1 Goal Setting

blackboard, pictures, charts

)) The lesson focuses on setting goals and methods of achieving them.

)) The author talks of the need to set goals and gives step-by-step instructions on how to set goals.
)) He mentions the factors that influence one’s choice of career goals.
)) He illustrates his arguments with personal and other examples of great personalities.
)) The lesson is a great guide to young people on how to choose a career.

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to
)) set goals
)) learn the methods of achieving them
)) know the factors that influence one’s choice of
career goals
)) learn homonyms, prepositions, phrases and clauses
)) enhance vocabulary with new words
)) practice creative and script writing
)) have a basic understanding of poetic devices such as
repetition and alliteration
)) develop silent reading
Through the course of the lesson, students will be
able to
)) answer simple questions by listening to a passage
)) speak short sentences about a topic
)) read and understand facts and events
)) write a coherent paragraph based on information
)) frame sentences using subject and predicate and use
them in proper contexts
)) understand the importance of setting well-considered
goals and the need to pursue them with passion

Warm up ** Writes these three questions on the blackboard

Introduction or project them on the screen to start a group
** Discussion in groups
00:20 discussion:
• Name a few people you admire for their
** Large group activity
achievements.

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** Digital warm up • What are the qualities that these people have that
helped them achieve their goals?
• Is it always easy to achieve one’s goals?
Suggested motivational activities ** Give students the 3-step guide from Dr. Abdul Kalam for
achieving goals. Ask the students to make a poster and
put these up on the wall/notice board in the class.
The three steps:
• Finding an aim in life before you are twenty years old.
• Acquiring knowledge continuously to reach this goal.
• Working hard and persevering so that you can defeat
all the problems and succeed.
** Watch Set Smart Goals Videos on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbmAH4mBPA (video: How to set SMART Goals)

Students could be assessed just by observation. You could make a note of students
** who volunteer for the group discussion
** interested in group activity
** who prefer digital aids

This would help in understanding the students’ interests.

Guided reading Read paragraphs 1 to 8.

00:60 Facilitate the students in reading, finding out the meaning

Individual activity of unfamiliar words, identifying the main ideas and
supporting points.

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 Mind Mapping Model mind map given. Please make this with the five
steps. Add two more boxes for students’ inputs.

Presentation Facilitate the process.

One from each group presents the mind map and the
other groups fill in the missing details.

Consolidation Consolidate the mind map with complete details from the
lesson and guide the students to summarise the content
in any one of the following methods—tabulation, notes,
sequencing.

Elicit the key points and supporting sentences by asking probing questions such as:
** Which story is the author talking about? Have you read the book?
** What should you decide on before you choose the road?
** What was the author’s deep-rooted desire?
** What did his teammate think about it?
** What was Sachin Tendulkar’s deep-rooted desire? Did he achieve it?
You may use your own assessment tools to check understanding.

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Paragraphs 9 to 14

Introduction Elicit knowledge of the previous passage with questions

Picture/List warm up based on the section.
Large group activity

Suggested motivational activities Stories of winners from India in the Commonwealth

Games, 2018; Stories of people who have worked to save
the environment.

Reading Facilitate the students to:

** take turns to read
** underline new words
** find out meanings from the dictionary
** list key words and supporting details

Mind mapping Derive answers for the following concepts:

** What are the qualities needed to achieve your goal?
** What are the factors that influence your decision?
** Finally, what helps you to reach your goal?

Model mind map Branch 1: What you need [1] write down attitude [2] write
down complete detail [3] keep high goal
Branch 2: What will influence you [1] educational
background [2] parental influence [3] environment you are
in [4] personal aspirations [5] peer pressure
Branch 3: What you should remember [1] do you have a
proper career orientation [2] does it suit your personality
[3] are you choosing a career that you are sure to enjoy

Presentation Facilitate the process. One from each group presents the
mind map and the other groups fill in the missing details.

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Consolidation Consolidate the mind map with complete details
from the lesson and guide the students to summarise
the content in any one of the following methods—
tabulation, notes, sequencing.

Assess the students’ understanding with the in-text questions.

Note: You can use your own tools to test understanding. A few are given below:
** Fill in the blanks.
** Choose the correct answer.
** Answer in one word.
** Arrange in a meaningful order.
** True/False.
** Yes/No questions.

Vocabulary

Introduction Guide students to find some words related to goal-

setting in the lesson.

Suggested activities 00:20 Elicitation of new words—Guide students to find the

meanings of a few words along with their synonyms
and antonyms.

Guided practice (small group activity)
Students complete the exercises in the textbook.
Guide them to rearrange jumbled words and frame
meaningful sentences.
Example: has this got the in international all guy cricket
records
Answer: This guy has got all the records in international
cricket.

Students’ experience Frame sentences with words related to the topic.

Presentation One from each group reads out the sentence.

5
Homonyms & Homophones Homonyms are words that can be used in more than
Introduction one way.

Suggested activity
00:20 Use flash cards with these words—play, book, bag, can.
Elicit from students the two ways of using the words.
Example:
We play football in the evenings.
The play we watched yesterday was very funny.

Practice Homophones are words that sound the same but have
different spellings and meanings.
Individual activity ** Ask students to frame sentences with book, bag,
and can to bring out their different meanings.
** Do a similar activity with homophones.
** Get students to pronounce the similar sounding
words such as know—no, in—inn to show the
similarity in the sound.
** Emphasize the importance of choosing the correct
word to avoid contextual errors. Example: Please
wait for .......................... [your/you’re/you are] turn
to speak .

You can use your own tools for assessing the students. You can also make use of the suggested activities given here.
Guide the students to complete the exercises in the textbook.

Listening ** Read the listening text given.

Introduction ** The audio is then played.
00:20 ** The text is read again for clearer understanding.
** Students complete the activity given in the book.

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Speaking

Introduction 00:25 Facilitate students to discuss their topic in groups.

Students’ experience Encourage them to speak a few lines on their topic.

Suggested activity
Before they speak, write these instructions on the
board:
** Start with a greeting.
** Speak at a moderate speed.
** Form the sentences in your mind clearly before
speaking them out.
** Keep looking at the audience.
** Learn to raise and lower your voice while speaking.
** Smile as you speak.
** End with a ‘thank you ’.

