TEXTBOOK ANALYSIS OF CLASS VIII
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This document provides an overview of 9 units in new English textbooks for learners. Each unit focuses on a theme and includes different text types like stories, poems, songs and plays. The texts aim to develop language skills while also teaching values. For example, Unit 1's theme is Art and it includes a story, folk tale, poem and song exploring ideas like the importance and eternity of art. Unit 2 is about Travel and includes prose and poems showing how travel provides new ideas and insights.
TEXTBOOK ANALYSIS OF CLASS VIII
- 2. a. Texts as Children's Literature The new textbooks give great importance to children’s literature. Authentic pieces of children’s literature, adapted versions of well known stories and stories developed by textbook writers are included. These stories and songs/poems that can be sung in chorus are the main texts. Based on their reading, learners are asked to engage in certain language activities so as to apply their knowledge of English. The meaning-making process of the texts given has to be done in such 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 as texts. Hence they also need to be processed in the class. The multi-colored pictures will generate interest in the students and will also help them form mental pictures of the characters described in the stories and poems. Teachers are expected to use these pictures for meaningful interaction with the learners. Reading comprehension can also be tested using these pictures. 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 .
- 3. d. Theatre Games Theatre games are an effective method for language acquisition. They help to trigger the imagination of the learners and make learning a pleasurable experience. The new textbooks provide ample scope for teachers to use theatre games in the English classroom. For example, in Class 1, teachers can ask the learners to stand in two lines and produce the sound of birds/animals, following the instruction of the teacher. If a different sound is produced from the groups standing in a line or if they fail to produce the correct sound, they are not given points and the group which scores 5 points first becomes the winner. e. Language Activities The new textbooks provide enough space for language activities and games. There are many slots in the textbooks for the learners to analyze the language used in them and to apply the knowledge of the language in a new context. Teachers may first assign the language activities as individual tasks and give clear instructions to carry them out. Then the activities can be assigned in pairs or groups. Working and playing in small groups promote interaction, togetherness and team spirit among learners. f. Grammar in Context The knowledge of grammar is essential for the learners when they write in English. The existing textbooks solely relied on the editing of discourses for giving grammar inputs to the learners. But many teachers find it difficult to theorise on the errors made by their learners and to address these errors in the course of their classroom transactions. So the new textbooks address grammar in a way in which the teachers and the learners can understand the usage of language elements in meaningful contexts. Grammar, here, is analysed in a given context through which learners generalise certain features of the targeted language element. Then they apply their knowledge of grammar in newer contexts. The explicit teaching of rules of grammar has been totally done away with.
- 4. g. Need Based Vocabulary Development The new textbooks provide opportunities for learners to develop their vocabulary in a need based manner. Developing concept maps and word webs of related words have been included in the textbooks. Instead of teaching vocabulary items directly, activities for finding out related words are given in a learner-centred fashion. Moreover a page towards the end of the Reader titled ‘My Word List’ will help the learners to write down new words and get familiarised with them. h. Simple Language Projects Simple language projects that can be undertaken by young learners are given in the textbooks. It is hoped that undertaking such projects with the guidance of teachers will boost learners’ confidence in using language. Learners are expected to classify and analyse the data they have collected and write brief reports on them. i. ICT Integration It is always a challenging task for the teacher to capture the attention of young learners and to initiate them into a second language. They are exposed to the world of high quality digital audiovisual materials and teaching them using only the ‘chalk and talk’ method may not be fruitful. So every teacher must think about using effective audiovisual texts in their classrooms. Internet has a rich repertoire of such good materials. The new textbooks provide scope for integrating Information Communication Technology in teaching of English. Videos and audios of the texts given in the textbooks are freely available on the internet. Links to certain websites are given along with the units in this book. Teachers can make use of the sites for getting more information and collecting audio-visual materials to make the classroom transaction more interesting. Moreover they are expected to find out more useful spaces in the internet to enrich the classroom experience
- 5. j. Assessment Learner assessment is a continuous process and an integral part of learning. Teachers must assess the learners at each stage of the learning process. Informal interactions, interaction questions, reading of the text, associating pictures with the text, language activities and theatre games give teachers ample opportunity for assessing the learners. Apart from these, the textbooks contain two separate pages titled ‘I Can’ and ‘My Learners’.
- 7. 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
- 11. 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 signifies a mental and spiritual journeying too. Each travel enriches us with varied experiences, novel ideas, knowledge and new insights. It inspires a creative force that is essential for developing life skills. It highlights the importance of exploring the world in and around us. It also focuses on the adventurous aspects of travelling. “ Theme:- Travel Sub themes:- New ideas of travelling Knowledge and insights on travelling Mental and spiritual aspects of travelling Adventure in travelling
- 15. 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 Dutt glorifies 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
- 20. 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
- 22. UNIT V – SHARE AND CARE The unit begins with a titular picture that sensitises the learner on the need to share and care for the lonely and the suffering. The School for Sympathy by E.V. Lucas depicts the need for empathy towards the differently abled. The additional reading material The Merchant of Venice, a tragicomedy by William Shakespeare depicts the divine quality of mercy and highlights selfless love and friendship. The poem My Grandmother’s House by Kamala Das expresses the poet’s memories of the love and affection that she experienced at her grandmother’s house. It also shows her desire to go back to those days. Ella Wheeler Wilcox through her poem Solitude reminds us that one should share not only joys but sorrows also, to make life meaningful and happy. Theme:- Human values Specific themes:- • Empathy • Friendship • Need of love and care to the differently abled • Understanding and co-operation