SLU English 11 SBP - from village to the world

1. ENGLISH
STUDENT LEARNING UNIT 11
From the Village to the World

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From the Village to the World
Before we start….…
You must be feeling great after having completed 10 SLUs successfully. This is no small achievement.
You deserve our heartiest congratulations. Isn’t it a good idea to celebrate this achievement with some
more learning? Let’s do it!
We are now going to deal with a theme that you might have been thinking about off and on: From the
Village to the World.
Why has this been chosen as a theme? What do you think?
Do you get a sense of where your village / town is in the district, state and country? How different was
life for your family elders in terms of amenities, transport? How is your village / town different from
others? How is your district different from other districts in the state and how is your state different
from others in India?
We have used these ideas and some more to generate activities which we hope, you will find
interesting. It is important for us to know what you think of these activities. So do let us know through
your teacher what you think about this SLU.

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Activity 1: Your Village / Town in the Atlas
• Can you name four towns near to your town - one in each direction – north, east, south and
west? Make sure each of the four places is in a different direction. Some of them may be far and
others may be near your town but that is OK. (If you live in a village but can think of only towns
nearest to you, that is fine too. Please go ahead and mention the names of towns. Similarly, if
you live in a town and can name only villages around you, go ahead!)
• In which direction is your town or village located in relation to the district headquarters – e.g.,
Kuchinda is located North-east of Sambalpur.
• Collect various kinds of packets – of matches, toothpastes, soaps, biscuits, etc. Find out from
the packet where the item it contained was manufactured, and locate the place in your atlas.
How might each thing have been transported to your village? Trace the route on your atlas
from the place of manufacture to your village. You can trace the route with your finger. You
don't have to use a pencil or pen for this.

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• If your village or town has a railway station (or if a nearby town or village has a railway station),
try and talk to someone who can tell you about how railways impacted people’s lives in that
location. Which are the five stations on either side of the railway line? How many trains did
your grandfather / grandmother see on this line? How many are running now? (You can easily
find this out from a railway time table. Check with your teacher where to get one) Which is the
farthest location that you can travel to in a train from your village / town (without having to
change trains)? Can you spot that location on the atlas?
Block Map of Sambalpur

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• Which are the states that border your state?
• Which are the districts of your state that border your district?
• Which are the districts in your State border to Bay of Bengal.
• Which are the Blocks that border your Block? Talk to elders at home or outside, or your
teacher and find out if the state’s / district’s / Block’s borders have changed over the last 10
years.
• Game: note down about 15-20 names of towns, villages in your district. Ask your friend to ask
you questions about the places for which you can answer only with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. (e.g., does
the name of the place begin with the letter ‘S’?). Your friend has to guess the name correctly by
asking only 10 questions or less. You could then take turns – you could ask questions and your
friend would answer. You can play this game with more people and include names of rivers, hills
or other geographical features besides names of locations. It will be fun, we promise you.
(Alternatively, you can pick names of places, rivers, etc. from your text book and create a
game!)

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Activity 2: News about the Village, Neighbourhood, District and State
• What is the one most unforgettable news item / event related to your district or state that
your village elders remember?
Try to interview at least 5 people above the age of 60. Here are some questions that you could
ask each one of them:
o How did you react to the event / news?
o How did the event / news affect you?
o How did it affect the people of the district / town / village?
o Why is the event so important for you?
o Was the news or event covered in the newspapers, TV, Radio?
You may add more questions. Each person you interview may cite a different event or hold
different views if they talk about the same event (say, a massive flood that nearly destroyed
the village).
What do you think about the incidents that people have narrated to you? If you were to
exchange places with them, would you consider the event unforgettable? Can you write
about the event / news in your own words in Odia or English? (Try to write in English!)
• This activity is related to news about your village, town, district and state.
Perhaps your school gets a newspaper or you get one at home. Maybe some of you watch the
news on TV or listen to it on the radio. Try to follow the news for about a week or 10 days
and collect some interesting news items. Watch out for any news about your village, town,

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district or state and note them down. You could categorise the items under headings such as
Politics, Sports, Religion, Economy and Crime. (Yes, ‘Crime’ is bad, but it does make news!).
You could even attempt to translate news in Odia into English or English into Odia.
o Here are some facts, some error-ridden statements and a few opinions. Can you
separate facts, errors and opinions? (Hint: opinions cannot be verified; the other two
can be).
Sambalpur district is one of the largest districts (by area) in Odisha.
People from Sambalpur district are more hardworking.
Sambalpur is located at 330 km from Bhubaneswar and 1394 km from New
Delhi.
Mahanadi and several of its tributaries cross the south of Sambalpur district.
Many people in Odisha like folk dance of Sambalpur district.
Students from Naktideul Block of Sambalpur district are the most sufferer for
education.
Agriculture is the main activity in Sambalpur district and many people depend on
it.
Most of the tribal community in Sambalpur district wants their girls to be
educated.
If it rains a little on a Tuesday afternoon in the month of June, the district will
face a drought.