Have practice drills before they speak at the assembly.

Writing

Introduction Discuss the format of an informal letter.

00:25
Guided writing Write a model format on the blackboard.
Gives examples of how to begin. ‘Read in the
papers your team has won the local tournament.
Congratulations!’

Creative writing Prompt the students to pool information about their

favourite sportsperson.

Students’ experience Encourage them to follow the points in the textbook to

write the profiles.

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Suggested activity Explain the following:
** the introductory sentence, giving examples: (I met
him/her, I heard about him/her) in the beginning.
** Adding supporting ideas—where you met, heard of,
what is it that you like about the person.
** A small anecdote/story about the person that
shows how this person is different from others.
** Summing up: How did this person’s life make a
change in your life?

Profile writing can be done in class and creative writing can be given as homework.

Reading

Introduction Read the passage once, stressing on words and

00:10 sentences. Emphasize the importance of proper word
clusters.
Example: Tamil Nadu / is deeply rooted / in the
tradition of / folks and crafts.

Students’ experience Gives students practice in reading by making them

read the passage several times. Correct pronunciation
mistakes. Give them time to do the anagrams.

Suggested activity Bring newspapers and read the headlines.

Grammar—preposition

Warm up Write sentences with prepositions on the blackboard

01:30 or hang a prepared roll-up board. Ask the students to
underline the prepositions.

** Use picto grammar to introduce the concept.

Understanding
** Elicit suitable sentences about the pictures.
Picto grammar

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Guided practice Explain prepositional phrases with examples.
Blackboard activity Example: in the middle of, at the back of, in the street.
[A prepositional phrase is a phrase that has the object
of the preposition.]

Student experience Students underline the prepositional phrases in the

sentences given.
Small group activity

Use the information in the text to explain for/since,

during/in, among/between; explain how some verbs
are followed by certain prepositions.

Writing Distribute copies of a preposition quiz that has fill-

in-the-blank/form-sentences-with the prepositional
phrase exercises. Students complete the exercises
in the textbook after discussion and confirmation of
answers.

Grammar—clauses ** Materials needed: Strips of paper carrying a

Activity sentence each.
** These sentences are related.
** Distribute these in class.
01:30 ** Students call out to match them.
Example: Kris wanted to captain the cricket team. His
friends laughed at him.
Kris wanted to captain the cricket team and his friends
laughed at him.

** Show how a single sentence can be a combination

Guided practice of two sentences.
** Sometimes these are two independent sentences
(independent clauses).
** Example: The villagers came to the city and they
met the minister.
** Sometimes a sentence can have one independent
clause and one or more dependent clauses.

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 Example: The match was stopped when it began to rain
heavily.
** Explain how the second part of the sentence
cannot stand by itself and is dependent on the
main clause.
Using the examples given in the textbook, explain the
types of clauses.

Suggested activity Write the questions asked to identify each clause.

Example: Noun – what, Adjective—What kind of / how
many, Adverb—when/where/why/

Writing With the examples given in the textbook, discuss the

answers to questions in the exercise. Students write
the answers.

The exercises in the textbook can be used to assess the students. You can also use your own tools of assessment.

Divide the blackboard into two columns. Write a few

Grammar—phrases phrases in one and convert the same into clauses in the
other. Show how phrases differ from clauses.
Examples:
** the long journey: They went on a long journey.
00:45 ** the old books: The shop sold many old books.

Guided practice Using the definitions and examples given in the

textbook, explain the types of phrases—verb, noun,
preposition.

Suggested activity Pick phrases and clauses from the lesson to show their
differences and usage.

Writing Discuss answers for questions given in the textbook.

Students complete the exercises in the textbook.

10
Writing
Introduction Remind students of the format for informal letter writing.

00:10 Guide students to find adjectives to describe the village fair.

Guided writing Example: visit, taste street food, buy local craft items,
enjoy the merry-go-round, meet old friends, participate in
local games

Creative writing Prompt the students to pool information about the village
Introduction fair they have been to.

Students’ experience Encourage them to follow the points in the textbook to

write the letter.

Suggested activity Explain the following:

** the introductory sentence, giving examples: (I met
him/her, I heard about him/her) in the beginning.
** Adding supporting ideas—answer the 5-W, 1-H
questions for ideas.
** A small anecdote/story about what happened at the
fair. What made it unforgettable?
** Summing up: How will you make sure that the friend
will be interested in visiting the place?

Creative writing can be given as homework.

Project

Introduction
Students follow the instructions given to prepare for a
00:10 puppet show in the assembly forum.

Students’ experience Elicit answers to complete the dialogue. Students write the
answers in the space provided on pages 144 and 145.

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 Goal Setting

What you need What will influence you
• write your attitude • educational background
• write down the • parental influence
complete detail
• environment you are in
• keep goal high
• personal aspirations
• peer pressure
What you should remember
• Do you have a proper
career orientation?
• Does it suit your
personality?
• Are you choosing a career
that you are sure to enjoy?

Poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Introduction
You can ask these questions to introduce the topic:
Picture warm up
** Which places do you consider beautiful in your city?
** How do you feel looking at them?
01:30 ** In nature, what looks beautiful during the day and
during the night?
** Show the picture in the textbook and introduce the
topic.

Digital warm up Click the QR code and let the students listen to the poem.

Listen to the poem recited by the poet on YouTube.

Suggested motivational activity

12
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfOxdZfo0gs (video: Robert Frost reciting the poem)

Reading ** Model reading: Read the poem and let the students
listen.
** Choral reading: Reading by the whole class.
** Eco reading: Read one line and let the students repeat
it.
** Read one line and the students read the next.

The above process is continued throughout the poem.

Analysis and appreciation Introduce the poet with details given in the text. Share
information from 'Do you know?'

Use literary devices such as repetition, rhyme and rhythm

to enhance their appreciation of the poem.

Writing In pairs, students answer the questions given at the end of

the poem.

Suggested activity Students discuss in groups: Can ‘miles to go before I sleep’

be understood in a different way?
They share their conclusions with the class.

