This revision unit begins with two cheerful action songs. "Good morning" is a greeting song that wishes everyone a happy day. "The more we get together" tells us that friends make us happier – when we come together, we are all happier.
Key points
Song 1 greets everyone: good morning, how are you, and hopes they feel fine and happy all the time.
Song 2: the more we get together, the happier we will be.
"Your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends" – friendship grows when we share.
Sing the songs with actions – waving, shaking hands, clapping.
Greetings change with time: good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night (when leaving at night).
Important terms
Greeting – a polite word said when we meet someone (अभिवादन).
Together – with each other.
Happier – more happy.
Feeling fine – feeling well.
Language study
Greeting and reply: "Good morning! How are you?" – "I'm fine, thank you. And you?"
Comparison: happy – happier – happiest.
"The more…, the happier…" – "The more we read, the more we learn."
5 important questions
Q1. What does the first song wish?
It wishes everyone a good morning and hopes they are feeling fine and happy all the time.
Q2. When will we be happier, according to Song 2?
The more we get together, the happier we will be.
Q3. How do you greet your teacher in the morning?
"Good morning, Teacher!"
Q4. Complete: For your friends are my friends…
…and my friends are your friends.
Q5. Write the greeting used in the afternoon.
Good afternoon.
Exam tip
Learn which greeting is used at which time of day.
This activity revises the English alphabet from 'a' to 'z'. Students look at a big picture and find as many things as possible for each letter, like apple, owl, umbrella and ice-cream. They also practise writing small and capital letters in different ways.
Key points
There are 26 letters in the English alphabet: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 21 consonants.
Find words for every letter from a picture: a – apple, i – ice-cream, o – owl, u – umbrella.
Practise writing all small letters on one line, on plain paper, very big and very tiny, and in fancy shapes.
Do the same with capital letters.
"Can you? Yes, you can!" – keep practising until you can do it well.
Important terms
Alphabet – the set of letters of a language (वर्णमाला).
Capital letters – A, B, C…
Small letters – a, b, c…
Vowels – a, e, i, o, u.
Language study
Use 'an' before words starting with a vowel sound: an apple, an owl, an umbrella.
Use 'a' before consonant sounds: a ball, a cat.
Alphabetical order: apple, ball, cat, dog…
5 important questions
Q1. How many letters are there in the English alphabet?
26.
Q2. Name the five vowels.
a, e, i, o, u.
Q3. Write one word each for 'o' and 'u'.
owl, umbrella.
Q4. Put in alphabetical order: dog, apple, cat.
apple, cat, dog.
Q5. Write 'a' or 'an': ___ ice-cream, ___ kite.
an ice-cream, a kite.
Exam tip
Check a/an by the first sound of the word, not just the letter.
This lesson shows short everyday conversations in English: asking permission, introducing yourself, thanking for a gift, saying sorry, asking for help with an address and asking the time. Students match pictures with dialogues and role-play them in pairs.
Key points
Asking permission: "May I come in, please, Teacher?" – "Yes. Please come in."
Introducing: "Hello. What's your name?" – "I'm Subhash. I'm in Class Five. And you?"
Thanking: "Thank you so much for this lovely gift." – "You are welcome!"
Returning things: "Excuse me, Uncle. Is this yours?" – "Oh, yes! It's mine. Thank you."
Asking help: "Excuse me, Aunty. Can you please help me find this address?"
Asking time: "What's the time?" – "It's two o'clock."
Useful words: Thank you, I am sorry, Never mind, Excuse me, Please.
Important terms
Permission – being allowed to do something (परवानगी).
Excuse me – said politely to get attention.
Never mind – it does not matter.
You are welcome – a polite reply to thank you.
Language study
Polite requests use 'please', 'May I', 'Can you please'.
Short forms: I'm = I am, It's = It is, What's = What is.
5 important questions
Q1. How do you ask permission to enter a class?
"May I come in, please, Teacher?"
Q2. What do you say when someone gives you a gift?
"Thank you so much for this lovely gift."
Q3. What is the reply to 'Thank you'?
"You are welcome."
Q4. What do you say when someone says 'I am sorry'?
"Never mind."
Q5. How do you ask a stranger for help politely?
"Excuse me, can you please help me?"
Exam tip
In role-play questions, always use polite words – please, thank you, excuse me.
This lesson practises numbers in English. In the story "The Golden Feather", a Queen refuses three big diamonds, a necklace of twenty-one pearls and ninety-nine gold coins for a golden feather – but gives it lovingly to her little son. Students also learn to read and write numbers from 1 to 100 and beyond.
Key points
The Queen found a big, beautiful golden feather in her garden.
A little man offered three big diamonds – she said, "Sorry!"
An old woman offered a necklace of twenty-one pearls – "Sorry!"
The King offered ninety-nine gold coins – "Sorry!"
The little prince only admired it, and the Queen gave it to him: "Take it, my dear. Keep it safe."
Numbers in the story: one, three, twenty-one, ninety-nine.
Learn number names 1–100: eleven, twelve…, twenty, thirty, forty… hundred.
Bigger numbers: three hundred and sixty-five days in a year; five thousand rupees; millions of stars.
Important terms
Feather – one of the light coverings on a bird's body (पीस).
Diamond – a very valuable shining stone.
Pearl – a small, round, white precious bead from the sea (मोती).
Necklace – a chain worn around the neck.
Language study
Number words with hyphens: twenty-one, ninety-nine, fifty-four.
Words beginning with 'w' in the story: walk, when, woman, will, what.
5 important questions
Q1. What did the Queen find?
A big, beautiful golden feather.
Q2. What did the King offer for the feather?
Ninety-nine gold coins.
Q3. To whom did the Queen give the feather? Why?
To the little prince, because he was her dear son and admired it.
B-I-N-G-O is a fun singing and clapping game about a farmer's dog called Bingo. Each time the verse is sung, one more letter of the name is replaced by a clap, until the whole name is clapped. It practises spelling and listening.
Key points
There was a farmer who had a dog, and Bingo was his name.
The name is spelt aloud: B-I-N-G-O.
In each new verse, one letter is replaced by a clap: (clap)-I-N-G-O, then (clap)-(clap)-N-G-O, and so on.
In the last verse all five letters are claps.
The game trains memory, attention and spelling.
Important terms
Farmer – a person who grows crops or keeps animals (शेतकरी).
Spell – say or write letters of a word in order.
Clap – strike the hands together.
Language study
Spelling aloud: B-I-N-G-O, C-A-T.
'His' shows belonging: his name, his dog.
5 important questions
Q1. What was the name of the farmer's dog?
Bingo.
Q2. Spell the dog's name.
B-I-N-G-O.
Q3. What replaces a letter in each new verse?
A clap.
Q4. How many letters does 'Bingo' have?
Five.
Q5. What skill does this game help?
Spelling and listening.
Exam tip
Practise spelling short names aloud – a common oral activity.
"Vanishing Sentences" is a memory game. Students read the sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog." Then words are removed one by one from the end, and they must say the full sentence from memory each time. This sentence uses every letter of the alphabet.
Key points
Read the first full sentence carefully.
In each new line one word 'vanishes' (disappears) from the end.
Keep reading aloud, saying the missing words, until you can say the whole sentence from memory.
"The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog" contains every letter from a to z.
This activity teaches describing words (adjectives). Students name a picture and make a phrase with describing words, like "a big red sweet apple", "a tall tree", "a fat fish", "a shiny star" and "an old man".
Key points
Name each picture and describe it using useful words.
Example: an apple → a big red sweet apple.
Describing words for size: tall, short, little, big, long, thin, fat.
For taste and feel: tasty, juicy, crunchy, sweet, hot, cold, soft, hard, ripe, raw.
"Sentence Race" is a timed game. Students complete sets of sentences on three "race tracks" within one minute, using a new word in each sentence. It practises the correct verb forms with I, you, he, she, it and they.
Key points
Complete each track within one minute, using a new word in every sentence.
