Class 5 English Chapter 1: Papa's Spectacles

A morning at home

It is a busy morning in a small home. Papa wants to read the newspaper. He reaches for his spectacles. They are not there! Papa looks worried. His child is watching him. Have you ever lost something and looked everywhere for it? Keep that feeling in mind. This poem is all about it.

Papa's big problem

Papa has lost his spectacles. Spectacles are also called glasses. They help people see clearly. Papa owns only one pair. So he has no spare pair to wear. That is why losing them is a real problem for him.

What Papa cannot do

Without his spectacles, Papa is stuck. The newspaper is just a blur. He cannot enjoy his TV show. He cannot even chop vegetables safely in the kitchen. Small daily jobs suddenly feel hard. No wonder he wants them back quickly!

The big search

Papa starts a hunt around the house. First he feels inside his pockets. Next he takes a quick look under his chair. Then he tries the spot near the window. He checks every corner he can think of. Still, there is no sign of them.

The child speaks up

The child in the poem has been watching all along. Now the child asks Papa to stop. The child walks up close to him. Then comes the surprise. The spectacles were never lost at all!

The funny ending

So where were they? They were resting on top of Papa's head! The poem ends with the words "right there on your head" (Santoor, Papa's Spectacles). Papa had pushed them up and forgotten. He was hunting for something he was wearing. That is why we smile at the end.

Who is in the poem?

There are two people in this poem. Papa is the father. He is busy, worried and a little forgetful. The child is the speaker. The child tells the poem using the word "I". The child is calm and sharp-eyed. The child notices what Papa misses.

Feelings in the poem

At the start, Papa feels worried and upset. During the search he feels puzzled. At the end he probably feels silly, and then relieved. The child feels amused and helpful. A good poem makes us feel something too. This one makes most readers laugh.

Words that rhyme

Rhyming words end with the same sound. Rhymes make a poem sound like a song. Listen for these pairs in the poem: pair and everywhere, TV and be, chair and everywhere, said and head. Notice something? In each group of four lines, the second and fourth lines rhyme.

Reading it aloud

The book asks you to recite the poem. To recite means to say a poem aloud, often from memory. Read slowly and clearly. Sound worried in the middle part. Pause just before the last line. Then say the ending with a big smile. Your listeners will laugh with you.

Scenario:

Papa in the poem hunts for his spectacles in every room. Class 5 tries the same thing as a game. Ms Rao hides a duster somewhere in the room. The children may ask only yes or no questions. Rahul asks whether it is above the floor. Sana asks whether it is inside something. In six questions they find it in the cupboard. Then the class works something out. Searching shelf by shelf would have taken far longer. Each question had ruled out a whole group of places at once. Ms Rao says this is why Papa took so long. He looked in one place at a time, and he never once looked up.

Analysis:

A good question removes many places at once. A poor search removes one. That is the difference between the class game and Papa's hunt.

Activity:

Play the hiding game in your class. Count how many questions each team needs. Draw a bar chart of the teams and their counts.

The first spectacles were made in Italy more than 700 years ago.

The word spectacles comes from an old Latin word that means to look.

The order of the story — P-S-S: Problem, Search, Surprise — Problem: the spectacles are lost. Search: pockets, chair, window. Surprise: they are on his head.

Where did Grandma keep them?

Tanvi's grandma cannot find her reading glasses. "Did I leave them in the drawer?" she asks. Tanvi checks on the shelf. Then she peeps under the bed. At last she spots them near the flower pot. Did you notice the little words in, on, under and near? Without them, Tanvi would not know where to look!

A new word: preposition

A preposition is a small word. It links one thing to another. Often it tells us where something is. Sometimes it tells us when something happens. Examples are in, on, under, near, before and after. Say it slowly: pre-po-si-tion.

Words that tell where

• The glasses are in the box. They are inside it.
• The glasses are on the table. They touch its top.
• The cat sleeps under the chair. It is below the chair.
• The lamp stands near the window. It is close to it.
• The fan hangs above the bed. It is higher, with a gap.
• One red bead hides among the blue beads.
• We walked around the park, all the way round.

Words that tell when

Some prepositions tell us about time. Before means earlier. After means later. We wash our hands before a meal. We brush our teeth after dinner. In the poem, Papa searched for a long time before his child helped him.

On or above?

Both words show that something is higher. But they are not the same. On means touching the top. Above means higher, with a gap in between. A book lies on the table. A fan turns above the table. Ask yourself: is it touching? Then choose.

In or among?

In means inside something, like a box or a bag. Among means in the middle of many things. The coin is in my pocket. The ball is hidden among the leaves. Use among for a group of three or more.

A pair of

A pair means two things that go together. We say a pair of shoes and a pair of gloves. The two shoes match, and we use them together. Some single things also take pair. They have two matching parts joined together. Spectacles, scissors and trousers are like this.

Pairs all around us

Here are more pairs you use every day:

• a pair of socks
• a pair of earrings
• a pair of slippers
• a pair of jeans After the words a pair of, use the word for more than one. Say a pair of shoes, not a pair of shoe.

Small to big

The book asks you to put things in ascending order. Ascending means going up, like climbing stairs. Start with the smallest or lightest thing. End with the biggest or heaviest. Try it: ant, mouse, dog, elephant. The ant comes first because it is the smallest.

Numbers in order

Numbers can be put in order too. In ascending order, the smallest number comes first. So 12, 35, 68, 90 is in ascending order. The opposite is descending order. There the biggest comes first: 90, 68, 35, 12. To descend means to go down.

