Orukkam-2010-english

Orukkam- 09-2010


Module I
The Cherry Tree

picture of cherry tree


1. I am a cherry tree.
2. Do you know who planted me?
3. How did Rakesh get me?
4. How did he look after me?
5. Do you remember the two accidents I met with?
6. Do you know why I survived?







picture of Rakesh

1.I am Rakesh.
2. Where do I live?
3. Do you know how I got the cherry seed?
4. Why did I plant the seed?
5. Do you know what my feeling was when I recognized the twig as my
cherry plant?
6. How did I look after it?
7. Do you remember the two unforgettable incidents about the cherry
tree?



picture of grand father



1. I am a retired forest ranger. I have a grand son Rakesh.
2. Where do I live? With whom?
3. Do you know my role in making Rakesh plant the cherry seed?
4. What did I do for him?
5. Do you know how do I value the cherry tree?





Rakesh was a six year old boy who lived with his grand father in the Himalayan foot hills . one day when he was returning from school, he felt hungry, he went to a shop nearby and asked for a bunch of cherries.



what would be the likely conversation between Rakesh and the shop keeper?







Process:
Individual writing and random presentation
Pair work and random presentation
Group work and presentations
Editing
Self assessment.


To Leanrner;
Did I begin properly?
Did I connect ideas using linkers?
Did I use natural language/expressions?
Did I convey the idea properly?






Pick out all the words in italics from the narration above. Classify them under:

*Prepositions
*Articles
*Conjunctions
*Relative pronouns


There are some words missing in the passage given below,find suitable words to fill in the blanks.

Rakesh bought / bunch / cherries and ate a few of them on his way home. He kept three cherries / his grand father. He saw his grand father / the garden. He offered the cherries to him. He took one and Rakesh ate / two left.

“Are these seeds lucky?” asked Rakesh
“of course” replied grand father
Then Rakesh said, “ I will keep it somewhere”
Grand father said, “Nothing is lucky if you put it away. if you want luck, you must put it to some use.”


Report the conversation between Rakesh and his grand father





Rakesh planted the seed in the shady corner of his garden . The cherry seed sprouted and grew. Rakesh gave it good care. one day a goat ate all its tender leaves but his grand father assured him that it would grow. Then another misfortune befell the cherry tree. The grass cutting women cut it in two. Rakesh was really upset and he lost all hopes,his grand father could not assure him this time.

Rakesh poured his feelings in his diary on that day. Write the likely diary of Rakesh.






Process:
Individual writing and random presentation
Pair work and random presentation
Group work and presentations
Editing
Self assessment.



To the Learner;

Self assessment check list
Did I express personal feelings?
Did I use linkers?
Did my writing have cohesiveness of ideas?
Did my writing have clarity of expression?
Did my writing have relevance to the theme?




Rakesh was growing up too soon. so was his cherry tree. Rakesh was sturdy boy of eight by then. He was called for helping his parents in the village. He helped them with the farming work during the monsoon. He was anxious to know about the cherry tree when he was not there. He wrote a letter to his grand father inquiring about it. His grand father promptly replied to his letter.

Write the likely letter Rakesh's grand father wrote to him.






Process:
Individual writing and random presentation
Pair work and random presentation
Group work and presentations
Editing
Assessment.


self assessment

To the Learner;

Did I write the address and date?
Did I write an appropriate salutation?
Did I convey the idea properly?
Did I organise the ideas properly?
Did I use appropriate complimentary close?
Did I use proper subscription?





Rakesh watered the plant even when it was raining to make it feel his presence.some visitors called at some of branches of the cherry tree at that time. The first visitor was a praying mantis and then a second vistor came which was a hairy caterpillar. The caterpillor began to eat its tender leaves.Rakesh took it and dropped it on a heap of dry leaves. He said, "call on the cherry tree when you become a butterfly." the cherry tree was growing up fast. It was one February morning. Grandfather went out to get some warmth. He looked at the tree and to his great surprise he found a the first blossom. He called Rakesh to show him the miracle. The tree swung in ecstasy and pride.



Look at the words in italics. They are phrasal verbs. Find phrasal verbs from other units and explain the idea they convey.






Birds and bees came to feed on the nectar in the blossoms. The tree kept blossoming right through the spring. It gave plenty of sweet cherries. Rakesh collected the cherry fruits and gave them to all of his friends.


Rakesh became famous in the school for his love of nature,all because of his cherry tree. The school nature club decided to invite Rakesh to make the keynote speech on a programme in connecton with 'ente maram project'. Prepare a notice to inform all the students about this programme.





Process:
Individual writing and random presentation
Pair work and random presentation
Group work and presentations
Editing
Self assessment.



To he Learner;
self assessment check list.
Did I give a striking heading?
Did I mention date,day ,time and venue?
Did I use a suitable lay out and format?
Did I use proper expressions?





Rakesh made the key note speech on the programme. Prepare the speech of Rakesh about the cherry tree.





Process:
Individual writing and random presentation
Pair work and random presentation
Group work and presentations
Editing


To the Learner;
Self assessment check list
Did I introduce the speech properly?
Did I eloborate all the ideas in proper sequence?
Did I conclude the speech properly by summarsing all the main ideas.












Prepare a report of the programme.




Process:
Individual writing and random presentation
Pair work and random presentation
Group work and presentations
Editing
Self assessment.


To the Learner;
Self assessment chech list

Did I use proper expressions suitable for a report?
Did I use linkers?
Did I organise ideas properly?
Did I write all the relevant ideas?



























Module 2
Two Gentlemen of Verona




Picture of A.J.Cronin


1. I am A.J. Croin,I am a doctor and I write novels.
2. I met two small boys in the outskirts of Verona.
2. What were they doing?
3. Why do they work so hard?
4. What happened to their parents?
5. Who is Lucia?







Pictures of the two boys


1. We are Nicola and Jacopo.Do you know us?
2. We do many works,we have some plans.
3. Do you know why do we work so hard?
4. Do you know anything about our family?




Picture of a girl-Lucia.

1.I am Lucia, I have two brothers,Nicola and Jacopo.
2. Do you know why mybrothers work so hard?
3. I wanted to become a singer. Can I sing again?










Picture of a nusre


1. I am a nurse. I work in a hospital at poleta.
2. Lucia is admitted here.Do you know what happened to their family?
3. Should I tell the story of this family to the visitor?