Track 1: I like…, You like…, She likes…, It likes…, They like…
Track 2: He has…, She has…, It has…, They have…
Track 3: I am a boy. I am singing. I am happy. / It is big. It is a dog. It is raining.
The first to finish correctly wins.
Important terms
Race – a competition of speed (शर्यत).
Track – a path for a race.
Correctly – without mistakes.
Language study
He/She/It takes -s: likes, plays; I/You/We/They do not: like, play.
has (he, she, it) / have (I, you, we, they).
am (I), is (he, she, it), are (you, we, they).
5 important questions
Q1. Fill in: She ___ (like) mangoes.
likes.
Q2. Fill in: They ___ (has/have) a cat.
have.
Q3. Fill in: I ___ (am/is) happy.
am.
Q4. Make two sentences with 'It is'.
It is raining. It is a dog.
Q5. Correct: He have a bat.
He has a bat.
Exam tip
Watch the -s with he, she and it – the most common mistake.
In this guessing game, students take the role of a bird, animal, vehicle or toy. Others must guess who they are by asking yes/no questions like "Do you eat mice?" Direct questions like "Am I a parrot?" are not allowed.
This activity teaches prepositions of place – in, on, under, near, in front of and behind – using pictures of a mouse and a hat. Students make sentences and phrases like "The mouse is in the hat" and "a cow under the tree".
Key points
Read aloud: "There is a mouse in the hat." / "The mouse is in the hat."
Words that show place: in, on, under, near, in front of, behind.
Make at least three sentences for each word.
Make phrases from the pictures: a cow under the tree, a bird on the roof.
Important terms
Preposition – a word that shows place or position (शब्दयोगी अव्यय).
Behind – at the back of.
In front of – ahead of, facing.
Near – close to.
Language study
"There is…" introduces something: "There is a book on the table."
Opposites: in front of × behind, on × under.
5 important questions
Q1. Where is the mouse? (in the hat)
The mouse is in the hat.
Q2. Write the opposite of 'in front of'.
behind.
Q3. Make a sentence with 'under'.
The cat is under the table.
Q4. Make a phrase with 'near'.
a house near the river.
Q5. Name any four prepositions of place.
in, on, under, behind.
Exam tip
Look carefully at the picture – choose the exact position word.
"Action Time" practises commands (orders). One group leader gives an action word and another gives how or where to do it – "Walk slowly", "Turn left", "Clap your hands", "Go to the board". Students act out the commands.
Key points
Leader A gives an action: sit, stand, walk, run, turn, bend, sing, smile, laugh, speak, clap, tap, look, point, come, go.
Leader B adds how or where: down, up, fast, slowly, quickly, loudly, softly, left, right, around, in, out, your feet, your hands, to the board, at the door.
Together they make commands: "Stand up." "Walk slowly." "Clap your hands."
Students act out each command.
Write down five meaningful commands.
Important terms
Command – an order (आज्ञा).
Softly – in a quiet way.
Bend – turn the body downwards.
Language study
Imperative sentences begin with a verb: "Sit down." "Speak loudly."
Words like slowly, quickly, softly tell 'how' (adverbs).
5 important questions
Q1. Make two commands with 'walk'.
Walk slowly. Walk fast.
Q2. What kind of sentence is 'Clap your hands'?
An imperative sentence (a command).
Q3. Write the opposite of 'loudly'.
softly.
Q4. Make a command with 'point'.
Point to the board.
Q5. Which word tells 'how' in 'Run quickly'?
quickly.
Exam tip
Commands start with the action word; no subject is written.
"Words We Know" is a chart of common English words used every day – like the, and, who, where, every, here, many, with, what, there, some, only, our. Students make word cards, arrange them in alphabetical order and find rhyming words and words beginning or ending with certain letters.
Key points
Read each word in the chart at a glance (sight words).
Examples: all, the, an, and, them, any, who, me, my, no, now, your, but, where, her, every, by, here, him, his, if, how, many, with, one, what, us, to, this, there, some, that, only, of, our, without, then, when.
Make a card for each word and put them in alphabetical order.
Find rhyming words: here – there? (no) – now – how, then – when, me – we.
Words beginning with 't': the, them, to, this, there, that, then. With 'w': who, where, with, what, without, when.
Words ending in 'o': no, who, to. Ending in 'y': any, my, by, every, many, only.
Important terms
Sight words – common words we read at a glance.
Alphabetical order – a to z order (वर्णानुक्रम).
Language study
Rhyming pairs: now – how, then – when, my – by.
Question words: who, where, what, when, how.
5 important questions
Q1. Find two rhyming pairs.
now – how; then – when.
Q2. Write three words beginning with 'w'.
who, where, when.
Q3. Write two words ending with 'y'.
many, every.
Q4. Arrange: when, all, him.
all, him, when.
Q5. Name four question words.
who, what, where, how.
Exam tip
Practise reading these words quickly – they appear in every lesson.
"Cuckoo" is a short traditional rhyme. A child asks the cuckoo what it does, and the bird answers month by month from April to August – it opens its bill, sings all day, changes its tune, flies away, and finally must go.
Key points
The child asks, "Cuckoo, cuckoo, what do you do?"
In April the cuckoo opens its bill (starts to sing).
In May it sings all day.
In June it changes its tune.
In July it flies away.
In August it must go.
The cuckoo is a summer bird that sings sweetly.
Important terms
Bill – a bird's beak (चोच).
Tune – a melody (सूर).
Cuckoo – a bird known for its sweet call (कोकिळा).
Language study
Rhyming pairs: do – cuckoo, April – bill, May – day, June – tune, July – fly, August – must.
Months mentioned: April, May, June, July, August.
Months always begin with capital letters.
5 important questions
Q1. What does the cuckoo do in May?
It sings all day.
Q2. When does it change its tune?
In June.
Q3. What happens in July?
It flies away.
Q4. Which months are in the poem?
April, May, June, July, August.
Q5. Find a rhyming word for 'June'.
tune.
Exam tip
Learn the spellings of the twelve months with capital letters.
In this story, a little red hen finds some grains of wheat. She asks the duck, cat and dog to help sow, cut, thresh and grind the wheat and bake bread, but they all say "Not I." She does all the work herself. When the bread is ready, they all want to eat it – but she shares it only with her chicks.
Key points
The hen lived on a farm with a cat, a dog and a duck. She found a few grains of wheat.
"Who will sow the wheat?" – "Not I," said each. "Very well then, I will." She sowed it.
She also cut the wheat, threshed it and ground it into flour alone.
She baked a lovely loaf of bread.
"Who will eat the bread?" – "I will!" said all three.
"Oh, no, you won't!" said the hen, and she ate it with her chicks.
Moral: those who do not work should not expect to share the reward.
Important terms
Sow – put seeds in the soil (पेरणे).
Thresh – separate grain from the plant (मळणी करणे).
"Just now!" is a funny action song. A child finds a peanut, cracks it open and eats it, then gets a stomach ache. The doctor is called, there is an "operation", and finally the child feels better and says bye-bye to the doctor. The lesson also teaches how to talk about illness and show care.
Key points
The child found a peanut just now and cracked it open.
"True Friends" is a picture story. Aman is a poor college student who works in a shop in the evening. When he falls ill, his rich friend Ronak does not visit him, and others think Ronak is a bad friend. But Ronak was secretly doing Aman's job at the shop so that Aman would not lose it. Aman says Ronak has shown him what true friendship is.
Key points
Aman was in college. He had many friends, but his best friend was Ronak. Munna was in the same class.
Ronak was rich and Aman was poor; some wondered how they could be good friends.
Aman fell ill and did not come to college for three days. His friends visited him, but Ronak did not come.
The friends said Ronak was busy and did not even ask about Aman.
Next day, Munna went to Aman's house; Aman took him to the shop.
They saw Ronak working in the shop. Aman worked there in the evenings, and the shopkeeper had said he would give the job to another boy if Aman did not come.
Ronak had said, "Don't worry, I'll do your work for you."
Ronak gave Aman the money for the work. Aman thanked him: "You've shown me what true friendship is."
