the gate was open. The night watchman
was not there.
“This is very strange,” Ali said to himself. “I must find out more.”
He got off his bicycle and hid it behind a big tree. As he did this, he heard heavy
footsteps. He quickly went behind the tree and looked around. He saw four men carrying
boxes to the lorry, “Ah, these watches will get all of us a lot of money for the coming
New Year,” one of them said in a low voice.
Ali knew at once that the men were thieves. He kept very still and quiet. He was a
little afraid and his heart went thud-thud-thud. He waited until the thieves had gone
back into the factory to get some more watches. Then he ran to the lorry and let out
the air from all the tyres. After that, he got on to his bicycle and cycled at top speed
to the police station about a kilometre away.
When Ali reached the police station, he was out of breath. He told the police
inspector, “Please, Sir, thieves! thieves!”
“Slow down, young man,” the inspector said with a smile. “Catch your breath first
and then talk. Now, where?”
“My uncle’s factory in Vikhroli,” answered Ali. “Four of them. I’ve let out the air
from all the tyres of their lorry.”
“Very good,” said the inspector. “We’ll go there at once. You can come with us if
you like.” Ali got into the police car with the inspector. They drove off and another
police car followed them. Ali was very excited. This was the first time he had travelled
in a police car, and with the siren on!
Soon they reached the factory. The thieves were taken completely by surprise.
They tried to run away but the policemen caught them and took them to the police
station.

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 The inspector took Ali home in his car. He told Ali that his men would bring his
bicycle to him later. Ali’s father and mother were glad to see their son. They had been
afraid that something had happened to him. When the inspector told them what Ali had
done, they were very happy and proud.
On the New Year’s Day, Ali’s uncle presented him with a new bicycle.

UNIT – 5
A Little Boy and a Kind Tree
There is a story about a kind tree and a little boy. The little boy played in the
shade of the tree every day. The tree loved him very much. One day the boy sat at the
foot of the tree. There were tears in his eyes.
“Why are you crying?” asked the tree. “Because I’m hungry,” said the little boy.
“Eat my fruit,” said the kind tree, and bent down one of its branches. The boy ate
the fruits and was happy. The boy grew up. One day he sat under the tree. He was sad.
“Why are you sad?” asked the tree. “I’m going to marry,” said the young man. “But I
have no house to live in.” “Cut down my branches,” said the tree. “And build a house.”
The young man built a house with the branches of the tree. The young man became a
sailor. One day he sat under the tree. He looked unhappy. “Why are you unhappy?”
asked the tree.
“Because my captain is a bad man and cruel to me,” said the sailor. “I want to have
my own ship.” “Cut down my trunk and build a ship,” said the tree. The sailor built a
ship on his own. The tree was gone. Only the stump was there. In ten years, the sailor
lost his ship. He came home. He was a helpless old man! One cold winter day the old
man stood near the stump of the old tree. He leaned on his stick and trembled with
cold. “Make a fire out of me,” said the stump of the tree, “and warm yourself.” The
stump of the kind tree burned in the fire.

UNIT – 6
The Olympic Champion and the Ducks
The Greeks started the Olympic Games on the plains of Olympia. Their last
Olympic Games were held in 261 A.D. These games were started again in 1896
and are being held once in every four years.
At the Olympic Games of 1928 in Amsterdam, Bobby Pearce won a gold medal
for rowing race. He also won the hearts of all who saw him win.

