It is the year 2157. Margie makes a diary entry which reveals that Tommy has come across a book printed on paper. The pages of the book have turned yellow and wrinkled which proves that it existed centuries ago. The book is peculiar in the sense that it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time. They were not moving like that on a computer/television screen.
Tommy calls it waste because once the book is read it is of no use. Their television screen has had a million books on it and one cannot throw it away. Margie is of the same opinion but she is curious to know what the book is about. Tommy tells her that it is about school. She hated school, but now she hated it more than ever because her mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse. Her mother sends for the County Inspector who is a round little man.
He takes the television teacher apart and sets it right within an hour which only increases Margie’s disappointment. He tells her mother that it was not Margie’s fault but the geography sector of the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick and he has slowed that to an average ten-year level. He assures Margie and her mother that there will be no problem henceforth.
Margie is curious to know about the school that existed in the past. Tommy tells her that it is not their kind of school. That is the old kind of school that they had centuries ago. The students had a human teacher who taught them and gave them homework and also asked them questions. Margie argues that a man cannot be smart enough.
Tommy further tells her that the teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there. The kids of the same age learned the same thing. Now it is Margie’s school time. She goes into the schoolroom which is right next to her bedroom and the mechanical teacher is on and waiting for her. She puts her homework in the slot with a sigh.
She is still thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. Those schools were far better than the schools of today because they offered great fun to the students.
2)the sound of music
The Sound of Music divides into two parts. Each part focuses on two musicians, Evelyn Glennie and Bismillah Khan. Part one throws light on Evelyn’s life and struggles to become a successful musician. Students will learn that she is a multi-percussionist. She has the talent to play hundreds of instruments perfectly. It tells how she gained international recognition.
What’s interesting is the Evelyn is profoundly deaf. The musician learned to listen to music through her body and not ears. She does not hear music, she feels it. You will learn that was 11 years old when she found out she had trouble hearing. Nonetheless, that did not stop her from pursuing her career in music.
Thus, her teacher, Ron Forbes was the one to recognize her talent. He unlocked doors to her potential and helped her achieve the impossible. She is now one of the most renowned names in the music industry. She has many accolades and awards to her name and serves as a great inspiration to the specially-abled community.
Next comes part II, where we learn about Bismillah Khan as well as the origin of shehnai. It was Bismillah Khan who popularized this instrument and took it to the world stage. He broke the myth of shehnai not being capable to create independent tunes. He came from a family of musicians.
Further, Bismillah Khan had a very secular upbringing. He grew up practising on the banks of River Ganga. He went to the mosque as well as the temple. After achieving immense success, he was awarded various titles. He is also a recipient of the highest civilian award of India- The Bharat Ratna.
In addition to that, he has won all three awards of Padma Bhushan, Padmashree and Padma Vibhushan. Interestingly, he was the first person to be invited to play shehnai at the Red Fort in 1947, while greeting Independent India.
Most importantly, he represented India on the international stage as well. An auditorium in Tehran is also by his name. Moreover, despite many opportunities, Bismillah Khan never left his home-town Varanasi. He dedicated his life to music and passed away in 2006.
3) the road not taken
Have you ever found yourself caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to make a difficult decision? Maybe you've had to choose between two equally desirable things, like following a career path to become an astronaut or a doctor. You may have considered the different paths of study or activity each choice would lead you down. We've all been faced with challenging decisions in our lives, and sometimes the difficulty of making those decisions arises from the fear of not knowing if what we choose is right, or what will happen as a result of our choice.
Well, the famous American poet, Robert Frost, once wrote a poem that describes this feeling exactly. 'The Road Not Taken', first published in 1916, is perhaps Frost's most famous poem. The final lines in particular, 'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference', are often quoted and referred to as inspirational words that challenge us to overcome obstacles in life.
The poem describes someone standing at a fork, or turning point, in a road in the woods, trying to decide which path he's going to take. He looks down one road as far as he can see, and after thinking for another minute, decides to take the other one because it looks like nobody's been that way yet, and he's curious about where it leads.
He thinks maybe he might come back another day and try out the other path but he has a feeling that the road he's chosen will lead him to new places and discoveries, and he probably won't be back. He thinks wistfully about that road, the road not taken, and where he might have wound up if he'd gone that way instead. Part of him regrets his decision, but he also realizes that the things he's seen and the places he's gone because of the direction he chose has made him who he is.
4)the wind
Wind Summary – As the name suggests this poem is about wind. However, the wind is a natural phenomenon. And in the poem, the poet describes the power of the wind and calls wind destructive. Further, he links the destructive power of the wind with the difficulties of life. He says that weak people breakdown easily, but stronger people emerge out stronger. Also, the poem gives a very important lesson that we should be mentally tough and physically strong in order to survive the hardships of life. However, a weak person crumbles and breakdown like an old building. So it is necessary that we should make these destructive forces our friends with our determination and strength.
5)the lost child
It was the season of spring. The people of the village came out of their houses, in colourful attire and walked towards the fair. A child along with his parents was going to the fair and was very excited and happy. He was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets. Though, his father got angry but his mother pacified him and diverted his attention towards other things. The child moved forward but once again lagged behind because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other every now and then.