Moral: a true friend helps quietly in times of need.
Important terms
True friend – a real, faithful friend (खरा मित्र).
Shopkeeper – a person who owns or runs a shop.
Ill – sick.
Get well soon – a wish for someone who is ill.
Language study
Possessive words: my car, his money, our school, your friend, her book, their team, Aman's house, its tail, boys' hostel.
Comparison: good – better – best; bad – worse – worst.
Negatives: I don't know. She doesn't eat vegetables. They don't watch TV.
5 important questions
Q1. Why did Aman not come to college?
He was ill for three days.
Q2. Why did the friends think Ronak was not a good friend?
He did not visit Aman or even ask about him.
Q3. Where did Munna find Ronak?
Working in the shop in Aman's place.
Q4. Why was Ronak doing Aman's work?
So that the shopkeeper would not give Aman's job to another boy.
Q5. What lesson does the story teach?
A true friend helps in need, even without telling anyone.
Exam tip
Don't judge a friend too quickly – mention this in 'moral' answers.
"Keeping Quiet" is a pair activity. Namita is playing a game of keeping quiet, so she answers questions only with actions and expressions instead of words. Students guess what she might say and then play the game themselves. They also make short dialogues with everyday sentences.
Key points
Questions to Namita: "Shall we go out to play?" "Are you busy?" "Hey, what's wrong with you?" "Are you angry with me?" "Can I take your pen?"
Namita answers only with gestures – nodding, shaking her head, shrugging, smiling.
Students say what Namita might say in words.
Match actions with meanings: nod – yes; shake head – no; shrug – I don't know; finger on lips – keep quiet.
Useful sentences for dialogues: This card is for you. Excuse me. Wait, I'm coming. Really? Thank you very much. I'm sorry. Nothing, everything is fine. I don't know. Let me think.
Important terms
Gesture – a movement of the hands or head that shows meaning (हावभाव).
Nod – move the head up and down for 'yes'.
Shrug – raise the shoulders to show 'I don't know'.
Busy – having a lot to do.
Language study
Questions with Shall/Can/Are: "Shall we go?" "Can I take your pen?" "Are you busy?"
Short replies: "Yes, sure." "No, I'm not."
5 important questions
Q1. What game was Namita playing?
The game of 'Keeping Quiet' – answering without speaking.
Q2. What does nodding the head mean?
Yes.
Q3. What might Namita say to 'Are you angry with me?'
"No, I'm not angry with you."
Q4. Make a short dialogue using 'Excuse me'.
A: Excuse me, may I sit here? B: Yes, please.
Q5. What does a shrug mean?
I don't know.
Exam tip
Learn common gestures and their meanings – picture-matching is likely.
In "Interviews", students work in pairs to interview each other. They ask about name, address, games, favourite subject and what the partner can do, likes to do and wants to learn. Then they write the friend's profile, like the sample profile of Radhika.
Key points
Questions: Where do you live? Tell me your address. What games do you play? What is your favourite subject?
Tell me about yourself – what you can do, like to do, want to learn.
Sample answers: "I can whistle. I can swim. I want to learn karate. I like to ride a bicycle."
Games: hopscotch, tag, hide and seek, kho-kho, langdi.
Responses: "Is that so?" "How nice!"
Write the friend's profile: name, address, games, favourite subject.
Important terms
Interview – asking someone questions to know about them (मुलाखत).
Profile – a short description of a person.
Address – where a person lives.
Partner – a person you work with.
Language study
Can (ability): I can swim. Like to (interest): I like to sing. Want to (wish): I want to learn karate.
Wh- questions: Where…? What…? Which…?
5 important questions
Q1. Write two questions you can ask in an interview.
Where do you live? What games do you play?
Q2. What is a profile?
A short description of a person – name, address, likes, etc.
Q3. Write two things you can do.
I can swim. I can draw.
Q4. Name three outdoor games.
kho-kho, hide and seek, hopscotch.
Q5. Write a sentence with 'want to learn'.
I want to learn karate.
Exam tip
Write profiles in short headings: Name, Address, Games, Favourite subject.
"Friendly Plans" is a word-grid game. Starting from the centre, students make as many meaningful sentences as possible using "Let's", such as "Let's work quickly" and "Let's play cricket". They then change "Let's" to "Let me" to make new sentences.
Key points
Start at the centre of the grid and join words in neighbouring boxes to make sentences.
Example: "Let's work quickly." "Let's play cricket."
Write down ten of the sentences you make.
Then use "Let me" instead: "Let me go home." "Let me help you."
'Let's' is for plans with others; 'Let me' is for something you want to do yourself.
Important terms
Let's – let us; used to suggest doing something together.
Let me – allow me; used to offer to do something.
Plan – an idea of what to do.
Language study
Let's + base verb: Let's go, Let's play.
Let me + base verb: Let me see, Let me try.
5 important questions
Q1. What does 'Let's' stand for?
Let us.
Q2. Make two sentences with 'Let's'.
Let's play cricket. Let's go to the park.
Q3. Make two sentences with 'Let me'.
Let me help you. Let me go home.
Q4. When do we use 'Let's'?
To suggest doing something together.
Q5. Correct: Let's to play.
Let's play.
Exam tip
After Let's / Let me, use the base form of the verb (no 'to').
In this activity, students prepare lists of things they see in the classroom, at home, in a park, at a market, in a jungle and in their imagination. Then they put each list in alphabetical order and finally combine all lists – making more than a hundred words!
Key points
Lists to make: classroom (10 items), home (15), park/garden (15), market (20), jungle (20), imagination (20).
Do not repeat the same word in any two lists.
Use a dictionary where necessary.
Put each list in alphabetical order.
Combine all lists in alphabetical order and note which list each word comes from.
Use describing words to make new items: a blue pencil, pink balloons; imaginary things like a fairy, a dwarf.
"Trains" by James S. Tippett is a lively poem about trains that travel over mountains, plains and rivers. They carry passengers, mail and precious loads, and thousands of freight cars rush on day and night without fail.
Key points
Trains come over the mountains, over the plains and over the rivers.
They carry passengers and mail.
They bring their precious loads in without fail (always).
Thousands of freight cars (goods wagons) rush on.
They travel through day and darkness, through dusk and dawn.
The first stanza is repeated at the end, like the rhythm of a train.
Message: trains work hard all the time to serve people.
Important terms
Passengers – people who travel (प्रवासी).
Mail – letters and parcels (टपाल).
Precious – valuable.
Freight cars – wagons that carry goods (मालगाडीचे डबे).
Dusk – evening time (संध्याकाळ).
Dawn – early morning (पहाट).
Language study
Rhyming words: plains – trains, mail – fail, on – dawn.
Repetition: "Over the…", "Carrying…".
Phrases: without fail, day and night, from dawn to dusk.
5 important questions
Q1. Who wrote the poem 'Trains'?
James S. Tippett.
Q2. What do the trains carry?
Passengers, mail and precious loads.
Q3. What are freight cars?
Wagons that carry goods.
Q4. When do the trains run?
Through day and darkness, through dusk and dawn – all the time.
Q5. Find a rhyming word for 'mail'.
fail.
Exam tip
Learn the meanings of dusk, dawn and freight – asked in word questions.
A little babul tree in a mango grove is unhappy with its thorns and small leaves. Its wishes come true one by one – big leaves (eaten by a goat), gold leaves (stolen by a thief) and glass leaves (broken by the wind). Finally it wishes for its own thorns and small leaves again, and is happier than ever.
Key points
A little babul tree grew in a grove of mango trees. It was pretty but not happy.
It wished for big leaves like other trees; children did not like its sharp thorns.
Next day it had big leaves – but a goat ate them all.
It wished for gold leaves – a thief stole them.
It wished for glass leaves – they shone in the sun, but a strong wind broke them.
It wished for its thorns and small leaves again: goats don't eat them, thieves don't steal them, the wind does no harm.
Next day it had them back and was happier than ever.
Moral: be happy with what you are; your own qualities protect you.
Important terms
Grove – a small group of trees (राई, बाग).
