Footprints without Feet - Class X
Reprint 2025-26
Ausable, a secret agent, is expecting to get a very important report. Another secret agent, Max, threatens him with a pistol, demanding the report. Does Ausable outwit him?
In this interactive lesson, we'll explore a thrilling tale of espionage, quick thinking, and clever deception through the eyes of Ausable, an unlikely secret agent who uses his wits rather than weapons to overcome a dangerous situation.
In this story, you'll meet a secret agent who doesn't match the typical description of one. Let's think about secret agents and spies you've encountered in movies, books, or television.
The world of espionage is filled with danger, mystery, and quick thinking. The story we're about to read shows how intelligence and presence of mind can be more powerful weapons than guns or gadgets.
In pairs, discuss what you know about secret agents from books and movies. What characteristics do they usually have? How do they look? What skills do they possess?
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to think quickly to get out of trouble? How did you handle it?
In this story, Ausable shows great 'presence of mind,' or the ability to think quickly, and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise.
Ausable had to think quickly when faced with a dangerous situation. Discuss what you would do in the following situations that require quick thinking:
1. A small fire starts in your kitchen.
2. A child starts to choke on a piece of food.
3. An electrical appliance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.
4. A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.
5. A member of your family does not return home at the usual or expected time.