Let us Read

In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot had a sharp mind and often entertained the merchant with stories and songs. However, deep inside, the bird longed for the open skies and green trees.

One day, the merchant decided to travel far away for business. He thought he would do something to please his pet. He walked up to the cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you from there?”

The parrot replied, “Dear master, you look after my needs so well that I have tasted all the tender fruits and chillies. But, I want to taste the joy of flying in the sky. If you really want me to be happy, please let me fly off into the sky.”

The merchant said, “You are very dear to me and I cannot bear to let you go away. Ask for anything else.”

The bird sighed. “Since you cannot let me fly, when you see my friends in the jungle tell them that I send them greetings from my cage.”

The merchant went off on his travels. One day in a forest, he saw a flight of parrots with the same colour as his pet. He walked up to the tree and said, “O beautiful parrots, I have one of your relatives as a pet and I keep it in a cage of gold. It has sent greetings for you all.”

As the merchant finished speaking, one parrot dropped like a stone from the tree and fell on the ground.

The merchant was distressed at this. He hurried away from there.

On returning home, he went up to his parrot’s cage and described all the wonders and the beauty he had seen on his journey, and how a flight of parrots had come to the forest he was visiting.

He then told his pet about the message he had conveyed, and, with great sorrow, described how one bird had been so shocked that it fell to the ground.

As soon as he finished talking, his own pet parrot fell from the perch to the floor of the cage.

The merchant couldn’t understand how his beloved pet died so suddenly. He reached into the cage and gently took the still warm body of the bird and placed it on the windowsill.

As soon as he stepped back, the bird stirred, stretched its beautiful green wings and flew off into the open sky saying, “My friend showed me how I could escape and now I can fly in the sky. Goodbye!”

New Words

merchant   tender   distressed  
perch   windowsill   sighed  

Let us Think

1. A. Answer the following questions.
1. 1. Why did the merchant keep the parrot in a cage of gold?
2. 2. What made the parrot a favourite pet of the merchant?
3. 3. What message did the parrot ask the merchant to convey to its friends?
4. 4. What happened after the merchant gave the message to the parrots?
5. 5. How did the parrot escape from the cage?
2. B. Think and discuss
1. 1. If you were the merchant, how would you respond to the parrot’s request for freedom?
2. 2. Can you think of a real-life situation where intelligence is more useful than strength?
3. 3. Which parrot from the chapter was actually ‘wise’ according to you? Give reasons for your answer.

Let us Learn

1. A. Fill in the blanks with suitable phrases given in the box to make a meaningful paragraph.

stand upright,  all over,  look after,  stepped out,  went away,  came across,  about to 

One winter morning, as I ......................... of my home, I saw that the snow was ......................... the place. While walking uphill towards my shop, I ......................... a small puppy. Its leg was injured and it was ......................... collapse. Being in pain it was unable to ......................... . So, I decided to take it home and ......................... it. With good care, all its pain ......................... .

Note to the Teacher
• Share the meanings of these phrases with your learners.
• Explain the difference between a sentence and a phrase using examples from different texts.
2. B. Complete the sentences. The first one has been done for you.

pack,  bouquet,  army,  flock,  bunch,  flight,  swarm, 

1. 1. A .....flight..... of parrots came to the forest.
2. 2. I saw a ....................... of sheep in the fields.
3. 3. A ....................... of wolves was howling loudly.
4. 4. We gave a ....................... of flowers to the chief guest.
5. 5. A ....................... of bees hovered around the flowers.
6. 6. An ....................... of ants is moving towards the anthill.
7. 7. I helped my mother find a ....................... of keys.
Note to the Teacher
• Encourage learners to use the collective nouns in mentioned the previous question in conversations.
• You may share more examples of collective nouns with them.
• Revisit the words whenever you get the opportunity to bring them up during informal conversation.
3. C. Read the following.
1. 1. I have come from Jalandhar.
   The underlined part tells us that the action of ‘coming from Jalandhar’ took place sometime in the recent past.
2. 2. Rita has read all the poems written by Sarojini Naidu.
   The underlined part tells us about an ‘experience of reading’, that took place in the past but is still relevant in the present.

The above sentences have used present perfect tense.
We use present perfect tense to talk about:

• Actions that were completed in the recent past.
• Actions or experiences that happened in the past but affect the present.

Rule
Subject + has/have + Verb + Object

Now complete the following sentences using present perfect tense.
1. a. I ...................... (visit) Delhi many times. It is a city with many historical sites.
2. b. My friend Onshangla is an artist. She...................... (draw) pictures of ten monuments.
3. c. Mr. Joon ...................... (buy) a new car.
4. d. I ...................... (complete) my homework and my brother ...................... (revise) for his test.
5. e. They ...................... (write) letters to their friends.
Note to the Teacher

Draw learners’ attention towards the aspect of ‘completion’ of the actions in the present perfect tense.Use examples to differentiate between ‘has’ and ‘have’. Help learners frame sentences related to their day-to-day activities.

Let us Listen

Birds are beautiful creatures with feathers and wings. Due to various reasons, many species of birds have become endangered. To protect these birds and their species, bird sanctuaries have been built. There are more than 70 bird sanctuaries in India. The Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, located in Tamil Nadu, is the oldest bird sanctuary in India. The Bharatpur Bird sanctuary, located in Rajasthan, is the largest bird sanctuary in our country.

Let us Speak

1. A. Listen and repeat



tail	toil
bail	boil
ail	oil
fail	foil
cane	coin
sail	soil



2. B. Look at the pictures below. There are two birds. Which bird would you want to be and why? Share your views with the class.

Let us Write

In the story, you read how the parrot tricked the merchant into releasing it but the story does not end here. Use your imagination to complete the parrot’s story.

After escaping from the golden cage, the parrot decided to fly away ...

Let us Do

A bird feeder is an object used to keep food for birds. You might have seen bird feeders placed outdoors in balconies, gardens, or parks to attract and feed birds. They are filled with seeds, grains, or nuts and placed in safe locations to help birds find food easily.

1. 1. Look at the pictures of bird feeders given below and try to identify the material used to make them.
These materials are easily available in our homes.
2. 2. Make a bird feeder with the material of your choice. Fill it up with water, seeds, and grains like millets. With the help of your parents, place it at an appropriate location outside your house.
Happy feeding!

Let us Explore

parrot

macaw

sparrow

crow

ostrich

seagull

pigeon

flamingo

weaver bird

tailor bird

Choose any two of the above and find out a few interesting facts about them.

Self-assessment 1

You may select more than one box for each point.

1. 1. I can recite the poems with gestures
   • by myself.
   • in a group.
   • by repeating after my teacher.
   • None of the above. I like reading poems quietly.
2. 2. I can understand the new words
   • by using a dictionary.
   • after listening to my teacher’s explanation.
   • by reading with my classmates in groups.
   • by reading the entire sentence again.
   • by looking at the pictures.
3. 3. I can answer the questions
   • in my mother tongue.
   • in English.
   • in English with a few words of my mother tongue.
   • in my mother tongue, with a few words of English.
4. 4. I can write a paragraph
   • by myself.
   • after following my teacher’s instructions.
   • after reading my friends’ work.
   • with my teachers’/friends’ help.
5. 5. I was able to do all the activities
   • by myself.
   • with the help of my teacher.
   • with the help of my classmates.
   • with the help of my family members.

Note to the Teacher

• The assessment sheet should be filled by the learners.
• Teachers may include this as a part of their learners’ progress trajectory.