Lesson Plan: Friendship

Subject: English Literature
Class: 6th Grade
Duration: 45 minutes
Topic: Prose - "Friendship" (Unit 1, Term III)

1. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the teacher aims to help students:

Understand the value and qualities of true friendship
Analyze how childhood friendships can last despite time and distance
Recognize the importance of humility and asking for help when needed
Develop reading comprehension through character-driven narrative
Learn about business challenges and family dynamics
Build vocabulary related to business, emotions, and relationships
Appreciate the difference between superficial and genuine friendships
Understand themes of loyalty, trust, and support in relationships

2. Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Maintain genuine friendships built on trust and mutual respect
Ask for help from friends when facing difficulties without feeling ashamed
Support friends in their times of need without expecting anything in return
Value old friendships and make efforts to stay connected despite distance
Show empathy toward friends facing financial or personal challenges
Practice humility and overcome pride when seeking assistance
Recognize true friends who stand by us during difficult times
Be trustworthy so friends feel comfortable approaching us for help

3. Introduction (5 minutes)

Engaging Questions:

"Who is your best friend? How long have you known them? What makes your friendship special?"
"Have you ever had a friend you lost touch with and then reconnected? How did it feel?"
"Would you feel comfortable asking a friend for help if you were in trouble? Why or why not?"
"What do you think are the most important qualities of a true friend?"
"Have you ever helped a friend without them asking? Or has a friend helped you unexpectedly?"

4. Reading and Understanding (8 minutes)

New Vocabulary with Meanings:

Word	Meaning	Example Usage
Successful	Achieving desired goals; prosperous	Vetri was once a successful business man
Capital	Money needed to start or run a business	He lacked the necessary capital for his firm
Reminisced	Thought about pleasant memories from the past	Vetri reminisced about his childhood
Consoled	Comforted someone who is sad or disappointed	Asif consoled the crying Vetri with chocolate
Quarrel	An angry argument or disagreement	A quarrel broke out between their families
Astounded	Shocked; very surprised	The guard was astounded by Vetri's claim
Dumbfounded	So surprised that one cannot speak	Vetri felt dumbfounded when Asif appeared
MD	Managing Director; head of a company	Asif was the MD of his company
Foundation	The base or underlying support of something	Their friendship had a strong foundation

5. Mind Map

                    FRIENDSHIP
                        |
        ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
        │               │               │
   VETRI'S CRISIS   THE FRIENDSHIP   THE RESOLUTION
        │               │               │
    ┌───┴───┐      ┌────┴────┐      ┌────┴────┐
    │       │      │         │      │         │
BUSINESS  FAMILY  CHILDHOOD QUALITIES Journey  Asif's
FAILURE  PRESSURE  ORIGIN     │      to       HELP
    │       │      │         │      Chennai     │
Successful Brothers First day Both    │         │
construction demand  of school remained Hesitant Recognized
company   split     │      loyal   to ask   on CCTV
    │       │      │         │      help       │
Father   Difficult Asif    Even    │         │
died     to maintain consoled during  Claimed Warm
    │    company   crying   family  wedding  welcome
Took      │       Vetri    quarrel  excuse     │
loans   Sold       │         │         │       │
    │    properties Chocolate Healthy  Spent  Family
Couldn't  │       gift    competition day    already
repay   Small       │         │      together knew him
    │    house    Played   Studied    │         │
Found     │       together together  Lunch  Dropped
job     Wife's     │         │      at home at station
    │    suggestion Exchanged 10th     │         │
Wanted  Ask Asif   food    standard   │      Phone
new firm for help   │         │         │      call
    │       │      │      Separated    │         │
Lacked   Hesitant Friends Vetri→    Returned Construction
capital because   for     Coimbatore home   project
         of time  years   Asif→       │      assigned
         passed          Chennai   Two days True
                                  later   friendship
                                         proved

6. Consolidation and Presentation (8 minutes)

Summary of the Lesson:

"Friendship" is a touching story about the enduring power of true friendship despite time, distance, and changing circumstances. The narrative beautifully illustrates how genuine friendship transcends material success and remains steadfast through life's ups and downs.

Section I - The Crisis: Vetri was once a successful businessman in Coimbatore, running a thriving construction company called Vetri Constructions that built shopping complexes, houses, and apartments. However, tragedy struck when his father died, and his brothers demanded their share of the family wealth to start their own businesses. This division made it impossible for Vetri to sustain his company. He took loans he couldn't repay, ultimately forcing him to sell his properties and move his family into a very small house.

