TSU English 8 SBP

ENGLISH
TEACHER SUPPORT UNIT 8
Difference of Opinions with Others

English Teacher Support Unit 8

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DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS WITH OTHERS
Before we start……
The Eighth TSU
After completing the seventh TSU, your students will be able to:

Each one of us is unique. We think differently and may often have opinions that are different from that of
others. Adolescents have their own opinions on many things and they should be encouraged to express
their views. In the process of articulating their ideas they need to become aware that differences of opinion
do not have to come in the way of people working together. The activities in this TSU will help your
students to put forward their opinions in oral and written form, and also help them to appreciate (and
tolerate) other people's points of view.
Here are some suggested activities to help students develop this important life skill.
Activity – 1: How to disagree?
Narrate the following situation to the students.
Your elder brother, who is studying in a degree college, says that Bhubaneswar is the best city in Odisha to
live in. You think it is Sambalpur. Your brother offers a few reasons why he thinks Bhubaneswar is the best
city. It has broad roads, less pollution and the cost of living is low. He also mentions that it is the state's
capital and is more ancient city than many other cities in the state.
You disagree. You think Sambalpur is far better than Bhubaneswar. It offers more job opportunities, is
better connected to many cities across India, there are a number of colleges and schools and it is easier to
rent a house.
• Listen to and understand conversations either in class or on TV
• Read newspapers and understand basic information from reports
• Express views and opinions in oral and written forms
• Undertake simple language projects like developing a poster
• Read written instructions
• Participate in oral group compositions
• Read aloud fluently – with attention to full stops, commas, etc.
• Write down their opinions
• Convert one language form into another – e.g., tables into write-ups, dialogues into an
essay, etc.


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Your brother loses his temper because you continue to disagree with him, and says, 'Listen, I should know
better since I am elder to you. Let's talk in the evening.' He rushes off to take the bus to college. You are
sure that he will return that evening, continue the argument and would expect you to agree with him.
Ask students: Is it all right to disagree with your elders? In this case, it is the brother. What about parents
and grandparents?
Here are some more questions you can ask.
Your brother stated some reasons to support his view. Can you arrange them in descending order - from
the most acceptable to the least acceptable?
What would you do when your brother comes back home in the evening to continue the argument with
you? What would you do if you think it is not worth having a quarrel over this issue?
If you want to stick to your view and continue the argument, while retaining the respect you have for him,
what would you say when you meet him again in the evening?
Among the following topics, which ones are worth arguing about with parents or elders if they think
differently?
• What you should study after completing Class 10.
• What you should eat.
• What type of clothes you should wear.
• Whom you should be friends with.
• What safety precautions you must take while cooking/ ironing clothes/cycling to the school.
• What movies you should watch.
• What music you should listen to.
Can you write a dialogue between you and your brother based on the above situation?
How would you conduct the above activity - individually, in groups, in pairs, or for the whole
class?
Would you vary the grouping? For example, partly as a group activity and partly as a pair
activity? Which portion of the activity will suit group / pair / individual / whole-class work?


