Grade 7 - Conversations - Student Book (Sample)

Conversations

Thanks to globalization and the emergence of technologies, international boundaries have become blurred. English, to a high degree, is a commonly understood medium of communication. It is one of the key tools that students need to perform well today and in the future. According to a global study, while recruiting, 98.5% of employers implicitly or explicitly assess a candidate’s English communication skills! There is therefore a growing demand for English communication skills, because it empowers people and enables them to lead a better life.

Functional communication skills, involving aspects of LSRW (listening, speaking, reading and writing), are central to knowledge acquisition, children’s intellectual, social and emotional growth, and life-long learning.

Specifically, strong listening and speaking skills are not only vital in the overall language learning process, but also lead to better reading and writing skills. Yet, these foundational skills tend to be neglected in schools due to the high pupil-teacher ratio, lack of oral language-focused assessment, and most importantly, a lack of systematic and allocated practice time for these skills within the classroom.

Aligned with NEP 2020, NCERT learning outcomes and standardized to CEFR (Common European Framework for Reference) levels, Uolo Speak is a hybrid learning program that focuses on building, applying, practising, and assessing these core language skills.

First, through this book as one of the components of the program, the English classroom becomes an avenue to hone functional speaking skills in real time. The teacher-led activities give learners the opportunity to undertake high-quality, level-appropriate, and experiential activities that help to build confidence and expression in English.

Second, the mobile interface of the product ensures consistent practice of functional LSRW skills. These exercises go beyond traditional question types and employ cutting-edge technology to enable learning and generate instant feedback. For instance, learners practise speaking with Al (artificial intelligence), as if conversing with a real person!

Third, Uolo Speak assessment can be conducted by the school in sync with their academic calendars. The assessment is evaluated by Uolo’s English specialists to give performance report and feedback.

Finally, the reporting methodology used in the above three program components, generates a skill growth chart against CEFR levels for each learner, class and the school. Educators can then clearly identify learners who are reaching, meeting, and exceeding the level requirements, and support them accordingly.

Uolo Speak is a powerful, exciting, and unique experience for learners and teachers. It represents a real life and results-oriented approach to develop essential 21st century functional English skills.

Wishing all teachers, parents, and learners lots of fun and joyful experiences as you embark upon this exciting journey with Uolo Speak.

Dr Laraine O'Connell

D. Litt., English, North West University, South Africa

I am a veteran English teacher and lecturer, with a great love for English and for teaching. I have taught English and trained teachers over many years. I live in South Africa and it is a wonderful experience working with a company promoting the learning of English in India.

Walkthrough

Each chapter is divided into three sections - Part A, E-Speak, Part B.

Part A is period 1. It has one text and one classroom activity.

E-Speak section has two mobile app activities. These activities can be done at home or in school.

Story/poem text

Part B is period 2. It has one fun activity and one presentation task.

Chapter number and name

Animation video

Keywords

Classroom activity

Two mobile app activities

Prompts for thinking

Tips for speaking

Fun activity

Types of Activities

Work alone

Work in pairs

Work in groups

Teacher does the activity with everyone

Presentation task

Writing notes

Peer review

Chapter Outcomes

Chapter No. Chapter Name Big Skill

1 Episodes from Our Lives Narrating personal experiences around travel - verbally and digitally

2 Reporting Live! Reporting important events around them

Listening Speaking Competencies

Appreciate a narrative experience while listening to it Narrate travel experiences in detail with appropriate vocal and facial expressions

Capture important details and ideas by listening to news reports Report important events accurately and clearly

3 Are You a Storyteller?

Narrating stories to an audience

Listen attentively to stories and infer important details

Tell self-authored stories to an audience with adequate voice modulation and action

Episodes from Our Lives

A Trip to Paradise

by Wandering Karthik Friday, 19 August 2022

I recently went on a trip to Zermatt in the heart of the Swiss Alps. Now, you must wonder, “Why visit Zermatt in Switzerland?” Well, let me tell you, it’s the most beautiful car-free town in the world! I could casually walk to the hotel from the train station with my luggage.

