Unit 3: Dreams And Discoveries

Good morning, my dear students! Welcome to today's English lesson. I am so happy to see you all here, ready to learn something new and wonderful. Today, we are going to study a very interesting chapter called "Dreams and Discoveries" from your NCERT Class 7 English textbook. This chapter has three beautiful parts - a story about a creative brother, a lovely poem about paper boats, and some exciting postcards from a girl traveling across our vast and beautiful country, India. So let's begin our journey together!

Before we start reading the story "My Brother's Great Invention," let me tell you that this is a story about a boy named Anand who loves inventing things. But as you'll see, his inventions don't always work the way he plans them to! Now, let's do the activities that come before the reading.

**Activity I** asks us to guess some inventions. Let me help you with this.

The first question says: "I am a concept invented by ancient Indian mathematicians. I add value to numbers. Without me, calculations in the modern digital world would be impossible. Who am I?" Students, think about this carefully. Ancient Indian mathematicians gave us the concept of zero, which is called "shunya" in Hindi. Without zero, we wouldn't be able to do any of the calculations that we do today - not even the simple ones! And in the modern digital world, everything is based on binary code, which uses 0 and 1. So the answer is **zero**.

The second question says: "I am an ancient Indian practice, now popular globally. I focus on physical and mental well-being. What am I?" This is clearly **yoga**, which originated in ancient India and is now practiced all over the world for keeping the body and mind healthy.

**Activity II** asks us to discuss what the world would have been like without inventions and discoveries. Think about this for a moment. Without electricity, we wouldn't have lights, fans, or any electronic devices. Without the wheel, we wouldn't have cars, buses, or trains. Without the telephone, we couldn't talk to people far away. Without medicine, many diseases that we can cure today would still be fatal. So you can see how important inventions and discoveries are! They have made our lives so much easier and better.

The third row has R I _ - T _ K _ N G - that would be CRITICAL THINKING. The fourth row has D E T E _ _ I N A T I _ _ - that would be DETERMINATION. And the fifth row has I _ _ G I _ A _ I O N - that would be IMAGINATION. So the five qualities of an inventor are CREATIVITY, CURIOSITY, CRITICAL THINKING, DETERMINATION, and IMAGINATION. These are indeed very important qualities that help inventors create new and useful things.

Now let's read the story. I'll read it aloud for you, and as I read, try to understand what's happening.

The story begins with a dramatic scene. The father comes home and roars, "Who put that water bag here?" He is sopping wet, which means he is completely soaked. He is scowling, which means he has an angry expression on his face. The mother rushes in to see what the racket is - racket means a loud and disturbing noise. The father wants to know who is behind this "nonsense." The mother thinks it might be a burglar alarm. But the father says he doesn't care what it's supposed to be. He asks for "that boy" - meaning Anand, his son - because he is sure Anand rigged this up, which means he assembled it temporarily.

Now let me tell you about the narrator. The narrator is Anita, who is fourteen years old. Her brother Anand is one year younger than her. She tells us that this is not the first time Anand has got on Papa's nerves or frightened someone half to death in the house. The trouble with Anand is that he thinks he is a scientist. He loves tinkering with all sorts of electrical gadgets, tools, dynamos, planks of wood, and things like that. Tinkering means experimenting or fiddling with things. And he keeps creating "inventions" that never work out as they are supposed to.

Recently, there had been a rush of thefts in the colony, and Anand decided that what was needed was a burglar alarm. So when Papa left for the office and Ma for the market, he started on his latest scheme. As usual, Anita had to be involved, though she would have preferred to finish her novel. She warned Anand, "If you get a shelling, don't bring me in." A shelling means getting into trouble.

Anand said confidently, "Nothing will go wrong this time. I've planned it out carefully. See the blueprint." Anand loves words like blueprint - it makes him feel professional! Anyway, Anita looked at the elaborate drawing of doors, wires, and bells and asked, "How does this thing work?"

Anand explained smugly, which means proudly, "It's quite simple. The moment the door opens, this alarm is tripped off and makes a clanging sound. Then this water bag here is loosened and falls on the thief's head. By then we call the police - simple!"

But Anita asked a very sensible question: "But how does the alarm know that a burglar is opening the door?"

Anand said loftily, "I've taken care of that. A thief tries to open the door stealthily. I've rigged it up so that the alarm works only when the door is opened gently." Stealthily means quietly or carefully so that one is not seen or heard.

Anita was skeptical, which means doubtful. She said, "Remember, if Papa asks, I'm not involved. Now clean up this mess before anyone gets home."

As you already know, Anita's doubts about the alarm were quite justified. Papa, who always opens the door softly, was thoroughly soaked and angry as angry could be. Anyway, for a week after this, Anand did not dare try out anything new.

Then they saw the film "Back to the Future." It's all about a time machine. Well, that was the end of peace and quiet in the house. My brother decided that he had to make a time machine too. Papa locked up his tool box and hid the key while Ma kept a wary eye on her oven and mixer. Because when Anand is on one of his inventing binges, he takes apart all the gadgets in the house to collect parts. You can't imagine the noise that was going on - hammering and sawing and clattering. Anand's room was transformed into a network of wires, springs, levers, and bulbs. There was an enormous panel which was to be control switchboard. As for Anand, he went around looking like a savage. When Ma didn't notice, the fellow didn't even comb his hair.

Anand just wouldn't let anyone into his room. Finally, after a fortnight of frantic activity, the time machine was ready. "We hurried and can try it out tonight," Anand announced to everyone at home disorganised at lunch time.

"I don't know what you've been up to in that room, but you're not trying out anything new," Papa said firmly.

"But it's a time machine! I've invented it," Anand protested.

"When I say NO, I mean NO," Papa said, glaring.

"Poor boy," Ma said noticing Anand's crestfallen look. Crestfallen means looking sad and disappointed.

"At least let's take a look at it."