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 Bobby Pearce was born in Sidney in Australia. His father was a great sculling
champion. (Sculling means ‘one man rowing with two oars’, one in each hand). When
Bobby was five, he was rowing around Sidney harbour in a small boat. A Little later,
he won his first race, competing against the olds. One of the judges asked him, “ How
old are you, Bobby?” And he replied proudly, “Six”.
By the time he was twenty, Bobby was the sculling champion of Australia. The
following year he went to Amsterdam to compete in the Olympic Games. In the finals
he competed against Ken Myers of America. From the start of the race, Bobby was in
the lead. At the half-way stage, he was still leading and very much ahead of Myers. It
seemed that Bobby would easily win.
Then, suddenly, something happened. Bobby heard a shout from the bank and he
looked over his shoulder. He saw a duck and her brood of ducklings swimming across
the canal. They were swimming into the course of his boat and the boat was going to
run into them. The poor birds had no idea that they were in the middle of an Olympic
race!
Immediately Bobby slowed his boat down. Myers was catching up very fast. The
people on the shore were shouting as if they were mad. But, Bobby waited patiently
until all the ducklings were out of danger. Then he picked up speed again and went on
to win the race easily.
Of all the Olympic heroes, it was he who won everybody’s heart. A Dutch
newspaper wrote, “He won the goodwill of the children of Amsterdam”. His friends
in the Australian Olympic team were not surprised by the incident of the ducks. “Bobby
is that kind of man,” they said.
From the age of six, Bobby Pearce competed in races for thirty three years and
retired from sports in 1945. How many of these races do you think he lost? Not a
single race!

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 Appendix II
A Note to the Teacher
‘Our World through English’ Class VI has been prepared in accordance with the
syllabus for a ten-year course in English as a second language. We hope you would
supplement this textbook with some other material of your choice for effective class-
room transaction.
Teachers should promote interactive mode while transacting the language ac-
tivities in each unit. They should act as facilitators and encourage children to do indi-
vidual and group work, thus making them autonomous users of the language.
The Goals
After the completion of the course, the students are expected
 to attain the basic proficiency, such as is acquired in natural language learning i.e.,
the spontaneous and appropriate use of language for at least everyday use,
 to develop his/her linguistic competence for abstract thought and knowledge acqui-
sition and,
 to construct discourses (oral and written) such as narratives, descriptions, essays,
conversations, diary, plays, script writing, profile writing, dramas, posters, slo-
gans, letters, etc.
Learning Outcomes / Academic Standards
At the end of the academic year the children are expected to achieve certain academic
standards. The everyday classroom transaction should focus on the following areas.
1. Listening and Speaking
2. Reading Comprehension
3. Vocabulary
4. Grammar
5. Conventions of Writing
6. Creative Expression (Oral and Written Discourses)
In order to achieve the above learning outcomes, the new textbooks have eight units
with different themes and genres.
Features of the Textbook
You may have noticed that this textbook has a few features which make it different
from the ones that we used earlier.
 Units are thematically organized with passages meant for listening and reading.
Activities focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and study skills.

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  Measures have been taken to help learners get the rules familiarised with different
genres such as narratives, essays, biographical sketches, plays, poems, etc. and con-
struct them in oral as well as written forms.
 Though the components in a unit have been organised as listening, speaking (oral
activity), reading and writing, an integrated treatment of these skills has been worked
out.
 Vocabulary and grammar exercises have been contextually designed.
 A few questions and activities, given under comprehension, do not target any fixed
responses; instead, they demand the learners to use language authentically both orally
and in writing. These comprehension questions and the language activities are merely
stepping stones for the learners to gain proficiency in the language and as such are
not goals by themselves.
Components of a Unit
Face Sheet / Trigger: Each unit starts with a picture / quotation / poem followed by
some interactive questions. This is to warm-up the students and to generate genuine
interest towards the theme and the reading texts in the unit. The teacher can put
more number of questions that demand divergent responses from children in order
to encourage them to interact more effectively.
Reading Texts: Every unit consists of three reading texts (Reading A, B and C). The
reading texts include different genres such as stories, narratives, biographical
sketches, short plays, speeches, monologues, letters, interviews and essays related
to the theme of the unit. All texts are followed by glossary, and a few comprehen-
sion questions. You will find the questions that help students think critically, reflect
on what they have read, and interpret the text in their own words. Teachers should
follow the suggested transaction process in the classroom.
Language Activities
Vocabulary: This section contains some vocabulary tasks/activities/exercises. You
will find matching questions, finding synonyms / antonyms, phrasal verbs, multiple
shades of meanings, collocations, homonyms, homophones, homographs, idioms,
word-formation activities, etc.
Grammar: This section contains some grammar tasks/activities/exercises. You
will find tasks that make the students explore the language. You will also find activi-
ties that help students identify grammatical errors and edit them.
Writing: This section contains some written discourses that help students write
conversations, descriptions, narratives / stories, messages, e-mails, SMSes, diary
entries, letters, paragraph, an essays, biographical sketches, songs / poems and some

