English Class 7 T

kerala reader
ENGLISH
TEACHER TEXT
STANDARD
FT
R A
VII
D
Government of Kerala
Department of General Education
State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Kerala
2024
Scheme of Work
Name of the unit Name of the lesson Month Term

Unit 1
A Robot with A Virus June
Harmony of Marvels
And in wonder and Amazement
Unit 1 I Sing (Poem) July I
Harmony of Marvels
Glimpses of the Emirates
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Unit 2 A Doll’s Journey
August
F
Imagination Foreign Lands (Poem)
Unit 2
A
The Story of my Life September
Imagination
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Unit 3 A Trip to A Hot Spring
October
Cloud Nine
D
Laughing Song (Poem)
Unit 3 II
The World of Humour
Cloud Nine
November
Unit 4
Ranji’s Magic Bat
Rustle of Wings
Unit 4
Doors of Daring (Poem) December
Rustle of Wings
Unit 4
Praying Hands
Rustle of Wings
January
Unit 5
The Yellow Umbrella
Embracing Empathy III
Bridge Over Troubled Water February
Unit 5
&
Embracing Empathy A Beacon of Hope
March
TEACHER TEXT 19
UNIT
1 HARMONY OF MARVELS
ABOUT THE UNIT
The learning materials serve to develop the learners’

sense of wonder and curiosity at what they see as marvels –
strange objects, people and places. Besides, they get a vivid
picture of the impact of technology on human lives and valuable
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insights into how human beings cope with objects, people and
situations which are unfamiliar to them. The texts also identify
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the role of social relationships and cultivation of values in
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dealing with problems and difficulties. They also provide for
the enrichment of the language repertoire of the learners. The
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transaction of the texts and the activities given is expected to
hone their listening and speaking skills.
D UNIT AT A GLANCE
A ROBOT AND IN WONDER GLIMPSES OF

WITH A VIRUS AND AMAZEMENT THE EMIRATES
A story for detailed I SING
A travel writing
reading by Pedro Poem by for extended
Pablo Sacristan Rabindranath reading
Tagore
TEACHER TEXT 27
UNIT FRAME
DISCOURSES / LANGUAGE
CONCEPT
ACTIVITIES ELEMENTS
Theme : Wonders
Sub themes
• Writing a • Present perfect
1. a. Wonders of description
• Using linkers and
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technology • Sequencing connectors
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• Comparison • Expressions
b. Changing suitable for
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attitudes • Dialogue writing different genres.
towards life • Writing expressions • Polite request
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of agreement and
2. The nature as a disagreement • Refrain
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source of wonder • Debate consolidation • Alliteration
and amazement. • E-mail- Complaint • Language used in
public documents
3. Travelling and its • Vocabulary
expansion • Use of qualifiers
significance in life.
• Posters, slogans,
placards
• Navigation
• Description
28 7 ENGLISH
A ROBOT WITH A VIRUS
Learning Objectives
The learners are expected to
• develop a sense of wonder and curiosity at what they see as marvels –

strange objects, people and places.
• get an understanding of the impact of technology on human lives.
• develop an understanding of how human beings cope with objects, people
and situations which are unfamiliar to them.
T
• identify the role of social relationships and cultivation of values in dealing
with problems and difficulties.
F
• identify and use items of vocabulary, usage and structures that are available
in the texts.
A
• hone their listening and speaking skills through transacting the text and
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engaging in the suggested activities.
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TITULAR PICTURE
 Ask the learners about the persons in the picture.

 The attention of the learners may be directed towards the titular picture.
 The teacher may also interact with the learners using some triggers.
 This may instill a sort of communication expectancy in the learners to
involve in the activities that follow.
 This can be done based on something that will work like a trigger for
sensitizing the learners on the theme.
 The teacher can use a video clip / collage available about robots.
 Let the learners identify and comment on them.
 Scaffold them with simple and meaningful questions and explanations.
 The teacher generates a discussion and links it to the Doorway in which
the role of robots in our life is illustrated.
TEACHER TEXT 29
THE DOORWAY
 The teacher makes use of the picture and generates a discussion based
on it.
• What is this picture about?
• What do you see in this picture?
• What are the different kinds of robots you see here?
• What are some common tasks that a robot can perform?
Comment about it?
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• Have you ever seen a robot working?
•
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•
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Learners read the comments in the class room.
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 The teacher poses the questions given in a natural manner.
 Discuss the situations where the robots are useful in every walk of life.
 The teacher creates a better experience of robots through the interaction.
 Links the Doorway with the Intro of the lesson.
“A Robot with a Virus” is a story for children by the Spanish writer Pedro
Pablo Sacristan. It is a story about a young boy Ricky whose parents
bought a robot to do the household chores at home. It tells about how the
arrival of the robot changed Ricky’s lifestyle and attitudes.
30 7 ENGLISH
NOTE
ROBOTS : A WONDER OF THE TIME

Before entering to the unit, the teacher ought to have some basic concepts
about the robots. Robots come in various types, each designed to perform
specific tasks or functions. Here are some of the different types of robots.
There are various kinds of robots like Industrial Robots, Service Robots, Medical
Robots, Military and Defence Robots, Agricultural Robots, Educational Robots,
Entertainment Robots, Exploration Robots. Autonomous Vehicles, Remotely
Operated Vehicles and Aerial Robots are also considered robots.
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The teacher need not discuss all these in detail. But if the learners mention
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them in conversation, the teacher is expected to explain their nature and
function.
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The learners may be told about what ‘virus’ means in relation to a robot. A v
irus is a micro organism which can affect the body of a living being. In a
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device like a robot a virus is a malicious application or code used to perform a
distructive operation.
¾
¾
D
Let the learners read the text silently.
Let them read the text in groups of five or six (multi-level / heterogenous
group).
¾ Let them share their ideas.
¾ Teacher initiates ‘Lesson mapping’ using the following questions.
y What is the paragraph about?
y Who are the characters?
y What are the locations?
y What are the events that you come across?
y What are the unfamiliar words? Underline them.
TEACHER TEXT 31
¾ Let the learners fill the word gallery with the unfamiliar words and guess
their meaning from the context.
¾ Let the learners refer to the glossary/dictionary and get the meaning,
if required. The teacher may refer to online dictionaries to clarify the
contextual meaning and nuances of the words.
¾ The learners may be asked to associate the pictures alongside the
paragraphs with the characters, events, etc.
¾ Incorporate scaffolding questions during the discussion.
¾ The teacher sums up the ideas and the points evolved in the discussion.
T
¾ The teacher reads the passage aloud with proper pauses, stress and
intonation that may help easy comprehension. An audio text may be used
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if available.
A
¾ Ask the learners to read these parts in sequence aloud if necessary.
¾ The teacher may scaffold the process gently, if required.
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NOTE
D
READING
The whole text is conveniently divided into three sections for reading.
¾ Section 1 – Para I to 6 – (It was a sunny morning. …………….
“Wonderful! How neat and tidy my room looks!” he exclaimed).
¾ Section 2 – Para 7 to 11 (In fact, it was ……………… A heated argument
between Ricky and his father followed).
¾ Section 3 – Para 12-18 (Father: A robot is a wonderful device
................. and buy needful things for them).
¾ The teacher can scaffold the reading gently if necessary. All the
learners except the reader are expected listen to and follow the
textbook.
¾ Ask learners to identify the characters, location and the events that
they come across in each paragraph.
32 7 ENGLISH
Wind up each class (period) only after consolidating the content/events and
the activities done, linking them to the home assignments or tasks, if any.
Certain questions for interaction related to Section 1 are given below as models.
The teacher may make questions for the sections 2 and 3 in the same pattern.
? What was the weather like in the morning?
? How did the sunlight shine into Ricky’s room?
? How do you think Ricky’s room looked in the morning sunlight?
? What changes came over Ricky’s room after the robot’s arrival?
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? Why did Ricky’s mother have to collect his belongings from all corners of
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the house?
A
? What happened when Ricky’s mother left for work every morning?
Why do you think Ricky’s mother asked him to do chores around the house?
R
?
? How do you feel when your room is messy?
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? Why did Ricky’s parents decide to buy the butler robot?
? How did Ricky feel when he saw his room clean?
? Why Ricky’s mother asked him to keep his school bag in the study room?
? What do you think Ricky’s mother meant when she said she always had
work for him?
? Why Ricky was excited when his parents bought the butler robot?
? How did Ricky’s bedroom become neat and tidy all of a sudden?
? What caused Ricky’s bedroom to be in a disastrous state before he went to

sleep?
? What was the result when the butler robot started picking up Ricky’s clothes
from the floor?
TEACHER TEXT 33
NOTE
The questions may be modified as required.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

¾ Narrate the profile of the author giving the details about his period of
life, works, social/contemporary relevance, etc. Not all of these need be
shared with the learners. However if any of the information comes up for
discussion, the teacher may pass on the information to the learners.
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¾ Teacher can lead the children to the ‘About the author’ part in the text
book/ collect information from different sources.
F
¾ Process the profile of the author as a learning activity.
A
Author Profile
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Gather basic information available about the following, referring to websites
about the author.
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Full name : .............................................................................
Date and place of birth : ...........................................................................
Date and place of death (if applicable) : ............................................................................
Nationality: : .............................................................................
Educational Background : ............................................................................
(Schools attended, Degrees earned, Major areas of study)
Career and Achievements : ......................................................................
List of published works : .........................................................................
(books, articles, essays, etc.)
Awards and recognitions received : ........................................................................
Notable contributions to the field or genre : ...........................................................................
34 7 ENGLISH
POST LESSON ACTIVITIES
Activity 1a&b
¾ Let the learners go through the sentences which are given in a jumbled
order.
¾ Let them individually arrange the events in order.
¾ Write a paragraph using the events described.
¾ The learners are not expected to just copy the sentences given in the
activity. Rather, they should construct a paragraph using the sentences
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given with necessary syntactic features and discourse markers.
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¾ For example, some of the sentences may be joined using connectives. The
paragraph should read like a narrative.
A
¾ This may be done in groups.
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¾ The process of discourse construction should be followed.
D
y Individual construction
y Presentation by a few learners
y Sharing in group for refinement
y Presentation by the groups
y Teacher’s version
y Editing
A specimen of a teacher’s version is as follows. This is only the first part of the
teacher’s version. It has to be completed. It should also be noted that teachers
can come up with other versions depending upon the context.
TEACHERS’ VERSION
“Ricky’s mother used to give chores to do around the house. Then his parents
purchased a butler robot. One day Ricky woke up and found his room perfectly
clean and tidy. But he searched for his T-Shirt and Football. He could not find
them ………
TEACHER TEXT 35
Activity 2
This activity can be done as an individual task.
¾ The learners are expected to write the differences in Ricky’s behaviour at

the beginning of the story and at the end after the robot tells him what he
was doing.
¾ It will be a measure of the learners’ learning level if the teacher checks
whether they have used some of the new expressions in the story properly.
Activity 3
The conversation should be written in the style in which young children speak
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to one another.
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The learners may be asked to go through an initiation, framing one set of
dialogue first.
A
Conversation
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¾ Have a discussion on the response.
D
¾ Develop more exchanges appropriate to the initiation.
¾ Make proper sequences of exchanges relevant to the context.
¾ Use suitable discourse markers.
¾ Let the learners complete the conversation individually.
¾ Ask for random presentation.
¾ Scaffolding questions may be asked to guide the learners specifically to
the point.
¾ The class may be divided into multi-level groups.
¾ Let the learners share their products in the multi-level groups.
¾ Various assessment techniques may be applied here by the teacher.
¾ Multi-level activities may be used for catering to all learners.
¾ Let them improve or refine the conversation.
¾ Groups may then present their products.
¾ General editing may be done by the teacher.
¾ Teacher’s version may be given, if required.
36 7 ENGLISH
SAMPLE CONVERSATION
Ricky : Hey Robin, you won’t believe what happened!

My father bought a robot
Robin : Wow ! A robot? What does it do?
Ricky : It does everything! It cooks, cleans, irons, and picks up

my clothes from the floor. My room is always clean now.
Robin : Wow! Does it ever do anything unexpected?
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
A
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Activity 4a
D R
Let the learners refer to page 16 and read the instructions given there. Lead
them to the activity with necessary information given in the textbook.
Agreement - Disagreement
NOTE
It should be noted that a sentence which expresses disagreement need not
be negative.
eg. “But there are some downsides for them.”
This sentence can also be framed with the same sense as a negative
sentence.
“But they need not be free of downsides.”
TEACHER TEXT 37
Activity 4b
¾ Let the learners interact with the conversation.

y Do you remember the context?
y What are they talking about?
y Do they have the same opinion on what they discuss?
Activity 5
Let the children have a discussion on the gadgets we use in our day-to-day
life. We use some of them to make our life very easy. But some people abuse
gadgets like computers, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc.
T
Look at the picture given on page 18 of the Text Book. A group of children are
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engaged in a debate.
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NOTE
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A debate is a conversation in which two individuals or groups express their
opinions from two competing perspectives with the goal of contradicting
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each other’s arguments.
¾ Here one group will speak about how mobile phones are useful.
¾ The other group will talk about how mobile phones are abused.
¾ The learners can be divided into two groups.
¾ One can be asked to think about the various uses of mobile phones.
¾ The other group can be asked to think about various ways in which mobile
phones are abused.
¾ The teacher can be a moderator summing up the arguments from both
sides and seeing that the decorum of the debate is maintained.
¾ It should be also be seen that the members of one group do not repeat
arguments which have already been advanced.
After the debate in the class, ask them to complete the ‘use’ and ‘abuse’ columns
individually.
38 7 ENGLISH
Activity 6
The teacher can start a discussion on official complaints and how we make an
official complaint.
Elicit responses from the learners.

¾ The teacher can open an email in any device and show it to the learners.
¾ The teacher should briefly, but in very simple terms, describe how an
e-mail is composed.
¾ Learners must be made aware of the differences between an e-mail and a
letter.
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¾ The teacher can scaffold the learners for composing the message.
¾ Let them do it as an individual work.
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Activity 7
A
¾ The teacher may show a crossword puzzle in a newspaper or magazine to
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the learners to make them aware of the mechanics of filling a crossword
puzzle.
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¾ Ideally, the teacher can show a blank puzzle column and its filled in form.
¾ The teacher may also scaffold learners especially where there seems to be
more than one suitable word at first glance.
¾ There may be synonyms. But only the one that fits the column or row may
be selected.
¾ The activity may be done individually.
Activity 8a
The teacher may ask the learners to give real-life examples as far as possible.
¾ They can think of occasions from their own lives.

¾ The learners can frame sentences of their own. The teacher can scaffold
the learners by restructuring the sentences composed by the learners.
¾ It should be seen that they are naturally uttered in context.
TEACHER TEXT 39
Activity 8b
¾ The same procedure as above can be adopted.
The learners may be scaffolded by giving examples for different kinds of

requests for the same objective.
eg. : Mommy, kindly give me some money to buy a new instrument box.
Mommy, give me some money to buy a new instrument box, please.
Mommy, please, can I have some money to buy a new instrument box.
NOTE
The teacher may keep detailed information about requests in mind while
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discussing this activity. Requests can come in various forms depending on the
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context. Here are some examples for different kinds of requests.
A
These are straight forward requests that
Direct
directly ask for something.
Requests
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Example: “Could you please pass the salt?”
D
Polite These requests are framed politely to show respect.
Requests Example: “Would you mind holding the door for me?”
These are more relaxed requests that might be used with

Informal
friends or family.
Requests
Example: “Can you grab me a drink?”
These requests suggest something without directly asking

Suggestive for it.
Requests Example: “It would be nice if someone could help with the
dishes.”
These are more authoritative and command-like requests in
Command
nature.
Requests
Example: “Close the window, please.”
These requests are based on a condition being met.

Conditional
Example: “If you’re free, could you help me move some
Requests
furniture?”
40 7 ENGLISH
Urgent These are requests that need immediate attention.
Requests Example: “Please call 911!”
These leave the response or action open without specifying

Open-ended
details.
Requests
Example: “Could you help me with this project?”
Requests for These requests ask for specific information or clarification.