Papa sighed. "All right, but if the house falls, it's your fault."

As it turned out, they could not try out the time machine that day at all. The next day, Papa and Ma were going to Kharagpur, a few hours away from Calcutta, now called Kolkata, for a wedding. Ma was worried about leaving the children alone, but they reassured her. "We're old enough to look after ourselves, Ma," Anita said. "And we can go next door to Sharma Aunty if we need anything."

"And it's only one night," Anand added.

"All right. But promise me you won't do anything with that time machine till we come back," Ma said sternly, looking at Anand. He promised half-heartedly, offended at this lack of respect for his creation. Anita breathed a sigh of relief.

Now let's discuss the questions that come after the story.

**Question I** asks us to complete the cause-and-effect table. Let me help you with this.

The first cause is: "Anand set up his burglar alarm and rigged it to work when the door was opened softly." What is the effect? The effect is that Papa, who always opens the door softly, was thoroughly soaked by the water bag. So we can write: Papa came home and got soaked by the water bag.

The second cause is missing, and the effect is: "Anita was able to avoid any responsibility as Anand faced the consequences alone." What could be the cause? Looking at the story, we can see that when Anand's burglar alarm went off and soaked Papa, Anita had warned Anand beforehand that she was not involved. So the cause could be: Anita had warned Anand that she was not involved in his invention. Because of this, when Papa got angry, Anita was able to avoid any responsibility.

The third cause is: "We watched the movie 'Back to the Future'." What is the effect? The effect is that Anand decided to make a time machine. So we can write: Anand decided to make a time machine.

The fourth cause is: "Papa firmly said 'NO' to trying out the time machine." What is the effect? The effect is that Anand was crestfallen or sad, but they could not try out the time machine that day. But then, when Papa and Ma left for Kharagpur, what happened? Let's see.

**Question II** asks: Do you think Anand was able to keep his promise regarding the time machine? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Let's think about this. Anand promised Ma that he wouldn't do anything with the time machine till they came back. But when Papa and Ma left, what happened? A thief named Boppa tried to enter the house. Anand and Anita had to deal with the situation, and in the chaos, the time machine got activated. So technically, Anand did not keep his promise because the time machine was used, even if it was by accident. But we could also say that he didn't intentionally break his promise - it happened because of the thief. So the answer could be that he didn't keep his promise because the time machine got activated when the thief was in the room, even though he didn't deliberately try it out.

Now let's continue reading the story. They left by the afternoon train and were coming back the following evening. Anand fell asleep immediately, but Anita stayed up to finish a novel. At about eleven thirty, Anita thought she heard a scratching at the front door. Telling herself it was only her imagination, she went back to the book. A little later there was a rattle and a click. She was really scared, what with a murder story before her and then strange noises in the middle of the night! She shook Anand and whispered, "Listen, there's someone at the door."

"Go and open it then," he muttered groggily. Groggily means in a sleepy, dazed manner.

"You silly! Someone's trying to get in," Anita said.

Anand sat up. "Who? What?"

"I don't know," Anita said. "What shall we do?"

"Let's holler for help," he said. Before they could do anything, the door swung open and they found themselves looking at a ruffianly fellow with a green scarf around his neck. Anand gasped. Ruffianly means having a fierce or criminal appearance.

"Hey, it's Boppa!" Anita whispered. It was indeed the fellow who had recently begun sweeping out the compounds in our row of houses. So, he was the thief, and no wonder. He knew exactly when the occupants were out, leaving the coast clear.

The fellow gave an evil grin. "One squeak out of you and see what happens," he said, brandishing his cudgel and backing out of the room. They heard him slide the latch in.

Cudgel is a short stick used as a weapon. Brandishing means waving or displaying something threateningly.

"What do we do now?" Anita asked in a low voice.

"Let's shout anyway," Anand suggested.

The door opened suddenly again in the middle of their discussion.

"No noise from you! Now, where is your father's room?"

Anita was about to direct him upstairs when Anand said quickly, "The one next to this one."

"You silly goose!" Anita said angrily as soon as the man had gone. "That's your room. He'll come back as mad as mad can be."

"At least it will give us some time to think of something," Anand said. "He'll take a while to locate the light switch. Let's shout."

All of a sudden there was a crash followed by a loud scream. More strange noises emerged from the next room - a few muffled thumps, an eerie whine, and a low, humming sound. Muffled means not very loud or clear. Eerie means strange and frightening.

"My time machine, he's started it!" Anand gasped. "I wish we could get out of this room and see what is happening out there."

There was another howl, much fainter this time, and a great deal of clattering. They shouted for all they were worth. In a few minutes, they heard footsteps running up their drive. Thankfully they recognised Mrs. Sharma's voice, along with her husband and Dr. Mohan - also a neighbour.

"Anand! Anita! Children, what's the matter? Where are you?"

"Here!" they shouted in unison. In a minute the door was unlocked.

"What on earth has been happening here, children?" Sharma Uncle asked. Both Anand and Anita fell over themselves trying to explain. "Where is the fellow now?"

"The last we heard, he was in the time machine," Anita explained hastily, seeing everyone looking rather puzzled.

They entered the room cautiously and turned on the lights. The time machine was still humming softly but otherwise there was no other sound from the room.

"Well, where is he?" Dr. Mohan asked, peering behind the door. "Did you imagine this?"

"Oh no," Anita protested. "How could both of us have imagined the same thing?"

"Maybe he ran out," Anand suggested.

"I'm sure we'd have seen him. There's only one way out of this house and we came the same way as soon as we heard you," Sharma Uncle sounded very sure.

"Look!" Anand said, pointing to the floor. "He was wearing that." Near the panel of switches was the green scarf.

"Let's search the house - perhaps he's still around," Dr. Mohan said, going upstairs.

Boppa was nowhere to be seen. "Well maybe he did run out and we missed him," Mrs. Sharma said at last. "I can't imagine what else could have happened."

