4 English

cover.
pdf
introduction.pdf
unit a.pdf
unit b.pdf
unit c.pdf
unit d.pdf
unit e.pdf
unit f.pdf
unit g.pdf
unit h.pdf
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About me...
My name : ...............................................
My family member's names : ...............................................
....................................................................................................
My date of birth : ...............................................
My village/ town : ...............................................
My school : ...............................................
My class : ...............................................
My favourite food : ...............................................
My favourite TV Show : ...............................................
My favourite thing to do in school : ........................................
My favourite game : ...............................................
My favourite colour : ...............................................
My pet's name : ...............................................
When I grow up I want to be a : ...............................................
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MY ENGLISH WORLD
Class IV
TEXTBOOK DEVELOPMENT & PUBLISHING COMMITTEE
Chief Production Officer : Sri. A. Satyanarayana Reddy

Director, SCERT, A.P., Hyderabad.
Chief Production Organiser : Sri. B. Sudhakar

Director,
A.P. Govt.Textbook Press, Hyderabad.
Organising Incharge : Dr. N. Upender Reddy

Prof. & Head, Curriculum and
Textbooks Department, SCERT, A.P.,
Hyderabad.
Published by
The Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.
Free Distribution by A.P. Government

Free Distribution by A.P. Government
ii
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1
1
The Pancake
Look at the pictures and answer the questions given below.
1. What differences do you notice between the two pictures?

2. Which of these food items do you commonly find in your area?
3. Do all people in your area have the same food habits? If no, how are
they different?
Listen to the poem read by your teacher and answer the

questions given below.
1. When would the food belong to you?
2. List the stages through which the food passes before it becomes
yours.
1
Free distribution by A.P. Government
A. Reading
The Pancake
Once upon a time there was a good woman who had seven hungry
children. She was frying a pancake for them. It was a sweet – milk pancake.
The pancake was sizzling in the pan, bubbling, and browning and the seven
children were watching and waiting with hungry eyes.
“Oh, give me a bit of pancake, Mother dear,” said one of the children.
“Oh, darling Mother,” said the second child.
“Oh, darling, good
Mother,” said the third.
“Oh, darling, good,
nice Mother,” said the
fourth.
“Oh, darling, pretty,
good, nice Mother,” said
the fifth.
good, nice, clever
Mother,” said the sixth.
good, nice, clever, sweet
Mother,” said the seventh.
So they all begged for the pancake, each one more sweetly than the
other, because they were all so hungry.
“Yes, yes, children,” the good woman said, “Just wait a bit till it
turns itself.”
The pancake was quite surprised to hear her say this.
“Why, I shall turn myself then,” it said. The pancake jumped up in
the air and landed on its other side where it sizzled a bit. Then up it
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jumped again, so high and so far that it landed on the floor. Then the
pancake rolled out of the door.
“Oh! pancake! Stop, pancake!” cried the woman, and she chased it
with the frying pan in one hand and the ladle in the other. She ran as fast as
she could, and the seven children ran after her.
“Stop that pancake! Stop that pancake!” they all shouted as they tried
to catch hold of it,
but the pancake
rolled on and on
until they could no
longer see it.
When it had
rolled a bit farther,
the pancake met a
man.
“Good day,
pancake,” said the
man.
“The same to
you, manny –
panny,” said the pancake.
“Dear pancake, don’t roll so fast. Stop a while and let me take a
bite of you.”
But the pancake did not stop, and as it rolled it called out, “I have
rolled away from goody-poody, and her seven squalling children. And I
shall roll away from you, too, manny-panny!”
Then the pancake rolled on and on until it met a hen.
“Good day, pancake,” said the hen.
“The same to you, henny-penny,” said the pancake.
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“Sweet pancake, don’t roll
so fast. Please stop awhile and
let me have a peck at you.”
But the pancake did not
stop, and as it rolled it called
out, I have rolled away from
goody-poody, and her seven
squalling children, and manny-
panny, and I shall roll away from
you, too, henny-penny!”
The pancake rolled down
the road like a wheel. Just then it met a duck.
“Good day, pancake,” said the duck.
“The same to you, ducky-lucky,” said the pancake.
“Pancake, dear, don’t roll away so fast. Wait a bit so that I can eat
you up.”
But the pancake did not stop, and as it rolled, it called out, “I have
rolled away from goody-poody, and her seven squalling children, and
manny-panny, and henny-penny,
and I shall roll away from you,
too, ducky-lucky!”
And the pancake rolled
along faster than ever. Then it
met a goose.
“Good day, pancake,” said
the goose.
“The same to you, goosey-
poosey,” said the pancake.
“Pancake dear, don’t roll so quickly. Wait a minute. I’ll eat you up.”
But the pancake kept on rolling and as it rolled it called out, “I have
rolled away from goody-poody, and her seven squalling children, and
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manny-panny, and henny-penny, and ducky-lucky, and I shall roll away from
you, too, goosey-poosey!”
When it had rolled a long
way further, the pancake came to
the edge of a wood, and there
stood a pig.
“Good day, pancake,” said
the pig.
“The same to you, piggy-
wiggy,” said the pancake.
“Don’t be in such a hurry,”
said the pig. “The wood is
dangerous, and we should walk
together.”
“The pancake thought, that might be true,” and so it rolled
along beside the pig for a while. But when they had gone a little further,
they came to a brook. The pig jumped right into the water and began to
swim across.
“What about me? What about me?” cried the pancake.
“Oh, you just sit on my snout,” said the pig, “And I’ll carry you across.”
So the pancake sat on the pig’s snout.
The pig tossed the pancake up into the air, and – ouf, ouf, ouf – the pig
swallowed the pancake in three
bites.
And since the pancake went no
further, this story can go no
further either.
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Glossary
sizzling (v) : making a hissing sound, like that made by food
being fried in a very hot pan
bubbling (v) : rising in bubbles ; making the sound of bubbles
browning (v) : turning into brown colour
tossed (v) : threw up lightly
chased (v) : ran after somebody in order to catch
ladle (n) : a large deep spoon with a long handle
squalling (adj) : noisy
the wood (n) : the forest
snout (n) : the long nose and mouth of an animal
brook (n) : a stream of water
swallowed (v) : ate quickly without chewing
Comprehension
I. Answer the following questions.

1. In the story each child calls the mother differently as follows.
“Oh, give me a bit of pancake, Mother dear.”
The first child calls the mother as ‘Mother dear’. Now list how the other
children called her.
(a)________________ (d) ____________________
(b)________________ (e) ____________________
(c)________________ (f) ____________________
2. How would you call your mother to please her?

3. Why do you think the children go on adding new words to call the
Mother?
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4. What trick did the pig play to eat the pancake?
5. If you were the pancake, would you allow yourself to be swallowed?
If no, how would you escape?
II. The pancake calls each animal with a funny name. For example it
calls the hen ‘henny-penny’. If it happens to meet the following
animals, what would it call them?
1. ratty __________ 4. ________________
2. ________________ 5. ________________
3. ________________
Vocabulary
I. Read the following words. Circle the words that convey pleasant
feelings.
tough great
dear soft fool cruel
push nice kind
hungry lovable
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II. Read the story again and pick out from the story, words that are
opposite in meaning to the underlined words.
1. I tasted a sour orange.
2. Raghu narrated a false story to impress his friends.
3. How ugly it is!
4. She thought of a foolish plan to escape punishment.
5. Rajani is always slow in doing her homework.
Grammar
I. Read the following sentences taken from the story.

1. The pancake was sizzling.
2. The children begged for pancake.
The words ‘was sizzling’ in the first sentence express action that
was going on in the past.
The word ‘begged’ in the second sentence expresses an action
that was completed in the past.
Pick out some more examples from the story and write them in the box
given below.
Actions completed in the past Actions going on in the past
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II. Complete the following sentences with appropriate forms of the
verbs in the brackets.
1. He was………..(write) when the bell …………(ring).
2. Ashok was……….(take) his bath when the postman

………..(arrive).
3. The pilgrims were………..(sleep) when the driver suddenly

………..(stop) the bus.
4. She………..(slip) while she was ………..(climb) the ladder.
5. He………..(fall) down just as he was ………..(board) the bus.
III. Complete the following sentences with the possible actions.
Example: She was watching T.V. when the postman came.
1. I met Mr. Nagaraj when I______________________________.
2. Aruna was reading a story when _________________________.
3. While Vasu was crossing the road, _______________________.
Writing
I. Suppose the pancake met a dog, what would it say? Write the
conversation between the pancake and the dog.
Dog : Good day, pancake!
Pancake : _____________________________________________
Dog : ______________________________________________
Pancake : _____________________________________________
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II. Look at the series of pictures and write the story told by the pictures.
You may use the clues given below each picture.
fights - a piece of bread monkey– asks half - weighs
eats - bit by bit finish - sad
Write the story of the foolish cats in the space given below .
One day, two cats found a piece of bread.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
The two cats went away sadly.
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B. Reading
Lollipop Lady
Lollipop lady, They hate to wait
Lollipop lady, Especially when late
Wave your magic stick But we’ll be late too
And make the traffic Except for you.
Stop a while So Lollipop lady,
So we can cross the street.
Lollipop lady
Trucks and cars
Rushing past In the middle of the street
Have no time for little feet. Wave your magic stick
And make the traffic
Give way to little feet.
- John Agard
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Comprehension
1. Who do you think is the speaker ? How old is he/she might be?
Pick out the expression that suggests his/ her age.
2. Who is the Lollipop Lady according to you?
3. What is the Lollipop Lady expected to do?
4. Where are the children going?
5. Who do the words ‘we’ and ‘you’ refer to?
II. Here are some pairs of words ending with the same sound
(rhyming words). Write some more pairs of rhyming words you
know.
1. street - feet 2. wait - late 3. too - you
4.___________ 5.___________ 6.___________
7.___________ 8.___________ 9.___________
10.___________ 11.___________ 12.___________
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C. Reading
The Monkeys Go Fasting

A group of monkeys decided to go on a fast one day.
“Before we begin, I think we should keep the food ready with which
we’ll break the fast,” said the monkey chief. The monkeys nodded their
heads in agreement. The youngsters were sent in search of food. They
returned with huge bunches of delicious looking bananas. “I think each of
us should keep our share of bananas with us before we begin our fast, so
that we don’t spend time distributing them after we break our fast. You
can imagine how hungry we all will be by then!” said the chief’s wife.
The monkeys liked the idea and they collected their share of the
bananas.
“Why don’t we peel one banana and keep it ready to eat?” said one
of the youngsters.
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“Yes, let’s do that,” shouted a fat monkey in agreement. Just a look at the
bananas made him hungry.
“All right,” said the monkey chief, “We shall peel the bananas, but
under no condition should we eat them.”
So the monkeys peeled their bananas and carefully kept them ready
for eating in the evening. “Can I keep the banana in my mouth? I promise
not to eat it till evening, please!” a little monkey asked its father.
“Why don’t we all put a banana in our mouth? That way we can
chew it immediately when we break the fast,” said his father adding, “As
long as we don’t eat it, it should be fine!”
So, the monkeys put the bananas in their mouths. One by one they
eyed each other uncomfortably as they began their fast and as you can
imagine, within no time, the bananas disappeared down their throats. And
that was the end of their fast!
A folktale from Karnataka by Meera Nair
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Comprehension
Answer the following questions.
1. Who spoke the following words and to whom?
sl. no. sentences spoken who spoke to whom
1. ‘Keep the food ready.’
2. ‘Yes, let’s do that.’
3. ‘Can I keep the banana in my mouth?’
2. Do you think the monkeys can go on fast? Why? Why not?
3. As we can see from the story monkeys peeled the bananas before
eating them. Now suggest the way we eat each of the following
fruits and vegetables.
orange papaya cucumber apple melon carrot
grapes pine apple guava mango coconut
(Clues: cut, peel, break, as a whole)
Project Work
I. Look at the wrappers of any food items that you eat. Observe
the details given on the wrapper and fill the table as shown in the
example.
Sl. Name of the Ingredients Price of Date of Expiry
No. food item the item Manufacture date
1 Biscuits wheat floor, sugar, oil, Rs. 15 3.10.12 best before

milk etc. 6 months
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II. Make presentation before the other groups in your class based
on the following.
1. The items your group likes to eat the most.
2. The costliest and the cheapest items in the table your group
has prepared.
3. Why is it important to look at the expiry date of an item?
4. Suppose you bought an item whose date had been expired, what
would you do?
How well did I understand this unit?