So, what else makes Zermatt special? Let’s begin our story.

The Cable Car Ride

After checking into the hotel and freshening up, it was time to begin the tour. First on the list was a cable car ride to the top of the mountains. It was such an exciting ride! I marvelled at how high up we were when I looked at the beautiful panorama around us. Then, suddenly, I caught a glimpse of this pyramid-shaped structure, standing

majestically tall with a snow-capped peak! Its beauty took my breath away! The tour guide proudly told us, “That’s the Matterhorn, one of the most photographed mountains in the world.”

He also enlightened us about how many mountaineers had tried to climb to this mythical mountain’s summit, but not everyone had succeeded. I looked at its pristine white snowy peak and the magical aura around it. I was left speechless! However, big white clouds soon obstructed the view.

The Glacier Palace

On reaching the cable station at the summit of the mountain, we had to walk through a snowy tunnel. An outdoor viewing platform provided us with a 360-degree view of the mountains around us.

I looked admiringly at a group of skiers energetically skiing through the snow. They seemed to move so fast — zigzag and swish-swish — on their skis. There was even a snow slide, and I got to enjoy that a lot. Not to forget the delicious Swiss chocolates that I bought! They even featured the great Matterhorn on their wrapping.

Finally, it was time to go back. Suddenly, I saw three blue lights shine on the mountain stations above Zermatt. Is that a plane ...? Or a helicopter, or some bird? I wondered. I soon found out that the colour of those lights could be changed by simply dialling a number on our mobile phones, and the profits from this went to a great cause! Isn’t that amazing? What a thoughtful initiative!

So, what are you waiting for? Imagine a place that is as pure as snow, pollution-free, and as fresh as the daisies — what else could paradise be? That’s it! Thanks.

panorama (pa·noh·raa·muh): a complete view over a wide area of land paradise (pa·ruh·dise): a place of great beauty, perfection, and happiness pristine (pri·steen): extremely clean and fresh summit (suh·mit): the top of a mountain

Plan Your Dream Trip

Reminiscing about Those Hills

Talk to a friend to share your recent trip to a hill station!

E-Speak

Practise at home!

Live Streaming From…

Choose a place — your balcony, bedroom, garden area, playground, kitchen or local market. You can choose any other convenient place too. Turn on the mobile camera and live stream for about 2–3 minutes from there. Tell us all about that place! Do not forget to refer to the guide on the mobile app!

Rate your experience

1. Use a friendly and interactive style for presentation (Hi all, today I am going to talk about my favourite travel experience … / Good afternoon! Last week I went with my parents to the best street food market in the town! / Hi friends, I am so excited to tell you about … /).

2. Ask fun questions in between to make your presentation more engaging (Has anyone been to this monument? / Can you guess what I enjoyed the most during my trip? / Do you agree with me?).

Star Scale

Reporting Live

The Nail-Biting Match

Sana loves to play badminton. She wants to play for India when she grows up. Her favourite sportsperson is PV Sindhu, the famous badminton player.

“Oh, I’m so excited to watch PV Sindhu play in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, UK!” Sana said to her best friends, Tanya and Neil.

“Didn’t PV Sindhu lose a hard-fought first-round match against the former world No. 1 and London Olympics silver medallist, Yihan Wang, in the Australian Open in 2015?” asked Neil.

“Yes! I remember reading about it too,” said Tanya. “You know, after that defeat, PV Sindhu’s coach, Pullela Gopichand, handed Sindhu a letter with some dos and don’ts Among them was a rule that she would have to surrender her phone for three months.”

“Are you serious? I can’t imagine that — a 20-year-old without a phone!” said Neil in disbelief.

“That’s true,” Sana replied. “However, this discipline showed results. Sindhu won India a

silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. This win made PV Sindhu the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympics silver medal. She received the highest sporting honour of India, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.”

“Wow! Let’s wait and watch what happens in the Commonwealth Games 2022,” Tanya said. Finally, the day of the match arrived, and the three friends decided to watch it at Sana’s house. They made popcorn and sat in the TV room, all set to watch PV Sindhu play.