Information Example: “Could you explain how this works?”
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Each type of request can be tailored to the situation and relationship between
the individuals involved. The tone and choice of words can vary to convey the
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appropriate level of formality and respect.
A
Activity 9
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The learner may be given a number of examples for present perfect before
asking them to write the sentences.
D
• I have bought an electric car.
• I have collected some flowers for the competition.
• Miss, I have completed my homework
• Sir, I have brought my notebook.
The learners may be scaffolded by giving translations in the first language.
NOTE
Ideally labelling (talking about tense) may be avoided. The learners can
simply familiarize themselves with the structure and find out what it can
mean in context. The first language may be used judiciously. The teacher
may refer to any standard text on English structure for more information
about tenses.
TEACHER TEXT 41
Activity 10 a, b, c
Designing posters
¾ Teachers are expected to bring into the class some posters for reference.
¾ They are also expected to make themselves aware of the content and
language used in posters.
¾ Teachers should ensure that the posters that are collected should have the
following characteristics.
a. The poster should be designed for a specific purpose and should
reveal the intended context.
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b. The language of the posters should be persuasive and argumentative.
c. The statements, phrases etc. should maintain brevity in transacting
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content.
A
d. The textual material in the poster should have readable, relevant and
rhythmic language.
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e. The posters should have ample and attractive illustrations.
D
NOTE
The language used in posters and the language used for slogans are
different. Teachers are expected to familiarize themselves with this
difference before transacting the lesson in the classroom.
If time permits, the teacher may also ask learners to prepare placards
which transmit, catchy messages which are part of the poster, for
eg. one placard can say “Freedom from plastic”, another can say
“Save our tree friends” etc.
While designing the poster on misuse of electronic gadgets, the salient

points discussed above can be repeated for strengthening the learning
process. Placards may also be prepared as above. Care should be taken to
distinguish between use and misuse. All electronic gadgets are useful, but
the discussion here should be on overuse or misuse.
42 7 ENGLISH
POEM
AND IN WONDER AND AMAZEMENT I SING

About the poem
Rabindranath Tagore captures the essence of wonder through his lyrical and reflective
style in his poem “And in Wonder and Amazement I Sing”. In this poem, he expresses a
deep appreciation for the natural world, portraying it as a source of endless fascination
and joy. This poem also reflects his philosophical outlook and finds profound beauty
in the simplest of things. He sings not just of what he sees but of what he feels,
blending sensory experiences with emotional reflections. This creates a rich tapestry
of imagery and sentiment that invites readers to pause and marvel at the world.
Tagore uses a language both simple and profound, making the poem accessible yet deeply
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moving. His verses encourage a contemplative state, urging readers to reconnect with
the sense of wonder that is often lost in the hustle and bustle of modern life. He reminds
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us that there is magic in the everyday routine and the joy comes from recognizing and
celebrating the beauty that surrounds us. “And In Wonder and Amazement I Sing” is a
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testament to Tagore’s ability to evoke a deep sense of reverence for life.
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Learning Objectives
D
¾ develop a habit of wondering about the universe they see around them.
¾ analyze the themes, symbols and imagery used by Tagore in the poem.
¾ deepen their understanding of the poet’s style and narrative techniques.
¾ explore the cultural and historical context of Tagore’s work including the
significance of his poetry in Bengla literature and its relevance to broader
themes of human experience.
¾ develop skills in literary analysis including identifying poetic devices such
as metaphors, similes, personification and imagery used by Tagore to
convey his ideas and emotions.
¾ critically evaluate the meaning and implications of the poem fostering
discussions on different interpretations and perspectives.
¾ get a good idea about the poetic devices of refrain and alliteration.
¾ respond creatively to the poem through writing, artwork or other forms
of expression allowing them to engage with the themes and emotions
evoked by Tagore’s words.
TEACHER TEXT 43
Introduction
¾ The teacher can show pictures of young children/men and women
standing in wonder and amazement contemplating nature.
¾ Photographs and paintings of Tagore may also be shown. This can initiate
a primary discussion on the poem.
¾ The teacher can initiate and carry on the discussion by putting questions
on the theme of the poem.
Process
¾ Let the learners read the poem silently.
¾ Ask the learners to read/recite the poem aloud.
¾ Let the learners find out the expressions they find interesting.
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¾ Make use of the scaffolding questions to explore the poem.
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¾ Let the learners identify the theme of the poem.
¾ Let the learners identify unfamiliar or difficult words/usages.
A
¾ Let the learners sit in groups and share their ideas about the theme,
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unfamiliar words, poetic language etc.
¾ Scaffold them about the theme, poetic craft, figures of speech etc.
D
¾ Let the learners identify the poetic devices and ask them to comment
on the tonal/musical qualities of the poem with reference to refrain,
alliteration etc.
¾ Let the learners read/recite the poem in groups/ make random oral
presentations.
¾ Let the learners listen to the audio version of the poem or reciting/reading
aloud by the teacher.
¾ Let them comment holistically on the poem and give a brief appreciation of it.
¾ Ask the learners to revisit the poem and attempt the activities 1-4.
The teacher is expected to have a detailed volume of information about the life
and career of Rabindranath Tagore.
The teacher can use the simple comprehension questions given in the textbook.
In addition, questions like the following can be put to the learners.
? Who is the speaker in the poem?
? What does the poet mean by ‘universe’?
44 7 ENGLISH
? Why does the poet say ‘the universe is full of life’?
? What does the poet mean by ‘I have found a place’?
? Have you ever felt a sense of wonder and amazement like the poet?
? What does the poet mean by “I have felt its tug in my blood’?
? Have you had an experience similar to the one the speaker had when he was
out walking?
? Why do you think the speaker thought that the sights ‘maddened his mind’?
NOTE
The learners may be asked to imagine the kinds of scenes described in the poem. They
may also be told about how a poet’s mind sometimes gets a feeling like being mad.
FT
A second set of questions like the following can be offered to the learners for
discussing poetic devices, imagery etc.:
A
? What do you think is actually strewn around?
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? What is compared to a tide?
? Why do you think the speaker was “startled by the flowers’ fragrance"?
D
? Which lines in the poem point to the speaker’s idea that there is something
beyond what he could see around him?
? Can you think of a refrain similar to ‘And in Wonder and Amazement I sing’
in any poem or song in English or your mother tongue?
? Can you remember instances of alliteration in any poem or song in English
or your mother tongue?
NOTE
In the discussion the learners can be told about the comparison of flowers to gifts
of gladness and joy. They can also be told about the popular belief that there is a
surge in the circulation of blood during high tide. The kind of excitement which
the poet describes as madness can also be discussed. If possible, the learners can
also be told in simple terms about the spirituality that Tagore as a poet professed,
which made him think of the unknown. The learners can also be asked in a general
way, without insisting on it, if they can write a couple of lines on their own with a
refrain or alliteration in English or their mother tongue. If any learner can do it, it
can be read out in the class. The teacher as well as learners can also have a try at
composing such lines.
TEACHER TEXT 45
ACTIVITIES
Activity 1
Definition
A refrain is a short part of a song or poem that is repeated, sometimes at the
end of a stanza. It serves to emphasize key themes, create a sense of rhythm
and engage the reader through repetition.
The teacher can make a discussion about the repeated lines in the poem. Lead
the learners to the activity.
NOTE
These need not be discussed in the class. They are meant solely for the
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teacher’s reference. But the teacher may mention them if necessary.
Examples for refrain
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From “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe:
A
- Refrain : “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”
- In Poe’s famous poem, the refrain “Nevermore” is repeated by the raven in
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response to the speaker’s questions. It adds a haunting quality to the poem
and reinforces the sense of foreboding.
D
From “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas:
- Refrain: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
- Thomas repeats this refrain throughout the poem, urging the reader to resist
death and fight against the inevitable. It serves as a rallying cry for defiance
and courage in the face of death.
“The Tyger” by William Blake:
- Refrain: “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright.”
- Blake repeats this refrain at the beginning and end of each stanza, drawing
attention to the majestic yet fearsome nature of the tiger. It underscores the
central question of the poem about the origins of beauty and evil.
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost:
- Refrain: “And miles to go before I sleep.”
Activity 2
Let the learners go through the poem. Let them find out the lines which
describe the sights that fill the poet with wonder and amazement. Let the
learners do it individually.
46 7 ENGLISH
Activity 3
Let the learners pair the words reading the poem very carefully. Let them do it
individually. Provide them with more information if necessary.
Activity 4
Let the teacher lead the learners to revisit the first stanza.
Definition
Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words
within close proximity to each other.
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Examples:
F
1. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
2. “She sells sea shells on the sea shore.”
A
3. “Big brown bears bounce balls.”
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4. “Misty mountains majestically rise into the sky.”
D
5. “Crazy cats cuddle cautiously.”
After completing the whole activities, learners can be asked to give their views
on the poem in general which can serve as a prerequisite for activities on
appreciating the poetry in the coming units.
The teacher can include the following hints.
Pose certain relevant questions to elicit responses. Let them include the
points on
• content
• appropriateness of words used
• language in general
• the lines they like most
• figures of speech
• the speaker’s tone
• personal opinions, etc.
TEACHER TEXT 47
EXTENDED READING
GLIMPSES OF THE EMIRATES

About the passage
“Glimpses of the Emirates” is a passage from a travelogue describing the
author’s experiences during a visit to the UAE. The passage gives glimpses
of the country’s landscape, its monuments and its technological advance.
Learning Objectives
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F
y develop an interest in travel writing.
y acquire the language of the discourse of travel writing.
A
y be encouraged to read about places, people, monuments and
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structures of interest in the country and abroad.
y familiarize themselves with documents for foreign travel.
D
y learn to give precise directions for reaching destinations.
¾ Let the learners read the passage.

¾ Initiate a discussion by the teacher on travel and travel writing.
¾ Refer to picnics and excursions the learners have had.
¾ Let the learners share their knowledge and experience about travelling.
¾ Promote individual and group reading experiences among the learners.
¾ Pose certain simple questions to channelize easy comprehension.
¾ Ask them to share their thoughts and views on their travelling experiences.
¾ Let them share interesting experiences of a travel they had.
¾ Promote free responses on the text.
¾ Make reference to popular books, TV shows, blogs etc. on travel in English
or the mother tongue.
48 7 ENGLISH
Questions like the following can be put to the learners.
? Have you ever travelled abroad or to other states?
? Do you like to travel? Why?
? What do you think are the benefits of travelling?
? Can you remember any one incident during a travel?
? Can you recollect at least one beautiful spot that you have visited?
? If you are given a chance to travel abroad, which country would you choose?
Why?
T
? "Tourism is an industry that generates employment and income." Are you
F
'for' or 'against' this statement ? Why?
? Have you ever developed a special liking for a place where you want to visit
A
again?
R
These are possible questions that can be asked in other ways or in more
comprehensible language, if necessary.
D
The groups can be asked to share the ideas they have gathered from reading
the text and also to note down new, unfamiliar expressions, references to
localities, sites, unfamiliar sentence structures in the passage etc. The teacher
can initiate and lead a discussion on these.
NOTE
The teacher should scaffold the learning process by offering interesting

information about views of land from an aircraft, long distance road travel, the
production of solar energy, monuments and buildings, metro train journeys,
museums, archaeological remains etc. She need not share everything with the
learners. But if there are questions from the learners about these, information
may be shared.
TEACHER TEXT 49
Travel writing encompasses a wide range of genres, each offering a unique
perspective on the travel experience. Here are some of the different
genres of travel writing:
Guidebooks : Guidebooks provide practical information, recommendations
and tips for travellers visiting specific destinations. They typically include
details about accommodations, restaurants, attractions, transportation options
and cultural customs.
Travel Memoirs : Travel memoirs are personal narratives that recount the
author’s experiences and reflections during their travels. These memoirs often
focus on the emotional and cultural aspects of the journey, offering insights
into the author’s thoughts, feelings and encounters with locals.
Travel Essays : Travel essays are literary works that explore themes related
to travel, culture and identity. They may delve into historical or philosophical
T
reflections on travel, offer commentary on social issues, or provide personal
anecdotes and observations.
F
Travel Journalism : Travel journalism involves reporting on destinations,
A
events and trends in the travel industry. Travel journalists may write articles
for newspapers, magazines, websites, or travel blogs, covering topics such
as adventure travel, eco-tourism, luxury travel and off-the-beaten-path
R
destinations.
Travel Narratives : Travel narratives are fictional stories that incorporate
D
elements of travel and adventure into their plotlines. These narratives may
feature characters embarking on journeys, exploring new landscapes and
encountering diverse cultures and challenges along the way.
Travel Photography: Travel photography books showcase stunning images
captured by photographers during their travels. These books often accompany
written narratives or captions that provide context and insight into the places
depicted in the photographs.
Travel Poetry : Travel poetry explores themes of wanderlust, exploration and
the beauty of the natural world. Poets may draw inspiration from their travels
to evoke the sights, sounds and emotions of various destinations through vivid
imagery and lyrical language.
Travel Diaries: Travel diaries are personal journals or logs kept by travellers
to document their experiences, impressions and daily activities during their
trips. These diaries may include details such as itinerary plans, reflections on
cultural encounters and sketches or drawings of notable sights.
These genres of travel writing offer diverse perspectives and insights into the
travel experience, appealing to different interests, preferences and styles of
story telling.
50 7 ENGLISH
ACTIVITIES
Activity 1
This is an activity to strengthen the understanding of the passage for extended
reading by using visual clues. The teacher can scaffold the process by giving
more clues and explanations or showing more pictures if necessary.
Activity 2
This activity focusses on how to reach a point by following instructions. Here
we would like to lead the learner to find out an unfamiliar destination through
reading or listening to an instruction, learning the language used to direct
them to reach a place. The teacher can refer to online platforms which provide
T
similar directions for more information. What is important is the language
used for giving directions.
F
Activity 3
A
Introducing a flight ticket to the learner. After observing the details in the ticket
R
the learners are requested to fill up the self-reporting form. The teacher can
scaffold the learners by explaining some of the entries in the form if necessary.
D
NOTE
The learner can be made aware that some documents are necessary for a visit
abroad. Here is a list of key items for consideration: The teacher need not give
this information to the learners in full. Instead a mere suggestion can be given,
eg. “some documents like a passport are necessary for travelling abroad’. If the
learners ask for more information, they can be told about the other documents
too.
Valid Passport : Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months
beyond your planned return date. Check visa requirements for your destination
country and obtain the necessary visas if required.
Travel Insurance : Purchase travel insurance to cover medical emergencies,
trip cancellations, lost luggage and other unforeseen events.
Itinerary and Reservations: Plan your itinerary and make reservations for
accommodations, transportation (flights, trains, rental cars) and any tours or
activities in advance.
TEACHER TEXT 51
Health Precautions: Research any health risks or vaccinations required for
your destination. Pack necessary medications and a first-aid kit.
Currency and Banking : Exchange currency or obtain local currency through
ATMs upon arrival. Notify your bank of your travel plans to avoid card issues
abroad.
Communication : Bring a mobile phone with international roaming
capabilities or purchase a local SIM card. Consider downloading translation
apps or language guides for communication.
Adaptors and Converters : Bring universal plug adaptors and voltage
converters if needed to charge electronic devices.
Travel Documents : Carry printed or digital copies of important travel
T
documents, including your passport, visas, travel insurance, itinerary and
F
emergency contacts.
Personal Identification : Bring a second form of identification, such as a
A
driver’s license or national ID card, in addition to your passport.
R
Travel Essentials : Pack appropriate clothing and footwear for the climate and
activities at your destination. Don’t forget toiletries, sunscreen, insect repellent
D
and other personal items.
Electronics and Chargers : Bring electronic devices such as smartphones,
cameras, laptops and chargers. Consider voltage compatibility and adapter
plugs for different countries.
Safety Precautions : Research local safety and security advisories for your
destination. Take precautions to protect yourself and your belongings from
theft, scams and other risks.
Cultural Considerations : Familiarize yourself with local customs, etiquette
and laws to show respect and avoid cultural misunderstandings.
Emergency Contacts : Keep a list of emergency contacts, including local
embassy or consulate information, emergency services and contacts back
home.
Travel Comfort : Pack travel pillows, blankets, snacks, entertainment (books,
music, movies) and other items to make your journey more comfortable.
52 7 ENGLISH
Activity 4
Let the learners write a description about a place they have visited. This can
be done as a peer group activity. The teacher may refer to the following and
negotiate before processing the activity.
The teachers should provide guidance on effective writing strategies, language
use and structuring the content logically.
Individual writing
Learners collaborate with peers to review and provide feedback on each
other’s descriptions.
Learners present their descriptions in the class. This could be done orally
T
through posters, digital media, or other creative media/formats.
F
NOTE
A
Teachers play a facilitative role, guiding learners’ inquiry, providing scaffolding
R
as needed and fostering a supportive learning environment that helps to
write a description. The teacher can scaffold the process by giving additional
D
information. These need not be discussed in the class. They are meant solely
for the teacher’s reference.
Elements for the description
y scenic details of the location
y Images of the location
y ambience
y architecture
y landscape
y infrastructure
y cultural elements
y historical significance
y natural beauty
y unique landmarks
y appeal of the place
TEACHER TEXT 53
UNIT
2 IMAGINATION
ABOUT THE UNIT

