a. Texts as Children's LiteratureThe new textbooks give great importance to children’s

literature. Authentic pieces of children’s literature, adaptedversions of well known stories and stories developed bytextbook writers are included. These stories and songs/poemsthat can be sung in chorus are the main texts. Based on theirreading, learners are asked to engage in certain languageactivities so as to apply their knowledge of English. Themeaning-making process of the texts given has to be done insuch a way that every learner gets a chance to listen, speak,read and write in the target language.

b. Pictures as Texts

The illustrations used in the textbooks are treated astexts. Hence they also need to be processed in the class. Themulti-colored pictures will generate interest in the studentsand will also help them form mental pictures of the charactersdescribed in the stories and poems. Teachers are expected touse these pictures for meaningful interaction with the learners.Reading comprehension can also be tested using thesepictures.

c. Interaction Questions

Almost on every page of the textbook, questions for interaction with learners are given. These questions mainly serve five purposes. • To read the pictures • To elicit the text • To connect the texts with the learners’ own experiences • To predict what is going to happen next • To prompt critical thinking in learners.

d. Theatre Games

Theatre games are an effective method for languageacquisition. They help to trigger the imagination of the learnersand make learning a pleasurable experience. The newtextbooks provide ample scope for teachers to use theatregames in the English classroom. For example, in Class 1,teachers can ask the learners to stand in two lines and producethe sound of birds/animals, following the instruction of theteacher. If a different sound is produced from the groupsstanding in a line or if they fail to produce the correct sound,they are not given points and the group which scores 5 pointsfirst becomes the winner.

e. Language Activities

The new textbooks provide enough space for languageactivities and games. There are many slots in the textbooks forthe learners to analyze the language used in them and to applythe knowledge of the language in a new context. Teachers mayfirst assign the language activities as individual tasks and giveclear instructions to carry them out. Then the activities can beassigned in pairs or groups. Working and playing in smallgroups promote interaction, togetherness and team spiritamong learners.

f. Grammar in Context

The knowledge of grammar is essential for the learners whenthey write in English. The existing textbooks solely relied on theediting of discourses for giving grammar inputs to the learners.But many teachers find it difficult to theorise on the errorsmade by their learners and to address these errors in thecourse of their classroom transactions. So the new textbooksaddress grammar in a way in which the teachers and thelearners can understand the usage of language elements inmeaningful contexts. Grammar, here, is analysed in a givencontext through which learners generalise certain features ofthe targeted language element. Then they apply theirknowledge of grammar in newer contexts. The explicit teachingof rules of grammar has been totally done away with.

g. Need Based Vocabulary Development

The new textbooks provide opportunities for learners todevelop their vocabulary in a need based manner. Developingconcept maps and word webs of related words have beenincluded in the textbooks. Instead of teaching vocabulary itemsdirectly, activities for finding out related words are given in alearner-centred fashion. Moreover a page towards the end ofthe Reader titled ‘My Word List’ will help the learners to writedown new words and get familiarised with them.

h. Simple Language Projects

Simple language projects that can be undertaken by younglearners are given in the textbooks. It is hoped that undertakingsuch projects with the guidance of teachers will boost learners’confidence in using language. Learners are expected to classifyand analyse the data they have collected and write briefreports on them.

i. ICT IntegrationIt is always a challenging task for the teacher to capture the

attention of young learners and to initiate them into a secondlanguage. They are exposed to the world of high quality digitalaudiovisual materials and teaching them using only the ‘chalkand talk’ method may not be fruitful. So every teacher mustthink about using effective audiovisual texts in theirclassrooms. Internet has a rich repertoire of such goodmaterials. The new textbooks provide scope for integratingInformation Communication Technology in teaching of English.Videos and audios of the texts given in the textbooks are freelyavailable on the internet. Links to certain websites are givenalong with the units in this book. Teachers can make use of thesites for getting more information and collecting audio-visualmaterials to make the classroom transaction more interesting.Moreover they are expected to find out more useful spaces inthe internet to enrich the classroom experience

j. Assessment

Learner assessment is a continuous process and an integral part of learning. Teachersmust assess the learners at each stage of the learning process. Informal interactions,interaction questions, reading of the text, associating pictures with the text, languageactivities and theatre games give teachers ample opportunity for assessing the learners.Apart from these, the textbooks contain two separate pages titled ‘I Can’ and ‘MyLearners’.