"My time machine! He's gone through that!" Anand burst out, his eyes shining.

"What an imagination this boy has!" Mr. Sharma said, smiling indulgently. "Now off to bed, both of you. I'll spend the night here so you needn't worry about any more intruders now."

Indulgently means in a fond, tolerant manner. Intruders are people who enter a place without permission.

Needless to say, Boppa was never seen again. Anand insists that his time machine worked and he disappeared into the past. The machine itself was dismantled because Papa thought it wasn't safe, so they couldn't try it out. Dismantled means taken apart.

As for Anand, he is convinced that he is a genius and has launched a new project - something about a telephone to contact creatures in outer space. Tell you all about it next time.

Now let's do the discussion questions that come after this part of the story.

**Let us discuss** - Arrange the following events in the correct order of occurrence.

1. The door swings open, and they see Boppa, standing there with an evil grin. 2. Boppa is nowhere to be found, but his green scarf is lying near the time machine. 3. Mrs. Sharma, her husband, and Dr. Mohan unlock the door and enter the house to help the children. 4. Anita wakes Anand up, informing him that someone is trying to get into the house. 5. Anand misleads Boppa into entering his room instead of his father's room.

Let me help you arrange these in the correct order:

First, Anita wakes Anand up because she hears someone trying to get into the house. That's event number 4.

Second, the door swings open and they see Boppa. That's event number 1.

Third, Anand misleads Boppa into entering his room instead of his father's room. That's event number 5.

Fourth, they hear strange noises from the time machine room, and they shout for help. Mrs. Sharma, her husband, and Dr. Mohan come to help them and unlock the door. That's event number 3.

Fifth, they search the house but Boppa is nowhere to be found. His green scarf is lying near the time machine. That's event number 2.

So the correct order is: 4, 1, 5, 3, 2.

Now let's move on to the "Let us think and reflect" section.

**I** - Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

**Extract 1**: "Before beginning this story, let me put you in the picture. I am Anita, fourteen years old. My brother Anand, one year younger than me, caused all that hoo-ha with his burglar alarm. The trouble with him is that he thinks he is a scientist. He loves tinkering with all sorts of electrical gadgets, tools, dynamos, planks of wood, and things like that. And he keeps creating 'inventions' that never work out as they are supposed to."

**(i)** Complete the following sentence suitably by choosing the correct option from those given in the brackets.

When Anita says, "...let me put you in the picture", she wants to _______ (introduce/summarise) the situation for the benefit of the readers.

The phrase "put you in the picture" means to give you all the necessary information about a situation so that you understand what's happening. So the correct answer is **introduce**.

**(ii)** Anand loves 'tinkering' with all sorts of electrical gadgets. This means that he enjoys _______ gadgets.

A. dismantling and creating B. labelling or naming C. repairing or improving D. collecting and displaying

Tinkering means to experiment or fiddle with something, usually to repair or improve it. So the correct answer is **C. repairing or improving**.

**(iii)** Which of the following options most suitably describes Anand's personality?

A. methodical and cautious B. creative and experimental C. energetic and hasty D. shy and reserved

From the story, we can see that Anand is always inventing things, creating new gadgets, and experimenting with different ideas. He is definitely creative and experimental. So the answer is **B. creative and experimental**.

**(iv)** Based on the extract, compare what Anita thinks of her brother Anand with what he thinks of himself.

Anita thinks that Anand is always causing trouble with his inventions that don't work properly. She says "the trouble with him is that he thinks he is a scientist." She seems a bit frustrated with him. On the other hand, Anand thinks he is a scientist and a genius. He believes in his inventions and is very proud of them. So there's a difference between how Anita sees him and how he sees himself.

**Extract 2**: "I was about to direct him upstairs, when Anand said quickly, 'The one next to this one.'

'You silly goose!' I said angrily as soon as the man had gone. 'That's your room. He'll come back as mad as mad can be.'

'At least it will give us some time to think of something,' Anand said. 'He'll take a while to locate the light switch. Let's shout.'

All of a sudden there was a crash followed by a loud scream.

More strange noises emerged from the next room - a few muffled thumps, an eerie whine, and a low, humming sound."

**(i)** Complete the sentence given below with a suitable reason.

Anita was angry with Anand because _______.

Anita was angry with Anand because he directed the thief to his own room instead of their father's room. She called him a "silly goose" and explained that the thief would come back angry when he realized he was in the wrong room.

**(ii)** Which action of Anand shows his presence of mind?

When Anand quickly said "The one next to this one" to mislead the thief, showing that he was thinking on his feet and trying to protect his sister and buy some time. This shows his presence of mind.

**(iii)** What might be the cause of the strange noises emerging from the next room?

A. The intruder moving furniture around B. Anand's time machine getting activated C. The intruder locating the light switch D. Anand's invention malfunctioning

The story says "My time machine, he's started it!" So the strange noises were because the time machine was getting activated. The answer is **B. Anand's time machine getting activated**.

**(iv)** Which of the following best describes the atmosphere in this extract?

A. relaxing B. peaceful C. tense D. sad E. suspenseful F. joyful

The atmosphere is definitely tense and suspenseful because there is an intruder in the house, they are in danger, and they don't know what's happening. So the answer is **C and E - tense and suspenseful**.

Now let's move on to **Question II** - Complete the table with the suitable traits of the characters based on evidence from the text.

We already have an example for Anand: "bothersome" - "And this is not the first time he's got on Papa's nerves or frightened someone half to death in the house."

Now we need to find two more traits for Anand from the box: creative, curious, careful, responsible, bothersome, confident.

From the evidence given: "He loves tinkering with all sorts of electrical gadgets, tools, dynamos, planks of wood, and things like that. And he keeps creating 'inventions' that never work out as they are supposed to." This shows Anand is **creative** because he creates new things.