The theme of the second unit is imagination. Imagination
is the greatest power that everyone has inside their minds. It is
one’s ability to create pictures, ideas or stories, even if they’re
not real. When you imagine, you can think about things that could
happen in the future, places you’ve never been, or creatures that
don’t exist. It’s like your own personal movie theatre where you
can make up anything you want. The texts are intended to make
T
the learners familiar with discourses of imagination linked
F
to childhood experiences. They facilitate open-ended questions
which stimulate the learners’ imagination and encourage
A
creative writing and problem solving. They are also expected
to inculcate values like empathy, perseverance, courage,
R
optimism etc.
There are activities designed to stimulate listening and
D
speaking skills through contextual conversation in the form
of improvised role play. The learners are also introduced to
discourses like diary writing and personal letter and are alerted
to the ways in which modal auxiliaries and relative pronouns
are used in certain contexts.
UNIT AT A GLANCE
THE STORY OF
A DOLL’S FOREIGN LANDS MY LIFE
JOURNEY
Poem by Autobiography
Anecdote Robert Louis by
Stevenson Helen Keller
54 7 ENGLISH
UNIT FRAME
DISCOURSES / LANGUAGE
CONCEPT
ACTIVITIES ELEMENTS
Theme : Imagination
• Conversation • Modal auxiliaries
(should / would /
Sub themes : • Role Play could)
T
1. Innovations • Diary Entry • Relative pronouns
(that / which /
F
2. Human • Letter writing who)
Relationships
A
• Rhyme
3. Exploring Nature • Rhyme scheme
R
• Assonance
D
• Alliteration
• Editing
• Description
• Collecting
information
• Framing
questionnaire for
interviews.
TEACHER TEXT 55
A DOLL’S JOURNEY
Learning Objectives

• read, comprehend and appreciate the prose text
• understand discourses of imagination associated with childhood experiences.
• familiarize with the specific style of narrative writing.
• enhance listening and speaking skills through contextual conversations in
the form of improvised role-play activities.
• identify and use items of vocabulary, usages and structures that are available
T
in the text
F
• be introduced to writing diary entries and personal letters.
• strengthen their awareness of the use of modal auxiliaries ‘could/would/
A
should.’
R
• understand the use of relative pronouns ‘that’, ‘which’ and ‘who’ in written
and spoken communication.
D
TITULAR PICTURE
¾ Give the learners a few moments to observe the picture quietly.

¾ Engage them in a discussion on the picture.
The teacher may ask the following questions too.
1. Imagine that you are a bird / lion / cloud / plant / flower etc, what will you
do / act / say in that role? Share your experiences of imagination.
2. Can you imagine what the world might be like in 100 years? Share your
thoughts.
¾ Introduce Albert Einstein’s quote and help them understand the

importance of imagination as a powerful tool for intelligent thinking and
learning.
¾ Generate a discussion and link it with ‘The Doorway’.
56 7 ENGLISH
THE DOORWAY
¾ Let the learners look at the pictures and read the captions.
¾ Ask them to talk about their favourite doll / toy and how they had taken
care of it. The teacher may ask the following questions.
1. How did you take care of your favourite doll/ toy?
2. What do you like the best about playing with your doll /toy?
3. Did you talk with your doll/toy as if it were a human?
4. Did you imagine that they had a special personality?
T
5. What do you like the most about the picture?
A F
¾ Elicit responses from the learners and link them with the intro of the
lesson.
R
¾ Encourage the learners to reflect on their personal experiences with their
D
favourite doll / toy.
¾ Encourage the learners to share their fond memories or insights they have
gained from caring for their doll.
¾ This activity helps them to think about the role of imagination and
responsibility in their playtime activities.
¾ Link ‘The Doorway’ with the intro of the lesson ‘A Doll’s journey’.
FRANZ KAFKA
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was one of the greatest writers of the Twentieth
Century. Although he wrote originally in German, his writings have been
translated into many languages, including Malayalam.
TEACHER TEXT 57
¾ Let the learners read the text silently.
¾ Let them read the text in groups of five or six (multi-level/heterogeneous group).
¾ The teacher initiates ‘Lesson mapping’ using the following questions.
? What is the paragraph about?

? Who are the characters?
? What is the location?
? What are the events that you come across?
? What are the unfamiliar words? Underline them.
T
F
A
R
D
¾ The teacher reads the passage aloud with proper pause, stress and
intonation that may help easy comprehension.
Divide the passage into four parts without losing the spirit, linkage and feel
of the story. The following division is suggested.
Part I - Para 1 It was a Saturday afternoon …… at the park in the evening.
Part II - Para 2 After searching for some time ......... when I am back.
Part III - Para 3 The girl continued to receive …… he found a way out.
Part IV - Para 4 There were no letters …… able to see her again.
58 7 ENGLISH
¾ Ask the learners to read these parts in sequence aloud.
¾ Wind up each class (period) only after consolidating the content/events
and the activities done, linking to the home assignments or tasks, if any.
NOTE
The teacher can initiate a discussion on anecdote as a form of narration. The
learners may be introduced to anecdote explaining it as a short interesting
story about a real incident or person. The teacher may ask questions like
the following to get an idea about their familiarity with similar texts:
1. Have you come across similar stories involving children, pets or toys?
T
2. Did the story have a happy ending?
F
3. Did you like the way the story was narrated?
A
R
Activity 1
Identify the locations, characters and themes of the story
D
¾ Ask the learners to revisit the story and find out the locations, characters
and themes. The story has different themes like love towards one’s pets
or toys, Kafka’s empathy towards the child, etc. The learners may identify
new themes.
¾ Give the learners brief suggestions about how to identify locations,
characters and themes of the story.
¾ Scaffold them by suggesting changes and additions.
¾ Let the learners list them out in the given box.
¾ Give chances to the learners to present their findings.
A few examples like the following can be given :
y A park in Berlin – a young girl, Kafka – meeting and interaction
between Kafka and the little girl.
y The next day in the park – the little girl, Kafka – Kafka gives the girl a
letter from doll.
TEACHER TEXT 59
Here the teacher can also suggest imaginary locations like the place Kafka said
he had visited and met the doll.
Activity 2
Conversation
¾ Discuss with the learners the pain the little girl felt and how Kafka
comforted her.
¾ Generate some interesting ideas suitable to the conversation.
¾ It should be seen that the conversation has a logical continuity.
¾ It should be realistic and suitable to the theme.
¾ A part of it is given below. It is only a sample.
T
¾ The learners are free to come up with other forms.
F
SAMPLE CONVERSATION
Kafka :
R A
‘Oh dear, why are you crying?’
D
Little girl : ‘My Levi... Levi... my doll...’
Kafka : ‘What happened to your doll?’
Little girl : ‘I lost my doll Levi. I can’t find her!’
Kafka : ‘I’m so sorry to hear that. Let’s try together to find Levi,
shall we?’
Little girl : ‘Thank you. But what if we don’t find her?’
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
This conversation can be the input discourse for the next activity.
Activity 3
Role-play
¾ Make the learners enact the roles of Kafka and the little girl using the
conversation they prepared.
60 7 ENGLISH
¾ Provide the learners with a brief overview of the scenario and the
conversation they will be enacting.
¾ The teacher should see to it that the conversation is enacted, as far as
possible, keeping the natural sound patterns of English (pronunciation,
stress and intonation).
¾ Proper scaffolding may be provided.
¾ After the enactment, facilitate a brief discussion on the presentation of the
learners.
y Ask students what they observed during the enactment and how they
felt watching the conversation.
y Encourage students to reflect on the characters’ emotions and actions,
T
as well as the ideas conveyed through the conversation.
y Prompt students to discuss how Kafka’s actions demonstrate empathy,
F
kindness and creativity in comforting the little girl.
A
Activity 4
Diary Entry
R
¾ Start by explaining what a diary is and its purpose.
D
¾ The teacher can provide examples of famous diaries like The Diary of Anne
Frank.
¾ Discuss how diaries are used to record personal experiences, feelings and
reflections.
¾ Ask the learners to share their experiences, if any, in writing diaries or
reading diaries of famous personalities published as books.
¾ Rewind the story to help the learners write the diary.
¾ A diary-writing prop may be given.
1. Explain to the learners that they will now be writing a diary entry from
the perspective of the girl in the story.
2. Provide them with a prompt like the following:
“ Imagine you are the girl who lost her favourite doll and received
letters from her. Write a diary entry expressing your thoughts and
emotions after realizing the doll isn’t coming back.”
3. Make sure that the learners attempt the diary in the first person.
TEACHER TEXT 61
Hints for the activity : Girl’s feelings - waiting for the doll - sadness and
longing - imagined scenarios, hope for reunion etc.
SAMPLE DIARY ENTRY
MY DIARY writes about her amazing

adventures and reading her
Thursday, 18th July letters makes me so happy.
Today was full of But today something was
missing ………………….......……
T
excitement and a little bit
of disappointment. It all …………………………………………
F
started when I got a letter …………………………………………
A
from my doll. She always
D R
Activity 5
Letter Writing
¾ Introduce learners to the practice of writing personal letters applying

appropriate vocabulary, usage and sentence structure and expressing
thoughts and emotions effectively.
¾ Discuss the context briefly with the learners.
¾ Go back to Levi’s letter for reference.
¾ Pause at key points to ask comprehension questions to ensure
understanding.
¾ Discuss the thoughts and emotions Levi expresses in the letter and how it
makes them feel.
¾ Identify keywords from the letter showing the relationship between the
writer and the addressee (e.g., love, miss, fun, meet, memories, cherished,
bathed, carried, sewing clothes…).
62 7 ENGLISH
¾ Encourage learners to use these words in sentences related to their own
experiences.
¾ Ask learners to imagine they are Irma and write a reply to Levi’s letter.
¾ Encourage them to include elements from the model letter and use the
vocabulary acquired.
The structure of the letter is as follows.
Date
Greeting (Dear...)
Body of the letter (expressing thoughts and feelings,
T
making statements, etc.)
Closing (With love, Yours sincerely, etc.)
F
Name
A
SAMPLE LETTER WRITING
R
Irmas Villa
D
18th July 2023
Dear Levi,
Your letter made me so happy! I loved all your letters and they made me
smile a lot.
Remember, when we used to play together and I took care of you like
a mom. Those were the best times ever! I miss you so much ........................
.......................................................................................................................................
......................................... ,
Irma
¾ After learners have completed their letters, allow them to share their
letters with the class.
¾ Discuss what they liked about writing the letter and the challenges they
faced, if any.
¾ Reflect on the importance of staying connected with friends.
TEACHER TEXT 63
Activity 6a&b
Use of “should,” “could,” and “would”

¾ Acquiring the use of “should”, “could” and “would” using the given passage
can be engaging and effective.
¾ Ask the learners to read the passage and to identify the examples of
“should”, “could” and “would. Ask them to pay attention to the use of
‘could’, ‘should’ and ‘would’.
¾ Point out each instance and explain why that particular word is used in
that context.
For example :
T
“Should” : “Irma’s mother noticed this and she thought Irma should not
F
let herself be carried away by the smartphone.”
A
“Would” : “In the evening she would go cycling.”
“Could” : “She could ride for a long time without tiring.
R
¾ Engage the learners in a discussion on the passage and the use of these
D
words.
¾ Give more examples to strengthen learning.
¾ The learners can be enabled to be precise in using these auxiliaries by
learning their difference.
¾ Here are some prompts for learners to practise using “would”, “could” and
“should” in sentences :
Would
1. If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go and why?
2. What would you do if you found a magic lamp which permits your
three wishes?
3. If you could have any magical power, what would it be and how would you
use it?
4. If you were a character in your favourite book, what would you do with a
difference?
64 7 ENGLISH
Could
1. If you could learn to play any musical instrument, which one would you
choose and why?
2. What could you do to help the people affected by floods?
3. If you could find out a new flavour of ice cream, what would it be and what
ingredients would you use?
4. What could you make of your uncle’s letter?
Should
1. Why do you think children should help with household chores?
T
2. What should you do if you see someone being bullied?
F
3. Why is it important to recycle and what should people do to recycle more?
A
4. What should you do if you accidentally break something that belongs to
someone else?
R
NOTE
D
More information:
(this is for the teacher’s reference, not for discussing with the learners)
¾ ‘Should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’ are auxiliary verbs that can sometimes get
confusing. They are the past tense forms of ‘shall’, ‘will’ and ‘can’ but are
also used in other situations.
‘Should’ can be used to express something that is probable.

Examples:
y Kiran should be here by 2:00 PM.
y He should be bringing Arun with him.
‘Should’ can be used to ask questions.
Examples:
y Should we go to the park today?
y Shouldn’t you finish your homework before watching TV?”
TEACHER TEXT 65
‘Should’ can also be used to show an obligation, give suggestion or
opinion.
Examples:
y You should stop eating fast food.
y You should brush your teeth before going to bed.
y We should start saving money for our vacation.
‘Would’ to make a polite request.

Examples:
y Would you like to play with me?
y Would you please share your toys with your friend?
T
‘Would’ to ask questions.
F
Examples:
A
y Would you like fries or salad?
y Would you like to join us tonight?
R
‘Would’ in hypothetical situations.
D
Examples:
y If I had a magic wand, I would turn all the vegetables into candy!
y If I were a bird, I would fly in the sky.
y I would love to have a pet dragon to play around with, if I could.
y If I were a mermaid, I would explore the ocean depths.
‘Could’ can be used to suggest a possibility.

Examples:
y Could it be Raya’s phone ringing?
‘Could’ can be used to make a polite request.

Examples:
y “Could you please move this box?”
y “Could you please pass that paper?”
66 7 ENGLISH
Activity 7
Use of ‘which’, ‘that’ and ‘who’.
¾ Let the learners identify the expressions ‘which’, ‘that’ and ‘who’ from
the poem.
‘Which’, ‘that’ and ‘who’ are relative pronouns. Always use who
when referring to persons and use that and which when referring to
things, such as objects, animals and places.
That and who are used when the meaning is restricted.

