Class-8 English Reader (Special) Lesson-12 How I taught my Grandmother to Read / M.P. Board


Lesson-12
How I Taught my Grandmother to Read

Glossary
Transport system-  a system to carry people or goods from one place to another
Weekly-  happening every week 
Magazine-  a book published weekly quarterly / monthly / annually having articles and photographs etc.
Convincing -  worthy of belief
Ardent-  feeling very strongly
Desire-  a strong urge to have or do something
Ultimate-  last,  final
Struggle-  to try or work very hard when it is very difficult
Orphan-  one who has nobody to look after
Concentration-  attention on one point
Insist-  to force
Savouring-  enjoying an experience,  activity or feeling
Situation-  circumstances
Nod-  to say yes by head carefully
Affectionate-  loving
Consider-  to think about something carefully
Feeding-  providing food
Immense-  very much
Accompany-  to get somewhere with somebody
Embarrassed-  felt shy
Determination-  quality of being firmly committed to do something
Overcome-  to succeed in dealing with
Obstacle-  an object blocking your way/  something coming to your way
Amazing-  surprising
Unusual-  not common or ordinary
Scriptures-  holy books of any religion
Identify-  to feel that you share and understand the feelings of somebody else
Terrace-  flat,  hard area specially outside a house or a restaurant
Protagonist-  the main character in a play
Irrespective-  without considering anything
Episode-  any event, a situation or a period of time in somebody's life,  if a novel etc. that is important
Flying colours-  very well
Taken aback- surprised or shocked by it and you cannot respond at once

Word Power
(A) Guess the words with the help of given close and fill in the blanks:
     1.    A child who has nobody to look after-
     Orphan
     2.    A gesture to say yes-
     Nod
     3.    Loving-
     Affectionate
     4.    Something which surprises us-
     Amazing
     5.    A quality that is needed to succeed-
    Determination

(B) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words given in the box:

 Popular,  obstacles,  confidently,  novels,  worship
1-    There are different ways to worship God.
2-    We should reply in the class confidently.
3-    Mahatma Gandhi  was very popular among the people because of his good qualities.
4-    Munshi Premchand wrote many novels on social problems.
5-    When somebody works, obstacles come in his ways,  but they teach him how to face problems.

Comprehension
(A) Answer the following questions:
Q1.       Why did the weekly magazine come late in the village?
Ans- The weekly magazine came late in the village because transport system was not very good in those days.

Q2.       What is the story of the novel ‘Kashi Yatra’?
Ans- The novel ‘Kashi Yatra’ is the story of an old lady and her ardent desire to go to Kashi or Varanasi. In the story, there is also a young Orphan girl who falls in love but there is no money for the wedding. In the end, the old lady gives away all her savings without going to Kashi thinking that the happiness of this orphan girl is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi.

Q3.       Why did the little girl read the serial out for her grandmother?
Ans- The little girl read the serial out for her grandmother because she never went to school and could not read.

Q4.       What happened when the girl went to attend a wedding in the neighbouring village?
Ans- The girl went to attend a wedding in the neighbouring village for a couple of days but ended up staying there for a week.

Q5.       Why was grandmother unhappy?
Ans- The grandmother was unhappy because she could not know about the next episode of Kashi Yatra.

Q6.       What did grandmother need from her granddaughter?
Ans- The grandmother needed to learn Kannada alphabets from the granddaughter. 

Q7.       How was grandmother a wonderful student?
Ans- Grandmother was a wonderful student because the amount of homework she did was amazing. She would also read, repeat and recite.

Q8.       What did grandmother do on Dushera festival?
Ans- On Dushera festival, grandmother called the granddaughter and made her sit down on a stool saying “I am touching the feet of a teacher who taught me so well.”

 Let’s Learn
Read the following sentences carefully:
     I.        When I was only twelve I used to stay in a village with my grandmother.
    II.        As the transport system was not good we used to get newspapers very late. 
  III.        Grandmother used to tell the story to the other woman in the temple.

‘Used to’ is used for saying what was true or happened regularly in the past. It is a modal verb.

Now complete the sentences given below by using ‘used to + verbs’.

Travel,  drink,  play, be,  have, teach, live, work

    1.    I used to play tennis but now I don't.
    2.    My friend's father used to travel a lot but now he doesn't go away very often.
    3.    There used to be a castle on that hill some years ago.
    4.    Rita used to have long hair but she got it cut sometimes ago.
    5.    We used to live in Indore but now we live in Bhopal.
    6.    My brother used to drink milk when he was young.
    7.    Rohit used to work hard but nowadays he has become a bit careless.
    8.    Mr. Mehta used to teach us English when I was in class VII.