You may use these questions to check understanding:

** Where is the poet at this time? Who is with him?
** What do you understand by the word ‘queer’?
** What are the sounds described by the poet?
** Why has he stopped in the forest?
** What part of the year is it? How do we know? [winter—frozen lake]
** Why does she think he cannot stay longer?
** Why do you think the poet has repeated the last two lines?

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 Supplementary: The Fun They Had
Section 1

Introduction Prepare the students for the lesson using two or three
pictures on robots.
Warm up

01:30
Suggested activity Elicit answers for the places they have seen a robot.
Examples: serving food, surgery, car manufacturing,
airports, and so on.

Guided reading Section 1 is from ‘Margie even wrote…to blanked out

completely.’
Read section 1 and help the students grasp the events
completely.

Silent reading The students read silently and answer the following
questions:
** Did the story take place in the past or the future?
How do you know?
** Who are the characters in the story?
** According to Margie, what is a ‘real book’?
** What problem did she have with her mechanical
teacher?
** Why was Margie disappointed with the County
Inspector ?

Elicit answers for the following questions:

** How will you describe the teacher?
** Would you like to have a teacher who is a machine?
** Are the children enjoying the class? How do you know?
Evaluate the understanding of the students with these questions:
** Why did Margie find the book ‘awfully funny’?
** Why would Tommy not throw away his ‘book’?
** When the author says ‘he took the teacher apart’ what do you think is happening?
** What was wrong with the mechanical teacher?
** How did the County Inspector set the mechanical teacher right?

14
Section 2

Introduction Guide the students to recollect the contents of Section 1.

Warm up ** What did Margie find?
** What was ‘unusual’ about it?
** What did the children call their books?
** Describe the County Inspector.
** How did the mechanical teacher teach?
** How did it test the students?

Guided activity Section 2 is from ‘So she said to Tommy…the fun they had.’
Read the paragraphs in section 2. The students listen
carefully to follow the story to the end.

Silent reading The students read the section silently and answer the
following questions:
** Why did someone write about a school?
** Did Tommy think he knew more things than Margie?
How do you know?
** What was the biggest difference between a regular
school and the future school?
** What were the things that students in old schools did
together?

Pair activity Divide the class into two groups and facilitate oral
discussion.
Differences between:
** old and new classrooms
** regular and mechanical teachers
Is the County Inspector a man or a machine? What was his
job?

Writing Guide the students to complete the in-text exercises given

in the textbook.

Evaluate students’ understanding with questions such as:

** When was the book written?
** Can a person know as much as a robot?
** Do you think Tommy was proud of his father? How do you know?
** Why did Margie want to read the old book?
** Why did Margie attend ‘class’ in her school room at the same hour every day?
** Who is better—a live teacher or a mechanical teacher? Why?

15
 Margie and Tommy find Tommy informs her it’s Margie thinks of her
an old paperback book. about school. school of 2157 with a
mechanical teacher.

She contemplates about the She is shocked to know

school in the book while the about human teaching.
screen on mechanical
teacher flashes.

Further Reading
Norby, the Mixed-up Robot by Isaac Asimov

16
 I Can’t Climb Trees
2 Anymore
blackboard, pictures, and charts

)) The lesson focuses on the author’s memories of his childhood home.

)) The author talks of the comfort and the sense of security he felt living in the house with his grandmother.
)) He talks in particular about a jackfruit tree and the hollow in it.
)) The author touches upon the loss of youth and the compensation afforded by his visit to the house he
grew up in.
)) The lesson is a great guide to writing a dialogue between a middle-aged man and a young girl.

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to
)) read the text
)) make short notes for mind mapping
)) comprehend the text and answer the ‘while reading’
questions
)) write summary using the mind map
)) learn new vocabulary
)) develop insight into the structure of the English
language
)) develop scientific attitude about the language
)) understand the rules of English grammar through
the use of its structures
)) develop their reasoning ability
Through the course of the lesson, students will be
able to
)) answer simple questions by listening to a passage
)) speak in short sentences about a topic
)) read and understand facts and events
)) write a coherent paragraph based on information and
summarize a dialogue
)) use the degrees of comparison and know the difference
between finite and non-finite verbs

Warm up Write the following three questions on the

Introduction blackboard or project them on the screen to start a
** Discussion in groups
00:10 group discussion:
** Have you ever climbed trees? What is it about
** Large group activity
climbing trees that you enjoyed the most?
** What are your memories about your childhood

1
** Digital warm up home? (Expected answers: playing with cousins, enjoying
snacks made by grandmother, having a secret place to
hide treasures, swimming in a pond/river, and so on)
** Did you visit any place looking for something in particular,
such as a tree or a building or a hidden treasure? Did you
find it?

Ask students to answer the questions under Warm up.

Suggested motivational activities ** Print and distribute the following passage among
students and have a discussion on it.

I’d like to tell about the most memorable event that

happened in my childhood. I was 7 years old then. It was
winter time. One evening, I returned home after an ordinary
day at school. When I tried to enter the house, I realized that
the door was closed. Not funny, I thought. I rang the doorbell.
Nothing stirred in the house. The lights were off. That was
really unexpected because my grandma liked the door being
open throughout the day. Also, she didn’t leave home when
I was at school. I was scared. Then, I decided to find my
grandmother.

It took me 2 hours to go all around the village and then I got

very cold. I turned back to go home. As I neared the house,
I saw some distant lights. In a few minutes, grandma ran out
and started crying on seeing me. She wanted to know where
I had been wandering the last two hours. She wrapped
me in her shawl and took me home. I spent the next three
hours sitting in front of the fireplace drinking cocoa. Warm
memories!

** Ask students to draw their childhood home. They can be

allowed to imagine one.
** Ask students to draw three columns and fill them under
the headings people, places, things that they remember
from their childhood.

2
Reading—paragraphs 1–8 Read the story on pages 157 and 158. Facilitate the
Individual activity students in reading, finding out the meaning of unfamiliar
words, identifying the main ideas and supporting points.
Elicit the key points and supporting sentences by asking
probing questions such as:
** What had not changed about the old house? What
00:30 were the changes?
** What was the one thing that the man was happy to
see?
** What did the girl think he wanted to do?
** Why was the narrator looking at the house?
** Was the wall around the house high or low? How can
you tell?
** What memory did the stone bench bring back to the
man?