Eg. The bicycle that I presented to my grand daughter was costly.
T
Here that is used to refer to a particular bicycle to the exclusion of other
bicycles.
F
Eg. The passenger who got down at the last stop was a foreigner.
A
Which is used for non-restrictive meaning, only to give additional
information. A comma is used to separate it from the previous part of
R
the sentence.
Eg. The office, which was on the second floor, was closed.
D
That is used to emphasise the uniqueness of the noun referred to.
Eg. The office that was on the second floor was closed.
¾ The learners must be made to understand the difference of grammatical

categories through discussion.
¾ Provide plenty of examples to get better understanding of these

expressions.
1. The book that I bought yesterday is on the table. (Restrictive)
2. The car that I rented last week broke down. (Restrictive)
3. I love the beach, which is always so peaceful. (Non-restrictive)
4. The house, which was built in the 18th century, is now a museum.
(Non-restrictive)
5. The woman who lives next door is a doctor. (Restrictive)
6. The dog, which always greets me with a wagging tail, belongs to my
friend. (Non-restrictive)
TEACHER TEXT 67
POEM
FOREIGN LANDS
Learning Objectives

¾ listen, read and appreciate the poem.
¾ familiarize with the language and rhythm of the poem.
¾ get a close look at the sound patterns, rhyming pairs, rhyme scheme and
assonance and the figure of speech - personification.
¾ practise writing appreciation of poems.
T
About the poem
F
The poem introduces learners to the complexity and beauty of the
language that is used in Nineteenth century English poetry and allows
A
them to explore the nuances of language that are linked to them and to
get a feel of how language can be evocative. The poem leads to a deeper
R
appreciation for the written word, on how a poem uses language in a
peculiar way, often differing from its use in prose. Learners are also
D
introduced to the rhyme, rhyme scheme and assonance. Alliteration is
revisited. The poem is also expected to serve as a stimulus for creative
thinking and imaginative writing.
The expression ‘foreign’ represents the imaginary ‘fairy land’ that the little
girl is envisioning. The girl climbed a cherry tree and held on to its trunk.
From this height, she saw her neighbourhood, the roads with people
walking and a river. She wished she could climb higher and see the river
joining the sea and the ships that were anchored or sailing by.
The poem follows the rhyme scheme ‘aabb’.
Introduction
y Brief talk about home and neighbourhood.

y Learners may share their experiences of climbing trees and looking
around. They may also talk about the things they watch sitting on the
branch of a tree.
68 7 ENGLISH
y A discussion may be initiated on the things they watch, and the beauty
of nature, considering it as a source of happiness.
y Scaffold them on the virtues of such sights and how they bring us
fun and joy.
y Ask the learners to comment on the picture alongside.
y The teacher can show pictures of young children climbing trees,
playing or looking out into the street enjoying the sights.
y Photographs or stills from children’s films can also be shown.
This can initiate a primary discussion on the poem.
Process
T
¾ After the discussion, let the learners read the poem silently.
F
¾ Ask the learners to read/recite the poem aloud.
A
R
D
unfamiliar words/usages, poetic language etc.
¾ Scaffold them with the description of the theme, unfamiliar words/usages,
poetic language etc.
¾ Let the learners recite the poem in groups and make random oral
presentations.
¾ Ask them to comment on the tonal /musical qualities of the poem with
reference to rhyme, assonance etc.
¾ Scaffold them about the tonal/musical qualities of the poem with reference
to rhyme, rhyme scheme, assonance, alliteration, etc.
¾ Let them make brief comments holistically on the poem.
The teacher can use the simple comprehension questions given in the textbook.
TEACHER TEXT 69
In addition, questions like the following can be put to the learners.
? Why do the sights that the child sees appear as if they are in a foreign land?
? Why do you think the child had to climb a tree to look upon ‘foreign lands’?
? Do you think that the child was seeing the next-door garden for the first
time? Why?
? Have you ever felt a sense of wonder and joy like the child in the poem?
? Why does the river appear like a looking glass?
? Why do you think the roads were ‘dusty’?
? How is the road the child saw different from the road that passes before
T
your home?
Is the child missing something she wants to see? Why?
F
?
? Why do you think the child imagined a road that led to fairyland?
A
? Why does the child find fairy land attractive?
R
¾ A second set of questions like the following can be offered to the learners
D
for discussion about poetic devices, imagery etc.
? Why does the poet use word pairs like ‘tree-me’, ‘hands-lands’ etc.?
? What do we call it when such word pairs are repeated in the poem?
NOTE
The learners may be shown pictures or photographs of Nineteenth century

England to generate interest in the learners. They may also be told about the
geography and topography of the country during the period. They may also be
told of fairy tales and novels like Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol which play
upon the imagination of young children. The learners may also be told about
a Nineteenth century English village or small town which were very different
from what they are today. There were hardly any vehicles on the road, except
carts and carriages. The curiosity and imagination of children then were very
different. The learners’ attention may also be drawn to the fact that the author
70 7 ENGLISH
Stevenson wrote many poems and novels for children, in which fantasy was
heavily used. They can be told the plots of novels like Strange Case of Dr Jekyll
and Mr Hyde. The poem talks about ‘people tramping to town’. The attention of
the learners may also be drawn to words ‘looking glass’ and ‘playthings’ which
are commonly used instead of ‘mirror’ and ‘toys’ and the peculiar usage ‘grown
up river’ for a river which is very wide at its mouth. The teacher may also tell
the learners in a general way about the child’s wish to have dinner at five in the
evening and for her toys to come alive. Many children in Nineteenth Century
England had dinner at six in the evening. The child is thinking of having an
early dinner so that she can play more. The teacher may also point out similar
T
expressions in the first language.
F
ACTIVITIES
A
Activity 1a
R
The learners may be asked to read the poem once again. The outcome of earlier
discussions may be visited again. The learners may be asked to note down the
D
important points first. These can be developed into a paragraph. It should be
noted that the learners should not simply put these sentences one after the
other to make a paragraph. Connectives and other grammatical items should
be used to make the paragraph natural and smooth. Intensive scaffolding by
the teacher may be needed throughout the activity.
The learners can make a beginning like the following.
The child sees the garden next door which is adorned with flowers. The child
also sees pleasant places.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Activity 1b
The same procedure as of Activity 1a may be followed. Here more scaffolding

may be given because the learners are narrating what they have experienced
TEACHER TEXT 71
or imagined. The learners must be encouraged to write even if they find it
difficult.
Activity 2a&b
Rhyme and Rhyme schemes
y Let the learners find out the uniformity of the ending sound (not the
ending letter) in the last word of each line.
y Let them comment on the musical quality the words evoke.
y Let them identify the pattern of rhyming words.
y Familiarize the rhyme scheme as ‘aabb’.
T
The learners may be given more examples for rhyme and rhyme schemes from
other poems:
F
a
a d
r Hubbar rd, a
A
d M o t h e
clou b Old he cupbo
a b
l o n e ly as a s a n d hills, Went to t e poor dog a bon
e;
c
ere d va l e a
I wand s on high o’er t h
To give e came there
R
a t c r o w d, b c
That flo t once I saw a When sh oard was bare, one. b
When a
ll a
daffodi
ls; The cupb e poor dog had n
D
n
of g o l d e
ffodils”
) And so th rd”
er Hubba )
A host, ’s “ D a ld M o t h
orth (From “O Catherine Martin
m Wordsw
( Fro by Sarah
Activity 3
Assonance is the repetition of the vowel sound across words within the lines of
a poem creating internal rhymes.
Examples:
1. And looked abroad on foreign land.

The same vowel sound is repeated in the words ‘abroad’ and ‘foreign’.
2. If I could find a higher tree.

The same vowel sound ‘i’ is repeated in the words ‘find ’ and ‘higher’.
72 7 ENGLISH
Give more examples from other poems too.
Who knows why the cold wind blows

Or where it goes, or what it knows
It only flows in passionate throes
Until it finally slows and settles in repose
(Kelly Roper – “The Cold Wind Blows”)
FT
Should you go out and play? I would
A
Young girls and boys grab their toys and play
Boys playin’ in dirt while girls play with their pearls
R
The mom would tap her foot to say ‘nap time kids’
(Bree Christen – “Spring Kids”)
Activity 4
D
Alliteration has already been processed in the poem “I stand in Wonder
and Amazement” in Unit I. This is a revisit. The same strategies may be used.
TEACHER TEXT 73
THE STORY OF MY LIFE
Learning Objectives

y read and comprehend the autobiographical piece.
y familiarize themselves with the narrative on disability and empowerment.
y The learners are expected to get an exposure to usage and sentence
construction associated with both.
y familiarize themselves with peculiar ways in which words are understood
and pronounced by differently abled people.
T
y get some practice on framing questions for an interview.
F
About the passage
A
The Story of My Life (1903) tells the early years of Helen Keller, a young
woman who became both deaf and blind at a young age. The book explores the
R
challenges she faced growing up as a child with disabilities and introduces the
amazing people who helped her along the way.
D
As with the detailed prose text, the learners are expected to go through a
process of pre-reading.
A discussion can be initiated by the teacher on differently abled people and
issues connected to their lives and careers. The personalities shown in the
entry pictures may be referred to. The learners can share their knowledge and
experience about various forms of disability. The teacher may also show a very
short video on a well-known personality who has overcome the limitations of
disability.
NOTE
If there are differently abled children in the classroom, the discussion
must start on a more positive note in which the achievements of differently
abled children must be highlighted. The individuals concerned are not to be
referred to.
74 7 ENGLISH
Questions like the following can be put to the learners.
? Have you come across people with disabilities? (only if there are no
differently abled learners in the class)
? What are some of the issues about differently-abled people you have
noticed?
? Can you name and describe some differently abled people who have
distinguished themselves in public life.
? What is your idea of an autobiography? Have you read any autobiography?
? What do you find in an autobiography?
NOTE
T
These are possible questions. Other questions can also be asked. The next
F
round of discussion can focus on the given passage. The discussion can begin
after a process of peer reading in which the class is divided into groups. The
A
groups can be asked to share the ideas they have gathered from reading
the text about the events described and also note down new, unfamiliar
R
expressions, situations and sentence structures in the passage, etc. they
found while reading. They can fill up the word gallery with new words and
D
phrases. The teacher can initiate and lead a discussion on these.
The following process may be adopted:

y Let the learners read and understand the different stages of Helen’s early
life.
y Promote individual and group reading experiences among the learners.
y Pose certain simple questions to channelize easy comprehension.
y Ask them to enact the situations, if possible.
y Let them share similar and interesting experiences in their life, if any.
y Promote free responses.
NOTE
The teacher should scaffold the learning process by offering interesting
information about differently abled people, especially visually challenged
people. The teacher should also have read the full autobiography of Helen
Keller. Ideally she should have also watched the biopic The Miracle Worker.
TEACHER TEXT 75
ACTIVITIES
Activity 1
The learners may be made to do another quick reading of the passage before
writing the sentences in correct order.
Activity 2
This activity focuses on word-power, the ability of learners to think up
combination of words. This needs serious scaffolding by the teacher since
many learners may not be able to think up appropriate combinations. The
teacher can also supply some combinations.
T
Activity 3
The teacher may be required to introduce the four seasons in Europe / America
F
with the help of pictures and short videos. The learners must be able to get a
A
good picture about how the environment looks during these seasons and about
the behaviour of animals and birds, the dressing of people etc. The learners
R
may be allowed to write as many features about the seasons as they like. This
will lead to a great enhancement of language skills. Some instances are there
D
in the lesson itself.
Activity 4
It must be remembered that experts on climate have designated only three
seasons in India, Winter, Summer and Monsoon. It must also be remembered
that there are vast differences across regions in climatic conditions, from the
snow-clad Himalayas to the rain-drenched South-West and North-East of the
country. The teacher must be able to show a large variety of pictures and videos
about how different parts of India look during different seasons. It is necessary
to give detailed descriptions orally and to make the learners talk about what
they know to enhance listening and speaking skills.
Activity 5
As the learners are doing this for the first time, the teacher should intensely
scaffold the learners. The learners can be allowed to prepare questions in
their own language which the teacher can edit. Some of the better prepared
questions can be read out by the teacher and discussed with the learners.
76 7 ENGLISH
UNIT
3 CLOUD NINE
ABOUT THE UNIT
The learning materials in this unit serve to develop

a positive outlook on life and a creative attitude towards
T
issues focusing on the brighter side and creating a feeling of
happiness. They contribute to assessing the flow of one’s life
F
and look at the choices that contribute to the quality of life.
A
They also give insights on how to manage emotions like anger,
sadness, fear and identify the role of social relationships and
R
communication in promoting happiness.
D UNIT AT A GLANCE
A TRIP TO A THE WORLD OF

HOT SPRING LAUGHING SONG HUMOUR
Auto biographical Prose for extended
Poem by reading.
Fiction for detailed
reading by Tetsuko William Blake Anecdotes from
the lives of famous
Kuroyanagi personalities
TEACHER TEXT 77
UNIT FRAME
DISCOURSES /
CONCEPT LANGUAGE ELEMENTS
ACTIVITIES
Theme : Happiness • Sequencing events • Seeking permission

• Conversation using May, Can and
Shall.
T
Sub themes • Thoughts
• Expressions for
F
1. Role of • Diary
granting or refusing
interpersonal • Profile permission.
A
and intrapersonal
• Rhyming words
relationship in • The form ‘ing’ for
R
bringing happiness • Rhyming scheme planned future
in our life. • Assonance actions.
D
2. Nature as a source • Personification • ‘Couldn’t help + ing’
of happiness. • Note of appreciation form for referring to
of a poem an action which could
3. Humour and fun not be controlled or
• Humours
in our day to day stopped.
life and their • Funny questions
significance • Idioms and
• Popular jokes
for a happy life. expressions
• Translation
• Collective nouns
• Cartoon reading
• Developing stories
78 7 ENGLISH
A TRIP TO A HOT SPRING
Learning Objectives
y read, comprehend and appreciate the prose text.
y strengthen listening and speaking skills through transacting the text
and engaging in the suggested activities.
y identify and use items of vocabulary, usage and structures that are
available in the text.
y develop the skills of editing, writing conversations, description of
events, diary entries and profiles.
T
y get a deeper understanding of the phrases used for asking permission.
F
y grasp the use of ‘ing’ to indicate future time.
A
TITULAR PICTURE
¾ Ask the learners about the persons in the picture.
R
¾ Let the learners identify and comment on them.
D
¾ Scaffold them with simple and meaningful questions.
¾ Introduce the quotes of the famous people on happiness.
¾ The teacher generates a discussion and links it to ‘The Doorway’ in which
a group of children are seen enjoying the trip.
THE DOORWAY
¾ The teacher makes use of the picture and generates a discussion

based on it.
y What is this picture about?
y What do you see in this picture?
y What are the pupils doing?
y Why do you think they are so happy?
y What do the teachers in the picture comment about the learners?
¾ Learners read the comments of the teachers.
¾ The teacher poses the questions in a natural manner.
TEACHER TEXT 79
¾ Discuss the situations where trips can become exciting.
¾ The teacher creates a mood of excitement through the interaction.
¾ Links ‘The Doorway’ with the intro of the lesson.
TOTTO-CHAN
Totto-Chan : The Little Girl at the Window is an autobiographical fiction by

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a Japanese actress and Television personality, based
on her childhood experience at Tomoe Gakuen primary school before
World War II.
T
Totto-Chan, who was labelled as a troublemaker by her teacher, was
F
forced to leave school. Her anxious mother then took her to Tomoe
Gakuen, a school run by the headmaster Mr. Kobayashi, who had utterly
A
different views on schooling from the other educators of his time. He
believed that respect, encouragement and freedom are keys to a learner’s
R
better development, rather than scolding and punishing according to the
teachers’ or parents’ whims.
D
Reading this autobiographical anecdote gives the learners a feel like
reading a fairy tale of a little girl stumbling into Wonderland. In a sense,
Totto-Chan’s experience in Tomoe Gakuen is nothing less than a fairy tale
comes true: Totto-Chan and her friends studied in classrooms made of
train-carriages, where their teachers gave out non-traditional lessons,
taught them to dance, to express themselves freely. Their headmaster
spent time listening to what they had to say and talked to them like equals.
Totto-Chan and her friends explored on their own making new discoveries
about themselves and the world around them.
This autobiographical narrative shows that love, care and concern are
the most important elements in relationships for children at home and
school as they grow up to become responsible adults. These are also the
most important elements of value education.
80 7 ENGLISH
¾ Let the learners read the prescribed part of the text silently.
¾ Let them read the text in groups of five or six

(multi-level / heterogenous group).
¾ Let each group present ideas in the class.
¾ The teacher initiates ‘Lesson mapping’ using the following questions.
T
What are the locations?
F
?
A
R
D
¾ The teacher reads each part of the text.

