Page 1: The Big Questions
1. Question: Why is the family unit important?
Answer: The family unit is important because:
It is the most fundamental and ancient unit of any society.
Family relationships are based on love, care, cooperation, and interdependence.
It acts like a ‘school’ where children learn important values such as ahimsa (non-violence), dāna (giving), sevā (service), and tyāga (sacrifice).
Family members support each other and share what they have, especially in difficult times.
2. Question: What is a community and what is its role?
Answer: A community is a group of connected people, like families living in the same area. The role of a community is to:
Bring people together to celebrate festivals, weddings, and other events.
Allow people to support each other, for example, with farming practices like sowing and harvesting.
Come together to help individuals or families in times of crisis, like the Bhil community did during a water crisis or when private groups distributed food during the Chennai floods.
Agree on practices for using shared resources like water and forests.
Page 2: LET’S EXPLORE
Question:
→ What types of families do you see in your neighbourhood? List the type with the number of households for each type. What types are more frequent? Why do you think this is so?
Answer: This is an activity for you to do in your neighbourhood.
Look around at the families who live near you.
Try to see which are
joint families, where grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins live together.
Also, look for
nuclear families, which usually have only parents and their children.
Count how many of each type you see and find out which type is more common. You can then think about why one type might be more frequent in your area.
Page 3: LET’S EXPLORE
Activity:
→ Make a list of all the members of your family you can think of, including a few distant relatives. List their terms in your mother tongue or regional language and try to find the equivalent in English.
Answer: You can do this activity by making a table like the one in the book.
For example, in Hindi, your father’s younger brother is called ‘chacha’. In English, you would have to use more words to describe this relationship precisely, or you could just use the general term ‘uncle’.
The book points out that in most Indian languages, cousins are simply called ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’, which shows the deep bonds in a family.
Page 4: LET’S EXPLORE
Question: Answer these questions and compare your answers with a few classmates:
→ Who in your family decides what is to be bought from the market?
→ Who cooks food in your home?
→ Who is the oldest person in your family?
→ Who cleans the floor in your home?
→ Who washes utensils in your house?
→ Who helps you to do your homework?
Answer: These questions are about your own family. Every family shares roles and responsibilities differently. You can answer each question based on how things are done in your home and then see how your classmates’ answers are different or similar.
Page 5: LET’S EXPLORE (Shalini’s Story)
Activity:
→ Draw a simple tree of this family of seven members.
Answer: The story actually describes eight members in Shalini’s family:
Acchamma (grandmother)
Shalini’s Father
Shalini’s Mother
Shalini
Shalini’s younger brother
Chittappa (uncle)
Chitti (aunt)
Chinni (cousin)
You can draw a family tree showing Acchamma at the top, her two sons (Shalini’s father and Chittappa) below her, their wives next to them, and their children (Shalini, her brother, and Chinni) at the bottom.
Question:
→ Why do you think Shalini’s parents bought clothes for everyone?
Answer: Shalini’s parents bought clothes for everyone because her uncle (Chittappa) had lost his job and was having financial difficulties. Her grandmother, Acchamma, explained that this is how families support each other and share what they have.
Question:
→ What would you have done if you were in Shalini’s place?
Answer: This is a question for you to think about. Shalini did not get the silk dress she wanted but had to settle for a simple cotton one. However, she was happy that everyone in the family got new clothes. This shows the family value of tyāga (sacrifice) and caring for others’ happiness.
Page 6: THINK ABOUT IT (Tenzing’s Story)
Question:
→ Why does Tenzing’s father consult his wife for special expenses?
Answer: Tenzing says that when special expenses come up, his parents “discuss them together”. This shows that they work together and make important decisions as a team, which is an example of cooperation in the family.
Question:
→ How do you feel about his participation in household chores?
Answer: This is for you to think about. In the story, Tenzing’s father helps with cleaning the house, taking care of the vegetable garden, and even preparing food. This shows that family members can share responsibilities to support each other.
Question:
→ What roles do the grandparents fulfil?
Answer: Tenzing’s grandparents play very important roles in the family:
The grandmother tells interesting stories with humour and wisdom.
