POEM - The Earth Needs You
PSEB 8th Class English Book
The Earth Needs You
The Earth needs you
To change your ways,
Month by month
And day by day.
The changes are easy.
Just look and you’ll see
The differences that can be made
By you and by me.
Single-use plastic
Lasts almost forever.
It might be cheap
But it’s not very clever.
It can end up in oceans, rivers, and seas.
The wind sometimes carries it
And it tangles in trees.
When people drop it on the ground,
This is not where it stays,
It travels around.
If people used less,
The better place the world would be.
The future is in your hands;
Cut down and you’ll see.
पृथ्वी को आपकी ज़रूरत है
पृथ्वी को आपकी ज़रूरत है
अपने तरीके बदलने के लिए,
महीने दर महीने
और दिन दर दिन।
ये बदलाव आसान हैं,
बस देखो और तुम देख पाओगे
वो फर्क जो लाया जा सकता है
आप और मेरे द्वारा।
सिंगल-यूज़ प्लास्टिक
लगभग हमेशा के लिए रहता है।
यह सस्ता हो सकता है
लेकिन यह बहुत समझदारी नहीं है।
यह महासागरों, नदियों और समुद्रों में पहुँच सकता है।
हवा कभी-कभी इसे ले जाती है
और यह पेड़ों में उलझ जाता है।
जब लोग इसे ज़मीन पर फेंक देते हैं,
यह वहीं नहीं रहता,
यह घूमता रहता है।
अगर लोग इसका कम उपयोग करें,
दुनिया एक बेहतर जगह होगी।
भविष्य आपके हाथों में है;
इसे कम करें और आप देखेंगे।
Activity 1
PSEB 8th Class English Book
Look up the following words in a dictionary. You should seek the following information about the words and put them in your WORDS notebook.
1. Meaning of the word as used in the lesson (adjective/noun/verb. etc.)
2. Pronunciation (The teacher may refer to the dictionary or a mobile phone for correct pronunciation.)
3. Spellings.
Single-use
- English: Refers to an item that is intended to be used once and then discarded.
- Hindi: एक बार उपयोग होने वाली चीज़; जिसे केवल एक बार इस्तेमाल करने के बाद फेंक दिया जाता है।
Lasts
- English: To continue for a certain period of time; to endure or remain.
- Hindi: टिकना; एक निश्चित समय तक बने रहना या चलना।
Forever
- English: For all time; eternally; without end.
- Hindi: हमेशा के लिए; अनंतकाल तक; जिसका कोई अंत न हो।
Oceans
- English: Large bodies of saltwater that cover most of the Earth’s surface.
- Hindi: महासागर; खारे पानी के विशाल क्षेत्र जो पृथ्वी के अधिकांश भाग को ढकते हैं।
Tangles
- English: To twist or knot together in a confused mass; to become caught or intertwined.
- Hindi: उलझना; एक गड्डमड्ड रूप में आपस में मिल जाना या फंस जाना।
Travel
- English: To move from one place to another, often over a long distance.
- Hindi: यात्रा करना; एक स्थान से दूसरे स्थान पर जाना
Activity 2
Given below is a table in which you will find one word for a statement or group of words/phrases. We substitute a group of words with only one word and that is why it is called one-word substitution. The table has 20 entries. You will work in pairs to read and understand 10 words each. After you have understood these 10 words, you will discuss them with your partner.
- A disease that affects a large number of people in an area at the same time: epidemic
- A body of persons appointed to hear evidence or judge and give their verdict (decision): jury
- A game in which no one wins: draw
- A list of books available in a library: catalogue
- A man who does not know how to read or write: illiterate
- An author’s handwritten or typed text that has not yet been published: manuscript
- Something written by an unknown person: anonymous
- A person who can speak many languages: polyglot
- A person who does not take alcoholic drinks: teetotaller
- A person interested in reading books and doing nothing else: bookworm
- A person who pays a visit to a sacred place: pilgrim
- A woman whose husband is dead: widow
- A thing likely to be broken easily: brittle
- One who practises one of the fine arts: artist
- A person who eats too much: glutton
- A place where clothes are kept: wardrobe
- One who loves or supports one’s country deeply: patriot
- One who is unable to pay one’s debt: bankrupt
- Something that can be heard: audible
- The art of beautiful handwriting: calligraphy
Activity 3
PSEB 8th Class English Book
Choose any ten words from the table above and write their meaningful sentences in your notebook.