Though Vetri found employment, his entrepreneurial spirit remained alive—he longed to start a new construction firm but lacked the necessary capital. His wife wisely suggested approaching his old friend Asif for help, noting that they were once very close. Vetri felt hesitant, wondering what Asif would think after years of no contact, but eventually decided to travel to Chennai to meet him.

Section II - The Bond: During his train journey, Vetri's mind drifted back to his childhood in the village of Keelakudi. He and Asif had attended middle school together on the village outskirts. Their friendship began on the very first day of school through a simple act of kindness—when Vetri cried, Asif consoled him with a chocolate. From that moment, an unbreakable bond formed. They played together, studied together, and shared their lunches with each other.

Their friendship proved so strong that even when a quarrel erupted between their families, the two boys remained steadfast friends, maintaining a healthy academic competition that motivated both. Their friendship continued until the tenth standard, after which life took them in different directions—Vetri to Coimbatore and Asif to Chennai to pursue business.

Section III - The Reunion and Support: When Vetri arrived at Asif's office, the security guard was astounded that someone from a "native place" claimed to be the MD's friend—suggesting Asif had achieved considerable success. While Vetri spoke with the receptionist, Asif appeared suddenly, having recognized his old friend on the CCTV camera, and gave him a warm pat on the back.

Overcome with emotion and pride, Vetri felt dumbfounded and told Asif he was only in town for a wedding, unable to bring himself to ask for financial help. They spent the day reminiscing about their school days and catching up on their current lives. Asif took Vetri home for lunch, where Vetri was surprised and touched to discover that Asif's entire family already knew him by name—showing that Asif had kept their friendship alive in his heart and conversations.

The Beautiful Resolution: Two days after returning home, Vetri received a phone call from Asif's office. Asif had assigned a construction project to him and requested that he return to Chennai to discuss it. Without Vetri ever directly asking, Asif understood his friend's need and provided help in a way that preserved Vetri's dignity—through a business opportunity rather than charity.

The story powerfully illustrates that true friendship is like "an old bridge; it may be weathered by the seasons of time and separation, but its foundation remains strong enough to support you when the road ahead becomes difficult."

7. Reinforcement (5 minutes)

Additional Information:

Understanding True Friendship: The story distinguishes between superficial acquaintances and deep friendships built on shared experiences and genuine care
The Chocolate Moment: The chocolate Asif gave Vetri on the first day symbolizes how small acts of kindness create lasting bonds
Cultural Context: In Indian culture, asking friends for financial help can be seen as difficult due to pride and fear of judgment
Business Challenges: The story realistically portrays how family disputes and financial pressures can destroy successful businesses
Dignity in Help: Asif's approach shows wisdom—he helped through a business opportunity, not charity, preserving Vetri's self-respect
Non-verbal Communication: Asif understood Vetri's needs without explicit asking, showing deep friendship intuition
Family Involvement: That Asif's family knew Vetri by name shows he had kept their friendship alive through stories over the years
Life Lessons: Success is temporary, but genuine relationships are permanent; true friends support without being asked; pride shouldn't prevent seeking help

8. Evaluation

a) Lower Order Thinking Question (Knowledge/Comprehension)

Question: "What caused Vetri's business to fail, and how did his friendship with Asif begin in childhood?"

Expected Answer: Vetri's business failed because after his father died, his brothers demanded a split of the family wealth to start their own businesses. This made it difficult for Vetri to maintain his company, leading him to take loans he couldn't repay. He eventually had to sell his properties. Their friendship began on the first day of middle school when Vetri was crying and Asif consoled him by giving him a chocolate.

b) Middle Order Thinking Question (Application/Analysis)

Question: "Analyze why Vetri told Asif he was in Chennai for a wedding instead of asking for help. What does this reveal about human nature and pride? Compare Asif's response with how other people might have reacted."

Expected Answer: Vetri lied about the wedding because of pride, embarrassment, and fear of rejection. After being successful and then losing everything, he felt ashamed to ask for help. This reveals that humans often let pride prevent them from seeking support, even from close friends. We fear being judged or becoming a burden. Asif's response was exceptional—instead of forcing Vetri to explain or directly offering money, he understood his friend's situation without words and helped through a business opportunity that preserved Vetri's dignity. Other people might have: asked uncomfortable questions, directly offered charity (which could feel humiliating), ignored the situation, or even felt superior. Asif's sensitivity shows the depth of true friendship.

c) Higher Order Thinking Question (Synthesis/Evaluation)

Question: "Evaluate the analogy given at the end: 'True friendship is like an old bridge; it may be weathered by the seasons of time and separation, but its foundation remains strong enough to support you when the road ahead becomes difficult.' How does this apply to Vetri and Asif's story? Create your own analogy for true friendship and explain why it fits."

