INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL, AL-JUBAIL

Class:VI Subject: English Notes: Part-9 Book(MCB)Unit-3, Section-2 June, 2020

Instructions:

1) Read the lesson carefully.

2) Copy the word meanings and question answers in your notebook neatly.
3) In case of any new vocabulary please refer the dictionary to equip yourself with new words.
4) Vocabulary and Grammar from MCB and Workbook will be discussed in virtual classes for better
understanding.
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MCB, Unit-3, Shaping Lives

Section II, Talking Leaves

-Dorothy Heiderstadt

1. Fill in the blanks.

a. 'Talking leaves' refers to letter and newspapers.

b. Sequoya called them 'talking leaves' because they seemed to talk to people as clearly as voices did.

2. Sequoya was a good learner. Pick out two instances from the text to support this statement.

Answer: Sequoya was a good learner. The following two instances from the text supports this
statement-

a) He went to a silversmith and requested him to train him. Being a good learner, he soon became
skilled at working with silver.

b) Impressed by the white men's exchange of ideas through newspapers and letters, Sequoya started
learning the white men's alphabet. Very soon he learned all that he could learn about it.

3. Sequoya admired the white men too. Sequoya admired the white men because (choose the
correct answer)

b) they could read letters and newspapers.

4. Describe how Sequoya developed the system of writing for the Cherokees. What does this tell us
about him as a person?

Answer: Sequoya listened very carefully to each sound that his friends made when they spoke. He
didn't let even a single sound escape his attention. Then, he invented marks for all the sounds the
Cherokees used when they spoke. He wrote these marks on pieces of bark. At last Sequoya's alphabet
was completed.

This tells us that Sequoya was a good craftsman, a good learner, creative and hardworking.

5. Why was it called a 'syllabary' ? Do you think it is a suitable name?

Answer: There were 86 marks in Sequoya's alphabet, but each mark stood for a whole syllable, rather
than a letter. Because his marks stood for syllables, his alphabet was then called a 'syllabary.'

Yes, I think it is a suitable name.

6. Here are a few statements about Sequoya's syllabary. Say whether they are TRUE or FALSE.

a) The syllabary was based on sounds that Cherokees made when they spoke. TRUE
b) There were 26 marks in it. FALSE
c) Each mark stood for a whole syllable rather than a letter. TRUE.
d) Sequoya put in a lot of effort to develop the syllabary. TRUE
7. The chiefs of the tribe worked hard to spread the syllabary in the community. Do you agree? In
what ways did they do so?

Answer: The chiefs have learned to read in just a few hours. They memorized Sequoya's syllabary,
copied it down and took it home with them. They went from house to house making marks and
explaining what they meant.

The people stayed up all night learning how to make the marks and memorizing what they stood for.
By the next morning, the village had learned the Cherokee syllabary.

8. Think of a few words and phrases to describe Sequoya's contribution to his community.

Answer: Phrases to describe Sequoya's contribution to his community-

• Sequoya has taken 12 years to create the script for Cherokee language.
• He wanted to help his people by inventing script. Cherokees everywhere started learning to
read and write.
• In 1823, the chiefs of the tribe drew up a constitution for the Cherokees. Then, the Cherokees
started their own newspaper and began to print books for their children.
• Cherokees also wrote about old charms, prayers and ways of curing sickness.
• Written language helped the people write down the old songs and stories which had been
 passed on by word of mouth for a thousand years.
9. Sequoya was honoured by the state for his outstanding service to his community in two ways.
What were they? Do you think they were appropriate ways to honour him? Why do you think so?

• In 1907, when Oklahoma became the forty-sixth state in the United States of America, it was
asked to send statues of two of its outstanding citizens to the Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.
Sequoya's statue was one of the two sent.
• Another tribute paid to Sequoya was that, the giant redwood trees in California were named
'sequoia trees' in his honour.
Yes, I think they were the appropriate ways to honour him because, the syllabary found by Sequoya
allowed literacy and printing to flourish in the Cherokee nation, in the early nineteenth century in a
short period of time.

10. Do you think the title 'Talking Leaves" is suitable? Think of at least two reasons why you think so.

Answer: Yes, I think 'Talking Leaves' is a suitable title. This is because, ‘Talking Leaves’ refers to letters
and newspapers. Sequoya called them Talking Leave because they seem to talk to people as clearly as
voices did.

11. Sequoya contributed to the people of his community by creating a written language for them. Do
you think it is important for people to serve the community they live in? Why do you think so? Can
you think of five ways in which people can serve their community?

Answer: Yes, I think it is important for people to serve the community they live in because; it provides
the people with opportunity to serve the people who need it most and become active members of
their community.

Five ways by which people can serve their community are:

• Offer your skills to others.

• Reach out to a neighbor or a friend in need.
• Donate clothing or other goods.
• Grow plants.
• Be an active member of any NGO.

Prepared by Verified by

Mumtaz Ikbal Shameena.H