From: "Nothing will go wrong this time. I've planned it out carefully. See the blueprint." This shows Anand is **confident** because he believes his plan will work.

Now for Anita, we need to find three traits. From the evidence: "We're old enough to look after ourselves, Ma..." - This shows Anita is **responsible**.

From: "But how does the alarm know that a burglar is opening the door?" - This shows Anita is **curious** because she asks questions.

From: "Now clean up this mess before anyone gets home." - This shows Anita is **careful** or **responsible** because she thinks about what might happen.

Now let's move on to **Question III** - Answer the following questions.

**1. What prompted Anand to create the burglar alarm?**

There had been a rush of thefts in the colony, and Anand thought that a burglar alarm was needed to protect their house.

**2. How did Anand's father become the target of the burglar alarm?**

Anand rigged the alarm to work only when the door was opened gently or softly. His father always opens the door softly, so when he came home, the alarm went off and the water bag fell on him, soaking him completely.

**3. How did Anand's parents and sister react to his ideas?**

Papa was often angry and frustrated with Anand's inventions. Ma was sometimes worried but also supportive in her own way. Anita was often skeptical and tried to distance herself from Anand's schemes, warning him that she didn't want to be involved if things went wrong.

**4. How did Anand behave when he was on his 'inventing binges'?**

When Anand was on his inventing binges, he would take apart all the gadgets in the house to collect parts. He would make a lot of noise - hammering, sawing, and clattering. His room would be transformed into a network of wires, springs, levers, and bulbs. He would go around looking like a savage and wouldn't even comb his hair.

**5. Why did Mr. Sharma not believe Anand when he spoke about his time machine?**

Mr. Sharma didn't believe Anand because he thought Anand had a very vivid imagination. When Anand said the thief had disappeared into the past through the time machine, Mr. Sharma smiled and said, "What an imagination this boy has!" He thought it was just a story made up by a child.

**6. Give an ending to this story, explaining what might have happened to Boppa.**

This is a creative question, and you can use your imagination! Here's one possible ending: Perhaps Boppa really did go through the time machine and ended up in a different time period. Maybe he traveled back to the past and was caught by the police there for his crimes. Or maybe he traveled to the future and found a world where crime doesn't exist, and he decided to change his ways. Another possibility is that Boppa was so scared by the strange noises and the humming of the machine that he fainted, and when he woke up, he panicked and ran away through a window, leaving his scarf behind. He was too afraid to ever return to that house again. You can come up with your own creative ending too!

Now let's move on to the **Let us learn** section, which teaches us about some important language concepts.

First, let's learn about **Onomatopoeia**. Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate actual sounds of the thing they describe. For example, the "boom" of a firework exploding, the "ding-dong" of a bell, the "pitter-patter" of rain drops, the "tick-tock" of a clock.

In the story, we have the word "clanging" - "the alarm is tripped off and makes a clanging sound." This is an onomatopoeic word because it imitates the sound.

Now let's do the activity: Read the sound words used in the story in Column 1 and match them with expressions from the box.

**Column 1** has: (i) Crash, (ii) Humming, (iii) Hissed, (iv) Hammering, sawing, clattering.

From the box: whispered angrily, constant and loud construction noises, sudden loud sound of breaking, a continuous low and soothing sound.

- Crash - sudden loud sound of breaking - Humming - continuous low and soothing sound - Hissed - whispered angrily (because when Anita warned Anand, she "hissed" to him) - Hammering, sawing, clattering - constant and loud construction noises

Now let's learn about **Binomials**. Binomials are expressions consisting of two words, usually linked by a conjunction such as 'and' or 'or' that are commonly used together in a fixed order. For example, "peace and quiet" from the story.

Let's do the matching activity:

| Column 1 | Conjunction | Column 2 | |----------|-------------|----------| | (i) safe | and | A. break | | (ii) odds | and | B. cons | | (iii) make | and | C. never | | (iv) pros | and | D. take | | (v) now | or | E. sound | | (vi) give | or | F. ends |

The answers are: - safe and sound - odds and ends - make or break - pros and cons - now or never - give or take

Now let's complete the sentences with suitable binomials:

**(i)** This project will be a **make or break** moment for our team's success.

**(ii)** After a long journey, we were relieved to arrive home **safe and sound**.

**(iii)** Every friendship works well when there is a balance of **pros and cons**.

**(iv)** She organised all the **odds and ends** in the cupboard, to make space for new clothes.

**(v)** Before making a decision, it is important to weigh the **pros and cons** carefully.

**(vi)** This is our final chance to perform on stage, it is **now or never**.

Now let's do the activity with phrasal verbs. We need to fill in the blanks with: tripped off, let up, turned out, ran out of, rigged up.

The paragraph is: "It had been raining and we (i) ________ time to set up for the function, so we quickly (ii) ________ some decorations using whatever materials we had. We accidentally (iii) ________ the fire alarm because of the smoke from the bonfire. Thankfully, the rain (iv) ________ just as the guests were arriving, and despite all the chaos, the function (v) ________ to be a huge success."

The answers are: (i) ran out of - we ran out of time (ii) rigged up - we rigged up some decorations (iii) tripped off - we accidentally tripped off the fire alarm (iv) let up - the rain let up (v) turned out - the function turned out to be a huge success

Now let's learn about **Idioms**. An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a meaning different from the literal meaning of the individual words. For example, 'It is raining cats and dogs' means it's raining very heavily.

From the story, we have these idioms: - got on Papa's nerves - annoyed or irritated Papa - frightened someone half to death - scared someone very badly - leaving the coast clear - making it easy for someone to do something

Let's complete the sentences:

**1.** Shekhar knew he would **get a shelling** for breaking his mother's favourite flower vase.

**2.** We **fell over ourselves** trying to help the injured dog and get it to the vet as quickly as possible.

**3.** Faizy distracted Kanchan, **leaving the coast clear** for us to get inside the room to prepare the birthday surprise.