UNIT 1- HUES AND VIEWS

This unit consists of four literary pieces - a short story, a folk tale, a poem and a popular song.

In a way, all the pieces are thematically interlinked.

At the same time they stand independent of one another.

The first one The Mysterious Picture by Charles de Coster narrates an interesting episode in the life of Tyl. It highlights the fact that the sublime nature of art is affected when it is undervalued.

The Boy Who Drew Cats, a Japanese folk tale meant for extended reading, glorifies art which ultimately helps in the realization of the self.

The poem for detailed study in this unit Taj Mahal, elaborates on how art surpasses time and space to become eternal.

The song given for extended reading, We are the World presents in a lucid language, the unifying force of art transcending the boundaries of caste, creed and nationality.

Theme: Art

Sub themes:

Importance of art

Art and life

Dedication to art

Artistic freedom

Eternity of art

UNIT 2 – WINGS AND WHEELS

INTRODUCTION.

This unit consists of four literacy pieces – 2 prose& 2 poems.

Prose:

A shipwrecked sailor ( Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

The little round red house( Carolyn Sherwin bailey )

Poems:

From a Railway Carriage ( R L Stevenson)

Marvellous Travel ( Joshua Fernandez)

“Travel does not mean a mere physical engagement, but it signifiesa mental and spiritual journeying too. Each travel enriches us with variedexperiences, novel ideas, knowledge and new insights. It inspires a creativeforce that is essential for developing life skills. It highlights the importance ofexploring the world in and around us. It also focuses on the adventurousaspects of travelling. “

Theme:- Travel

Sub themes:-

New ideas of travelling

Knowledge and insights ontravelling

Mental and spiritual aspects oftravelling

Adventure in travelling

UNIT 3 – SEEDS AND DEEDS

This unit is intended to develop a sense of respect towards work and work culture.

The unit opens with a titular picture, a Warli Painting. It depicts various activities that man indulges in to earn his living.

The anecdote, Smart Work Versus Hard Work is an entry activity which alerts the learner to the need to be a smart worker in this modern world.

The Light on the Hills written by Mrs W K Clifford highlights the need of dedication to whatever we do to attain success in life.

The biographical account Rosa Parks Sat Still shows how the determination of a lady could initiate a movement against racial discrimination in America.

The Sower, a poem by Victor Hugo translated by Toru Duttglorifies a farmer whose sincerity to his job is commendable.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Village Blacksmith emphasizes how the life and work of a common man can be an example of persistence and accomplishment.

Theme:- Work

Sub themes:-

i. Dignity of labor

ii. Various forms of work

iii. Dedication to work

iv. Role of work in making life meaningful and purposeful

This unit is meant to promote love of nature and the need for harmonious coexistence

among all living beings, human values and social ethics.

The unit highlights the message that it is the responsibility of every living being to protect

and preserve nature

Song of the Flower speaks about the life cycle of a flower and its experiences. The flower

in the poem stands for all that we experience in life-joy, sorrow, bitterness, victory, etc.

The Nightingale and the Rose is a folk tale which foreshadows the consequences of not

appreciating nature and its creations

UNIT V – SHARE AND CARE

The unit begins with a titular picture that sensitises thelearner on the need to share and care for the lonely and thesuffering.

The School for Sympathy by E.V. Lucas depicts the need forempathy towards the differently abled.

The additional reading material The Merchant of Venice, atragicomedy by William Shakespeare depicts the divinequality of mercy and highlights selfless love and friendship.

The poem My Grandmother’s House by Kamala Das expressesthe poet’s memories of the love and affection that sheexperienced at her grandmother’s house. It also shows herdesire to go back to those days.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox through her poem Solitude reminds usthat one should share not only joys but sorrows also, to makelife meaningful and happy.

Theme:- Human values

Specific themes:-

• Empathy

• Friendship

• Need of love and care to the differently abled

• Understanding and co-operation