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UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

What did the author find in a junk shop?

The author found a roll-top desk for sale in a junk shop. It was made of oak wood, but it was in a veiy bad condition.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

In the secret drawer of the desk, the author found a small tin box. It had a letter in it. I think the owner of the roll-top desk might have put it there.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

John Macpherson, a captain in the British army, had written that letter, dated Dec. 26, 1914, to his wife Connie.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Why was the letter written — what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

The letter described a wonderful event. The two armies-the British and the Ger­man—fighting against each other celebrated Christmas together.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

Before joining the army, Hans played the cello in the orchestra and Jim was a teacher.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

No, Hans had never been to Dorset. He had only read about Dorset in Hardy’s novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

No, Jim Macpherson never came back home from the war. Perhaps therefore his wife Connie had preserved his letters.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Why did the author go to Bridport?

The author went to Bridport to meet Mrs Jim Macpherson and deliver to her Jim’s letter.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?

Macpherson was 101 years old. She was in a nursing home.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

Connie thought that the visitor was her own husband, Jim Macpherson.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?

That sentence is, “you told me you’d come home by Christmas, dearest,” she said, “And here you are, the best Christmas present in the world. Come closer, Jim dear, sit down.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

Connie had kept Jim’s last letter till January 25, 1915. The letter was dated Dec. 26, 1914.

