Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Unit 10 Prose from Class 9 English_FL.
Let us begin with the warm-up activity. Before reading, I want you to discuss your dream in life with your friends. Think carefully about whether you have any specific goal, and if you do, how you plan to realize it. Share your thoughts openly with your class. As we move forward, we will see exactly how the journey by air became a reality, and we will also understand the first person narrative style used in this text.
The lesson is titled A Dream of Flight, written by K. S. Raman. The narrator begins by describing how he was completely absorbed in reading a book titled The Invention of the Aeroplane 1799 to 1909 by Charles H. Gibbs Smith. He found this book two days earlier in an old bookshop, hidden among a pile of leather bound volumes. The title sparked his curiosity, so he bought it and started reading immediately upon reaching home. The book detailed humanity's eternal desire and hope to fly, which led to countless trials. Most of these early attempts ended in disaster, but they sparked further experimentation from various inventions that eventually led to the modern airplane. The narrator was so engrossed that he even skipped his regular evening walk. When his friend, who is a passionate aviation enthusiast, arrived, he glanced at the book and expressed his desire to read it later. Seeing that the narrator would not leave his chair, the friend told him to be ready at six o'clock sharp the next morning and left. Reading almost continuously, the narrator finally finished the book past midnight. [CHECKPOINT]
He switched off the light and fell asleep on the bed, exhausted but with the book's events fresh in his mind. As he drifted into sleep, he felt the tension and excitement of the historical moments, and scenes from the book began floating before his eyes. The first vision is from the year 1496 C.E. A man stands atop a tall tower wearing bat-like wings made of wood and cloth, covered with bird feathers. A large crowd below shouts encouragement, and the wind ruffles his feathers. The man, known as the Bird Man, flexes his shoulders, beats his arms rapidly, and jumps. Instead of flying, he tumbles down inverted and out of control. The crowd scatters in panic, and he crashes into their midst in a tangled heap. The women's shrill cries fill the air. Sadly, another adventurer who tried to fly like a bird lost his life.
The dream shifts to 1783 C.E. in the town of Annonay, France. Hundreds gather in the Market Square. A massive fire burns in the center, and above it hangs a huge, round fabric balloon with an open bottom, decorated with colorful motifs. As hot air fills it, the balloon sways. Four people cut the ropes, and the crowd watches in awe as the spherical balloon rises and drifts across the sky. A sheep, a hen, and a duck, placed in a basket attached to the balloon, become the very first air passengers. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, the year is 1853 C.E. A boat-shaped vehicle with wheels sits on a small hill. It has a large wing shaped like a snake's hood. At the back, four triangular surfaces form a cross, held by a wooden frame. Sir George Cayley places his carriage chauffeur inside and gives the vehicle a strong push. It rolls down the hill, gains speed, and suddenly lifts off the ground! It floats through the air and lands safely on the other side of the valley. This marks the first time humans created a device that could launch from a hill and glide to the ground.
The scene changes to 1891 C.E. Otto Lilienthal brings out a strange wooden and fabric craft from a shed on a large hill. It has two bat-like wings, each 6 meters long, stacked one above the other, with horizontal and vertical surfaces at the back. A ring-shaped frame sits between the wings. Lilienthal steps into the frame, supports it with his arms, and runs forward. After just a few steps, the craft lifts into the air. He glides for a long distance before landing at the bottom of the hill. [CHECKPOINT]
The final historical vision is from 1903 C.E. at the Kitty Hawk dunes in North Carolina, surrounded by huge sand mounds. A two-winged machine rests on a long wooden rail. Orville Wright lies prone on his stomach over the lower wing. Beside him, a small internal combustion engine powers two two-bladed propellers through long bicycle chains. The engine roars, Wilbur Wright releases the holding rope, and the machine surges forward. Traveling at about 12 meters per second, it suddenly lifts off and flies! The sharp ring of an alarm clock shatters the dream, bringing the narrator back to reality. His friend arrives exactly at six in the morning and takes him straight to a small airfield outside the city.
Now, let us look at the glossary section, which is presented as a matching exercise. I will give you the correct pairs. Aviation means the science or practice of flying aircraft. A hangar is a building in which aeroplanes are kept. A runway is a specially prepared surface for taking off and landing of aircraft. The cockpit is the compartment for the pilot of an aircraft. A parachute is an umbrella-shaped apparatus used for descent from an aircraft. The black box is a flight recorder. A propeller is a revolving shaft with blades for driving a plane. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us move to the comprehension questions. For C1, we will discuss the answers in pairs or groups. Question one: Which book took the author into a dream of flight? The book was The Invention of the Aeroplane 1799 to 1909 by Charles H. Gibbs Smith. Question two: When did the author find the book? He found it two days ago in an old bookshop. Question three: What did the book explain? It explained in great detail humanity's eternal longing and hope for flight, the countless trials and disasters, and the subsequent experimentation that led to the modern airplane. Question four: How was the bird man dressed to fly? He had bat-like wings made of wood and cloth, covered with bird feathers. Question five: What happened to the bird man when he jumped from the tower? He tumbled down inverted and out of control, crashing into the crowd in a tangled heap, and lost his life. Question six: Who were the first aerial passengers? A sheep, a hen, and a duck.
