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Unit 4: Science and Technology
Unit 4: Science and Technology
Telebook Version
Reading A: THE FUN THEY HAD
Pre-Reading:
I. Look at the GIFS and answer the questions that follow.
What do you see in these pictures?
What do they tell us?
II. Have you ever heard about e-books?
watch this talk on e-books vs Paper books by a student and vote on the poll
Add idea
E-book vs Paper book
Done
Idea
Author
Vote
1
Paperbook
1
2
E-book
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The Fun They Had
MARGIE even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”
It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.
They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to – on a screen, you know. And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.
“Gee,” said Tommy, What a waste! When you’re thorough with the book, you just throw it away. I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”
“Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had. He was thirteen.
She said, “Where did you find it?”
“In my house.” He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading.
“In the attic.”
“What’s it about?” “School.”
Margie was scornful. “School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.”
Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in
geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.
He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires.
He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew. After an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code, they made her learn when she was six years old and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time.
The Inspector had smiled and patted Margie’s head after he had finished. He said to her mother, “It’s not the little girl’s fault. Mrs. Jones, I think the geography sector was geared a little too quickly. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten – year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he patted Margie’s head again.
Based on the description of county inspector and mechanical teacher, try to draw them here and take a screenshot.
Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?”
Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.” He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago,” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a teacher.”
“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.” “A man? How could a man be a teacher?”
“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.”
“A man isn’t smart enough.”
“Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.” “He knows almost as much. I betcha.”
Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”
Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”
“And all the kids learned the same thing?” “Sure, if they were the same age.”
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
“Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.
They weren’t even half finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!” Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma.”
“Now!” said Mrs Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.”
Margie said to Tommy. “Can I read the book some more with you after school?” “Maybe,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked
beneath his arm.
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.”
Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it.
And the teachers were people…
The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen. “When we add fractions ½ and ¼…”
Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was
thinking about the fun they had.
- by Isaac Asimov
About the Author
Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992) was an American author best known for his science fiction. He was a professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He is considered the master of science fiction. Most of
his works explain scientific concepts in a historical way. He worked as the president of AHA (American Humanist Association). He earned a credit on ‘Star Trek’, a movie on science fiction. His famous works are ‘The Foundation
Series’, ‘The Robot Series’ and ‘The Galactic Empire Series’
For more info on author
Comprehension Check
Answer the following questions.
Vocabulary
Try to guess the words with the help of visuals in 1.gifs and and type them in 3.Words . If you Find it hard to guess go to 3.choose the word for the list of words. Now read the sentences in 4.sentences and select the appropriate word from 5.choose the word
I
1.Gifs
3.words
4. sentences
5. choose the word
1
We look ___________ when we see something useless
2
Your workbook does not have ___________ for writing.
3
Why do you always ___________ your younger brother’s statements?
4
The commander ordered ___________ to the soldiers, “Open fire”.
5
All the boys _______________ when they saw a snake in their class room.
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II. Pick out the opposites for the following words from the story and use them in your own sentences.
After submitting the answers in the form above, use the words from the answer key in your own sentence.
Sentences
1
2
3
4
5
6
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III. Look at the underlined words in the following sentence taken from the text.
He was a round little man with a red face.
As you can see, there are two adjectives that precede the noun ‘man’. The adjectives ‘round’ and ‘little’ appear in a certain order. The adjective ‘little’ refers to the ‘size’ and ‘round’ indicates the ‘shape’.
Here are some more examples of adjectives of size and shape.
General Size Adjectives
Shape Adjectives
Think of two adjectives of size and shape for the following objects and put them before the nouns.
1
1.
table
2
2.
pencil
3
3.
room
4
4.
chapathi
5
5.
cat
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Grammar
I. Read the sentence taken from the text.
He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago”.
In this sentence the words ‘carefully’ and ‘loftily’ are adverbs of manner, because they tell us how the action is done.
1. Gifs
Adverbs
sentences
1
We all behave __________ when we don’t have any anxiety.