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Did it work?
interesting difficult boring
Activity - 2: Expressing opinions
We often express our opinions in rigid ways, as if what we believe is true for everybody else. Other
people may not feel the same way as you and it can be annoying if you present your opinion in this way.
Here are some pairs of statements. Which one of each pair is a better way of expressing your opinion?
We went to see a movie yesterday and it was horrible.
We went to see a movie yesterday. I didn't like it.
There is no worse vegetable than ‘baingan’. I wonder how people can eat it!
I don't like ‘baingan’ much.
I am not interested in watching cricket.
Watching cricket is a waste of time for anyone.
I don’t like people being dishonest.
No one should be dishonest.
I don't like people who bully others in school.
Bullying others is unacceptable.
Did it work?
What is the focus of this activity?.....................................................................
Did you make any modifications or try out
variations?..................................................................................................................
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variations?..................................................................................................................
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Activity – 3: But…
Write the following on the board.
• I bought a new pen, but .......................................................................................................... .
• I read a book, but ..................................................................................................................... .
• Rajendra went to his friend’s house, but ............................................................................. .
• The teacher didn’t come, but ................................................................................................. .
• The door was not open, but ................................................................................................... .
Ask them to complete the first sentence. Do it as a whole class activity. Elicit different responses for a
sentence. Here are some expected answers. 'I bought a new pen but it doesn't write well /it is broken/ I
don’t like it/ the top is broken…'. Give them some time to complete the sentences.
Since this is a comparatively simple activity, ask those students who are reluctant to participate to present
their sentences. Appreciate them.
Did it work?
Activity – 4: End to Beginning
Give the students the last sentence of a situation. Ask them to construct the story or situation. For
example, 'From that day, Naveen and I stopped troubling Ahmed.' You can develop the story in this way
so that students get an idea about what you expect them to do.
Naveen and I enjoyed bullying and teasing others in the class. We particularly targeted Ahmed, a new
student who had just joined the class. His family recently relocated to Sambalpur. He never hurt us back
and would ignore our harassment. One day, we learnt that he was suffering from bone cancer and had only
a few months to live. We were deeply ashamed for having teased him. From that day, Naveen and I
stopped troubling Ahmed.
Here are some suggestions for last sentences you can use.
variations?..................................................................................................................
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• Rima decided not to return the money to Kavita.
• After this incident, the shop keeper was very courteous to me whenever I went to the shop.
• The bull ran away seeing Imran.
• Tears of joy rolled down Sheila's cheeks.
Here's a variation using the same last sentence
For e.g., Naveen and I enjoyed bullying and teasing classmates. One day, a new boy by name Ahmed joined
the class. We decided to target him. Initially, he didn’t react. One day, in the assembly, our school
headmaster announced that Ahmed has been selected to participate at the National Level Competition in
Karate. He also announced that he is a ‘blackbelt’ (the highest level of achievement in Karate). From that
day, Naveen and I stopped troubling Ahmed.
Did it work?
Activity – 5: Saying it differently
Present the following event.
Ranbir and Shahrukh are friends. Shahrukh has a cricket bat. Ranbir wanted to borrow it so he asked
Shahrukh asked for it. Shahrukh didn’t want to lend his bat to Ranbir because Ranbir had lost many things
that Shahrukh had lent him earlier. Shahrukh doesn’t want say hurt Ranbir but he still wants to refuse to
lend him his bat.
Stop here and distribute photocopies of the following conversation or hang up a chart on which you have
written the conversation earlier..
R: Do you have a cricket bat?
S: Yes, I do, but my cousin has borrowed it from me.
R: When will he return the bat?
S: He is not going to return the bat soon, because he has to play matches right through the month.
variations?..................................................................................................................
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R: Fine, I will come after a month.
S: But I will not have it even then because another cousin has asked to borrow it for a few matches he
is playing the month after that. I suggest that you ask Ajay who also owns a cricket bat. Or would you like
me to come with you to our school’s Games Teacher, Patel who owns a bat. He may be willing to lend it?
He likes me very much and would help. But you must not lose the bat! You must return it on time to him.
R: Ok.
Ask the students to role play this conversation.
Now ask students to write role plays for the following dialogues. It is better to do a role play in Odia
before asking them to write this kind of conversation. Here are some situations for creating dialogues of
this kind:
• A friend wants to join your school drama troupe which you head. She is a poor actor. You don’t
want to take her.
• A friend, who has come on a holiday to your house, wants to come to your school. You don't like
this idea.
• A stranger is asking for lift on your cycle. You don’t know him or her.
Did it work?
Activity – 6: For and against
Ask your students if they agree with the first or the second statement below. Ask them to form groups,
and come up with a list of arguments for whichever statement they choose.
• You should not waste food. Whatever food items are on the plate, must be eaten.
• You should leave the food on the plate, if you don’t feel like eating it. Eating food that is unhealthy
or unsuitable for you could lead to diseases and stomach pain.
variations?..................................................................................................................
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You can use the following themes to elicit both supporting and opposing viewpoints. Ask students to work
in groups and either assign or allow them to choose the position they want to take.
• Sachin Tendulkar should not have been given the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award)
because there are many deserving people who are working for the poor, who deserve it more.
Sachin Tendulkar, who came up from a humble background, proved that you don’t have to be rich
to achieve great success. He also inspired millions of Indians to be proud of being an Indian. So he