For C2, working in pairs, we will write the answers. Question one: Describe the balloon in which the first aerial passengers flew. It was a mammoth globular fabric envelope with an open bottom, decorated with colorful motifs, held by thick ropes over a fire in the Market Square of Annonay, France. Question two: How did Otto Lilienthal make an attempt to fly? He built a craft with two 6 meter long stacked bat-like wings, stepped into a ring-shaped frame between them, supported it with his arms, ran forward from a hill, and glided through the air before landing. Question three: How has the author described Orville Wright’s flight into the air? The author describes it vividly: Orville lay prone on the bottom wing, a small engine turned two-bladed propellers via bicycle chains, Wilbur released the rope, the machine surged forward at 12 meters per second, and suddenly lifted into the air, flying successfully. [CHECKPOINT]
For C3, answer on your own. Question one: Who made the contraption to glide from a hill, and how did it work? Sir George Cayley made it. It was a boat-shaped vehicle with wheels, a snake-hood shaped wing, and four triangular cross-shaped surfaces at the back. When pushed from a hill, it gained speed, left the ground, floated across the valley, and touched down safely. Question two: List the persons who made brave attempts to fly. They are the unnamed Bird Man of 1496, the operators of the 1783 balloon, Sir George Cayley, Otto Lilienthal, and the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur. Question three: What does the lesson inspire you to do? It inspires us to pursue our goals with courage, learn from failures, persist through experimentation, and dare to achieve what seems impossible.
Now, let us tackle the language activities, starting with the Vocabulary section. For V1, you are given a word search grid containing airplane-related terms. The words you need to locate are Propeller, Elevator, Cockpit, Wings, Fuselage, Airplane, Ailerons, Flaps, Rudders, and Landing Gear. In your textbook, scan the grid horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to find each term. This exercise helps you recognize key aviation terminology visually. [CHECKPOINT]
Moving to V2, we classify words based on their grammatical function. Some words act only as nouns, some only as verbs, and some can function as both. Let us sort them together. Entrance, chair, treatment, and street are strictly nouns. Accompany is strictly a verb. However, support, fish, crowd, thank, and garden can function as both nouns and verbs depending on the sentence context. For example, you can say I support you, where it is a verb, or I give my support, where it is a noun. Practice identifying these dual-function words in your reading.
For V3, we complete a table with appropriate word forms using a dictionary. Let us go through them systematically. For the word secure, the noun is security, the adjective is secure, the verb is secure, and the adverb is securely. For loose, the noun is looseness, the adjective is loose, the verb is loosen, and the adverb is loosely. For thank, the noun is thanks or thankfulness, the adjective is thankful, the verb is thank, and the adverb is thankfully. For conversation, the noun is conversation, the adjective is conversational, the verb is converse, and the adverb is conversationally. For move, the noun is movement, the adjective is movable, the verb is move, and the adverb is movingly. Mastering these forms will improve your writing accuracy. [CHECKPOINT]
Next is V4, which introduces semantic mapping. Mapping meanings through words is called semantic mapping, and a set of words related in meaning belong to the same semantic field. The textbook gives football as an example, with related words like goal post, yellow card, mid-fielder, and half-time. Now, apply this to the given words. For Space, related terms include rocket, astronaut, galaxy, and orbit. For factory, think of machinery, assembly line, workers, and production. For school, consider classroom, teacher, textbook, and examination. For business, use profit, market, entrepreneur, and investment. For computer, list keyboard, monitor, software, and processor. For river, include current, tributary, bank, and delta. This technique expands your vocabulary thematically.
For V5, we revise suffixes. A suffix is a syllable added to the end of a word to create a new word. The suffix er or or denotes a person, as in player or teacher. The suffix ful means full of, like helpful or needful. The suffix logy indicates a subject of study, such as psychology or biology. The suffix less means without, seen in fearless or endless. Finally, the suffix ly converts an adjective into an adverb, like cheaply or slowly. Create your own examples for each to reinforce this rule. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us move to Grammar and Usage, focusing on Active and Passive voice. In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action. To convert, make the object the new subject, use the correct form of the verb to be plus the past participle, and optionally add by followed by the original subject. For G1, let us change the sentences to passive. One: My parents give me some pocket money becomes Some pocket money is given to me by my parents. Two: The mayor promised new houses to the people becomes New houses were promised to the people by the mayor. Three: The school declared a holiday becomes A holiday was declared by the school. Four: I gave the baby a doll becomes A doll was given to the baby by me. Five: They offered me a better job becomes A better job was offered to me by them.