Mind mapping Ask students to form groups and write down all the
childhood memories listed by the man. This will enable
them to draw the mind map.

Presentation Facilitate this process. One from each group presents the
mind map and the other groups fill in the missing details.

Consolidation Consolidate the mind map with complete details from

the lesson and guide students to summarise the content
in any one of the following methods—tabulation, notes,
sequencing.

Summary Students should write the summary in their own words.

Use your own assessment tools to check the understanding of students.

3
Reading—paragraphs 9–14

Introduction Elicit knowledge of the previous passage with the

following questions:
Picture/List warm up ** Where did the man visit?
Large group activity ** Whom did he meet there?
** Why did he visit the place?
** Was he able to enter the place? How do you know?

Suggested motivational activities ** Get students to narrate conversations they have had
with elderly relatives.
** Make a list of gallantry awards given in India.
00:30 ** Share stories of children who have won bravery awards
that are given on Republic Day.

Reading Ask students to take turns to read the rest of the story. Let
them underline new words, find out meanings from the
dictionary, list key words and supporting details.

Mind mapping Derive answers for the following:

** What are the prominent childhood memories that
people have?
** Why is visiting one’s childhood home so important?
** What do people look for when they visit the place they
grew up in?

Model mind map Branch 1: What the man saw [1] the granite building, new
outhouse, fewer trees [2] the bench [3] the jackfruit tree
Branch 2: What he remembered [1] the treasures he had
hidden [2] the sounds of childhood [3] the Iron Cross and
the story behind it
Branch 3: What he was really looking for—the youth
he had lost, but experienced through the visit and the
memories

4
Presentation Facilitate the process. One from each group presents
the mind map and the other groups fill in the missing
details.

Consolidation Consolidate the mind map with complete details

from the lesson and guide students to summarize
the content in any one of the following methods—
tabulation, notes, sequencing.

Suggested remedial measures Fill in the blanks, choose the correct answer, answer
in one word, arrange in a meaningful order, true/false,
yes/no questions.

** Assess the students’ understanding with the in-text questions.

** Prepare a set of questions that have 'yes' or 'no' as answers, for example:
• Did the man leave the Iron Cross in the tree?
• Could he climb the tree?
• Did the girl find it?

Note: Please use your own tools to test understanding.

Vocabulary

Introduction Guide students to find words in the story that are in

shortened forms, for example, I can’t and I’ve.

Suggested activities Elicit new words. Guide students to find meanings

00:20 of a few new words along with their synonyms and
antonyms.

Guided practice (small group activity)
Students must complete the exercises in the textbook.
Guide them to find the full forms of some shortened
words given in the list.
Example: I’d—I would / I had; won’t—will not; he’s—he
is / he has.

Students’ experience Ask students to frame sentences with shortened

Presentation words. These can be written on the blackboard. Correct
pronunciation of these forms should be emphasised.
One from each group reads out the sentence.

5
Poem (page 163)

Introduction ** Read the poem to the class.

Suggested activity ** Ask students to read the poem by taking turns.

Practice Elicit from students answers to the questions at the

end of the poem. Ask them to complete the exercise
Individual activity
following the poem.

Guide students to use the same poem to write it from

the point of view of a boy. For example:
Evaluation ‘When I was a young boy
We used to play
Out in the field
Of grass all day.
There were bats and balls
And stumps too …’

Speaking

Introduction Facilitate students to discuss the topic in groups.

Group activity

Students’ experience Encourage them to speak a few lines on their topic.

Suggested activity Before they speak, write these instructions on the

board:
00:15 ** Make notes of the points in the speech.
** Form the sentences in your mind clearly before
speaking.
** Keep looking at the audience.
** Learn to raise and lower your voice while speaking.
** Smile as you speak.
** End with a ‘thank you’.

Have practice drills before they speak.

6
Writing ** Ask students to take turns to interpret the pictures.
** Let them make notes on the name of the sport and
Introduction
00:15 the words describing how it is played.

Prompt: A tyre is rolled on using a stick. The winner

is the one who can keep it straight and cover the
maximum distance.

Guided writing ** Write a model format on the blackboard.

Give examples of how to begin. ‘Gillidanda (Kitti-pul)
was my favourite sport. You need a short stick (gilli)
sharpened at both ends and a longer stick (danda) to
beat it with. You hit one end of the short stick and send
it flying …’
** Write the basics of paragraph writing on the
blackboard.
• Do not begin all sentences with ‘I’. Example:
‘When the bus stopped, I got off’ not ‘I got off
the bus when it stopped’.
• The introductory sentence must be about the
topic. Example: Can we imagine a world without
trees?
• Add supporting ideas. Answer the 5 W, 1 H
questions for information.
• Add a small anecdote/story about the visit.
What happened during the visit?
• Summing up: How did the visit make a change in
your life?
• Complete with a quote: ‘A tree is a poem written
by Earth on the land and the sky.’
• See that the sentences are well connected—one
follows the previous one.

Creative writing Think and write (page 164) can be done in class and
Introduction Creative Writing can be given as homework.

** Remind the students the basics of letter writing.

** Elicit answers to questions on format.
** Write a template on the blackboard.

Students’ experience Ask students to write the letter using the points
collected for Question I. a (page 164).

Suggested activity Encourage students to draw their ancestral home. They

can imagine one.

7
Reading

Introduction
00:15 Read the headlines with correct emphasis on the words.
Read the passages once stressing on words and
sentences.

Students’ experience ** In groups, students should match the headlines with

Group activity the passages.
** Give students practise in reading by making them
read the passage several times. Correct pronunciation
mistakes. Encourage them to take turns to read the
passage. Ask them to answer in-text questions orally.
** Discuss answers to putting the paragraphs in the
proper order and complete the story.
** List the main features of poster making on the
blackboard with help from students.

Assign question O as homework.

Suggested activity ** Bring newspapers and read the headlines.

** Let students guess the content.
** Put up a poster on the blackboard and analyse
it by asking—Does it have the features given in
the textbook? What else can be added? Is the
information given clear and readable?