¾ Incorporate the scaffolding questions during the discussion.
¾ The teacher reads the passage aloud with proper pauses, stress and
TEACHER TEXT 81
Divide the lesson into eight parts without losing the spirit, linkage and feel
of the story.
The following division is suggested.
Part I - Para 1 Summer vacation ………. Totto-Chan go.
Part II -Para 2 “ Now then”, ………. each other.
Part III -Para 3 The Tomoe pupils ………. somebody else”.
Part IV - Para 4 At Numazu ………. feeling fine!
Part V - Para 5, 6 and 7 The spa at Toi ………. sea-bathing.
T
Part VI - Para 8 When they got ………. what happened?”
F
Part VII –Para 9 Unlike camping ………. wood shaving.
A
Part VIII – Para 10 “How about a ………. happy summer vacation.
R
¾ Ask eight learners to read these parts in sequence aloud.
D
the activities done, linking to the home assignments or tasks, if any.
NOTE
HOT SPRING
It’s a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater
onto the surface of the earth. The groundwater is heated generally by shallow
bodies of molten rock.
There are coastal regions along the Sea of Japan where hot springs are found
near the coast, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy both the sea and
relaxing baths. We can find several onsen (hot spring) resorts where you can
enjoy soaking in the natural hot spring baths while gazing out at the Sea of
Japan. They allow visitors to experience the therapeutic benefits of hot spring
bathing along with the natural beauty of the sea.
82 7 ENGLISH
BRAVERY TEST
Kimodameshi known in English as a test of courage, is a Japanese activity
in which people explore frightening and potentially dangerous places to build
up courage. It can also be considered as a play for children. It is usually done
during the summer at the Obon Festival in August.
At night, usually during the summer, a group of people visit an ominous place
such as a cemetery, haunted house or secluded forest path to carry out specific
missions there. The exercise teaches the group that, working together, they can
overcome their fear. Participants launch a challenge, usually visiting abandoned
places that are rumoured to have apparitions, ghosts and other paranormal
T
events and whoever stays the longest in the place wins.
F
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A
¾ Narrate the significance of the author giving details about her period of
life, works, social/contemporary relevance, etc.
R
D
Activity 1
List of activities performed
¾ Ask the learners to revisit the story and find out the activities performed
by the Tomoe students during their trip. They need not be in sequence.
Let the pupils present them randomly.
¾ Ask the learners to share their experience on a tour. Let them list out
some of the activities they performed.
¾ Ask one or two of them to present the narrative, if possible.
Activity 2
Rearranging the events
¾ Let the learners read the events of the tour given in the box.
y Are they given in sequence or in the order they occurred?
y What would be the first event? Elicit responses.
TEACHER TEXT 83
¾ Tell them about the skill of finding the sequence of events.
¾ Ask them to sequence the events referring to the reading passage.
¾ Let the learners complete the flow chart.
y The children assembled at the school on the appointed day before

setting off.
y The Headmaster gave some instructions to the children before
going to the sea.
y They embarked on a ship.
y The sea became very rough and Totto-Chan and some others began
to feel ill.
T
y After a short rest, the teachers took the children down to the sea.
F
y The children enjoyed this unusual hot spring sea-bath to the utmost.
y The man who was building a boat gave Totto-Chan a very long and
A
curly wood shaving.
y The children were excited at the photo session.
Activity
Conversation
¾
3
D R
Let the learners interact with the picture given.
y What are they talking about?
y Do you remember the context?
y What are the likely exchanges between the daughter and the mother?
¾ Let the learners complete the conversation individually.
¾ Ask for random presentations.
¾ Scaffolding questions may be asked to guide the learners specifically to
the point.
¾ The class may be divided into multi-level groups.
¾ Let the learners share their products in the multi-level groups.
¾ Various assessment techniques may be applied here.
84 7 ENGLISH
¾ Multi-level activities may be used for catering to all the learners.
¾ Let them improve or refine the conversation.
¾ Teacher version may be given, if required.
SAMPLE CONVERSATION
Totto-Chan : ‘May I go for the trip?’
T
Mother : ‘Hot spring trip? You are quite young, aren’t you?’
Totto-Chan : ‘Mom, All my friends are going.’
F
Mother : ‘Oh is it so? But you are a bit mischievous my dear.’
A
Totto-Chan : ‘Please Mom, I will not play any pranks.’
R
Mother : ‘Good. Your Headmaster has sent me a letter.’
Totto-Chan : ‘What was it about?’
D
Mother : ……………………………………………..
Totto-Chan : ……………………………………………..
Mother : ……………………………………………..
Totto-Chan : ……………………………………………..
Mother : ……………………………………………..
Activity 4
Seeking Permission using May I, Can I, Shall I, etc.

¾ Recapitulate the experience of Totto Chan asking permission to join
the tour.
¾ Make use of the cartoons given to generate discussion.
¾ Relate them with the classroom experience where the learners ask
permission from the teacher.
TEACHER TEXT 85
¾ Ask the learners to find out expressions for giving / refusing permission
and let them complete the table.
Certainly, obviously No, you may not,

by all means It’s not possible, now, I am terribly sorry
¾ Discuss the occasions when they visited local places with their family/
friends or relatives and met with a situation seeking permission.
¾ Ask them about the actions they performed.
¾ Scaffold them on asking for permission and responses to it.
¾ Discuss polite ways of seeking permission and let the learners role play
T
similar situations.
¾ Elicit probable dialogues at a festival, water theme park, exhibition ground, etc.
F
Seeking permission From whom? Response
R A No, you may not.
D
Shall I go to the park? Mother Sure
Certainly
I’m afraid, you can’t.
Can I ride that giant wheel?
It’s dangerous.
Can I have an ice cream? Obviously
May I take your umbrella? Certainly
Activity 5
Preparation for a photography session

¾ Let the learners share their own experiences of taking group photographs
with their friends or family.
¾ Ask them to refer to the description of the photo session at Tomoes.
86 7 ENGLISH
¾ Ask them to imagine some of the things the Tomoes students did during
the photography session.
¾ Extend the activity to the preparation for a photography session in your
class.
¾ Have a group photograph of the class, taken.
¾ The teacher may observe every learner during the whole process.
¾ Note down their preparations and make a list of them.
Activity 6
Thoughts and feelings
T
¾ Discuss the feelings and thoughts the Tomoes had on the eve of their tour.
F
¾ Generate the teacher talk to elicit them.
¾ Make use of these feelings and emotions as an input to the diary entry in
A
activity 7.
¾ Ask the learners to imagine themselves as Totto Chan and write the
R
thoughts she had, the day before the trip.
D
Activity 7
Diary entry
¾ Use activities 5 and 6 as inputs for this activity.

¾ Elicit target vocabulary related to the context, for the entry. A word web
may be developed.
¾ Ask the learners to review the usage and vocabulary with the word web
developed.
¾ Ask the learners to load their experiences, feelings and emotions in the
diary.
¾ Random presentation of the diary entries in the class may be conducted.
¾ Let the learners refine their diary entries.
¾ Analyse and discuss the content of the diary in terms of the components
like beginning, input of thoughts, feelings, language, conclusion, etc.
TEACHER TEXT 87
SAMPLE DIARY
Date: 06/03/1950 the other saying ‘Oops’ was

really funny. We couldn’t help
I will never forget these days laughing. Thankful to my
in my life. What a fantastic teachers… How friendly and
trip! I enjoyed it very much lovable they are. ……………………
with my friends and teachers. ……………………………………………
The voyage was exciting and ……………………………………………
challenging. The boy who ran ……………………………………………
……………
T
from one side of the ship to
F
Activity 8
A
The use of ‘ing’ form to indicate future time.
R
¾ Ask the learners to observe the actions which are going on in the class to
give examples of present continuous tense.
D
¾ Let the learners comment on these actions.
¾ Instruct two or three learners to perform some of the activities.
¾ Ask the learners to narrate the actions in progress.
(Eg : Arun is singing a song / Gana is drawing a picture/ She is clapping
her hands)
¾ Link the discussion to the conversation in the text. Stress that all these
sentences are about actions which are going on.
¾ Now talk about some planned future actions in the school context. Use
‘will’ constructions.
y We will conduct the sports meet next month.
y We will go for a study tour in December.
¾ Convert the above sentences into ‘ing’ pattern.
y We are conducting the sports meet next month
y We are going for a study tour in December.
88 7 ENGLISH
¾ Tell the learners that these actions are to take place in the future.
¾ Ask the learners to go through the examples given below the conversation.
¾ Discuss the context of the given sentences using the ‘ing’ form.
¾ Lead the activity to the conversation by the boy and the girl.
¾ Ask the learners to speak about their future actions using the ‘ing’ form.
¾ Elicit as many sentences as possible like the examples given.
¾ Let the learners write some sentences about their future actions during
the coming vacation.
Activity 9
‘Couldn’t help’ + ‘ing’ for referring to an action which could not be
T
controlled or stopped.
F
¾ Informal interaction with the learners on different funny / sad occasions
A
when they were not able to control laughing / crying.
Eg: My friend accused me of stealing his pencil. I was very upset.
R
I didn’t take it. I couldn’t control myself crying. I cried bitterly.
¾ Let the learners narrate their experiences in simple sentences.
D
¾ Ask the learners to revisit the context given in the task and guess the
meaning of the phrase in bold letters (couldn’t help laughing).
¾ Describe each situation and response given in the task.
¾ Let the learners attempt the task by filling in the blanks one by one.
I couldn’t help
supporting him.
But my friend liked it.
They were in a secret

conversation.
We couldn’t help
questioning it.
TEACHER TEXT 89
Activity 10
Profile writing
¾ Introduce the author.
¾ Ask the learners to read the profile and identify her achievements.
¾ Ask the learners to frame sentences based upon the clues given.
¾ Make the learners familiar with the ways of referring to one’s residence,
birth, achievements etc.
How to refer to places?
T
Both ‘in’ and ‘at’ can be used as prepositions of place. ‘In’ is generally
used for larger, more general locations or areas such as countries,
F
state, cities, district, corporation / municipality / gramapanchayath etc.
‘At’ is used to indicate a specific point or location within a larger area
A
or space. It is used to describe a specific place or position, street, road,
buildings, institutions, etc.
R
How to refer to birth?
D
was born on (Day/Date) in (Month, Year)
How to refer to Parents?

was born to ….. (Name of parents)
How to refer to death?

died / passed away
How to refer to achievements/awards/honours?

got /was honoured with / was awarded
¾ Ask the learners to fill in the blanks choosing the right options given.
¾ Individual presentation
¾ Group editing
¾ Teacher editing
90 7 ENGLISH
POEM
LAUGHING SONG
Learning Objectives

¾ listen to, read and appreciate the poem.
¾ familiarize themselves with the language and rhythms of the poem
¾ get a close look at the sound patterns of rhyme and assonance and the
figure of speech personification.
¾ Practise writing appreciation for poems.
T
About the poem
F
The poem Laughing Song by William Blake (from Songs of Innocence) is a
A
depiction of an ideal world where one experiences happiness and excitement.
It is one of his few poems which portrays nature with rich and pleasant imagery.
R
In this poem, the poet describes the means of merry-making around him and
urges the people to join him in singing songs in appreciation of nature’s beauty.
D
The poem has been divided into three stanzas having four lines each and like
most of the other poems of Blake, the rhyme scheme of Laughing Song is aabb.
The poem can be sung like a nursery song.
The poem begins with a description of beautiful things in nature. He urges the
people to sing the sweet chorus of “Ha, ha, he” (he says this at the end of the
poem) at a time which he describes throughout the poem.
According to the poet, all the people should join the poet in merry - making
and singing when the green woods i.e. forests laugh with the voice of joy,
i.e., when the forests are green (in spring) and their leaves make soothing and
calming voices when the air passes through them. The stream runs unevenly,
sometimes along a depression which the poet compares to a dimple on our
cheeks. The air appears to be laughing enjoying the merry wit of the people
who are rejoicing. The green meadows and the grasshopper also seem to be
laughing. Playing girls also join in the fun. The speaker seems to be sitting at a
table eating nature’s offerings, cherries and nuts.
TEACHER TEXT 91
Introduction
¾ Brief talk about the presence of happiness in our life and different means
and ways of achieving it based on “A trip to a Hotspring”.
¾ Discussion on the beauty of nature, considering it as a source of happiness.
¾ Ask the learners to comment on the picture alongside.
¾ Scaffold them with the virtues of nature in bringing us fun and joy.
¾ Let them share their experiences regarding the enjoyment and happiness
they get from nature.
Process
T
F
¾ Ask the learners to read / recite the poem aloud.
A
R
D
¾ Let the learners identify unfamiliar or difficult words / usages.
¾ Scaffold them with the description of the theme, unfamiliar words /
usages, poetic language etc.
¾ Let the learners recite the poem in groups and make random oral
presentations.
¾ Let the learners listen to the audio version of the poem or reciting / reading
¾ Ask them to comment on the tonal qualities of the poem with reference to
rhyme, assonance etc.
¾ Scaffold them about the tonal / musical qualities of the poem with
reference to rhyme, assonance etc.
92 7 ENGLISH
¾ Let them make brief comments holistically on the poem. These can
be revisited in Activity 6 in which learners are expected to write an
appreciation of the poem.
Activity 1
Rhyming words
¾ Let the learners find out the uniformity of the ending sound (not the
ending letter) in the last word of each line.
T
¾ Let them comment on the musical quality the words evoke.
F
¾ Let them identify the pattern of rhyming words (joy/by, wit/it, etc.).
A
¾ Familiarize the rhyme scheme as ‘aabb’.
R
Activity 2
D
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of the vowel sound across words within the
lines of the poem creating internal rhymes (already processed in the poem
‘Foreign Lands’ in Unit 2).
Examples :
y A deep sweet sleep overtook me
y You stand at the blackboard, daddy,
y I must confess that in my quest, I felt depressed and restless.
y light / sight, slow / road, between / trees
¾ Let the learners pick out the examples from the poem.
dimpling / laughing, hill / with, round / mouth
TEACHER TEXT 93
Activity 3
Personification
¾ Discuss the various human/animal characteristics that are attributed to
nonhuman entities (animals, objects or ideas) in nature.
the wind whistles the rain drums on the window pane the raindrops sing
the waves dance the storm roars the flower smiles
¾ Discuss the human actions described in the poem like laughing, running,
singing, etc.
T
¾ Ask the learners to pick out the animals, plants or other objects which
F
behave like human beings.
A
Activity 4&5
R
¾ Let the learners find out instances of joy described in the poem.
D
¾ Let them complete the table given.
¾ The item, “Why you liked it” is purely subjective. The learners can respond
according to their level of perception and appreciation.
¾ Ask the learners to present their opinion and substantiate / justify their
views.
¾ Provide necessary inputs to enrich and supplement their opinions.
(These activities should be considered as the input for Activity 6)
Activity 6
Appreciation
¾ Discuss the beauty and happiness we can find in nature after revisiting
the poem.
¾ Pose certain relevant questions to elicit responses which may help develop
the appreciation.
94 7 ENGLISH
¾ Let them include the points like content, beauty of words used, language,
the verses they like most, figures of speech, the speaker’s tone, personal
opinions, etc.
¾ Ask the learners to present their writing individually.
¾ Comment on the positive aspects and give hints for improvements, if
required.
¾ Let them sit in multi-level groups to share and refine their writing.
¾ Ask them to present their group products.
¾ Conduct a general discussion on the highlights of each group.
T
¾ Let them refine their individual product using the important points and
ideas shared in the class.
F
¾ Display them on chart papers in the class.
A
¾ Think of a Teacher’s version, if required.
D
A MODEL APPRECIATION
R ‘Laughing song’
Laughing song is a short poem by William Blake. The poet portrays
nature with rich and pleasant imagery.
The poet creates a scene of joy and pleasure. He wants everyone to
join in the merry-making with nature.
………………………………………………………………….........………………………
……………………………………………………………………..........……………………
The poet uses some interesting words and phrases ….........................
The poet uses rhyme and assonance ……..................................................
I like the poem because ……………………………………............................…..
TEACHER TEXT 95
THE WORLD OF HUMOUR
Learning Objectives

y read and respond to anecdotes that contain a sequence of events,
dialogues, sensory perceptions, images etc.
y familiarize themselves with the discourses that generate humour in
the language.
y understand the peculiar ways in which language is used in jokes.
T
y learn to use idioms in the language creatively.
y comprehend the principle of ambiguity in language.
F
y apply their translation skills effectively.
A
About the lesson
R
This lesson consists of description of certain humorous situations from
D
the lives of some eminent people.
¾ Let the learners read and enjoy the jokes.

