TSU English 6 HRI

ENGLISH
TEACHER SUPPORT UNIT 6
TAKING CARE OF OTHERS
AND ONESELF

EnglishTeacher Support Unit 6
2
Teacher Support Unit 6
Theme
TAKING CARE OF OTHERS AND ONESELF
BEFORE WE START...
The Sixth TSU
skills even further. They would now be able to:
Let’s pause now for a moment and think about what we know about our students.
Many of our students have responsibilities thrust on them fairly early in life. Sharing tasks and duties with
the elders in the family is a part of their everyday lives. Many work quite hard - both at home and outside.
While, many are likely to be helping with household chores, cooking, running errands and caring for
elders and younger brothers and sisters, others may help with their parents in the , in shops and
other outdoor work. Th their families face and are very capable of looking
for alternative solutions for problems when needed. Students at th e secondary level have a great deal of
practical knowledge and a fairly developed sense of what is fair, questioning what they see around them
and what affects them. At this time they are also developing a sense of their identity and an understanding
of their needs and emotions. This is also the time when they are learning to deal with the many emotional
・ listen to, read and comprehend short narratives
・ respond in full sentences
・ solve and create riddles and puzzles
・ write simple picture descriptions
・ read and understand a story given in the TSU
・ answer questions about events in their lives and about the place they live
・ follow written instructions
・ appreciate poetry and prose and be able to say whether they liked a piece not
・ write their observations about events in their neighbourhood

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ups and downs in their lives. Isn't this rich experience s a wonderful starting point for discussion in the
classroom?
This Sixth TSU is all about helpin
themselves. It is also about encouraging them to think about the part they can play in making their own
environment and lives better. We are sure they will have a lot to on and discuss.
Let us begin with two situations - in Activities 1 and 2 - which students can easily relate to. You may need
to prepare a little before presenting these two situations. You may want to read the passages a few times
before you take them up in the class. Here are some tips that may help you.
・ Read slowly so that students have time to process the information.
・ Pause between meaningful phrases.
・ Consider punctuation marks.
・ Make appropriate tonal variations.
・ Use appropriate gestures and facial expressions.
Activity – 1: What should Ravi do?
Present this short event to students. You can read it out and explain in Hindi where necessary.
Ravikiran is in the ninth standard. Every day he has to walk a mile from his house to take a bus.When he gets off
the bus he has to walk half a mile from the bus stop to school.
'Next year I will be in the tenth standard. If I have a cycle, I won't have to spend so much time getting to school
and I won’t be tired,' Ravi said to his parents. They set aside Rs 3000 from their meagre income to buy him a
cycle.
But Ravikiran’s grandfather has fallen ill and needs medicines which are going to cost Rs 1000. His sister needs Rs
Ask the students: How will Ravikiran and his family solve this problem? If you are in Ravi’s position, what will you
do?
Why is creating an emotional connection with the theme important? Do you think students learn
language better when they connect emotionally?

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Your students may not be able to come up with solutions immediately. Do two things:
1. Give them some 10 minutes to think. You could ask them to work in pairs so that they can discuss the problem
better.
2. You could also ask some questions to help them think the problem through.
・ Will Ravikiran be angry with his grandfather and his sister? Should he be angry?
・ Will he agree to wait for one more year until the hard times pass?
・ Should Ravi’s family seek help from others – maybe take a loan from the local money lender?
After the discussion, ask 'Do you know anybody who had to face a situation like Ravi’s?' If any student comes
forward to share some details, encourage him/her. Allow him/her to present the event or details in Hindi. If the
narration is in Hindi, after the student has spoken, you may ask for more details, or may present the event in
English. (You too can present a relevant situation, real or imaginary!).
Did it work?
Activity – 2: Playing the game
If the story below sounds familiar, it is because it describes the situation in 'Playing the Game' in the ninth
standard textbook.
Ravi’s mother was at the gate. She waved to him and said, 'Do your best.'
'I'll try Ma,' he answered. He ran out of the gate and reached the road.
What is the focus of this activity?...................................................
variations?..............................................................................................
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Today Ravi is going to play in the school cricket match. He was very proud of being selected to the team. He had
practised bowling with his father.
'If you do well, I will get you a cycle,' his father had said.
'I have to reach the ground early,' he said to himself and walked faster.
But he didn’t reach the ground on time. The match was half-way through when he reached the ground. Stop for
a minute at this point and ask 'Why do you think he was late?'
Wait for a few seconds and then say 'On his way to school, something happened. Can you guess what happened?'
Let them come up with answers of their own. Some may remember the text book connection and narrate it. That
(If you are a Class 9 teacher, you could use this as an opportunity to get them to read the lesson again
with more interest. 'Did his father get him a cycle? The answer is in the third lesson in the prose section.
.' Give them about 10 minutes to read the lesson). If you are in Class
10, remind them about this story and ask a few questions based on that. Encourage students to share
their views.
Here are the main features of this strategy to create a need for reading the text book:
・ Ask a question or present a situation.
・ Let the students guess the answers.
・ Ask them to check whether the answers are present in the lesson.
・ Allow a few students to share their responses.
・ Ask for evidence (ask them to read out the particular part of the lesson that supports their answer).
・ Ask some more questions to make them read the lesson in detail.
・ Whenever they experience , don’t hesitate to extend help.
Don’t forget to note down the effectiveness of this strategy for this lesson as well as others.

