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NOVEMBER 2020 CLASS 3 & 4 TEACHER REFERENCE PRESENTATION NOVEMBER 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS CLASS 3 & 4

Pick of the Month Gap Profiles Global Update

❖ ❖ Jonathan, the ❖ New ‘Air India One’ tortoise

Discover India Around the World Did you Know

❖ Kongthong Village ❖ Kuala Lumpur ❖ The Pentagon

Born This Month Mixed Bag Mickey Mouse Pick of the Month

Mickey Mouse is one of the world's most favourite cartoon characters. He is a mischievous mouse who gets into trouble easily. He is also very imaginative and quick enough to solve the problems. He typically wears red shorts, white gloves and large yellow shoes, and has only four fingers on each hand. Mickey was initially barefooted and bare handed. His gloves were introduced in the cartoon '', in 1929. He went on to wear them in most of his subsequent appearances until today.

Mickey’s Creation

Mickey Mouse was created by animators and at the Walt Disney Studios, in 1928, as a replacement for 'Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit', an earlier character created by Walt Disney. He came up with the idea of Mickey Mouse while on a train from New York to Hollywood. Mickey Mouse Pick of the Month

Mickey’s Journey Mickey first featured in a silent short titled ''. He later made his appearance in the short film titled '', which was one of the first cartoons with sound. It was released on 18 November, 1928. Although Mickey laughed and squealed in his initial films, his first spoken words were ‘Hot Dogs!’ in the film ‘’, in 1929. Mickey's role as the Sorcerer's Apprentice in the movie 'Fantasia' is his most famous role. In 1955, Mickey made his debut on television in ‘’ television show. Since then, Mickey has continued to grow, making appearances in movies, television shows, expanding both and Disney World, working his way into the hearts of millions of people. Mickey Mouse Pick of the Month Did You Know

❖ Every year, 18 November is celebrated as the ‘Mickey Mouse Day’, the day Mickey made his screen debut in the short film ‘Steamboat Willie'. ❖ Originally, the proposed name for Mickey was 'Mortimer Mouse'.

❖ Walt Disney himself lent the voice for Mickey during the initial You can start the class by asking the years. kids to name any 5 cartoon characters ❖ Mickey Mouse is the official mascot of ‘’. that they like. Mickey Mouse will be one among them. Lead the discussion to ❖ Mickey is a prominent feature at Disney Parks since the opening this animated cartoon character created of Disneyland in 1955. by Walt Disney that celebrates its ❖ He is the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood official birthday on 18 November every Walk of Fame. year. ❖ He has a comic strip and a TV show dedicated to him called 'The Highlight on some of Mickey Mouse’s Mickey Mouse Club House'. famous short films and cartoons. ❖ Mickey is known as Musse Pigg in Sweden, Mi Lao Shu in China, and Topolino in Italy. ❖ Mickey's friends are , Pluto, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Goofy. Mickey Mouse Pick of the Month

What were the Mickey Mouse Gas Masks? During the Second World War, the United States’It is said Government that the nameissued '' thousands was of gasgiven masks by toSpanish civilians explorer to protect named them Francisco from inhaling Orellana, poisonous who gaseswas thein the first event European of an attack. to sail downTo remove the Amazon the fear River. In 1542, while on his expedition, he and his amongmen rankids into and a motivate tribe of enormousthem to wear fierce the women masks, Waltwarriors Disney in designed the area. a Hemask compared especially them for smallto the childrenAmazons, that looked the warrior like Mickey women Mouse. from The Greek mask had themythology character's and nose named and ears it after and eventhem. a picture of him on the gas filter. However, a situation to wear them never arose. Hence, they were never used and are now displayed in U.S. military museums. Jonathan, the Gap Profiles tortoise

Jonathan, the tortoise, is the oldest, living terrestrial (land) animal in the world. He is thought to be approximately 188 years old. He currently resides on the remote island of St. Helena located in the South Atlantic Ocean. The giant tortoise lives on the lush grounds of the Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor of St. Helena. Despite living well beyond the 150-year average lifespan of his species, Jonathan’s overall health is quite good. Old age has left Jonathan’s vision and sense of smell impaired. Jonathan is a local icon, symbolic of persistence and stability, and much loved by the islanders. Jonathan, the Gap Profiles tortoise

Jonathan’s background

Born on the small African island nation of the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, Jonathan arrived on the island of St. Helena (an overseas British territory) in 1882 and has been living at the Governor’s residence ever since. It is believed that Jonathan hatched around 1832, though no exact date is known. It was estimated that he was around 50 years old when he arrived at the island. Jonathan’s Life