¾ Ask the learners to enact the situations, if possible.
¾ Discuss the humour in each anecdote.
¾ Let them share similar funny and interesting experiences in their life.
¾ Promote free responses.
All the post lesson activities are intended to develop

speaking skills, sharing humorous experiences.
The first language may be judiciously used.
96 7 ENGLISH
Activity 1a
Funny Questions
¾ Ask the learners to go through the funny questions. Certain hints and clues
are given to arrive at the answer.
¾ Generate healthy discussion and motivate them to speak confidently.
Questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 etc. can be used for developing vocabulary related

to idioms and phrases, collective nouns, etc.
Key to funny questions
T
1. sea
F
2. group of fish swimming in the sea is called a ‘school of fish’.
A
3. piece of cake (a task which is easy to perform)
4. foot prints
R
5. library (a floor of a building is also called a ‘storey’)
D
6. dates (a dry fruit)
7. comb (a comb has teeth)
8. clock (the needles of a clock are called ‘arms’)
9. umbrella
10. post office (compound words)
FOURTH FLOOR
A five
storeyed THIRD FLOOR
building
SECOND FLOOR
FIRST FLOOR
GROUND FLOOR
TEACHER TEXT 97
Collective
Nouns
Flock of birds Bunch of keys
Fleet of ships Galaxy of stars
Colony of ants Team of players
Pride of lions Troupe of artistes
Crowd of people Choir of singers
Activity 1b
FT
A
Quiz
R
¾ Divide the class into five or six multi-level groups.
D
¾ Ask the group to frame at least five questions each.
¾ Begin the quiz by one group putting questions to all the other groups by
taking turns as in a normal quiz.
¾ The teacher should ensure that all the learners in the group ask at least
one question.
¾ Continue the quiz by the other groups putting questions to all the other
groups in the same way.
¾ Declare the group that scores the highest points as the winner.
¾ Utilize this opportunity to interact with the learners to develop their
language.
Activity 2
Describing a funny experience
¾ Ask four or five learners to share a funny experience from their life.
Judicious use of the first language may be permitted at this stage.
98 7 ENGLISH
¾ Instruct them to narrate the experience.
¾ The teacher may intervene to make the learners describe the humorous
elements in their experiences in detail.
¾ Let the other learners comment on it.
¾ Let them write their experiences individually.
Activity 3
¾ Ask the learners to present a few jokes in their mother tongue, taken from
movies or periodicals.
¾ Supplement synonymous English expressions to unfamiliar or difficult
T
words in narrating the jokes.
F
¾ Let the learners attempt the translation of jokes into English.
¾ Motivate the learners to write freely.
A
¾ Let them present the jokes in the class randomly.
R
Activity 4a&b
D
Cartoons
¾ Ask the learners to read the cartoon.
¾ Interact with simple questions.
y Who are the characters?
y What are the events?
¾ What is the humour in the cartoon given?
¾ Invite free response from the learners.
¾ Let them interpret / manipulate the story and explore the humour by
themselves.
¾ Ask the learners to develop stories of their own based on each cartoon.
¾ Let them present their stories in the class.
¾ Generate a discussion based on the humour in them.
TEACHER TEXT 99
UNIT
4 RUSTLE OF WINGS
ABOUT THE UNIT
The unit “Rustle of Wings” embarks an enriching journey

through various literary pieces that delve into themes of
T
confidence, courage and self-belief. It identifies the importance
F
of true sportsmanship and team spirit. This helps learners
recognize the importance of seeking support from others and
A
expressing emotions. The unit focuses on the importance of
the immense potential that reside within each of us. It also
R
helps learners to cultivate a sense of compassion, empathy
and resilience towards others.
D UNIT AT A GLANCE
RANJI’S
MAGIC BAT DOORS OF DARING PRAYING HANDS
Poem by Story for extended
Story by
Henry Van Dyke Jr. reading
Ruskin Bond
100 7 ENGLISH
UNIT FRAME
DISCOURSES /
ACTIVITIES
Theme : Confidence
• Discerning • Giving instructions

Sub themes: individual
T
qualities • Collocations
1. Appreciating
F
• Making Crisp
the diversity • As…as / Not as….as
Comments
of talents and
A
• Character sketch • Making suggestions
strengths in
individuals. • Felicitation
R
speech
2. Embracing
D
• Commentary
courage and
self-belief for • Interview
growth and • Collecting
success. quotations
• Rhyme and
3. Selflessness
Rhyme scheme
and sacrifice
• Alliteration
• Visual images
• Discourse
analysis
• Editing
TEACHER TEXT 101

RANJI’S MAGIC BAT
Learning Objectives
y read, understand and think critically.
y expand their vocabulary by learning and using new words and
expressions.
y identify and appreciate the innate qualities and talents present in
each individual.
y learn to compose short, clear and concise comments to express their
thoughts effectively in various contexts.
T
y develop the skills for writing character sketches, felicitation speeches
and composing scripts of running commentaries and questions for
F
interviews.
A
y identify and understand common collocations in English.
y get a better understanding of the expressions for giving instructions
R
and making suggestions.
y learn to use ‘as … as’ and related structures effectively.
D
TITULAR PICTURE
¾ Direct the learners to look at the picture.

¾ Ask some simple and meaningful questions.
¾ Elicit responses from the learners.
¾ Introduce the quote of Thomas Alva Edison and generate a discussion on
hard work, confidence, innate talents and team spirit.
¾ Give necessary information that leads the learners to the Doorway of the
text.
THE DOORWAY
¾ The teacher asks the learners to read the news report.

¾ Engage students through a discussion about achievement in sports and
the importance of team work leading it to the picture given in the text.
¾ Ask the learners about a few recent sports events about which they have
heard or read.
102 7 ENGLISH
¾ Questions like the following can be put to them:
y What do you see in this picture?
y Who are the people in the picture?
y Can you describe their expressions? Why do they look happy?
¾ A brief discussion can be conducted on the important factors in winning
a match.
¾ Talk briefly about the role of factors like leadership, collaboration,
confidence and sportsman spirit in winning a match.
¾ Connect the discussion with the intro of the lesson.
T
F
¾ Let them read the text in groups of five or six (multi-level/heterogeneous
A
groups).
¾ Let the learners share their ideas.
R
¾ The teacher initiates ‘lesson mapping’ using questions like the following.
D
? What is the passage about?
? What are the locations?
their meanings from the context.

TEACHER TEXT 103

¾ Incorporate the scaffolding questions during the discussion.
¾ Sum up the ideas that evolve in the discussion.
¾ Read the passage aloud with proper rhythm, stress and intonation and
with thoughtful pauses that may help easy comprehension. An audio text
can be used for the purpose, if available.
Divide the lesson into six parts without losing the spirit, linkage and feel of
the story. The following division is suggested.
Part 1 The score stood………. lost the match.

Part 2 On his way………. when he had finished.
T
Part 3 Puzzled, Ranji………. awe and delight.
F
Part 4 The magic bat seemed………. was lost.
Next day………. confidence back!”
A
Part 5
Part 6 “What’s confidence?” ………. six for Mr. Kumar.
R
Ask six learners to read these parts in sequence loudly.
D
Scaffold the process gently, if required.
the activities done, linking to the home assignments or tasks, if any.
NOTE
Ensure that the learners understand the basic rules and terminology of cricket,
such as wickets, runs, boundaries, overs and fielding positions. This will help
them follow the narrative and appreciate the cricket-related aspects of the
story.
Provide background information about cricket’s popularity in India and its
significance in Indian society. This can form part of the discussions with
learners.
104 7 ENGLISH
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
¾ Narrate the significance of the author giving the details about his
period of life, works, social/contemporary relevance, etc. Not all these
information need be shared with the learners. However, if any of the
information comes up for discussion, the teacher may pass on the
information.
¾ Lead the children to the ‘About the author’ part in the text book and ask
them to collect information from different sources.
T
Activity 1
F
This activity helps the learners to understand their unique qualities and
A
¾
make them confident and motivated.
R
¾ Ask the learners to think about their strengths, talents and qualities that
make them unique. Questions like the following can be asked:
D
• What are you really good at? It could be drawing, helping others or
solving puzzles.
• Do you think you’re a good listener or a good friend? How does that
make you feel?
• Are there things you do easily that others find challenging?
• Is there a subject in school that you are excited to learn? ]
• Think about a time when you made someone smile. What did you do
to make someone smile?
¾ Provide a list of qualities such as creativity, empathy, resilience, leadership,

curiosity, sense of humour, bravery, etc.
¾ Ask the learners to write down some qualities that they posses.
¾ Emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer, as everyone is a unique
combination of qualities.
TEACHER TEXT 105

Activity 2
CRISP COMMENTS
¾ This activity aims to make the learners compose short, clear and concise
comments in English to express their thoughts effectively on various
occasions in public or social media platforms and online forums.
¾ Ask learners to read the crisp comments given in the text.
¾ Let the learners write some crisp comments to congratulate Ranji on his
wonderful performance.
¾ Activity (2.b) can be introduced in a creative way.
T
• The teacher introduces the activity, explaining that they will celebrate
one of the learners’ success by writing congratulatory comments.
F
• Learners are organized into pairs for the activity.
A
• A picture of the distinguished learner is shown, accompanied by a
brief explanation of his/ her achievements.
R
• Learners discuss with their partners about what they want to say to
congratulate their peer.
D
• Each pair prepares a short and crisp message on paper or sticky notes.
• The learners take turns reading their messages aloud.
• The learners stick their compliments on pieces of paper around the
picture.
• Assess the clarity and conciseness of learners’ comments.

• The teacher reads out a few comments and emphasises the importance
of meaningful compliments.
106 7 ENGLISH
¾ Some expressions to congratulate people
“Congratulations!” “Keep up the fantastic work!

“Bravo!” “You did it!”
“Amazing job!” “Congratulations on winning the
“Kudos to you!” drama contest!”
“Well done! You were amazing!”
“Cheers!”
“So proud of your big win!”
“Fantastic news!”
“You rocked the stage! Congrats!”
“Great work!”
“Bravo! Incredible performance!”
T
“Impressive!”
Well, done!”
F
“Remarkable accomplishment!”
“Great job!”
“Well deserved!”
“Fantastic!”
A
“You’re an inspiration!”
“Amazing work!”
R
“Exceptional performance!” “Outstanding performance!”
“You’ve outdone yourself!” “Impressive!”
D
“A standing ovation for you!” “Superb!”
“You’ve made us proud!” “Excellent job!”
“Spectacular job!” “You nailed it!”
Activity 3
CHARACTER SKETCH
¾ Ask the learners to read the sentences taken from the story.
¾ The learners may revisit the story and identify the traits of Ranji’s
personality and character - how he looks like, talks and acts and what
makes him special.
¾ The teacher may scaffold the learners by asking simple questions about
Ranji.
TEACHER TEXT 107

• Highlight Ranji’s determination, resilience and the pressure he feels as
the last batsman in the team.
• Emphasize details such as Ranji’s presence at the cricket field and his
interaction with Mr. Kumar at the sports shop.
• Discuss Ranji’s initial disappointment, his perseverance and his
reliance on the “lucky bat” for his success.
• Highlight Ranji’s realization about the true source of his success and
his newfound confidence.
¾ Ask learners to write a character sketch of Ranji using the hints given in
the text.
The class may be divided into multi-level groups.
T
¾
¾ Let the learners share their products in the multi-level groups
F
A
R
¾ Teacher version may be given, if required.
¾ Ask learners to prepare the character sketch of Mr. Kumar using the hints
D
given in the text.
¾ Let the learners complete it individually.
¾ Go for random presentation.
Activity 4
🤵🏻
SAMPLE CHARACTER SKETCH
Ranji loves playing cricket and works hard to improve

his performance. He dreams of becoming a great player.
Ranji is friendly person and also likes making friends.
.........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................
108 7 ENGLISH
FELICITATION SPEECH
¾ A felicitation speech is given to honour or congratulate someone for their
achievements or contributions.
¾ Talk about the purpose of a felicitation speech, which is to express
appreciation, admiration and congratulations to the individual or group
being honoured.
¾ Emphasize the importance of sincerity, respect and positive attitude in
delivering a felicitation speech.
¾ Divide learners into groups.
¾ Ask them to prepare a felicitation speech to congratulate Ranji.
T
¾ The teacher can provide the following outline for a better understanding.
A F
a friendly greeting to begin with
R
context of the speech
D achievements and distinctions gained
conclusion
¾ The teacher’s scaffolding is needed.

¾ Groups can present their products.
¾ The teacher can edit the group product.
¾ Teacher’s version may be given, if required.
¾ The teacher can provide another opportunity to congratulate a learner
in the class and ask two or three learners to present a felicitation speech.
TEACHER TEXT 109

SAMPLE FELICITATION SPEECH
Good morning,
Respected teachers and dear friends,
It is with immense pride and joy that we have gathered here
today to celebrate Ranji’s amazing achievement in cricket. He
scored 75 runs in a game and it’s made us all very proud!
Ranji showed us the value of hard work. Even when things
got tough, he kept trying his best……………………………………. .…
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Activity 5
FT
A
Commentary
R
¾ Most students are familiar with running commentaries of sports and
games. This form of writing offers them a chance to enhance their English
D
language skills by practising and refining their abilities.
¾ Ask learners to read the commentary given in the text.
¾ The teacher can bring audio clips of running commentaries and ask
learners to listen to them.
¾ The teacher may replay the audio clip for a better understanding.
¾ Tell learners to listen to and write down the verbs they hear in the
commentary.
¾ Ask learners to compare the list of verbs with their partner’s.
¾ Explain that the present continuous is used for actions happening now,
but in sports commentaries we often use the present simple – it’s for
speed and it makes things feel immediate, like they are happening now.
The words ‘present continuous’ and ‘simple present’ need not necessarily
be used as it might complicate things. Instead the learners’ understanding
can simply be strengthened by giving examples
110 7 ENGLISH
Model Commentaries
France has the ball at the

middle of the field. Pogba
passes to Mbappe, who
starts sprinting towards the
Croatian defenders. He’s really
quick today. Mbappe goes Modric makes
past the defenders effortlessly. an unbelievable pass to
He lobs the ball from the Manzukic, who meets it with
flanks. And, goal! Giroud a thunderous header. But
T
heads it neatly into the goal. the goalkeeper makes an
It’s 1-0 to France! absolutely amazing save.
F
Corner to Croatia. Perisic
goes up to take the corner
A
kick. Perisic crosses... and
it looks like a goal! No!
R
Varane makes a ferocious
tackle and France
survives.”
D
“Welcome back to the stadium, folks!
We’re witnessing an intense match between India and
Australia. The bowler approaches the crease, bowls a quick
swinging delivery and it’s a solid defensive shot from the batsman.
The fielders are on their toes, ready for any opportunity. The
bowler takes a few steps back, charges in again and this time it’s
a powerful drive down the ground! The fielder dives but misses
and it’s four runs for India! The crowd erupts with excitement as
the batsmen exchange a quick word. The bowler adjusts his field,
ready to strike back. And here comes the next delivery... Oh, it’s
a bouncer! The batsman ducks just in time. What a thrilling
contest we have here today!”
TEACHER TEXT 111

¾ Discuss the feelings, tone and speed of delivering commentaries.
¾ Let the learners sit in groups and complete the commentary given in the
text.
In the sentence “We are live at the bustling cricket ground,” “live” is an adjective.
It describes the state or condition of “we” being at the bustling cricket ground.
It modifies the subject “we”. As an adjective, “live” is typically pronounced
as: /laiv/ (rhymes with “dive”).
¾ Group presentation and editing is needed.
¾ The teacher can create various scenarios to enhance the speaking skills of
learners through live commentaries.
T
Activity 6
F
INTERVIEW
A
¾ This activity help learners to practise framing questions, expressing
R
themselves clearly and engaging in conversation as they conduct the
interview.
D
¾ Divide the class into groups with each group assigned a local sports
personality to interview.
¾ Encourage learners to take turns, playing the roles of interviewer and
interviewee, asking and answering the questions they formulated.
¾ Facilitate role-play activities where learners act out their interviews in
front of the class.
¾ Provide feedback and guidance on language use, pronunciation and
fluency, emphasizing the importance of clear communication.
¾ The learners can select ten questions from among the questions prepared
by the groups.
¾ The teacher can collect the questions for the inteview by the learners and
display them and edit them for the whole class.
112 7 ENGLISH
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
? Who is your favourite athlete or sports role model?
? What is the most exciting match or game you’ve ever played?
? How often do you practise or train for your sport?
Activity 7
INSTRUCTIONS
¾ Highlight the significance of clear and concise communication in

instructions.
T
¾ Engage students in activities where they follow instructions. This could
F
include describing the steps to play a game, cooking or baking recipes,
completing a craft project etc.
A
¾ Provide instructions for these activities and encourage students to work
R
independently or in groups to follow them. For example, ask students to
give some instructions to follow in a library.
D
y Don’t talk loudly
y Keep your library card with you
y Read books silently
¾ Let the learners complete the activity given in the text individually.
¾ Let the learners make random presentations.
Some common instructions using ‘avoid’, ‘remember’, ‘check’, ‘ensure’,

