Chapter 1
FABLES AND FOLK TALES
A Bottle of Dew
Let us do these activities before we read.
1. Circle the picture that matches with each word. Check your answers by sharing them with your classmates and teacher.
(a) worried
(b) plantation
(c) sage
(d) surprise
2. Answer these questions and discuss them with your classmates and teacher.
(a) Think of a time when you worked hard. What did you do then?
(b) How did it help you?
(c) How did it make you feel?
Let us read
Rama Natha was the son of a rich landlord.His father left him large tracts of land when he died. But Rama Natha did not spend even oneday looking after his land. This was because
he had a funny idea—he believed there was a magic potion that could turn any object into gold. He spent all his time to learn more about this potion. People cheated him often, promising to tell him about it, but he did not give up. His wife, Madhumati, was tired of this and also worried because she saw how much money Rama Natha was spending. She was sure that soon they would be without money. One day, a famous sage called Mahipati came to their town. Rama Natha became his follower and asked him about the potion. To his
surprise the sage answered, “Yes, in my travels in the Himalayas, I heard how you could make such a potion. But it is difficult.” “Tell me!” requested Rama Natha, not believing his luck. “You have to plant a banana plant and water it regularly with your hands. In winter, the morning dew is on the leaves. You have to collect the dew and store it in a bottle. When you have five litres of dew, bring it to me. I will chant some magic words, which will turn it into the magic potion. A drop of the potion will change any object into gold.”
Rama Natha was worried. “But winter is only for a few months. It will take me years to collect five litres of dew.” “You can plant as many banana plants as you want. But
remember, you must look after them yourself and collect the dew with your own hands.”
Let us discuss
1. What did Rama Natha believe?
2. How did the sage help Rama Natha?
3. Do you think Rama Natha will be able to collect the dew? Give a reason.
Rama Natha went home, and after talking to his wife started cleaning his large fields, which had been lying empty all these years. There he planted rows and rows of banana plants. He tended them carefully and during the winter months collected the dew that formed on them with great care. His wife helped him too. Madhumati gathered the banana crop, took it to the market and got a good price for it. Over the years, Rama Natha planted more and more plants and they had a huge banana plantation. At the end of six years, he finally had his five litres of dew.
Carefully, he took the bottle to the sage. The sage smiled and muttered something over the water. Then he returned the bottle and said, “Try it out.” Rama Natha sprinkled a few drops on a copper vessel and waited for it to turn to gold. To his surprise nothing happened! “This is cheating,” he told the sage. “I have wasted six precious years of my life.” But sage Mahipati only smiled and called Madhumati to come forward. She came with a big box. When she opened it, inside shined
stacks of gold coins! Now the sage turned to the very surprised Rama Natha and said, “There is no magic potion that can turn things into gold. You worked hard on your land and created this plantation. While you looked after the trees, your wife sold the fruits in the market. That’s how you got this money. It was your hard work that created this wealth, not magic. If I had told you about this earlier, you would have not listened to me, so I have played a trick on you.” Rama Natha understood the wisdom behind
these words and worked even harder on his plantation from that day on.
Sudha Murty
Let us discuss
1. Why was Rama Natha angry?
2. How did Rama Natha and Madhumati create wealth?
Let us think and reflect
1. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
(a) He spent all his time to learn about the magic potion. People cheated him often, promising to tell him about it, but he did not give up. His wife, Madhumati, was tired of this and also worried because she saw how much money Rama Natha was spending. She was sure that soon they would be without money.
(i) Complete the sentence with a suitable reason.
Rama Natha did not ‘give up’ because _____________________.
(ii) Read the column which shows ‘what happened’ and write the
correct outcome in the next column.
(iii) Write whether the following statements are True or False.
a. Madhumati was troubled about what her husband did.
b. Rama Natha was very happy digging his fields.
c. The sage wanted to show the right path to Rama Natha
(b) Carefully, he took the bottle to the sage. The sage smiled and muttered something over the water. Then he returned the bottle and said, “Try it out.” Rama Natha sprinkled a few drops on a copper vessel and waited for it to turn to gold. To his surprise nothing happened!