One day the narrator met two boys on the outskirts of Verona selling
fruits. He bought a basket of fruits from them. Later he met them near the restaurant with shoeshine boxes doing a busy work. One night he saw them selling newspapers at late hours of the night. The narrator was surprised to find that they did many odd jobs like selling fruits, shinning shoes, selling newspapers and they used to take tourist around the city. He met them at the deserted square at late night.
He asked them, “What are you doing at this time here?”
“We are waiting for the last bus from Padua to sell the remaining
newspapers”, replied the boys.

Report the conversation between author and the boys.
Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


To Leanrner;
Did I begin properly?
Did I connect ideas using linkers?
Did I use natural language/expressions?
Did I convey the idea properly?




The boys proved to be very helpful to the narrator. They became close
friends. The narrator thought that the boys worked so hard to emigrate to
States. He asked them about this and they said that they had some plans. The boys asked him for a favour.They wanted him to take them to Poleta, a far away village. He agreed to do that. This journey changed all his previous impressions about these boys. He came to know about their family and their sick sister undergoing treatment in the hospital. He was deeply moved by their heart rending story. He could not sleep that night. He wrote about them in his diary.


Write the likely diary of the narrator.




















Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Self assessment check list
Did I express personal feelings?
Did I use linkers?
Did my writing have cohesiveness of ideas?
Did my writing have clarity of expression?
Did my writing have relevance to the theme?





The narrator reached a hospital with the boys. He met a nurse
there. He introduced himself to her.

Prepare a profile of A.J. Cronin based on the following
hints.






• A.J. Cronin ‐1896‐Doctor‐practised medicine in

Wales & London.

• Wrote first novel‐Hatter’s castle‐a huge
success.
• Best known novels‐The Citadel, The key of the
Kingdom, The Spanish Gardener.





Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Self assessment checklist:
Did I give a title to the profile?
Did I expand all the ideas given in the biodata?
Did I sequence all ideas and organise it properly?
Did I use the appropriate language and style?

The narrator learned about their family from the nurse. He did
not want to let the children know that he heard their story from the
nurse. He felt very sad. He realized that the Civil War was the cause of all
these miseries in their life. He hated all wars that cause human misery.

Do you hate wars?


Your school decides to organise an Anti‐war campaign on Hiroshima
Day. Prepare a notice to inform all the students






Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Self assessment check list.
Did I give a striking heading?
Did I mention date,day ,time and venue?
Did I use a suitable lay out and format?
Did I use proper expressions?



You are asked to prepare some placards against war for the campaign. Prepare some placards.







Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


Self assessment chcklist.
Did I make it attractive and striking?
Was it brief and apropriate in style?
Did it convey the idea well?




You are the students of ABC School, Palakkad. The Anti‐war campaign conducted by your school was reported in all the newspapers. Prepare a newspaper report.








Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


Self assessment cecklist:
Did I use a catchy headline?
Did Imention the date and place for the report?
Did I explain the headline in the firstline?
Did I organise and sequence ideas properly?
Did I use apropriate language and style in the report?






















Module 3
Three Days to See





1. I am Helen Keller.Do you know me?
2. Do you know how I am different from others?
3. I have a wonderfl teacher,Mrs.Anne Sullivan Macy.Do you know about her?
4. Do you know how I make sense of the world around me?
5. Do you know what all things I would like to see in the world?
6. Can you tell what all things I would like to see on the first day of sight?
7. Can you tell what all things I would like to see on the second day of
sight?
8. Can you tell what all things I would like to see on the third day of sight?



Helen Keller was blind, deaf and dumb after an illness when she was 19
months old. Her teacher Anne Sullivan Marcy changed life for her. Helen
became a world famous writer later in life. She considered human eye
sight as the most important of the human senses. She wished to see a lot
of things in this world. She has written about the things she wished to see
in this world if she got eye sight for atleast three days.


Helen likes to see a lot of things on the first day of sight? Why does she want to see them? Can you imagine you are Helen Keller and write the things you wish to see on the first day of sight?






Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Self assessment:
Did I express the ideas well?
Did I organise the contend properly?
Did I use appropriate language and expresson?




Helen Keller minces no words in expressing her profound gratitude to her
teacher. It is no wonder that she wanted to see her on the first day of her
imagined eye sight.



What would she like to talk to her teacher on their first meeting? Can you
imagine the conversation between them? Write down the possible
conversation.





Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.



The second day of her imagined eye sight wouldn’t be anything less than
the first day in importance.

The second day too she had so many things to see in the world. She wrote
about the rich variety of experiences on the second day of sight in a diary.
Prepare it.



Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


Helen Keller expresses her deep human concern and fellow feeling in her
earnest desire to see the busy street of New York to experience a work a
day world.
She relates the third days experience to a friend. How would she
describe the third day?

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

A seminar is proposed to be conducted in the topic “Physically
challenged are not disable but differently able”. You are invited to
present a paper. Prepare it.

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Did i begin properly?
Did i connect ideas using linkers?
Did i use natural language/expressions?
Did i convey the idea properly?


















Module 4
The Hero








Picture of Swami's father.

1.I am Swami's father. I am a lawyer by profession.
2.I have a son. I want to make him bold.
3.Do ou know What did I ask my son to do to make him bold?
7.Do you think I could bring about the desired change in him?




picture of swami

1.I am Swami.I am a second form stuent(equalent to class VII)
2.Do you know my father? He is very strict.
3.One day he asked me to sllep in his office room to prove my courage.
4.Why did he say so?
5.What was the frightful proposition?
6.What made him suggest this to me?
7.What did I come across in the office room?
8.I became a hero. Do you know what made me a hero?



Swami is a little boy. One day his father read aloud the news of a brave
village lad who came face to face with a tiger. The boy fought with the
tiger,and went up a tree. He stayed there until some people came and
killed the tiger. The next day a rally was organised by animal lovers in
protest against the killing of the tiger. The people shouted some
slogans. Can you hear them ?


Write atleast three slogans.





Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

self assessment chcklist:
Did I convey the message?
Is it brief and striking?
Is the style and language used appropriate for a slogan?

The news created a dispute between Swami and his father. Swami was
of the opinion that the village lad must be a strong grown up person.
The father was of the opinion that courage was everything not
strength and age. Now the father wanted Swami to prove his courage
by sleeping alone in the office room.It was a frightful proposition
indeed. Swami tried to change the subject but his father was
adament.Swami was worried. He rang to his friend to get a solution for
his problem. Given below is a telephonic conversation between Swami
and his friend Raju. Complete it suitably.

Swami:Hello! May I speak to Raju?
Raju: It’s me Swami,…………(a)……………………?
Swami: I have a problem. My Father has asked me to sleep alone in his
office room tonight.
Raju:You can sleep,…(b)………?
Swami:I am afraid to sleep alone. You know I am afraid of
darkness,……(c)………?
Raju:Oh yes. I forgot. Try to go to bed as early as possible to escape
from him.
Swami: That’s an idea ………(d)…………
Raju: welcome.

Swami went early to bed that night.He lay silently beside his granny.
But his father forced him into the office room. Swami was not allowed
to have light in the room but he was allowed to keep the door open.
Many frightining thoughts disturbed his mind.He even had a
nightmare.As he awoke from it, he felt something in his room. He
thought it was a monster.With all his strength he caught hold of the
monster and bit on its leg. The monster tured out to be the most notorious
buglar in th town.


The next day the news was reported in the news papers. How would the report be.





Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.
Self assessment chechlist:
Did I use a catchy headline?
Did I mention he place and date of the report?
Did I explain the headline in the first line?
Did I use organise ideas and sequence them properly using linkers?
Did I use appropriate language style suitable for reporting?

Swami was in for a sweet surprice at school.All his friends had read the news.
They admired him for his courage.Swami became a hero.The police were
grateful to him .


The department of police decided to convene a function to honour the little
boy for his brave act in his school. Prepared a notice for the occasion.






Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


self assessment check list.
Did I give a striking heading?
Did i mention date,day ,time and venue?
Did i use a suitable lay out and format?
Did i use proper expressions?




Module 5
ON THE RULE OF THE ROAD



Picture of Arthur Ransome


1. I am Arthur Ransome.I told the story of the stout lady to A.G. Gardenar.
Do you know the story?
2. How did she cause confusion to the traffic?
3. How did she justify herself?



Picture of the stout old lady.



1.I am an old lady, I got the liberty to walk where I like.
2. Why do they say I caused a great confusion in Petrograd?




Picture of A.G. Gardner






1. I am A.G. Gardiner.I am a writer.
2. Do you know the story Arthur Ramsom told me?
3. Do you know what do I think about her?
4. Why do I disagree with the stout old lady’s view?
5. Personal liberty has to be curtailed to ensure social liberty possible in any society.
6. Why I think personal liberty has to be curtailed?
7. What happened to me during the train journey?
8. Why do I think the man lack social sense?

A.G.Gardiner heard the story about a stout old lady at Petrogard from
Arthur Ramsom. She walked through the middle of a busy street causing a
greate confusion to the traffic. She thought she had the freedom to do what
she likes. She doesnot understand that personal freedom should be contolled to some extend to make the same liberty possible in a society at large.



This incident was reported in a daily on the following day. Prepare the
news paperreport.







Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


Self assessment chechlist:
Did I use a catchy headline?
Did I mention he place and date of the report?
Did I explain the headline in the first line?
Did I use organise ideas and sequence them properly using linkers?
Did I use appropriate language style suitable for reporting?



Liberty is a social contract. It demands a willingness to accommodate
interests of others also. Personal liberty will not be possible without
social liberty.
There is a whole realm of matters in which one can exercise absolute
freedom. In matters which do not touch others freedom such as hair
style, dress, food etc which are personal matters.
One day the narrator got in to a railway carriage. He took a Blue‐
Book for reading. He was not reading it for pleasure. He wanted a
reasonable quiet to read but he could not read because there came
two passengers who started talking in a loud voice. It is a pity that such
people do not understand the problems they create to others. In fact a
reasonable consideration for others is the foundation of social
conduct.
The world is a complex place therefore one cannot be complete
anarchists or socialists in it. A mixture of both will be desirable to
preserve individual and social liberty. It is such common place social
exchanges that make the world a good place to live in.

Conduct a seminar in your school on the topic ‘Individual liberty must
be curtailed to preserve social liberty.’

prepare a notice to inform the seminar to all the students and staff







Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Self assessment chechlist:
Did I use a catchy headline?
Did I mention he place and date of the report?
Did I explain the headline in the first line?
Did I use organise ideas and sequence them properly using linkers?
Did I use appropriate language style suitable for reporting?


Prepare a seminar paper on the topic.






Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


Prepare a report of the seminar.




Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.













Module 6
THE SNEEZE


Picture of Tcherviakoff

1.I am Tcherviakoff. I am a minor official.
I don’t know why I easily get worried over silly matter?
3.That day I was very happy and relaxed and enjoying one performance in the
opera house, suddenly I felt like to sneeze. I sneezed on the man in front.
Where? Don’t you know what happened then? What did I feel?
4. How did the major react to me?
5. Do you remember how many times I tried to apologise to him ? But how did
he respond?
6. If you were in my position what you would have done?
7. Will the major forgive me?




Picture of the Major




1. I am working in the Departments of Highways.
2. How did I react when Tcherviaoff said sorry for sneezing on me?
3.I am sorry to hear that Tcherviaoff has died of a broken heart Do you
think I am responsible for the death of Tcherviaoff?
4. Won’t you feel irritated when somebody interrupts you repeatedly
when you are engaged in something? Do you remember how I
reacted?



Tcherviakoff's wife




1. My husband is no more now. Hewas a very sensitive person. Do you
know him?
2. Do you know what I asked him to do when he told me about the opera
house incident?




Tcherviaoff was a minor official. One day he was watching an opera.
There he happened to sneeze on the major who was seated in his front.
He felt deeply ashamed of himself. He tried to apologize to the major
many times.

Don’t you remember the conversation between major Brizjaloff and
Tcherviaoff. Complete the following conversation.










Tcherviaoff: I beg your pardon, your Excellency, I sneezed on you
accidently.
Brizjaloff: ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Tcherviaoff: Excuse me, ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Brizjaloff: Oh! Come in and take your seat.
Tcherviaoff: ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Brizjaloff: ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐. I have already forgotten it.

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.


On reaching home Tcherviakoff told his wife about the incident.
What would be the conversation between them?







Tcherviakoff’s wife asked him to apologize. He goes to the General’s
office to meet him there. His repeated attempts to apologize irritated
him. He said that Tcherviakoff was joking and making a fool of him.
This shocked him. He was totally upset. He miserably failed to convince
the General.



He decided to write a letter to him about this incident.
Write the likely letter.






Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Tcherviakoff couldn’t write the letter. He decided to meet him
again to explain everything in personal. But this attempt too way in
vain. He was humiliated and rejected outright. Tcherviakoff was
totally shattered by this bitter experience. He reached home totally
exhausted. He sat on the sofa and thought about the day’s experience.
What would be his thoughts at that time?

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Tcherviakoff died heart broken. The death was a cover story in all the
newspapers. How was it reported? Can you prepare the news report?