‘listen’ and ‘follow’.
y Avoid burning plastics.

avoid y Avoid playing with sharp objects.
y Avoid skipping breakfast.
y Remember to wash your hands before eating.

remember y Remember to turn off the lights when leaving a room.
y Remember to brush your teeth before bed.
TEACHER TEXT 113

y Check your answers before submitting your test paper.
check y Check the expiry date before consuming packaged food.
y Check your spelling when writing new words.
y Ensure you attend all your classes regularly.
ensure y Ensure you manage your time wisely.
y Ensure you take your food in time.
y Listen to your friends when they talk to you.
listen y Listen to your coach during sports practice.
y Listen to the wisdom shared by grandparents.
y Follow the guidelines provided by your teacher.
follow y Follow the recipe to make your favourite dish.
T
y Follow the steps to assemble a puzzle.
F
Activity 7d
A
Before the day of the match
y Check the schedule.
R
y Go through the regulations.
D
On the day of the match
y Bring sports equipment.
y Wear your team uniform.
Activity 8
COLLOCATIONS
¾ Offer plenty of examples of collocations relevant to the learner’s level and

interests.
¾ Encourage learners to identify collocations in the examples provided.
y Have a cup of tea/coffee: Instead of simply saying “drink tea/coffee,”
using the collocation “have a cup of tea/coffee” is more common in
everyday conversation.
y Get stuck in traffic: This collocation is used to describe being in a
situation where vehicles cannot move or are moving very slowly due
to congestion on the roads.
114 7 ENGLISH
y Met with an accident: This collocation is used to describe being
involved in or experiencing an accident. “I met with an accident on
my way to work” is a common way to express this.
y Extend gratitude: Instead of saying “show gratitude,” we often use
the collocation “extend gratitude” to express thanks or appreciation
towards someone.
y Take a shower/bath: Using the collocation “take a shower/bath” is
more common than simply saying “have a shower/bath.” For example,
“I usually take a shower in the morning.”
y Pay attention: This collocation is used to indicate focusing one’s mind
or senses on something. For example, “Please pay attention during
T
the lecture.”
F
y Catch a cold: This collocation is used to describe becoming ill with the
common cold virus. “I think I’m starting to catch a cold” is a common
A
expression.
R
y Take a break: Instead of saying “have a break,” using the collocation
“take a break” is more common. “Let’s take a break and have some
D
snacks.”
y Give a hand: Instead of saying “help,” using the collocation “give a
hand” is more informal and friendly. “Can you give me a hand with
these groceries?”
¾ Integrating these collocations into classroom activities such as role-
plays, discussions, or writing exercises can help learners become more
comfortable using them in everyday situations.
¾ Encourage learners to practise using these collocations in various contexts
to reinforce their understanding and fluency.
¾ Learners should identify the correct combination that can be used with
‘take’
take a seat, take a look, take a risk, take a chance.

¾ Ask learners to complete the activity 7a, b individually or in pairs.
TEACHER TEXT 115

Get Keep Come Go
permission score close on vacation
ready safe to an end shopping
married control to an agreement abroad
a job calm late crazy
home in touch on time missing
vaccinated a secret to life for a nap
Activity 9
T
As……as / Not as…as
F
¾ Begin by explaining the basic idea of comparing things in English using
‘as...as’ and ‘not as...as’.
A
¾ Offer a variety of examples to demonstrate the structures in context.
R
y She is as smart as her sister.
y He is not as tall as his brother.
D
y This car is as expensive as yours.
y The weather here is not as cold as in Canada.
¾ Let the learners interact using the expression as…as and not as…as.
¾ Let the learners attempt the activity individually.
1. Delhi is as crowded as Mumbai.
2. A flower garden is as refreshing as a cool breeze.
3. Cake is as delicious as chocolate.
4. This puzzle is as tricky as my Maths homework.
Not as.. as
1. A car is not as fast as an aeroplane.
2. A chat is not as formal as a public speech.
3. Autumn is not as cold as winter.
4. The moon is not as bright as the sun.
116 7 ENGLISH
Activity 10
y “Why don’t we...?” y Why not...?

y How about...? y How would you feel about...?
y Let’s...? y We might consider...
y Shall we...? y What if we...?
y What about...? y Have you thought about...?
y Do you want to...? y Let’s consider...
y You could...? y I suggest that we...
y I suggest...? y Why not...?
SUGGESTIONS
FT
A
¾ The teacher can provide examples of everyday situations where suggestions
are commonly used, such as making plans with friends or offering advice.
R
¾ Ask learners to read the conversation given in the textbook.
¾ Let the learners identify the expressions for suggestions given in the
D
textbook.
¾ Ask learners to give more suggestions on making the school eco-friendly
using the expressions given in the text.
Common expressions to make suggestions

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
? Shall we install solar panels to save energy?
? Let’s plant trees around the school.
? Why not bring reusable lunchboxes to school?
¾ Divide the learners into pairs or small groups and have them take turns
making suggestions to each other.
¾ Provide different situations, such as planning a weekend outing, choosing
a restaurant, or deciding on a group project topic etc.
¾ Let them enact the situations in the classroom.
TEACHER TEXT 117

POEM
DOORS OF DARING
Learning Objectives
The learners are expected to :
¾ listen, read and understand the poem.
¾ learn famous quotes related to bravery and courage.
¾ understand the rhythm and the language of the poem.
T
¾ identify the rhyming words, rhyming scheme, alliteration and the visual
F
images of the poem.
A
ABOUT THE POEM
R
The poem “Doors of Daring” by Henry Van Dyke Jr. conveys the idea
D
of overcoming obstacles and embracing challenges. It uses symbols of
mountains and the sea to represent fear and uncertainty, and triumph.
Structurally, the poem consists of three stanzas, each focusing on a
different aspect of the theme. The first stanza describes mountains as
“walls” that invite scaling, symbolizing the need to confront challenges.
The second stanza shifts to the sea, representing the vastness of the
unknown and urging exploration. The final stanza emphasizes that
obstacles are opportunities for growth.
The language is simple and direct, using short lines and concrete images
to convey its message effectively. Contrasting language, like “prison”
and “set ajar,” reinforces the idea of obstacles as doorways to potential.
“Doors of Daring” is a powerful and inspiring poem that encourages
readers to embrace challenges and live life fully. It reminds us that true
living comes from facing risks.
118 7 ENGLISH
Introduction
¾ The teacher initiates a discussion on facing challenges and how to
overcome them.
¾ Elicit responses from learners.
¾ Ask learners to comment on the picture along with the poem.
¾ Encourage learners to reflect on their own experiences with taking risks
and facing challenges.
¾ Ask them to consider times when they were afraid or uncertain and how
they overcame those feelings.
¾ Reinforce the idea that facing challenges with courage and determination
can lead to personal growth and fulfilment.
T
Process
F
Ask the learners to read/recite the poem aloud.
A
¾
¾ Let the learners find out the expressions that arouse their interest.
R
D
¾ Scaffold them with a description of the theme, unfamiliar words/usages,
¾ Let the learners recite the poem in groups and make random oral reading
of it.
¾ Let them comment on the tonal/musical qualities of the poem with
reference to rhyme, alliteration etc.
¾ Let them find out the images in the poem.
¾ Let them make brief comments holistically on the poem and give a brief
appreciation about it.
TEACHER TEXT 119

Activity 2
Rhyming words and rhyming scheme
¾ Let the learners find out the uniformity of ending sound in the last word
of each line.
¾ Let them comment on the musical quality the words evoke.
¾ Let them identify the pattern of rhyming words. (vale/scale, high/sky, etc.)
¾ Familiarize the rhyme scheme as ‘abab’.
Activity 3
Alliteration
T
Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds of a word in the same
F
line of a poem.
Examples :
A
The big, brown bear bellowed loudly.
R
Silent as a shadow, the snake slithered slowly
The gleaming golden sun greeted the green grass.
D
¾ Let the learners pick out examples from the poem.
Deep, dividing / flows and foams / shore to shore / set, sail
Activity 4
Visual images
¾ Explain to learners that visual imagery is created through words and
phrases that appeal to our sight.
¾ Provide examples of visual imagery from familiar poems or prose passages.
¾ Have learners identify words and phrases in the poem that appeal to the
sense of sight.
The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.
120 7 ENGLISH
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
These lines contain visual images that paint a picture of the eagle’s surroundings
and actions.
¾ Let the learners identify the visual images in the first and second stanzas
of poem ‘Doors of Daring’
The poem paints a picture of the endless, moving sea with waves crashing onto
the shore, calling upon sailors to venture forth into exploration.
T
PRAYING HANDS
F
Learning Objectives
A
The learners are expected to :
¾ read, comprehend and analyse the story.
R
¾ familiarize themselves with a few famous paintings and painters.
¾ understand the importance of mutual respect and deference to others’
D
opinions.
¾ develop a positive attitude towards oneself and others.
¾ familiarize themselves with different talents.
¾ understand the importance of sacrifice, compassion and empathy in
human life.
This lesson helps learners to understand the story of a sacrifice behind a

famous painting.
¾ The teacher can briefly describe the life of Albrecht Durer and his famous
paintings.
¾ Let the learners read and appreciate the story.
¾ The teacher can ask simple questions to scaffold the learners.
¾ Let the learners enact the narrative.
TEACHER TEXT 121

NOTES
Albrecht Dürer was a renowned German artist, born in 1471 in

Nuremberg. He was a painter, printmaker and theorist, widely regarded
as one of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance, or the
Renaissance in Northern Europe. Dürer’s work encompassed various
mediums, including paintings, woodcuts, engravings and drawings
and he is particularly famous for his detailed and innovative prints.
His contributions to art theory and technique were significant and he
played a key role in elevating the status of the artist in society. Dürer’s
masterpieces include iconic works such as “Praying Hands,” “Knight,
T
Death and the Devil,” and “Melencolia I.” He died in 1528 but left behind a
lasting legacy that continues to influence artists and art lovers worldwide.
F
Praying Hands also known as Study of the Hands of an Apostle, is a pen-
A
and-ink drawing by Albrecht Dürer. The work is today displayed at the
Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria.
R
Activity 1
D
¾ Ask the learners to revisit the story and identify the wrong statements and
correct it.
¾ Let the learners present them randomly.
y Albert and Albrecht Durer came from a poor family and had to make
a difficult choice to pursue their dreams.
y Albert was not enthusiastic about the idea of going to the Academy
after Albrecht’s return.
y Albrecht Durer’s artistic success is partially attributed to the sacrifice
of his brother Albert Durer.
Activity 2
¾ Let the learners read the events given in the text.

¾ Ask them to sequence the events referring to the reading passage.
¾ Let the learners arrange the events in the correct order.
122 7 ENGLISH
UNIT
5 EMBRACING EMPATHY
ABOUT THE UNIT
The theme of the fifth unit is Empathy. Empathy is the essence

of human life. It is the key ingredient in human relationships.
It helps one to become kind and loving. And like any skill,
empathy can be taught and developed in children. It is the
ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is a
T
key skill for social learning, which helps learners develop
self-awareness, self – management, relationship skills and
F
responsible decision making.
The unit is intended to make the learners familiar with
A
discourses of the lessons, ‘The Yellow Umbrella’, ‘Bridge Over
Troubled Water’ and ‘A Beacon of Hope’ linked to childhood
R
experience. There are activities designed to stimulate listening
and speaking skills through contextual conversations. The
D
learners are also introduced to the writing of personal letters
and thank-you notes.
UNIT AT A GLANCE
THE YELLOW BRIDGE OVER

A BEACON OF
UMBRELLA TROUBLED WATER
HOPE
Narration of Song by Simon &
Article
real-life incident Garfunkel
TEACHER TEXT 123

UNIT FRAME
DISCOURSES /
ACTIVITIES
Theme : Empathy • Story Writing • Alliteration
T
• Letter Writing • Refrain
F
• Conversation • Giving instructions
Sub themes:
A
• Choreographing a song • Prepositions for
1. Understanding • Collecting details of indicating time
R
famous people
2. Kindness &
D
• Thank-you note
Hope
• Slogans and messages
3. Sharing & • Poster
Caring
124 7 ENGLISH
Learning Objectives

¾ read, comprehend and appreciate the prose text.
¾ understand discourses of imagination associated with childhood
experiences.
¾ familiarize themselves with the specific style of narrative writing.
¾ enhance listening and speaking skills through contextual conversations.
¾ identify and use items of vocabulary, usage and structures that are
available in the text.
¾ get an introduction to writing thank- you notes and personal letters.
T
TITULAR PICTURE
F
¾ Give the learners a few moments to observe the picture quietly.
A
¾ Engage them in a discussion about the picture.
R
The teacher may ask questions like the following :
D
1. What are the children doing in the picture?
2. Have you or your friends been in such a situation?
¾ Introduce the Walt Whitman quote and help learners to understand and
share the feelings of others.
¾ Generate a discussion and link it with The Doorway.
THE DOORWAY
¾ Let the learners look at the picture and answer the questions put to them.
¾ Elicit responses from the learners and link them with the intro of the
lesson.
¾ The teacher can ask the learners about their interest in receiving gifts.
¾ Let the learners share their experiences of receiving gifts on various
occasions in their lives.
¾ Link The Doorway with the intro of the lesson “The Yellow Umbrella”.
TEACHER TEXT 125

THE YELLOW UMBRELLA
The lesson, “The Yellow Umbrella” is originally adapted from the
short film, Umbrella. It is the first film from the directing duo Helena
Hilario and Mario Pece. The short film tells the story of Joseph, a boy who
lives in an orphanage and dreams of owning a yellow umbrella — until he
meets a little girl who awakens his memories of the past.
The widely acclaimed short film has had a successful festival run. It
has made history in Brazil by participating in 19 Oscar-qualifying film
festivals, including the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival. Umbrella is the
only Brazilian animated short film that qualified for the Oscars in 2021.
T
It all started when Hilario got a call from her sister in 2011. She told Hilario
F
about her visit to an orphanage in Palmas (in the Brazilian state of Paraná)
to deliver Christmas gifts for children. There was one boy who didn’t want
A
any of the toys she was distributing. When asked what he wanted, he said
he would love an umbrella. The last time he remembered seeing his father
R
was on a rainy day; an umbrella was the object that would bring back
D
memories of his father.
“The film makes us reflect on the importance of observing, listening and

understanding that we cannot judge people without knowing what is
behind their experience,” says Hilario. “Everyone goes through situations
that we can’t even imagine, so we must be kind to each other. That’s why
we thought of focusing this narrative around empathy and hope, which we
need more and more. We always wanted to make a film without dialogue
and use animation, music and the narrative itself to evoke deep emotions
and reflections.”

¾ Let them read the text in groups of five or six (multi-level / heterogeneous
group).
¾ The teacher initiates ‘Lesson mapping’ using questions like the following:
126 7 ENGLISH
? What are the locations?
? What are the unfamiliar words you find? Underline them.
T
F
¾ The learners may be asked to associate the picture with the paragraph, the
characters, events, etc.
A
R
¾ The teacher reads the passage aloud with proper pause, stress and
D
Divide the lesson into eight parts without losing the spirit, linkage and feel of
the story. The following division is suggested :
Part I - Para I
(We all have memories. Some …… its association with our memory)
Part II - Para II
(A yellow umbrella may.......…….. umbrella was something special)
Part III – Para III
(We learn about Joseph …......... she had whole story from him)
Part IV – Para IV
(It was not very long ……......... they were going to an orphanage)
Part V - Para V
(His father left him ............... was to grow up in the orphanage)
TEACHER TEXT 127

Part VI- Para VI
(The boy watched as his ........................ with his family someday)
Part VII- Para VII
(Hilario was impressed ........................... at several film festivals)
Part VIII- Para VIII
(Umbrella is a film that ............. understanding and responsibility)
¾ Ask learners to read these parts in sequence aloud.

