NOTES FOR THE TEACHER
U NITS 4 –8
The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom
v A Japanese story — underscores values such as honesty,
compassion, diligence, etc. with a hint of magical realism.
The spirit of the dog is the old couple’s make-believe
determination to get past personal setbacks and
begin anew.
v Activity II under ‘Working with Language’ is about the
use of articles. The following explanatory notes may be
useful.
• the indefinite article ‘a’ is used before a singular
countable noun when it is used for the first time. When
the same item is referred to again, the definite article
‘the’ is used before it.
• ‘the’ is also used before an adjective like ‘poor’ or ‘rich’
to refer to the whole class.
– the poor and the weak
– the rich and the prosperous
– the down-trodden
v Articles used in connected sentences are better
understood than when used in isolated examples. Here
is an additional exercise. Use ‘a’/‘an’/‘the’ appropriately.
My neighbour is moving into new house next
month. He is taking some furniture from old
house, and is also buying some new furniture because
new house is bigger than old house.
2024-25
, NOTES FOR THE TEACHER/51
Chivvy
v Groups of children jointly discuss the question without going
through the Introduction (Ask the question or write it on the
blackboard).
v Spend a few minutes to find out their real responses.
v Let them now read the Introduction silently. You may
ask the following questions about the joke given in the
Introduction.
• What was the child’s name?
• If it was Michael, why did he say it was Michael Don’t?
v Children will be keenly interested to discuss questions 2
and 3 in particular. Here is an excellent opportunity for
them (a) to assess the practical value of rules/
prescriptions, and (b) to get a bit of their own back by
laying down instructions for grown-ups.
Quality
v A story about dedication to work of high quality with the
passion of an artist and the eventual loss of art and quality
in a world of competition and consumerism.
v Re-read and discuss episodes where the author’s
admiration for Mr Gessler and his craft comes through.
v Using simple language, discuss the following points.
• Production of goods on a large scale is necessary,
though it goes against the interests of small-scale
industry.
• It is necessary to maintain quality of goods whether
they are produced on a big or small scale.
v Explain ‘accent’ with reference to spoken language. Make
a distinction between ‘accent’ and (word) ‘stress’.
• Mr Gessler speaks English with a German accent. I
speak it with an Indian accent.
What does ‘with a German/Indian accent’ really mean?
• Minimal pairs to be said clearly maintaining the
distinction between the two vowel sounds.
• The sound ‘sh’ as in shine, ashes and fish to be practised
carefully in the activity under ‘Speaking’.
2024-25
, 52/HONEYCOMB
Trees
v Before reciting the poem, explain the phrase ‘to rake this fall’.
• ‘Fall’ (in American English) means the same as autumn,
when trees shed their leaves.
• ‘ To rake’ is to sweep or put away. (It is quite a job to
rake heaps of dead leaves day after day to keep the
place clean.)
v Looking at trees shedding their leaves,
(i) what will “mothers” want to do ?
(ii) what will “fathers” want to do ?
v Why has ‘timber’ been written as TIMBER-R-R ? (Perhaps
it is related to the act of chopping down trees for timber!
There may be other ideas in children’s minds.)
v Take children round to show them different trees and
shrubs growing in the vicinity.
Expert Detectives
v Two detectives in the making with a talent for spotting
evidence, more imaginary than incriminating, against a
polite recluse with a health problem, Nishad and Maya
represent a special dimension of the children’s world of
curiosity and creativity.
v Tasks 1 and 3 under ‘Working with Language’ merit more
time and attention. Ask children to separate idiomatic
expressions with ‘tip’ from its non-idiomatic uses.
• She has the entire chemistry book at her finger tips.
(idiomatic : knows it thoroughly)
• You don’t have to go to the Beauty Parlour to clean
your finger tips. (non-idiomatic)
• She is an artist to her finger tips. (in every way)
• His name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t think
of it. (almost but not quite spoken or coming to mind)
• Over a hundred thefts are reported every month, but
that’s just the tip of the iceberg. (small but evident
part of a bigger but hidden problem)
2024-25
U NITS 4 –8
The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom
v A Japanese story — underscores values such as honesty,
compassion, diligence, etc. with a hint of magical realism.