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

After Tcherviakoff’s funeral a condolence meeting was organized by his
friends. You are going to make a condolence speech on the occasion.
Prepare the speech.
Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.





Module7
The Elixir of Life




RIVER




RAIN




POND







DESERT
1 You can find me in all the 3 pictures above, but I am not in the 4th picture.
Who am I?
2 Do you know about my geographical importance?
3. Do you know how I add beauty to a landscape?
4. How do I carry slit?
5. What are the good and bad effects of this?
6. What can you do to stop soil erosion caused by me?
7. Do know how important am I to plants and animals?
8. Do you know how do I contribute value to a country life?

Water is the true elixir of life. The presence of water makes a place like
Libya a desert and a place like Egypt one of the greenest and most fertile lands
in the world. Neil valley is a creation of the river Nail. In short water plays a
vital role in geography and human life.
You are called upon to make as speech about the importance of water
in school assembly on World Environment Day. Prepare the speech.

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Water makes a landscape beautiful. A trickling stream is a beautiful sight
and so are the rainfed tanks when they are full. Flow of water play an
important role in geographical process of soil formation. But it has a
destructive role also.
Your school is bringing out a magazine in which you are asked an article about
soil erosion and methods to compact this menace. Write an article.
Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.

Water is the very basis of life for plant and animal life. Therefore preservation
and proper use of water is very important. Agriculture in India largely depends
on the seasonal rainfall. So preservation of water is important for agriculture
also.
Afforestaion is another serious issue. There is an urgent need to develop
civilized forest in India.
Your school decides to organize an afforestaion campaign. Prepare some
placards showing the importance of afforestaion.

Process:‐
• Individual writing & Random presentation.
• Pair work & Random presentation.
• Group work & Presentation.
• Editing.
• Assessment.














Poetry Section













POEM‐1
A STORMY NIGHT



1. Who is the‘I’in this poem?
3. What sort of a night was it?
4. What thoughts disturb his mind?
5. What is the effect of these disturbing thoughts on him?
6. What gives him comfort finally?
7. What is his prayer?
8. Pick out the images used in the poem from the picture.
8.'Wild and windy' What is special abot the use of the underlined sounds? Can you find
more such examples from the pem?
9. What do you think about the boy?


POEM‐2
Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead



1. What could have happened to the warrior?
2. Why couldn’t the lady weep?
3. Why were the maidens anxious?
4. How did they try to make her cry?
5. What sort of a warrior was he?
6. Who succeeded in the attempt?
7. How did she cry?
8. What did she tell her child?
9. Pick out the images used in the poem from the picture.
10. Why did the maidens praise the dead soldier?
11. 'Rose a nurse of ninety years' What does the poet suggest by stating this?
12. 'As the shining moon in clouded skies'.Pick out similar expression from the poem.







Poem 3
David and His Mother

.


1. Who does I refer to?
2. How does the child know that the mother is sad?
3. How does it affect the child?
4. When does the mother have a pleasant face?
5. What sort of child is he then?
6. When does the home become devoid of glee?
7. How does the child feel then?
8. When is there a high demand for her gentle hand?
9. How is the home when mother is back?
10. When does the child feel sick?
11. How is life then?
12. How does the child know that the mother is healthy again?
13. Who creates the magic spell in the family? What is the magic spell?
14. Pick out the images used in the poem.












Poem 4
The Solitary Reaper

.


1. Who does ‘I’ refer to in the poem?
2. What does he see?
3. What is the girl doing?
4. What kind of a song is the girl singing?
5. What is the girl’s song compared to?
6. 'A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard' Whose voice is referred to here?
7.How does the nightingale's song become welome notes to travellers?
6. What is the girl’s voice compared to?
7. What breaks the silence of the seas?
8. What could be her song about?
9. Is the speaker bothered about the theme of her song?
10.Why was the poet motionless and still?
10. What does the speaker carry with him?
11. Pick out the images used in the poem from the picture.





















Poem 5
Come Live With Me


Image to be inserted






Who is the speaker in the poem?
Who would sing the love songs?
What would play the background music?
What would the lover make for his Lady love?
Who would dance and sing for her?
Do you think the lady would accept her lover’s gifts?
Pick out the images used in the poem?


















Poem 6
Light The Lamp Of Thy Love






1. Who is the speaker?
2. What change does the devotee desire for?
3. What do the darkness and light stand for here?
4. Why is the lamp transmuting and entrancing?
5. 'Lamp of thy love'.Find similar expressions in the poem.
6. 'Sense lamps are sooted into worries'What does the poet mean by this?


Shall we go deep into the poems?






Match the theme and the rhyme scheme with that of the poem.



A B C
Home They Bought Her
Warrior Dead. Love of a boy for his
fellow beings. No rhyme scheme
David And His Mother. The impact of music on a human mind abcb
Come Live With Me. A devotee’s prayer for a spiritual change.
abab
The Solitary Reaper The importance of mother
in a family. aaaabb
A Stormy Night The self sacrificing nature of a mother. abcbddee &ababccdd
Light The Lamp Of
Thy Love . A true love aabb










Pick out the pair of rhyming words from each poem.
1. A Stormy Night
2. Home They Bought Her Warrior Dead
3. David And His Mother
4. Solitary Reaper
5. Come Live With Me
6. Light The Lamp Of Thy Love


Given below is the title of the poem,definition of the figure of speech used and the lines
where it is used. Match them correctly.


Poem Figure of speech lines/words
Light the lamp of thy love Simile I hear the deary drops of rain
The solitary Reaper assonace Sitting at the door of my soul
David and His Mother Metephor For the vale profound is overflowing with the sound.
Come live with me Hyperbole When I have crept into my bed
Home They Brought the Warrior Dead Alliteration Like summer tempest came her tears
A Stormy night Tranferred Epithet If thes delights thy mind may move










Reference
1. Rhyming words: Words ending with similar sounds.
E.g. Rain‐vain
Said‐dead
2. Rhyme Scheme: regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem.
E.g. Home they brought her warrior dead: a
She nor swooned nor utter’d cry: b
All her maidens watching said a
She must weep or she will die b
3. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds like/p/b/
/t/d/ k/g/m/n/l/v/w/etc. in a particular line.
Eg: Dreary drops of rain
On a wild and windy night
Disturb my mind and move my heart
The music in my heart I bore
Light the lamp of thy love
4. Assonance: it is the repetition of the initial Vowel sounds in a particular line.
Eg. And life’s as drab as drab can be
Light the lamp of thy love (ai)
On a wild and windy night (ai)
A bonnier home or a jollier band
5. Metaphor: a metaphor is an implied simile.it does not state that one thing is like
the other or acts as another but takes for granted and proceeds as if the two things
were one.
Eg.The king was a lion in the battle field.
The sense lambs that I did light….
Light the lamb of thy love….
6. Simile:In a similie a comparison is made between two objects of different
Kinds which have at least one point in common.
Eg:An aching heart as heavy as lead….
Like summer tempest came her tears…
Stole a maiden from her place…..
7. Personification:In personification inanimate objects and abstract notions
are spoken of as having life and intelligence.
Eg:The rain is –a drumming on the glass
8. Images: Images are visuals or pictures that come to the mind as the poem is read.
Eg: A girl with sickle bending.
Birds and beasts wet in the rain.
Sailors in the sea.
9.Hyperbole: In hyperbole a statement is made emphatic by overstatement.
Eg: For the vale profound is overflowing with the sound.





























Supplementary Reader.

The Merchant of Venice
Teacher introduces the following on a chart.


BOND EPISODE








Did Antonio sign the bond?
Who was shylock?
Why did Antonio approach Shylock?
What did Bassanio want Antonio to do for him?
Why did Shylock hate Antonio?
Who was Bassanio?
What did shylock demand before lending money to Antonio?
Who was Antonio?
What kind of a man was Shylock?
Could Antonio give the money toBassano? Why?

Learners are asked to write answers to these questions in their notebooks. Then they are asked to sequence the sentences in their correct order.

Events sequenced:
Shylock was a Jewish money lender.
He was very cruel and lent money at very high interest.
Antonio was a young merchant of Venice.
Shylock hated Antonio because he used to lend money to poor people without taking any interest.
Bassanio was a noble Venetian.
He was a close friend of Antonio.
Bassanio wanted Antonio to lend him three thousand ducats.
Antonio had no money then because his ships had not retured.
Antonio approached Shylock and asked for three thousand ducats.
Shylock agreed but demanded Antonio to sign a bond.
Antonio signed the bond.


Let the learners develop these events into a readable paragraph using linkers.






Onece there lived in Venice a cruel Jew named Shylock who lent money at very high inerest. On the other hand Antonio lent money to poor people without taking any intrest. So Shylock hated him. Antonio had close friend Bassanio,a noble Venetian. One day he asked Antonio to lend him three thousand ducats. Unfortunately Antonio had no money then because his ships had not retured . So Antonio approached Shylock. The Jew agreed but insisted that he had to sign a bond. He signed without any hesitation.










To teacher:
The other episodes.i.e, casket episode and court episode may be treated in the same manner









The King Lear


Learners are divided into five groups and they are assigned with five episodes from the story. They are asked to go through the episode assigned to them and find out the characters and events. Each group is given the events in jumbled order. Ask them to rearrange in proper sequence.

First group;
The king did not understand Cordelia's love for him.
King Lear decided to divide his kindom among daughers in proportion to their love for him.
The king of France married Cordelia.
He divided the kingdom between the two daughters and gave nothing to Cordelia.
Cordelia said that she loved her father as a dutiful daughter.

Second group;
Goneril told him to lessen the number of attendants.
Goneril began to treat the badly.
The king made some angry exchanges with her.
He decided to set out to Regan's palace.

Third group;

Regan advised him to go with Goneril.
The king lost control of his mind due to the ill treatment of his daughters.
Lear sent his servant Caius to Regan'palace.
Caius was ill treated by Regan and her Husband

Fourth group;
King Lear thought that the beggar also had unkind daughters.
King Lear wandered in the rain and storm.
A beggar was there in the hut.
Caius followed him and took Lear into a hut.

Fifth group;

Cordelia died in prison.
The daughers' ill treatment made the king mad.
Goneril was imprisoned for poisoning Regan.
Cordelia asked her husband to go to England to fight against her wicked sisters and restore the kingdom to her father.



To teacher
Let the learners sequence the sentences properly in groups.
The group works may be displayed on charts in proper sequence of events.
Ask learners to write readable paragrphs based on the events in respective groups










The Tempest

The events from the story are given in jumbled order. Sequence them and write a readable paragraph.

Ferdinand was brought before Prospero.
Prospero was the duke of Milan.
Miranda fell in love with him.
Everyone was reunited at the end.
Ferdinand succeeded in the tests of Prospero.
Antonio saw his brother and repented.
Antonio, his younger brother forced Prospero and his daughter into a small boat to perish.
Prospero became a master of magic.
They reached on a small island.
The storm dashed the ship into pieces but no one was hurt.
with his magic powers he raised a violent storm

how to write a letter

Provide the context of the letter. Put all the information that the reader will want to know at the beginning of the letter, before you even begin to write the body. If you're writing to a close friend, you won't need much except the date, which will help your friend remember when it was received. If you're writing a business letter, on the other hand, the reader may not even know who wrote the letter (if an assistant threw the envelopes away before passing along the letters). The arrangement of this information depends on the type of letter you're writing, but as long as you provide it neatly and completely, you should be fine:


Your address, sometimes including contact information; some people prefer to write this out at the bottom of the letter, under the signature and printed name. This can also go at the top as a letterhead.
The recipient's name, address, contact information; in business letters, this can be referred to as the "inside address"; if you don't know the recipient's title (Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr.) on the side of caution--use Ms. or Dr. if you think it might apply;[1] use your country's address format; if the inside address is in another country, write that country's name in capital letters as the last line.
The date
A subject line, usually beginning with "Re:" (e.g. Re: Graduation application #4487)

2Start with a proper greeting. The opening should begin at the left side of the page, not the middle or up against the right side of the sheet. The most common opening is "Dear" followed by the person's first name and a comma. For a more casual greeting, you can write "Hello (name)," or "Hey (name)," but if the letter is formal, use the recipient's last name and a colon instead of a comma (e.g. "Dear Mr. Johnson:". Sometimes, if you don't know the recipient's name, you can write "To Whom It May Concern:" If you don't know the person's gender, write out his or her full name to avoid using “Mr.” or “Ms.” (e.g. Dear Ashley Johnson:).
3Write an opening paragraph. Tailor your opening to the recipient. For example, if the letter is casual, you can begin with, "What's up?" or "How's it going?" Otherwise, a simple "How are you?" is fine. If it is a business letter, be direct about why you are writing the letter. Summarize your intentions and be sure to write clearly so that the reader will understand you.
4Construct the body of the letter. This is the part that will really be unique to each letter. Most business letters should be no more than two pages long, but casual letters can be as long or as short as you want them to be. No matter who the recipient is, try not to ramble. Keep each paragraph engaging.
5Use the closing paragraph to indicate the type of response you are seeking. If you would like a letter in return, you can write, "Please write when you have a chance" or, if you prefer a phone call/email, write "Call me soon." or "Email me some time".
6Include a closing such as "Love always" ,"Cheers", "Sincerely", "Talk soon", or "Look forward to seeing you soon". Again, choose your closing based on the recipient and the level of formality. The closing can be aligned on the left or the right side of the page. In business letters, stick with "Regards," or "Respectfully," and sign your name underneath. Then print your name under the signature.

