Chandrayaan – Class 3 English Chapter 12 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 3EnglishChapter 12NCERT book: Santoor - English Class 3

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 12 of the NCERT Class 3 English book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 12: Chandrayaan

Introduction

Chandrayaan is the last chapter of Santoor Class 3 and ends Unit 4: The Sky. It tells how a curious girl, Rani, learns about India's mission to the Moon from a scientist, Nandini Aunty.

What's in this Chapter

The story

Rani lives in a village. She is very curious and asks many questions: "Why is the sky blue?" "Where does the Sun go at night?"

One evening her mother sings "Chanda mama door ke …". Rani asks, "Amma, how far is the Moon?" Amma says, "Rani, the Moon is very far in the sky." Rani thinks about the Moon and falls asleep.

Next morning her elder brother Pratik shouts, pointing to the TV, "Look Rani, India is on the Moon!" Rani sees photos of machines on the Moon and asks, "How did Chandrayaan reach the Moon?"

Pratik says his friend Vivaan's mother, Aunt Nandini, is a scientist. They visit her. Rani sees many models and photographs of rockets in the house.

Nandini Aunty offers sharbat and asks, "Do you know which vehicle is used to go to the Moon?" Pratik answers, "It is a rocket."

Rani asks, "What does Chandrayaan mean?" Nandini explains: "Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle. On 14 July 2023, India launched the Chandrayaan which landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023."

Rani jumps with excitement: "Can I go to the Moon, too?" Nandini smiles, "Maybe, one day."

New words: curious, excitement, machines, confused, scientist, rockets, Chandrayaan.

Key Ideas

Asking questions is how we learn — curiosity is a great quality.

A rocket carries spacecraft into space. Chandrayaan-3 made India proud by landing on the Moon.

Scientists can be anyone — here, a mother and neighbour.

'a' and 'an' (revision): a girl, a village, a hanky; an elephant, an eagle, an umbrella, an egg. The note says to focus on the sound, not the letter.

Ordinal numbers with days of the week: Sunday is the first day, Monday the second, Tuesday the third, Wednesday the fourth, Thursday the fifth, Friday the sixth, Saturday the seventh. There are seven days in a week.

Activities from the Book

Answer: How do you know Rani was curious? What did Pratik say in excitement? Who was Nandini Aunty? What do Chandra and Yaan mean? Complete: "Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023."

Imagine spending 10 days on the Moon — list 10 things you would take.

Ask elders about travelling far from home and share your own travel experiences.

Fill in blanks with a/an.

Form words with sk, sw, sp, st: stones, spoon, story, skirt (and swings).

Draw the Moon and write a few lines about it.

Collect newspaper clippings about Chandrayaan-3 and make a class chart.

Share a Moon song or story from your mother tongue.

A final Self Assessment for Units 3–4.

Words to Learn

curious – wanting to know and learn (जिज्ञासु)

excitement – a happy, eager feeling (उत्साह)

machines – things made to do work (मशीनें)

confused – not able to understand (उलझन में)

scientist – a person who studies and experiments to learn about the world (वैज्ञानिक)

rocket – a vehicle that goes into space (रॉकेट)

launched – sent off into the sky (प्रक्षेपित किया)

landed – came down and touched the ground (उतरा)

Chandrayaan – Moon vehicle (चंद्रयान)

vehicle – something that carries people or things (वाहन)

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Show pictures or videos of the Chandrayaan-3 landing and the rocket launch.

Sing "Chanda mama door ke" and talk about how far the Moon really is.

Let children list 10 things for a Moon trip and discuss why (air, water, food).

Practise ordinal numbers with a line of children: first, second, third…

Encourage every question children ask — just as Rani did.

Common Mistakes

Mixing up the dates: launched 14 July 2023, landed 23 August 2023.

Saying "Yaan" means Moon — Chandra means Moon; Yaan means vehicle.

Writing "a elephant" — it is an elephant.

Calling Wednesday the third day — it is the fourth (Sunday is first).

💡 Key Learning Points

✓Retell how Rani learned about Chandrayaan from Nandini Aunty.
✓Know that Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle, and that a rocket is used to go to the Moon.
✓Remember that Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023 and landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023.
✓Use 'a' and 'an' by the sound of the next word.
✓Name the seven days of the week with their positions (first to seventh).

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Begin by asking children their own 'why' questions, like Rani.
→Show photos or clips of the Chandrayaan-3 launch and landing.
→Let children role-play Rani, Pratik, Vivaan and Nandini Aunty.
→Focus on sounds, not letters, while practising a/an (teacher note).
→Link ordinal numbers to everyday life — standing first or last in a line.
→Make the newspaper-clipping chart as a group project.
→Invite families to share Moon songs and stories in home languages.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the child explain how we know Rani was curious?
Can the child tell the meaning of Chandra and Yaan?
Can the child state when Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon?
Can the child fill in a/an correctly?
Can the child tell the position of any day of the week?

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