3) in the appropriate box:
Read and tick (3
Indicators Yes Somewhat No

I listened to the poem, understood and talked
about it.
I read and understood the texts:
1.‘The Pancake’.
2.‘The Monkeys Go Fasting’.
I can express the actions related to past.
I read, understood and enjoyed the poem,
‘Lollipop Lady’.
I was able to write:
1. a conversation between the dog and the
pancake.
2. a story on ‘The Foolish Cats’.
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2
The Miller, His Son and His Donkey
Look at the picture and answer the questions given below.
1. What do you think is happening in the picture?

2. Why do you think the woman is carrying a baby even though
she has a pot on her head?
3. What do you think the other woman is doing? Why?
Listen to the announcement read by your teacher and answer the

1. What is the announcement about?
2. Circle the information related to the announcement.
a. great news d. low prices
b. buy two get one free e. puppet show
c. dance programme f. this Sunday only
3. Mimic any announcement that you may have heard/ seen.
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A. Reading

One day a miller and his son
drive their donkey to market.
Soon a group of girls sees them
and breaks out laughing.
“Look!” cries one. “Look at
those fools! How silly they are
to be walking on foot when the
donkey can carry one of them on
his back.”
This seems to make sense, so the
miller lifts his son onto the
donkey and marches along
happily. They walk on for a while until they meet an old man who speaks
to the son angrily. “You should be ashamed of yourself, you lazy rascal.
What do you mean by riding when your poor old father has to walk? It
shows that no one respects age anymore. The least you can do is get down
and let your father rest his old bones.”
Red with shame, the boy dismounts and makes his father get on the
donkey’s back.
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They go only a little
further when they meet a gang
of young fellows who mock at
them. “What a cruel old man!”
jeers one of the fellows. “There
he sits, selfish and comfortable,
while the poor boy has to
stumble along the dusty road to
keep up with him.” So the
miller lifts his son up, and the
two of them ride along.
However, before they
reach the market place, a
townsman stops them. “Have
you no feeling for dumb creatures!” he shouts. “The way that you load
that little animal is a crime. You two men better carry the poor little beast
than he carries you!”
Wanting to do the right thing the miller and his son get off the donkey.
They tie his legs together, slung him on a pole and carry him on their
shoulders. Slowly, they reach a river bank on their way. When a crowd at
the river bank sees this, they laugh very loudly. The donkey gets frightened,
kicks through the cords that bound him. It falls off the pole into the river.
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Glossary
seems (v) : looks like

for a while (adv. phr) : for some time
dismounts (v) : gets down
mock (v) : make fun of
jeers (v) : speaks in a way of mockery
selfish (adj) : caring only about oneself
comfortable (adj) : relaxed
stumble along (v) : walk unsteadily
townsman (n) : a person belonging to that village / town
dumb (adj) : one who cannot speak
beast (n) : animal
slung (v) : tied and carried
crowd (n) : a group of people
cords (n) : ropes
Comprehension
1. The miller and his son tried to please everyone they met. Do you
think they were right? Why? Why not?
2. In your opinion, which part of the story is most funny?
3. At the end, the miller and his son carried the donkey on their
shoulders. What would you do if you were in their place?
20
II. Write what people did or said on the following occasions in the
story.
1. The miller, his son and the donkey were walking.
Ans:________________________________________
2. The boy sat on the donkey and the miller walked.
Ans:__________________________________________
3. The miller sat on the donkey and the boy walked.
Ans:__________________________________________
4. Both the miller and the boy sat on the donkey.
Ans:__________________________________________
5. The miller and his son carried the donkey.
Ans:__________________________________________
Vocabulary
I. Read the following sentence taken from the story.

‘The least you can do is, get down and let your father rest his old
bones.’
Look, when we remove the first letters of the words in bold,
they give new words (east, own, our and one). Can you identify such
words from the reading passage.
21
Look at the following words. Write new words from them by removing
the first letter in each case. Find their meanings.
Example: price rice ice
1. stable _________ _________
2. stone _________ _________
3. blink _________ _________
4. chair _________ _________
5. strain _________ _________
6. cheat _________ _________
II. Find some more words of this kind and list them in the space given
below:
1. _________ _________
2. _________ _________
3. _________ _________
Just for fun:

Q. Which is the longest word in English?
from each other)
Ans: Smiles. (The first and the last letters are a MILE away
III. Look at the words in bold in the following phrases.

a group of girls; a gang of young fellows; the crowd of people.
22
Such words are called Collective Nouns. They refer to a collection of
people, things or animals. Here is a list of some more Collective Nouns.
a flight of birds
a crowd of people
a herd of cattle
an army of soldiers
a bouquet of flowers
a flock of sheep
a fleet of ships
a bunch of grapes
a bundle of sticks
a pack of wolves
23
Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks using collective
nouns from the list given.
Hari is a shepherd. He packed a roti
and a _______ of grapes for lunch. He
started from home with his _______ of
sheep. He left the sheep to graze and
relaxed. He looked up and saw a _______
of birds flying by. There were many
colourful flowers around. He picked some
flowers and made a _______ for his wife.
After lunch, he collected some firewood.
He tied them into a _______. In the evening, Hari started back home.
Grammar

‘The miller lifts his son on to the donkey and marches along happily.
They walk on for a while until they meet an old man.’
The verbs ‘lifts, marches, walk and meet’ in the above sentences refer
to actions done at the present time. When these actions refer to singular
person (proper nouns, pronouns other than ‘I’ and ‘You’), the verb takes
‘-s / -es’ at the end. When they refer to more than one person (proper nouns
and pronouns except ‘I’ and ‘You’), the verb does not take ‘-s / -es’.
Pick out some more sentences from the story with similar verb forms
and write them here.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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II. Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks with the correct
forms of the verbs given in brackets.
Everyday, Ajay _______ (get) up at 6 o’clock in the morning. He
_______ (brush) his teeth and _______ (take) bath. Then he _______
(eat) his breakfast and _______ (get) ready for school. His friend
Srikanth _______ (join) him. Both of them _______ (go) to school.
They _______ (reach) school by 8.30 a.m. and _______ (meet) their
friends.
III. Write a small paragraph on what do you do regularly on a holiday.
Writing
Look at the following pictures. Describe each picture and also add
words spoken by the characters in it.
1.
Description: A miller, his son and
his donkey are going to the market.
Three girls are looking at them.
One of the girls said, “Look at those
fools!”
2. Description:____________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
_____________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
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3. Description:______________
________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
4. Description:______________
________________________________________
________________________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
5. Description:______________
________________________________________
________________________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
26
6. Description:______________
________________________________________
________________________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
Oral Skills
Read the story “The Miller, his Son and his Donkey” once again.
Convert the story into a play.
The following questions may help you.
Where is the action taking place?
Who are the characters in the story?
What is their position? Where are they standing / sitting?
What should be their actions / movements?
What words do they speak?
Assign characters, practise the dialogues and enact the play in your
classroom
27
Puzzle time
1 2
6 7
Across Down
1. The opposite of empty 1. The opposite of near
4. The opposite of summer 2. The opposite of large
5. The opposite of cold 3. The opposite of mean
6. The opposite of black 5. The opposite of sad
8. The opposite of blunt 6. The opposite of strong
9. The opposite of hate 7. The opposite of short
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B. Reading
The Little Boy and The Old Man

Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”
Said the little old man, “I do that too.”
The little boy whispered, “I wet my pants.”
“I do that too,” laughed the old man.
Said the little boy, “I often cry.”
The old man nodded. “So do I.”
“But worst of all,” said the boy,” It seems
Grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.”
And he felt the warmth of wrinkled old hand
‘I know what you mean,” said the little old man.
-Shel Silverstein
29
Comprehension
3) what the poem is about. You can tick more than one
I. Tick (3
option.
1. loneliness 2. feeling neglected
3. child’s anger 4. grown ups
II. Answer the following questions.
1. “The little boy whispered…” Why do you think the little boy
whispered?
2. Which problem according to the boy is the worst?
3. Pick out the expression from the poem that suggests ‘care and
affection’.
4. Which word in the poem suggests the similarity between the boy
and the old man?
5. What similarities do you notice between the old man and the little
boy?
Fun Time
Teacher: Ramu! your paragraph on ‘My Dog’ is exactly same as
your brother’s. Did you copy his?
Ramu: No teacher, it’s the same dog.
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C. Reading
A Man of His Word

Long long ago in Greece, there lived two friends called Damon and
Pythias. One day some soldiers reported to the King that Pythias had
spoken against him. The King became very angry. “Arrest Pythias at once
and put him in prison,” said the King. Pythias knew that what he had
spoken was true. So he refused to take back his words. And the King
ordered that Pythias must die.
Damon went to see his friend in prison. “May I help you in any
way?” he asked, “I wish I could die for you.”
“I am prepared to die,” replied Pythias, “but before I die I would like
to see my mother.”
31
Damon went to the King and begged him to allow Pythias to go
home and see his mother. “I will die in his place if he doesn’t return.”
The King agreed. Pythias went home while Damon took his place in
prison. The day for Pythias to die arrived. The King sent for Damon.
“Where is your friend? You trusted him too far. Now you must die for
your foolish mistake,” the King said. But Damon trusted his friend and
said, “I know, Pythias could not come in time because of some serious
problem. I am ready to die in his place.”
Then the soldiers prepared to hang Damon. Just then Pythias rushed
into the palace and embraced Damon. “Thank God, I have arrived in time,”
he sighed. “Many problems delayed my return. I am sorry. But here I am!
Thank you for your trust and patience.”
The King was watching all this. He was moved to see how Pythias
kept his word. “I have many people in my kingdom. But I have never
found a man so trustworthy as you. I am glad that I have at least one
person who keeps his word. I spare your life. You are free to go home
now.”
32
Comprehension
1.What is the story about?
2.Why was Pythias sentenced to death?
3.What did Damon beg the King for?
4.How did Pythias keep his word?
5.Why did the King spare Pythias’ life?
6.Which character do you like the most in the story? Why?
Project Work Work in Groups
In the story, the miller and his son followed every one’s advice and
you have seen the end they met.
Ask and answer the following questions and prepare your group’s profile.
1. Whose advice do you follow (at home / at school)?
2. Why do you follow his / her advice?
I. Now fill in the following table which gives the profile of your
group.
Sl. Name of the Whose advice do Reasons
No classmate they follow(at home,
at school)?
1
5
33
II. Present your profile in class. Listen to others’ presentations also.
Whose advice do most of the members of your group follow? Give reasons.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________

