Beehive - Class IX
Reprint 2025-26
This story takes us to the world of the future where computers will play a major role. It's a science fiction story about how schools might look in the distant future, and it raises interesting questions about education, technology, and human connection.
In this interactive lesson, we'll explore Isaac Asimov's vision of future education through the eyes of Margie, a young student in the year 2157, and compare it to the schools of the past - which are our present-day schools.
The story we shall read is set in the future, when books and schools as we now know them will perhaps not exist. How will children study then?
Let's think about the schools of the future. They might include virtual classrooms, learning through computers, robotic teachers, moving e-text, and many other technological innovations.
In pairs, discuss three things that you like best about your school and three things about your school that you would like to change.
Have you ever read words on a television (or computer) screen? Can you imagine a time when all books will be on computers, and there will be no books printed on paper? Would you like such books better?
Read this sentence taken from the story:
They had once taken Tommy's teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
The word complete is an adjective. When you add –ly to it, it becomes an adverb.
awfully, sorrowfully, completely, loftily, carefully, differently, quickly, nonchalantly
1. The report must be read so that performance can be improved.
2. At the interview, Sameer answered our questions , shrugging his shoulders.
3. We all behave when we are tired or hungry.
4. The teacher shook her head when Ravi lied to her.
5. I forgot about it.
Imagine that Margie's mother told her, "You'll feel awful if you don't finish your history lesson."
She could also say: "You'll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson."
Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.
1. If I don't go to Anu's party tonight,
2. If you don't telephone the hotel to order food,
3. Unless you promise to write back, I
4. If she doesn't play any games,
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat