Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about True Height from Class 6 English_FL. Please note that this is Chapter 6 in your textbook. Before we dive into our main story, let us begin with the pre-reading listening and speaking task. Imagine a quiet village called Hosanagara in South Karnataka. Nagaraje Gowda and Jayamma are farmers living there. On the midnight of September 3rd, 2012, Monday, they were waiting anxiously for a phone call from about five thousand miles away. When the call finally came, their son H N Girisha said, Amma, I have won Silver. Their joy knew no bounds. Girisha had won the Silver Medal in the Paralympics in London earlier that night. A crowd of eighty thousand people, including about two thousand Indians, cheered him loudly. The twenty-four-year-old young man cleared a height of one point seven four meters using the scissors technique in the Men's High Jump event. Girisha was born with an impairment in his leg. Your teacher will now ask you some questions about this inspiring real-life incident. Please listen carefully and answer them. [CHECKPOINT]
Our main story is titled True Height. It is about a seventeen-year-old boy named Michael Stone who competes in the National Junior Olympics. At the start of the competition, the bar was set at 17 feet. By the end, he clears 17 feet 6 and a half inches to set a new record. But the title True Height refers to something deeper than just physical height. As your textbook notes, it refers to his whole personality. Let us begin with paragraph one. Michael's palms were sweating. He drank a glass of ice water to quench his thirst, but it hardly cooled his intensity. The turf he sat on felt as hot as the competition he faced that day at the National Junior Olympics. The bar was set at 17 feet. That was three inches higher than his personal best. Michael Stone was facing the most challenging day of his pole vaulting career. The stadium stands were still packed with about twenty thousand people, even though the final race had finished an hour earlier. [CHECKPOINT]
Moving to paragraph two, we learn that pole vault is truly considered the glamour event of any track and field competition. The athlete combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder. Pole vaulting also has an exciting element of flying. To anyone watching, the thought of flying as high as a two-storeyed building seems like a mere fantasy. But that day, flying was not just a dream for Michael Stone. It was his reality and his lifelong quest. In paragraph three, we discover that Michael had always dreamed of flying since he was a little boy. His mother used to read him countless stories about flying. Her excitement and passion for detail filled his dreams with colour and beauty. He would imagine himself running down a country road, feeling rocks and chunks of dirt at his feet. As he raced through golden-lined wheat fields, he would always outrun a passing locomotive train. Then he would begin soaring like an eagle. His flight paths always matched his mother's stories. His father, on the other hand, was not a dreamer. Bert Stone was a realist who believed in hard work and sweat. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us look at paragraph four. From the age of fourteen, Michael followed his father's advice. He began a very careful and regimented weightlifting programme. He worked out with weights every single day and did running exercises on alternate days. His coach, trainer, and father closely monitored this programme. Michael's dedication, determination, and discipline were exactly what a coach dreams of. Besides being an honour student, Michael continued to help his parents with their daily farm chores. His persistence in striving for perfection was not just an obsession, but a true passion. Paragraph five tells us that his mother, Milfred Stone, wished he could relax a little more and remain that free-dreaming little boy. [CHECKPOINT]
In paragraph six, we see the results of his hard work. All of Michael's vaults that day seemed like a reward for his dedication. He successfully cleared the bar at 17 feet 2 inches and 17 feet 4 inches. This made him one of the final two competitors in the pole vaulting event at the National Junior Olympics. Paragraph seven highlights his mental strength. Constant preparation and determination were his greatest strengths. As he lay on his back and heard the crowd groan, he knew the other vaulter had missed his final jump. He knew it was time for his own final jump. Because the other competitor had fewer misses, Michael needed to clear this vault to win. A miss would only give him second place. While second place was nothing to be ashamed of, Michael refused to even think about not winning first place. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph eight describes the crucial moments before his jump. He rolled over and did his usual push-ups. He found his pole, stood up, and stepped onto the runway. This runway led to the most challenging event of his seventeen-year-old life. The runway felt different this time, which startled him briefly. The bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best. He thought that this was only one inch off the National record. The intensity of the moment filled his mind with anxiety. He tried to shake the tension from his body, but it did not work. He became more tense and nervous, feelings he had never experienced before. Then, suddenly, from the deepest depths of his soul, he thought of his mother. He wondered why she came to his mind at such a critical moment. The answer was simple. His mother always told him to take deep breaths when he felt tense, anxious, or scared. [CHECKPOINT]