Make a mind map using these features.

Grammar

Warm up (Degrees of Comparison) Lead a discussion on choosing a dress. Why is one dress
chosen over the others in the lot?

Understanding
01:30 ** Use picto grammar to introduce the concept.
Picto grammar ** Elicit suitable sentences about the pictures.

8
Guided practice ** Put up a picture of an elephant on the blackboard.
Blackboard activity ** Ask students to find three words to describe it.
Example: large, tall, old, young, and so on.
** Ask them to use these in sentences to describe the
animal.
** Show the picture of the elephant next to a dog.
Encourage students to describe them in the same
sentence. Example: The elephant is larger than
the dog.

Students' experience Ask students to form sentences using adjectives.

Small group activity The three degrees of comparison are positive,
comparative, and superlative.
** Positive: When a noun is described or compared
with something with a common quality/quantity.
Example: Shimla apples are sweet. They are as sweet
as Nainital apples.
** Comparative: Two units are compared to show that
one is better or worse than the other.
Example: Kashmir apples are sweeter than Shimla
apples.
** Superlative: One is the best/worst in a group.
Example: Kashmir apples are the sweetest of all Indian
apples.

Writing ** Explain rules for forming comparative and

Group activity superlative adjectives with examples.
Example: ‘-er than’ or ‘more than’ added for
comparative degree, and ‘the’ + ‘est’ or ‘most’ added
for superlative.
(‘More’ and ‘most’ are added to adjectives that are
multi-syllabic.)

** Discuss the answers to fill the table in Question A

on page 172.
• Give a list of words (Example: close, near, many,
more, fewer, heavy) and ask students to form
sentences. (Example: My house is close to the
railway station. My friend’s house is closer.)
• Ask students to use the information given to fill
Table A after the drill.

9
 ** Similarly, oral work is done before students do pair
work to fill the blanks under Exercise B on page
173. Example: A pizza is more calorific than a plate
of salad. Fruits and vegetables are healthier than
a pizza. Which is more wholesome—a vegetable
pizza or a fruit salad?
** For Exercise C, give adjective options (popular,
attractive, eco-friendly, user-friendly, and so on)
** Exercises D and E are to be done as classwork.
** Exercises F and G are to be done as pair work in
class.
** Exercise I can be given as homework after
discussion in class.

Warm up (Non-finite verbs) Write a series of sentences on the blackboard to show

how a verb changes according to the number of the
subject and the tense of the action. Example:
** The bird sings in the morning.
** The bird sang all morning yesterday.
** Birds sing at dawn.

Guided practice Explain non-finite verbs with examples and how they
are used.
** Non-finite verbs do not change according to the
subject number of verb tense.
** Gerunds function as nouns. They are action words.
Example: Cycling daily keeps me fit.
** Infinitives (to err, to walk) function as a subject,
direct object, subject complement, adjective, and
adverb.
• To sing is her hobby, but she likes to dance.
• Their aim is to win the match.
• He praised her courage to fight.
• The tall grass bends to survive.
** Bare infinitives are used without ‘to’.
** Sensory verbs such as make/see/watch/hear are
followed by infinitives without ‘to’.

10
 • She makes me (no ‘to’) exercise.
• I watched the kittens (no ‘to’) play.
** Verbs such as ‘let’ and ‘dare’ are also followed by
plain/bare infinitives.
• I shall let you go.
** Gerunds and infinitives are interchangeable after
certain verbs.
** Present, past and perfect participles function as
adjectives.
• Present participle: The limping hiker sat to rest his
aching ankle.
• Past participle: The lost coin was never found.
• Perfect participle: Having been warned, he decided
to work hard.

Suggested activity ** Distribute quiz sheets for circling/filling with non-finite

verbs. Ask students to solve the quiz.
** Facilitate role-play of Exercise L. Groups of 4 can enact
the grammar skit.
** Prepare a list of nouns and ask students to provide
present and past participles to describe them. This
can also be done as a ‘match-the-following’ exercise.
(Example: smoking gun, learned man)

Students complete the exercises in the textbook after discussion and confirmation of answers. Exercise M can be used for
assessment.

11
 I Can’t Climb Trees Anymore

narrator going the man meeting the man’s the finding of

back to his the girl favourite the Iron Cross
old house jackfruit tree

Poem: A Poison Tree

Introduction Ask questions to introduce the topic. Example:
Warm up ** Have you been angry with your father/mother/brother/
sister/friend/relative?
** Describe the one time you were angry with someone. How
did you resolve it? [1] By apologising? [2] By asking that
person for an explanation? [3] By writing a letter?

01:30 ** Did you stop talking to someone because you were angry?
Ask students to complete the in-text warm up activity. They
can share their answers with the class.

Digital warm up The teacher clicks the QR code and students listen to the
poem.

Suggested motivational activity Give examples from our epics to show what anger can do.
Students can also be asked to narrate an incident from the
Ramayana or the Mahabharata. What did the anger result in?
Encourage students to listen to the poem recited on YouTube.

12
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCDp-Q_rv_I (video: poem recitation)

Reading ** Model reading—read the poem and ask the students

to listen.
** Choral reading—reading by the whole class.
** Eco reading—you read one line and the students
repeat it.
** You read one line and the students read the next.

Note The above process is continued throughout the poem.

Introduce the poet with details given in the text. Read
Understanding one of his other poems.
Narrate the summary of the poem.
(The title of the poem is a metaphor. It stands for the anger the
poet cultivated for his enemy in his heart. The speaker says that
when he was angry with his friend, he simply told his friend that
he was annoyed, and that put an end to his bad feeling. But
when he was angry with his enemy, he didn’t tell him about it.
So the anger grew.

In the second stanza, Blake turns to the central metaphor of his

poem—his anger. It was a tree that he ‘watered’ with fear and
resentment. He put on false smiles whenever he saw his enemy,
pretending to be friendly. This acted like sunlight helping the
tree grow. By hiding his anger, he made it worse and he wanted
revenge. The implication of this ‘poison tree’ is that anger and
hatred start to eat away at oneself—hatred always turns inward,
corrupting oneself.