Jonathan has had an adventurous life when he was young. Today, he leads a relaxed life spending his time roaming around the lush garden, basking under the Sun, and enjoying the company of people. When the weather is cold, he digs into leaf piles or grass clippings and stays there all day. He is also nourished with foods appropriate for his age. Jonathan, the Gap Profiles tortoise Did You Know ❖ Jonathan was presented as a gift to the then Governor of St. Helena’s Plantation House, in 1882. ❖ He shares his home with 3 other land tortoises, David, Emma and Fred, who are much younger than him. Update the kids on ❖ Jonathan is featured on the island’s five-pence coin. Jonathan, the tortoise, and ❖ He was officially recognised as the oldest living land animal by the reason behind its fame. the Guinness World Records, in 2019. Read out some interesting ❖ Among Jonathan’s favourite snacks are lettuce hearts, facts about his long life. cucumbers, apples and bananas. ❖ He greets a lot of visitors including members of royal families from around the world. ❖ He is one of the few remaining Seychelles giant tortoises. They were hunted to near extinction by European sailors back in the 19th century. Jonathan, the Gap Profiles tortoise

Why is Jonathan, the tortoise, known as a ‘grand old gentleman’? JonathanIt is said is thatreferred the nameto as a'Amazon' grand old was gentleman given by whoSpanish has seen explorer generations named Franciscoof people comeOrellana, and whogo. was the first European to sail down the Amazon Having lived longer than any human, the majestic River. In 1542, while on his expedition, he and his tortoisemen ran has into witnessed a tribe ofa lot enormous of historic fierce events women includingwarriors the in Russianthe area. Revolution, He compared seven them British to the monarchs,Amazons, two theWorld warrior Wars andwomen over from 30 U.S. Greek Presidents.mythology Other milestones and named to it have after taken them. place in his long life include the first photograph of a person, the first postage stamp, the invention of the light bulb and the first powered flight, to name a few. New ‘Air India One’ Global Update

India now has a custom-made aircraft to ferry the top political leaders of the nation. Named ‘Air India One’, it will be exclusively used to fly the President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister of India on their official tours within the country and abroad. Until now, the dignitaries used to fly in the state-run airline, Air India's Boeing-747 for international travel, and the Indian Air Force aircraft for domestic travel. These were temporarily reconfigured for their travel. When the B747 aircraft are not flying the dignitaries, they are used by Air India for commercial operations. With the arrival of the special Boeing 777 aircraft, the decades old Boeing 747 aircraft will be removed from the Air India VVIP fleet. New ‘Air India One’ Global Update

About Air India One ‘Air India One’ is the call sign of any aircraft with the President, the Vice President or the Prime Minister of India, on board. Built in the U.S.A by jet maker Boeing, the modified aircraft has ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’ written on it, along with the Ashoka Emblem. Its tail has the Indian National Flag painted over it.

Special Features

The modified Air India One, with impressive interiors, is a high-tech aircraft. It can function as a full-fledged office space. It has a conference room, a cabin for VVIP passengers, a medical centre as well as seats for other dignitaries, press and staff.

Due to the advanced communication system fitted in the aircraft, the dignitaries can communicate safely with the relevant ground staff through video or audio conferencing. New ‘Air India One’ Global Update

Did You Know

❖ The new ‘Air India One’ will be flown by the pilots of the Indian Air Force. Earlier, they were flown by pilots of Air India. ❖ The plane can refuel mid-air in the event of an emergency. ❖ It is capable of flying continuously for over 17 hours, without a Update the kids about the landing of custom-made ‘Air stop. India One’ for India’s top ❖ The aircraft is similar to 'Air Force One', which is the official dignitaries. aircraft of the President of the U.S.A, in terms of security

measures. Highlight on its special and advanced features. Kongthong Village Discover India

Kongthong is a small village nestled in a remote area of the Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. With beautiful views and captivating greenery, it is one of the most unique places to visit.

The village is unique as the inhabitants communicate among themselves by whistling, instead of using names to call each other. The whistle or tunes are generally inspired by nature such as those of birds. Though there are many folklore and stories, the origin of such a tradition is not known. However, it is believed that such traditions have been in existence since the establishment of the village and the inhabitants have been following this for generations and continues to this day. It has become a part of the village’s culture. Kongthong Village Discover India