(i) Choose the option that lists the events given below in the correct order.
a. The sage smiled.
b. Rama Natha gave the bottle to the sage.
c. Rama Natha dropped a few drops of water on a copper vessel.
d. He said something in a low voice over the water.
e. Rama Natha waited to see if the magic worked.
1. a, e, d, b, c 2. b, a, d, c, e
3. c, d, a, b, e 4. a, d, b, e, c
(ii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the lines given above.
Seeing that the plant had dried up, the gardener ____________ some water on it.
(iii) How might Rama Natha have felt when nothing happened to the
copper vessel?
2. Answer the following questions.
(a) What did the sage ask Rama Natha to do to make the magic potion?
(b) Why did the sage ask Rama Natha to do everything himself?
(c) How could Rama Natha have a big banana plantation after six years?
(d) How did the sage make Rama Natha believe that there is no
magic potion?
(e) Fill in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ table about Rama Natha
Let us learn
1. Read the following words from the story
Use the words correctly to complete the paragraph given below. There are two extra words in the box that you do not need. There was a farmer who had a ________________ coconut plantation. He worked hard and did not depend on ________________. Every day was
_______________ but he did not give up. One day, a man bought a bag of coconuts from him, and _________________ to pay him the money the next day. Days passed and the man did not pay him anything. The farmer felt __________________. About two months later, he met the same man and asked him about his money. The man said, “Oh! I had forgotten. Now, I ______________ buying coconuts from you.” And he paid the money.
2. Read the words from the story in
Column A. Read the new words in
Column B. Complete the meanings of the words given in Column B.
Meanings of some words are given.
The words given in each row of the table above have the same sounds but different spellings and meanings. Such words are called homophones.
3. Choose four pairs of homophones from the table above, and for each pair write a sentence that uses both homophones in the same sentence. Check your answers by sharing them with your teacher and classmates.
An example has been given below:
I ate eight bananas for breakfast today.
4. Match the phrases in Column A with the phrases in Column B. Use the
connecting words given in the middle column to make meaningful
sentences.
Now, write the new sentences in your notebook.
5. Here are two sentences with letter ‘b’.
Read them slowly the first time. As you read them a few more times,
read them faster each time.
Bunty bhaiya bought a big bunch of bananas. A big bunch of bananas was bought by Bunty bhaiya.
A big bunch of bananas was bought by Bunty bhaiya.
Let us listen
You will listen to what Madhumati does with the bananas in her
plantation. As you listen, number the events in the correct order in
which they happen. Write the number in the box beside each event.
(refer to page 36 for transcript)
(a) Gives two bananas to a boy who is hungry
(b) Meets her friend Kalawati in the market
(c) Visits her mother and gives her two dozen bananas
(d) Chooses to go home as only some bananas were left
(e) Visits her neighbour and gifts them a bunch of bananas
(f) Gives twelve bananas to her friend
(g) Goes to the market to sell the bananas
Let us speak
1. Read aloud the following words from the story
2. Discuss the following questions with a partner. You may use the hints given in brackets while speaking.
(a) What does hard work mean to you?
(It means … / It is something … / Well, you see … /What I mean is …)
(b) Give three reasons why you think hard work is important.
(Firstly, I feel … because … / Secondly, I think … since … /Lastly, I believe … as … )
(c) Share three ideas you would give to someone who needs to work hard.
(To begin with, it is important that … /Next, you could … / Finally, I think you should … )
Now, speak each word clearly along with your teacher and classmates.
Your teacher will now say some words. Listen carefully to the sound of
‘s’. Write the sound next to the word.
Let us write
1. Work In Pairs To Complete The Description Of A Banana. You May Take The Help Of The Words Given In Brackets. Share Your Answers With Your Classmates And Teacher.
Now, use the information given in the picture to write eight sentences
about a banana. Share your responses with your classmates and teacher.