2
I got up, and dressed ________ and ran downstairs.
3
I ____________ forgot about it.
4
The teacher shook her head __________ when her student lied to her
5
The two teams played _____________.
6
The report must be read __________. Only then the action will be taken.
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Pick out some more verbs and the adverbs that go with them from
the story or elsewhere. Use them in your own sentences.
Type your sentences here
1
2
3
4
5
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II. Read the following sentences and notice the underlined part in each sentence.
they were supposed to – on a screen.
What, according to you, is the function of the underlined clause? Which part in the sentence does it modify? The underlined parts in these sentences are Relative Clauses.
A Relative Clause gives extra information about or identifies a person, place, time or thing. It normally begins with a relative pronoun such as who, where, when, what, which or that. It functions like an adjective. It is known as adjective clause.
Now, read the following sentences and underline the relative clause.
III. Combine the sentences selecting correct Relative Pronoun where, who, which and that.
Form
Mahi always tells funny stories_______we all like them.
Dolly ate all the biscuits_______I bought them for Chandu.
An old man______visited us last night was my grandfather.
We should remember the place_______we often used to meet.
The Camera _____dvija gave is not working.
Responses won't be saved because this doc is in play modeSubmit
Form Results 2
We look ___________ when we see something useless.
Your workbook does not have ___________ for writing.
Why do you always ___________ your younger brother’s statements?
The commander ordered ___________ to the soldiers, “Open fire”.
All the boys _______________ when they saw a snake in their class room.
1
2
who
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IV. Complete the following sentences using suitable relative clauses.
Here is some information to help you with relative pronouns
WHO is used to describe people
THAT is used to describe people &t things
WHOSE is used for possessive sentences
WHEN is used for time
WHERE is used for places
Sentences
Main Clause
Relative Clause
1
2
3
4
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Speaking
Debate- “Development in Science and Technology will always lead to disasters.”
Here is a short film that will help you give an idea about how technological development can lead to disasters. Use the events and clues from the short film to support your ideas
before the debate let us do a poll. Give one reason why you choose yes or No in the discussion box
The class would be divided into two teams based on poll results.
“Development in Science and Technology will always lead to disasters.”
Idea
Discussion
Vote
1
Yes
Open
2
No
Open
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Editing
Read the following passage. Every numbered sentence has an error. Identify and edit it.
(1)In Siripuram village it did not rain at three years. (2)Men, women and children looked at the sky anxious for signs of clouds. (3)The pond were now a wide stretch of caked earth. Thirsty animals crowded around puddles of dirty water. (4)Women went very far on search of water. (5)They returned with pots of water balanced over their head and some fodder of the cattle tucked under their arms.
Correct Sentences
1
2
3
4
5
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Writing
Mary is a girl studying in class eight. Read the following letter that she wrote to her friend Candy.
Wonderland, Computer Town. 20th Sept. 2012.
Dear Candy,
I am very glad to say that I have established a computer teaching lab, which gives me full information with the help of a mechanical teacher. It’s an up-to-date lab. Technology is growing fast, isn’t it? Imagine our classroom in 30 years. Reply soon.
With warm regards,
To Candy,
Winterland, Technical Country.
Your loving friend, Mary.
Write a reply imagining how our future classrooms will be in the next 30 years. You may use the following hints while writing.
e-library, robot teacher, online evaluation, e-screen, e-mail
If the hints are not futuristic enough, here is a video that shows future classrooms. , The link directs you to markup site, Enter as a guest by entering your name.
As you watch the video, pause the video whenever you find a visual or a tech that grabs your attention and comment or react to that particular scene, by clicking on video. Use the comments you made as your writing prompts.
Listening
Listen to the message from space by Sunitha Williams and answer the following questions.