3) in the appropriate box:
Read and tick (3

I listened to the announcement, understood
and talked about it.
1.‘The Miller, His Son and His Donkey’.
2.‘A Man of His Word’.
I understood usage of verb and noun
agreement in a sentence.
‘The Little Boy and The Old Man’.
1. descriptions of the pictures given.
2. the routine of my holidays.
34
3
The Boy and The Catapult
Salim Ali
The Bird Man of India
1. What feelings does Salim Ali appear to express towards the bird in his
hand?
2. Why do you think he is called the 'The Bird Man of India'?
Listen to your teacher and answer the questions given below.
1. Who is Dolly?
2. Why did the boy choose the puppy that could not run fast?
3. Do you think the boy was right in doing so? Justify your answer.
35
A. Reading
The oddest fellow in my class was Bodh Raj. All of us were afraid
of him. He always had a catapult in his hand and was an excellent shooter.
His favourite targets were birds. He would stand under a tree, take aim
and shoot a pebble from the catapult. The next moment a bird would fall
down.
I lived with my parents in an old bungalow on the outskirts of the
city. It had garden, full of trees and shrubs. Being far from the city, my
friends rarely came to visit me. But Bodh Raj found it a good place to
hunt.
Behind the house, there was a godown. This room had become a
regular place of visit for birds. We hear their cooing all day.
The next time Bodh Raj came, he went straight to the godown. As
usual, he had his catapult with him. He noticed that near the ventilator
there was a myna’s nest.
“The myna’s little
ones are up there,” said
Bodh Raj aiming with
his catapult.
I noticed two tiny
yellow beaks peeping out
of the nest.
Bodh Raj raised his
catapult and fitted a
pebble in it. I wanted to
stop him, but before I
36
could, a large shadow moved across the room, blocking the light from the
ventilator. It was a big kite.
“This must be the kite’s nest,” I said.
“No, how can a kite have its nest here? A kite always makes its nest
in a tree. This is a myna’s nest.”
The chicks began fluttering their wings and shrieking. The kite
perched on the beam. The birds’ frightened cries filled the air.
“The kite has been coming here every day for his meals,” said Bodh
Raj suddenly. I now realized why broken wings and straw were always
spread out on the floor.
Bodh Raj raised his catapult and aimed at the kite.
37
“Don’t hit the kite. It will attack you,” I shouted. But Bodh Raj paid
no attention. The pebble missed the kite and hit the ceiling instead. The kite
spread its wings wide and peered down.
“Let’s get out of here or the kite will attack,” I said, frightened.
“The kite will eat up the little ones.” This sounded rather strange
coming from him. Bodh Raj quickly ran and pulled up a table standing
against the wall to the middle of the room, under the myna’s nest. He
climbed on the table, gently lifted the nest and slowly stepped down.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, and ran towards the door. I followed.
We went into the garage. It had only one door and a small window in
the back wall. A beam ran across its width.
He climbed on a box and placed the nest on the beam. The myna’s
young had quietened down. Standing on the box, Bodh Raj had his first
38
peep into the nest. I thought that he would pick them both up and put them
in his pocket. But he said “Get some water, the chicks are thirsty.”
I brought a glass of water. Bodh Raj fed them with drops of water.
When Bodh Raj came the next day, he had neither the catapult nor
pebbles. It was clear that he was sorry about his past behaviour. He carried
some seeds with him. We fed the myna’s young and spent time watching
them.
- Bhisham Sahni
Glossary
pebble (n) : a small smooth round stone

catapult (n) : a ‘Y’ shaped stick with a rubber band
attached to it and used for shooting stones
excellent (adj) : very good; of very high quality
peeping (v) : looking curiously
flutter (v) : move lightly and quickly
shrieking (v) : giving a loud high shout
beam (n) : a long piece of wood which supports the
roof
stepped down (v) : came down
straw (n) : dry grass
peered (v) : looked closely or carefully
perched (v) : landed and stayed on a branch
garage (n) : a place to keep vehicles
behaviour (n) : do things in a particular manner
39
Comprehension

1. What change do you notice in Bodh Raj’s behaviour towards
birds? Pick out the lines that suggest the change.
2. What made the chicks flutter their wings and shriek loudly?
3. Bodh Raj was very cruel to the birds in the beginning, but in
the end he became very kind. What message do you get from
this change ?
4. There are two Bodh Rajs in the story. Which one do you like
more and why?
II. Pick out the actions related to the birds in the story.
1. cooing 4. blocking 7. standing
2.aiming 5. watching 8. fluttering
3. peeping 6. shreiking 9. coming
Vocabulary
I. Read the following.

‘the nest of the myna’
It can be re-written as – ‘myna’s nest’ (using –’s). Now re-write the
each group of the following words same as above.
1. the catapult of Bodh Raj ____________________________
2. the classmate of Bhisham ____________________________
3. the young ones of myna ____________________________

40
II. Pick out the words which are used in connection with ‘hunt’ and
‘bird’ from the passage and complete the following table. One is
done for you.
Sl. No. Hunt Bird
1. shoot perch
2.
3.
4.
5.
Grammar
Read the following sentences taken from the story.

My friends rarely came to visit me.
I now realized why broken wings and straw were always spread
out on the floor.
In the first sentence the word ‘rarely’ talks about the verb ‘came’. In the
second sentence the word ‘always’ talks about the verb ‘spread out’. These
words (rarely, always) are called adverbs of frequency because they say how
many times an action is done.
Here are some more examples of adverbs of frenquency.
I never miss the Tom and Jerry show on T.V.
I sometimes watch the news.
I regularly watch Animal Planet.
I usually wait eagerly for Chota Bheem.
41
Look at the chart and read what things Sarada does. Then write the
sentences as shown in the example using ‘always, rarely, never’ .
Action Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
watches T.V. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
helps mother 3 3
plays games 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
cooks food
Example: Sarada watches T.V. every day.
1. __________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
Writing
I. Look at the sign boards given below:
1 2
42
Here are two kinds of sign boards. One with only a message and the other
with a picture and message. Now think about the following questions.
1. What does the first sign board say?
2. What is the message in the second sign board?
3. What does the picture suggest in the second sign board?
4. What words are highlighted in the sign boards? Why?
Read the following.
Bodh Raj visited Bhisham’s house often because it was a good place
to hunt birds. To avoid the hunting of birds further, Bhisham wanted to put
up a sign board.
Now prepare a sign board to avoid hunting of birds.
II. Bodh Raj and Bhisham met the next day after the incident.
Now write the conversation between them. You may begin as follows.
Bhisham : Bodh Raj, what have you got in your hands?

Bodh Raj : ____________________________________
Bhisham : ___________________________________
Bodh Raj : ____________________________________
Bhisham : ________________________________________
43
B. Reading
Hurt No Living Things
Hurt no living thing;

Lady bird, nor butterfly
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshoppers so light of leap,
Nor dancing gust, nor beetle flat,
Nor harmless worms, that creep.
-Christina Rossetti
Comprehension
1. Name the thing that the poet wants us
to do?
2. Why does the poet say, ‘grasshoppers
so light of leap?’
3. Separate the living things mentioned
in the poem into the following
categories.
a. able to fly b. not able to fly
44
C. Reading
Saving Birds
Scene I
(It was a country side. Four lawyers on horseback are going one
behind the other.)
STITH … STITH… STITH… they heard the sound.
Lawyer 1 : (Looks around)
What’s the matter here?
Lawyer 2 : (Pointing to the ground at a distance)

Oh! It’s only some old robins. The storm has blown
two little ones out of the nest. So, the mother is
making a great fuss.
Lawyer 3 : (Looking at them with pity)
Oh! What a pity! They’ll die.
Lawyer 2 : Never mind, they are nothing but birds.
45
Lawyer 1 : Yes. Why should we bother?
(The three lawyers keep talking and laughing. But the
fourth lawyer stops, gently picks the little robins up in
his hands.)
Lawyer 4 : (Looking at the birds)
Never mind, my little fellows, I’ll put you in your cozy
little bed.
(He looks up to find their nest, keeps his legs into the tree
holes and climbs up the tree with one hand, the other holding the birds.
He put them one by one into their nest.)
Lawyer 4 : You are safe here, now!
STITH! STITH!! STITH!!!
CHEEP! CHEEP!! CHEEP!!!
46
Scene – II
Lawyer 1 : Where is Lincoln?
Lawyer 2 : He was right behind us!
(Looking around)
Where could he go?
Lawyer 3 : Mmm … Do you remember those birds? It is likely that
he is busy taking care of them.
(Lawyer 3 turns around and sees Lawyer 4 coming
towards them.)
Lawyer 1 : There he comes!
Lawyer 2 : Where were you?
Lawyer 4 : I stopped for a minute to handover those birds to their
mother.
Lawyer 3 : Well, we always thought you were a hero. Now we know
it. (All three laugh heartily.)
Lawyer 1 : (Looking at Lincoln)
Why do you waste your time on such worthless young
birds?
Lawyer 4 : Gentlemen, I would not sleep tonight, if I left those birds
to die. (The curtain falls)
Comprehension

1. When the birds were kept back in the nest, they began to chirp. What
does this show?
47
2. What lesson do you learn from the story?
3. “We always thought you were a hero.” Do they really mean that Lincoln
was a hero? Give reasons.
Project Work
Have you ever heard of a bird sanctuary?

A bird sanctuary is a place where birds are kept in their natural
surroundings.
Think of ways in which you can look after birds in your surroundings.
Work in a group and list the things that you can do.
3) in the appropriate box.
Read and tick (3
I listened to the story, understood and talked
about it.
1.‘The Boy and the Catapult’.
2.‘Saving Birds’.
I understood usage of expressions related to
frequency of actions.
‘Hurt No Living Things’.
I was able to:
1. prepare a sign board to avoid hunting of
birds.
2. write a conversation between Bhisham
and Bodh Raj.
48
4 The Unlucky Face
Look at the picture and the answer the questions given
below.
“You dirty cat…”
1. Why do you think the man said, 'You dirty cat'?

2. If you were in the man's position, how would you react?
Listen to the story read by your teacher and answer the
1. Is Sundar right in cursing Hirachand?

2. Which of the following qualities describe Sundar?
a. friendly c. believes in baseless things
b. proud d. revengeful
3. Do you also believe in some superstitions? If yes, narrate at
least one to your classmates.
49
A.
A.Reading
Reading
The Unlucky Face

There lived a merchant called Hirachand in Delhi. It was said that
anyone who saw his face early in the morning would go without food that
day. Akbar heard about Hirachand. Hirachand was asked to see him.
Akbar wanted to know whether the story about Hirachand was true.
The next day, Akbar was on his way to the dining room when
Hirachand was brought to him. At the same time a messenger came to say
that the Queen was ill. Akbar left Hirachand and spent the whole morning
with his sick wife. By the time he returned to the dining room, his meal
was cold. He ordered a fresh meal. It took so long to get the meal ready
that Akbar began to feel ill.
50
The royal doctor was called for.
The doctor told Akbar to rest and not to eat anything for a day. That
way, he said, the cramps would go away.
“But I haven’t eaten anything yet,” said Akbar.
“Bad luck,” said the doctor, “Whose face did you see this morning?”
Akbar told the doctor that he had seen the face of Hirachand. “I
shall have him put to death,” he said, “because he has made me suffer.”
This news reached Hirachand. Hirachand was shocked. He fell at

the Emperor’s feet and begged for mercy. “How can my wife and children
live without me?” he pleaded. But Akbar would not listen to a word
Hirachand said. The guard was summoned and Hirachand was immediately
dragged off to the prison.
Poor Hirachand wailed aloud and begged the guard to find a way to
set him free. “I can’t think of anything I can do,” said the guard who felt
very sorry for Hirachand. “If the Emperor finds out that I have disobeyed
his orders, I’ll be punished too.”
51
Suddenly the guard had an idea. “Let us call Birbal,” he said. “He is the
only one who can save you.”
What was Hirachand’s
punishment? Do you think
it was right?
Hirachand told
Birbal what had happened.
Birbal consoled him
saying, “Do what I tell you
and you will be saved.”
It was time for
Hirachand to go to the
block. The executioner
asked him if he wanted anything as his last wish.
“I would like to see the Emperor,” said Hirachand. When Akbar
came, Hirachand said, “Your Majesty! Is it true that you saw my face and
did not eat anything for the day?”
“Yes,” said Akbar.
“Your Majesty,” said Hirachand. “Consider my fate which is worse
than yours. I saw your face and I have to die.”
“Someone has taught you to say this,” said Akbar guessing at once
who it was.
“Impossible,” said Hirachand, “I don’t know anyone here.”
“Perhaps you don’t know. But you did not think of this plan
yourself, did you?” asked Akbar. “You must have met Birbal.”
Hirachand confessed that he had met Birbal.
“Birbal has saved me from killing an innocent man,” said Akbar
and sent Hirachand away with gifts.
52
Glossary
cramps (n) : painful contraction of muscles
summoned (v) : called upon to do something
wailed (v) : cried
executioner (n) : a person who carries out an action of killing
fate (n) : unavoidable event
confessed (v) : admitted one’s mistake
guessed (v) : supposed
innocent (adj) : without sin, pure
Comprehension