Thorns – sharp points on a plant (काटे).
Stiff – hard, not bending.
Stole – took without permission (past of steal).
Sprang up – started suddenly.
Language study
"I wish I had…" / "I wish I could…": I wish I had a sister. I wish I could swim.
Do not / does not: "Goats do not eat gold leaves." "He does not play cricket." (does not with he/she/it)
5 important questions
Q1. Why was the babul tree unhappy?
It had sharp thorns and small leaves, and children did not like it.
Q2. What happened to the big leaves?
A goat ate them all.
Q3. Why did the tree wish for glass leaves?
Because thieves do not steal glass leaves.
Q4. What happened to the glass leaves?
A strong wind broke them.
Q5. What did the tree learn?
Its own thorns and small leaves were the best for it – be happy as you are.
Exam tip
Remember the order: big leaves → goat; gold → thief; glass → wind.
This lesson teaches collective nouns – words for a group of things, people or animals – through pictures: a flock of sheep, a swarm of bees, a bunch of grapes, a team of players and many more.
Key points
Birds: a flight of birds, a flock of geese.
Animals: a flock of sheep, a pack of dogs, a herd of cattle.
Insects: a swarm of bees, a colony of ants.
Trees: a grove of trees.
People: a group of children, a team of players, a crowd of people, a row of children.
Things: a bundle of clothes, a bundle of sticks, a bunch of keys, a bunch of flowers, a bunch of grapes, a list of names, a chain of flowers.
Important terms
Collective noun – a word for a group (समूहवाचक नाम).
Swarm – a large moving group of insects.
Herd – a group of cattle.
Grove – a small group of trees.
Bundle – things tied together.
Language study
Pattern: a + group word + of + plural noun: a bunch of keys.
Use 'a' before the group word: a flock, a team.
5 important questions
Q1. Fill in: a ___ of bees.
swarm.
Q2. Fill in: a ___ of cattle.
herd.
Q3. Fill in: a ___ of grapes.
bunch.
Q4. Fill in: a ___ of players.
team.
Q5. Write the collective noun for ants and sheep.
a colony of ants; a flock of sheep.
Exam tip
Learn each pair as a phrase – 'a pack of dogs', not just 'pack'.
'Know your Body' shares amazing facts about the human body – how the brain works even in sleep, how babies have more bones than adults, how the body repairs cuts and broken bones. It ends with messages about health and hygiene: 'A sound mind in a sound body.'
Key points
All parts of the body are special.
The brain keeps working even when we sleep.
We have two eyes but we see one picture.
Our nose can remember about 50,000 different smells.
There are millions of bacteria on our skin, but most are harmless.
Babies have around 300 bones; as they grow, bones fuse together. Adults have 206 bones.
The body repairs itself: blood clots on a cut, a scab forms, and new skin grows under it.
A broken bone grows again; doctors use a plaster-cast to help it grow properly.
Air from a sneeze can travel at about 160 km per hour; from a cough, about 95 km per hour.
We should keep our body and hair clean. "Health is wealth."
Important terms
Bacteria – tiny living things seen only through a microscope (जीवाणू).
Fuse – join together.
Clot – blood becoming thick to stop bleeding.
Scab – a dry crust over a healing cut (खपली).
Hygiene – keeping clean to stay healthy (स्वच्छता).
Language study
Numbers in facts: two hundred and six (206), fifty thousand (50,000).
Proverbs: Health is wealth. A sound mind in a sound body.
5 important questions
Q1. How many bones does an adult have?
206.
Q2. How many bones does a baby have?
About 300.
Q3. How does the body repair a cut?
Blood clots, a scab forms, and new skin grows under it.
Q4. How fast does the air from a sneeze travel?
About 160 kilometres per hour.
Q5. Write a hygiene message.
Wash your hands before eating.
Exam tip
Learn the number facts (206, 300, 50,000, 160, 95) – they make good one-word answers.
'Alyonushka' is adapted from a Russian fairy tale. Alyonushka forgets to look after her baby brother Ivanushka, and geese carry him to Baba Yaga the witch. Learning politeness from an oven, an apple tree and a milk river, she finds him and runs home. On the way back, those three hide the children from the geese.
Key points
Alyonushka lived with her father, mother and baby brother Ivanushka.
Mother told her to look after her brother while they went to work.
She left him on the grass and went to play. A flock of geese swooped down and flew away with him.
She ran after them and asked an oven the way. It asked her to eat its wheat bread; she proudly refused, then said sorry, ate it, and was shown the way.
The same happened with an apple tree (wild apples) and a milk river (milk) – this time she stopped herself from being rude.
At the edge of a wood was a hut on hen's feet, turning round and round. Inside sat Baba Yaga, the witch, and Ivanushka was asleep in a corner.
Alyonushka bravely picked him up, jumped out and ran home.
Baba Yaga sent the geese after them. The milk river, the apple tree and the oven hid the children in turn.
The geese gave up. Alyonushka reached home before her parents returned.
Lessons: be responsible, polite and grateful; little children can be brave.
Important terms
Swooped down – came down suddenly from the sky.
Witch – a woman with evil magic powers (चेटकीण).
Sobbed – cried loudly.
Crawled – moved on hands and knees.
Geese – plural of goose (हंस).
Language study
One and many: day – days, baby – babies, goose – geese, foot – feet, man – men, child – children.
'One Thing at a Time' by M. A. Stodart is a short poem about doing each task with full attention. Work while you work and play while you play. Whatever you do, do it with all your might, because things done by halves are never done right.
Key points
Work while you work, play while you play – this is the way to be happy.
All that you do, do with your might (full strength).
Things done halfway are never done right.
One thing at a time, done well, is a very good rule.
Many people can tell you this rule from their own experience.
Message: concentrate on one task at a time and do it fully.
Important terms
Might – strength, power (शक्ती).
By halves – incompletely, halfway.
Rule – a principle to follow.
Gay – (old use) cheerful, happy.
Language study
Rhyming pairs: play – gay (way), you – do, might – right, well – tell.
Questions: "When do you…?" "How long do you…?"
Proverb: Try, try and try again.
5 important questions
Q1. Who wrote the poem?
M. A. Stodart.
Q2. What should you do while you work?
Work.
Q3. What happens to things done by halves?
They are never done right.
Q4. What is the 'very good rule'?
Do one thing at a time and do it well.
Q5. Find a rhyming word for 'might'.
right.
Exam tip
Learn the message line "Things done by halves are never done right."
This lesson explains how to find a pen-friend – a friend you write letters to regularly. It shows how to introduce yourself, exchange information about favourite things, send greetings on special occasions and write simple friendly letters in English.
Key points
Pen-friends are friends who write letters to each other regularly.
Step 1 – Introduction: "Hello. My name is…. I am in the fifth standard. Would you like to be my pen-friend?"
Replies: "Oh, yes. I would like to be your pen-friend." / "No, I'm sorry." – "All right! Never mind."
'How Creatures Move' is a short poem by an unknown author. It describes how different creatures move – the lion walks on padded paws, the squirrel leaps from branch to branch, flies crawl up walls, seals dive and swim, worms wiggle, monkeys swing and birds hop or fly. But boys and girls have more fun – they leap, dance, walk and run.
Key points
The lion walks on soft, padded paws.
The squirrel leaps from limb to limb (branch to branch).
Flies can crawl straight up a wall; seals dive and swim.
The worm wiggles all around; the monkey swings by his tail.
Birds hop on the ground or spread their wings and sail (fly).
Boys and girls have much more fun: they leap, dance, walk and run.
Message: every creature has its own way of moving.
Important terms
Paws – the feet of animals like lions and cats (पंजे).
'Location Games' teaches how to say where someone or something is. Children call out to each other – 'Where are you?' – and answer with place words: behind you, near the blackboard, on the right of Savita, on the last bench. The game is also played with things: 'Where's Namita's pen? It's on her desk.'
Key points
Ask: "Where are you?"
Answers: "I'm behind you, near the blackboard." "Here, on the right of Savita." "Near the window." "On the last bench." "Second line, left of Kedar."