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Game: Create a similar list regarding your state. Get your friend to answer the
questions. If any answer is wrong, say why you think so and have a discussion.
Activity 3: My State is Unique
• Imagine you have a guest from another country – say, England. (Let’s call him John). John has
come to live with your family for a month and you have been asked to take him to various
places in the state that would give him a delightful experience of Odisha. Here are some
questions:
o John is interested in visiting historical monuments. You have to take him to 3 places in
Odisha. Which places would you take him to? How would you introduce each
monument to him? Write down the descriptions.
o John wants to see some wildlife, including elephants and White tigers, which don’t exist
in his country. Which wildlife sanctuaries will you take him to? Again, as in the previous
question, write down the descriptions.
o John is interested in visiting some famous temples. What will your choices be and how
would you introduce these to him? Write down the descriptions.
o If you are asked to show John around Odisha so that he would see a few places, eat
some special dishes that are famous in Odisha, buy some things that are special to
Odisha (like a Sambalpuri saree from Baragarh), what will you suggest to him? And how
will you explain the uniqueness of Odisha through these experiences?
• Who are the famous personalities from Odisha? Can you name at least five famous personalities
and share at least one incident from each one’s life?
If you know many famous personalities from your state - make a list and categorise them into
film personalities, singers, dancers, politicians, Poets, cricketers, etc. Write two sentences
describing the person. You could think of a quiz / guessing game based on facts about each
personality.

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India Map
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• How will you introduce Odisha to a class IX or class X student of say, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands? Or to a student in Odisha who has never traveled beyond her state? You could create a
small book on your village / town / district / state. Work with some of your friends on this
project. You could either display it in the school or send it to a local publisher who might be
interested in publishing it! Check it out.
Textbook related activity: Letter Writing
Activity 1: Situations demanding letters and applications
Here’s a list of situations where you have to write either a letter or an application. Choose which
ones you will write letters for and which ones you will write applications for. Also mention who
you will write to.
• Garbage is gathering in your neighborhood
• You need to go to a cousin’s wedding
• You would like your uncle to buy you a cycle as a gift
• You are unwell and need one day’s leave
• Your sister is looking for a job in a company that has opened office in your neighbourhood
• The newspaper carried a false news item about your village and you want to protest against it
• There was flood in the village recently due to heavy rains and roads have been completely
damaged
• Your father has gone to another city to work and you want to tell him what has been going on
at home in his absence

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• The government has announced a scholarship for students who score good marks in Class X
and you are eligible for it
• You would like to invite a Minister in the State Government to your village to inaugurate a low-
cost device (gadget) that you and your friends have created to keep the water sources clean.
Activity 2: Leave Application – Funny Reasons
Write a leave application giving a laughable excuse / stating a funny reason. Examples:
• I have to attend my brother’s wedding. Please grant me leave of absence on June 28, 29, 30, 31
and also 32.
• I thought yesterday was Sunday. No one at home told me that it was Monday. Hence I did not
come to school.
• My tooth fell yesterday. My grandmother told me that I cannot attend the school till another
tooth replaces the fallen tooth.
• An astrologer told me that going to school on Tuesdays will reduce the chances of my passing
the board exam in Class X. So I have decided not to come to school on Tuesdays. So please
grant me leave.

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Activity 3: Match the following
Type of Letter / Situation / Part of Letter Words / phrases
Opening a letter Yours faithfully, we regret to inform you,
Thanking you….
Closing of a letter Dear Sir, How are you? I am pleased to inform
you…
Formal Letter My dear Mahesh, What a silly idea we had! …
Good news With deep sorrow, we regret to inform you
that…
Bad news
We are delighted to tell you that you have failed
in the exam.
Demanding action
Complaining Thank you very much for attending to my
complaint and resolving the dispute.