1. What did Hirachand ask Akbar?
2. What did Hirachand say about his fate?
3. How did Akbar realize his mistake?
4. Do you think Hirachand was innocent? Why?
5. Do you believe in superstitions? Do you think Hirachand’s face

would bring bad luck to anyone?
II. Read the following sentences and complete them by choosing

the appropriate option.
1. The doctor was called __________________.
a. to see Akbar.
b. to see the Queen.
53
2. Akbar ordered a fresh meal because __________________.
a. his meal was not tasty.
b. his meal was cold.
3. Akbar fell ill, because __________________.
a. he hadn’t eaten anything the whole morning.
b. he saw Hirachand’s face.
Oral Skills
Work in groups.
Ask and answer one another the questions about what you see in the picture.
One question is given.
1. What are the guards doing?
Vocabulary
I. Akbar didn’t eat anything the whole morning. He fell ill. What are
the other reasons for people to fall ill?
54
Work in groups and complete the concept map. One is done for you.
over eating
reasons for
illness
II. Read the following paragraph. Replace the underlined words with
the words from the story, which have the same meaning.
Hirachand was a businessman. Once he was called to Akbar’s court.
Akbar ordered to kill him. Hirachand begged for his kindness. But
Akbar would not hear. Poor Hirachand cried aloud.
III. Read the descriptions of persons from the story and write their
names in the space provided.
1. He was a merchant who lived in Delhi. ____________________
2. He was the emperor who ruled India. ____________________
3. He came to the king’s court when Akbar fell ill. _______________
4. He was ordered to drag Hirachand to be executed. _____________
5. He was the wise minister at the King’s court. _________________
55
Grammar
I. Look at the following sentence.

Hirachand told what had happened.
There are two actions suggested by the verbs ‘told’ and ‘had
happened’. The second verb ‘had happened’ talks about the action done
earlier. The first one talks about action done later.
Pick out the sentences from the story that describe actions done in
the past. Write them in the space provided. Circle the actions that were
done earlier than the other actions
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
II. Complete the following paragraph

using the hints from the brackets.
Ganesh packed his luggage and went
to the railway station. By the time he
………… (reach) the station, the train
………… (come) to the platform. He
searched his pocket. There was no ticket.
He ………… (understand) that he
………… (forgot) to bring his ticket. He
rang up to his wife. She ………… (ask) what ………… (happen)? Then
she advised him to take the ticket from the internet.
56
Writing
I. Akbar released Hirachand. He gave him

many gifts. Hirachand went to his home very
quickly.
“Look, Papa has come,” Mani came running
to his father. They hugged each other. What
would be the conversation between Hirachand
and Mani? Write the conversation and then role-
play the same.
Hirachand : ____________________________________
Mani : ___________________________________
Hirachand : ___________________________________
Mani : ___________________________________
II. Akbar met Hirachand and then went to see his sick Queen. He
couldn’t eat anything the whole morning. So he fell ill. The doctor
was called to examine him.
What in your opinion would Akbar be thinking at that time?

Write his thoughts below.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
57
Fun with Words
I. Read the sentences taken from the story.
It was said that anyone who saw his face would go without food that
day.
The words ‘anyone’ and ‘without’ are formed by joining two words.
These words are called compound words.
any+one – anyone with+out – without
Pick out some more compound words from the story and write them below.
__________ ________ __________ ______
__________ ________ __________ ______
II. Here is a list of words. Match them in as many ways as possible to

form compound words.
some thing father fire no one mother

it grand what son her self how
daughter him fly house butter where ever
Examples: 1. something 2. someone 3. _____________
4. ________ 5. ________ 6. _____________
7. ________ 8. ________ 9. _____________
10. _______ 11. ________ 12. ____________
58
B. Reading
Superstitions
We can walk under ladders,
What’s wrong with that?
We can see a number of jet black cats,

No problem with that.
We can break a million mirrors,
And not shed a tear.
It’s all just humbug,
Simply baseless fear.
- Anonymous
Glossary
superstition (n) : a mere belief which has no proof
jet black (n. phr) : deep black
shed (v) : drop
humbug (adj) : nonsense
baseless (adj) : no reason
Comprehension
1. Does the poem speak in favour of superstitions or against them?

2. What are the different superstitions talked about in the poem? List
them.
59
C. Reading
Superstitions Around the World

It is very interesting
to know that most
superstitions have to do
with luck. Some of them
are very funny too.
Sometimes an unlucky
thing in one area is a lucky
thing in another area.
In Brazil they believe
that walking under a ladder
brings bad luck. The
Australians believe that
breaking a mirror is unlucky. People in Ireland say that one should never
move back and forth an empty rocking chair. In Hawaii, fishermen believe
that, bringing bananas
on a boat would bring
bad luck to them. And
Hawaiians also
believe that it is bad
luck to give an empty
purse to someone.
Many people say
giving or taking
anything with left hand
brings bad luck. What if a person is a left hander? Some people also
believe that evil spirits are nearby if a light blows out. But there might be
an open window somewhere.
60
Generally people say that sneezing
while starting to go to some place
makes you reach the place late. What
if the person who sneezes is suffering
from a cold?
You know that in many parts of
the world coming across a black cat is
considered bad luck. But in The
United Kingdom it is lucky to come
across a black cat.
In many parts of the world,
Friday is an unlucky day. But in India
most of the people believe that Friday is auspicious.
People in Andhra Pradesh do not like to start any new work on a new
moon day. But Tamilians believe that it is good to start their special events
on a new moon day.
For Chinese, number nine is lucky, while the Japanese consider it
very unlucky. Aren’t they really funny?
Now can you say what is lucky and what is unlucky?
Comprehension
1. List out some of the superstitions from the passage.
2. What is the funny element about superstitions?
3. List out some superstitions that are popular in your area / family.
61
Project Work
I. Talk to your parents / grandparents and list out at least two superstitions
that you think are popular in your family.
II. Share some superstitions in your group and discuss. Which of them
do you believe in and why?

Read and tick (3

I listened to the narration, understood and
talked about it.
1.‘The Unlucky Face’.
2.‘Superstitions Around the World’.
I understood usage of action related to the
past.
‘Superstitions’.
1. a conversation between Hirachand and
Mani.
2. Akbar’s thoughts.
62
5
Fudi’s Desert Journey
1. Where is the man standing? What is he trying to do?

2. What difficulties do people face in these situations?
3. Why do people travel on a camel?
Listen to the conversation read by your teacher and answer the

1. What is the conversation about?
2. Whose name was chosen for the child’s name?
3. How did you get your name?
63
A. Reading
In a nomadic tribe of Africa, the birth of a child
was being celebrated with joy.
We’ll name him
Fudi. Ah! Nice name
Grandma!
Fudi grew up to be a sprightly young lad, full Fudi’s father was the leader of the tribe. One day as he
of energy and vigour. was getting ready to ride into the desert...
Salt! We take salt from
Fudi, get off
But! I want to go here to far off lands.
the camel! What’s in the
on camel-back bags father?
like father
The tribesmen rode in a caravan to take the precious cargo All the men in the caravan wore blue veils
of salt. covering most of their face from the harsh
sun.
Goodbye, Fudi!
I’ll bring some
presents for you!
64
As time went by, the caravan became bigger, the
On the return journey, the travellers brought back millet,
goods better and both Fudi and his father grew
sugar, cloth and rugs that were bought by barter.
older.
I wish I could go You’ll go, son, when Can I go this

with father, it looks you’re 16. It’s not time, mother? I
like so much fun! safe for women and am a big boy!
children.
Hush! Not yet,

don’t disturb father.
He’s not well.
Indeed his father was his bright cheerful self as he led his
caravan next day
Not much! He gets
blinding headaches Goodbye, son! What shall
What’s some times. These I bring for you now, a toy?
wrong? medicines will help
him recover soon. Oh, father! I don’t
want anything! I
want to come with
you.
Fudi ran to the edge of His mother and he settled to their daily routine. But
the village till the caravan a week later, while cleaning up the goat hair tent his
was out of sight. mother cried out in anguish.
What
Oh no! Oh happened,
no, no! mother?
65
His mother held out the But she explained to him why
medicine pouch. But surely
she was so concerned.
someone can go
Look! your father Your father gets blinding headaches and give it to him.
forgot these! So what. which are cured only with these pills.
You are such Now he is leading the caravan and
a worry they all depend on him.
wort, mother.
Oh no!
Who can do that?

All the men have
gone with the
caravan.
It was only for a moment that Fudi hesitated. Then But Fudi had been waiting for such a
he put his arms around his mother to comfort her.. chance and preparing in secret.
How can you?
Look, mother! I have this map of
Don’t worry mother! You’ll get lost.
the desert and a blue veil too.
I’ll go. I’ll catch the
too.
salt caravan.
Fudi had a goat skin map in hand.
His mother began to relent. Indeed, the oldest camel of their herd had
been left behind as he was feeble.
Not all, we have Fudi, he is so old and
But all the feeble. He’s the worst.
camels are one left. He is a
gone! seasoned desert
traveller.
But so experienced
on the salt caravan
trail. He’s the best!
66
Glossary
tribe (n) : family, a group of people

sprightly (adj) : lively
vigour (n) : activeness
caravan (n) : a group of people travelling together in a desert
precious (adj) : valued
harsh (adj) : rough
edge (n) : border, outline
routine (n) : habitual, usual
pouch (n) : a small bag
anguish (n) : pain
hesitate (v) : pause/ to stop for a while
relent (v) : soften in feeling
feeble (adj) : weak
trail (n) : a path
Comprehension
1. What did Fudi always want to do?
2. How did Fudi get a chance to go on a camel back?

