Chandrayaan: NCERT Class 3 English Story (Santoor Chapter 12)

etmantra3 Nov 20265 min read

Rani asks a lot of questions, and one day she sees on TV that India has reached the Moon. This story mixes a child's curiosity with real science. It is a great way to make children proud of Chandrayaan and to keep them asking questions.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 3, unit “The Sky”. Chapter 12.

What your child learns

Asking questions with Why, Where, How and What
Science words: rocket, scientist, machine
What the word Chandrayaan means
Blends at the start of words: sk, sw, sp, st

What the story is about

Rani lives in a village and is always asking questions, like why the sky is blue. One evening her mother sings 'Chanda mama door ke', and Rani asks how far the Moon is. Her mother says it is very far. The next morning, her elder brother Pratik shouts that India is on the Moon. On TV, Rani sees photos of machines on the Moon, but she is confused.

Pratik takes her to his friend Vivaan's house, because Vivaan's mother, Nandini, is a scientist. Her house has models and photos of rockets. She explains that a rocket is used to go to the Moon, and that Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle. She tells them India launched Chandrayaan on 14 July 2023, and it landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023. When Rani asks if she can go to the Moon too, Aunty smiles and says maybe one day.

New words, with Hindi meanings

curious: wanting to know about many things (हिंदी: जिज्ञासु)
excitement: a happy, eager feeling (हिंदी: उत्साह, जोश)
machines: things with parts that do work (हिंदी: मशीनें)
confused: not able to understand something (हिंदी: उलझन में)
scientist: a person who studies how things in nature work (हिंदी: वैज्ञानिक)
rocket: a vehicle that flies into space (हिंदी: रॉकेट)
vehicle: something that carries people or things from place to place (हिंदी: वाहन, गाड़ी)
launched: sent up into the sky or space (हिंदी: छोड़ा गया)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

How do we know Rani was curious?
Who was Nandini Aunty?
What do the words Chandra and Yaan mean?
If you could go to the Moon, what would you take with you?

Answers for parents

She asked many questions to her family, teachers and friends.
She was Vivaan's mother, and she was a scientist.
Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle.
For example: I would take water, food, a torch and a warm blanket.

Grammar corner: Asking questions with 'Why', 'Where' and 'How'

Question words help us ask about things we want to know. 'Why' asks for a reason, 'Where' asks about a place and 'How' asks about the way something happens. A question ends with a question mark (?).

Why does the Moon change its shape?
Where did the rocket land?
How do scientists build a rocket?

Practice at home

Fill in 'Why', 'Where' or 'How': ___ is the Moon? It is in the sky.
Complete the word with 'sp' or 'st': a ___oon for soup, a ___ar in the sky
Make a sentence with 'scientist'.

Answers: 1. Where · 2. spoon, star · 3. For example: The scientist made a model of a rocket.

Try this

Have a 'Question time' at home. For five minutes, your child can ask you any question starting with Why, Where, How or What, and you try to answer together. Then make a pretend rocket from a cardboard roll or a rolled newspaper, count down from ten in English and 'launch' it to the Moon.

Tip for parents

Sing 'Chanda mama door ke' in Hindi, just as Rani's mother did, and then ask your child in Hindi: 'Chand tak kaise jaate hain?' Help them answer in English with words like rocket and Moon. Praise every question your child asks, in any language, because curiosity is what this story is about.

Questions parents ask

What is the story Chandrayaan about?

It is about Rani, a curious village girl, who learns from a scientist named Nandini how India's Chandrayaan reached the Moon.

What does Chandrayaan mean, as told in the chapter?

In the chapter, Nandini explains that Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle, so Chandrayaan is a vehicle to the Moon.

Is Chandrayaan in the new NCERT book?

It is in NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 3. It is Chapter 12, the last chapter, in Unit 4, The Sky.

Learn every Class 3 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and first writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

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