For teacher’s reference
In the previous chapter, we saw:
Our imagination of a society is connected with the market today whereas the market is actually a part of society. We have assumed that we get things simply by paying for them. What we tend to forget is that many people have contributed for those things to be produced/manufactured and to reach us.
We are all connected through society. No one is alone. We are all collectively known as society. How we are as people, how sensible we are, all of this reflects on the society as a whole. Only a sensible person (a person with clarity) can constructively participate in the society and its overall order. A person may wish to participate in the order of his/her colony and another may wish to participate in the order of the country or the world.
Section 1: Why society?
Activity 1.1: Why do we need society?
Activity 1.2: Understanding society
Section 2: What kind of society?
Story 2.1: Sugar in milk
Activity 2.1: Our contribution
For teacher’s reference
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Students have clarity on why all of us require a society.
Note for the teacher:
A collective of more than one group of families is called society where each one is engaged in a constructive role/activity, like growing food, making clothes, maintaining societal security, nurturing relationships with people as well as nature, etc. Each person’s work and behaviour in society is towards the fulfilment of definite aims. People in society have a fundamental desire for mutual affection and kindness towards one another, which helps in realising these aims.
The Living in a family, in a society, there are many needs that a person has which cannot be completed with his/her own resources and efforts, such as food, shelter, clothes, security, travel, etc. He/she needs society for this. In this activity, we will explore why we need society and have a discussion about it.
Steps of the activity
The teacher asks the students to do the following –
The list can be classified according to the following heads –
Proposed questions for discussion:
1. One can live fearlessly when living in a society. Agree/disagree? How?
2. Learning and understanding becomes easy by living in society. Agree/disagree? How?
3. Our needs are fulfilled by living in society. Agree/disagree? How?
4. Are any points left that do not fit into the above three categories.
(Expected answer: No)
Teacher’s Note: This means that the need for society is for fearlessness, clarity and prosperity.
At Home – Observe, Inquire and Understand (for students):
Encourage the students to brainstorm and discuss the following points after class or at home with their family, relatives and friends –
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points with their family, relatives and friends and now we will discuss the following points with the students –
Proposed questions for discussion
1. A society cannot be imagined without humans. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
2. Is society an order (i.e. a harmonious order) or disorder? Discuss.
3. Society has an impact on people. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
4. People have an impact on society. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
5. The government is also a part of society. Agree/disagree? Discuss
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Activity 1.2: Understanding Society
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Students have clarity on what society is and people who help us with our daily jobs (and needs) are also a part of society.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher: We are able to go on with our daily lives and chores because of the help and support we receive from many people in society. This activity is to help students realise that contribution and relationship with people in society.
Steps of the activity
Teachers discuss the following with all the students –
1. Make a list of the other members of the society (example, doctor, plumber, electrician, teacher, engineer, etc) who have an important place in our lives.
2. Our life is easy because of the presence of all of them. Agree/disagree? How?
3. What is the role we play in the lives of the various people who help us?
4. If people who help me are happy, I feel happy. Agree/disagree? How?
Teacher’s Note: This means that all of us have a role to play to ensure that all the members of the society are happy.
At Home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Encourage the students to brainstorm and discuss the following points after class or at home with their family, relatives and friends –
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points with their family, relatives and friends and now we will discuss the following points with them –
Proposed questions for Discussion
1. We are dependent on society for all the facilities we require. Agree/disagree? How?
2. Should we pay attention to people who help us (engineer, mechanic, teacher, electrician, doctor, farmer, leader/politician, social worker, etc) or ignore them?
3. We will be happy if people in society are happy. Agree/disagree? How?
4. Society is constantly working towards our understanding and providing us facilities. Agree/disagree? How?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
For teacher’s reference
A person’s progress is by living in society. One cannot live a happy life in isolation. One needs the cooperation and help of many people. One lives in a family with parents, siblings and other relations. Family is a space that helps a person be grounded in values, learn to live with a feeling of togetherness, strengthen one’s health, etc. A group of families forms a society and the society has a huge role to play in the development of a person - be it with respect to one’s education, health, work ethics, etc.
The identity of a healthy society is in its undividedness and togetherness. With a feeling of equality and togetherness, we recognise each other’s contribution in each other’s lives and in society. We feel grateful for other’s role and contribution and simultaneously feel a sense of responsibility to fulfill ours.