Opposites

Opposites are words with very different meanings. Near and far are opposites. So are clean and dirty, and inside and outside. The book has a word puzzle full of opposites. Here is a trick. Say "not" before a word and find one word for it. Not slow? Fast!

Scenario:

Class 5 keeps a lost and found box. Ira writes the first notice. It says only: one water bottle, come and take it. Nobody comes for three days. Her teacher asks her one question. Where was it found? Ira writes the notice again. Found on Monday, under the third bench, inside the library, one green water bottle. A pair of blue socks was found with it. The owner arrives that same afternoon. The class then marks every lost item on a plan of the school. Most things are left near the water taps and under the benches. The small words did two jobs. They found one owner, and they showed everybody where to look next time.

Analysis:

Under, inside and near are small words that carry the whole message. Without them a notice names a thing but never places it.

Activity:

Draw a plan of your classroom. Mark five places where things are often left behind. Write one sentence for each using in, on, under or near.

Title:

The lost spectacles hunt

Safety:

Never hide real spectacles; they can break. Do not climb on shelves. Keep away from the kitchen stove.

What You Notice:

Clear prepositions make the hunt quick. A clue without a preposition, like "It is somewhere", does not help at all.

The word pair comes from an old Latin word that means equal.

The word ascend comes from a Latin word that means to climb up.

On and above — ON touches, ABOVE floats — If it touches the top, use on. If there is a gap, it floats above.

Ascending order — AScend = climb the Stairs — You climb stairs from the bottom step up, so start with the smallest.

Kabir's big task

Kabir's teacher gives the class a fun task. "Turn the poem into a story," she says. Kabir scratches his head. How do you change a poem into a story? His friend Anu has a question too. "I call my father Appa. What do you call yours?" In this topic, you will speak, listen and write like Kabir and Anu.

Many words for father

In English, we often say Papa or Dad. Other languages have their own words. In Tamil, many children say Appa. In Telugu, it is Nanna. In Malayalam, it is Achan. In Bengali, children often say Baba. In Urdu, it is Abba. What word do you use at home? Ask your friends for theirs too.

Saying thank you

Who helps you find lost things at home? Maybe it is a parent, a grandparent or a sister. At school, it may be a friend or a teacher. When someone helps us, we should thank them. Say "Thank you" with a smile. You can also make a small card. Or you can help them back one day.

Listen closely

Your ears are great helpers in English. Some word pairs sound exactly the same. Say ate and eight aloud. They sound alike! Other pairs sound almost the same, but not quite. Say bed and bad slowly. Can you hear the small change in the middle? Good listeners notice these tiny sounds.

A new word: homophone

A homophone is a word that sounds like another word. But it has a different spelling and a different meaning. Sun and son are homophones. So are deer and dear, and hair and hare. Knot and not sound the same too. The k in knot is silent.

Pairs that sound different

Some pairs only look or sound close. Say each pair slowly:

• bed and bad
• cold and could
• fill and feel
• pair and peer
• where and were Watch your mouth in a mirror. It changes shape for each sound.

Tricky spellings

Some words are easy to say but hard to spell. Break them into small parts. Veg-e-ta-bles. Spec-ta-cles. Car-pen-ter. Look for the tricky bits. Balloon has two l's and two o's. In receive, the e comes before the i after c. Say the parts as you write them.

From poem to story

A poem and a story can tell the same events. But they look different. A poem has short lines in stanzas. A story has full sentences in paragraphs. A story does not need rhymes. You can add details and feelings. Keep the same order: beginning, middle and end.

Choosing the tense

The book suggests a starting line: "Today, my father is unhappy." This is the present tense. It tells what is happening now. So keep using present verbs: he looks, he searches, I say. You may also write in the past tense. Then start differently, like "Last Sunday, my father could not find his spectacles." Pick one tense and stay with it.

Filling the writing frame

Use a frame to plan your story. First, give the problem. Next, tell where your father searches. Then write the surprise at the end. Last, say how everyone feels. Use "I" and "my father", because you are the child in the story. Write three or four short paragraphs.

Checking your story

Read your story aloud when you finish. Does every sentence start with a capital letter? Does it end with a full stop? Have you spelt the tricky words right? Is the tense the same all the way? Share your story with the class. Listen to theirs too.

Scenario:

Ishaan is in Class 5 in Pune. For weeks, he squints at the blackboard. He holds his book very close to his face. In the evening, his head often hurts. Then his school holds an eye check-up. The doctor asks him to read letters on a chart. Ishaan cannot read the small ones. The doctor says he needs spectacles. Ishaan feels shy. He thinks his friends will tease him. But his teacher reads the poem about Papa's spectacles to the class. Everyone laughs at the ending. Then the class makes a poster on eye care. Now Ishaan wears his spectacles proudly. He keeps them safe in a case.

Analysis:

Many people need spectacles, and they help us see and learn. Noticing the signs early and caring for our eyes keeps them healthy. Kind words help a friend feel proud.

Activity:

Make an eye-care poster with four rules and a drawing of a pair of spectacles. Use one preposition in each rule, like "Keep your book away from your face."

India has 22 languages listed in its Constitution, and each has its own word for father.

Many English words have silent letters, like the k in knot and the w in write.

Where and were — WHERE has HERE inside it — Where asks about a place, and here is a place. Were has no place in it.