¾ Wind up each class (period) only after consolidating the content/events
and the activities done, linking to the home assignments or tasks, if any.
T
F
Activity 1
A
Develop a Story
R
Developing a story is the process of taking an initial concept or idea
D
and fleshing it out and refining it into a full-fledged story. This process
often involves brainstorming, creating characters and subplots,
and writing outlines.
¾ Let the learners revisit the lesson and ask key questions in such a way that
all the events are narrated by them.
For example, the teacher can ask questions like:
? What happens in the story?

? Who is the central character?
¾ Give a chance to the learners to organize their ideas.

¾ Interact with the learners in a way that leads them to each situation given
in the activity.
¾ Ask them to develop characters and the situations given.
128 7 ENGLISH
SAMPLE
When the umbrella spoke, Joseph looked at it in surprise. The

umbrella said again “I’m ready to take you anywhere you’d like to
go.” Suddenly, he told the umbrella that he wanted to go back to that
rainy day when he and his father walked to the orphanage. Because
he loved his father deeply. He had never thought that his father had
abandoned him. “If it rains, my father will come and pick me up’” he
told the umbrella. The umbrella felt pity for the boy. The umbrella
realized that the boy could never let go of his memories. Suddenly it
rained. “Hold me tight,” said the umbrella. Joseph held the umbrella
T
tight and walked through the rain ……………………………………….………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
F
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
A
Activity 2
R
Letter Writing
D
¾ Introduce learners to the practice of writing personal letters applying
appropriate vocabulary, usage and structures and expressing thoughts
and emotions effectively.
¾ Discuss the context briefly with the learners.
¾ Pause at key points to ask comprehension questions to ensure
understanding.
¾ Discuss the thoughts and emotions Joseph expresses in the letter and ask
the learners what they feel about them.
¾ Identify keywords from the letter showing the relationship between the
writer and the addressee (e.g., love, miss, meet, memories, cherished,
bathed, carried, sewing clothes…).
¾ Encourage students to use these words in sentences related to their own
experiences.
TEACHER TEXT 129

The structure of the letter is as follows :
y Date
y Greeting (Dear...)
y Body of the letter (expressing thoughts and feelings, statements, etc.)
y Closing (With love, Yours sincerely, etc.)
y Name
SAMPLE LETTER
Mercy Home
T
XYZ Street
23rd Nov 2023
F
Dear Dad,
A
Hope you’re fine, wherever you are. It’s been a long time since
we were together. I miss you a lot, Dad. I remember that rainy
R
day when we walked under a big yellow umbrella. When are you
coming to pick me up? I wait for you every day. ………………………
D
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Love,
Yours Joseph
Activity 3
Hardships faced by child refugees

Lack of shelter, hunger, education, health and mental issues, separation from
families, isolation etc ......
Activity 4
Let the learners complete the conversation based on the text. The teacher
may scafold them, if necessary.
Activity 5a&b
Refer to the details in making a poster and slogans in Unit 1. The same processes
may be followed.
130 7 ENGLISH
POEM
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

¾ develop a habit of offering support and comfort to others during difficult
times.
¾ analyze the themes of the song and respond creatively to them.
¾ deepen their understanding of the style and narrative techniques in songs.
¾ explore the source of strength for someone going through struggles,
T
serving as a bridge to help them overcome their troubles.
¾ develop skills in literary analysis, including identifying poetic devices such
F
as figures of speech, refrain and alliteration and the imagery used in the
A
poem.
¾ critically evaluate the meaning and implications of the song, fostering
R
discussions on different interpretations and perspectives.
D
Note :
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel is a classic song that
conveys a message of support and comfort during difficult times. The
lyrics speak about being a source of strength for someone going through
struggles, serving as a bridge to help them overcome their troubles. The
song’s importance lies in its universal themes of friendship, empathy and
compassion, resonating with listeners across generations. It became an
anthem of hope and solidarity, showcasing the power of music to uplift
and inspire people during challenging moments. The metaphor of a
bridge represents the singer’s role as a source of stability and comfort,
willing to make sacrifices (“lay me down”) to help the listener navigate
through their troubles. ‘Troubled waters’ is a metaphor for difficult times.
The expression ‘silver girl’ has been found to be the expression used by the
author to address his wife with affection.
TEACHER TEXT 131

¾ Let the learners read the song silently.
¾ Ask the learners to read/recite the song aloud.
¾ Let the learners find out the expressions that arouse interest them.
¾ Make use of the scaffolding questions to explore the song.
¾ Let the learners identify the theme of the song.
¾ Scaffold them with the description of the theme, unfamiliar words/usages,
T
¾ Let the learners sing the song in groups and make individual reading
F
at random.
A
¾ Let the learners listen to the audio version of the song or singing aloud by
the teacher.
R
¾ Ask them to comment on the tonal/musical qualities of the song.
¾ Let them make brief comments holistically on the song.
D
¾ Ask the learners to revisit the song and attempt the activities 1-5.
Activity 1
Choreographing the song
Listening to a song and choreographing it.

y Let the children listen to the song, available online as a video.
y Listen to the song two or three times.
y The tune, rhythm and the significance of the song should be impressed
on their minds.
y Read the song in the text book.
y Identify the themes of the song.
y Select a few actions that will bring out the themes.
y Work out the details of the actions.
132 7 ENGLISH
The teacher may ask questions like the following:

? What are they doing?
? Where is the location?
? What are the events to be incorporated?
? …………………………………………… ?
Process of the choreography of the song.

¾ Let the learners make their first attempt to write the script
T
¾ Refine the script through collaboration among peer groups.
¾ Let there be a group discussion for refinement.
F
¾ The script can be collectively finalized.
A
¾ The song can then be presented.
R
Activity 2
D
Note: “Feel good words” and “feel bad words” in a song can refer to the
emotional impact certain lyrics have on listeners.
Feel good words are those that evoke positive emotions such as joy,
happiness, love and hope. They can include phrases like “sunshine,”
“smile,” “love,” “dream,” “laughter,” “peace,” and “freedom.” These words
often contribute to creating an uplifting and optimistic atmosphere in a
song, leaving listeners feeling happy or inspired.
Feel bad words, on the other hand, are those that evoke negative emotions
such as sadness, anger, pain, or despair. They can include phrases like “tears,”
“loneliness,” “heartache,” “pain,” “loss,” “darkness,” and “regret.” These
words may convey a sense of melancholy, frustration, or disillusionment
and can evoke empathy or a sense of shared struggle in listeners.
In a song, the balance between feel good and feel bad words can greatly
influence its emotional impact and the overall mood it creates. A well-
TEACHER TEXT 133

crafted song may use a mix of both to tell a compelling story or evoke a
range of emotions in the listener.
In “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel, feel good words
include:
y “Bridge” : Symbolizing support and protection
y “Sail on” : Suggesting perseverance and moving forward
y “Silver girl” : Possibly representing purity or innocence
Feel bad words include:

y “Troubled water” : representing difficulties
T
y “weary” : Suggesting fatigue or exhaustion
y “Pain” : Indicating suffering or hardship
F
y “Tears” : Signifying sadness or emotional distress
A
y “Down and out” representing a situation where one is without money,
position or opportunities
R
The song’s message is one of comfort and support during difficult
times, with the bridge symbolizing assistance and the troubled water
D
representing the difficulties or challenges one faces. Overall, while there
are elements of struggle and sadness in the lyrics, the dominating theme
is one of hope and reassurance.
Activity 3
Introduction for alliteration has been given in Unit 4.

That may be followed.
Activity 4
Introduction for refrain has been given in Unit 1.

That may be followed.
134 7 ENGLISH
Activity 5
Lead a discussion with the learners about the natural calamities and the
pandemic we faced recently.
The teacher may explain some of the troubles we faced during the pandemic
period and the floods of 2018. Here are a few instances from real life that
resonate with the themes of the song:
Natural Disasters : After natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or

earthquakes, communities often come together to provide aid and support to
the affected. This collective effort can be seen as a real-life manifestation of the
T
“bridge” described in the song, helping people overcome the troubles they face.
F
Acts of Heroism : Instances where individuals risk their own safety to rescue
others in peril reflect the sentiment of being a bridge over troubled water.
A
Whether it’s firefighters saving people from burning buildings or bystanders
helping victims during accidents, these acts of heroism exemplify the spirit of
R
selflessness and support.
D
Mental Health Support : Friends, family members and mental health
professionals often serve as bridges for individuals struggling with mental
health issues. They offer understanding, empathy and assistance in navigating
difficult emotions and experiences, providing a metaphorical bridge over
troubled waters.
Charitable Organizations : Organizations dedicated to providing aid and

assistance to vulnerable populations, such as refugees, homeless individuals,
or victims of domestic violence, embody the message of the song. They
offer essential support and resources to help people through challenging
circumstances.
Recovery and Rehabilitation : Rehabilitation programs for individuals

dealing with addiction, illness, or injury often rely on a network of support
to help individuals rebuild their lives. This support can include medical
professionals, counsellors, support groups and loved ones who serve as the
bridge guiding individuals toward recovery and stability.
TEACHER TEXT 135

Extended Reading
A BEACON OF HOPE
Learning Objectives :

¾ develop an attitude to face tough experiences of life.
¾ acquire the ability to stay strong and succeed.
¾ develop a sense of coping with challenges that help to grow.
¾ develop a spirit to create a better world where a person can face challenges
T
effectively.
F
¾ learn to support each other.
A
About the passage
This lesson consists of a passage about the experience of a woman’s
R
survival and success.
D
¾ Let the learners read and appreciate the passage.
¾ Ask them to share their experiences.
¾ A discussion can be initiated by the teacher on inspiring journeys of

people with courage and determination.
¾ References can be given about people who had a humble beginning.
¾ The learners can share their knowledge and experience about such people.
¾ The teacher may also make reference to popular books, autobiographies
and other creative works about such people in English or the mother
tongue.
136 7 ENGLISH
Questions like the following can be put to the learners:
? Have you ever heard about Usha Chaumer, a woman who gained
international recognition?
? What do you know about the caste system which lead to social
discrimination?
? What do you think are the benefits of travelling?
? Can you imagine the bitter experiences of a girl in a community of
‘untouchables’?
? How did Usha Chaumer survive her social discrimination to become a
notable personality?
If you were in her position, what would you do?
T
?
? Do you think the situation said in the passage has been changed all over
F
our country?
A
NOTE
R
Padmasree Usha Chaumer is an Indian woman who gained international
recognition for her remarkable journey from being a manual scavenger to
D
becoming an advocate for women’s rights and sanitation workers’ rights. Born
into a Dalit caste, historically marginalized in Indian society, Usha was forced
into manual scavenging at a young age, a practice involving the cleaning of
human waste by hand.
Despite facing extreme discrimination and hardship, Usha managed to break

free from the cycle of poverty and oppression. She received education and
vocational training through the efforts of social activists and eventually became
a prominent voice against manual scavenging, advocating for the rights and
dignity of sanitation workers, particularly women.
Usha’s inspiring story highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the
importance of fighting against social injustice. She has received numerous
awards and accolades for her activism, including being honoured with the
Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards, in 2020. Usha continues
to work tirelessly to eradicate manual scavenging and improve the lives of
marginalized communities in India.
TEACHER TEXT 137

Activity 1
¾ Let the learners form peer groups and conduct a discussion.

¾ Let them refer to biographies/autobiographies of people like Usha
Chaumer.
¾ Let them fill up the columns individually.
Activity 2
¾ Let the learners read the sentences in the bubble in their peer group.
T
¾ The teacher may scaffold their activity.
¾ Let them write some sentences about the experiences of some other
F
tools also.
A
¾ Let the learners do the activity in groups.
R
Activity 3
D
¾ Let the learners find out as many expressions as they can about the various
times of the day. The teacher may scaffold them.
¾ The teacher can ask the learners to use these expressions in sentences of
their own. The learners can work in groups.
¾ The learners can strengthen their awareness about the times of the day by
using AM and PM in appropriate sentences.
¾ If time permits, the teacher can tell them about the large variations in the
length of the day and the night according to seasons in countries in the
temperate and frigid zones. A reference to S. K. Pottekkatt’s travelogue
in Malayalam Pathira Sooryante Naattil in which the author describes
about the sun setting only at 12 a.m. (midnight to people in India) during
summer in Norway. In the polar regions it is virtually six months day and
six months night. The learners can be shown clips from the films “Nanook
of the north” (1922. Black and white), “Fast Runner” (2001).
138 7 ENGLISH
Activity 4
Discussion on community helpers.
? Who are they?
? What do they do?
¾ Let the learners make a list of community helpers they know, stating the
work they do.
¾ Let the learners do this activity individually.
¾ The teacher can scaffold the learners by giving as much information as
T
possible.
F
Activity 5
A
Discussion on the thank - you note - its content, features, etc. given
R
in the Text Book.
D
¾ Discuss the various ways of showing our appreciation and gratitude to
hard working farmers.
¾ Let the learners refer to the thank you note given in the TB.
¾ Ask the learners to select any one of their favourite community helpers.
¾ Ask them to prepare a thank - you note.
¾ Let them share it with peers.
¾ The learners can then sit in groups and peer-evaluate the work done by
the members.
¾ The teacher can scaffold the process.
¾ If time permits, the learners can be asked to write one or two thank-you
note more.
TEACHER TEXT 139

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kerala reader

State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Kerala

Name of the unit Name of the lesson Month Term

ABOUT THE UNIT

The learning materials serve to develop the learners’

A ROBOT AND IN WONDER GLIMPSES OF

The learners are expected to

• develop a sense of wonder and curiosity at what they see as marvels –

 Ask the learners about the persons in the picture.

ROBOTS : A WONDER OF THE TIME

? What was the weather like in the morning?

? How did the sunlight shine into Ricky’s room?

? How do you think Ricky’s room looked in the morning sunlight?

? How do you feel when your room is messy?

? How did Ricky feel when he saw his room clean?

? What caused Ricky’s bedroom to be in a disastrous state before he went to

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This activity can be done as an individual task.

¾ The learners are expected to write the differences in Ricky’s behaviour at

Ricky : Hey Robin, you won’t believe what happened!

Robin : Wow ! A robot? What does it do?

Ricky : It does everything! It cooks, cleans, irons, and picks up

Robin : Wow! Does it ever do anything unexpected?

¾ Let the learners interact with the conversation.

Elicit responses from the learners.

¾ They can think of occasions from their own lives.

The learners may be scaffolded by giving examples for different kinds of

These are more relaxed requests that might be used with

These requests suggest something without directly asking

These requests are based on a condition being met.

These leave the response or action open without specifying

Requests for These requests ask for specific information or clarification.

The learners may be scaffolded by giving translations in the first language.

While designing the poster on misuse of electronic gadgets, the salient

AND IN WONDER AND AMAZEMENT I SING

GLIMPSES OF THE EMIRATES

¾ Let the learners read the passage.

? Have you ever travelled abroad or to other states?

? Do you like to travel? Why?

? What do you think are the benefits of travelling?

? Can you remember any one incident during a travel?

The teacher should scaffold the learning process by offering interesting

ABOUT THE UNIT

The learners are expected to

¾ Give the learners a few moments to observe the picture quietly.

The teacher may ask the following questions too.

¾ Introduce Albert Einstein’s quote and help them understand the

1. How did you take care of your favourite doll/ toy?

3. Did you talk with your doll/toy as if it were a human?

4. Did you imagine that they had a special personality?

? What is the paragraph about?

Part I - Para 1 It was a Saturday afternoon …… at the park in the evening.

Part IV - Para 4 There were no letters …… able to see her again.

SAMPLE DIARY ENTRY

MY DIARY writes about her amazing

¾ Introduce learners to the practice of writing personal letters applying

The structure of the letter is as follows.

Use of “should,” “could,” and “would”