The unique practice

For generations, whenever a child is born in the village, the mother composes a tune or a lullaby that becomes a unique identity of the child for life. They have their official names too, but the tune is used by all the villagers so that he/she gets accustomed to it. Moreover, the lullaby has no words and is just a tune, a kind of hum that only the villagers are able to recognise and remember. Each of these tunes (locally called ‘jingrwai ïawbei’ meaning ‘song of the clan’s first woman’) is unique. Unlike our names, no two people have a common tune. The tunes range from anywhere between twenty seconds to more than a minute. There are two tunes composed by the mother. The first one is a full-fledged song and the second is the shorter version of it. When a person dies, the tune that was assigned to him is not given to anybody else. There are two stages to this unique tradition. The first stage is at the time when a mother gives certain tunes to her child through which the child gets in touch with the family. The second stage is at the time of adulthood when grown-ups also create their own sounds and tunes to converse with family, friends and relatives. During this stage, the adult is solely responsible for handling this language of tunes and whistles. Kongthong Village Discover India How it has helped them

This unique practice has helped the villagers. Each and every inhabitant knows each other’s tune. However, people use only the shorter version of the tune to call each other in the village. When they are out in the fields to work, the entire tune, the duration of which is not more than a minute, is used.

There is also a legend regarding the peculiar use of these whistling. The villagers believe that some evil spirits exist in the nearby forests and when they hear someone’s name being called out, they make the person fall ill. To protect themselves, the villagers started using tunes instead of names.

It has also proved to be an effective method of communication during hunting expeditions. When a group goes hunting, they use these sounds to alert fellow members without arousing the curiosity of another group that may be after the same prey.

It is said that the practice of whistling developed as a result of the steep mountains and rugged terrain of the region, which required the inhabitants of the village to find an alternative way to communicate across long distances. Kongthong Village Discover India

Isolated village

Living in isolation, people of this village are seen rarely getting in touch with the outer world. After the visits of several researchers and journalists, the village has started to receive some recognition in the past few years. Today, because of its unusual culture, it has become a destination for an ardent traveller and explorer. Did You Know ❖ Kongthong, also known as the ‘whistling village’, has a population of a few hundred. ❖ The village, lined with little huts and farms, is surrounded by waterfalls, small ponds, and root bridges. ❖ The villagers are mainly involved in agricultural activities and hunt in the forests.

❖ The major agricultural produce of the village include honey, betel nuts, bay leaves, oranges, jack fruit, and white and black pepper, to name a few. ❖ All the agricultural products grown in the village are organic and indigenous, produced without the use of any pesticides. Kongthong Village Discover India

Do you know about this interesting folklore associated with the practice of whistling in Kongthong? There are a few legends and folklore associated It is said that the name 'Amazon' was given by Spanishwith the explorer practice namedof whistling Francisco followed Orellana, by the who waspeople the of first Kongthong European. According to sail down to one the of Amazon the folktales,River. In 1542,a man while trying on to hisprotect expedition, himself hefrom and somehis menattackers, ran into climbed a tribe a treeof enormous and used fiercespecial womensounds towarriors call out in his the friends area. forHe help.compared The man them to the Amazons, the warrior women from Greek was rescued in no time while the attackers mythology and named it after them. remained clueless about him. It is said that since then, the practice of whistling and creating sounds to communicate with each other is prevalent in the village. Kuala Lumpur Around the World

Kuala Lumpur is the largest city and the capital of Malaysia, a country in southeast Asia. Occupied by the Japanese and later by the British in the past, the city has a blend of the modern and the old-world charm.

What's in a name?

The words Kuala Lumpur translates to ‘muddy confluence’ or ‘junction between two rivers’. The city is so named because of its location at the intersection of the two rivers: Klang and Gombak. Kuala Lumpur Around the World

Major Attractions

The Petronas Towers or Petronas Twin Towers was declared the tallest buildings in the world after its completion in 1998 until 2004. Today, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai holds the title as the tallest building in the world. The Petronas Towers is mostly used for commercial purposes and offers a panoramic view of the city. They look particularly impressive when lit up at night.

The KL Tower is visible from almost anywhere in Kuala Lumpur. It is the tallest telecommunications tower in Southeast Asia. It also houses souvenir shops and restaurants. Kuala Lumpur Around the World

Major Attractions The Batu Caves is one of Malaysia's popular tourist attractions and a national treasure. The caves, said to be around 400 million years old, are made of limestone and have a complex structure. The entrance of the caves houses one of the world’s tallest statue of Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity.

The Aquaria KLCC, located at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), is one of the largest aquariums in Southeast Asia. Home to over 150 species of marine life, its star attractions include tiger sharks, lethal sea snakes, blue rays, bright coral fish, seahorses and more. Kuala Lumpur Around the World

The Merdeka Square is a historical place where the flag of Malaysia was raised for the very first time after gaining independence from the British, in 1957. It is surrounded by heritage buildings including the National History Museum. The 'square' itself is a large, grassy field that was used to play cricket by the British.