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Did it work?
Activity – 3: Lover of cats
Write the following sentences on the board. Make sure that everyone can see what you are writing. If necessary,
read out the sentences.
Mohan stopped his car; blew the horn.
Many cats appeared from nowhere and came near his car.
Mohan took out a bag full of biscuits.
He took out a plate and put the biscuits on it.
The cats started eating. A smile appeared on Mohan’s face.
Have a discussion with the students based on the following questions:
・ Should you feed cats when people are going hungry?
・ At least dogs are useful pets; why should someone raise a cat as a pet?
・ Should you love animals only if they are of some use to us?
・ Do you know anyone who loves animals?
・ Do you have animals at home?What kinds of animal s? Do you know how to care for them?
If students are interested, ask more questions. Treat this activity as an opportunity to help your students
share ce. You could ask students to write interesting events related to
their pet animals in simple sentences. The stories can be real or imaginary.
Did you make any
variations?..............................................................................................
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Did it work?
Activity – 4: Nisha, the girl your uncle brought home
Narrate this story to your students. Make tonal modulations as necessary.
One day during the Diwali holidays, your uncle from Varanasi brought with him a 14 -year old girl called Nisha, his
neighbour’s daughter. Nisha and your uncle will
is well-
behaved and all the members of your family like her very much. She plays with you, teaches you a trick or two, is
helpful with household chores, goes with you wherever you go, becomes friendly with your friends in the
neighbourhood, etc.
After two months, it is time for your uncle to leave. On the last day, when Nisha has gone out with your younger
brother to buy vegetables, your uncle gathers all your other family members and breaks the news that Nisha
suffers from bone cancer. Her family is very poor and needs money to treat her. Your uncle wants your f amily to
contribute to her treatment. Your parents want to help, but there is not much money left after your family’s needs
are taken care of. Everyone feels helpless. There is a long silence which is broken only when Nisha and your
younger brother come running in with a bag full of vegetables and groceries.
Now ask your students these questions:
・ How will you react to Nisha now?Will you see her differently now?
・ What will you do – is it possible to raise some funds for Nisha’s treatment by selling something at
home?
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・ Will you show your emotions to Nisha – cry, perhaps?
・ Has a similar event happened in your life or in the life of someone you know?
・ There is a local Hakim who claims to cure cancer. You are not sure of his cla im. But he is not
expensive.Will you take Nisha to him?
Note: If there is a problem in using a girl’s name (Nisha), replace it with a boy’s name (Dinkar). Use your
discretion.
Did it work?
interesting
Activity – 5:
Ask the following issues. Any response is welcome. (You can
add more issues of interest your students This activity can be spread over several classes – say,
- focusing on one issue at a time.)
・ You are being teased or bullied in school
・ You notice that another student is also being teased or bullied (she/he may or may not be your friend).
・ There is a lot of garbage near the school, on the streets, near your home.
・ The lights go off regularly when you have to do homework in the evenings.
・ Your neighborhood .
Here are some suggestions for implementing this activity.
・ Divide the students into groups of four/
・ problem to each group
・ Give them 15-20 minutes to think about the solutions.
・ Move around the class and help the groups. Try to provide English words whenever possible.
Wha .........................
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・ After the group work discuss with them the best way (e.g., group’s name,
one or two sentences about the problem, their solution to the problem, supporting arguments for
their solution).
・ When one group presents, ask another group to comment on the presentation.
You could try a variant of this as well: Allot one issue to all the groups. If possible, allow them to select
the issue. Give them time to think of solutions and present their ideas. After each group’s presentation
let the other groups comment. Make a list of all the comments.
Here are some more suggestions for situations to choose for this activity:
・ Parents ask their eldest daughter to stay at home to look after the new born baby / ailing
grandfather.
・ Father meets with an accident/ falls ill. Some child in the family will have to stop schooling and go
to work.
・ Grandmother is very old and needs to be looked after. But there is no one to help. So whenever
you return from school, she calls for your help. But you want to go out to play.
Did it work?
Activity – 6: Making our school a better school
Write '1 + 1 = 3' on the board. Ask the students: 'Is this correct?' When they say 'No', say 'You are wrong. This is
correct.' Then after a pause, say, 'In certain situations, this is correct. Can you think of some of those situations?'
Give them some time to think. If they come up with some situations, let them share their answers with others.
Wha .......................................
Did
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Then tell them, 'On our own, each one of us can only achieve things to a certain extent. But, if we join with
another person, we can do a lot more. When we work in groups, we can achieve much more than what we can
achieve individually.' Then present these questions.
・ Can you think of three things that you (as students) can do to make our school better? Safer?
・ What can you do to make our classroom better?
・ How can you improve our playground (if you have one, that is)?
・ How we can make the morning assembly more interesting?
These are open-ended questions. Let them work in groups and come up with more ideas. (Refer to U
to know how to conduct a group activity).
Here are tips for conducting a successful group activity:
・ List the ideas on a chart paper.
・ Assign responsibilities to groups to implement some of their ideas.
・ Observe their work and encourage them with comments, suggestions.
・ Ask them to share their experiences and any problems they had during group work with others.
Are you wondering about the connection between this activity and learning English?
Well, t o learn a language, one has to use it preferably in a natural situation. These activities help to bring
many natural situations into our classroom. Students learn the language without knowing that they are
learning it. Since language is used in the proper context there is no need for us to explain the meaning of
hard words. Above all, when they are keen to express themselves, and want their views to be heard, they
won’t see language learning as a burden.
Did it work?
interesting
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Activity – 7: Minor ailments and remedies
Ask the students, 'What are the common ailments/ diseases that affect us?' Do this as a whole class activity. As
the students mention health issues, list them on the board. Choose suitable strategies for processing a list and use
them. Don’t forget to ask these questions.
・ When did you fall ill last time?
・ How did you get cured?
・ From those diseases mentioned in the list, which one are you afraid of the most?
・ Have you been to a hospital? What do you see there? (If someone is interested, get the person to describe
their experience in a hospital).
・ Do your parents or elders at home give you traditional, possibly home-made, medicines for cold and cough,
upset stomach, aches and pains?
Then write 'Prevention is better than cure' on the board.
・ What is the meaning of this statement?
・ Why is ‘prevention’ better than ‘cure’?
・ What are the precautions you will take to avoid falling ill?
・
Please add more questions based on and related to students’ responses.
Should we deal with ‘diseases’, a science topic, in the English class?
As your students learn subjects such as science, social science and math in Hindi, the English class
presents an opportunity to discuss some of the concepts in these subjects in English. There is a double
t will increase the students’ vocabulary; it will also help them widen their understanding of
other subjects. In addition, the classrooms will become a place of natural language learning. So don't
hesitate to choose topics from other subjects, and do discuss these in the English class.

