Tecchilaw - 05- ONCE UPON A TIME

Arjuna: Mother, how did this world begin?

Mother: Well, there are many different ideas about that. Radhika, why don’t you tell your brother what you learnt about it at school?

Radhika: Scientists believe that the earth was created from a ball of dust and gas. The earth was very hot then. Gradually, it cooled down and hardened.

Arjuna: Wow! What happened after that?

Radhika: The land, the sea and the atmosphere began to form but there was no life on Earth.

Arjuna: Nothing at all?

Radhika: Nothing at all. Life first began in the sea as a bacterium. Plants appeared next on land, followed by

animals.

Arjuna: Oh, really? When did dinosaurs come into the world?

Radhika: Dinosaurs appeared much later. Amphibians and reptiles were there before them, but birds and mammals came later.

Arjuna: How about people?

Radhika: Humans appeared on Earth last. Some scientists believe that humans evolved from apes. Early humans hunted and gathered food. Later, they learnt to make tools and to use fire.

Arjuna: What happened to the dinosaurs?

Radhika: Why don’t you find it out yourself? I have a book and a DVD on dinosaurs. You can read the book or watch the DVD.

Read the conversation and complete the flow chart.

and/ but/or

We can combine sentences using and / but / or.

Combine the sentences using and / but / or.

1. Early people lived in caves. They painted pictures on the walls.

2. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. It was very different from the phones we use today.

3. In the Stone Age people didn’t build houses. They did not use metal tools.

Speak in groups about the journey of human civilization. Take turns and speak at least one sentence. Make use of the given facts. You may combine sentences.

• Began to walk on two legs

• Started to use simple stone tools, began to use fire

• Built a shelter from large bones of animals

• Lived in groups

• Did not farm. Hunted and gathered food

• Started using bows and arrows

• Started to live in one place longer

• Discovered metal, started to make tools

• Started agriculture and rearing animals

• Started to live in villages, built houses of wattle and daub

• Had free time after harvesting, began to engage in dancing, music

Describe the following picture of early civilization. You may use the phrases in Activity 4.

Read the passages and match them with the questions given.

1.What were dinosaurs?

2. When did dinosaurs live on Earth?

3. How do we learn about dinosaurs?

4. What did dinosaurs eat?

5. How did dinosaurs become extinct?

Find the meanings of the following words from the text.

• Dinosaur

• Fossils

• Paleontologists

• Carnivores

• Herbivores

• Omnivores

• Became extinct

When/while

Read these sentences.

Join these sentences with “when.”

1. I visited the museum. I saw a skeleton of a whale.

2. Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas. He thought he was near China.

Combine these sentences using “while.”

1. I was looking at the sky. I saw a shooting star.

2. The Earth revolves around the sun. It rotates around itself.

Your teacher will read out some descriptions about the history of some

toys and amusements. Listen to them and match A with B.

Read the given description about Munidasa Cumaratunga.

Munidasa Cumaratunga

Munidasa Cumaratunga was born on 25th July 1887. He was a writer, poet, journalist and grammarian. He wrote many Sinhala story books. Heenseraya, Hathpana, Magulkema and Kiyawana Nuwana are some of them. These books are popular among children even today.

Munidasa Cumaratunga founded the “Hela Havula” movement to promote the correct usage of the Sinhala language. He wrote Sinhala grammar books and had a wide knowledge of other languages like Tamil, Pali, Sanskrit, Greek and Latin. In his lifetime, he served as a school teacher, principal and school inspector. This eminent scholar passed away on 2nd March 1944.

Read the details given about three other well-known Sri Lankans. Select one of them and write a similar description.