Play outside the classroom too.
Call a group: "Neha, Kapil, Zeenat, where are you?" – "We are on the first floor."
Ask about things: "Where's Namita's pen?" – "It's on her desk."
Proverb: Do not be afraid to speak.
Important terms
Location – the place where something is (ठिकाण).
Behind – at the back of.
Floor – a level of a building.
Language study
Where is / Where are: Where is the pen? Where are the boys?
Short forms: I'm, We're, It's, Where's.
Place phrases: on the left of, on the right of, in front of, at the back.
5 important questions
Q1. Ask a question to find a friend.
Where are you?
Q2. Answer: Where is the pen? (desk)
It's on the desk.
Q3. Write the short form of 'Where is'.
Where's.
Q4. Make a sentence with 'on the right of'.
Meena is sitting on the right of Savita.
Q5. Use 'are' to ask about a group.
Where are you, Neha and Kapil?
Exam tip
Use 'is' for one and 'are' for many in 'Where' questions.
In this project, students collect samples of English 'texts' seen in daily life – tickets, advertisements, bills, receipts, labels, posters, newspaper headlines, short poems and stories – and make a collage. They label each sample and describe it orally.
Key points
English is seen everywhere: tickets, bills, receipts, advertisements, notices, labels, invitations, newspaper headlines.
Examples in the book: an exhibition-cum-sale advertisement with a discount offer, a shop bill listing pens and erasers, a library membership receipt, a show ticket, a toy-shop label.
There are also a funny poem ('Grizzly Bear' by Mary Hunter Austin), a short story about a clever turtle, and news headlines.
The turtle story: villagers caught a turtle; it begged them not to throw it in the river, so they did – and it swam away laughing.
Collect samples, paste them as a collage, label each one and describe it.
Important terms
Collage – a picture made by sticking many pieces together (चिकटचित्र).
Receipt – a paper showing that money was paid (पावती).
Discount – a reduction in price (सूट).
Headline – the title of a news item.
Language study
Notice the useful words on a bill: item, rate, quantity, amount, total.
Advertisement words: hurry, offer, sale, discount.
5 important questions
Q1. Name four kinds of English texts we see daily.
In 'Shapes and Maps', students name basic shapes (arrow, square, rectangle, triangle, circle, star, line) and read a simple map of a fair that uses symbols for the entrance, canteen, toilets, stalls and garbage bins. Then they draw maps of their classroom, house, school or a garden with an index in English.
Key points
Shapes: arrow, point, square, rectangle, triangle, circle, star, line.
A map uses shapes and symbols to show places.
The fair map shows: entrance, canteen, garbage bin, toilets, rocket, banyan tree and platform, stalls.
An index (key) explains what each symbol means.
Draw maps of your classroom, house, school, a garden or a town using shapes, and prepare an index.
Important terms
Map – a drawing of a place seen from above (नकाशा).
This is a funny folk tale from Korea. A minister is disturbed by the noise of his neighbours – a blacksmith (tong, tong, tong) and a carpenter (tock, tock, tock). He orders them to shift their houses. They agree, and he happily treats them to lunch. But next morning the noise continues – they have simply exchanged houses!
Key points
Long ago in Korea, a minister lived between a blacksmith (on the right) and a carpenter (on the left).
The blacksmith beat iron with a big hammer – tong, tong, tong. The carpenter used a small hammer – tock, tock, tock – and a saw – krrr.
They worked day and night; the noise disturbed the minister.
He ordered both to shift their houses somewhere else.
Each came and said, "I'm moving my house tomorrow." The overjoyed minister gave them a grand lunch.
He went to bed dreaming of peace and birdsong.
Next morning the noise woke him again.
His servants found that the blacksmith had moved into the carpenter's house and the carpenter into the blacksmith's!
Humour: they obeyed the order, but nothing changed.
Important terms
Blacksmith – a person who makes things from iron (लोहार).
Carpenter – a person who makes things from wood (सुतार).
'On the Time-line' teaches time phrases for the past, present and future using a time-line. Phrases like 'millions of years ago', 'yesterday', 'just now', 'at present', 'tomorrow' and 'many years from now' are used to make meaningful sentences in the right tense.
Key points
Past phrases: millions of years ago, long long ago, many years ago, a few years ago, last year, last week, day before yesterday, yesterday, a little while ago, just now.
Present phrases: now, at present, today, this week, this month.
Future phrases: after a while, tonight, tomorrow, day after tomorrow, next week, next year, after a few years, many years from now, thousands of years from now, in future.
Examples: 'Dinosaurs lived on the earth millions of years ago.' 'I was in Std I a few years ago.' 'People will land on Mars many years from now.' 'I will give it back to you tomorrow.'
Proverbs: There's no time like the present. Tomorrow never comes.
Important terms
Time-line – a line showing events in order of time (कालरेषा).
Past – time that has gone.
Present – now.
Future – time that is still to come (भविष्य).
Language study
Past tense with past phrases: 'We visited the zoo last week.'
Present: 'I am drawing a picture now.'
Future with will / going to: 'We will be in college after a few years.' 'He is going to play cricket tomorrow.'
5 important questions
Q1. Write two phrases for the past.
yesterday, long long ago.
Q2. Write two phrases for the future.
tomorrow, next year.
Q3. Complete: Dinosaurs lived on the earth…
…millions of years ago.
Q4. Make a sentence with 'next week'.
We will visit our grandparents next week.
Q5. Make a sentence with 'just now'.
Ravi came home just now.
Exam tip
Match the tense with the time phrase – past phrase, past verb; future phrase, will + verb.
'I speak, I say, I talk' is a fun poem by an unknown author listing the sounds animals make – cats purr, lions roar, owls hoot, cows moo, ducks quack, bees buzz and many more. After each list, the child proudly says that humans are special: 'But I say!' and 'But I talk!'
Telephone conversations: 'Hello.' 'May I know who's calling?' 'Can I speak to…, please?' 'Sorry, wrong number.' 'Please give her a message.' 'Please speak a little louder.'
Important terms
Purr – the soft sound of a happy cat.
Neigh – the sound of a horse (खिंकाळणे).
Squeal – a long high cry.
Screech – a loud, sharp sound.
Howl – a long, loud cry of a wolf.
Language study
Change the form: Cats purr → A cat purrs; Monkeys chatter → Monkeys are chattering; Flies hum → Flies were humming.
Sound words are verbs: roar, hoot, buzz, croak.
Proverb: Keep your word.
5 important questions
Q1. What sound does a horse make?
It neighs.
Q2. What do owls do?
They hoot.
Q3. Which animals coo and quack?
Pigeons coo; ducks quack.
Q4. Rewrite: 'Cats purr' in the singular.
A cat purrs.
Q5. How do you politely ask who is on the phone?
May I know who's calling?
Exam tip
Learn animal sounds in pairs – lions roar, frogs croak – for matching questions.
In 'Science Fun-fair', children present simple science experiments in English: a balloon that sticks to the wall, musical glass bowls, a balloon blown up by baking soda and vinegar, and a magnet that attracts clips through glass and water. Students learn to do and present an experiment themselves.
Key points
Balloon on the wall: rub a balloon on your head and stick it to the wall – no glue; it happens due to (static) electricity.
Musical bowls: glass bowls with different amounts of water make different musical sounds when tapped gently with a spoon.
Soda and vinegar: a balloon with baking soda is fitted on a bottle of vinegar; when the soda falls in, carbon dioxide gas forms and blows up the balloon.
Magnet: a magnet attracts things made of iron – it draws clips through air, glass and water.
Presentation words: 'Good morning! I'm going to present an experiment… Just watch… Thank you for watching.'
Proverbs: Seeing is believing. Do it yourself.
Important terms
Experiment – a test done to learn something (प्रयोग).
Attract – pull towards itself.
Magnet – a piece of iron that attracts iron things (चुंबक).
Carbon dioxide – a gas.
Vinegar – a sour liquid used in cooking.
Language study
Sequence words: first, then, now, next, finally.