In the third stanza, the poet describes an apple that sprouted

from the poison tree of anger. This ‘apple bright’ attracted the
attention of his enemy, who had been misled by the speaker’s
cunning tricks. He then sneaked into the speaker’s garden one
night and ate the apple. The next morning, the speaker found his
foe lying dead under the tree.

The poem is about the destructive nature of anger. If it is not

released, anger corrupts into a deadly force. Anger poisons
one’s own garden [thoughts/life] and brings harm to others. The
enemy was deceived into thinking that the apple was delicious
[the speaker was friendly], while it carried a deadly poison.
Repressing our anger makes us look for unpleasant ways to

13
get back at our enemies. We end up setting traps for our
enemies in order to bring them down. Bottled-up anger
never did anyone any good.)

Appreciation & Analysis Explain the literary devices in the poem.

** Alliteration: sunned it with smiles
** Metaphor: anger is a tree and apple being the
result of anger
** Antithesis: ending of wrath when revealed, turning
into revenge when it is not
** Rhyme scheme: follows the AABB scheme in every
stanza

Suggested activity Discuss the following questions in class.

** Are the two major points of the poem—repression
of anger and rejoicing in the destruction of the
enemy—acceptable? Ask if they think that the poet
began to hate himself as his hatred for his enemy
grew?

Writing Elicit answers for the in-text questions. In pairs,

students can answer the questions given at the end of
the poem.

Suggested activity Students can discuss the following question in groups—

How does the theme resemble the biblical story of
Adam and Eve and the poisoned apple?

You may use these questions to check understanding:

** What is the poem about?
** Who is the poet angry with?
** What other words does the poet use for ‘enemy’ and ‘anger’?
** ‘And I watered it in fears.’ What does ‘it’ stand for?
** What is the meaning of the word ‘sunned’?
** What does the ‘poisoned tree’ stand for?
** What does ‘stole’ mean?
** What happened to the foe in the end?

14
 Supplementary: The Envious Neighbour
Section 1 (para 1 to 5)
Introduction Prepare students for the lesson using these questions:
Warm up ** How many neighbours are there in your street?
** Are you friendly with your neighbours?
** Do you play with the children in the neighbourhood?
** What other activities can you do together? (Expected
answers: tree-planting, removing garbage, stopping
noise, wall-painting, and so on)
Suggested activity Encourage students to share their experiences. Ask groups
to draw their neighbourhood.
Guided reading Read Section 1 carefully so that students grasp the
events completely. Ask questions in between to check
comprehension. Examples:
** Did the honest man and his wife love the dog? How do
you know?
01:30 ** How did they show their affection towards their
neighbours?
** How do we know that the good man’s neighbour was
wicked?

Silent reading Ask students to read silently and answer the following
questions:
** What did the dog find for the old couple?
** Who are the main characters in the story?
** What do you understand by the words ‘covetous’ and
‘stingy’?
** Why did the dog not help the wicked couple?
** What did the good old man do when he heard that the
neighbour had killed and buried his dog?
Evaluation Evaluate the understanding of the students with these
questions:
** Summarize the story in your own words. This can be a
group activity.
** Give a heading to each paragraph.
** The dog showed the wicked neighbour only dirt and
dead meat. Do you think it was a bad dog?
** Tick or cross out at the end of these sentences:
• The old couple fed the dog fish and titbits from their
kitchen.
• The good man did not quarrel with his neighbour.
• The good man decorated the dog’s grave and
placed food over it.

15
Section 2 (para 6 to the end)

Introduction
Guide students to recollect the contents of Section 1 through
Warm up
the following questions:
• What did the dog find for the good man and for the
wicked man?
• What did the good man do with the treasure?
• Why was the wicked man angry with the dog?
• What did the wicked man do to the dog?
• Which of these words describe the wicked man—
friendly, good-natured, greedy, envious, cruel, helpful,
jealous, miserly?

Guided activity Read the paragraphs in section 2. Ask students to listen

carefully and follow the story to the end.

Silent reading Ask students to read the section silently and answer the
following questions.
• What did the dog say in Dream 1 and Dream 2?
• What happened when the good man ground rice with
his new mortar?
• Why did the wicked man burn the mortar?
• What did the good man do when he was told the mortar
had been burnt?
• What do you understand by the phrase ‘trial of their
virtues’?
• Why did the prince reward the good old man?
• What happened when the wicked man scattered the
ashes on a tree?
• How was he punished by the prince?
• What did the good man do when he saw the beaten
neighbour?
• How does the story end?

Group activity Divide the class into two groups and facilitate oral discussion
based on the following:
• Describe the good and the bad neighbour.
• Narrate all the good things that happened to the good
man and all the bad things that happened to the bad
man.
• Debate: Was the good man right in sharing his wealth
with the wicked man? Was that the right ‘punishment’?

In groups, let students make two columns to put down points

describing the neighbours.

16
Evaluation Evaluate students’ understanding with questions such as:
• Where did the story take place?
• How would you describe the story—true, fantasy,
thriller, futuristic, mythology, or factual?
• Do you think people can be made to change the way
they live?
• What works better—quarrelling/punishing or being
calm and doing good always?

Guide students to complete the in-text exercises.

Writing Facilitate the preparation of a mind map.

the covetous and

the pet dog finds a the dog finds dirt for the
stingy couple borrow
treasure covetous couple
the dog

the good couple sharing the

making of the mortar
riches with the neighbours

Further Reading
Collected Short Stories by Ruskin Bond

17
 Old Man River
3
blackboard, pictures, charts

)) The lesson is a play about torrential rains and its effects on the residents of a city. The writer
recounts the dramatic sequences of a river breaching its banks and how residents in a house in its
direct path get ready to meet the challenge with the help of the Red Cross.
)) The lesson is a great guide to young people on how to prepare for natural calamities, stay calm and
inform authorities about the danger.

