The Tsunami
Class 8 · English
3 ideas in Class 8 English, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Human Stories of Survival and Courage
Part of: Tsunami Stories
On 26 December 2004, a tsunami struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the coast of Thailand. The chapter tells five stories: Ignesious lost his wife and two children; policeman Sanjeev saved his family but died trying to rescue a stranger; Meghna, 13, floated alone for two days on a wooden door and survived; Almas, 10, clung to a floating log after her family was swept away; and Tilly Smith, a British schoolgirl in Thailand, warned her family and other tourists because she remembered a geography lesson about tsunamis, saving many lives.
Why it matters. Understanding real events develops empathy and helps readers see how ordinary people respond to extraordinary disaster.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child to name all five people in the chapter and say what happened to each.
- Ask: what did Tilly remember from school that helped her save lives?
- Discuss: which quality — courage, presence of mind, or knowledge — helped most in these stories?
Try at home. Ask your child to write a paragraph about what they would do if a natural disaster warning was issued in their area.
Animals and the Sixth Sense
Part of: Tsunami Stories
The chapter discusses evidence that animals behaved unusually before the tsunami hit. At Yala National Park in Sri Lanka, three elephants were seen running away from the beach about an hour before the tsunami struck. Dogs in Galle refused to go on their usual beach walk. Flamingoes left low-lying areas, zoo animals rushed into shelters. In India's Cuddalore coast, buffaloes, goats and dogs were found alive while thousands of humans died. The chapter presents two explanations: a 'sixth sense' or more acute hearing that detects earth vibrations.
Why it matters. Critical reading means identifying evidence and evaluating competing explanations — a key thinking skill.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child: what two explanations does the chapter give for why animals may have survived?
- Ask: what specific animal behaviour was observed at Yala National Park?
- Discuss: which explanation do they find more convincing, and why?
Try at home. Ask your child to describe any time an animal's behaviour warned them about a change in weather.
Active and Passive Voice
Part of: Language Study
In an active sentence, the subject does the action: 'The waves swept Meghna away.' In a passive sentence, the action is done to the subject: 'Meghna was swept away.' We form the passive with 'be + past participle'. Passive voice is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or when we want to focus on the receiver of the action. Disaster reporting often uses passive voice: 'Sixty visitors were washed away.'
Why it matters. Recognising active and passive voice helps you understand texts more clearly and write more varied and purposeful sentences.
Try it in two minutes
- Say a sentence actively and ask your child to make it passive: 'The teacher taught the lesson.'
- Ask: why might a newspaper prefer 'Three people were rescued' to 'Rescuers rescued three people'?
- Practice identifying the doer in passive sentences from the chapter.
Try at home. Ask your child to find two passive sentences in any newspaper article and identify who the doer is.
What your child will practise
- Active and Passive Voice: Candy Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Active and Passive Voice: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Active and Passive Voice: Time Travel Sort (Sort It Out)
- Animals and the Sixth Sense: Ocean Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Human Stories of Survival and Courage: Word Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Quiz: Active and Passive Voice (8 questions)
- Quiz: Animals and the Sixth Sense (8 questions)
- Quiz: Human Stories of Survival and Courage (8 questions)