tsu english 8 sbp

ENGLISH

TEACHER SUPPORT UNIT 8

Difference of Opinions with Others

English Teacher Support Unit 8

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DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS WITH OTHERS

Before we start…… The Eighth TSU After completing the seventh TSU, your students will be able to:

Each one of us is unique. We think differently and may often have opinions that are different from that of others. Adolescents have their own opinions on many things and they should be encouraged to express their views. In the process of articulating their ideas they need to become aware that differences of opinion do not have to come in the way of people working together. The activities in this TSU will help your students to put forward their opinions in oral and written form, and also help them to appreciate (and tolerate) other people's points of view.

Here are some suggested activities to help students develop this important life skill. Activity – 1: How to disagree? Narrate the following situation to the students. Your elder brother, who is studying in a degree college, says that Bhubaneswar is the best city in Odisha to live in. You think it is Sambalpur. Your brother offers a few reasons why he thinks Bhubaneswar is the best city. It has broad roads, less pollution and the cost of living is low. He also mentions that it is the state's capital and is more ancient city than many other cities in the state. You disagree. You think Sambalpur is far better than Bhubaneswar. It offers more job opportunities, is better connected to many cities across India, there are a number of colleges and schools and it is easier to rent a house.

• Listen to and understand conversations either in class or on TV • Read newspapers and understand basic information from reports • Express views and opinions in oral and written forms • Undertake simple language projects like developing a poster • Read written instructions • Participate in oral group compositions • Read aloud fluently – with attention to full stops, commas, etc. • Write down their opinions • Convert one language form into another – e.g., tables into write-ups, dialogues into an

essay, etc.


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Your brother loses his temper because you continue to disagree with him, and says, 'Listen, I should know better since I am elder to you. Let's talk in the evening.' He rushes off to take the bus to college. You are sure that he will return that evening, continue the argument and would expect you to agree with him. Ask students: Is it all right to disagree with your elders? In this case, it is the brother. What about parents and grandparents? Here are some more questions you can ask. Your brother stated some reasons to support his view. Can you arrange them in descending order - from the most acceptable to the least acceptable? What would you do when your brother comes back home in the evening to continue the argument with you? What would you do if you think it is not worth having a quarrel over this issue? If you want to stick to your view and continue the argument, while retaining the respect you have for him, what would you say when you meet him again in the evening? Among the following topics, which ones are worth arguing about with parents or elders if they think differently?

• What you should study after completing Class 10. • What you should eat. • What type of clothes you should wear. • Whom you should be friends with. • What safety precautions you must take while cooking/ ironing clothes/cycling to the school. • What movies you should watch. • What music you should listen to.

Can you write a dialogue between you and your brother based on the above situation?

How would you conduct the above activity - individually, in groups, in pairs, or for the whole class? Would you vary the grouping? For example, partly as a group activity and partly as a pair activity? Which portion of the activity will suit group / pair / individual / whole-class work?


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Did it work?

interesting difficult boring

Activity - 2: Expressing opinions We often express our opinions in rigid ways, as if what we believe is true for everybody else. Other people may not feel the same way as you and it can be annoying if you present your opinion in this way.

Here are some pairs of statements. Which one of each pair is a better way of expressing your opinion?

We went to see a movie yesterday and it was horrible.

We went to see a movie yesterday. I didn't like it.

There is no worse vegetable than ‘baingan’. I wonder how people can eat it!

I don't like ‘baingan’ much.

I am not interested in watching cricket.

Watching cricket is a waste of time for anyone.

I don’t like people being dishonest.

No one should be dishonest.

I don't like people who bully others in school.

Bullying others is unacceptable.

Did it work?


What is the focus of this activity?.....................................................................

Did you make any modifications or try out variations?.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................




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Activity – 3: But… Write the following on the board.

• I bought a new pen, but .......................................................................................................... . • I read a book, but ..................................................................................................................... . • Rajendra went to his friend’s house, but ............................................................................. . • The teacher didn’t come, but ................................................................................................. . • The door was not open, but ................................................................................................... .

Ask them to complete the first sentence. Do it as a whole class activity. Elicit different responses for a sentence. Here are some expected answers. 'I bought a new pen but it doesn't write well /it is broken/ I don’t like it/ the top is broken…'. Give them some time to complete the sentences. Since this is a comparatively simple activity, ask those students who are reluctant to participate to present their sentences. Appreciate them.

Did it work?