Expected Answer: The bridge analogy perfectly captures Vetri and Asif's friendship. The "weathering by seasons" represents the years of separation when they went to different cities. "Time and separation" refers to their lack of contact after tenth standard. The "strong foundation" represents the bond formed through childhood experiences—the chocolate, shared meals, studying together, and loyalty during family quarrels. The bridge "supporting you when the road becomes difficult" describes how Asif helped Vetri during his business crisis. Despite years apart, the friendship's foundation remained strong enough to provide support.

My own analogy: "True friendship is like a planted tree—it may not be watered daily, but its roots run so deep that it survives dry seasons and provides shade when you need shelter from life's heat." This fits because: the "planting" is the initial bonding, "roots" represent shared memories and trust, "not watered daily" shows that true friends don't need constant contact, "survives dry seasons" means friendship endures separation, and "provides shade from life's heat" represents support during difficult times, just as Asif provided Vetri relief from his troubles.

9. Remedial Teaching

Strategy for Slow Learners:

Timeline Creation: Draw a simple timeline showing Vetri's life: Success → Father's death → Brothers' demand → Failure → Meeting Asif → Help received
Friendship Map: Create a visual showing "Beginning" (chocolate) → "Middle" (school years) → "Gap" (separation) → "Reunion" (Chennai)
Emotion Cards: Use cards showing different emotions (happy, sad, worried, surprised) and ask students to match them to different points in the story
Compare and Contrast: Simple chart showing "Vetri at the Beginning" vs. "Vetri at the End"
Role-Playing: Act out key scenes—the chocolate moment, the reunion at the office, the phone call about the project
Simplified Questions: After each section, ask: "What happened here? How did this person feel? What did they do?"
Visual Story Cards: Use pictures showing business success, family problems, meeting friend, getting help
Personal Connection: Ask students to share when a friend helped them or when they helped a friend

10. Writing Activity (8 minutes)

Writing Task: "Write a letter (150-180 words) from Vetri to Asif after receiving the phone call about the construction project. In your letter, include:

Your gratitude for Asif's help
Your feelings about how he helped without you having to ask
A memory from your childhood friendship that shows why your bond is special
What this gesture means to you and your family
Your commitment to their continued friendship"

Guidelines:

Write in first person as Vetri ("Dear Asif, I...")
Use appropriate letter format (date, greeting, body, closing)
Show genuine emotion and gratitude
Include at least 3 vocabulary words from the lesson
Reflect on both the business help and the emotional support

11. Follow-up Activities

Homework Assignment:

Friendship Reflection: Write a paragraph (120-150 words) describing your best friend—how you met, what makes your friendship special, and how you support each other.

Additional Activities:

Interview Project: Interview a parent or grandparent about their oldest friendship. Write 5-6 sentences about what you learned.
Friendship Qualities Poster: Create a poster titled "Qualities of a True Friend" with illustrations showing traits like loyalty, trust, support, etc.
Story Extension: Write a short continuation (100 words) imagining what happens when Vetri returns to Chennai to discuss the project.

Extended Learning:

Compare and Analyze: Find a story, movie, or real-life example of another strong friendship. Compare it with Vetri and Asif's friendship in a paragraph.
Creative Analogy: Create your own analogy for friendship (like the bridge analogy) with an illustration and explanation.
Friendship Scenarios: Write about three situations where a friend might need help and how you would offer support while respecting their dignity.
Gratitude Activity: Write a thank-you note to a friend who has helped you in some way, expressing your appreciation.

Assessment Criteria:

Comprehension of plot and character development (25%)
Understanding of friendship values and themes (20%)
Vocabulary usage and language skills (20%)
Emotional intelligence and empathy (20%)
Personal reflection and application (15%)

Resources Needed:

Map showing Coimbatore, Chennai, and Tamil Nadu
Pictures depicting business settings, construction sites, school friendships
Emotion cards for remedial teaching
Chart paper for timeline and comparison activities
Letter-writing format templates
Story sequence cards

Cross-Curricular Connections:

Geography: Tamil Nadu cities (Coimbatore, Chennai), rural vs. urban areas
Business Studies: Understanding business challenges, loans, capital, entrepreneurship
Values Education: Friendship, loyalty, humility, empathy, trust
Social Studies: Family dynamics, business partnerships, community relationships
Life Skills: Asking for help, offering support, maintaining relationships
Psychology: Understanding pride, embarrassment, non-verbal communication

Monday, January 12, 2026

Lesson Plan: Class 8 -Unit 6- prose -Friendship