How to Write a Narrative

If you choose to write a narrative, it should be a story in which either you or someone you know well was actually involved. You should avoid stories that simply recount accidents. What I mean is this: a good story needs to have the element of choice in it. If you describe an accident, you need to show that decisions led up to it. This story should be about people, about the decisions they make and the consequences that follow.
A narrative is a moving picture. Like description, narratives need to have a rich texture of details so that the reader is seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching. The reader should experience the story, not simply hear it.

Stories add the element of time to description. Often stories start at the beginning and then follow the sequence of events chronologically. However, an effective variation on this pattern is to start in the middle of things and then use flashbacks to fill in the background information. This method is especailly effective in holding the reader's attention.

There are two extremes you want to avoid in writing a narrative. First, you can simply tell the story, event by event, without giving it any texture because you leave out descriptive details and dialogue. At the opposite extreme is a narrative that attempts to tell everything, painting detailed descriptions of every scene, quoting everything that is said, even speculating about the thoughts of the characters. A good narrative has texture, but it is suggestive rather than exhaustive. After all, the reader's imagination needs some room to fill in details. Giving too many details not only overwhelms the reader's imagination, it also slows the pace of the narrative.

Pacing is an important concept in narrative writing. Basically, pacing means that the writer sometimes slows the pace by putting more detail in, but sometimes she also hurries over details. A good way to know where to put in details and where to leave them out is to think of a narrative as consisting of episodes (smaller scenes that are strung together to make up a longer story). If you divide your story into a few short episodes, then you want suggestive detail within the episodes, but you want to hurry over the transitions between them. Think of episodes as pearls on a string. Make the pearls full orbed; keep the string stringy. The reader dwells in the episodes, but she needs to be oriented to them, and that is the function of the transitions.

As with description, point of view is important. What position is the story being told from? Another way of talking about this is to talk about the story's narrator. The narrator is not the writer, but the consciousness through which the story is told. Sometimes the story is told in third person, which means that every one is referred to as he, or she, or they. Sometimes, however, it is told in first person, which means that the narrator refers to himself as "I" and is actually involved in the story. Not all narrators are reliable.

The more sophisticated narratives become, the more problematic is the narrator. When the narrator tells the story in first person, but details in the story lead the reader to suspect that the narrator is not reliable, the result is irony. Irony is a narrative condition in which the reader and the writer share a common judgmental attitude toward the narrator, or when the reader knows more than the narrator and characters in the story.

For this assignment, it is probably better to tell the story as straight as possible. Irony is hard to pull off successfully. If you want to experiment with narrative form, I would suggest that you start somewhere in the middle of things and then use flashbacks. Also work on putting in suggestive but not overwhelming detail and dialogue. Try dividing your story into short episodes that build on each other. If you can pattern a sequence of events so that the story has some kind of climax (a scene of great tension and even explosion) followed by a denoument (a scene in which everything is worked out), you will have done more than many of us can.

HS-ENGLISH-DRG-TRAINING MODULE

HS- ENGLISH- DRG-PALAKKAD TRAINING MODULE.


PURPOSE
The purpose of the drg is to strengthen the capacity of of a team of teachers by applying principles of constructivist learning and develop training methodologies through ICT.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Share experience of writing a narrative in class room- The ‘why’ and how aspects are shared.
2. Develop strategies to improve SSLC result using Vijayasree material prepared by District Panchayat.
3. Empower participants to use ICT as a pedagogic tool in language class.
4. Help participants to develop training module for cluster level training.
5. Prepare comprehensive unit plans for class VIII/IX/X.

COURSE STRUCTURE : TWO DAYS TRAINING PRGRAMME
MATERIALSAND TOOLS: TRAINING MODULE,TEXT BOOKS,HAND BOOKS,COMPUTER WITH BROAD BAND CONNECTION.
SCHEDULE:
DAY ONE
9.30 to 10 – registration.
10 to 10.30 –review
10.30 to 11.30 - quality tracking
11.30 to 11.40-tea break
11.40 to 1 – familiarizing Vijayasree material.
1 to 2 – lunch break
2 to 4.30 –introducing ICT as pedagogic tool-illustration.
DAY TWO
9.30 to 10 –documentation
10 to 11.15 – presentation and discussion
11.15 to 11.30 – tea break.
11.30 to 1- publishing skit in blog.
1 to 2 – lunch break
2 to 3.30 – CUP preparation VIII/IX/X
3.30 to 4. Module preparation
4. to 4.30 – wrap up session


Training process Materials used (This list is added at the end

Session 1- Review

- Facilitator shows a set of questions on a chart:
- 1.how did teachers respond to the last cluster training?
- 2.Howdid you introduce narrative in your cluster training/ class?
- 3.How did the children respond to this activity?
Could they develop a narrative?

Participants write individual responses and one response from each sub district may be invited. Then the facilitator shares his personal experience showing products from the respective sessions.

Facilitator asks,” what is the position of children after providing such variety of inputs? What difference do you find in response of students in the answer scripts?
Do they still have problems with any particular area?

Session 2 Answer script analysis and strategic enrichment for class X.
Vacillator distributes a format and answer scripts for answer script analysis of last terminal evaluation.

Facilitator invites random responses and lead to an open discussion.
Facilitator concludes that pupils need a strategic enrichment to face SSLC Examination and introduces Vijayasree material
(The approach adopted has to be introduced through simulation of the first activity from the Cherry Tree.)

Facilitator shows visuals from youtube.com/cd on use of technology in classroom.(APPENDIX2-VIDEO1-TO-5).
Facilitator initiates a discussion on the possible uses of ICT
In language teaching.

How is technology used to make this presentation effective?
How is it different from a traditional class room?
Which is more effective? Why?
How do you rate this session in view of the above discussion?
Can language teachers use ICT as a pedagogic tool?

