Chapter 12 — Chandrayaan

Chapter 12 of the Class 3 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Chandrayaan", tells the story of a curious girl named Rani who learns about India's Chandrayaan mission — launched on 14 July 2023 and landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023 — through a conversation with a scientist named Nandini Aunty, while also teaching the grammar rules for using 'a' and 'an'.

• Chandrayaan Mission — The chapter explains that Chandrayaan means Moon vehicle — 'Chandra' means Moon and 'Yaan' means vehicle. India launched Chandrayaan on 14 July 2023 and it landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023.
• Curiosity and Learning — Rani is a village girl who asks many questions such as why the sky is blue and where the Sun goes at night. Her curiosity leads her to visit a scientist, Nandini Aunty, who answers her questions about the Moon and Chandrayaan.
• Articles 'A' and 'An' — The chapter teaches students when to use 'a' and when to use 'an'. The rule is to use 'a' before singular nouns starting with consonants and 'an' before singular nouns starting with vowel sounds like a, e, i, o, u.
• Rockets and Space Travel — Children learn that a rocket is the vehicle used to travel to the Moon. Nandini Aunty, who is a scientist, explains this to Rani and Pratik using models and photographs of rockets in her home.

1. 01Chandrayaan means Moon vehicle — Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle
2. 02India launched Chandrayaan on 14 July 2023 and it landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023
3. 03A rocket is the vehicle used to reach the Moon
4. 04Rani learns about Chandrayaan from Nandini Aunty, a scientist and mother of her brother's friend Vivaan
5. 05Use 'a' before singular nouns starting with consonants, and 'an' before singular nouns starting with vowel sounds
6. 06New words introduced include: curious, excitement, scientist, rockets, machines, confused, Chandrayaan
7. 07Students are encouraged to collect newspaper clippings about the Chandrayaan-3 mission and share stories about the Moon in their mother tongue