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Did it work?
Activity – 8: On a winter's night
'Is there relationship between seasons and ailments? Can you classify diseases based on seasons?' Ask the students
to refer to the list they made earlier.
Develop a discussion based on the precautions to be taken for each season. Then ask, 'What will happen if
somebody doesn’t have a blanket in winter?' List out students’ responses on the board.
At this point don’t translate their Hindi words. Instead, say 'Now, take your textbook and look through Lesson 4 in
the correct English words for your Hindi words.'
Give them enough time to read the lesson and the words. You may follow the se steps.
・ Students present the words.
・ Ask other students for their opinions.
・ In case of a difference of opinion, read out the relevant part of the lesson and ask them to guess
the meaning of the words.
・ Discuss the lesson.
・ Ask them to copy down the sentences which shows the harshness of winter.
・ Implement the activities suggested in the textbook.
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Did it work?
Activity –9: A language project
Write the following words on the board:
Silent – listen
Tea – eat
Was – saw
On – no
Seat – east
What is so special about these words? Yes, two different words have the same letters. Can you collect a few more
words like these from your text book? How much time do you need to do this?
At end of the time given for the activity, collect all the words. Write them on a chart and put it up in the class, if
possible. Or write them on the board and say, 'Do you want know the meaning of some of the words in this list?
Copy them and refer to a dictionary.'
Did it work?
Did you
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InTSU 6
・ Which activity did your students like the most?
・ Did you try out the variations of some of the activities? How did you modify or adapt them?
・ Were the textbook activities useful to your students? Were you able to connect any more
activities in this TSU with the textbook? Do let us know.

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It is worth remembering the basic features of how TSUs assist the students in learning English.
At the end TSU 6, do you think your students are be able to:
・ develop a stock of words related to subjects like Maths, Science
・ express views in simple sentences
・ construct simple sentences using known words
・ create stories, narrate incidents and events in their lives in simple English
・ copy in a meaningful context
・ You conduct activities that involve listening to English in situations that are
interesting to students and where the meaning can be understood from cues and
clues in the situation, material or conversation with the teacher.
・ You create situations to enable students to use the spoken English words they
know or are learning, for the purpose of communicating meaning in contexts
that are relevant and interesting for them.
・ You ensure active listening in the mother tongue, as well as situations where
children have spoken in the mother tongue by providing challenging situations
where students need to think on their own and
・ You allow students to respond in Hindi to exercises that are in English, so tha t
eventually they may move towards English. The important thing is that students
begin to use their minds, respond and use language structures. This is then
carried over to English.

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TSU English 6 HRI

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