3. How did Fudi prepare himself even before he got a chance to go on
camel back?
67
4. Do you think his mother would allow him to go?
II. Who said these words to whom?
Sl. No. Sentences spoken Who spoke to whom

1. “We shall name him Fudi.”
2. “What’s in the bags, father?”
3. “Look! Your father forgot these!”
4. “You will go, my son, when you
are sixteen.”
5. “Don’t worry, mother! I will go.”
6. “But all the camels are gone.”
7. “He is a seasoned desert traveller.”
III. Match the following and write sentences using the phrases.
1. harsh headaches
2. precious tent
3. blinding veil
4. goat hair sun
5. blue young lad
6. sprightly cargo
68
B.B. Reading
Reading
Fudi’s Desert Journey - Part II
The next day his mother made enough food to last Aided by the map and compass, Fudi set out.
him a few days. She also gave him a pouch to carry The sun became hotter and the wind blew faster.
carefully along with an old compass.
Go, my son! This will Don’t worry
help you to keep on mother, I’ll do fine!
track.
My clothes are all sticky

and sweaty. This desert
wind is lashing my face.
The force of the storm swept him off the camel and
On the way he saw a
for a long time he was hanging on the side of the
strange sight. animal.
What’s that? Looks like
a spinning top! Oh no!
It’s a whaoooo!
It was a spinning
After what seemed to be ages, he found
wind storm.
himself almost under a pile of sand.
Then it happened!
Staggering up with effort, Fudi realised that his map
and compass were now lost and so was he! Why, we are sinking
down! Whoooooooh!
Now let me see! Father
did teach me how to
follow the sun.
They had hit a patch of quick sand that softly

Fudi forged ahead, a little unsure of his path.
sucked them in.
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Down, the camel sunk deeper. He heaved with all his
Fudi managed to jump clear. might but with no effect. Fudi suddenly had an idea.
Oh no! Now, how do I I’ll pile the saddle

rescue the camel? Let me and saddle bags
get hold of the rope. behind him!
Standing behind the camel, on the

heaped up bags Fudi pushed hard. Fudi then wearily climbed back on the camel.
We’ve tried my way. Now
let’s try yours! You go
Heave ho! ahead and find the salt
route.
Fudi made a mental mark of

Atlast the camel heaved itself out the low sand area so that he
of the sand and lurched forward. could avoid it in future.
A little ahead, two horse riders came storming towards him. They had black veils and swords held aloft.
Oh no desert
pirates!
Halt! What do
you have on
you?
70
Fudi knew they would not Come on Fudi spotted the quick sand patch
believe he had nothing. let’s go! and cleverly led the pirates to it.
So he made the camel turn Come
around with a gallop. on!
The camel sensed the

urgency and galloped.
The horses stopped abruptly and...
... the pirates tumbled into ...and sank deeper into the quick Six hot hours later, he spotted palm
the sand pell-mell... sand. trees ahead.
It had better not

be a mirage!
Ha ha!
saved by
the sand.
As he rode ahead, he heard the welcome

sound of spring water and spotted camels
and men. He had reached!
He found his father and handed over the precious pouch of medicine. But he got no answer. Exhausted and
His father hugged him and asked him a hundred questions. happy, Fudi had fallen fast asleep.
How did you get here?

Did you have a map?
71
Glossary
enough (adj) : sufficient

lash (v) : beat
staggering (v) : walking slowly
forged (v) : went along
rescue(v) : save from danger
heaved (v) : pulled up
lurched (v) : moved forward with a jerk
wearily (adv) : tired
pirates (n) : robbers at sea or in a desert
gallop (v) : run like a horse
pellmell (adv) : disorder
mirage (n) : false appearance of a pool of water in a
desert
exhausted (v) : got tired completely
Comprehension

1. Why did Fudi cover his face?
2. What do you understand by the expression ‘spinning wind storm’?
What happened as a result of the spinning storm?
3. What other difficulties did Fudi face during his travel?
4. How was the old camel helpful to Fudi during his journey?
72
II. Fudi faced many difficulties during his travel. Here is a list of those
difficulties. Arrange them in the order in which they took place. One
is done for you.
• A spinning windstorm swept Fudi away. ( )
• A gang of pirates tried to attack Fudi. ( )
• Desert winds lashed Fudi’s face. (1 )
• Fudi lost his map and compass. ( )
• A patch of quick sand softly sucked Fudi in. ( )
Vocabulary
I. Fudi was born in a nomadic tribe of Africa. He lived in a desert in

the central Sahara.
Write all the words/phrases related to the desert from the story.
quick
sand
desert
II. Write a word or phrase for each of the following descriptions.

1. A group of people travelling together in a desert _______________
2. A piece of cloth worn over the face for protection ______________
3. Exchanging things with each other ________________________
4. A person who robs others or commits violence at sea or in a desert
________________
5. An instrument for finding directions _______________________
73
Grammar
I. Read the following sentence from the story.

“As the time went by, the caravan became bigger, the goods better
and both Fudi and his father grew older.’
The words ‘bigger, better and older’ are used to compare two
things in terms of the same qualities/properties. The word ‘bigger’ talks
about size, ‘better’ talks about quality and ‘older’ talks about age.
These words are formed by adding ‘-er’ or by doubling the last
letter and then adding ‘-er’ to the describing words to get the comparative
forms. Some times a new word may also be used as a comparative.
example: old - older
big - bigger
good - better
Find some more comparatives from the story and write them in your
note book.
II. Read how the boys are boasting. Add appropriate comparatives
to complete the conversation.
Venu: We have a house________ than a
coconut tree.
Chintu: That’s nothing. Our house is

_______ than a palace.
Venu: Is that all? We have a tortoise that runs

_____________ than a horse.
74
Chintu: Fine then, we have a donkey that sings_____________ than a
bird.
Teacher: Stop talking non-sense or I’ll make you write a composition

__________ than a novel.
Writing
I. At the end of the story, Fudi’s father hugged him and asked him a
hundred questions. But he got no answer. Fudi fell asleep as he was
exhausted. He woke up in the morning.
What will his father ask him and what will Fudi say?
Write the possible conversation below.
Father : _________________________________________
Fudi : _________________________________________
Father : _________________________________________
Fudi : _________________________________________
Father : _________________________________________
II. Write a description of any place or village you may have visited.
You may use the following clues.
1. Which place/village did you visit? When was it?

2. What did you see there?
3. What did you like there?
4. Did you notice anything special there?
75
C. Reading
C. Reading
Recite the song given below.
Travelling, Travelling
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently round the lake.
Travelling, travelling on the water,
Boats are what you take.
Drive, drive, drive your car,

Have a merry cruise.
Travelling, travelling on the road,
Cars are what you use.
Fly, fly, fly your plane,

High up in the air.
Travelling, travelling through the sky,
Planes will get you there.
Chug, chug, chug your train

Chug along the track.
Travelling, travelling on the rails,
Trains go there and back.
Stamp, stamp, stamp your feet,

Stamp them on the ground.
Travelling, travelling on your feet,
Walk to get around!
-Anonymous
76
Comprehension

1. Who do you think the poet is? Why?
2. How is travelling fun?
3. How would you like to travel? Why?
II. Match the phrases given below with the appropriate phrases given
in the box. You may choose as many possible ways as you think
right. You may add a few more from your experience.
1. Row your boat along the track.
2. Fly your plane on the ground.
3. Drive your car in the air.
4. Chug your train round the lake.
5. Stamp your feet for a merry cruise.
Example: Row your boat for a merry cruise. Row your boat round the
lake.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
77
Project Work
I. What are the different places you would like to visit? List their names
below:
Places I would like to travel
1. 5.
2. 6.
3. 7.
4. 8.
II. Work in groups and talk about the reason, why do you want to
visit these places. Prepare a wall chart with the places and reasons.
Read and tick (3

I listened to the conversation, understood and
talked about it.
I have read and understood the text, ‘Fudi’s
Desert Journey, Part 1&II’ .
I have understood the usage of comparatives.
I have understood and enjoyed the song,
‘Travelling, Travelling’.
1. a conversation between Fudi and his
Father.
2. a description of a place I have
visited.
78
6
The Colourless Tiger
1. Where are the tigers in the pictures?

2. Which of them do you think may be happy? Why?
Listen to the narration read by your teacher and answer the

questions below.
1. Why are the children excited?
2. What is the special attraction of the zoo? Why?
3. How would you feel if you were put in a cage?
79
A. Reading

Once upon a time, there was a colourless tiger. All his shades were
greys, blacks and whites. So much so, that he seemed like something out of
an old black and white movie. His lack of colour had made him very famous.
People who saw him exclaimed ‘How strange the tiger is!’ The world’s
greatest painters came to the zoo to try to put on some colour on him.
None of them could do it. Oh, the colours would always just drip down
off his skin!
Then came Van Cough the crazy painter. He was a strange guy who
travelled all about, happily painting with his brush. He never used any real
paint, canvas or paper. He painted the air. That’s why they called him Van
Cough (after the name of the great painter ‘Van Gogh’)
He entered the tiger’s cage and began whispering something in the animal’s
ear. He also moved his dry brush up and down the tiger’s body. And to
80
everyone’s surprise, the tiger’s skin started to take on colour. The tiger’s
skin took very bright colours. Van Cough spent a long time whispering to
the animal, and making some changes to his painting. The result was truly
beautiful.
Everyone who was watching said, “What a beautiful tiger it has
become now!” They wanted to know what the painter’s secret was. He
explained to them that his brush was good only for painting real life. To do
that he needed no colours. He had managed to paint the tiger using a sentence
which he kept on whispering in its ear:
“In just a few days you will be free again, you shall see.”
The zoo officials understood how sad the tiger had been in the zoo.
Now the tiger seemed joyful at the thought of freedom. They took him to a
forest and set him free. The happy tiger thought, “I would never again lose
my colour.”
81
Glossary
shades (n) : colours

drip down (v.phr) : fall off
crazy (adj) : unusual
whispering (v) : speaking in a very low voice
officials (n) : persons responsible for an office (here; the
zoo)
Comprehension

1. Why was the tiger famous?
2. Do you think Van Cough was really a crazy painter? Why?
3. What did Van Cough do while painting the tiger?
4. Why did the zoo officials leave the tiger in a forest?
5. Do you think the tiger would lose its colour again? Why?
II. Read the following sentences. Correct the false statements and
write them in your note book.
1. The colourless tiger seemed like something out of a black and white
movie.
2. The world’s greatest painters could put some colour on the colourless
tiger.
3. Van Cough painted happily using real paint and canvas.
4. Van Cough brought colour to the tiger using the idea of freedom.
5. The zoo officials understood that the tiger had been happy in the
zoo.
82
Vocabulary
I. Read the following sentences from the story.

‘Then came Van Cough, the crazy painter. He was a strange guy who
travelled all about.’
Observe the phrases ‘crazy painter’ and ‘strange guy’. The word ‘crazy’
describes the noun ‘painter’ and the word ‘strange’ describes the noun
‘guy’. These describing words are called adjectives.
Pick out some more adjectives from the story and write them below.
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
II. Read the paragraph given below. Replace the underlined adjectives
with any other suitable adjective you like.
It was June 4, a day before The World Environment Day. Rashid was ready
for the painting competition at school. He is very good at drawing. He
drew the picture of a thick forest with naughty monkeys, big elephants,
long-necked giraffes and royal tigers. There were beautiful peacocks, scary
crocodiles, white cranes, green parrots and majestic lions too.
Grammar
I. Look at the following sentences taken from the text.

1. How strange the tiger is!
2. Oh, the colours would always just drip down off his skin!
3. What a beautiful tiger it has become now!
The above sentences express sudden emotions like surprise,
disappointment, and wonder. These sentences end with an exclamation
mark (!). Such sentences are called Exclamatory Sentences.
83
Read the following paragraph and pick out the exclamatory
sentences and write them in the given blanks with an exclamatory
mark (!)
Last summer, I went to Hyderabad with my family. What a big city

it was. We visited many places there. How busy the roads were.
There were many vendors going here and there and selling things.
The most wonderful place we visited was the Charminar. “Wow,
how beautiful the Charminar is” I said to myself. Finally, we
returned home with a lot of memories.
1. ____________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________
II. What would you say in the following situations?

1. You meet / see a very tall boy more than 8 feet high.
2. You open the door and see your friend after a very long time.
3. You open your bag and find it empty.
4. You won one lakh rupees in a T.V show.
5. Your school team won the match.
84
Writing
I. Describe the picture given here.