Epidemic: The flu epidemic made many people sick.
Jury: The jury gave their decision in the court.
Draw: The football game ended in a draw.
Catalogue: The librarian added new books to the catalogue.
Illiterate: The man is illiterate and cannot read.
Manuscript: She lost her manuscript in the bus.
Anonymous: The letter was from an anonymous person.
Pilgrim: The pilgrim visited the holy city.
Brittle: The dry branches were very brittle.
Audible: His voice was not audible in the noisy room.
Activity 4
Read the poem carefully and answer the following questions.
Question 1
Who is ‘you’ in the first line?
Answer:
English: ‘You’ means the reader.
Hindi: ‘You’ का मतलब पाठक है।
Question 2
What does the Earth want from human beings?
पृथ्वी मानव से क्या चाहती है ?
Answer:
English: The Earth wants us to change our ways.
Hindi: पृथ्वी चाहती है कि हम अपने तरीके बदलें।
Question 3
What difference can you and I make to save the Earth?
आप और मैं धरती को बचाने के लिए क्या अंतर ला सकते हैं ?
Answer:
English: We can reduce pollution.
Hindi: हम प्रदूषण कम कर सकते हैं।
Question 4
What are some single-use plastic things that we buy and use?
हम ‘single-use plastic’ की कौन – कौन सी चीजें खरीदते हैं और प्रयोग में लाते हैं ?
Answer:
English: Bags, boxes, plates, and spoons.
Hindi: थैले, डिब्बे, प्लेट, और चम्मच।
Question 5
‘But it’s not very clever’. What according to the poet is not very clever?
‘But it is not very clever’. कवि के अनुसार क्या clever नहीं है ?
Answer:
English: Using single-use plastic is not clever.
Hindi: सिंगल-यूज़ प्लास्टिक का उपयोग समझदारी नहीं है।
Question 6
What happens to the single-use plastic after it is thrown? When does it end up?
फेंकने के बाद ‘single – use plastic’ का क्या होता है? यह कहां समाप्त होती है?
Answer:
English: It goes to oceans, rivers, and trees.
Hindi: यह महासागरों, नदियों और पेड़ों में चली जाती है।
Question 7
What harm does it do to the oceans, rivers and trees?
यह महासागरों, नदियों तथा वृक्षों को क्या हानि पहुंचाती है ?
Answer:
English: It pollutes water and blocks wind.
Hindi: यह पानी को प्रदूषित करती है और हवा को रोकती है।
Question 8
Does it stay where you throw it? Why?
क्या यह वहीं ठहरी रहती है, जहां इसे फैंका जाता है ? क्यों ?
Answer:
English: No, it moves with the wind.
Hindi: नहीं, यह हवा के साथ घूमती है।
Question 9
What does the poet want you to cut down?
कवि हमें किस चीज़ को कम करने के लिए कहता है ?
Answer:
English: Cut down the use of single-use plastic.
Hindi: सिंगल-यूज़ प्लास्टिक का उपयोग कम करें।
Activity 5
Think together and make a list of things that ‘you’ and ‘I can do to make a difference to save the Earth in the space given below. You must write complete sentences.
Use Less Plastic: Avoid using single-use plastic items like bags and bottles.
Recycle: Recycle paper, plastic, glass, and metal items properly.
Plant Trees: Plant more trees in your garden or community.
Save Water: Turn off the tap when not in use and fix leaks.
Save Electricity: Switch off lights and fans when not needed.
Use Cloth Bags: Carry cloth or reusable bags for shopping.
Clean Surroundings: Keep your surroundings clean and dispose of waste properly.