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 other discourses. You will also find some tasks that need group discussion, colla-
tion of information from various sources, and then writing a piece collaboratively.
Study Skills: This section contains some tasks/activities/exercises to improve
study skills. You will find some verbal and nonverbal activities like pie charts, bar
diagrams, tables, advertisements, dictionary entries, route maps, etc. These activi-
ties help children interprete, analyze and transfer the data, and use the language
appropriately.
Listening: This section contains a listening text (given in Appendix-I) and a few
tasks/activities/exercises to improve speaking and listening competencies. You
will find some listening comprehension questions, and questions that call for the
students’ reflection on what they have listened to.
Oral Activity: This section contains some oral discourses to improve speaking
competencies. In this section you will find some oral activities that encourage the
children to participate in the conversations, discussions, debates, compering, pre-
senting reports, speeches, etc.
Project: This section contains one or two projects related to the theme of the unit.
They require students to find resources, to work out the task i.e. collection, analy-
sis and interpretation of data, to prepare a report and to present their findings be-
fore the class.
Self -Assessment Checklist: The checklist given at the end of each unit helps the
learner to assess his / her own learning. The self-assessment tools reflect all the
sections in a unit. This check list also helps the teacher to assess the learning levels
of children.
The Methods
Unless we clearly understand the concept of language and the process of lan-
guage acquisition, we will not be able to identify the right kind of pedagogy for second
languages. If we equate information to knowledge of language and assume that learn-
ers are destined to receive this information, we will focus on how the information
given in the course books can be transmitted. On the other hand, if we believe that
knowledge of a language is different from information about a language, and that
every child constructs this knowledge through interpreting the world around her/him,
we will define this knowledge unambiguously and will identify the process by which it
is constructed.
The Classroom Process
The general design of classroom transaction shall be as suggested below:
The Pre-Reading
1. The teacher interacts with the learners in an informal way in order to instil in them

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 a sort of communication expectancy so that they are psychologically tuned to in-
volve in the activities that follow. This can be done based on something (say a pho-
tograph, a visual clipping, a news report, etc.) that will work as a trigger for sensitiz-
ing the learners on the theme around which the entire classroom activities are wo-
ven. The facilitator can ask a few analytical questions that will elicit individual per-
ceptions on the trigger.
2. The facilitator presents a narrative or initiates a discussion that will further sensi-
tize the learners on the theme.
3. This is followed by a few more analytical questions eliciting free responses of the
learners. These questions will help the learners make intelligent predictions on
what they are going to read.
Reading
This involves a number of micro-processes:
1. Individual reading: Note that children have already made some intelligent predic-
tions on the content of the passage. They will be making an earnest attempt to check
whether their prediction is borne out true. Reading in this sense is need-based and
is an intrinsically motivated activity. Of course they will be confronted with a few
barriers - barriers caused by the unfamiliar words or structural complexities.
2. Collaborative reading: Children sit in groups and share within the group their read-
ing experience in terms of things like the following:
 What they understood from the passage which they have read;
 What they did not understand and
 The parts that they liked most in the passage.
3. This is followed by sharing of ideas with other groups with the facilitator’s media-
tion. Sometimes, a glossary or dictionary will be made use of.
4. When collaborative reading is over, the facilitator asks a few questions related to
the passage. These are not meant for checking comprehension. Instead, they are
questions of an analytical nature such as reflective questions, inferential questions,
and so on.
These questions help the learners assimilate the text by virtue of personalising and
localising it.

5. The facilitator can read the passage aloud which will help the learners make better
sense of the reading passage with proper voice modulation. Moreover, the teacher’s
reading will serve as a listening input for the learners in terms of some of the ar-
ticulatory features(eg.stress, pause, etc).