Audio Transcript
happy Diwali I'm Riti sunshine Bhalla Welcome to our special celebration of
the festival of lights today we bring a new dimension to the celebration of Diwali
for the first time ever an astronaut our very own Sunita Williams is joining
us from space to celebrate Diwali with us, she is the pride of 300 million
people of America and an inspiration to a billion people of India. Sunita thank
you for joining us and welcome to our Diwali celebration hi Riti I just wanted
to say happy Diwali I'm really happy to be here with you today thank you so much
for your wonderful introduction and thank you again so much for inviting me
to join in in the celebration of India's Independence Day as well as today Diwali
so thank you so much for joining and thinking about us up here on the
International Space Station certainly I know you're extremely busy in the
International Space Station so we really appreciate that you've taken the time to
join us Sunita your father told us a very fascinating story about you he told
us that when you were only six years old you built a sand castle
and you wrote rum on it in Hindi when you had never even learned the language
I understand that when you went on your first space mission in 2006 your father
gave you a copy of the bhagvad gita to take with you is there anything special
that he gifted you for this mission yes I did bring a couple things of that I
have to do with India from my father particularly of course a peaceful home
stays outside of my crew quarters where I sleep every night and he gave me the
Upanishads so I can read them while I'm up here small version of it but it
definitely brings the wisdom to us while we're here and allows us to think of
actually really the true meaning of of life and what we're doing so
I have a couple of real true reminders of my Indian heritage while I'm up here
that's truly remarkable it's very inspiring that the sound of ohm now
resonates in space and that you read our scriptures in the International Space
Station that's so great and Sunita as you know mr. Yash Chopra one of the
greatest filmmakers in the history of Hindi cinema and some of Bollywood's
biggest movie stars like Shahrukh Khan Sanjay Dutt and Anushka Sharma were also
delighted to join you in the celebration of India's independence in August and
we're so proud of all your accomplishments is there any message
that you'd like to send to all of your well-wishers and admirers around the
world. I really wanted to say thank you to so many people that gosh there are so
many people in India really from really famous people all the way down to the
everyday person there who is thinking about us up here supporting us with
heartfelt sincere feelings for how what we're doing up here and how we're doing
up here and for our safe return back home really appreciate that hopefully
I'll be back on Earth and next to volley be back in India to say thank you to all
those people in person absolutely Sunita we're all really looking forward to
seeing you here on earth and once again I just wanted to say thank you really
for inviting me to join in your program to wish everybody in India and people of
Indian origin around the world happy Diwali it's a wonderful day it's a
wonderful festival I'm just happy that we're part of it up here on the
international space station thank you thank you so much Sunita for joining us
it was so great to have you back in our program we wish you all the best and a
safe return to Earth.
questions
1. what is the audio about
2. Where was Sunita Williams when she sent the message?
3. On what occasion did she send the message?
4. What are the two things that Sunita received from her father?
5. In what way did the Upanishads help Sunita?
Responses won't be saved because this doc is in play modeSubmit
Form Results
Study skills
Here are posters about two schools. Read them carefully.
Scientists believe that we have various kind of intelligence. All intelligences are
equally valuable and present in every individual, though some intelligence is better
developed than others. Intelligences help us reach our aspirations.
The nine intelligences are:
1. Linguistic Intelligence – Good with words.
2. Logical/ Mathematical Intelligence – Good with numbers.
3. Spatial Intelligence – Good at arrangement of objects.
4. Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence – Good with dance, acrobatics.
5. Musical Intelligence – Good with music.
6. Interpersonal Intelligence – Good with making friends.
7. Intra personal Intelligence – Feeling good about myself.
8. Naturalistic Intelligence – Love for animals, plants.
9. Spiritual Intelligence – Thinking about life and its purpose (God)
Boys and girls are capable and equally intelligent. They can use these intelligences
to do any task they choose to do
Now lets put our multiple intelligences to use to create a multimodal text. Create your own digital poster about your Ideal futuristic school. Form groups of five, select a leader and assign yourself a role based on your intelligences. for example: If you are good with words you will be in charge of creating text for the poster.
The end.
All the media used in the e book is purely for educational purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.
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