In this section, we will try to understand all of this with the help of stories and activities.
Story 2.1: Sugar in milk
Time: At least two periods or until the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To help develop an understanding in students about living in mutuality (with reciprocity).
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Story
Many centuries ago, a small country was attacked. Due to the attack, the residents had to leave the country. They left in large numbers in their boats and reached the shore of a big country and requested refuge. The king of that country was very generous but he believed that the population of his country was already large and it won’t be able to accommodate more people.
They also didn’t understand each other’s language and so he sent a glass full of milk to the people seeking refuge. They immediately understood the message and requested for sugar. They mixed the sugar with milk and sent the glass back. Through this medium, they sent out a message to the king that they are peace-loving people who will make the land and society prosperous with their knowledge and hard work and by mixing into the existing society just the sugar melted into the milk and only made it sweeter.
The king was very impressed by their thinking. He welcomed them into the country and helped them settle into their new home. In this way, they all blended like sugar in milk in the new country and got engaged in its welfare.
Day 1
Proposed questions for Discussion
1. Has it ever happened with you that after spending time with a person your perception about him/her has changed?
2. Are people around us similar or different? In what ways are we similar?
3. On what basis do we form relationships?
4. Do we see similarities and make relationships?
5. Can we be useful to everybody? How?
At Home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
1. Students go home and discuss with their parents about where all the various people who stay in the colony have come from. Also, have all those who have come from elsewhere, blended like sugar in milk?
2. If possible, they should also discuss who came first to the colony and who came later. Does the happiness quotient of the colony depend on who came first and who came later?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The teachers may give some examples of Indians living in various countries like Africa, Canada, Singapore etc. There are large settlements of Indians in those countries now. There is no corner in the world where Indians have not settled. They blended like sugar in milk with that society. In our country too, there are people from various countries of the world who’ve settled here and all of us are part of one society now.
Additional questions for Discussion
1. What is the difference between living in isolation and living with people?
2. On what basis do we consider ourselves different from the others?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Do’s and Don’ts
Time: At least two periods or until the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To inspire students to become useful and responsible citizens and to help them realise the happiness that comes from knowing their value.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Steps of the activity
1. Why should we participate in improving the environment of our school?
2. In what ways can students participate and contribute in the school?
3. If all students play a constructive role in school, what are the kinds of changes we would be able to see in the school?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Dos and Don’ts
In the previous chapter, we saw:
- Family is a harmonious unit.
- In it, everyone recognises their role - the elder members of the family take responsibility for the security, nourishment and education of the younger ones, and the younger members live with the elders with gratitude.
- Now we will see how groups of families together form society.
Our imagination of a society is connected with the market today whereas the market is actually a part of society. We have assumed that we get things simply by paying for them. What we tend to forget is that many people have contributed for those things to be produced/manufactured and to reach us.
We are all connected through society. No one is alone. We are all collectively known as society. How we are as people, how sensible we are, all of this reflects on the society as a whole. Only a sensible person (a person with clarity) can constructively participate in the society and its overall order. A person may wish to participate in the order of his/her colony and another may wish to participate in the order of the country or the world.
Section 1: Why society?
Activity 1.1: Why do we need society?
Activity 1.2: Understanding society
Section 2: What kind of society?
Story 2.1: Sugar in milk
Activity 2.1: Our contribution
Section 1: Why society?
For teacher’s reference
- Everything in nature is complementary to each other, similarly people living in a harmonious society are complementary to and cooperative with each other.
- For everyone’s (i.e. society’s) progress, we need to develop the competence to cooperate with each other and work together.
- In this section, the attempt is to draw students’ attention to the fact that the space to live lies within society. They will also understand why we need society and why we should play a role in it.
- Also, their attention would be drawn to how we are all connected to each other.
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Students have clarity on why all of us require a society.
Note for the teacher:
A collective of more than one group of families is called society where each one is engaged in a constructive role/activity, like growing food, making clothes, maintaining societal security, nurturing relationships with people as well as nature, etc. Each person’s work and behaviour in society is towards the fulfilment of definite aims. People in society have a fundamental desire for mutual affection and kindness towards one another, which helps in realising these aims.
