Transcription of An Alien Hand
1 HSupplementary Reader in Englishfor Class VIIAn Alien Hand2018-19 First EditionApril 2007 Chaitra 1929 ReprintedMarch 2009 Phalguna 1930 January 2010 Magha 1931 November 2010 Kartika 1932 January 2012 Magha 1933 December 2012 Agrahayana 1934 October 2013 Asvina 1935 December 2014 Pausa 1936 December 2015 Agrahayana 1937 March 2017 Phalguna 1938 December 2017 Pausa 1939PD 470T RPS National Council of EducationalResearch and Training, 2007` on 80 GSM paper withNCERT watermarkPublished at the Publication Divisionby the Secretary, National Council ofEducational Research and Training,Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110 016and printed at UGS Transmen Pvt.
2 Ltd.,Khasra No. 627, Village Baral, PartapurNear FCI Godown, Meerut 250 103 ISBN 81-7450-736-1 ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDqNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the priorpermission of the book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way oftrade, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of withoutthe publisher s consent, in any form of binding or cover other thanthat in which it is correct price of this publication is the price printed on thispage, Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a stickeror by any other means is incorrect and should be TeamHead, Publication:M.
3 Siraj AnwarDivisionChief Editor:Shveta UppalChief Business:Gautam GangulyManagerChief Production:Arun ChitkaraOfficer (Incharge)Editor:VijayamSankarnaranayana nProduction Assistant:Prakash Veer SinghCover and LayoutBlue FishIllustrationsBhushan ShaligramOFFICES OF THE PUBLICATIONDIVISION, NCERTNCERT CampusSri Aurobindo MargNew Delhi 110 016 Phone : 011-26562708108, 100 Feet RoadHosdakere Halli ExtensionBanashankari III StageBengaluru 560 085 Phone : 080-26725740 Navjivan Trust 380 014 Phone : 079-27541446 CWC CampusOpp. Dhankal Bus StopPanihatiKolkata 700 114 Phone : 033-25530454 CWC ComplexMaligaonGuwahati 781 021 Phone : 0361-26748692018-19 THE National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005, recommendsthat children s life at school must be linked to their life outsidethe school.
4 This principle marks a departure from the legacyof bookish learning which continues to shape our system andcauses a gap between the school, home and community. Thesyllabi and textbooks developed on the basis of NCF signify anattempt to implement this basic idea. They also attempt todiscourage rote learning and the maintenance of sharpboundaries between different subject areas. We hope thesemeasures will take us significantly further in the direction of achild-centred system of education outlined in the NationalPolicy of Education (1986).The success of this effort depends on the steps that schoolprincipals and teachers will take to encourage children to reflecton their own learning and to pursue imaginative activities andquestions.
5 We must recognise that, given space, time andfreedom, children generate new knowledge by engaging withthe information passed on to them by adults. Treating theprescribed textbook as the sole basis of examination is one ofthe key reasons why other resources and sites of learning areignored. Inculcating creativity and initiative is possible if weperceive and treat children as participants in learning, not asreceivers of a fixed body of aims imply considerable change in school routinesand mode of functioning. Flexibility in the daily time-table isas necessary as rigour in implementing the annual calendarso that the required number of teaching days are actuallydevoted to teaching.
6 The methods used for teaching andevaluation will also determine how effective this supplementaryreader proves for making children s life at school a happyexperience rather than a source of stress or boredom. Syllabusdesigners have tried to address the problem of curricularburden by restructuring and reorienting knowledge at differentstages with greater consideration for child psychology and the2018-19time available for teaching. The book attempts to enhance thisendeavour by giving higher priority and space to opportunitiesfor contemplation and wondering, discussion in small groups,and activities requiring hands -on National Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT) appreciates the hard work done by the textbookdevelopment committee responsible for this book.
7 We wish tothank the Chairperson of the advisory group in languages,Professor Namwar Singh, and the Chief Advisor for this book,Professor R. Amritavalli for guiding the work of this teachers contributed to the development of this book;we are grateful to their principals for making this possible. Weare indebted to the institutions and organisations which havegenerously permitted us to draw upon their resources,materials and personnel. We are especially grateful to themembers of the National Monitoring Committee, appointed bythe Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministryof Human Resource Development under the Chairpersonshipof Professor Mrinal Miri and Professor Deshpande for theirvaluable time and contribution.
8 As an organisation committedto systemic reform and continuous improvement in the qualityof its products, NCERT welcomes comments and suggestionswhich will enable us to undertake further revision DelhiNational Council of Educational20 November 2006 Research and Trainingiv2018-19 THE main objective of this supplementary reader is to promoteamong learners the habit of reading independently withinterest, understanding and enjoyment. It seeks to enable themto read independently in the sense that they would not expectthe book to be taken up page by page in the classroom. Theywould rather read it on their own and later share and confirmtheir responses and appreciation with the teacher and the peergroup through discussions, questions and, wherever possible,even book contains ten pieces.
9 Each piece has been dividedinto two or three manageable sections, each section brieflysummarised in point form without revealing crucial turns andtwists of the storyline, thus sustaining readers curiosity andinterest. While-reading Comprehension Check, given at theend of sections, is a recall of what has been read and understoodso format is being tried to make comprehension easierand concentration keener. Each piece is also followed by a setof questions as aids to understanding and, at many places,topics for discussion in groups. All questions should beattempted orally before well-formulated answers are put downon paper.
10 Discussion on related topics should be encouragedso that learners get an opportunity to go beyond the book andfeel inspired to reach hitherto undiscovered vistas of knowledgeand stories, amply illustrated, deal with themes ofcooperation, compassion, respect and love for flora and fauna,sound decision-making, science fiction, peace and is hoped that young readers will find the book enjoyableand rewarding, and will feel motivated to read extensively ontheir own to become proficient readers in the years to , ADVISORY GROUP IN LANGUAGESP rofessor Namwar Singh, formerly Chairman, School of Lan-guages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiCHIEF , Professor, English and Foreign LanguagesUniversity (EFLU), HyderabadCHIEF COORDINATORRam Janma Sharma, Former Professor and Head, Departmentof Education in Languages, NCERT, New DelhiMEMBERSB eena Sugathan, PGT (English), Loreto Convent, DelhiCantonment, New DelhiMadhavi Gayathri Raman, Lecturer, The English and ForeignLanguages University, Palit, PGT (English), Delhi Public School, NalcognarAngul, OrissaShyamala Kumaradas, (formerly of CIEFL)