Future with 'going to' / 'will': 'I am going to show you…' 'Now I will lift the balloon.'
5 important questions
Q1. Why does the balloon stick to the wall?
Because of electricity produced by rubbing it.
Q2. How do the glass bowls make music?
Each has a different amount of water, so each gives a different sound when tapped.
Q3. What gas forms when soda and vinegar mix?
Carbon dioxide.
Q4. Through what can a magnet attract clips?
Through air, glass and water.
Q5. How will you begin presenting an experiment?
Good morning! I am going to show you an experiment.
Exam tip
Present an experiment in steps using first, then, now, and end with the result.
'The Wind' by Robert Louis Stevenson is a poem in which a child speaks to the wind. The child sees the wind toss kites, blow birds and rustle the grass, and feels it push – but can never see it. The child wonders whether the wind is young or old, a beast or just a stronger child.
Key points
The child saw the wind toss kites high and blow birds about the sky.
The wind passed over the grass with a sound like ladies' skirts.
Refrain: the wind blows all day long and sings a loud song.
The child saw what the wind did, but the wind always hid itself.
The child felt it push and heard it call, but could not see it at all.
The wind is strong and cold.
The child asks: are you young or old? A beast of field and tree, or just a stronger child than me?
Message: the wind is invisible; we know it only by its effects.
Important terms
Toss – throw up into the air.
Blower – one that blows (the wind).
Beast – an animal (पशू).
Hid – past of hide; kept out of sight.
Language study
Simile: 'Like ladies' skirts across the grass'.
Refrain: 'O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song!'
Rhyming words: high – sky, pass – grass, long – song, did – hid, call – all, cold – old, tree – me.
5 important questions
Q1. Who wrote 'The Wind'?
Robert Louis Stevenson.
Q2. What does the wind do to kites and birds?
It tosses kites high and blows birds about the sky.
Q3. Why can't the child see the wind?
The wind is invisible; it always hides itself.
Q4. What questions does the child ask the wind?
Are you young or old? Are you a beast or a stronger child?
This story is adapted from 'Go! and Come!' by Laura E. Richards. A little boy's strict uncle orders him to go and weed the garden, and the boy feels sad and unwilling. Then his mother cheerfully says, 'Can I come and help you?' They weed the garden together, chatting and laughing, and have a good time.
Key points
A little boy lived in a cottage with a lovely garden that needed a lot of work – watering, manuring, pruning, weeding, cleaning.
Everyone in the family helped to look after it.
His strict uncle believed in hard work and discipline.
Uncle ordered: 'Go now and weed the garden… This is an order!'
The boy did not feel like it and said, 'I can't do it' and 'I don't want to, not just now.'
He felt Uncle was unfair; his chin wobbled and his eyes welled up with tears.
His mother asked what was wrong, then said weeding would be fun and asked, 'Can I come and help you?'
They weeded together, working, chatting and laughing.
Message: a kind 'Come, let's do it' works better than a harsh 'Go!' Many hands make light work.
Important terms
Weed – remove unwanted plants (तण काढणे).
Prune – cut off extra branches.
Manure – natural fertiliser (खत).
Discipline – training to obey rules (शिस्त).
Wobble – shake slightly.
Welled up – filled with tears.
Language study
Opposites: little × big, now × then, different × same, happy × sad, inside × outside, clean × dirty, right × wrong, good × bad, slowly × quickly.
Proverbs: Many hands make light work. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
5 important questions
Q1. How many people are in the story? Who are they?
Three – the little boy, his uncle and his mother.
Q2. What did the uncle order the boy to do?
To weed the garden at once.
Q3. How did the boy feel?
Sad and upset; he thought Uncle was unfair.
Q4. How did the mother help?
She cheerfully offered to come and weed with him.
Q5. Write the garden jobs mentioned.
Watering, giving manure, cutting and pruning, weeding, cleaning.
Exam tip
Compare 'Go!' (order) and 'Come!' (invitation) – the title's meaning is often asked.
'The Golden Touch' is a short play adapted from Philip Walsh. Greedy King Midas wishes that everything he touches turns to gold. A stranger grants the wish. At first Midas is delighted, but his food turns to gold and his dear daughter Marygold becomes a golden statue. He begs to lose the Golden Touch and learns that love is worth more than gold.
Key points
Scene I: Midas counts his gold in a dark cellar and wishes for more.
A stranger enters through the locked door. Midas says he loves gold and wishes everything he touches would turn to gold.
The stranger warns him, then grants the wish from the next sunrise: 'Perhaps you will be sorry.'
Scene II: everything in Midas's bedroom and his roses turn to gold. He gives Marygold a golden rose – it has no smell and its hard petals prick her nose.
At breakfast his fish and egg turn to gold; he cannot eat.
Marygold runs to comfort him and turns into a golden statue.
Midas calls himself the unhappiest man in the world and begs the stranger to take the Golden Touch away.
The stranger tells him to bathe in the stream and sprinkle its water on things to change them back.
Scene III: Midas sprinkles water on Marygold; she comes alive. They go to pick real roses with a lovely smell.
Message: greed brings unhappiness; love and simple things matter more than wealth. Think twice before you act.
Important terms
Cellar – a room under the ground (तळघर).
Greedy – wanting more than needed (लोभी).
Statue – a figure made of stone or metal (पुतळा).
Pitcher – a jug for water.
Sprinkle – scatter drops of water (शिंपडणे).
Language study
Exclamations: 'What a lot of gold I have!' 'Oh, no!'
Wish: 'I wish I had some more.' 'I wish that everything I touched would turn to gold.'
Gold idioms: good as gold; a heart of gold.
5 important questions
Q1. What did King Midas wish for?
That everything he touched would turn to gold.
Q2. Why did Marygold cry over the golden rose?
It had no smell, and its hard petals pricked her nose.
Q3. Why could Midas not eat breakfast?
His fish and egg turned to gold when he touched them.
Q4. What happened to Marygold?
She turned into a golden statue when she touched her father.
Q5. How did Midas get rid of the Golden Touch?
He bathed in the stream and sprinkled its water on everything to change it back.
Exam tip
Write Midas's change: greedy at the start, wiser at the end – it is a favourite question.
'Where Go the Boats?' is a poem by R. L. Stevenson. A child watches a dark brown river with golden sand flowing on forever. He sets his little boats afloat among green leaves and foam, and wonders where they will go. The river carries them past the mill and down the valley, a hundred miles or more, where other children will bring them ashore.
Key points
The river is dark brown, the sand golden; it flows on for ever with trees on both sides.
Green leaves float on it; the foam looks like castles.
The child's boats sail on the river and he wonders where they will come home.
The river goes past the mill, down the valley and past the hill.
A hundred miles or more away, other children will bring his boats ashore.
The poem shows a child's imagination and curiosity.
Activity: learn to make a simple paper boat, following steps in English.
In 'Our Solar System', the Sun, the Earth and the Moon introduce themselves in short speeches (monologues). The Sun is a star that gives heat and light; the Earth is the third planet, spinning and going round the Sun; the Moon is our closest neighbour, which goes round the Earth.
Key points
The Sun: we say it rises in the east and sets in the west. It is a star like other stars, but close to the earth, so it looks big and bright.
The Sun gives the earth heat and light. It does not go round the earth – the earth goes round the Sun.
The Earth: a planet in the solar system, the third planet from the Sun.
It spins around itself all the time and also goes round the Sun, taking one year to go round.
Much of its surface is covered with water; it looks blue from space. 'We must protect our planet earth.'
The Moon: the earth's closest neighbour; it goes round and round the earth.
From the earth we always see only one side of the Moon.
People write stories and poems about the Moon and send spacecrafts to study it. Astronauts from earth landed on it once.
Important terms
Solar system – the Sun and the planets that go round it (सूर्यमाला).
Planet – a large body that goes round the Sun (ग्रह).
Spin – turn round and round.
Spacecraft – a vehicle for travel in space.
Astronaut – a person who travels in space (अंतराळवीर).