The Living in a family, in a society, there are many needs that a person has which cannot be completed with his/her own resources and efforts, such as food, shelter, clothes, security, travel, etc. He/she needs society for this. In this activity, we will explore why we need society and have a discussion about it.
Steps of the activity
The teacher asks the students to do the following –
- Make a list of the reasons why we need to live in society?
- If our family is asked to stay in a forest or on an island alone (where no other family lives around and there is no societal/governmental order) then what are the kinds of difficulties our family will go through? List them out.
- Give five minutes for the task.
- Now ask the children to share their responses and write the list on the board.
The list can be classified according to the following heads –
Proposed questions for discussion:
1. One can live fearlessly when living in a society. Agree/disagree? How?
2. Learning and understanding becomes easy by living in society. Agree/disagree? How?
3. Our needs are fulfilled by living in society. Agree/disagree? How?
4. Are any points left that do not fit into the above three categories.
(Expected answer: No)
Teacher’s Note: This means that the need for society is for fearlessness, clarity and prosperity.
At Home – Observe, Inquire and Understand (for students):
Encourage the students to brainstorm and discuss the following points after class or at home with their family, relatives and friends –
- Why do we need society, can we not live in isolation?
- Do I need society or does society need me?
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points with their family, relatives and friends and now we will discuss the following points with the students –
- Who all did you discuss with?
- How did they feel while talking to you?
- Share the main discussion points you had.
- Share some interesting responses you heard about people’s notions on society.
Proposed questions for discussion
1. A society cannot be imagined without humans. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
2. Is society an order (i.e. a harmonious order) or disorder? Discuss.
3. Society has an impact on people. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
4. People have an impact on society. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
5. The government is also a part of society. Agree/disagree? Discuss
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Activity 1.2: Understanding Society
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Students have clarity on what society is and people who help us with our daily jobs (and needs) are also a part of society.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher: We are able to go on with our daily lives and chores because of the help and support we receive from many people in society. This activity is to help students realise that contribution and relationship with people in society.
Steps of the activity
Teachers discuss the following with all the students –
- If we feel like eating a bhutta (roasted corn), what will we need to do?
- (Probable answer: Get it from the market)
- Where does corn come from in the market? (Probable answer: From the field)
- Who grows the corn in the field for us? (Probable answer: Farmer)
- If we have money but the farmer doesn’t grow corn, would it be available to us? (Probable answer: No)
- So do we have a relationship with the farmer who grows corn for us? (Probable answer: Yes)
- If we fall very ill, who do we go to? (Probable answer: Doctor)
- If we have the money, but there is no doctor available, will our money be able to cure us? (Probable answer: No)
- Would it be correct to say that a doctor has a role to play in our lives? (Probable answer: Yes)
- If someone plays a role in our lives, can we say that we have a relationship with that person? (The teacher can facilitate a discussion on how being related to someone means that both of us play an important role in each others’ lives. Hence, one is affected by the other. For example, we are affected if the doctor is not available and the doctor feels hurt if we are rude to him/her or don’t listen to his/her advice)
- Would it be appropriate to say that people who are farmers, doctors, mechanics, engineers, etc. are an important part of society and that we are all connected (or related) with each other?
1. Make a list of the other members of the society (example, doctor, plumber, electrician, teacher, engineer, etc) who have an important place in our lives.
2. Our life is easy because of the presence of all of them. Agree/disagree? How?
3. What is the role we play in the lives of the various people who help us?
4. If people who help me are happy, I feel happy. Agree/disagree? How?
Teacher’s Note: This means that all of us have a role to play to ensure that all the members of the society are happy.
At Home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Encourage the students to brainstorm and discuss the following points after class or at home with their family, relatives and friends –
- Many people contribute to the smooth functioning of our daily lives. What do you think about this?
- Just having money does not ensure that we get facilities. For that, it is important to have responsible people in the society.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points with their family, relatives and friends and now we will discuss the following points with them –
- Who all did you discuss with?
- How did they feel talking to you?
- Share the main discussion points you had.
- Share some interesting responses you heard about people’s notions on society.
Proposed questions for Discussion
1. We are dependent on society for all the facilities we require. Agree/disagree? How?
2. Should we pay attention to people who help us (engineer, mechanic, teacher, electrician, doctor, farmer, leader/politician, social worker, etc) or ignore them?