2. On the basis of the story ‘A Bottle of Dew’ develop a script with
dialogues and enact it with expressions. Present it in the assembly or
your classroom.
Let us explore
Find out the varieties of bananas which are grown, cultivated and eaten in
different parts of India.You can find information
about them from websites such as:
https://nhb.gov.in/pdf/fruits/banana/ban013
The Raven and the Fox
Let us do these activities before we read.
1. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
2. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct answer.
(a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
Let us read
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride–
And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed.
“Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know,
Ignore sweet words that make you glow.
Pride, my friend, is rather unwise;
I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.”
Let us discuss
1. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option.
(a) Stanza 1
(i) Mr Raven is a __________. (bird/frog)
(ii) The name of the fox is __________. (Raven/Reynard)
(iii) Mr Raven had __________ in his beak.
(a piece of food/ a bunch of leaves)
(b) Stanza 2
(i) The Fox calls the Raven a __________ bird.
(foolish/good-looking)
(ii) The Fox asks the Raven to __________. (dance/sing)
(iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the __________.
(trees/woods)
(c) Stanza 3
(i) The Raven ___________ that he croaked.
(remembered/forgot)
(ii) The Raven opened its beak to ___________.
(eat/sing)
(iii) The ___________ fell down. (food/Raven)
(d) Stanza 4
(i) The Fox ___________ at the Raven.
(laughed/looked)
(ii) It is not ___________ to be too proud of oneself.
(wise/unwise)
(iii) The Raven learnt a ______________. (lesson/teaching)
2. Read the poem again and match the words in Column A with
their meanings in Column B. Check your answers with your
teacher and your classmates
Let us think and reflect
1. Look at the pictures and number them in the order that they happen in
the poem
2. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
(a) Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.
(i) ‘Such feathers’ refer to __________________ feathers.
a. shiny and beautiful
b. black and dull
c. grey and long
d. short and unattractive
(ii) Why would the birds of the woods call the Raven ‘King’?
(iii) Why does the Fox address the Raven as ‘Sir’?
(b) The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride–
(i) Why did the Raven open his beak?
(ii) Complete the following with one word from the given lines.
Fox : clever : : Raven : ______________
3. Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a croak?
4. How does Reynard make the Raven sing?
5. Why does Reynard say that pride is not wise?
6. Give one reason why the teaching is quite a surprise.
7. Imagine someone praises you too much. How would you react?
Let us learn
1. Write the rhyming words from the poem. One has been done for you.
2. Study the underlined words in the poem.
(a) For the Raven held in his great big beak.
The words ‘big’ and ‘beak’ begin with the same /b/ sound.
(b) The song of sweet birds.
Now, pick another example of alliteration from Stanza 2
3. Choose the correct opposites from the box given below and complete the
table. There are two extra words that you will not need
Use any four words from the table given above to
make sentences of
your own.
Let us listen
You will listen to what the crow did after he lost his food. As you
listen, mark the given statements as True or False. (refer to page 37
for transcript)
(a) The crow was unhappy that he lost his food.
(b) The crow thought that his lovely feathers made
him smart.
(c) The crow wanted to tell his friends not
to be proud
Let us write
Now, write the story you narrated in the form of a conversation.
(Remember to write only the actions for the Raven as he has food in his
mouth and does not speak.)
You may begin like this.
Reynard: Good morning, Mr Raven! You seem to be awake so early!
(Mr Raven just nods his head)
Reynard: Oh, Mr Raven, you look …
Let us explore
Origami is an art of folding objects out of paper to create both twodimensional and three-dimensional objects.
Let us make stick puppets and enact the poem. You may take the help of
the pictures given below.
Note: You may use the puppets while narrating the story.
Rama to the Rescue
Let us do these activities before we read.
1. Identify the following people.
How do they help us when we are in trouble?
2. Choose the correct option to complete the sentence.
The word ‘rescue’ means to ______________________.