deserved the Bharat Ratna.
• We need capital punishment (hanging a person to death) for extraordinary crimes.
The government should abolish capital punishment because killing a human being, whether by the
government or the individual, is unacceptable.
• The government should give an allowance (money) to any person who is unemployed.
The government should not give any money to the unemployed since that will make them lazy.
Instead, they need jobs, which will allow them to earn money.
Allow students to use Odia but encourage them to use English as much as possible. Provide English
equivalents whenever necessary.
Do a few students dominate your class?
This is a common problem. A few students may dominate all discussions and you may end up
giving them too much attention. Of course, you should engage with them. But can you do so
without ignoring others? Here are some suggestions:
• When you do a listing activity, ask the dominant students to present their answers
only at the end.
• Ask them to come up with examples to explain an idea.
• Plan some challenging questions, related to an activity, especially for them.
•
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Did it work?
Activity – 7: Comparing things
When we have arguments we first try to find common ground and then move on to justifying our point of
view. It is useful to think about similarities and differences in this context. Here is an activity that will help
your students work on this skill.
Tell the students the following: 'I am going to ask you a simple question. But don’t be in a hurry to give me
the answer. Take your time to think a bit, and write down your points. You have about five minutes for
this.'
Then ask 'What do a cat and a dog have in common?' Ask them to stop writing after five minutes. Explore
the answers. The questions you could ask include:
• How many of you wrote more than 10 points?
• What is your first point?
• What is your tenth point?
• How many of you have NOT written 'Both are pet animals'?
Conduct a similar process for the following questions too:
• What are the differences between a cat and a dog?
• What are the similarities between a blackboard and a notebook?
• What are the differences between a notebook and a blackboard?
Other ‘pairs’ that could be included in the list include: school/home, cinema/drama, classical music (shehnai,
sitar, etc)/cinema music, well/pump set...
Try to ask similarities and differences between two totally dissimilar-looking objects: e.g. a shirt and the
wall, gold and paper, an apple and chocolate…
variations?..................................................................................................................
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Did it work?
Activity – 8: ‘The First Step’ A story (Class-9 non detailed text – Lesson-3)
Tell the students: There is an interesting story in your text book. Annu a little girl want go to School. But
her father would not send her to school. He says, it will be of no use to her as she is a girl. If Chinni her
brother is educated it will help him to get a job. Do you think Annu will go to School? What was Annu’s
first step towards her goal? Read the story and find the answer.
Give the students a clear picture of what you meant by ‘reading‘. You may write the steps of the process
on the board to help them understand what to do.
• Read the lesson
• List out the hard words
• Guess the meaning of the words
• Find simpler meanings for difficult words by checking the glossary or a dictionary
• Read the text again
• Mark sentences which need explanation
• Guess the meaning of those sentences
• Discuss with your friends
The next day, ask them some questions to check their understanding. Then ask them the following
questions.
variations?..................................................................................................................
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Ask, 'Did you mark any sentences which need explanation?' Let a student read out one sentence. Don’t
explain at once. Ask 'What is your guess or what do you think the meaning is?' Let him / her try to
respond. Then ask others to say what they understood about the sentence. If their explanations are not
correct, then you can suggest the meaning.
Options:
a. Antonyms – Class 10
• Antonyms are a good way of developing vocabulary to counter arguments and put forward
opinions clearly to others. Ask the students to do the section on antonyms. The can be encouraged
to make sentences with the words.
b. Negative sentences – Classes 9 and 10
• Negative sentences too can help to put forward an alternate point of view. Ask students to do the
exercise given in this section.
Did it work?
Activity – 9 : Puzzles and riddles
Try to make copies of the following riddles for the students. If that is a problem, write them on the board.
1. I am a table. But I have no legs. Who am I?
2. I am a driver. But no policeman can arrest me. Who am I?
3. I have a face and two hands. But I don’t have arms and legs. Who am I?
4. If you clean it, it becomes black. What is it?
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5. What belongs to you but is used more by other people?
6. I run but never walk, I murmur but never talk, I go on but never stop. What am I?
7. What is as big as an elephant, but weighs nothing at all?
8. If you want to use me, you have to break me. Who am I?
9. As long as I eat, I live. When I drink water, I die.
10. What teaches you without talking?
Answers: 1. Time table 2. Screw driver 3.Clock 4.Blackboard 5. Your name 6. River 7. Shadow 8. Egg 9.
Fire 10. Book
If you write the riddles on the board, don’t ask them to copy them. Instead act as if you are going to rub
them. Do they stop you? Or are they copying them, without waiting for your instructions?
Here are some more suggestions related to riddles.
• Ask students to collect as many riddles as possible and share them with others.
• Ask them to translate Odia riddles into English and vice versa.
• Creating new riddles will be an interesting challenge. Ask them to think of an object and create a
riddle. E.g.: If you press me the television will work. Who am I? Answer – TV remote.
Did it work?
variations?..................................................................................................................
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Assessing yourself
Student performance indicators
Here are some indicators you can use to evaluate yourself.
• I can present an event/ ask an interesting question to draw students’ attention.
• I can give instructions (what to do? how to do?) clearly.
• I can organize materials and provide them at the right time.
• I can observe students and extend minimum help to make them involve in the
activity
• I can organize the classroom according to the nature of the activity.
• I can increase/ decrease the level of challenge of an activity (Can try variation of an
activity according to the level of interest of the students).
• I can read out texts/ present stories and events with the right features of narration
(facial expression, gestures, tonal variations... etc).
Read the key objectives of this TSU. Convert them into questions. Based on them you
can evaluate the performance of your students.
Please note down your evaluation questions. Share them at the cluster meetings.

TSU English 8 SBP

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