3. We will be happy if people in society are happy. Agree/disagree? How?
4. Society is constantly working towards our understanding and providing us facilities. Agree/disagree? How?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Section 2: What kind of society?
For teacher’s reference
A person’s progress is by living in society. One cannot live a happy life in isolation. One needs the cooperation and help of many people. One lives in a family with parents, siblings and other relations. Family is a space that helps a person be grounded in values, learn to live with a feeling of togetherness, strengthen one’s health, etc. A group of families forms a society and the society has a huge role to play in the development of a person - be it with respect to one’s education, health, work ethics, etc.
The identity of a healthy society is in its undividedness and togetherness. With a feeling of equality and togetherness, we recognise each other’s contribution in each other’s lives and in society. We feel grateful for other’s role and contribution and simultaneously feel a sense of responsibility to fulfill ours.
In this section, we will try to understand all of this with the help of stories and activities.
Story 2.1: Sugar in milk
Time: At least two periods or until the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To help develop an understanding in students about living in mutuality (with reciprocity).
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Story
Many centuries ago, a small country was attacked. Due to the attack, the residents had to leave the country. They left in large numbers in their boats and reached the shore of a big country and requested refuge. The king of that country was very generous but he believed that the population of his country was already large and it won’t be able to accommodate more people.
They also didn’t understand each other’s language and so he sent a glass full of milk to the people seeking refuge. They immediately understood the message and requested for sugar. They mixed the sugar with milk and sent the glass back. Through this medium, they sent out a message to the king that they are peace-loving people who will make the land and society prosperous with their knowledge and hard work and by mixing into the existing society just the sugar melted into the milk and only made it sweeter.
The king was very impressed by their thinking. He welcomed them into the country and helped them settle into their new home. In this way, they all blended like sugar in milk in the new country and got engaged in its welfare.
Day 1
Proposed questions for Discussion
1. Has it ever happened with you that after spending time with a person your perception about him/her has changed?
2. Are people around us similar or different? In what ways are we similar?
3. On what basis do we form relationships?
4. Do we see similarities and make relationships?
5. Can we be useful to everybody? How?
At Home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
1. Students go home and discuss with their parents about where all the various people who stay in the colony have come from. Also, have all those who have come from elsewhere, blended like sugar in milk?
2. If possible, they should also discuss who came first to the colony and who came later. Does the happiness quotient of the colony depend on who came first and who came later?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
- Have some students recall the story.
- Have them share the feedback received from their homes in small groups. Some students can then share their thoughts with the entire class.
- The remaining students can be asked to share their thoughts on the first day’s discussion questions.
The teachers may give some examples of Indians living in various countries like Africa, Canada, Singapore etc. There are large settlements of Indians in those countries now. There is no corner in the world where Indians have not settled. They blended like sugar in milk with that society. In our country too, there are people from various countries of the world who’ve settled here and all of us are part of one society now.
Additional questions for Discussion
1. What is the difference between living in isolation and living with people?
2. On what basis do we consider ourselves different from the others?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Do’s and Don’ts
- Give everyone an opportunity to express themselves and listen to them patiently.
- Teachers observe whether all the students are participating in the discussion or not.
- Encourage and support the students who are hesitant to participate in the discussion.
Time: At least two periods or until the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To inspire students to become useful and responsible citizens and to help them realise the happiness that comes from knowing their value.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Steps of the activity
- Students divide themselves into groups of 5.
- Each group prepares a plan for their participation in improving the environment of the school. The main points can be – what, when, who, how etc. Give them 10 minutes.
- The teacher can also make a plan and share with the class.
- Each group makes a 3 minute presentation of its plan in class. Each plan receives appreciation from the teacher.
1. Why should we participate in improving the environment of our school?
2. In what ways can students participate and contribute in the school?
3. If all students play a constructive role in school, what are the kinds of changes we would be able to see in the school?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Dos and Don’ts
- The plans of each group can be made on a chart paper and displayed in class or any other appropriate place in school.
- The students voluntarily taking responsibility in school are appreciated in the school assembly.
- Teachers help students implement their plans.
- If the activity cannot be completed in one period, it can be continued the next day.
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