Spread Awareness: Tell others about the importance of saving the Earth.
Avoid Wasting Food: Take only what you can eat to avoid food waste.
Walk or Cycle: Walk or use a bicycle for short distances to reduce pollution.
Activity 6
Given below are some words. Categorize them as nouns, pronouns, adjective, verbs, adverbs, preposition, conjunction or exclamations:
pen, dog, big, badly, red, music, teacher, you, John, (to) be, he, have, do, good, she, like, work, sing, can, throughout, must, your, town, ouch, and, but, although, when, or, however, nevertheless, hi, therefore, yet, so, oh, London, quickly, we, silently, well, very, really, some, they, interesting, I, to, at, after, on, before, around, over, of, in, for, with, from, beneath, wow
Nouns
- pen, dog, music, teacher, John, town, London
Pronouns
- you, he, she, we, they, I, your
Adjectives
- big, red, good, interesting, some
Verbs
- (to) be, have, do, like, work, sing, can, must
Adverbs
- badly, quickly, silently, well, very, really, however, nevertheless, when
Prepositions
- to, at, after, on, before, around, over, of, in, for, with, from, beneath, throughout
Conjunctions
- and, but, although, or, therefore, yet, so
Exclamations
- ouch, hi, wow, oh
Activity 7
Given below is a chart. Write three sentences for each part of speech in the given space. You must also underline the word that represents its category.
| Parts of Speech | Examples |
|---|---|
| Nouns | Pen, Dog, Music, Teacher, John, Town, London |
| Pronouns | You, He, She, We, They, I, Your |
| Adjectives | Big, Red, Good, Interesting, Some |
| Verbs | (To) be, Have, Do, Like, Work, Sing, Can, Must |
| Adverbs | Badly, Quickly, Silently, Well, Very, Really, However, Nevertheless |
| Prepositions | To, At, After, On, Before, Around, Over, Of, In, For, With, From, Beneath, Throughout |
| Conjunctions | And, But, Although, Or, Therefore, Yet, So |
| Interjections/Exclamations | Ouch, Hi, Wow, Oh |
Activity 8
PSEB 8th Class English Book
You will listen to your teacher. She will speak some words. You will write the words in the circles on the side. Spell the words correctly. Once you have written all the words, think about the word that should go in the middle circle, read the followers. nurse, doctor, operation, medicine, X-ray, rooms, wards hospital Here the word ‘hospital will go in the middle and other words in the side circles because hospitals have nurses, doctors, operations, medicines, X-ray rooms and wards. You may say that ‘hospital is the head word.
- Central Circle: Hospital
- Side Circles:
- Nurse
- Doctor
- Operation
- Medicine
- X-ray
- Rooms
- Wards
Activity 9
You are a group of news reporters and you have to speak about people who have lost their homes due to an earthquake in a village where government help has not yet reached.
Work in groups for five minutes and make notes on what you would want to speak. All members of your group will speak at least one sentence on the topic. You may talk about their problems such as
no help has yet. reached from the government.
non-availability of hospitals for the injured.
no money in their pockets.
no place to sleep in winters.
nothing much to eat.
help available from gurudwaras and temples.
some people whose houses were not destroyed by the quake are providing food.
NOTES
We are reporting from a village where people have lost their homes due to a recent earthquake. There is no help from the government yet. Injured people have no hospitals nearby. Many have no money and nowhere to sleep in the cold winter. Food is scarce, but help is coming from local gurudwaras, temples, and kind neighbors whose homes are still safe.
Activity 10
Write a letter to your friend telling him why it is important to stop using single-use plastic.
148, Model Town
Jalandhar
4th September 2024
Dear Munish,
I hope you are doing well. I want to tell you why we should stop using single-use plastic. This plastic is very harmful to our Earth. When we use and throw it away, it goes into rivers and oceans, hurting animals and plants. It never disappears and makes our planet dirty. We should use cloth bags and reusable items instead. This will help us keep the Earth clean and safe for everyone.
Take care and write back soon!
Your friend,
Vivek