In paragraph nine, he followed her advice. Along with shaking the tension from his legs, he gently laid his pole at his feet. He stretched out his arm and upper body. The light breeze that was blowing earlier had now stopped. He felt a trickle of cold sweat running down his back. He carefully picked up his pole and felt his heart pounding. He was sure the crowd could hear it too. The silence in the stadium was deafening. When he heard the singing of some distant robins in flight, he knew it was finally his time to fly. Paragraph ten describes the jump itself. As he began sprinting down the runway, something felt wonderfully different yet familiar. The surface beneath him felt like the country road from his childhood dreams. The rocks, chunks of dirt, and visions of golden wheat fields filled his thoughts. When he took a deep breath, it happened. He began to fly. His take-off was completely effortless. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood dreams, but this time it was real. Everything moved in slow motion. The air around him felt pure and fresh. Michael was soaring with the majesty of an eagle. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph eleven brings him back to reality. It was either the loud eruption of joy from the people in the stands or the thump of his landing that brought Michael back to earth. Lying on his back with the warm sun on his face, he could only imagine the smile on his mother’s face and hear his father’s laughter. What he did not know was that his father was hugging his wife and crying harder than Milfred had ever seen before, shedding tears of pure pride. In paragraph twelve, Michael was immediately surrounded by people hugging him and congratulating him on the greatest accomplishment of his life. He later went on to clear 17 feet 6 and a half inches that day, setting a new National and International Junior Olympics record. With all the media attention and heartfelt congratulations, Michael's life would never be the same. It was not just because he won the National Junior Olympics and set a new record. And it was not because he had just increased his personal best by 9 and a half inches. It was simply because of one final, profound fact. Michael Stone was blind. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us review the glossary words to ensure we understand the vocabulary perfectly. Hardly cooled his intensity means it did not reduce his tension. Vault means to jump over something in one movement using the hands or a pole to gain more height. Pole vault is a sporting event where you use a long pole to jump over a high bar. Athlete refers to a person skilled in bodily exercises who competes in games needing strength and speed. Chunks means a lump, part, or portion. Realist means a very sensible and practical person who accepts situations as they come. Regimented means strict and organised. Honour student, in this context, means an excellent student. Chore means daily or regular tasks in a house or on a farm. Persistence means determination and purposefulness. Obsession means a thing that somebody thinks about too much. Groan is a rather loud sound of suffering or worry, but here it means a loud sound of disapproval made in a deep voice. Runway means a running track. Intensity means strong in quality or feeling, like intense fear or nervousness. Anxiety means fear, especially caused by uncertainty. Sprinting down means running at a very high speed for a short period. Swarmed with means surrounded by. [CHECKPOINT]
Now we come to the section titled, Shall we talk about this story? Please take out your notebooks. I will read each question exactly as it appears in your textbook, guide your thinking, and then provide the correct answer. Question one asks you to talk about the points raised, write them down, and discuss with your partner. Let us think through them together. Part a asks which competition Michael participated in at age seventeen. Look back at the opening paragraph. He was competing in the National Junior Olympics. Part b asks for the height of the pole. The text says it was initially set at 17 feet, and he later cleared 17 feet 6 and a half inches. Part c asks for his personal best. The text states the 17-foot bar was three inches higher than his personal best. Seventeen feet minus three inches equals sixteen feet nine inches. So, his personal best was sixteen feet nine inches. Later, when he cleared 17 feet 6 and a half inches, that jump was exactly nine and a half inches higher than his personal best, confirming the calculation. Part d asks about his mother's stories. Paragraph three tells us she read him numerous stories about flying. Part e asks who monitored his training. Paragraph four clearly states his coach, trainer, and father monitored it. Part f asks when his mother told him to take deep breaths. Paragraph eight says she told him to do it when he felt tense, anxious, or scared. Part g asks to explain the statement, He was sure the crowd did too. In the silent stadium, he felt his own heart pounding loudly, and he believed the twenty thousand spectators could hear it as well. [CHECKPOINT]