**4.** The constant power fluctuations during meetings can **get on our nerves**.

**5.** When I am alone at home, any unexpected loud noise in the night can **frighten me half to death**.

Now let's learn about **Past Perfect Tense**. The story says: "It was indeed the fellow who had recently begun sweeping out the compounds in our row of houses."

Here we refer to two completed actions - the recent past (new action) and the later past (old action). The past perfect tense is used for the action that happened earlier.

Let's do the activities:

**1.** Underline the verbs in simple past and past perfect tense:

**(i)** "Ma had rushed in to see what the racket was all about and found Papa standing there, sopping wet and scowling." - Past perfect: had rushed - Simple past: found

**(ii)** "Anand had vanished by this time and reappeared only after dinner when Papa had cooled down." - Past perfect: had vanished, had cooled - Simple past: reappeared

**2.** Fill in the blanks with the simple past or past perfect form of the verbs:

**(i)** After Rohan A. **finished** (finish) his homework, he B. **decided** (decide) to go for a walk. He C. **left** (leave) the house and D. **realised** (realise) he E. **had forgotten** (forget) his keys inside.

**(ii)** By the time we A. **reached** (reach) the station, the train B. **had already left** (already/leave). We C. **waited** (wait) for the next one to arrive.

**3.** Combine the pairs of sentences using the time expressions:

**(i)** Rohan packed his suitcase. He left for the airport. - Rohan **had packed** his suitcase **before** he left for the airport.

**(ii)** We started work. He arrived in the morning. - We **had started** work **before** he arrived in the morning.

**(iii)** They set up the tents. The others brought food and medicine. - They **had set** up the tents **before** the others brought food and medicine.

**(iv)** The students became quiet. They heard the teacher coming. - The students **had become** quiet **when** they heard the teacher coming.

**(v)** The villagers left the village. The flood submerged the entire area. - The villagers **had left** the village **before** the flood submerged the entire area.

Now let's move on to the listening activities. The chapter provides transcripts for the teacher. Let me go through the questions.

**I** - From the conversation between Anita and Toby, choose the true statements:

1. Toby misses his school. - **False** - He misses his people and home. 2. Anita accepts Toby as her friend. - **True** - She says she's happy to have him as her friend. 3. Anita asks Toby about one of his facial features. - **True** - She asks about his eye. 4. Toby tells Anita that she had a banana for breakfast. - **False** - He says she had an apple. 5. Toby shares that he can see much clearer with a closed eye. - **True** - He says he can see even with his eye closed.

**II** - Fill in the blanks with the exact words:

1. Toby: I miss my **people and home**. 2. Toby: Well, we **Martians** don't need to eat anything. We get our **energy** from the Sun. 3. Anita: Oh! Don't you ever feel like having ice creams and **chocolates**? 4. Anita: Okay, tell me one thing. How are you able to see with only **one** eye? 5. Toby: I can see beyond mountains and **clouds**, wood and even **metals**.

Now let's do the speaking activities about pronunciation. The chapter teaches us about words ending with -ough, which are pronounced differently:

- bough - sounds like 'bow' (as in rainbow) - dough - sounds like 'do' - through - sounds like 'throo' - cough - sounds like 'coff' - thought - sounds like 'thawt' - plough - sounds like 'plow'

Now let's do the writing activity. We need to write a paragraph about a vocation we like. You can choose any vocation like electrician, mechanic, chef, nurse, graphic designer, teacher, doctor, etc. Use the hints given in the chapter to write your paragraph. Remember to include why you like this vocation, what training is needed, what tools and equipment are required, who would your co-workers be, how you would deal with customers, and how you plan to pursue it with pride.

Now let's move on to the next section - the poem "Paper Boats" by Rabindranath Tagore.

First, let's do the pre-reading activities.

**Activity I** - Answer these questions:

1. What comes to mind when you think about 'paper boats'? - Many of us might remember making paper boats as children and floating them in water. 2. What do you think someone might hope for when they send a paper boat down a stream? - They might hope that their dreams and wishes will come true, or that their message will reach someone special. 3. Read the title of the poem 'Paper Boats' and predict what the poem might be about. - It might be about a child who makes paper boats and sends them down a stream, perhaps with hopes and dreams.

**Activity II** - Match the highlighted words with their meanings:

1. running - speedily flowing 2. skipping - bouncing 3. bulging - swelling 4. lading - loading 5. burying - putting

Now let's read the poem:

> Day by day I float my paper boats one by one down the running stream. > > In big black letters I write my name on them and the name of the village where I live. > > I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am. > > I load my little boats with shiuli flower from our garden, and hope that these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely to land in the night. > > I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky and see the little clouds setting the white bulging sails. > > I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the air to race with my boats! > > When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars. > > The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams.

Now let's do the discussion questions.

**I** - Complete the summary:

The poet sends paper boats down a **stream** each day, writing his name and the name of his **village** on them. He hopes that someone in a **strange** land will find them and know who he is. The poet fills his boats with **shiuli** flowers from his garden, hoping they will be safely carried to another land at **night**. As he launches his boats, he imagines that the **clouds** in the sky are like friends, racing with his boats. At night, he dreams that his paper boats continue to **float** under the midnight stars, with the fairies of sleep sailing in them, their baskets full of **dreams**.

**II** - Choose the correct option for the theme:

The theme of the poem is ____________.

1. innocence 2. imagination 3. ignorance 4. playfulness 5. travel

The correct options are **1, 2, and 4** - innocence, imagination, and playfulness.

**III** - True or false:

The setting of the poem is a natural, outdoor environment. - **True** - The poem is set outdoors near a stream.

**IV** - Complete the sentence:

The tone is **gentle and wishful** and the mood is **thoughtful**.