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 6. A mind mapping activity may be carried out as a tool for tracking the thinking pro-
cess of the learners. They can describe the mind maps they have developed.
The Post Reading Session
The major activity of the post-reading session is construction of a discourse by the
learners. By virtue of the inputs they have received through listening and reading, they
are in a position to take up a task which demands them to construct a specific dis-
course (conversation, description, story, etc.). Each discourse calls for a specific pro-
cess without which the learners will not be able to construct it. The micro-processes
of discourse construction are:
 interaction /brainstorming to sensitize the learners towards the features / ideas
of a discourse;
 individual construction
 presentation by a few individuals
 constructive feedback by the facilitator and other learners
 sharing in groups for refinement
 presentation by groups
 presentation of the facilitator’s version of the targeted discourse and
 sensitizing the learners towards the discourse features of the ideal version
Editing
The discourses constructed by the learners (whether individually or in groups) may
have certain errors in them. These errors may be related to syntax or morphology or
cutting across both. In addition to these, there may be punctuation or spelling errors.
These are to be rectified for which there is a meticulous process of editing. This is not
a slot for teaching grammar. The learners are sensitized on these errors by evoking
their intuitive sense of well-formedness which works as a guiding indicator. Note that
this sense is to be acquired non-consciously and not by learning grammatical facts
consciously.
After the process of editing, children will refine their individual products with
the help of the inputs they received and the ideal version of the discours. Finally, the
teachers edits the children’s version and gives a constructive feedback.
The post reading activities also include activities that make use of various study
skills and those related to undertaking projects.

The Assessment
Language learning is a continuous process. Assessment is not an activity dis-
tinct from learning. Since learning is facilitated through group discussions, pair dis-
cussions and individually, assessment also operates at the individual level, in peers and

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 in groups. This will help the learners to compare their strengths and weaknesses and
make modifications in their learning. We propose Continuous and Comprehensive
Assessment at all levels of language learning.
CCE is an attempt to shift from rote-learning to constructing knowledge and
applying it as and when required. CCE is an ongoing process and is an integral part of
the lesson. At every point of classroom transaction, we will have to assess what the
child has learnt for which the same activities that are used for teaching / learning are
used. The questions in the examination paper shall not simply be based on information
given in the textbooks but shall create slots for the learner to use language in a mean-
ingful way applying what she has learnt. So ‘mugging up’ by the student will not be of
any use to him or her.
NCF 2005, SCF 2011 and RTE 2009 have emphasized the importance of imple-
menting CCE where all assessments have to take place in a non-threatening atmo-
sphere without causing any burden on the learners. The thrust is on formative aspects
of learning instead of relying on a single paper-pencil test at the end of the academic
year. Assessment has to take care of developing all the innate potential of the learners
to the fullest extent.
The thrust is on the formative assessment which can be interpreted as assess-
ment for learning and assessment as learning which are distinct from summative as-
sessment of learning. It is important that the teacher does not judge the child’s nature,
instead notices the inherent potential of the child as a learner in the context of his / her
nature.
A truly professional teacher needs to be patient, innovative and assess his / her
pupils’ progress in every period in each class and give proper feedback to each and
every pupil so that language acquisition takes place in a smooth, natural and non-con-
scious manner.
Types of Assessment
There are two types of assessment i.e
1. Formative Assessment
2. Summative Assessment
Guidelines for Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is done based on four tools that cover all the language compe-
tencies (academic standards). These are:
1. Observation (children’s participation and responses during classroom transaction)
2. Written Work
3. Project Work
4. Slip Test