(a) make fun of someone
(b) save someone
(c) ask someone for help
3. Work in pairs.
Put a tick mark at the end of the phrases describing those who need to
be rescued. Share your answers with your teacher and classmates.
(a) A man stuck in a building on fire.
(b) A woman buying vegetables in the market.
(c) A dog who has hurt its leg.
(d) A tree being cut down in a forest.
4. The policeman in the story you are about to read is called the kotwal.
Some people call him thaanedar. What do you call a policeman in your
language? Share it with your classmates and teacher.
5. Imagine you are alone at home and you face a problem. Answer the
following questions and share your answers with your teacher and
classmates.
(a) Will you solve the problem yourself or wait for someone to help you?
(b) How will you deal with the problem? Give a reason.
(i) Be worried about the problem and give up.
(ii) Feel angry that only you have the problem.
(iii) Think quickly about ways to solve the problem.
Let us read
Let us discuss
Circle the odd one–
1. The characters are: husband, wife, children
2. Who entered the house?: guest, robber, Kotwal
Let us discuss
Write whether True or False.
1. The man tells his plan to his wife.
2. The thief wants to know where they kept
their jewels.
Let us discuss
1. Along with your classmates, call out the name ‘Rama’– softly, loudly
and very loudly.
2. What do you think will happen next in the story?
Let us discuss
1. Work in pairs to match the words in Column A with the meanings in
Column B. Check your answers by sharing them with your teacher
and classmates.
2. Fill in the boxes with suitable words as you read
the story
Let us think and reflect
1. Read the following lines and then answer the questions that follow.
(a) Man: What’s the matter? What are you looking at?
Wife: Ssssh! Listen!
Man: Somebody is trying to get in.
Wife: I … I think he has got in … the
noise has stopped.
(i) What makes the man say the first line?
(ii) Choose the correct option.
The wife says ‘Ssssh! Listen!’.
What does the word ‘Ssssh’ mean here?
a. sleep b. help c. rest d. be silent
(iii) How can you tell that the wife was listening
carefully?
(b) Rama, the village kotwal, ran to the house from which he heard his
name being called.
Rama: Oh, Oh! Some thief has dug his way into this house.
(i) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the
given lines.The villagers caught the thief and
took him to the_____.
(ii) Choose the correct option.
What do the words “Oh, Oh!” show here?
a. surprise b. anger c. pain d. happiness
(iii) How can you tell that the kotwal was good at his job?
2. Give one reason why the man and his wife were not able to fall asleep.
3. What did the thief wish would happen? Did it happen?
4. How did the man and his wife get help from the kotwal?
5. Do you think cleverness can help us solve our problems? Why do you say so?
Let us learn
1. Study the highlighted words in the following lines.
• I’m feeling so sleepy…
• It’s a thief.
• They’re awake.
The highlighted words given in the above sentences have one letter
missing in each. What are they? Share them with your teacher and
classmates.
Now, write the full words with the missing letter.
(a) _________ feeling so sleepy…
(b) _________ a thief.
(c) _____ awake.
2. Expand the following words. Two examples have been done for you.
Use the contracted form of these words in sentences of your own.
3. Study the highlighted words and the words in the brackets in the following sentences from the story.
(a) I am feeling so sleepy.
[am + feel + ing]
(b) What are you looking at?
[are + look + ing]
(c) Somebody is trying to get in.
[is + try + ing]
(d) They are saying something.
[are + say + ing]
(e) Perhaps, they are talking about their money.
[are + talk + ing]
Now, choose the correct option.
The sentences (a)-(e) refer to actions that _________________.
[are going on at the time of speaking/happened in the past/will take
place in the future]
4. Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences.
(a) I ______________ in Grade 6.
[am + study + ing]
(b) My friend ___________a story book.
[is + read + ing]
(c) We ______________ a board game.
[are + play + ing]
(d) I ______________ a new language.
[am + learn + ing]
(e) The teachers _____ in the staff room.
[are + sit + ing]
(f) My mother _______ food in the kitchen.
[is + cook + ing]
5. Study the following picture and fill in the blanks with the present
progressive form of verbs.