The match began, but it was not looking so good at the beginning. PV Sindhu, now ranked seventh in the badminton world rankings, had to play with some strapping on her left ankle. Her movements were slightly stiffer than usual, and she was playing against world No. 13, Michelle Li.

“Oh, dear! What will happen now?” Sana said worriedly.

The tide seemed to turn suddenly in favour of Michelle Li. A 57-stroke rally won by Michelle Li when PV Sindhu was leading 13–9 turned the momentum towards the Canadian shuttler for a brief phase.

“Let’s just keep our fingers crossed for PV Sindhu, as she’s lost to Michelle Li before!” Neil said anxiously.

There seemed to be a hush in the stadium now. The spectators also watched with bated breath to see what would happen next.

Suddenly, the audience cheered, and Tanya was so startled that she dropped a whole bowl of popcorn.

PV Sindhu had snatched the game back, and with it, she won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, making it her third win over Michelle Li this year. The spectators in the stadium were also standing and clapping for the athletes.

“What just happened?” Sana and Tanya exclaimed together. “Did PV Sindhu win this match? Oh, this was such an exciting match!”

Later, Sana watched as an interviewer asked PV Sindhu some questions regarding her badminton journey.

Here is what she said: “You win some and you lose some. It’s all part of the game. You have to take it in a very positive way. Win or lose, I always focus only on giving my 100 per cent.”

“PV Sindhu is so amazing. I want to be just as strong and determined as her,” Sana said ecstatically to her friends.

bated breath (bayt·uhd breth): in a nervous and excited state, anticipating what will happen ecstatically (uhk·sta·tuhk.lee): in a very happy, excited, and enthusiastic way hush (huhsh): a sudden silence, especially after noise startled (staa·tld): shocked or frightened because of a sudden surprise stiffer (stif·uh): lacking in ease and flexibility

Speak on the Spot

Boost your speaking!

Live Updates from the Sports Carnival

Imagine you are a news reporter for your locality. You are covering the weekend sports event in the neighbourhood. Choose ONE of the following images to give an update about it to your audience. Use the tips to share the report.

• First, introduce yourself and the sporting event you are covering.

• Then, tell the place, date, and time.

• Finally, tell 1-2 key highlights of the event!

• Complete in 1-2 minutes.

Event 3: Carrom Championship

Event 2: Free Race

Event 4: Cricket Tournament

E-Speak

Practise at home!

Coverage of Painting Exhibition

Your school has organised a painting exhibition. You have been chosen as a news anchor for the day. Listen to a piece of the live coverage. Then say it aloud as a news reporter.

Local News!

Report about a super exciting event that has taken place in your neighbourhood. Keep it short and sweet!

Catchy Caption

Look at the pictures below. Write catchy captions for them!

Plan and Speak

Headline: Opening lines: Factual details: Closing lines: Signing off:

(Think of a catchy title that captures the news)

(Summarise what the news is about in 1-2 sentences)

(What happened? When and where? What is the impact? What can happen next? etc.)

(End on a catchy note - ask a question / give a quote / Re-state the main idea)

(Tell your name, date, and place; sign off)

Use plenty of hand gestures and voice modulation as you report the event.

Use the classroom space to roam around while reporting the event.

Are You a Storyteller?

Nonna and the Missing Ring

“Bored! Bored beyond belief!” scribbled Nonna. Perched on her stool, she peeked longingly at the kids strolling in the mall, wishing to join them. But she was stuck in her grandpa’s jewellery shop, thanks to her Combined Commerce project. Ugh! School and its never-ending projects! It had been yet another busy day at Lalwani Jewellers. Left to her own devices, Nonna had spent the time scribbling notes for her project. And, of course, people-watching and doodling in her trusted diary.

Winding up for the day, her grandfather Vinay walked towards her, lighting up upon seeing his curly-haired young imp of a granddaughter. Right at that moment, Hari, the store manager, exclaimed in horror, “Sir, there is an issue with one of our transactions! An emerald ring seems to be missing, and there is no payment receipt for it.” Despite a thorough search, the staff came back empty-handed. The ring seemed to have vanished into thin air! The staff members waited as Vinay rang the police.