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 Teacher has to assess the performance of the learners for each term. This is not a
single day activity; it is a cumulative account of what has happened in day- to-day class
room transaction.
Criteria for awarding marks under each tool:
Observation: The oral performance of children related to classroom activities which
cover the academic standards /learning outcomes (listening and speaking, reading com-
prehension and oral discourses) and their indicators should be considered while awarding
marks.
Written Work: The written performance of children related to conventions of writ-
ing, vocabulary, grammar and written discourses should be considered (including the
exercises in the textbook). Marks should be awarded based on the indicators.
Projects: The oral and written performance of children which cover all the academic
standards / learning outcomes should be considered while awarding marks in various
stages i.e. planning, execution, analysis and interpretation of data, report writing and
presentation with feedback.
Slip Test: This test should be conducted without giving any prior notice to children.
This test should cover the targeted discourses (by taking two / four targeted discourses
in each formative assessment). This practice will help children in attempting the writ-
ten discourses in Summative Tests successfully.
The following will provide the evidences for awarding marks in formative assessment:
 Teacher’s unit cum period plan that reflect children’s performance.
 Self - Assessment tools given in the TB for the use of learners.
 Student portfolio (Collection of the work done by the individual learner)
 Notebooks of children (written discourses and homework)
 Textual exercises carried out by children
 Products evolved in groups through collaboration
 Scripts of Slip Test
Summative Assessment
There will be a Summative Assessment after every term. The test is for 100
marks. Out of these, 20% of marks are allotted to oral test and 80% of marks are
allotted for written test.
Under Oral test, 10% of marks are allotted to listening and speaking and re-
maining 10% of marks allotted to the targeted oral discourses under creative expres-
sion. The performance of children should be taken over a period of time but not on
assessment day.

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 As CCE is a school based assessment, every school should prepare their own
question papers for summative assessment.
The Test Items:
The test items should be holistic and cover different genres. They should in-
clude the discourses like conversations, , stories, paragraphs, narratives, letters, de-
scriptions, reports, speeches, autobiographical accounts, notices, tables, charts, post-
ers and adds.
While preparing a question paper, take a different text for each question. Don’t
use long narratives. Don’t split a single narrative and use the same to frame questions
under all Academic Standards.
Give all questions belonging to one Academic Standard at one place. The texts
chosen should be in the comprehensive level of the child’s knowledge domain. Suffi-
cient inputs should be provided for the questions focussed on writing discourses so
as to promote thinking and presenting the ideas in a desirable manner. The questions
to be given under comprehension and creative expression should lead to the produc-
tion of language.
Note: Teachers should refer to their Handbooks for comprehensive information to
prepare the summative question papers.
The Plan
I. Year Plan
Class: Subject: En-
glish
No. of Periods required:
Expected outcomes at the end of the year including Discourses targeted:
1.
2.
Unit Theme No. of
Month Strategies TLM / Remarks
No. of the Periods and Resources
Unit Required Activities Required

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 II. Unit cum Period Plan
Class: Subject: English
1. Name of the unit:
2. No. of periods required: (this includes no. of periods required to trans-
act all the reading passages and the activities given till the end of the unit)
3. Expected outcomes:
i
ii
iii
Description of content / Resource Remarks
Period Strategy
discourses / activities / TLM

4. Period wise notes and interactive questions:

5. Period wise reflections and notes on children’s performance:
In an academic year, we get at least 180- 190 periods for teaching English. Since
there are 8 units, each unit can be taught in 20 to 25 periods. You can further distribute
these periods among the components of the unit. Here is an approximate scheme of
work.
Each reading passage should be divided into meaningful segments. Each segment
should be taught in three periods i.e., reading, discourse construction and editing. The
teacher may skip the discourse construction and editing activities in case of non-avail-
ability of periods and less scope for discourse construction. But the teacher should
ensure that all the targeted discourses of the class are practised three or four times in
an academic year. The number of periods for each section can be increased or de-
creased based on the length of the reading passage. All the reading passages should be
treated with equal importance in transactional process.
The tasks, given under oral activity and writing sections, should be treated as
dicourses and covered during the transaction of reading segments contextually (dis-
course construction and editing periods). Hence there is no need for separate periods
for such activities.
The teacher should read the entire unit thoroughly and identify the possible dis-