Facilitator introduces some useful web sites:
www.childdrama.com
www.creative drama.com
www.poem haunter.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.englishcaster.com
www.edict/VLC.com
www.Ted.com.
www.twitter.com
www.bellenglish.com
www.a4esl.org
www.manythings .com
(more sites given inVIII Sourse Bookpage 160.
www.thenewtanuki.blogspot.com
www.academicearth.com.

facilitator helps them to use web sites to collect information from internet to write a skit.(APPENDIX-3)
Give them sufficient time to write the skit.
Individual work and random presentation
Pair work and presentation
Group work and presentation
Facilitator initiates a discussion
what are the extension possibilities?
Class room activities, club etc.
Can we take it to a larger audience?
Can we use internet to publish it?
Facilitator shows a clipping on how to make a blog? (APPENDIX-4-VIDEO-6&7)
Can we use blogs as a pedagogic tool?
Facilitator helps them to create blogs and publish the skit.(one from each sub-district)
Session 3
Facilitator initiates a step by step processing of the comprehensive unit plan of class VIII
CUP preparation for class X.
Group work
Training module preparation ,presentation and discussion.

.

Appendix-1 format for answer script analysis.
Appendix 11 format
Question papers and answer scripts of terminal evaluation of class 10.

ITEM (questions)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
Answered by most of the pupils
Not answered by most of the pupils
Wrongly answered by most of the pupils

Appendix4&5 are videos. Please see link for them










Materials to use:
Vijasreematerials.
Writing materials
Cd/visuals on how to make a blog.

Chart &marker pens
Products of pupils
Cd/visuals from ted.com
Computer
Lcd projector
Broad band connection
Appendix 3 –How to write skit -HOW TO WRITE A SKIT
Tips to Make Writing Fun!
Help students build writing and team work skills by presenting a lesson about writing a comedic skit . Even students who don’t normally like to write may enjoy this activity as it does generate a lot of laughter. Talk to the class about how to use dialogue in a comedic skit. Ask students for examples of funny things they have heard someone say lately. Discuss how in a movie most of the time is spent with the characters involved in dialogue. Then, have students sit in groups with a maximum of 4 students per group. Walk around the room and pass out slips of paper with 5 possible topics for a comedic skit. Tell the students they may either choose a topic they create or use one from the list. Giving students some writing ideas helps to eliminate the “I don’t know what to write about” panic some students may experience.
Let students brainstorm their ideas for the skit for about 10 minutes. Then they will create a list of characters and write a brief description of each character. Then the group should decide upon the mood and the theme of the skit. What lesson will the characters learn during this skit?
The final step before writing the skit will be identifying the setting for the skit. The group should list the place and time frame of the skit. They may set the skit anywhere in the world during any time past, present, or future.
Students should then work together to create a skit. The teacher will circulate the room as students are writing to give feedback on their writing progress. Remind each group to give the characters interesting names and unique dialogue.
Give the groups at least 25 minutes to write the skits and then tell them to continue to brainstorm ideas for dialogue for homework. They will have time the next day to finish writing the skit. Later in the week each group will perform their skit for the class.


A Sample skit -The Mystery at the Dunbar Mansion
a skit by Joe Thompson (originally a radio script)


Narrator
The guests at the Dunbar mansion were nervous. It wasn't the fact that a savage storm had taken their lights and they had to do with old candelabras. Nor was it the fact that there were strange noises in the very walls of the mansion. And it was not that the storm had taken out the old bridge and downed the telephone lines leaving them cut off from civilization until such time as the bridge was reopened or the telephone lines were repaired. No, it was the presence in the mansion of Inspector Wallingford. For wherever he stayed there seemed to be an outbreak of that most hideous of social misconduct: Murder.

(thunder)

The guests were talking among themselves that evening when suddenly a scream was heard from the library. Upon entering the library they found the maid in a state of shock.

Inspector
"What is it?"

Narrator
The inspector asked.
The guests glanced at one another expectantly.

Maid
"The. . . The . . .The..."

Narrator
The maid stuttered-

Inspector
Snap out of it woman. What did you see?

Maid
There’s a ...

Inspector
Go on-

Maid
It’s horrible. There’s a – behind the sofa–

Inspector
What? What did you see?

Maid
There's a mouse behind the sofa.

Narrator
The guests heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Man
A mouse? Where did you say it was?

Maid
Over there-

Narrator
The maid continued.

Maid
– behind the sofa, (long pause) on the dead body.
(Thunder)

Narrator
A hush fell on the party guests.

Inspector
Ahhhh, yes. A corpse, of course. And the killer is probably still in this room–

Maid
Whose killer?

Inspector
The dead man’s killer, of course.

Maid
But that makes no sense at all, inspector. You can’t kill a dead man.

Inspector
No of course not. But he wasn’t dead when he was killed.

Maid
If he wasn’t dead when he was killed, when did he die?

Inspector
Never mind. I will need to ask everyone in the mansion a few questions if you don’t mind. Everyone stay where you are. When did you first see the body?

Maid
When I saw the mouse, I suppose.

Inspector
Do you know his name?

Maid
Of course not. I never saw that mouse before in my life.

Inspector
I meant the dead man. Mice don’t have names.

Maid
Except Micky.

Inspector
All right, except Micky.

Maid
And Minnie.

Inspector
I mean real mice, not cartoon mice. Real mice have no names. Now, someone tell me who is this man?

Yvonne
That's my husband.

Narrator
A voice rang out from the crowd of guests.

Inspector
Who said that?

Narrator
I did. But don’t talk to me. I’m the narrator. You can’t hear me or see me. Only the audience can.

Inspector
I wasn’t talking to you. And I certainly can see you and hear you.

Narrator
No you can’t. How many fingers am I holding up?

Inspector
Three.

Narrator
Lucky guess.


Inspector
Good, can we along then? You, Madam, what is your relationship to the deceased?

Yvonne
We were married, once.

Inspector
No Mam, I’ve never met you before. And I’ve never been married.

Yvonne
Not you. I was married to the dead man.

Maid
Oh that’s just gross.

Inspector
Madam, the important question here is: Do you have an alibi?

Yvonne
I must. My husband brought me everything. Let me look in my purse.

Inspector
You can’t have an alibi in your purse.

Yvonne
I can if I want to. I carry a lot of things in my purse. Look, my makeup, my pen, tissues –

Inspector
Yes, yes, you have many things in your purse but you can’t have an alibi

Yvonne
Wait. I have doggy treats, a can of hairspray, two tickets to something, a parrot,

Inspector
Madam listen to me. An alibi is not something you can carry in your purse.

Yvonne
That’s what they said about the parrot. Well, if I don’t have an alibi maybe I could use my husbands. I’m sure he had one. He owned everything.