(a) Govind and Anu _____________ football.
(b) Pema ___________ flowers.
(c) Anil _____________ the score card.
(d) The mother ___________ a book.
(e) The dog __________ to catch the ball.
(f) The birds _________ in the sky
6. Study the following sentences from the story and complete the table.
One example has been done for you.
(a) I’d better listen closely.
(b) When he’s in the house, I’ll call out softly to him.
(c) Then I’ll call out very loudly…
7. Fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs from the box given below. There
are two extra words that you do not need.
(a) He solved the mathematics problem ________.
(b) The car moved _____________ along the highway.
(c) The musician played the guitar _____________.
(d) Shobha danced _____________.
(e) Rohit left the house _____________.
8. Fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs from the box given below. There
are two extra words that you do not need.
Once upon a time in a small forest, animals lived (i) ___________. The wise old
tortoise moved (ii) ___________ but always won the race against the proud
rabbit. The ants worked (iii) ___________, gathering food for the winter.
The kind-hearted lion ruled the jungle (iv) ___________, giving everyone a
chance to speak. The birds sang (v) ___________, making everyone in the
forest happy.
9. Study the following sentences from the story and choose the
correct option.
(i) Oh, hum! What a hard day it has been!
(ii) Ah, at last, they’ve stopped their chatter!
(iii) What should we do?
(iv) What should we name our child?
a. Sentence
(i) expresses a feeling of ____.
(tiredness/joy)
b. Sentence
(ii) expresses a feeling of ____.
(wonder/relief)
c. Sentences
(iii) and
(iv) ask _____.
(answers /questions)
10. Punctuate the following sentences and write whether they are exclamatory or interrogative sentences.
(a) Wow, what an intelligent man he is
(b) Oh how big the hole is
(c) Do you like to read comic books
(d) What is your favourite story
Let us listen
You will listen to a security guard making an announcement to the
people in the neighbourhood. As you listen, fill in the blanks with only
one word that you hear. (refer to page 38 for transcript)
The security guard announced that (i) ____________ has been happening
in that area. He advised everyone to stay safe and the kids to tell the
(ii) ____________ as soon as they find anything different. They should
not forget that (iii) ____________ is the main thing. He asked them to call
(iv) ____________ when they need immediate help.
Let us speak
1. Listen to your teacher pronounce the contractions and repeat after your teacher.
I’ll it’s don’t I’m
I’d he’s that’s we’ll
they’re you’re we’re what’s
Now, speak these contractions clearly along with your teacher and
classmates.
can’t won’t I’ve wouldn’t
shouldn’t didn’t
2. Discuss in pairs:
(a) Why do you think it’s important for people to keep their house and themselves safe? Tick the suitable reasons.
(i) To be safe from injury
(ii) To keep family members
and pets safe
(iii) To stop accidents from
happening
(iv) To make sure they visit the
doctor regularly
(v) To stop robbery
(vi) To pay the electricity bill
(vii) To save money
(b) Now, use the given hints to share your reasons in complete sentences
with your teacher and classmates.
(c) Use the given hints to share three ideas on how people can keep their houses and themselves safe. Share with your classmates and teachers.
Let us write
The next day, the neighbour asked the man in the story about what had
happened. As the man, tell the neighbour what had happened in your
own words. Remember to include the following:
when ………….........………………….
where ………….........……………….
what ………….........………………….
how ………….........……………….
why ………….........………………….
You may begin this way:
My wife and I were about to go to sleep last night when we heard someone …
Let us explore
1. Find out from your teacher or parents what you would do in the following situations.
Who will you call if …
• you see fire
• you see someone getting hurt
• you see a wounded animal
• you see someone suspicious
• you find a lost child
• you get lost
2. Find the right path for the kotwal to catch the thief
Transcripts
Let us listen
You will listen to the audio or narration once again. As youlisten, check your answers.
Transcripts
Let us listen
You will listen to the audio or narration once again. As you
listen, check your answers.