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to Through the course of the lesson, students will be
)) read the text able to
)) make short notes for mind mapping )) answer simple questions by listening to a passage
)) comprehend the text and answer the ‘while reading’ )) speak about a topic in short sentences
questions
)) summarize the ideas in the mind map into a )) read and understand facts and events
paragraph )) write a coherent paragraph based on information
)) enrich their vocabulary through various activities )) summarize events in a sequential manner
)) read and enjoy the poem )) write character sketches
)) respond and appreciate the rhyme form
)) identify the rhythm and figure of speech in the
poem
)) identify the characters, theme, setting and the plot
of the text

Scene 1
Introduction ** Put up a picture of the Chennai floods of 2015,
** Discussion in groups
01:30 showing people in water and a rescue boat.
** Large group activity using a picture ** Ask students to interpret the picture by
answering the following:
** Digital warm up
• What is happening in the picture?

1
 • What are the possible reasons for a city to be
flooded?
• Who are the people who rescue others during city
floods? (Suggested answers: volunteers, fishermen,
Fire & Rescue Services, Disaster Management Unit,
neighbours, police)

Suggested motivational activities Write these three questions on the blackboard or project
them on the screen to start a group discussion:
** Name some of the dos and don’ts during a flood.
** How do we prepare for a possible flooding of your
house?
** In any emergency (floods/earthquake/accident/
choking/snake-bite) what qualities will help us to face
it?
Read about or listen to experiences of people caught in a
flood. You may show the video given in the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pMnrQSytQE (video: floods)

Reading ** Read Scene 1 of the play.

Group activity ** Encourage students to differentiate speeches by the
characters and the ‘action’ given between brackets.
** Assign roles to students so that they can read out the
play with dramatic expressions.
Facilitate the students in reading, finding out the meaning
of unfamiliar words, identifying the main ideas and
supporting points.

Individual activity Elicit the key points and supporting sentences of the scene
by asking questions such as the following:
** Where does the story take place?
** Who are the characters in the play?
** Why did it get dark early?
** Why was the water rising in the street?
** What was Rose worried about?
** Where were Amy’s parents?
** Why couldn’t Amy’s mother return home?
** What did Amy’s mother ask her to do at once?
** Why did they need candles and a flashlight?
** Why couldn’t they call anyone for help?
** What happened to Sara? Where was she?

2
 ** How did Jim rescue Sara?
** What did Jim think would happen to the house?
** What would they do if the house got flooded?
** Why did Amy think waving the flashlight from the roof
was of no use?

Mind mapping In groups, let students prepare a mind map each on:
Group activity ** What was each one of the people in the house
supposed to do to face the floods?
** What was the role of the rescuers in helping the
people in the house?

Presentation Facilitate the process. One from each group presents the
mind map and the other groups fill in the missing details.

Consolidation Consolidate the mind map with complete details from the
lesson and guide the students to summarize the content
in any one of the following methods—tabulation, notes,
sequencing.

Summary Students can write the summary in their own words.

You may use your own assessment tools to check their understanding.

Scene 2
Introduction Elicit knowledge of the previous passage with questions
** Picture/List warm up based on the section.
** Large group activity

01:30 Ask students to narrate personal experiences of being in a

Suggested motivational activities
disaster. Prompt them to answer the following:
** Who took charge?
** Was there someone like Jim?
** Who came to help—the public/an ambulance?

3
Reading Read this incident and answer the questions that follow.

Late one night, I heard the pitiful cries of a calf from

a street nearby. It went on and on, so I went around
to find out why the animal was in such distress. My
flashlight showed a huge pit dug up by a house-
builder and a calf at the bottom of the pit.
I was angry. Why would a builder leave a deep pit
without barricading it?
I wondered what to do. I called the Blue Cross and
friends I knew could help. But it all took time and the
calf’s cries got louder. Then I saw policemen riding
a bike. ‘Police!’ I yelled. They stopped and I showed
them what was happening. At once, they informed
the local Fire & Rescue department. The fire engine
rolled down, a rope was lowered with a fireman
hanging to it. He tied the rope around the calf and
passers-by helped to haul the poor animal to the
street above. Quite a night it turned out to be!

** Who were the people involved in the rescue of the calf?

** Who should be praised? Who should be punished?
** What precautions should be taken to avoid such
accidents?
Facilitate the students to take turns to read, underline
new words, find out meanings from the dictionary, list key
words and supporting details.

Presentation Facilitate the process. One from each group presents the
mind map and the other groups fill in the missing details.

Mind mapping Consolidate the mind map with complete details from the
lesson and guide the students to summarise the content in
any one of the methods—tabulation, notes, sequencing.

Suggested remedial measures Frame questions such as fill in the blanks, choose
the correct answer, answer in one word, arrange in a
meaningful order, true/false, yes/no questions.

Assess the students’ understanding with the in-text questions.

Note: You can use your own tools to test understanding. Discuss the questions given at the end of the play. Answers agreed upon
by everyone are suggested as final.

4
Vocabulary Elicit a list of new/unfamiliar words from the play.
Introduction Guide students to find synonyms for some of the words
such as snappy, emergency, and so on.

Suggested activities In groups, make the students find the meaning of

Group activity new words and use them in sentences of their own.
Let them make a list of words/phrases that denote
sound—gasp, thump, bump, squeak, lapping of waters,
stamping of feet, and so on. Ask them where they hear
these sounds in daily life?
01:30
Jim calls the rains a ‘cloudburst’. What are the other
words for rains? What is the meaning of ‘It’s pouring
cats and dogs?’

Guided practice (small group activity) Guide students in completing exercises G and I in the
book. The answers are discussed and the best ones are
chosen. For question J, answers are given in about 3 to
4 sentences.

Elicit answers for K and guide students to fill the blanks.

Guide them to gather points for ‘Think and Answer’
before writing the paragraph.

Students’ experience ** Frame sentences with words related to the topic.

Presentation (small group activity) One from each group can read out the sentence
made.
** Students can make a list of the sentences that show
how Jim remains calm. Example: ‘Well girls, let’s
get organised! We have been through bad things
before and come out safely.’

Listening ** Read the listening text given.

Introduction ** Play the audio.
** Read the text for clearer understanding.
Let the students complete the activity given in the
book.
Speaking 01:30
Think and speak ** Explain the particular situation given on page 204.
** Help the students with clues and points, which will
motivate them to speak on any imaginary situation.
** Encourage students to recollect their childhood
memories.
Help them to talk for two minutes.