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
II. Krishna went to the zoo with his parents. There he saw a tiger in a cage.
It seemed to be sad.
If the tiger could talk, what
would it say?
What would Krishna ask
the tiger?
Why do you think the tiger
is sad?
Where would the tiger like
to go?
Write the possible
conversation between the tiger and Krishna?
Tiger : .……..………………………………………………………..
Krishna : .……..………………………………………………………..
Tiger : .……..………………………………………………………..
Krishna : .……..………………………………………………………..
85
B. Reading
His Last Message

This is odd and so it would seem
The tiger spoke to me in my dream.
“Tonight I’ll prophesy,
That if I die,
The forest will die.
If forests die,
The death of the planet isn’t
far.
So please see to it I don’t end
up
In the Skin Market,
In the Bone Bazaar.
- Keki N Daruwalla
Comprehension

1. How many speakers do you think are there in the poem? Who are
they?
2. According to the tiger,what would happen if it dies?
3. What is the tiger’s request to people?
86
87
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OFFENDING COMMAND: image
STACK:
-mark-
-savelevel-
7 Ekalavya
1. Who do you think is the man under the tree? What is he doing?
2. What is the difference between your school and the school you
see in the picture?
Listen to the introduction read by your teacher and answer the
1. What is the passage about?
2. Who was Dronacharya?
a. a Kaurava c. a guru
b. a Pandava d. a prince
3. What do you like about your school? Talk about your school in
your class.
91
A. Reading
Ekalavya
Dronacharya was the royal teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas
of Hastinapura. He was the master of archery. Arjuna, one of the Pandavas,
was his favourite student. Arjuna worked hard and carried out every
command of his guru. Dronacharya was very much pleased with Arjuna
and said, “I shall make you the greatest archer in the world.”
Ekalavya was a young and active boy. He was the son of the chief of
the jungle tribes of Nishada. One day he watched Dronacharya teaching
archery to the princes of Hastinapura in gurukula. Ekalavya wished to
learn archery. So he met Dronacharya and fell at his feet.
92
He said “O great teacher, I have come to learn archery from you.
Kindly take me as your pupil.”
Dronacharya was very pleased.
“Who are you?” Dronacharya asked.
“I am the son of the chief of the Nishadas,” said Ekalavya.
“A tribes man?” said Dronacharya, “Don’t you know, I teach only
the princes? You can go
back.”
Ekalavya was very
disheartened. He obeyed
Dronacharya and returned
to the forest. There he
made a clay image of
Dronacharya and offered
prayers everyday. He
practised archery day and
night. In no time he
became very skillful in the
art of archery. Now he could shoot arrows even in the dark just by listening
to the sound of animals.
Years passed by. One day Dronacharya, the Pandavas and the Kauravas
came to the forest with a dog, for hunting. Suddenly the dog started barking
at something. At that time an arrow came from somewhere and struck the
mouth of the dog. Another arrow followed it, and another. Seven arrows
came one after the other.
Who might have shot the arrows?
The princes were surprised. One of them said,
“Arjuna! Here is an archer more skillful than you. He has shot arrows
into the dog’s mouth just by hearing its sound.”
93
Soon, they saw a young man with a bow and arrows.
“Sir, I am Ekalavya, the son of the Nishada Chief.”
“Have you shot these arrows at the dog?”
“Yes Sir, I have.”
“Who is your guru?” said Dronacharya.
“I am your humble disciple, Sir,” said Ekalavya.
“My disciple! How can that be?” shouted Dronacharya, “When did I
teach you?”
“I made a clay image of you and practised shooting arrows,” answered
Ekalavya.
Dronacharya was excited and felt proud. But remembering his
promise to Arjuna, he had to harden his heart.
He said, “If you are my disciple, give me my Guru Dakshina!”
“I am ready to give you anything you ask for,” replied Ekalavya.
“Then give me your
right thumb,” said
Dronacharya.
Ekalavya knew that
if he cut his right thumb,
he could never shoot
arrows again. But, he
did not hesitate even for
a moment. He took an
arrow and cut off his
right thumb and placed
it at his guru’s feet.
94
Glossary
archery (n) : shooting

Nishada chief (n) : the head of the Nishada tribe
humble (adj) : polite
disciple (n) : student / pupil
royal (adj) : kingly
skilful (adj) : talented
Guru Dakshina (n) : something offered to a teacher at the end of
the course in olden days
hesitate (v) : doubt
Comprehension
1. Why did Dronacharya not accept Ekalavya as his student?
2. How did Ekalavya practise archery?
3. What did Dronacharya ask Ekalavya as Guru Dakshina? Why?
4. Which character do you like the most- Arjuna, Dronacharya or
Ekalavya? Why?
II. Tick the qualities which Ekalavya has.
hard working humble lazy skilful
disobedient kind determined arrogant
devoted obedient
95
Vocabulary
I. Read the sentences given below.
Ekalavya was a young and active boy. He was the son of the chief of
the jungle tribes of Nishada. One day he watched Dronacharya teaching
archery to the princes of Hastinapura in gurukula.
Look at the underlined words. The words ‘Ekalavya’, ‘Nishada’,

‘Dronacharya’ and ‘Hastinapura’ are the names of particular persons or
places. These are called Proper Nouns. The words ‘boy’, ‘son’, ‘chief’,
‘jungle tribes’, ‘archery’, ‘princes’ and ‘gurukula’ are the common nouns
which can be used for a class of persons, places or things.
Now, pick out proper nouns and common nouns from the story
‘Ekalavya’ and write them in your notebook.
II. Ekalavya was a humble and an obedient student. What other

qualities do you think a good student should have? Write them
below.
Qualities of a
good student
Grammar
I. Read the following sentences from the story.

1. Ekalavya met Dronacharya and fell at his feet.
Ekalavya met Dronacharya.
Ekalavya fell at his feet.
96
2. He obeyed Dronacharya and returned to the forest.
He obeyed Dronacharya.
He returned to the forest.
In the above examples, two sentences are combined into one sentence
by using ‘and’. As you can understand ‘and’ has been used to combine
actions that happened sequentially (one after the other).
Pick out similar sentences with ‘and’ from the story and write them in
your note book.
II. Combine the sentences using ‘and’ and write them in the given
blanks.
1. Rajesh took out his water bottle.
He drank water from it.
____________________________________________
2. I will go to the temple first.
I will then go to my grandpa’s house later.
_____________________________________________
3. She ran to meet her father.
She asked him why he was late.
_____________________________________________
4. Vimala likes singing.
Vimala also like dancing.
_____________________________________________
5. The post man got off his cycle.
The post man gave the letter to Aruna.
_____________________________________________
97
Writing

“A tribes man?” said Dronacharya, “Don’t you know, I teach only the
princes? You can go back.” Ekalavya was very disheartened. He obeyed
Dronacharya and returned to the forest.
What would Ekalavya be thinking at that time? Write his thoughts below.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
II. Ekalavya cut his thumb and offered it to Dronacharya. Then he

started walking back home. His father, the King of the jungle tribes
of Nishada, saw him. He came running to Ekalavya.
1. What would he ask Ekalavya?
2. What would Ekalavya answer?
3. Write the possible conversation between Ekalavya and his
father.
Father : Eklavya! Why is your hand bleeding?

Ekalavya : ________________________________________
Father : ________________________________________
Ekalavya : ________________________________________
Father : ________________________________________
Ekalavya : ________________________________________
98
Oral Skills
Read the following conversation from the story.

“ I am the son of the chief of the Nishadas,” said Ekalavya.
This is how Ekalavya introduced himself in the story.
Look at the profile given below.
Sl.No Name Father’s name
1. Arjuna Pandu Raju

2. Dhuryodhana Dhrutharastra
3. Bhima Pandu Raju
4. Sri Krishna Vasudeva
5. Abhimanyu Arjuna
6. Draupadi Drupada
7. Subhadra Balaram
8.
If you were the characters given in the above profile, how

would you introduce yourself? Form a pair with your friend
and introduce yourself (by taking turn, using I am the son of .../
I am the daughter of .../ I am the sister of ...)
Fun Time
Q: What did the pen say to the pencil?
A: So, what’s your point!
Q: What object is the king of the classroom?
A: The ruler.
99
B. Reading
Our Lips and Ears

If your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care:
Of whom you speak,
To whom you speak,
And how and when and where.
If your ears would save from jeers,
These things keep meekly hid:
Myself and I
And mine and my
And how I do and did.
-Anonymous
100
Glossary
jeers (n) : rude speech

meek (adj) : gentle
Comprehension

1. What care do we need to take while speaking?
2. What are the ways suggested to escape from being laughed at?
II. Pick out phrases from the poem that suggest ‘talking too much of
oneself’ and write them below.
101
C. Reading
Honesty
While coming back from the school, Chinna went to Chacha’s shop
at the corner of the street. He wanted to buy some bells for his pet dog
Tommy. Chacha showed him some beautiful tinkling bells. Chinna liked
them a lot. He put his hand in his pocket and said, “Oh, where is the
money grandfather gave me yesterday?” He was shocked to find the money
missing. He searched all the pockets but did not find his money. Feeling
disappointed, he gave the bells back to Chacha and started walking home.
Kamala saw Chinna coming home. He seemed to be sad and angry.
Chinna kicked his shoes to a corner. Stamping his feet, he went into the
study room and dumped the school bag on the table and laid his head on
the table.
Kamala, who has been watching all this, came to Chinna and asked,
“What happened Chinna? Why are you so sad?” Kamala laid her hands
gently on his shoulders.
At once Chinna got up,
hugged his mother and
started crying. After a
while, he wiped his tears
with the shirt sleeves and
told her about the
missing money.
“Very sorry dear.
It’s ok, don’t cry. I’ll
give you money to buy
the bells. But, be careful
with money hereafter,”
said Kamala.
102
“Sure Amma,” said Chinna smiling.
“That’s like my boy! Cheer up! Now, let’s go to the market to buy
some fruits and vegetables,” said Kamala.
Kamala and Chinna went to the market. They bought apples, grapes,
tomatoes and brinjals. Chinna wanted pine apples too. So they went to the
pine apple store.
“What is the cost of the pine apples?” Kamala asked.
“Twenty rupees each,” said the fruit seller.
Kamala bought two of them and gave him a fifty rupee note. She
told Chinna to take the remaining change and moved on. The fruit seller
gave Chinna, a twenty rupee note. Chinna ran to his mother.
103
“Amma, you know, the fruit seller gave ten rupees extra by mistake.
Can I buy chocolates with the money?” whispered Chinna.
“Chinna, that’s very bad. It is stealing. How did you feel when you
found your money missing?”
“Felt very sad and angry!” said Chinna.
“The fruit seller will also feel the same when he comes to know.
Now be a good boy,” said Kamala.
Chinna looked at his mother thoughtfully and ran to the fruit seller
to return his money.
Comprehension

1. Why was Chinna sad and angry? How did Chinna express his anger?
2. Kamala said, “Chinna, that’s very bad. It is stealing….” Was Kamala
right? Why?
3. What do you learn from the story?
Project Work
Read the instructions given below and make a paper rabbit of your
own.
104
1. Take a square sheet of paper and fold it in half as shown below:
2. Fold the paper again upwards:
3. Cut the paper as shown below:
4. Fold the flaps downwards as shown in the picture:
105
5. Draw its eyes on both sides and expand the pockets to show its
ears:
II. Now, write how you have made the paper rabbit.
I took a square sheet of paper.

_________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Read and tick (33) in the appropriate box.
about it.
1.‘Ekalavya’.
2.‘Honesty’.
I understood how to combine ideas using
‘and’.
‘Our Lips and Ears’.
1. a description of Ekalavya’s thoughts.
2. a conversation between Ekavyalavya
and his father.
106
8
My Letters, My Memories
1. What are the people in the pictures doing?

2. Which one of these actions do you like the most and why?
3. What are the other ways of sending messages?
Listen to the story read by your teacher and answer the questions
given below.
1. How did Damayanthi express her love?