The spirit of the dog is the old couple’s make-believe
determination to get past personal setbacks and
begin anew.
v Activity II under ‘Working with Language’ is about the
use of articles. The following explanatory notes may be
useful.
• the indefinite article ‘a’ is used before a singular
countable noun when it is used for the first time. When
the same item is referred to again, the definite article
‘the’ is used before it.
• ‘the’ is also used before an adjective like ‘poor’ or ‘rich’
to refer to the whole class.
– the poor and the weak
– the rich and the prosperous
– the down-trodden
v Articles used in connected sentences are better
understood than when used in isolated examples. Here
is an additional exercise. Use ‘a’/‘an’/‘the’ appropriately.
My neighbour is moving into new house next
month. He is taking some furniture from old
house, and is also buying some new furniture because
new house is bigger than old house.
2024-25
, NOTES FOR THE TEACHER/51
Chivvy
v Groups of children jointly discuss the question without going
through the Introduction (Ask the question or write it on the
blackboard).
v Spend a few minutes to find out their real responses.
v Let them now read the Introduction silently. You may
ask the following questions about the joke given in the
Introduction.
• What was the child’s name?
• If it was Michael, why did he say it was Michael Don’t?
v Children will be keenly interested to discuss questions 2
and 3 in particular. Here is an excellent opportunity for
them (a) to assess the practical value of rules/
prescriptions, and (b) to get a bit of their own back by
laying down instructions for grown-ups.
Quality
v A story about dedication to work of high quality with the
passion of an artist and the eventual loss of art and quality
in a world of competition and consumerism.
v Re-read and discuss episodes where the author’s
admiration for Mr Gessler and his craft comes through.
v Using simple language, discuss the following points.
• Production of goods on a large scale is necessary,
though it goes against the interests of small-scale
industry.
• It is necessary to maintain quality of goods whether
they are produced on a big or small scale.
v Explain ‘accent’ with reference to spoken language. Make
a distinction between ‘accent’ and (word) ‘stress’.
• Mr Gessler speaks English with a German accent. I
speak it with an Indian accent.
What does ‘with a German/Indian accent’ really mean?
• Minimal pairs to be said clearly maintaining the
distinction between the two vowel sounds.
• The sound ‘sh’ as in shine, ashes and fish to be practised
carefully in the activity under ‘Speaking’.
2024-25
, 52/HONEYCOMB
Trees
v Before reciting the poem, explain the phrase ‘to rake this fall’.
• ‘Fall’ (in American English) means the same as autumn,
when trees shed their leaves.
• ‘ To rake’ is to sweep or put away. (It is quite a job to
rake heaps of dead leaves day after day to keep the
place clean.)
v Looking at trees shedding their leaves,
(i) what will “mothers” want to do ?
(ii) what will “fathers” want to do ?
v Why has ‘timber’ been written as TIMBER-R-R ? (Perhaps
it is related to the act of chopping down trees for timber!
There may be other ideas in children’s minds.)
v Take children round to show them different trees and
shrubs growing in the vicinity.
Expert Detectives
v Two detectives in the making with a talent for spotting
evidence, more imaginary than incriminating, against a
polite recluse with a health problem, Nishad and Maya
represent a special dimension of the children’s world of
curiosity and creativity.
v Tasks 1 and 3 under ‘Working with Language’ merit more
time and attention. Ask children to separate idiomatic
expressions with ‘tip’ from its non-idiomatic uses.
• She has the entire chemistry book at her finger tips.
(idiomatic : knows it thoroughly)
• You don’t have to go to the Beauty Parlour to clean
your finger tips. (non-idiomatic)
• She is an artist to her finger tips. (in every way)
• His name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t think
of it. (almost but not quite spoken or coming to mind)
• Over a hundred thefts are reported every month, but
that’s just the tip of the iceberg. (small but evident
part of a bigger but hidden problem)
2024-25