Did You Know

❖ The residents of Kuala Lumpur are called KLites. ❖ The city was founded by Chinese tin miners, in 1857. ❖ The Istana Negara translates to ‘National Palace’ and was the official residence of the King of Malaysia. The king relocated to a newly built Istana Negara in 2011. ❖ The Petronas Towers is currently the world’s tallest ‘twin’ buildings. The Pentagon Did You Know

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. All branches of the U.S. military are situated here. The iconic building complex is located in Virginia, Washington, D.C., across the Potomac River.

The vision for the structure took shape at a time when the United States military staff were expanded, working in different buildings. The idea was to build a structure that would bring all of the divisions of the military to one place. Its original purpose was to provide a temporary solution to the War Department's critical shortage of space. The Pentagon Did You Know Its Shape

The Pentagon is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world due to its unique shape. It is shaped like a pentagon, a five-sided figure. The original site chosen for the construction was bordered on five sides by roads, so the architects designed a five-sided building. But later, a different site was chosen, as the then President felt the building may obstruct the view of Washington, D.C. However, the five-sided design was retained.

Its Size

Surrounding an open courtyard, the Pentagon has five floors above ground and two below. It consists of five internal rings, named ‘A’ through ‘E’ (with ‘F’ and ‘G’ in the basement). Despite the huge size of the building, the Pentagon is surprisingly quick and easy to navigate because of its innovative construction. In the past, when there were no telephones and email facilities, people used roller skates to go the hallways to convey messages. The Pentagon Did You Know A mini city

The Pentagon is virtually a city in itself. Approximately 26,000 employees, both military and civilian, work here. The Pentagon complex houses offices, several parking lots and research libraries, storage spaces, restaurants, cafeterias, banks, a subway station, bus platform, and a variety of stores. Interesting Facts

❖ Built during the Second World War, the Pentagon was originally known as ‘Arlington Farms’. ❖ It is one of the world's largest office buildings. ❖ Designed by an American architect, its construction began in 1941 and was completed in just about 16 months. ❖ The concrete for the building was made from sand and gravel that was taken from the Potomac River. ❖ The Pentagon has 4,200 clocks, 691 fountains, and 284 rest rooms. ❖ It is so massive that the building has six different postcodes. ❖ Originally, there were no elevators in the building except one that was reserved for the Defense Secretary. People used ramps to go from one floor to another. However, after a massive renovation project, the building currently has around 70 elevators. ❖ The Pentagon has the ‘Hall of Heroes’, a room dedicated to recipients of the Medal of Honour, the highest award for valour in action that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. The Pentagon Did You Know

❖ The complex houses the Pentagon Memorial, dedicated to those who lost their lives during the terror attacks in September 2001. It features 184 benches with the name of each victim etched on it. ❖ The iconic building is open for tours, although access is restricted to certain areas and particular times.

Why was the Pentagon designed to be a low-rising building? It is said thatAs the Pentagonname 'Amazon' was built was during given the by Spanish Secondexplorer World named War Francisco which had Orellana, been going who on was in Europe, the first steelEuropean was in short to sail supply down and the it Amazon had to be River. conserved In 1542, to buildwhile battleships. on his expedition, As a lot heof andsteel his is neededmen ran to into build a tribea tall building,of enormous the Pentagon fierce women was designed warriors to inbe theshort area. and He compared them to the Amazons, the warrior women only a few storeys tall. The building also needed to from Greek mythology and named it after them. remain relatively low to prevent it from blocking the views of tall monuments in its surroundings, especially Washington, D.C. Mixed Bag

“Your mind is like Nose pads are a parachute. If it The matamata turtle is a small pieces on doesn’t open, it weird-looking freshwater eyeglasses that doesn’t work.” turtle, native to South rest on a Buzz Aldrin Wild World America. It has a large,

Famous Quote Famous person’s nose.

What AreWhat They? rough and knobby shell, with a long neck. The head is triangle in shape with a stick-like snout. Born This Month

12 Nov (1961) Nadia Elena Comaneci Former Romanian gymnast

Nadia Elena Comaneci is a retired gymnast from Romania. She was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games.

14 Nov (1863) Leo Hendrik Baekeland Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland was a Belgian-born American chemist. He is best known for inventing Bakelite, which marked the beginning of the modern plastics industry. Born This Month

19 Nov (1976) Jack Patrick Dorsey American computer programmer Jack Patrick Dorsey is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Twitter.

27 Nov (1986) Suresh Kumar Raina Former Indian Cricketer Suresh Kumar Raina is a former Indian cricketer who retired from international cricket in August 2020. He is the first Indian batsman to hit a century in all three formats of international cricket.