For G2, we transform a short passage into passive voice. A few days ago, Ravi’s motorbike was stolen by somebody. Ravi had left his motorbike outside his house becomes Ravi’s motorbike had been left outside his house by him. Ravi had reported to the police becomes The police had been reported to by Ravi. The police told him they would try to find his motorbike becomes He was told by the police that they would try to find his motorbike. This morning the police called Ravi and asked him to come to the police station becomes This morning, Ravi was called by the police and asked to come to the police station. They had found his motorbike becomes His motorbike had been found by them. The thieves had painted it, and then sold it to someone else becomes It had been painted by the thieves, and then it had been sold to someone else. The police had arrested the thieves becomes The thieves had been arrested by the police. [CHECKPOINT]
For G3, we identify passive sentences in a paragraph about snowboards. The passive constructions are: In 1965, the Snurfer was developed as a child’s toy. Two skis were bound together and a rope was placed at the front end to afford control and stability. Over 500,000 Snurfers were sold in 1966 but they were never seen as more than a child’s plaything. The Flying Yellow Banana was developed in 1977. It was considered a major advance in the little known sport of snowboarding. The first national snowboard race was held in the area outside Woodstock and was known as The Suicide Six. Underline these in your textbook to practice recognition.
For G4, return to the main lesson and pick out passive sentences. While the narrative is largely active for dramatic effect, note phrases like covered with birds feathers, supported by a wooden frame, held by thick ropes, and placed in the basket. These past participle phrases function similarly to passive constructions and are frequently tested in grammar sections.
Now, the Listening Skill. Your teacher will read a passage about the late 1800s bicycle boom. People experimented with bicycle designs focusing on speed, safety, comfort, and endurance. Early models used wood, later shifting to metal. The first automobile was a steam-powered tricycle. Sewing machine factories transitioned to bicycle manufacturing. The 1890s became the decade of the bicycle, sparking a social revolution when prices dropped below one hundred dollars. This blurred class distinctions, allowed youth to travel farther, and changed women’s fashion. Let us answer the questions. One: When did the bicycle boom begin? Answer: late 1800s. Two: Which was NOT a major influence? Answer: style. Three: What material were first bicycles made from? Answer: wood. Four: What wheeled vehicle was the automobile first made from? Answer: tricycle. Five: What factories had the skills? Answer: sewing machine factories. Six: What prompted the social revolution? Answer: all of the above. [CHECKPOINT]
For the Speaking Activity, we learn formal and informal ways to seek information. Formal phrases include Could you please, Excuse me, May I know, Sorry to disturb you, and Would you mind. Informal phrases include Tell me, Hallo, How do I find, Where is, and How far. Now, construct sentences for the given situations. For asking the station master the fare from Hubli to Mysore: Excuse me, could you please tell me the fare from Hubli to Mysore? For asking the way to Vidhana Soudha: May I know how to reach Vidhana Soudha from here? For asking permission to read a book: Would you mind if I read this book for a while? For requesting a bike ride: Could you please let me take your bike for a short ride? For asking your mother for pocket money: Mother, may I know if I could get some pocket money for my school project? Practice these to improve your conversational fluency.
For the Writing Skill, you will write a paragraph on Success comes to those who dare and act. Use the provided hints: think of a daring person, list difficulties, explain how they overcame them, identify the secret of success, and list admirable qualities. Here is a model paragraph based on the Wright brothers. Success truly comes to those who dare to dream and act upon it. The Wright brothers dared to achieve human flight despite widespread skepticism. They faced numerous difficulties, including financial constraints, lack of formal engineering education, and repeated crashes of their early gliders. However, they overcame these obstacles through relentless experimentation, meticulous observation of bird flight, and unwavering perseverance. The secret of their success lay in their systematic approach to problem solving and their refusal to accept failure as a final outcome. Their admirable qualities of courage, patience, and scientific curiosity continue to inspire generations. This teaches us that bold action, coupled with persistent effort, turns impossible dreams into reality. [CHECKPOINT]
Finally, let us briefly cover the Further Reading section on the History of Flight. Icarus, from 500 B.C.E., is an ancient Greek myth about a boy whose father made him wings of feathers and wax. Ignoring warnings, Icarus flew too high, the sun melted the wax, and he fell to his death. The Zeppelin, from 1928, was a huge airship used to transport cargo and passengers across the Atlantic Ocean. The Wright Flyer, from 1903, was built by the Wright brothers of Dayton, Ohio, and flew 120 feet on its first successful powered flight. The Helicopter, developed between 1930 and 1940, was created by Russian inventor Igor Sikorsky and American inventor Stanley Hiller. The Balloon, from 1783, was the first method of human flight, using a furnace to create hot air that made it float. The Ornithopter, from 1500, was a flying machine designed by Leonardo da Vinci, drawn 400 years before the first actual plane was built.
We have now covered every aspect of this chapter, from the inspiring narrative of flight pioneers to the vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, and writing exercises. I encourage you to revise these concepts thoroughly, practice the passive voice transformations, and work on your paragraph writing skills. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]