Language study
Monologue – a speech by one character: 'Hello, friends. I am the sun.'
'Guess what!' is a language activity. Ishani talks about what she does every day, what she is doing today and what she will do some day. Students complete a table with their own ideas and learn to use 'always' and 'never' in sentences.
Key points
'Every day' – habits: I go to school every day.
'Today' – what is happening now: Today I am visiting my aunt.
'Some day' – dreams for the future: Some day I will fly a plane.
'Always' and 'never': The sun always rises in the east. The sun never rises in the west.
We should always speak gently. We should never shout.
Make ten sentences from the diagram with always/never.
Proverb: Slow but steady, young but wise, thin but strong.
Important terms
Always – every time (नेहमी).
Never – not at any time (कधीच नाही).
Some day – at some time in the future.
Gently – softly, kindly.
Language study
Simple present for habits (every day, always, never).
Present continuous for now (today): am/is/are + -ing.
Future (some day): will + verb.
'Always' and 'never' come before the main verb: 'She always finishes her homework.'
5 important questions
Q1. Make a sentence with 'every day'.
I drink milk every day.
Q2. Make a sentence with 'some day'.
Some day I will become a doctor.
Q3. Complete: The sun always…
…rises in the east.
Q4. Write the opposite: 'We should always shout.'
We should never shout.
Q5. Where does 'always' come in a sentence?
Before the main verb, e.g. 'He always helps me.'
Exam tip
Use the right tense with each time word – every day (present), today (-ing), some day (will).
In 'A Book Speaks', a book tells children how it feels when it is mistreated – dropped, stepped on, torn, thrown, marked, stained or bent. It promises to be a good friend if we protect it from the weather and keep it clean, tidy and neat.
Key points
When dropped on the floor, the book gets stepped on and its sides hurt.
Torn-out pages make it groan; being thrown makes it dizzy.
Every mark and stain on its cover gives it pain.
If you bend it, it does not want to talk to you.
If you protect it from the weather and keep it clean, it will be your friend – a tidy, neat and happy book.
Message: books are our friends; handle them with care.
Important terms
Sore – painful (दुखरे).
Groan – make a deep sound of pain.
Dizzy – feeling that things are spinning (चक्कर येणे).
Stain – a dirty mark (डाग).
Tidy – neat and in order.
Language study
Personification: the book speaks and feels pain like a person.
Rhyming words: floor – sore, groan – thrown, stain – pain, do – you, together – weather, look – book.
Proverb: Books are our friends.
5 important questions
Q1. What happens when you drop a book on the floor?
It gets stepped on and its sides become sore.
Q2. What makes the book groan?
Torn-out pages.
Q3. How does the book feel when it is thrown?
Dizzy.
Q4. When will the book be your friend?
If you protect it from the weather and keep it clean.
Q5. Write two ways to keep books happy.
Cover them; do not tear or bend the pages.
Exam tip
Answer 'what happens when…' questions with the exact feeling words: sore, groan, dizzy, pain.
This lesson tells the life of George Washington Carver, a famous American scientist. Born to slave parents in 1861, he loved plants and was called the 'plant doctor'. He became a scientist, taught at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, helped poor farmers enrich their soil and found hundreds of uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes.
Key points
Once Carver slipped on mud and got blue stains that would not wash off. He tested the soil and learnt to make good blue paint from it; his students painted a church with it.
He was born in 1861; his parents were slaves on a farm in America, and he lost them when he was a baby.
He loved plants as a child and understood what was wrong with them – people called him 'plant doctor'.
Many schools did not take Black students, but he did not lose heart; he went from place to place, found a college and became a scientist.
He taught at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, an institute for Black students, all his life.
He made a laboratory from cans, bottles, boxes, pots and pans thrown away by people – great work need not cost much.
Cotton made the soil poor, so he told farmers to grow peanuts and beans, which made the soil rich.
He found about 300 uses for peanuts (sugar, ink, boot-polish, soap, paper, butter, plastic, milk…) and 118 uses for sweet potatoes.
He died in 1943; his workplace is now a museum.
His saying: 'If you love it enough, anything will talk with you.'
Important terms
Slave – a person owned by another and forced to work (गुलाम).
Stain – a mark that is hard to remove.
Laboratory – a room for scientific experiments (प्रयोगशाळा).
Demand – need or want for something.
Museum – a building where old and important things are kept (संग्रहालय).
Language study
Life-sketch order: born 1861 → lost parents → loved plants → 'plant doctor' → found a college → taught at Tuskegee → helped farmers → uses for peanuts and sweet potato → died 1943.
Past tense in a life story: was born, lost, studied, became, died.
5 important questions
Q1. How did Carver learn to make blue paint?
His clothes got blue mud stains; he tested the soil in his lab and made paint from it.
Q2. Why was he called 'plant doctor'?
He cared for plants and understood what was wrong with them.
Q3. How did he set up his laboratory?
From cans, bottles, boxes, pots and pans that people had thrown away.
Q4. How did he help the farmers?
He told them to grow peanuts and beans to make the soil rich, and found new uses for these crops.
Q5. How many things did he make from peanuts and from sweet potato?
About 300 from peanuts and 118 from sweet potato.
Exam tip
Learn the dates 1861 and 1943 and the numbers 300 and 118.
In 'Question Bank', students look around, think and frame at least 25 questions using question words – How, Who, What, Why, When and Where. In groups of five they compare and add questions until the group has a 'Question Bank' of 125 different questions.
Key points
Frame at least 25 questions about things around you.
Beginnings: How does/do…? Who…? What do/does…? Why do/does/did…? When do/does…? Where do/does…?
Form groups of five; compare questions and add new ones until each person has 25 different questions.
The group then has a Question Bank of 125 questions.
Proverb: A place for everything and everything in its place.
Important terms
Frame – make, form.
Compare – look at two things to see how they are alike or different.
Bank – here, a store or collection.
Language study
Wh- questions: Who (person), What (thing), Where (place), When (time), Why (reason), How (manner).
Do/does/did helpers: 'Why does the sun set?' 'When did you come?'
End every question with a question mark (?).
5 important questions
Q1. Make a question with 'Why'.
Why do leaves fall in autumn?
Q2. Make a question with 'Where'.
Where do penguins live?
Q3. Which question word asks about time?
When.
Q4. Make a question with 'How does'.
How does a bird build its nest?
Q5. How many questions does a group of five make?
125.
Exam tip
Use 'does' with he/she/it and the base verb after it: 'Where does he live?'
In 'Dice for your Game', students make two paper dice from cube nets – one with colours and one with shapes – and use them to play a language game on the board printed on the back cover of the book. They must perform the action written in the square shown by the dice within one minute.
Key points
Copy a cube net on a card sheet, cut it out with flaps, fold and make a cube.
Make two nets. Net 1: green, pink, blue, yellow, violet, orange. Net 2: square, circle, diamond, oval, kite, rectangle.
Glue the flaps to make two dice.
Play in groups of 5–8 on the board on the back cover.
Throw both dice, e.g. 'green' and 'square'; read the action in the green square and do it within one minute to get 1 mark.
A star gives 1 mark without doing anything. The highest score wins.
Important terms
Dice – small cubes with marks on each side, used in games (फासे).
'All about Money' explains what money is and how it developed. Long ago people used barter – exchanging one thing for another – and even stones, salt bricks, shells and cowries. Later came metals like gold and silver, and paper money was first used in China about 1000 years ago. It ends with how to use money carefully.
Key points
We need money to buy things and to pay people who work for us.
Today money is coins and notes – currency or cash. India uses rupees and paise.
Other countries: dollars in the USA, pounds in England.
Long ago people exchanged one thing for another – this was called barter.
People also used special stones, bricks of salt, shells and cowries as money.
They gave grain, farm produce, cattle, goats and chickens for clothes and tools, or as wages.
Later, bits of gold, silver and copper were used – easier to carry.
Paper money was first used in China about 1000 years ago.
A note has no value of its own; it is a 'promise' to pay. Only the government prints notes.