**V** - Identify examples of alliteration from the poem:

Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words. In the poem, we have "day by day," "big black letters," "blooms of the dawn," "white bulging sails." These are all examples of alliteration.

**VI** - Fill in the blanks:

1. The repetition of words **day** and **float** emphasises the passage of time.

2. The poet uses imagery like **shiuli flowers** and **midnight stars** to create a clear picture in the minds of the readers.

**VII** - Match the descriptions with what they symbolise:

1. the child's innocence, dreams, hopes, and messages sent out into the world - (ii) paper boats 2. purity, beauty, and the start of a new day - (iii) shiuli flowers 3. the vast universe and the child's dreams continuing through the night - (i) midnight stars

Now let's do the "Let us think and reflect" section.

**I** - Read the extract and answer the questions:

"When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars. The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams."

**(i)** Select the option that is most likely to be the speaker as per the extract.

The speaker is a **child** - someone young and innocent who believes in magic and dreams.

**(ii)** What can be inferred about the speaker's feelings when night comes?

When night comes, the speaker feels **thoughtful and dreamy**. He buries his face in his arms and dreams about his paper boats floating under the stars. He seems peaceful and content.

**(iii)** What kind of beings are the 'fairies of sleep' imagined as?

The fairies of sleep are imagined as **gentle** beings who carry baskets full of dreams. So the answer is **B. gentle**.

**(iv)** Fill in the blank:

The phrase 'lading is their baskets full of dreams' suggests that the speaker imagines the fairies of sleep carefully **carrying his dreams** in their baskets.

**II** - Answer the following questions:

**1.** Why do you think the poet writes his personal details on the paper boats?

The poet writes his name and the name of his village on the paper boats because he hopes that someone in some strange land will find them and know who he is. It's a way of sending a message about himself to the world, of connecting with people he doesn't know.

**2.** The poet talks about the imagination of a child. Support this view with examples from the poem.

The poem is full of examples of child's imagination. The child imagines that someone in a strange land will find his boats. He imagines that the clouds in the sky are his playmates who send down the clouds to race with his boats. He imagines that the fairies of sleep are sailing in his boats and carrying baskets full of dreams. These are all examples of a child's vivid imagination.

**3.** How does the poet bring together imagination and reality to make the poem more interesting?

The poet combines real things like paper boats, streams, flowers, and clouds with imaginary things like fairies, dreams, and a playmate in the sky. This makes the poem interesting because it shows how a child's mind can turn everyday objects into magical things. The reality of floating paper boats becomes magical when combined with the imagination of dreams and fairies.

Now let's do the "Let us learn" section for the poem.

**I** - Create phrases using words from Column 1 and Column 2 with 'of':

- wings of the wind - waves of the ocean - dreams of the evening - songs of the children - glimmers of the stars - cries of the birds - tears of the rain - roars of the thunder - shadows of the clouds

**II** - Categorize the words according to the time of day:

**Morning**: dawn, daybreak, sunrise, sunup **Afternoon**: noon, forenoon, noontime, midday **Evening**: twilight, dusk, sunset, sundown **Night**: nightfall, midnight, night-time

**III** - Match the words with their opposites:

1. strange - (v) ordinary 2. dawn - (iv) dusk 3. launch - (iii) sink 4. bulging - (vi) shrinking 5. float - (i) halt 6. lading - (ii) emptying

Now let's do the listening activity for the poem. From the conversation about origami:

1. Sai was trying to make an origami crane. - **True** 2. Sai's father used to do origami as a child. - **True** 3. Paper was very expensive so it was used only for special occasions. - **True** 4. People have been making paper cranes for thousands of years. - **False** - Origami started over a thousand years ago, but paper cranes and other decorative designs only became popular in the seventeenth century (about 400 years ago). 5. There is a belief that if you make a thousand paper cranes, your wish will come true. - **True** 6. The art of origami is about enjoying the process. - **True** 7. Sai's father suggests making a paper boat next time. - **False** - He suggests making a paper boat. (Wait, let me re-read: The statement says "Sai's father suggests making a paper bookmark next time" and this is marked False because he actually suggests a paper boat. So the correction should be:) 7. Sai's father suggests making a paper bookmark next time. - **False** - He suggests making a paper boat.

Now let's do the writing activity - writing a diary entry about a rainy day. Follow the format given in the chapter, mentioning the day, date, and time, beginning with a general sentence, giving details, and concluding with a final remark.

Now let's move on to the last section - "North, South, East, West" - a series of postcards by Shaana traveling across India.

First, let's do the pre-reading activities.

**Activity I** - Discuss the place you have enjoyed traveling to, who you went with, how you traveled, and what you learned.

**Activity II** - Write details about your State or Union Territory: part of the country, capital, language, river(s), tourist attraction, and food.

**Activity III** - Recall states with 'Pradesh' in their names:

- Himachal Pradesh - North - Arunachal Pradesh - Northeast - Uttar Pradesh - North - Madhya Pradesh - Centre

Now let's read the postcards. Shaana is traveling with her parents and writing postcards to her friends from different places in India.

**Postcard 1** - From Thajiwas glacier in Kashmir (30 April): She's in the north, at a glacier. The glaciers are white and blue, and they have to wear four layers of clothes. Her parents love throwing snowballs at each other.

**Postcard 2** - From Himachal Pradesh (10 May): Very quiet, mountains everywhere, colorful birds wake her up when the Sun rises in the east. She thinks she hears bears growling in the west, but her mother says it's just her father snoring.

**Postcard 3** - From Arunachal Pradesh (17 May): She explains that Arunachal Pradesh is far from Himachal Pradesh - Himachal is in the north but Arunachal is in the east. They walked through a thick forest to reach their treehouse.

**Postcard 4** - From Sundarbans in West Bengal (24 May): It's a wetland, with mangroves growing in seawater. They saw crocodiles and a snake while boating. Her mother is sad about the flooding.