5
Writing Remind students of the format for dialogue writing.
Introduction The purpose of a dialogue is to convey thoughts clearly,
crisply, cogently and naturally. The use of contracted
Guided writing
forms (I’ll), question tags (He will come, won’t he?),
interjections (Hurray!), idioms and even a sigh/grunt/
gasp make a dialogue lively.

Creative writing On the blackboard, write some of the expressions that

Introduction can be of help.
** Starting a conversation with a stranger: ‘Excuse me,
Hello, Can I speak to you for a moment?’
** Offering help: ‘What can I do for you?’, ‘Can I help
you? I am a volunteer. Is there something I can do?’
** Ending: ‘Is there anything else you will need? Do
get in touch with us, here’s the emergency number.
Hope you stay safe.’

Students’ experience Guide students to list the problems the old lady might
have. For example, kitchen floor is flooded, no coffee/
sugar, needs medicines, dog cannot be traced, wants
toilet checked for flooding, and so on.

Encourage students to follow the instructions in the

Suggested activity text to write the dialogue. Explain:
** the introductory sentence
** additional questions—Do you live alone? Is the
roof leaking? Is your bed dry? Are you looking for
someone?
** the lady’s answers

Creative Writing can be given as homework.

6
 Old Man River

characters events

• Amy Marshall • water level

• Betty Marshall rising; bridges
under water
• Rose Field
• preparing for
• Sara Field
the flood
• Jim Hall
• rescue team
• Mr Peters arriving
• Penny Marsh

Poem: Little Sarah

Introduction Ask these questions to introduce the topic:
Picture warm up
** What did you have for breakfast today?
** Do you know how it is prepared?
Encourage students to share recipes.

Suggested motivational activity ** Ask the students from where rice/wheat/egg came
from. Encourage them to work in groups to trace
the story of growing the grain to cooking breakfast/
chicken to omelette.
01:30 ** Give them a simple narrative poem to read.

Individual activity Show the series of pictures in the textbook and

introduce the topic. Guide them to complete the Warm
up and the question A in the space given.

Digital warm up Click on the QR code so that the students can listen to
the poem.

Reading Model reading

** Read the poem and make the students listen.
** Go through the new words listed in the glossary
and explain their meaning.

7
 ** Ask the students to do a role-play while reading the
poem. Students can take the roles of the various
characters and read their parts. One student can be
the narrator. The entire class can read the repeated
lines in chorus.
Note
Answers to questions in narrative poems are generally
answered in the present tense. This is to feel the narration
happening through the words.
Analysis & appreciation
** Point out the literary devices such as repetition,
rhyme and rhythm to enhance the students’ ability to
appreciate the poem.
** Why do you think the poet has repeated the line ‘In
one minute mix, and in two minutes bake it’? (It helps
to show movement in the poem—Sarah is running to
beat the three-minute time limit. This keeps the focus
on the story as Sarah goes from one place to another.)
Writing
Discuss answers to the questions given at the end of the
poem. In pairs, students can answer the questions.

Suggested activity Students can discuss the following in groups:

** What is a narrative poem?
** How does the poet make a poem narrative? Is it the
same as telling a story?
** What are the differences between a story in prose and
a story in verse?

Let them share their conclusions with the class.

Check the understanding of the students using the following questions:

** What is the poem about?
** Who are the characters?
** Where is the setting of the poem?
** Which are the places Sarah runs to?
** Why does she ‘run’ from place to place?
** What excuse does each person that Sarah meets, give her?
** What do these people do—shopkeeper, miller, sun, farmer, and ploughman?
** Do you think Sarah was able to bake the Johnny-cake?
** What do you think of Sarah?

8
 Supplementary: Little Cyclone: The Story of a Grizzly Bear
Introduction Elicit answers for the following questions:
Warm up
** How do animal mothers behave when they have
their babies around—nervous/afraid/aggressive/
cunning?
** Have you seen animal babies getting angry/
restless? When do kittens and puppies try to bite
you?
** Would you like an active, fierce puppy or a soft,
quiet one? Why?
01:30
Suggested activity ** Ask the students to find out who these bears are—
Bart, the Bear, Smokey Bear, Yogi Bear, Winnie the
Pooh, 1985 Chicago Bears, Bear Gryllis, Boulder’s
Falling Bear, and Knut.
** Write this ‘bear’ joke on the blackboard. ‘Muppet,
stand-up-comedian (teller of bad jokes) when asked
why he didn’t wear shoes, said, ‘Why should I? I’d
still have bear feet.’

Guided reading Read the story and make the students grasp the events
completely.

Silent reading The students read silently and answer the following
questions:
** What did Little Cyclone look like?
** Where was he born?
** How did the bear cubs become orphans?
** What did the captor do to Little Cyclone?
** Who rescued him from the captor?
** Draw a picture of Little Cyclone from the description
given.
** Describe the Bears’ Nursery at the New York zoo.
** How did Little Cyclone get the other animals to
respect him?
** What is the ‘true grizzly spirit’?

Evaluation Evaluate the understanding of the students with these

questions.
** Identify the character using the clue given.
• He earned his name through his resistance to
cruelty _____________.

9
 • They bit and scratched the hands of their
captors___________________
• Two-legged animals less intelligent ____________
• The person with friendly hands ________________
• Droll and roguish-looking grizzly cub ____________
• Big bale of gray fur set up on four posts __________
• Would-be hazer: __________________
• Queer-looking with a broad head and a short
nose_____________.

** Discuss the answers to questions given at the end of the

passage. In pairs, students answer the questions.

Mind mapping Facilitate mind mapping by asking students to find the

turning points in Little Cyclone’s life.

Presentation In groups, students map the story in their own words.

The groups share their maps in class and fill the points they
may have missed.

Consolidation Encourage the groups to make a final map including all the
points. The map is done in a final draft.

Little Cyclone rescued by a field

Little Cyclone, a grizzly bear scientist and taken to the Bear’s
from Alaska orphaned and taken Nursery at the New York Zoological Park
by a captor

Little Cyclone fighting with the other

bears and reassuring his position

Further Reading
The True Story of Smokey Bear

10