2. What other way could she have sent the message to Nala?
3. What are the different ways of sending messages nowadays?
Talk about them.
107
A. Reading
Mr. Narayan Rao’s house is full with his son’s family. They came
there on a week’s holiday after a long time. It is a remote place, his home
town where Mr.Rao is living after his retirement. Koushik and Rushika
are his grandchildren; running up and down, hiding here and there, and
going to every nook and corner.
“Koushik, dear. Can you bring an inland cover from the post office?
I want to write a letter to my dear friend Purna Rao, who lives in Pune,”
said Narayan Rao.
Koushik stopped running for a second and said, “Hey! Grand

pa...everybody is using a mobile phone. Why don’t you talk to your friend
on phone?” Mr. Rao came closer to him, held his shoulders and said, “Hello
108
young boy! You may be in a fast age, but my letter is important to me. It’s
for a good friend of mine”.
“See, grand pa…you have to spend some time to write and it takes
at least one week to reach your friend. His reply reaches you after another
ten days…a long time! You can make a call and talk to him and get the
information early. Why this waiting and wasting of time?” Koushik
exclaimed.
Mr. Rao slowly bent and sat in his armed chair. He leaned back
removing his spectacles. He said, “Can you bring down my old box from
the upper shelf in my bedroom?”
What is there in the box? Guess.
The boy mounted a chair as quickly as a lizard and brought the box
down. “What does it contain?” he murmured and tried to open it. His
sister snatched it from his hands and ran away. Noticing the worry of his
grandfather, the boy ran after her and brought it back.
Mr. Rao took it into his hands and said, “My little boy, come I’ll
show you a few precious memories of my life.” He opened the box and
picked up a bunch of some old letters. He turned to the boy and said,
“These are the sweetest memories your grandmother left for me. Look,
109
these are the memories from my friends. Look at this…it is a letter of
praise sent by our Military Commander. I can recall those happy moments
of my life only through these letters. Those memories are still alive in
them. These are my treasures of happiness. I will never ignore them. A
phone call may keep you happy at that moment, but these memories are
ever lasting.”
Koushik picked up a letter and read it curiously. He travelled in his
mind into the past and saw his grandfather as a young military man. The
boy imagined the incidents of those days. He stared at his grandfather for a
minute. He was reading the letter of appreciation from his officer, with
his eyes shining and hands twisting up his moustache.
What is the boy thinking now?
The family travelled back to Hyderabad after their holidays. Few
days passed.
The bicycle bell rang in front of Mr. Rao’s house. “Mr. Rao, you’ve
got a letter,” shouted the postman. Mr. Rao walked as quickly as possible
110
to receive it, thinking it was a letter from his old friend. To his surprise it
was not from him. He opened it. His eyes became wide and wet on seeing
the contents. The letter went like this:
“Dear Grandpa…
You are right. Letter writing is old-fashioned, but letters capture the
past and preserve them for the future. I read your letters and found the
same kind of memories of yours with my father. I saw the love and care
you gave my father. I read about the childish acts of my father and the love
of my grandfather. While reading those letters, I came to know the hardships
you faced during those days.
Those letters filled my heart with joy. They gave me the feeling of
meeting dear ones and hugging loved ones. Letters are real treasure of our
memories.
Your loving grandson,
Koushik.”
Glossary
nook and corner (adv.phr) : all the places in a building

era (n) : a period in history
mounted (v) : climbed
murmured (v) : spoke in a low voice
precious (adj) : of great value
ignore (v) : not to take notice of
curiously (adv) : with interest
preserve (v) : keep safe
treasures (n) : valuable memories
111
Comprehension

1. How did the grandfather try to explain the value of letters?
2. How would Mr. Rao feel if he lost his old letters?
3. What did Koushik realize after reading the old letters?
4. Do you think Koushik will now use letters also to contact people?
Give reasons?
II. Arrange the events in the order that they happened in the story.
a. Narayan Rao opened the box. ( )
b. Koushik came from Hyderabad. ( )
c. Narayan Rao showed the letters. ( )
d. Koushik was not willing to go to the post office. ( )
e. Koushik wrote a letter to his grandpa. ( )
f. Koushik realized the importance of writing letters. ( )
Vocabulary
I. Read the following sentence.

“Grandfather’s letter filled Koushik’s heart with joy.”
How would you feel in the following situations?
1. Your father shouts at you in the presence of your friend.
2. Your teacher always praises your friend who you think is not as good
as you are.
3. You have failed in the examination.
4. You saw a snake under your bed.
5. Someone slapped you.
6. You won a prize.
112
You may use the words from the box given below.
happy sad insulted scared
jealous disappointed surprised angry
II. Look at the pictures and make comparisons using ‘as …. as’.
Use the clues given below.
(high, beautiful, big, fast, strong)
1. The man is as strong as iron.
2. The___________________ the Everest.
3. The____________________ an angel.
4. The______________________ a palace.
5. The______________________ a train.
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Grammar
I. Read the sentences given below.
I can recall those happy moments.

Can you bring down my old box?
Look at the word ‘can’. Does it give the same meaning in both the
sentences?
In the first sentence the word ‘can’ talks about ability. In the second
sentence, ‘can’ talks about request.
Pick out sentences with similar usage of ‘can’ from the story you have
read.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
II. Read the pairs of sentences. What do they express - request or

ability? Write in the blanks given below.
1. Can I borrow your bicycle? ————————————
I can teach how to swim. ————————————
2. He can speak many languages. ————————————
Can I come with you to have lunch at Hotel Savera? ———
3. Can I take your book? ————————————
Raju can walk long distances without getting tired. ————
114
Writing
I. Describe the action happening in each of the following pictures

in a sentence.
1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
3. _____________________________
4. _____________________________
5. _____________________________
115
II. Fill the word web by using the information in the letter you have
read in the story. Use the clues given here.
1. How did the boy greet the receiver of the letter?
2. How did he end the letter?
3. What was the letter about?
4. Who wrote it?
5. What else do you need in the letter?
III. Imagine yourself as Koushik. Write a letter to your friend describing

your experience of having read your grand father’s letter.
116
B. Reading
Riddles
?
I am your old friend
Keep me as long as you can
Meet me when you get bored
I rewind your past.
?
I am your new trend
Hold me as long as you talk
Dial me when you want
I connect your world very fast.
I am your latest legend

See me as long as you search
Touch me when you need
I bring home all your guests.
Comprehension
?
1. Who are the speakers in the above riddles?
2. Find out a few more riddles and tell them to your classmates.
3. Sit in groups and write a few riddles about the things that you see
around you.
117
C. Reading
The Blind Boy

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat at his feet.
He held up a sign board which said:
‘I am blind. Please help.’
There were only a few coins in the
hat. A man was walking by. He took a
few coins from his pocket and dropped
them into the hat. He then took the sign,
turned it around, and wrote some words.
He put the sign board back so that
everyone who walked by would see the
new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A
lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had changed the sign board came to
see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked him.
“Were you the one who changed my sign board this morning? What
did you write there?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said, but in a
different way. I wrote:
Today is a beautiful day, but I
cannot see it.
Both messages told people that the boy
was blind. But the first one simply said
that the boy was blind. The second one
told the people that they were blessed
not to be blind. Should we be surprised
that the second message was more
effective?
- Fazeel Gareeboo
118
Comprehension
1. How did the man help the boy?
2. What is the difference between the first message and the second one?
II. Read the following pairs of sentences. Talk with your friends and
decide which sentence is more appropriate.
For making a request:
a. Give me a blue pen.
b. Could you please give me a blue pen?
For giving instructions in polite way.
a. This school is yours. Keep it clean.

b. Do you think it is wise to throw rubbish in the school premises?
a. Switch off your cell phone.

b. Thank you for not using your cell phone.
Project Work
I. Here are some expressions that are used in several public places.
• Beware of dogs.
• No parking.
• Please observe silence.
• Out side food not allowed.
• Don’t go near animals.
119
Work in groups and discuss -
1. What does each one mean?
2. Where each one of them is used?
Write a few expressions like the above for the following situations.
• You do not want your classmates to throw waste in the classroom.
• You want the children to stand in a queue.
• You do not want water being wasted at the taps in your school.

Read and tick (3

about it.
1.‘My Letters, My Memories’.
2.‘The Blind Boy’.
I understood the different usages of ‘can’.
I understood and enjoyed the riddles.
1. the descriptions of the given pictures.
2. a letter to a friend.
120
Appendix I
Texts for Listening
Unit 1
The Pancake
Your food is not your food

In your plate.
Until you hold it
In your hand
Your food is not your food
In your hand.
Until you put it
In your mouth,
Until you swallow it.
Unit 2
It was Saturday. A cart with ringing bells entered the village. Hearing the bells people
came out of their houses. They saw the cart which always came to make announcements.
It stopped in the middle of the main street and made the announcement.
Brothers and Sisters!
Good news! Great offer only for you! This Sunday only. This Sunday's market
is going to be a special one. It has many attractions. Get a variety of things at very low
prices. Buy any two things and get one free. Don't miss this Sunday's market. You can
not only buy but also sell your goods.
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Good news! Great offer only for you and your family. Remember this
Sunday.
Don't miss. Don't miss the golden chance.
Unit 3
A farmer had some puppies to sell. He put his sign board on the edge of his farm.
One day a boy came to his farm and said, "Mister, I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well", said the farmer, "These puppies are from a fine breed and cost a
good deal of money."
The boy pulled out a handful of rupees from his pocket and said, "Is this
enough?"
"Sure," said the farmer. He let out a whistle and called, "Here, Dolly!"
Out from the dog house, Dolly ran down the ramp followed by four puppies.
The boy was delighted on seeing them. He also noticed a little pup trying at its best
to catch up.
'I want that one,' the little boy said pointing to the weakest pup. The farmer
knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, that puppy cannot run and play with you
like other puppies."
The boy rolled up one of his trousers. He revealed his artificial limb and
said, "You see sir, I don't run too well either. And the pup will need someone who
understands."
Unit 4
The Unlucky Face
"Hirachand! How many times have I told you not to come out early in the morning?" shouted
Sundar.
"Why…what happened?" asked Hirachand puzzled.
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"Yesterday, my brother saw your face early in the morning and fell ill. He couldn't eat anything
throughout the day."
"How am I responsible for that?"
"Aren't you? Wait… I will complain to the King."
"What for?"
"To ask the King to order you not to show your face to people early in the morning."
Unit 5
Fudi's Desert Journey
Children!
In a nomadic tribe of Africa, there was a happy family. The birth of a child added to the
happiness. The child's grandmother took the child into her hands. All the other family
members gathered around.
"Wah, how beautiful the child is!"
"Grandma! Look at his eyes. They are shining as bright as stars."
"Aren't they his mother's?"
"Let me touch his fingers… so soft and tiny!"
"Be careful. He is a new born."
"Look at his smile. It's his grandfather's, isn't it?"
"Ha… very charming!"
"Grandma! Why don't you give him a name?"
"I want to give him his grandfather's name."
"FUDI… that's a good idea."
"Fudi… Fudi… look at me."
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Unit 6
The school bus stopped at the zoo gate. The student got down shouting, "Let's go in to
the zoo." Inside the zoo, a guide came to them. "Come children, I'll take you round the
zoo." The children were excited at the thought of watching real animals.
The guide started showing them wild animals in cages and talked about them. Suddenly
he stopped and said, "Children! I have a great surprise for you. Have you ever seen a
colourless tiger?"
"A colourless tiger!" shouted the children.
"Yes, a colourless tiger. That is our zoo's special attraction."
Unit 7
Ekalavya
Children, do you want to know how schools in olden days were? I will tell you how
they were. Those schools were called gurukulas. The teacher was guru or acharya.
The students were shishyas. Do you want to know what subjects they learnt there?
Students learnt Languages, Mathematics, History, Geography and Arts like fighting,
wrestling and shooting arrows.
Long ago there was a guru named Dronacharya. He was a royal teacher. He
taught only princes. He was the guru of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Pandavas
were five namely; Dharma Raja, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Kauravas were
hundred; Duryodhana, Dushasana and so on. Among the shishyas, Arjuna was
Dronacharya's favourite student. Do you know why? Arjuna always worked hard. He
obeyed his guru and was excellent at shooting.
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Unit 8
Children! Do you know how people use to send messages thousands of years ago?
Would you like to know? Listen to this story.
Damayanthi was a beautiful young princess. One day she sat by a pond, lost in thoughts.
A swan walked up to her and called her "Damayanthi!.
Damayanthi was thrilled to hear a swan talking. The swan spoke about a handsome
prince Nala… about his handsomeness, his braveness and his kindness. Damayanthi
fell in love with Nala.
She wanted to express her love. Damayanthi wrote a letter to Nala. Do you know what
she did then? Damayanthi tied the letter to the swan's leg. The swan flew along with
the letter. It carried the letter to Nala. Nala untied the letter from the swan's leg… and
read it. The letter expressed Damayanthi's love for him. He felt happy and later on
they got married.
125
Appendix II
A Note to the Teacher