**Postcard 5** - From Gujarat (30 May): They traveled from east to west, from West Bengal to Gujarat. It's hot, dry, and there's sand everywhere - like a beach without the sea! She loves the colorful clothes there.

**Postcard 6** - From Narmada river (7 June): They drove from the desert to the Narmada river, which flows to the centre of India. They went rafting in the river, which was wild and scary.

**Postcard 7** - From Goa (12 June): She thinks they're in the southwest part of the country, in Goa. She talks about the plateaus, hills, beaches, and tunnels. She used to be afraid of tunnels but isn't anymore.

**Postcard 8** - From Chennai to Puducherry (17 June): They learned how to surf. The waves are rougher and the water is browner than what they have on their island (Rameswaram).

**Postcard 9** - From Pamban bridge (22 June): She crossed the Pamban bridge and could see the ocean on both sides - amazing that a train can travel across the sea!

**Postcard 10** - From Olaikaadu beach (24 June): Her mother wanted to teach her how to dive, but they didn't have diving suits her size, so she spent the day floating and looking at the fish.

**Postcard 11** - Final letter to parents (25 June): She thanks her parents for the trip and says they will miss visiting all the forests, glaciers, deserts, wetlands, plateaus, and mountains, and meeting all those different people.

Now let's do the discussion questions.

**Complete the table** based on Shaana's postcards:

1. Thajiwas glacier, Kashmir - white and blue glaciers; throwing snowballs 2. Himachal Pradesh - quiet, mountains, colorful birds waking up with sunrise, thought she heard bears growling 3. Arunachal Pradesh - walking through a thick forest to reach the treehouse 4. Gujarat - hot, dry, desert, colorful clothes 5. The Narmada river - rafting, wild and scary 6. Chennai - surfing, rougher waves, browner water 7. Olaikaadu beach - floating and looking at the fish; Appa and Amma went for a dive

Now let's do the "Let us think and reflect" section.

**I** - Read the extracts and answer the questions.

**Extract 1** - About Sundarbans:

**(i)** What feeling does Shaana most likely experience when she says, "I never knew such a place existed..."?

The answer is **D. wonder** - she is surprised and amazed to learn about this new place.

**(ii)** Complete the sentence: Amma is sad about the frequent flooding in Sundarbans because **the flooding is causing damage to the ecosystem and the wildlife there.**

**(iii)** Select the evidence from the text that reflects a feeling of the speaker's slight nervousness: "I hope they don't follow us home." This shows she's a bit nervous about the crocodiles and snake they saw.

**(iv)** Assertion: The speaker is missing her friends. Reason: The speaker wishes to know the well-being of her friends.

The answer is **A** - Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion. At the end of the postcard, she asks, "How is everyone? Are you missing me yet?" which shows she misses her friends and wants to know how they are.

**Extract 2** - About Goa:

**(i)** Complete the sentence: The speaker chooses to stay awake because **she loves looking out of the window and seeing the plateaus.**

**(ii)** What does the speaker mean by saying, 'You won't believe how nice the plateaus look'? - She is expressing her amazement and trying to convey to her friends how beautiful the plateaus look, using an expression that shows she thinks it's hard to describe.

**(iii)** What has been the change in the speaker's attitude towards tunnels? - **A. from fear to comfort** - She says she used to be afraid of tunnels but isn't anymore.

**(iv)** Fill in the blanks: The speaker's wish to share the experience of touring the plateaus with others indicates her **sense of connection** as well as the value she places on **shared experiences** with her peers.

**II** - Answer the following questions:

**1.** Shaana mentions that she used to be afraid of tunnels. What could have been the most likely reason for her to be scared of tunnels?

She might have been scared of tunnels because they are dark, enclosed spaces, and children often feel afraid of the unknown or dark places. The darkness and the feeling of being enclosed can be scary for some people.

**2.** Do you think Shaana's Appa and Amma enjoyed themselves, just like children do? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Yes, they did! In the postcard from Kashmir, her parents "love it here, and they like throwing snowballs at each other." In the postcard from Chennai, "Amma and Appa splashed water on each other and behaved like children." These examples show that they enjoyed themselves just like children.

**3.** Shaana mentions less snow in the glaciers and more flooding in the Sundarbans. Explain what these observations indicate.

These observations indicate that there are environmental changes happening due to climate change. Less snow in the glaciers could be due to global warming, and more flooding in the Sundarbans could be due to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns. This shows that our environment is changing, and it's important for us to take care of our planet.

**4.** Shaana's visits to different parts of the country highlight the diversity of India's geography. Support this statement with evidence from the text.

Yes, indeed! Shaana visited glaciers in Kashmir, mountains in Himachal Pradesh, forests in Arunachal Pradesh, wetlands in Sundarbans, deserts in Gujarat, rivers in Narmada, plateaus in Goa, beaches in Chennai and many more places. Each of these places has different geographical features - mountains, forests, deserts, wetlands, rivers, plateaus, and beaches. This shows the great diversity of India's geography.

**5.** How does Shaana use language to convey her excitement, curiosity, and sometimes her fears about the places she visits?

Shaana uses expressive language to convey her feelings. She uses words like "You won't believe..." to show excitement. She asks questions like "Did you know that Arunachal Pradesh is far away from Himachal Pradesh?" to show curiosity. She expresses fears by saying things like "I hope they don't follow us home" after seeing crocodiles, and "I used to be afraid of tunnels" but now she's not.

**6.** What might Shaana have learnt from her travels across India? How would it impact her understanding of the country?

Shaana would have learned about the diverse geography, different cultures, languages, and people of India. She would have seen mountains, deserts, forests, beaches, rivers, and glaciers. She would have experienced different climates and met people from different backgrounds. This would help her understand that India is a vast and diverse country with many different landscapes and cultures, and this would broaden her understanding and appreciation of her country.