The grandfather helps Tenzing with his homework, takes him to the bus stop, and is also active in social work for the community.
Page 7: LET’S EXPLORE
Activity:
→ Create a story of a family somewhere in India, where we see some family values practised. Share it with your class either through writing or drawing.
Answer: You can create your own story for this activity. Think about the values mentioned in the chapter, like cooperation , sevā (service), dāna (giving) , and how families support each other. You can write a story or draw a picture that shows a family practising these values.
Activity:
→ Stage a small drama with all your classmates around two or three families. The play you write could include some challenging situations that the families faced, and show how they are resolved.
Answer: This is a fun class activity. You and your friends can write a short play. Your play can show a family facing a problem, like in Shalini’s story where her uncle lost his job, and then show how the family members work together to solve it.
Question:
→ What do you think are the aspects of modern living that make some couples opt for a nuclear family (i.e., living apart from older generations or other relatives)? What could be some advantages as well as disadvantages of the two kinds of families?
Answer:
Reasons for Nuclear Families: The book does not give exact reasons, but in today’s world, people often move to different cities for jobs or education. This can be one reason why couples start nuclear families away from their relatives.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
Joint Family: An advantage shown in the stories is that family members can support each other financially and emotionally. Grandparents can also help take care of children and pass on wisdom. A possible disadvantage could be less privacy for individual members.
Nuclear Family: The book does not list advantages or disadvantages, but you can think about them. An advantage might be more independence. A disadvantage might be less support from other family members during difficult times.
Page 10-11: Discussion Questions (Kamal Parmar’s Story)
Question:
→ Discuss this story in your class. What kind of attitude towards the community does it reveal? What values get reflected in Kamal Parmar’s initiative?
Answer:
Attitude: Kamal Parmar’s story shows a caring and supportive attitude towards his community. He saw a need and took action to help without being asked.
Values: His initiative reflects the values of sevā (service) and dāna (giving). He gave his time every evening after work and also provided the children with a free dinner.
Question:
→ Think about those underprivileged children. Do you think society has been unfair to them?
Answer: This is a question for you to think about. The story says some of these children had dropped out of school, and others had never been to school at all. Not having the chance to get an education is unfair.
Question:
→ What should society do to make sure that all children get access to education?
Answer: Society can do many things. The story shows a great example: community members can step up to help. People like Kamal Parmar, the local school teachers who joined him, and the older students who volunteered to teach all made a big difference.
Page 11-12: LET’S EXPLORE
Activity:
→ Make a list of all people outside your family that are supporting you through their work in one way or another.
Answer: Societies are interdependent, meaning everyone depends on other people. You can make a list of people who support you, such as:
Your teachers at school.
The bus driver who takes you to school.
The shopkeeper who sells you groceries.
The municipal workers who keep your neighbourhood clean.
Doctors who help when you are sick.
Question:
→ What types of communities are you part of?
Answer: The book explains that you can be part of many communities. Some communities you might be part of are:
Your class in school.
Your school’s sports team.
A drama or science club.
Your neighbourhood or colony.
A religious community, like ‘Chennai’s Sikh community’.
Page 12: Questions, Activities and Projects
1. Question: What are some of the rules you follow in your family and neighbourhood? Why are they important?
Answer: Think about the rules in your home (like when to do homework) and your neighbourhood (like rules about waste management or not making too much noise). These rules are important because they help the family and community function smoothly and ensure everyone’s well-being and security.
2. Question: Do you think some rules are unfair to a few people in the family or community? Why?
Answer: This is a question for you to think about carefully. Sometimes, a rule might feel unfair if it puts more burden on one person than others. It is good to think about whether rules are fair to everyone involved.
3. Activity: Describe several situations that you have observed where community support makes a difference. You can draw or write about these.
Answer: For this activity, you can think of times you have seen people in your community helping each other. Maybe your neighbours helped someone who was sick, or people collected money to help a family in need. The book gives examples like the Bhil community working together to solve a water crisis and Kamal Parmar starting a street school for children. You can draw or write about a similar situation you have seen.