Do not write on, tear or crumple notes; spend money carefully – people work hard to earn it.
Important terms
Currency – the money used in a country (चलन).
Barter – exchanging goods without money (वस्तुविनिमय).
Cowries – small shells once used as money (कवड्या).
Wages – money paid for work (मजुरी).
Crumple – crush into folds.
Language study
Joining words: and, but. 'She wanted to buy a car, but she had no money.'
Tree diagram: living things → plants (flowering, non-flowering) and animals (oviparous – lay eggs; viviparous – give birth).
Proverbs: Money does not grow on trees. Be wise in saving and spending.
5 important questions
Q1. What is barter?
Exchanging one thing for another without money.
Q2. Name three things used as money in the past.
Stones, salt bricks, shells/cowries.
Q3. Where was paper money first used?
In China, about 1000 years ago.
Q4. Who prints currency notes?
The government.
Q5. How should we treat currency notes?
We should not write on, tear or crumple them.
Exam tip
Learn the meaning of barter and the order: barter → metals → coins → paper notes.
'Only One Mother' is a short poem by George Cooper. The poet says there are hundreds of stars in the sky, hundreds of shells on the shore, hundreds of birds, dewdrops, bees and butterflies – but there is only one mother in the whole wide world.
Key points
There are hundreds of stars in the pretty sky and hundreds of shells on the shore.
Hundreds of birds go singing by; hundreds of lambs are in the sunny weather.
Hundreds of dewdrops greet the dawn; hundreds of bees are in the purple clover.
Hundreds of butterflies are on the lawn.
But there is only one mother the wide world over.
Message: a mother is precious and cannot be replaced.
Important terms
Dewdrops – tiny drops of water on grass in the morning (दवबिंदू).
Clover – a small plant with three leaves and purple or white flowers.
Lawn – an area of short grass.
Shore – land along the sea (किनारा).
Language study
Repetition: 'Hundreds of…' begins many lines.
Contrast: hundreds of things – but only one mother.
Rhyming pairs: sky – by, together – weather, dawn – lawn, clover – over.
Proverb: My mother, my best friend.
5 important questions
Q1. Who wrote 'Only One Mother'?
George Cooper.
Q2. Name four things the poet says there are hundreds of.
stars, shells, bees, butterflies.
Q3. What is there only one of?
Mother.
Q4. Where are the bees?
In the purple clover.
Q5. What is the message of the poem?
A mother is unique and precious; there is only one mother for each of us.
Exam tip
Note the repetition of 'Hundreds of' and the contrast in the last line.
'At the Market' has short conversations between buyers and sellers at a market – buying vegetables, rice for the year, grocery items, roasted corn, cakes, a bubble-maker and juice. Students match conversations with pictures and act them out, learning everyday shopping English.
Key points
Seller: 'Good morning, Aaji. How can I help you?' Buyer: 'I want to buy rice for the whole year. Show me the varieties and tell me the prices.'
'Here are your potatoes. Would you like to buy tomatoes? These are nice and fresh.'
A child gives a grocery list: 'Can you deliver them today?' – 'Sure. We'll deliver them today.'
'Give me a plastic carry-bag.' – 'Sorry. I don't keep plastic carry-bags.' (carry your own bag)
Snacks: roasted corn-cobs with salt and lemon juice; a new cake shop.
'Grandpa, can we buy the bubble-maker?' – 'Why not? Let's buy three.'
At a juice stall: 'Please give us two full glasses. And don't put ice in the juice.'
Proverb: Haste makes waste.
Important terms
Varieties – different kinds (प्रकार).
Grocery – food items and household things (किराणा).
Deliver – bring to someone's house.
Carry-bag – a bag for carrying shopping.
Corn-cob – the middle part of maize with grains (मक्याचे कणीस).
Language study
Polite shopping phrases: How can I help you? How much is this? Would you like…? Can you deliver…?
Offers and requests: 'Would you like to buy tomatoes?' 'Please give us two glasses.'
5 important questions
Q1. How does a shopkeeper greet a customer?
Good morning. How can I help you?
Q2. Why didn't the seller give a plastic carry-bag?
He does not keep plastic carry-bags.
Q3. How do you ask a price?
How much is this, please?
Q4. What did the child ask the grocer?
To deliver the grocery items for the month today.
Q5. Write one sentence offering something to a customer.
Would you like to buy fresh tomatoes?
Exam tip
Use polite forms – Would you like…? Can you please…? – in market dialogues.
This story, adapted from John Martis, is set in King Ashoka's time. An old stone carver, Jaikishan, is asked to carve a devadoota (angel) in a dark corner of a new temple where no one will see it clearly. Yet he carves every part with great care. When asked why, he says God can see his work even in the dark corner, and knows the workman too.
Key points
In King Ashoka's time, a new temple was being built in the capital city; everyone helped.
Rich people gave money; workmen gave their best work; others prepared stones and cut timber.
Old Jaikishan, a stone carver, came to help. His hands shook a little, but he was a good, careful workman.
He was told to carve a devadoota in a corner that was nearly always dark; only its face would be seen.
He made a beautiful face but said, 'This is not enough,' and carved the whole figure carefully.
The stone garments looked thin and soft.
A man asked why he took such trouble when no one would see it or know who did it.
Jaikishan replied that God could see his work even in the dark corner and knew the workman too.
Message: do your best work honestly, even when no one is watching. Work is worship.
Important terms
Carver – a person who cuts figures in stone or wood (कोरीव काम करणारा).
Devadoota – a messenger of God, an angel (देवदूत).
Timber – wood used for building.
Garments – clothes.
Capital – the main city of a kingdom or country.
Language study
Past continuous: 'A new temple was being built.' 'Jaikishan was carving the devadoota.'
Proverbs: Work is worship. A bad workman blames his tools.
5 important questions
Q1. Who was Jaikishan?
An old stone carver who carved beautiful figures and designs.
Q2. Where was he asked to carve the devadoota?
In a corner of the temple that was nearly always dark.
Q3. Why did the man find his work strange?
Because no one would see the carving in the dark corner or know who made it.
Q4. What was Jaikishan's reply?
God could see his work even in the dark corner and knew the workman too.
Q5. What does the story teach?
Always do your work sincerely and well, even if no one is watching.
Exam tip
Quote Jaikishan's reply in your answer – it is the heart of the story.
'NOW I KNOW!' is a short revision page at the end of the book (explained in Marathi). It sums up key language points from the year: capital letters, using 'a' and 'an', the apostrophe for possession and short forms, and polite expressions used every day.
Key points
Capital letters at the start of a sentence, for names of people and places, and for 'I'.
Use 'a' before a consonant sound: a bag, a white duck, a big hill, a man.
Use 'an' before a vowel sound: an ant, an axe, an angry man, an egg, an early bird, an ice cube, an umbrella, an hour (h is silent).
Possession with 's: Meena's doll, tiger's tail, children's books.
Plural nouns ending in -s take only an apostrophe: rabbits' ears, Boys' School, Girls' Hostel.
Names ending in s: Midas' daughter or Midas's daughter.
Apostrophe in short forms: I'm going. He's happy.
Polite expressions: Hello! Good morning! Please, Thank you, Sorry!, Excuse me, Do you mind…?, It's all right!
Important terms
Apostrophe – the mark (') used for possession or short forms (अपसर्ग चिन्ह).
Vowel sound – the sound of a, e, i, o, u.
Possession – ownership.
Language study
'An hour' – the 'h' is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound.
'Children's' (plural not ending in s) takes 's; 'boys'' takes only an apostrophe.
5 important questions
Q1. Fill in a/an: ___ umbrella, ___ hour, ___ big hill.
an umbrella, an hour, a big hill.
Q2. Why do we say 'an hour'?
Because the h is silent and the word begins with a vowel sound.
Q3. Write the possessive: the doll of Meena.
Meena's doll.
Q4. Write the possessive: the hostel of the girls.
Girls' hostel.
Q5. Expand: I'm, He's.
I am, He is.
Exam tip
Decide a/an by sound, not spelling – an hour, a university.