**7.** What could be the author's purpose of presenting the text in the form of postcards?

The author uses postcards because they are a personal way of sharing travel experiences. Postcards are usually short messages sent to friends and family while traveling, so they give a brief but personal account of the places visited. This format makes the writing feel more intimate and relatable, as if Shaana is directly talking to her friends. It also allows the author to show different aspects of India through Shaana's eyes in a simple and engaging way.

Now let's do the "Let us learn" section for this section.

**I** - Match the words with suitable pictures. Since I don't have the pictures, let me tell you what each word refers to:

1. glaciers - large masses of ice 2. treehouse - a house built in a tree 3. wetlands - areas of land covered with water 4. plateaus - flat elevated areas of land 5. pebbles - small smooth stones 6. rafting - riding on a raft down a river

**II** - Choose the associated words:

1. "In the middle of the night, the little boy heard a loud scary noise. He felt so afraid that he couldn't sleep." - **scary** 2. "There used to be a bookstore near my house. But it is now shifted to the town." - **existed** 3. "The flashes of light from the car made her suddenly close and open her eyes several times." - **blink** 4. "The children jumped into the pool and threw water at each other with loud noises." - **splashed** 5. "My grandmother's place is so beautiful with all green paddy fields and palm trees. It was a great experience." - **amazing** 6. "When I looked up at the sky, the clouds were not staying at one place. They were moving across the sky." - **floating**

**III** - Word search: The six travel-related words are: BOAT, DRIVE, RAFT, TRAIN, WALKED, SAILED. You can find them in the grid.

**IV** - Subject-verb agreement: We already covered this in detail. Remember: - A subject and its verb must agree. - When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb should match the subject that is closer to it. - Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on the context. - Some nouns that look plural (like scissors, glasses) take a singular verb when used with "pair of".

**V** - Choose the correct option:

1. A pair of sunglasses **is** essential when traveling to sunny destinations. 2. Either the tour guide or the tourists **have** to arrive first at the meeting point. 3. The information on travel expenses **is** useful for first-time travelers. 4. Neither the flight crew nor the pilot **was** aware of the delay. 5. The news about the heavy rains **makes** many people reconsider their vacation plans. 6. A pair of binoculars **is** useful for spotting wildlife on a safari. 7. The hill stations in India **remain** a popular travel destination during winter. 8. Keeping accounts **is** important for spending money wisely during travel. 9. Either the ticket or the bus passes **need** to be used for traveling in the tourist bus. 10. Neither the passengers nor the taxi driver **was** aware of the best route to the hotel.

Now let's do the listening activity about Agartala:

1. What does the word 'Agartala' mean? - **(i) under the agar tree** 2. Which of these is another name for agarwood trees? - **(i) gharuwood** 3. What kind of smell does agarwood have? - **(ii) woody and flowery** 4. How is agarwood formed? - **(iii) when the tree gets infected** 5. What is agarwood used to make? - **(ii) perfumes and wood carvings**

Now let's do the speaking activity about travel preferences. You can work with a partner and discuss your preferences using the phrases given in the chapter.

Now let's do the writing activity - writing an application for leave to attend a family event. Follow the format given in the chapter, include the duration of leave, reason for leave, and how you will complete your school work.

Now let's do the explore section. There are crossword puzzles and activities about different places in India. You can solve the crossword using the clues given. The answers are:

**Across**: 2. Pangong Lake - Ladakh 7. Thar Desert - Rajasthan 9. Serenity Beach - Andaman and Nicobar Islands 11. Hampi - Karnataka 12. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam - Andhra Pradesh/Telangana 14. Thangka Paintings - Sikkim 15. Rann of Kutch - Gujarat 16. Nalanda University - Bihar

**Down**: 1. Dampa Tiger Reserve - Mizoram 3. Cellular Jail - Andaman and Nicobar Islands 4. Double Decker Living Root Bridge - Meghalaya 5. Dudhsagar Falls - Goa 6. Gangotri Glacier - Uttarakhand 8. Chilika Lake - Odisha 10. Chota Nagpur Plateau - Jharkhand 13. Kurukshetra - Haryana

You can also find out about the Hornbill festival in Nagaland and the unique places in your region.

Now, my dear students, we have come to the end of our lesson. Let me give you a complete summary of everything we have learned today.

**Summary of the Chapter "Dreams and Discoveries":**

In this chapter, we learned three main sections:

1. **My Brother's Great Invention**: This is a story about Anita and her younger brother Anand, who loves inventing things. His inventions often don't work as planned. He created a burglar alarm that soaked his father instead of a thief, and later built a time machine that supposedly made a thief disappear. We learned about onomatopoeia (sound words like "clanging"), binomials (word pairs like "peace and quiet"), idioms (phrases like "got on Papa's nerves"), and past perfect tense.

2. **Paper Boats**: This is a beautiful poem by Rabindranath Tagore about a child who floats paper boats down a stream, hoping that someone in a strange land will find them. We learned about imagery, alliteration, and how to create phrases using "of." We also learned about different times of the day and opposites of words.

3. **North, South, East, West**: This section contains postcards from Shaana, who traveled across India with her parents, visiting places like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sundarbans, Gujarat, Narmada river, Goa, Chennai, and Rameswaram. We learned about subject-verb agreement, different geographical features of India, and about Agartala and agarwood.

Throughout the chapter, we also practiced listening, speaking, and writing activities. We learned about different vocations, how to write a diary entry, and how to write an application for leave.

This chapter taught us about the importance of creativity, imagination, and curiosity - the qualities of inventors and explorers. It also showed us the beautiful diversity of India - its mountains, deserts, forests, beaches, rivers, and plateaus. And it reminded us that dreams can lead to discoveries, just like Anand's inventions and Shaana's travels led them to new experiences and learnings.

Thank you for listening attentively, my dear students! Keep dreaming, keep exploring, and keep learning. See you in the next class!