Question two asks you to answer in two or three sentences each, discuss with your partner, and write them down. Let us work through them. Part a asks why pole vaulting is a glamour event. Think about paragraph two. It combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder, and it creates the thrilling illusion of flying. Part b asks about Michael's repeated dream. He dreamed of running down a country road, feeling rocks and dirt, racing through golden wheat fields, outrunning a train, and soaring like an eagle. Part c asks about Bert Stone. He was Michael's father, a realist who was not a dreamer, and who believed in hard work and sweat. Part d asks when Michael realised it was time for his final jump. He realised it when he heard the crowd groan after the other vaulter missed, knowing he had to clear the bar to win first place. Part e asks why he remembered his mother. He was overwhelmed with anxiety, and he remembered her advice to take deep breaths when scared. Part f asks why his life would never be the same with all the media attention and heartfelt congratulations. The text explicitly tells us it was not just because he won, and it was not because he increased his personal best by 9 and a half inches. It was simply because Michael Stone was blind. [CHECKPOINT]
Question three asks you to discuss in groups and write five or six sentences. Part a asks you to explain his training programme. Starting at age fourteen, he followed a strict, regimented weightlifting and running schedule monitored by his coach, trainer, and father. He balanced this with his studies and farm chores, showing relentless dedication. Part b asks you to describe his sense of jubilation. He felt overwhelming joy and relief, imagining his mother’s smile and his father’s laughter. The warm sun and cheering crowd made his childhood dream of flying a reality. Question four asks you to unscramble words and phrases to make sentences. Write them in your notebook. Part a: The correct order is, The Astro turf he sat on was as hot as the competition he faced today at the National Junior Olympics. Part b: The correct order is, As he raced down the golden-lined wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotive passing by. [CHECKPOINT]
Question five asks you to read extracts and answer questions. Work with your partner to do this. Extract a says, Then out of nowhere, and from the deepest depths of his soul, he thought of his mother. Who is he? Michael Stone. Why did he think of her? He was extremely tense before his final jump. How did it help? It reminded him to take deep breaths, calming his nerves. Extract b says, As he began sprinting down the runway, something felt wonderfully different, yet familiar. Who began sprinting? Michael Stone. Why? To take his final pole vault jump. What felt different yet familiar? The runway surface felt like the country road from his childhood dreams. Question six is a fill in the blanks exercise. The correct words are: When Michael Stone took a deep breath it happened. He began to fly. His take-off was effortless. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood dreams. But this was real. Everything was in slow motion. Michael was soaring with the majesty of an eagle. [CHECKPOINT]
Question seven asks you to work with your partner. Use a good dictionary to find the meanings. First, circle the odd one out. In hammer, discus, javelin, and shot, the odd one out is shot, because it is thrown from a stationary position while the others are thrown after a run-up. In bat, stick, club, and pole, the odd one out is pole, because it is specifically used for vaulting, while the others are striking implements. In scorer, bowler, fielder, and keeper, the odd one out is scorer, because it is an official role, not a player position. After choosing, tell your partner why you think your answers are correct. Next, read the jumbled phrases to your partner, reorder them, and punctuate the sentence. The phrases are: and tucked, a shuttle-cock, with a string, of identical length, usually of duck or goose, into a rounded cork base, glued and bound together, is made of 16 feathers. The correct sentence is: A shuttle-cock is made of 16 feathers, usually of duck or goose, of identical length, glued and bound together with a string, and tucked into a rounded cork base. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now learn about grammar, specifically adjectives. Adjectives describe or modify nouns. For example, in I went on a long journey, long describes the journey. In Radha does not enjoy loud music, loud describes the music. We place adjectives before the noun instead of using longer phrases. Colour adjectives usually come after other adjectives. We do not usually put and between adjectives before nouns. For example, She wore a beautiful green dress, and Neil lives in that tall white building. Now, let us complete the Word Order exercises. Exercise one asks you to put the adjectives in proper order and write the story. Begin like this: One fine day, a long time ago. The correct version is: One fine day, a long time ago, a beautiful little girl in a red coat was walking through a dark forest with a big bag of wonderful red apples to see her old grandmother. Under a tall green tree, she saw a big bad wolf with long white teeth. Exercise two asks you to put the words in the correct order and continue the story. The correct order is: Good morning, little girl, said the big bad wolf. Where are you going with that heavy bag on this fine day? I am going to see my grandmother, said the little girl. She lives in a small new house near the supermarket. Exercise three asks you to put adjectives from the box to complete the story. The correct words are friendly, little, stupid, dark, new, and red. The completed text is: OK, said the wolf in a friendly voice, but thought, I will eat her up on her way back. The little girl was not stupid. She thought, I will not walk back through this dark forest at all. I will drive back with my uncle in his new red car. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we learn about comparatives and superlatives. We use comparatives, formed by adding plus e r, for one-syllable adjectives, and more for longer adjectives. We use superlatives, formed by adding plus e s t, for one-syllable adjectives, and most for longer adjectives. Comparatives compare two things. Superlatives use the to compare one thing with a whole group. Let us solve Exercise one. Insert a comparative or a superlative. My new car is faster than my old car. My mother and her sisters are all shorter than their children. I think Arathi is the most intelligent person in our class. Let us meet in the library. It is quieter than all the other rooms. My bedroom is the coldest room in the house. Now, Exercise two asks you to compare each pair of things in the box. Write two sentences for each pair. The pairs are: the sun and the moon; dogs and cats; the Sahara and the Thar deserts; train travel and air travel. The adjectives to help you are: bright, cold, friendly, hot, cheap, intelligent, small, fast. Here are model answers: The sun is brighter than the moon. The moon is smaller than the sun. Dogs are friendlier than cats. Cats are more intelligent than dogs. The Sahara is hotter than the Thar desert. The Thar desert is smaller than the Sahara. Air travel is faster than train travel. Train travel is cheaper than air travel. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, the use of as and as. We use this structure to show equality between two people or things. For example, Sana is as tall as Satvik. Exercise two asks you to use the clues and make sentences with as and as. The clues are: Nayana /shy / Srujan. Her feet / cold / ice. Anudeep / intelligent /Anurag. Let us form the sentences. Nayana is as shy as Srujan. Her feet are as cold as ice. Anudeep is as intelligent as Anurag. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us move on to the speaking and writing tasks. Task one: Work in groups of five, discuss your favourite sportsperson, note down their achievements, and present in class. Task two: Work in pairs, share an experience of feeling nervous before an event, describing what it was, where it was held, your feelings, and what you had to do. Task three: A newspaper headline is jumbled. Ask your partner how to make a meaningful headline from these words: golden, quit, Vault's, to, 2 years, Pole, girl, in. The correct headline is: Pole Vault's golden girl to quit in 2 years. For the writing task, imagine you are Michael Stone. After winning the event, you need to make a diary entry of your experience in fifty to sixty words. Think about the emotions you felt, the moment you cleared the bar, the crowd's reaction, and your parents' pride. Use first-person perspective and keep your sentences concise. Write your own unique entry in your notebook. Finally, let us look at the picture activity. Look at the picture on page sixty. What is the athlete doing? Is he j _ _ _ _ _ _? No. Actually it is called vaulting, _ _ _ jumping. How is an athlete able to vault so _ _ _ _ ? He uses a pole. He lifts _ _ _ _ _ _ _ up in the air with the _ _ _ _ of the pole. This kind of athletic event is called Pole Vault. In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ an _ _ _ _ _ _ _ can vault 17 to 18 feet. Try to fill in the missing letters using the context clues. The completed passage is: Is he jumping? No. Actually it is called vaulting, or pole jumping. How is an athlete able to vault so high? He uses a pole. He lifts himself up in the air with the help of the pole. This kind of athletic event is called Pole Vault. In competitions, an athlete can vault 17 to 18 feet. Tell your partner what words go in the blanks and write them down. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]