1) the fun they had summary
It is the year 2157. Margie makes a diary entry which reveals that Tommy has come across a book printed on paper. The pages of the book have turned yellow and wrinkled which proves that it existed centuries ago. The book is peculiar in the sense that it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time. They were not moving like that on a computer/television screen.
Tommy calls it waste because once the book is read it is of no use. Their television screen has had a million books on it and one cannot throw it away. Margie is of the same opinion but she is curious to know what the book is about. Tommy tells her that it is about school. She hated school, but now she hated it more than ever because her mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse. Her mother sends for the County Inspector who is a round little man.
He takes the television teacher apart and sets it right within an hour which only increases Margie’s disappointment. He tells her mother that it was not Margie’s fault but the geography sector of the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick and he has slowed that to an average ten-year level. He assures Margie and her mother that there will be no problem henceforth.
Margie is curious to know about the school that existed in the past. Tommy tells her that it is not their kind of school. That is the old kind of school that they had centuries ago. The students had a human teacher who taught them and gave them homework and also asked them questions. Margie argues that a man cannot be smart enough.
Tommy further tells her that the teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there. The kids of the same age learned the same thing. Now it is Margie’s school time. She goes into the schoolroom which is right next to her bedroom and the mechanical teacher is on and waiting for her. She puts her homework in the slot with a sigh.
She is still thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. Those schools were far better than the schools of today because they offered great fun to the students.
2)the sound of music
The Sound of Music divides into two parts. Each part focuses on two musicians, Evelyn Glennie and Bismillah Khan. Part one throws light on Evelyn’s life and struggles to become a successful musician. Students will learn that she is a multi-percussionist. She has the talent to play hundreds of instruments perfectly. It tells how she gained international recognition.
What’s interesting is the Evelyn is profoundly deaf. The musician learned to listen to music through her body and not ears. She does not hear music, she feels it. You will learn that was 11 years old when she found out she had trouble hearing. Nonetheless, that did not stop her from pursuing her career in music.
Thus, her teacher, Ron Forbes was the one to recognize her talent. He unlocked doors to her potential and helped her achieve the impossible. She is now one of the most renowned names in the music industry. She has many accolades and awards to her name and serves as a great inspiration to the specially-abled community.
Next comes part II, where we learn about Bismillah Khan as well as the origin of shehnai. It was Bismillah Khan who popularized this instrument and took it to the world stage. He broke the myth of shehnai not being capable to create independent tunes. He came from a family of musicians.
Further, Bismillah Khan had a very secular upbringing. He grew up practising on the banks of River Ganga. He went to the mosque as well as the temple. After achieving immense success, he was awarded various titles. He is also a recipient of the highest civilian award of India- The Bharat Ratna.
In addition to that, he has won all three awards of Padma Bhushan, Padmashree and Padma Vibhushan. Interestingly, he was the first person to be invited to play shehnai at the Red Fort in 1947, while greeting Independent India.
Most importantly, he represented India on the international stage as well. An auditorium in Tehran is also by his name. Moreover, despite many opportunities, Bismillah Khan never left his home-town Varanasi. He dedicated his life to music and passed away in 2006.
3) the road not taken
Have you ever found yourself caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to make a difficult decision? Maybe you've had to choose between two equally desirable things, like following a career path to become an astronaut or a doctor. You may have considered the different paths of study or activity each choice would lead you down. We've all been faced with challenging decisions in our lives, and sometimes the difficulty of making those decisions arises from the fear of not knowing if what we choose is right, or what will happen as a result of our choice.
Well, the famous American poet, Robert Frost, once wrote a poem that describes this feeling exactly. 'The Road Not Taken', first published in 1916, is perhaps Frost's most famous poem. The final lines in particular, 'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference', are often quoted and referred to as inspirational words that challenge us to overcome obstacles in life.
The poem describes someone standing at a fork, or turning point, in a road in the woods, trying to decide which path he's going to take. He looks down one road as far as he can see, and after thinking for another minute, decides to take the other one because it looks like nobody's been that way yet, and he's curious about where it leads.
He thinks maybe he might come back another day and try out the other path but he has a feeling that the road he's chosen will lead him to new places and discoveries, and he probably won't be back. He thinks wistfully about that road, the road not taken, and where he might have wound up if he'd gone that way instead. Part of him regrets his decision, but he also realizes that the things he's seen and the places he's gone because of the direction he chose has made him who he is.
4)the wind
Wind Summary – As the name suggests this poem is about wind. However, the wind is a natural phenomenon. And in the poem, the poet describes the power of the wind and calls wind destructive. Further, he links the destructive power of the wind with the difficulties of life. He says that weak people breakdown easily, but stronger people emerge out stronger. Also, the poem gives a very important lesson that we should be mentally tough and physically strong in order to survive the hardships of life. However, a weak person crumbles and breakdown like an old building. So it is necessary that we should make these destructive forces our friends with our determination and strength.
5)the lost child
It was the season of spring. The people of the village came out of their houses, in colourful attire and walked towards the fair. A child along with his parents was going to the fair and was very excited and happy. He was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets. Though, his father got angry but his mother pacified him and diverted his attention towards other things. The child moved forward but once again lagged behind because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other every now and then.