UNITS 1-3 The Best Christmas Present in the World Some suggestions given below are applicable to all prose lessons in the book. A war story against the backdrop of Christmas, a festival marked by family reunion, exchange of presents and universal bonhomie. Connie, aged 101, receives a present from a stranger whom she mistakes for her long-awaited husband. What is the present — the letter or the mistaken identity of the visitor? Spend about 20 minutes discussing the dates and events given under Before you read. Since the answers are given later in the book, the focus should be on the nature of each event — whether, in human terms, the event recalls defeat and destruction or endeavour and success. Let children express their own views. The story is sectioned into three parts. Parts II and III may be sectioned further according to convenience and time available. Discuss each illustration with reference to the story. Illustrations are given for better comprehension and sharper visual appeal. Comprehension Check at the end of each section is a recall of what children have read so far. Design while-reading comprehension exercises in the form of factual comprehension questions, multiple choice questions and/or completion of sentences, etc. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher Here is one example in three formats: Factual or inferential comprehension (Answer the question in your own words.) Why is Jim 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it'? Multiple choice (Mark the right answer.) Jim is 'ashamed to say' that Fritz 'began it' because (i)he didn't know how to do it. (ii)he wishes he had done it first. (iii) he didn't want to do it. Sentence completion: (Choose the right item and complete the sentence.) But it is true, _______________, that Fritz began it. (much to my delight / shame / dismay) A related item here is the use of 'begin' and 'start' in appropriate contexts. Use 'begin' or 'start' appropriately in the following sentences. (i)What time do you _________ work in the morning? (ii)If we want to get there, we should ___________ now. (iii) The film ___________ at 7 pm. (iv) No matter how you try, the car won't ___________. Very often 'begin' and 'start' can be used in the same way, though 'start' is more common in informal speech. [See sentences (i) and (iii)] In some constructions only 'start' can be used. [See sentences (ii) and (iv)] Questions under working with the text to be answered orally, later to be written in the copy book. At the end of the lesson, draw children's attention to the two quotations given in the box. Let them discuss how the story illustrates the same ideas. Then, ask them to find sentences in the story which appeal to them most. Here are some examples: We agreed about everything and he was my enemy. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows. I know from all that happened today how much both armies long for peace. We shall be together again, I'm sure of it. (It's a good example of the use of 'irony' in the story.) Reprint 2024-25 4 Honeydew The Ant and the Cricket Spend about 15 minutes eliciting, and listening to, fables or fable-like stories from children, preferably in their own language(s). Help them retell one or two in English by providing appropriate words and phrases. The story about the Sun and the Wind at the end of 'Glimpses of the Past' may be used here. Ask them if it's a fable, though there are no animals in it. Try the following writing task. Rearrange the following sentences to construct a story. Start with sentence 4. 1.One cold day, a hungry grasshopper came to the anthill and begged for a little something to eat. 2.He replied, "Alas I spent all my time singing and playing and dancing, and never thought about winter." 3.One ant asked him how he had spent his time during summer and whether he had saved anything for winter. 4.A nest of ants had been occupied all through the summer and autumn collecting food for winter. 5.They carefully stored it in the underground chambers of their home. 6.Then we have nothing to give you. 7.Thus, when winter came, they had plenty to eat. 8.People who play and sing all summer should only dance in winter. 9.The ant answered. Find three adjectives in the first stanza associated with summer and spring. Find four phrases/lines in the same stanza associated with the onset of winter. Suppose the last line of the first stanza were to be rewritten as 'Oh What will become of me? Says the cricket.' Would you find it acceptable in the poem? If not, why not? Speak the words given below. Ask children to write the word, and against it two new words that rhyme. Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 5·sing ____________ ___________ ·crumb ____________ ___________ ·through ____________ ___________ ·wished ____________ ___________ (Last sound in 'crumb' is 'm'. In 'wished' it is 't'.) Activity 4 under working with language needs patience and time. Punctuation in writing sentences is an important teaching point. Since the activity is to be taken up in groups, there will be several versions of each sentence to begin with. Encourage children to discuss why only one version is grammatically acceptable and not the other. The Tsunami A natural calamity causing huge destruction and loss of life and property. Alongside the story of deep sorrow are reassuring details of courage, survival and resilience. While covering sections and sub sections of the text, focus on situations in which children realise the importance of doing whatever possible to save human and animal life, to participate in relief work and to understand the concept of disaster management. Elicit their comments on, and reactions to, the stories of Meghna and Almas. Focus on values such as courage, care and compassion in the bitter struggle for survival and rehabilitation. The activity under Before you read is like an elementary geography lesson. Map reading along with language work (asking/answering questions, spotting location/ direction and describing them with precision) is a good example of softening subject boundaries and conforming to the idea of language across the curriculum. Use other maps from the geography/history textbook for further practice. While dealing with 'Active/Passive voice' (working with language: Activity 3), provide samples of texts exemplifying the use of passive voice such as short newspaper reports and descriptions of processes/experiments. As far as possible, avoid a mechanical transformation exercise confined to isolated sentences. Try a simple exercise given here. Reprint 2024-25 6 Honeydew Complete the passage using passive forms of the verbs given in brackets. Olive oil ________ (use) for cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives_____ (pick) in autumn when they are ripe. They ________ (shake) from the trees and ________ (gather) up, usually by hand. Then they _______ (grind) to a thick paste which _______ (spread) onto special mats. The mats then ______ (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil. The last activity under speaking and writing is a step towards reducing the gap between children's life at school and their life outside the school. Geography Lesson Children already know words like 'aeroplane, airport', etc. Draw their attention to words like 'jetliner', 'jet engine' and 'jetlag' in the following activity. (i)Match items under A with those under B A B Jetliner •fatigue/tiredness after a long flight Jetlag •rich social group flying around the world for business or pleasure Jet engine •aircraft powered by a jet engine (the) jet set •engine that emits high-speed hot gases at the back when it moves forward. (ii)Check the meaning of 'jet black' and 'jetsam' in the dictionary. Complete the idiom: jetsam and _________ Today, if there is a border dispute or any other contentious issue between two countries, an organisation called the United Nations acts as a mediator to keep peace and order in the world. Encourage children to gather information about the UN and its constituent bodies. Peace Memorial Park is the only park of its kind in the world. It is in Hiroshima, Japan, and marks the spot where the first atomic bomb was dropped on ___________ (Children will remember the date and event if they recall the activity under Reprint 2024-25 Notes for the Teacher 7Before you read in The Best Christmas Present in the World). A mini project could be planned on this. Ask children to draw a map of their locality/village depicting its physical features and distances between places, etc. Recite and write on the blackboard the following poem and discuss the items given at the end of the poem. Wake gently this morning to a different day. Listen There is no bray of buses, no horns blow. There is only the silence of a city hushed with snow. Name a few cities in India which the poem reminds you of. Which words/phrases in the poem evoke images different from those suggested by 'the silence of the city'? Glimpses of the Past 'Glimpses' of the history of our country to be understood through pictures with strips of text for support. Children have a natural enthusiasm for this kind of material in the textbook. Children may read the comic strip aloud. Then they break up into small groups, discuss what they have read and write a summary. Each group presents its summary one by one. The whole class then enters into a general discussion, and a consolidated draft of the composition is prepared with the active support of the teacher. Conversely, divide the class into small groups. Let each group look at and describe a set of pictures (assigned to them) and construct their own text. Texts thus produced can be put together to form a coherent story, to be edited for accuracy. If necessary, texts may first be produced in the child's own language and the teacher can help them to reformulate these in English. For children fluent in English, this may be an opportunity to formulate equivalent texts in their own languages. Some details of each 'glimpse' of the past may be had from the history textbook of the same class. The history teacher may be invited to facilitate the activity. Picture reading under speaking and writing to be attempted in the same manner. Creating a comic (Activity 5) will be great fun if children can be persuaded to draw/learn to draw matchstick figures. Enlist the help of the art teacher. Reprint 2024-25 Before you read There are some dates or periods of time in the history of the world that are so significant that everyone knows and remembers them. The story you will read mentions one such date and event: a war between the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess which war it was? Do you know which events the dates below refer to? (a)4 July 1776 (b)17 December 1903 (c)6 August 1945 (d)30 January 1948 (e)12 April 1961 (f)20 July 1969 The answers are on page 23. I I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve. I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it spotted it: saw it; found it scorch marks: burn marks was going for: was selling for (informal) restore: (here) repair veneer: a thin layer of plastic or decorative wood on furniture of cheap wood Reprint 2024-25 Honeydew 10 looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: "Jim's last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes." I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does. Inside the box there was an envelope. The address read: "Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset." I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil and dated at the top — "December 26, 1914". Comprehension Check 1.What did the author find in a junk shop? 2.What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there? II Dearest Connie, I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because something wonderful has just happened that I must tell you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I've ever seen, as cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be. I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I'm ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man's land, "Happy Christmas, Tommy Happy Christmas!" When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, "Same to you, Fritz Same to you!" I thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving a white flag. "Don't shoot, lads!" someone shouted. And no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the parapet, and another. "Keep your heads down," I told the men, "it's a trick." But it wasn't. One of the Germans was

Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?

The desk must have been sold when Connie’s house had burnt. The table had been damaged by fire as well as water.