Inspector
Your husband is the one person who doesn’t need an alibi.

Yvonne
Oh I know. He had a lot of things he didn’t need. Horses he couldn’t ride, gold plated hats, pms -

Inspector
Ironically, although he didn’t need an alibi, he has the best one of all.

Yvonne
Of course. It was only the best for my husband. Could you help me put all this stuff back in my purse?

Inspector
Now look, all of you. If I ask you for an alibi, it means tell me where you were at the time of the murder. Do you have that?

Yvonne
I think so. But you make everything so confusing. Just ask simple questions with simple words. I liked the question about the mouse’s name.

Inspector
I don’t want to know the mouse’s name.

Man
Then why in the world did you waste so much time asking about it? I think it’s a red herring.

Maid
No it’s definitely a mouse. I know what a mouse looks like. They’re small and grey and they wiggle their noses like this–

Inspector
No, miss. He wasn’t referring to that. It’s a term that means misleading information– Because people used to use red herring to throw hunting dogs off their trail. So you see, A red herring is something that doesn’t matter.

Maid
If it doesn’t matter, why do you keep talking about it.

Man
Right, well, it matters to me.

Yvonne
And why should red herring matter to you?

Man
I’m a fisherman.

Narrator
That explains the smell. How many fingers do I have up?

Man
One.

Narrator
Ha! Wrong. This is a thumb. I don’t have any fingers up. Ha, Ha. You can’t see me. You can’t see me.

Inspector
What most people fail to realize is this: You can’t catch red herrings, because in fact, a herring is red only after it’s been smoked. So how can you catch them?

Man
It’s a mystery, ain’t it!

Inspector
What do you mean by that?

Man
This is a mystery, ain’t it? And there’s always lots of red herrings in a mystery. That’s why I come here. Best place ta catch ‘em.

Old Woman
Yes it’s true. I used to have red hair. Couldn’t tell now, it’s just grey.

Inspector
I wasn’t talking about red hair. Enough of this. Let's get down to business. Who killed this man?

Maid
Oh right. Like someone is likely to say, “Oh, since you asked in such a forceful way- I did.” Besides, if we tell you that- well what kind of mystery would this be?

Yvonne
None at all. I'll tell you that. I think this inspector should stop worrying about mice and fish, and start trying to solve this case.

Old woman
and all this talk about lullabies. Who cares?

Inspector
alibis- not lullabyes.

Corpse
Ohhhhhh

Yvonne
Inspector look! The dead man. He’s alive!

Inspector
Yes, of course he is. Look at the knife in his back. The odd angle at which it was forced into him and the shallowness of the wound will tell us who the murder is.

Man
But inspector, if he’s alive, shouldn’t we get him to a hospital?

Inspector
In time. But for now he is the only evidence we have. Now lets take a closer look at this knife.

Corpse
Ohhhhhhhh

Inspector
It seems to be in deeper than I thought. Could I get someone to help me here? Thanks. Now pull.

Corpse
ohhhhhhhhhhh

Man
It’s definitely stuck.

Inspector
We have to pull together. I’ll count to three then I want you to pull. Ready one two...

Corpse
ohhhhhhhhh

Inspector
What are you doing? I said pull after three.

Man
I thought you meant on three, you know: one, two, pull.

Inspector
If I meant one, two, pull, I would have said one, two, pull. I said one two three pull. Now try again.

Corpse
Ohhhhhhhhhh

Old woman
Why are they dancing? When are they going to sing the lullabies?

Yvonne
No granny. There are no lullabies.

Old woman
There are too lullabies. Lots of lullabies, young lady. Thousands of them and some of them are very pretty. Like the one that goes: rock a bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows–

Corpse
ohhhhh ohhhhhhhh ohhhhhhhhh ohhhhhh

Old woman
That’s right, everyone sing along.

Maid
Inspector, I think the corpse is trying to tell you something.

Inspector
Yes, so he is.

Corpse
My haaaaa...

Maid
What is it inspector? What is he saying?

Inspector
I’m not sure. It sounds like “my haaaaaa...”

Yvonne
My hat. He’s saying my hat. He wants his hat.

Corpse
yuron my haaaaaa...

Inspector
No I don’t think so. My haaaaa. What are some haaaa words?

Yvonne
Hat is the only one I can think of.

Maid
Habit–ham–hang–hand –half and half–

Inspector
Wait a minute. Go back.

Narrator
The guests at the Dunbar mansion were nervous. It wasn't the fact that a savage storm had taken their lights and they had to do with old candelabras. Nor was it the fact –

Inspector
Not that far back. Right before half and half.

Maid
Ham? You think he has a ham?

Inspector
No, he doesn’t have a ham- or a hat. But he does have a hand.

Yvonne
Hand. That’s it. You’re standing on his hand.

Corpse
yuuuh stan din on haaaaa. . .

Inspector
Well that’s the obvious explanation. Anyone can figure out the obvious.

Corpse
geee offf my haaaaa!!!!

Inspector
In all my days investigating these sort of things, I think I can honestly say that I have never heard a dead man complain so much. There, I’m off your stupid hand. Are you happy now?

Corpse
yuuuuuuh

Inspector
Well as long as you’re so full of chit-chat this evening, suppose you tell us this: WHO IS YOUR MURDERER?

sfx:
(thunder)

Man
Well, there he goes again. Tryin’ to get someone else to do his work. A fisherman wouldn’t get very far with that sort of lazy attitude.

Yvonne
He’s not much of an detective is he?

Maid
All this fuss over a mouse. I’m sorry I mentioned it.

Old woman
I was thinking about that lullaby – Why would someone rock a baby in a tree top? You see what comes of it– babies falling and all that.

Man
Granny, its just a song.

Old woman
Yes it’s wrong. Scares the poor children. That’s what you should be investigating, Inspector. Not wasting your time on mice. We just need a cat.

Inspector
Wait a minute. Where are you all going? Don’t leave. I haven’t told you who the killer is.

Man
As if you knew.

Inspector
Time, it takes time.

Yvonne
C’mon everybody lets go into the Dining hall and play clue until the television comes back on.

Narrator
And so, the guests retired to the sitting room where they played clue until the television came back on. And no one could hear me, or see me, and they certainly didn’t know how many fingers I have up.

Inspector
Four, and a thumb. You’re not invisible.

Narrator
And you’re not too good at solving mysteries.

Corpse
Caaaaa somewhaaaa cahhlllll nine wunnnnnn wunnnnnnn fuhhhh meee pleeeeeeese?

Narrator & Inspector
Oh Shut up!

(thunder)