Activity – 4: End to Beginning Give the students the last sentence of a situation. Ask them to construct the story or situation. For example, 'From that day, Naveen and I stopped troubling Ahmed.' You can develop the story in this way so that students get an idea about what you expect them to do. Naveen and I enjoyed bullying and teasing others in the class. We particularly targeted Ahmed, a new student who had just joined the class. His family recently relocated to Sambalpur. He never hurt us back and would ignore our harassment. One day, we learnt that he was suffering from bone cancer and had only a few months to live. We were deeply ashamed for having teased him. From that day, Naveen and I stopped troubling Ahmed. Here are some suggestions for last sentences you can use.




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• Rima decided not to return the money to Kavita. • After this incident, the shop keeper was very courteous to me whenever I went to the shop. • The bull ran away seeing Imran. • Tears of joy rolled down Sheila's cheeks.

Here's a variation using the same last sentence For e.g., Naveen and I enjoyed bullying and teasing classmates. One day, a new boy by name Ahmed joined the class. We decided to target him. Initially, he didn’t react. One day, in the assembly, our school headmaster announced that Ahmed has been selected to participate at the National Level Competition in Karate. He also announced that he is a ‘blackbelt’ (the highest level of achievement in Karate). From that day, Naveen and I stopped troubling Ahmed.

Did it work?


Activity – 5: Saying it differently Present the following event. Ranbir and Shahrukh are friends. Shahrukh has a cricket bat. Ranbir wanted to borrow it so he asked Shahrukh asked for it. Shahrukh didn’t want to lend his bat to Ranbir because Ranbir had lost many things that Shahrukh had lent him earlier. Shahrukh doesn’t want say hurt Ranbir but he still wants to refuse to lend him his bat. Stop here and distribute photocopies of the following conversation or hang up a chart on which you have written the conversation earlier.. R: Do you have a cricket bat? S: Yes, I do, but my cousin has borrowed it from me. R: When will he return the bat? S: He is not going to return the bat soon, because he has to play matches right through the month.




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R: Fine, I will come after a month. S: But I will not have it even then because another cousin has asked to borrow it for a few matches he is playing the month after that. I suggest that you ask Ajay who also owns a cricket bat. Or would you like me to come with you to our school’s Games Teacher, Patel who owns a bat. He may be willing to lend it? He likes me very much and would help. But you must not lose the bat! You must return it on time to him. R: Ok. Ask the students to role play this conversation. Now ask students to write role plays for the following dialogues. It is better to do a role play in Odia before asking them to write this kind of conversation. Here are some situations for creating dialogues of this kind:

• A friend wants to join your school drama troupe which you head. She is a poor actor. You don’t want to take her.

• A friend, who has come on a holiday to your house, wants to come to your school. You don't like this idea.

• A stranger is asking for lift on your cycle. You don’t know him or her.

Did it work?


Activity – 6: For and against Ask your students if they agree with the first or the second statement below. Ask them to form groups, and come up with a list of arguments for whichever statement they choose.

• You should not waste food. Whatever food items are on the plate, must be eaten. • You should leave the food on the plate, if you don’t feel like eating it. Eating food that is unhealthy

or unsuitable for you could lead to diseases and stomach pain.




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You can use the following themes to elicit both supporting and opposing viewpoints. Ask students to work in groups and either assign or allow them to choose the position they want to take.

• Sachin Tendulkar should not have been given the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) because there are many deserving people who are working for the poor, who deserve it more. Sachin Tendulkar, who came up from a humble background, proved that you don’t have to be rich to achieve great success. He also inspired millions of Indians to be proud of being an Indian. So he deserved the Bharat Ratna.

• We need capital punishment (hanging a person to death) for extraordinary crimes.

The government should abolish capital punishment because killing a human being, whether by the government or the individual, is unacceptable.

• The government should give an allowance (money) to any person who is unemployed. The government should not give any money to the unemployed since that will make them lazy. Instead, they need jobs, which will allow them to earn money.

Allow students to use Odia but encourage them to use English as much as possible. Provide English equivalents whenever necessary.

Do a few students dominate your class? This is a common problem. A few students may dominate all discussions and you may end up giving them too much attention. Of course, you should engage with them. But can you do so without ignoring others? Here are some suggestions:

• When you do a listing activity, ask the dominant students to present their answers only at the end.

• Ask them to come up with examples to explain an idea. • Plan some challenging questions, related to an activity, especially for them. • •


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Did it work?