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 courses. He /she should prepare a detailed unit cum period plan as per the table given
above. He /she should prepare period wise interactive questions in advance. Children
respnses should be elicited and to be written in the board. This activity should help the
children in generating the language. Hence the teacher has to prepare 10-15 questions
per each period. After completion of teaching, he / she has to note the reflections in
the plan. The reflections should include the performance of the children. Teachers
should follow the transactional process suggested.
The same period plan can be used for successive years by adding more informa-
tion if necessary.
Targeted discourses with indicators/ features
Conversations: contains dialogues with five to ten exchanges - proper sequence of
exchanges - sustaining the conversation with social norms - discourse markers (well,
precisely, etc.) - dialogues apt to the context - appropriate cohesive devises - voice modu-
lation
Descriptions: description of objects/ things/persons creating vivid images - variety
of sentence forms - proper sequence of the ideas - personal reflections on the event
or person - appropriate cohesive devices.
Poems / Songs: suitable structural patterns. - rhyme scheme - specific patterns (rhythm
/ structure /metre / music / theme, etc.) - expressing emotions and reflections – use
of images, thoughts and feelings - use of figures of speech - assonance and allitera-
tion - point of view.
Narrative/Story: sequence of events and dialogues – evoking of sensory perceptions
and emotions - images, setting and other details - use characterization – coherence -
point of view
Diary: expression of personal reflections, thoughts and feelings – use of variety of
sentences - use of language appropriate to the mood - self criticism and future plans -
point of view- coherence
Letter: appropriate language to the context - appropriate format, layout and conven-
tions – expressing ideas sequentially - use of persuasive language - maintaining co-
herence
Messages/e-mail/SMS: relevant ideas to the context – maintaining brevity – use of
conventions, layout and format – appropriate language to the content and context.
Notice /Poster / Ads / Invitation: occasions and purposes showing the context de-
tails of venue, date, time, salutation, invitation, programme - persuasive language -
organisation, layout and design – maintaining brevity – design and graphics – rhythm in
language (for ads)

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 Slogans/Placards: appropriate to the context - maintaining brevity and rhythm
Play/Skit: dialogues relevant to the context with emotions and feelings - stage direc-
tions, movements and settings - dramatic conflict: beginning, rising actions and ending
- reference to costumes and props – dramatisation - theatrical performance like dia-
logue delivery, actions, stage sense, costumes, etc..
Compeering: arrangement of the programme sequentially as required by the context
– presenting the background - highlighting the persons and the events - reviews and
reflections relevant to the context – use of polite and entertaining expressions - fol-
lowing the conventions of the stage - use of spontaneous language in a lively manner –
modulation of voice in an appealing way.
Choreography: identification of the main theme and stanza wise themes - bringing
out a single and multiple themes - identification and sequences of actions of the pro-
tagonists (main characters) – identification and sequence of actions of the chorus -
maintaining proper layout of script – performance of the actions of the protagonist
and the chorus.
News report / Report: appropriate headline - lead sentence (five W’s) - body of the
news - organisation and use of cohesive devices – coherence - reporting style (re-
ported speech, passivization, appropriate tense) - point of view
Speech: makes speeches /talks contextually - organisation of ideas – use of argumen-
tative / persuasive / interactive language to substantiate views and ideas – use of dis-
course markers – citation of examples, quotations, etc - coherence, voice modulation
and body language.
Debates and Discussions: expression of ideas as main points and sub points – pre-
sentation of arguments in a sequential order - citing suitable examples, quotations, and
evidences – defending one’s own point of view and rebutting opponent’s point of view
– use of discourse markers for agreeing, disagreeing, substantiating, enumerating,
etc.. – use of polite expressions respecting other’s views – use of logical and emo-
tional appeals.
Biographical sketch/Profile/Autobiography: Details of the person - presentation
of relevant ideas and information - organization of the data – interpretation of data and
drawing inference - reflections, thoughts and feelings - anecdotes, events, achieve-
ments - point of view - organisation and the use of cohesive devices – maintaining
coherence and flow.
NOTE: Use Teacher’s Handbook for Effective Classroom Transaction and Con-
tinuing Professional Development.
Happy Teaching!

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