The new textbooks in English have been developed basing on National Curriculum
Framework (NCF) 2005 and A.P. State Curriculum Framework (APSCF) 2011 and they
are in tune with Right To Education (RTE) 2009. They envisage a shift in the teaching
paradigm in the sense that the focus is on knowledge and language construction rather
than the reproduction of a given set of information.
The textbook for class IV has been developed keeping the following as the learning
outcomes expected from the learners at the end of the academic year.
Learning outcomes expected at the end of the course
We expect the learners in class IV to listen to narratives, descriptions, songs and
dialogues, read them and construct the following discourses both orally and in the written
form.
1. Descriptions (objects, persons and places, experience)
2. Conversations with at least two exchanges related to their likes, dislikes, needs,
etc.
3. Story containing events and dialogues
4. Rhymes / songs 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212
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Note: Use Teacher’s Handbook for effective
5. Slogans 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212
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classroom transaction.
6. Posters 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212
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7. Messages
Salient Features of the new Textbooks
You may have noticed that the new textbook has a few features which make it different
from the one that we have been using.
Units are thematically organized with passages meant for listening and reading.
activities are focus on comprehension, expansion of vocabulary and building up
grammar consciousness.
Efforts have been taken to ensure that the learners get holistic input of language
rather fragmentary one, in terms of language elements, vocabulary items, etc.
Vocabulary and grammar exercises have been contextually embedded avoiding
de-contextualised treatment.
A few questions and activities have been included from the point of view of
continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE). They do not target on any fixed
126
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responses; instead they demand the learners to use language authentically by way
of expressing themselves orally and in writing. The comprehension questions,
vocabulary and grammar exercise, reading and listening are all stepping stones
for the learners to gain proficiency in language and as such are not goals by
themselves.
The Classroom Process
The general design of classroom transaction will be something like the following:
The Pre-Reading Session
1. The teacher interacts with the learners in an informal way in order to instil in
them a sort of communication expectancy so that they are psychologically tuned
to involve in the activities that follow. The picture given in the beginning of the
unit can be used as a trigger for sensitizing the learners on the theme around
which the lessons in the unit have been woven. The interaction based on this
picture will serve as warm up for engaging the learners in the activities that follow.
The teacher can ask a few analytical questions that will elicit individual perceptions
on the picture.
2. The second picture in the beginning of the unit is related to the listening input
given to the learners. The interaction based on the picture will help the learners
comprehend the passage presented to them orally. Individual perceptions and
divergent thinking on the part of the learners are the prime focus of the interaction
at this stage.
3. This is followed by the presentation of a narrative which will further sensitize
the learners on the theme. The narrative makes the major listening input for the
learners. The passage for listening has been given at the end of the book.
4. This is followed by a few more analytical questions eliciting free responses of
the learners. Moreover, these questions will help the learners make intelligent
predictions on what they are going to read.
Reading
The next language module to be transacted is reading. This involves a number of micro-
processes:
1. Individual reading: Note that children have already made some intelligent
prediction on the content of the passage. They will be making an earnest attempt
to check whether their prediction is borne true. Reading in this sense is need-
based and is an intrinsically motivated activity. Of course they will be confronting
with a few barriers, caused by the unfamiliar words or structural complexities.
127
127
2. Collaborative reading: Children sit in groups and share their reading experience
within the group in terms of things like the following:
What they understood from the passage they read
What they did not understand
The parts that they liked most in the passage
3. This is followed by sharing of ideas with other groups with the facilitator’s
mediation. Sometimes a glossary or dictionary will be made use of.
4. When collaborative reading is over the facilitator asks a few questions related to
the passage. These are not meant for checking comprehension. Instead, they are
questions of an analytical nature such as reflective questions, inferential questions,
cause-consequence questions and so on. These questions help the learners
assimilate the text by virtue of localising and personalising it.
5. The facilitator can read the passage aloud which will help the learners make better
sense of the reading passage. Moreover, the teacher’s reading will serve as a
listening input for the learners in terms of some of the articulation features.
6. A mind mapping activity may be carried out which will act as a tool for teaching
the thinking process of learners. They can describe the mind maps they have
developed.
The Post Reading Session
The major activity of the post-reading session is the construction of a discourse by the
learners. By virtue of the inputs they have received through listening and reading they
are in a position to take up a task which demands them to construct a specific discourse
(conversation, description, story, etc.). Each discourse calls for a specific process without
which the learners will not be able to construct it. The micro- process of discourse
construction ensures
individual construction,
presentation by a few individuals,
sharing in group for refinement,
presentation by the groups,
and the presentation of the facilitator’s version of the targeted discourse.
Editing
The discourses constructed by the learners (whether individually or in groups) may
have certain errors in them. These errors may be related to syntax or morphology or
cutting across both. In addition to these there may be punctuation or spelling errors.
These are to be rectified for which there is a meticulous process of editing. This is not
a slot for teaching grammar. The learners are sensitized on these errors by evoking their
128
128
intuitive sense of well-formed structures which works like a conscious monitor. Note
that this sense is to be acquired non-consciously and not by learning grammatical facts
consciously.
The post reading session also includes some activities meant for the expansion of
vocabulary and the strengthening of specific aspects of grammar. However, these activities
are not meant for teaching any grammatical points explicitly. Both vocabulary and
grammar are contextually embedded.
Addressing Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing

Traditional classrooms give a lot of importance to the writing skills of learners. The
underlying assumption is that skills can be developed through practice which in due
course will lead to the mastery of language. However, a major chunk of the writing task
assigned to children comprises of
Writing answers to comprehension questions;
Doing de-contextualized exercises involving vocabulary and structural items;
Writing guided compositions (letter writing, developing story from the given
outline, etc.);
Writing copies;
This kind of writing is in a way, ‘risk-free’ because in most cases there will be only one
correct answer. Since the thrust is on practising skills most of what children are expected
to write have a direct bearing upon the information given in the textbook. This is supposed
to be necessary for avoiding or at least minimizing the possibilities of learners making
errors. This being the general situation of writing tasks undertaken by the learners there
is no point in sharing ideas with others. Therefore, there is hardly any scope for refining
one’s written work through collaboration.
Discourse Oriented Pedagogy does not address skills placing them in watertight
compartments. Instead, they are treated embedding them in the context of discourses to
be listened to, to be read and to be produced orally and in the written form by the learners;
there is wider scope for integrating skills.
Assessment
Language learning process is a continuous one and assessment is not an activity
distinct from learning. Since learning is facilitated through group discussions, pair
discussions and individually, assessment also operates at the individual level, in peers
and in groups. This will help the learners to compare their strengths and weakness and
make modifications in their learning. We propose Continuous and Comprehensive
Assessment at all levels of language learning. The thrust is on formative assessment
which can be interpreted as assessment for learning and assessment as learning which
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129
are distinct from summative assessment of learning. It is important that the teacher does
not judge the child’s nature, instead notices the inherent potential of the child as a learner
in the context of his / her nature.
As has already been pointed out the development of language skills and thinking
skills is taken care of by the various activities that are to be carried out in the class room
such as listening to and reading authentic texts and responding to them. None of the
grammatical concepts and vocabulary items is meant for de-contextualised testing as
was done in our examinations; the learning of various grammatical concepts and vocabulary
items are to be tested only by placing them in authentic discourse contexts.
Tools available for performance assessment related to a specific unit
Assessment page of Teacher’s Lesson Plan ( Teaching Manual)
Diary containing anecdotes revealing snapshots of learner achievement
Student portfolio (Collection of the work done by the individual learner)
Big books or other products evolving in groups through collaboration
Feedback collected from parents
Peer assessment tools (specific tools to be evolved)
Worksheets in a specific assessment context
Stages of Assessment
Let us see how the Unit Analysis is done for materialising Continuous Assessment. The
following stages may be useful:
1. Identifying the modules or segments (listening, reading, exercises, etc.) to be
transacted in each unit. At each stage of transaction the facilitator has to bear in
mind a few questions:
What are the competencies addressed in this segment /unit?
What are the constructs (concepts, skills, processes, attitudes, etc. ) formed
at this stage?
What activities /classroom processes are to be carried out for facilitating
the construction of knowledge at each stage?
2. Using appropriate tools for assessment with specified indicators
3. Giving proper positive feedback to the learners in the form of qualitative
statements
4. Recording assessment in terms of the indicators
You should rise above the textbook and appreciate the fact that language can be taught using
any /every material available in the classroom or outside the class room. The textbook is only a
skeleton that represents the syllabus. The teacher should give it flesh, blood, and life by bringing into
the classroom a wide variety of stimulating materials like photographs, pictures, riddles, models,
art, craft, dance, and anything under the sun that facilitates teaching learning process and makes it a
joyful experience. We hope you could do that. Happy teaching!
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cover.

My family member's names : ...............................................

My date of birth : ...............................................

My village/ town : ...............................................

My favourite food : ...............................................

My favourite TV Show : ...............................................

My favourite thing to do in school : ........................................

My favourite game : ...............................................

My favourite colour : ...............................................

My pet's name : ...............................................

When I grow up I want to be a : ...............................................

TEXTBOOK DEVELOPMENT & PUBLISHING COMMITTEE

Chief Production Officer : Sri. A. Satyanarayana Reddy

Chief Production Organiser : Sri. B. Sudhakar

Organising Incharge : Dr. N. Upender Reddy

Free Distribution by A.P. Government

1. What differences do you notice between the two pictures?

Listen to the poem read by your teacher and answer the

I. Answer the following questions.

2. How would you call your mother to please her?

1. ratty __________ 4. ________________

dear soft fool cruel

push nice kind

I. Read the following sentences taken from the story.

1. He was………..(write) when the bell …………(ring).

2. Ashok was……….(take) his bath when the postman

3. The pilgrims were………..(sleep) when the driver suddenly

4. She………..(slip) while she was ………..(climb) the ladder.

5. He………..(fall) down just as he was ………..(board) the bus.

III. Complete the following sentences with the possible actions.

Example: She was watching T.V. when the postman came.

1. I met Mr. Nagaraj when I______________________________.

2. Aruna was reading a story when _________________________.

3. While Vasu was crossing the road, _______________________.

fights - a piece of bread monkey– asks half - weighs

eats - bit by bit finish - sad

I. Answer the following questions.

2. Who is the Lollipop Lady according to you?

3. What is the Lollipop Lady expected to do?

4. Where are the children going?

5. Who do the words ‘we’ and ‘you’ refer to?

1. street - feet 2. wait - late 3. too - you

4.___________ 5.___________ 6.___________

7.___________ 8.___________ 9.___________

10.___________ 11.___________ 12.___________

The Monkeys Go Fasting

1 Biscuits wheat floor, sugar, oil, Rs. 15 3.10.12 best before

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1. What do you think is happening in the picture?

Listen to the announcement read by your teacher and answer the

The Miller, His Son and His Donkey

seems (v) : looks like

I. Answer the following questions.

2. In your opinion, which part of the story is most funny?

1. The miller, his son and the donkey were walking.

2. The boy sat on the donkey and the miller walked.

3. The miller sat on the donkey and the boy walked.

4. Both the miller and the boy sat on the donkey.

1. ratty 4. ______

4._____ 5._ 6._______

7._____ 8._ 9._______

10._____ 11._ 12._______

2. stone _ _

3. blink _ _

4. chair _ _

5. strain _ _

6. cheat _ _

4. 5. 6. _____

7. 8. 9. _____

10. _ 11. 12. ______