Activity – 7: Comparing things When we have arguments we first try to find common ground and then move on to justifying our point of view. It is useful to think about similarities and differences in this context. Here is an activity that will help your students work on this skill. Tell the students the following: 'I am going to ask you a simple question. But don’t be in a hurry to give me the answer. Take your time to think a bit, and write down your points. You have about five minutes for this.' Then ask 'What do a cat and a dog have in common?' Ask them to stop writing after five minutes. Explore the answers. The questions you could ask include:

• How many of you wrote more than 10 points?

• What is your first point?

• What is your tenth point?

• How many of you have NOT written 'Both are pet animals'?

Conduct a similar process for the following questions too:

• What are the differences between a cat and a dog?

• What are the similarities between a blackboard and a notebook?

• What are the differences between a notebook and a blackboard?

Other ‘pairs’ that could be included in the list include: school/home, cinema/drama, classical music (shehnai, sitar, etc)/cinema music, well/pump set... Try to ask similarities and differences between two totally dissimilar-looking objects: e.g. a shirt and the wall, gold and paper, an apple and chocolate…




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Did it work?


Activity – 8: ‘The First Step’ A story (Class-9 non detailed text – Lesson-3) Tell the students: There is an interesting story in your text book. Annu a little girl want go to School. But her father would not send her to school. He says, it will be of no use to her as she is a girl. If Chinni her brother is educated it will help him to get a job. Do you think Annu will go to School? What was Annu’s first step towards her goal? Read the story and find the answer. Give the students a clear picture of what you meant by ‘reading‘. You may write the steps of the process on the board to help them understand what to do.

• Read the lesson

• List out the hard words

• Guess the meaning of the words

• Find simpler meanings for difficult words by checking the glossary or a dictionary

• Read the text again

• Mark sentences which need explanation

• Guess the meaning of those sentences

• Discuss with your friends

The next day, ask them some questions to check their understanding. Then ask them the following questions.




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Ask, 'Did you mark any sentences which need explanation?' Let a student read out one sentence. Don’t explain at once. Ask 'What is your guess or what do you think the meaning is?' Let him / her try to respond. Then ask others to say what they understood about the sentence. If their explanations are not correct, then you can suggest the meaning. Options: a. Antonyms – Class 10

• Antonyms are a good way of developing vocabulary to counter arguments and put forward

opinions clearly to others. Ask the students to do the section on antonyms. The can be encouraged to make sentences with the words.

b. Negative sentences – Classes 9 and 10

• Negative sentences too can help to put forward an alternate point of view. Ask students to do the exercise given in this section.

Did it work?


Activity – 9 : Puzzles and riddles Try to make copies of the following riddles for the students. If that is a problem, write them on the board.

1. I am a table. But I have no legs. Who am I?

2. I am a driver. But no policeman can arrest me. Who am I?

3. I have a face and two hands. But I don’t have arms and legs. Who am I?

4. If you clean it, it becomes black. What is it?




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5. What belongs to you but is used more by other people?

6. I run but never walk, I murmur but never talk, I go on but never stop. What am I?

7. What is as big as an elephant, but weighs nothing at all?

8. If you want to use me, you have to break me. Who am I?

9. As long as I eat, I live. When I drink water, I die.

10. What teaches you without talking?

Answers: 1. Time table 2. Screw driver 3.Clock 4.Blackboard 5. Your name 6. River 7. Shadow 8. Egg 9. Fire 10. Book If you write the riddles on the board, don’t ask them to copy them. Instead act as if you are going to rub them. Do they stop you? Or are they copying them, without waiting for your instructions? Here are some more suggestions related to riddles.

• Ask students to collect as many riddles as possible and share them with others.

• Ask them to translate Odia riddles into English and vice versa.

• Creating new riddles will be an interesting challenge. Ask them to think of an object and create a

riddle. E.g.: If you press me the television will work. Who am I? Answer – TV remote.

Did it work?





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Assessing yourself Student performance indicators

Here are some indicators you can use to evaluate yourself.

• I can present an event/ ask an interesting question to draw students’ attention. • I can give instructions (what to do? how to do?) clearly. • I can organize materials and provide them at the right time. • I can observe students and extend minimum help to make them involve in the

activity • I can organize the classroom according to the nature of the activity. • I can increase/ decrease the level of challenge of an activity (Can try variation of an

activity according to the level of interest of the students). • I can read out texts/ present stories and events with the right features of narration

(facial expression, gestures, tonal variations... etc).

Read the key objectives of this TSU. Convert them into questions. Based on them you can evaluate the performance of your students. Please note down your evaluation questions. Share them at the cluster meetings.

tsu english 8 sbp

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