Let's Talk
Describing past habits
(1) - You are really a good singer.
(2) -  Thank you,  but I used to hide my talent when I was young.
(1) -  You are also a good player of Kabaddi.
(2) -  Oh yes, but I too used to sit idle in my childhood. 
(1) - You know Mintu is sick these days.
(2 )-  But he used to be very healthy when he was a child.

Now talk to your friend describing past habits.
(1) - You get up very early in the morning.
(2) -  Yes but I used to get up late a year back.
(1) - You sleep early these days.
(2) - Oh yes, but I too used to sleep late earlier.
(1) - You know Sonu has won the race.
(2) - But he used to be last in every race when he was a child.

Let’s Read
Read the following passage carefully:

This story is an account of success and setbacks of science establishment in modern India, struggling to establish itself in technological forefront. It is the story of national aspiration and of cooperative endeavor. And, as I see it, the saga of India's research for self-sufficiency and technological competence is a parable of our times.
      Each individual creature on this beautiful planet is created by God to fulfill a particular role. Whatever I have achieved in life is through His help and an expression of His will. He showered his grace on me through some outstanding teachers and colleagues and when I pay my tribute to these persons I merely praise in His glory. All these rockets and missiles are his work through a small person called Kalam in order to tell several million mass of India to never feel small or helpless. We are born with the divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with glow of its goodness.

Now answer the following questions:
    1.    Find the words in the passage which mean:
Effort-  Endeavour
Blessed-  showered his grace

    2.    Find the words in the passage which mean opposite of:
Failure-  success
Always-  never

   3.    Who has written this paragraph?  Guess.
Ans- India's former president APJ Abdul Kalam has written this paragraph.

   4.    What is the narrator, ‘Kalam’ associated with?
Ans- The narrator ‘Kalam’ is associated with rockets and missiles.

   5.    The narrator used the phrases ‘His help’, ‘His will’, ‘His glory’.  What does his stand for?
Ans- The narrator used the phrases ‘His help’, ‘His will’, ‘His glory’. ‘His’ stands for God.

   6.    What message does the narrator give to the people of India?
Ans- The message that the narrator gives to the people of India is to never feel small or helpless. We are born with a divine fire in us.  Our efforts should give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glow of its goodness.

Let’s Write
Form groups of two each in your class. Write dialogues of the little girl and her grandmother. Take the help of the clues given below.  Present it in a dramatic form before the class.

The little girl-  ready to teach her grandmother,  has sympathy for her grandmother,  loves her very much,  teachers her the Kannada alphabet.

Grandmother-  unhappy at being illiterate, determined to learn,  asks the help of her granddaughter to teach her,  gives her granddaughter a gift when she learns to read.
 Write the dialogue here-

The little girl arrives from the wedding after a week. Grandmother is in tears.

The little girl-  Is everything alright? Are you ok? 
Grandmother nods but does not reply.

The little girl-  What is the matter?

Grandmother-  When I was a young girl I lost my mother. There Was nobody to look after and guide me. In those days girl’s education was considered non-essential. (Her eyes are filled with tears)

The little girl-  Don't cry.  Can I help you in anyway?

Grandmother-  yes, I need your help. I have decided to learn alphabet from tomorrow onwards.  I will work very hard. (determination on grandmother’s face)

The little girl-  At this age of 62 you want to learn alphabet?

Grandmother-  If you are determined for a good cause, you can overcome any obstacle. I will work harder than anybody. For learning there is no age bar.

(The next day  grandmother starts  taking her tuition. She is a wonderful student.)
On Saraswati Pooja Day, grandmother calls her granddaughter and makes her sit down on a stool and give her a gift of a frock material. 

Grandmother-  I am doing namaskar, not to my daughter but to a teacher who taught me so well.

(The little girl returns the namaskar and gives the gift of the novel Kashi Yatra to her first student.)

Let’s do it
Make a short survey around you. Find out how many people around you are literate / illiterate. Fill in the following table the information you collected.

S.No.
Names of the persons visited by you
 whether literate or illiterate
 if illiterate willing to study
 yes no
 How you can help them
 Any other information



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Class-5 EVS, Chapter-13, A Shelter so High! , Additional Exercises with Solutions/ NCERT

Class-5, EVS, Chapter-18, No Place for Us?, Additional Exercises with Solutions / NCERT

Class-5 EVS Chapter-1 Super Senses/NCERT

Class-3 EVS, Chapter-8 Flying High, Additional exercises with solutions

Class-4 EVS Chapter-4 The Story of Amrita