Inspector Raghav arrived on the scene with his team. It was surreal. Nonna felt as if she had been transported straight into one of the CID episodes. Curiously, Nonna watched them question each staff member for the first line of enquiry. But nothing new came to light.

Next, Raghav watched the CCTV footage in the store, and Nonna observed, too. Suddenly, she said, “Inspector, I know who stole the ring! Look at that lady looking at the designer sets. Look at her clasped hand. She seems to be slipping something to her brother.” A closer examination of the CCTV footage indeed revealed the thieving duo. But their faces were turned away from the camera. They had been most cautious.

“Sir, today was a busy day with the festival season right around the corner. I really don’t remember their faces,” said Hari.

“But I remember them,” said Nonna. “Her bushy-haired companion kept sniffing and clearing his throat. I think he called her Ira once, and she gave him quite a stare. It’s my best friend’s name, so I remember.” Then Nonna shoved her diary at the Inspector. “See, I even drew them!” She exclaimed.

As he saw Nonna’s cartoons, a slow smile spread across Inspector Raghav’s face. “Your doodle art will definitely help us catch the culprits, Nonna. Detective Nonna to the rescue indeed!”

“Young Woman Arrested Wearing Stolen Ring; Missing Friend Under Suspicion,” shouted the newspaper headlines the next morning.

clasped (klaspt): held tightly doodling (doo·duhl·uhng): drawing lines, patterns etc. without thinking, especially when you are bored peeked (peekt): looked at something quickly and secretly perched (puhcht): sat on the edge of something surreal (suh·reel): strange and unbelievable, like in a dream

Speak on the Spot

Boost your speaking!

Extend the Story

How would Inspector Raghav catch the missing partner? Think about a few things that he could do to catch the culprit. Share with the class. Some suggestions have been given below.

E-Speak

Practise at home!

Do You Dare?

Do you dare to listen to a frightening story of three puppets that come alive at midnight in a secluded castle?

Listen to Natasha’s horror story of the night of 16 June 2022 and learn how she solved the mystery of the castle and the puppets! Tell the story with the same feeling and expression.

The Imagination Zone

Listen to the beginning of a mystery story, The Case of the Missing Child Think about how the story will unfold and tell us your version. You can use some props too as you video record it!

Catch the Culprit!

Detective Bhonsle has found a suspicious-looking shoeprint at the crime scene. Help detective Bhonsle identify its match among so many other footprints at the crime scene. Be quick!

Shoeprint number is the perfect match! Now the search for the criminal begins!

Plan and Speak

The final show!

Storytelling Carnival

Problem: Challenge Faced by the Main Character in the Story

missing person/stolen item/hidden treasure/theft/ robbery/fight/being lost somewhere/scary/drown/ bullying/puzzle/adventure gone wrong/injury

About this book

This “Conversations” book follows a unique spiraling approach that systematically builds language skills and enables children to express themselves verbally in real-world situations, thus preparing them for the needs of the 21st century world. Each chapter focuses on building specific and age-appropriate English language competencies and weaves together activities that are contextual, experiential, joyful and research-based.

Special features of this book:

• Activities based Learning: joyful and experiential activities that build English communication competencies.

• Texts as per NEP 2020 themes: exciting and stimulating texts that pave the way for English communication activities.

• Tech Integration: the book works in sync with the digital world, where various other activities and projects are undertaken. Learner outputs are evaluated through an AI-based speech recognition engine.

• Assessment of Speaking & Listening as per CEFR: the program includes special assessments that allow systematic reporting of skill growth as per the CEFR.

• Teachers’ Manual: the book is complemented by the Teachers’ Manual that enables teachers to conduct each session effectively.

About Uolo

Uolo partners with K12 schools to provide technology-based learning programs. We believe pedagogy and technology must come together to deliver scalable learning experiences that generate measurable outcomes. Uolo is trusted by over 8,000 schools with more than 3 million learners across India, South East Asia, and the Middle East.

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