English IX A and B Ch.1 The Fun They Had.

 Chapter 1. The Fun They Had.

Date: 6.4.21

Topics taught: Reading of the chapter and difficult word meanings.

Homework: Find out the meaning of the following and make sentence

1.crinkly

2.geared

3.slot

4.loftily

Date: 7.4.21

Topics taught: Explanation of the chapter.

New words to be written in notebook

1.crinkly

2.scornful

3.loftily

4.betcha

5.dispute

6.nonchalantly

7.whistle

Date: 9.4.21

Topics taught: Discussion of textual exercise.

Homework: Complete the notebook work and practice sheet.

Practice sheet Ch.1

Answers to Textual Questions: 

I.   Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

1.Margie is eleven years old and Tommy is thirteen years old.

2.Margie wrote in her diary, “Today, Tommy found a real book!”

 

3.No, Margie had never seen a book before but heard from her grandfather that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.

4.She found many strange things about the book. One of the strange things was that after reading, the book became useless. The text written on it did not move the way it happened on their computer screen. Moreover, one page had limited number of words, unlike computers where a page can display unlimited number of words. Besides the idea that someone would write a book about school itself was strange for her.

5.A telebook is an online book which can be browsed using internet or it can be displayed through TV signals on TV screen.

6.Margie’s school was a virtual school in her house itself. She didn’t have classmates the way children had in the past. Children in the past went to physical schools where they interacted with real teachers and real classmates.

7.Margie and Tommy learned subjects like Geography, Math and History. But assuming a computer can be programmed to teach any subject, they must be taught all relevant subjects.

II.   Answer the following with reference to the story.

i.          Tommy said these words.              ii.           'It' refers to the television screen, on which you could read over a million books. iii.          Tommy is comparing the television screen to the real books in earlier times in which words were printed on paper. He thought that after reading such books, one would have to throw them away. However, he would never throw away his telebooks.

 

2.

i.          ‘They’ refer to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries before the time the story is set in. ii.           Here, 'regular' refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie had. iii.          The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the teacher of the earlier times, who was a human being.

III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)

1.Margie and Tommy had a virtual teacher. They were computer fitted with latest gizmos. The computer was programmed to give lessons depending on a child’s age group and previous learning history. The child had to submit test papers regularly in a slot of the computer. They had to write answers using the punch code and they got instant results of the test.

2.Margie had been given many tests in geography by the mechanical teacher, but there was no improvement in her performance. It only kept getting worse. So her mother was worried. She wanted the County Inspector to check if there was some problem with the child or with the virtual teacher.

3.The County Inspector gave Margie an apple and started working on the mechanical teacher. He took it apart and then checked it. Margie had hoped that the Inspector wouldn’t know how to put the mechanical teacher back again but he managed to reassemble it within an hour or so. He slowed down the geography section of the teacher because it was geared a little too quickly for her age.

4. The County Inspector found that the computer’s programme was not working

 

properly and was giving lessons, which was of a higher level than what Margie’s age required, so she was doing badly in geography. He rectified the problem and it started giving lessons suitable for Margie’s age group.

5.Once Tommy’s teacher developed some problem and its History section blanked out completely. So, it was taken away for a month for repairs.

6.Margie did not have regular days and hours unlike conventional schools. However, her mother believed that learning at regular hours helped little girls learn better. The benefit of a virtual classroom is that it can be accessed as per your convenience. No more early morning rush for school. You can sleep as late as you wish and you can compensate for your study during day time as per your convenience.

7.Tommy described the old kind of school as a special building where all kids studied together. There were hundreds of students studying or playing together in an open yard.

8.The old kind of teacher was a human being, who taught children in a special building. He taught the children in groups and gave them homework and asked them questions. It was surprising for Tommy to know how a human being can be smart enough to teach a particular topic.

IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words)

1.The mechanical teacher was a computer screen with a good audio-video system. It taught students in mechanical voice and tone. It could store reams of information. Unlike a page in the real books, the mechanical teacher’s page is its screen. The screen could display unlimited number of words. The teacher was always present in their house and they could study as per their convenience. A fault in its programming could lead to inaccessibility of certain subjects. The teacher was programmed to suit each individual student’s learning needs and

 

capability.

2.Margie hated school because it was not fun. Her school was always open, seven days in a week. Margie’s teacher was always there at the same time except weekends because her mother believed that regular study hours resulted in better learning. She had no classmates to interact and play with. She thought that the old school must have been fun because you got the opportunity to play and have fun with your classmates. She imagined all the kids from the entire neighbourhood coming together, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom and going home together at the end of day. They learned the same things so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it. .

3.Yes, I agree schools today are more fun than the school in the story. In the story, there is no interaction between Margie and Tommy with any other student regarding studies. Studying alone in a room surrounded by gadgets must be boring and no fun. Doing homework without anybody's help and writing them in a punch code would also be a dull exercise. Studying in the present school system, children get a better understanding about each other and of their surroundings when they go to a school and interact with each other. It is a healthier way of learning. Listening to teachers explaining lessons is always more interesting than reading the entire lesson on a mechanical computer. Also, if any student faces any problem with the subject or in homework, he can discuss it with the teacher and other kids. It is impossible to discuss problems and situations with a mechanical teacher that is only programmed to teach in a particular manner. The excitement of waiting to  know the marks scored in exams is greater when one is sitting in a classroom with other students. It does not have the same effect when the marks are calculated immediately after a test has been taken. Finally, the friends that you make at school are most probably the best friends that you will ever make in your entire life. The various qualities that you learn in school like obedience, respect, kindness for others, sharing, taking part in school games, sports and other activities are all a part of school education today. Therefore, schools today are  more  fun than the  school in the  story  as they  are more interactive. They

 

promote a healthy environment for the students to study and learn.