Lesson 1

🐅 It All Began With Drip-Drip 💧

—Alka Shankar and Sharleen Mukundan

Let's start: 🚀

Alka Shankar is an author of repute. Her well-known book is The Mighty and the Mystical Rivers of India—exotic India. She is famous for her children's books.

Sharleen Mukundan is a renowned children's author. She has written Murthy: the Story Book in collaboration with Alka Shankar.

Let's share: 🗣️

Which of the following actions would you consider to be true acts of bravery? Why do you think so? Discuss in groups.

✅ rolling down a hill
✅ swimming against the tide
✅ rescuing people from a house on fire
✅ saving a person who is drowning

Let's read: 📖

A tiger was caught in a storm. He had wandered near the village, looking for something to eat. On the outskirts of that village lived an ill-tempered old woman. The tiger huddled in shelter close to the wall of the woman's hut.

The old woman was feeling very ill-tempered that night. The rainwater was leaking through the roof.

"There is no escape from this drip-drip", she muttered angrily, pushing

Her bed around the room to keep it dry. She shoved the bed and a tin trunk against a wall. The wall shook. 🏚️

"This drip-drip will be the death of me!" she shouted. 😱

The tiger on the opposite side of the wall felt the wall shake and was frightened. "The drip-drip must be a very dreadful creature," he thought. 🐅💡

Meanwhile, Bholenath, the potter, was out in the night, looking for his donkey in the storm. Suddenly he saw an animal huddled in the dark against the wall of the woman's hut. ⛈️

Word Nest: 📖

outskirts: parts of the village or city farthest from the central area
huddled: curled up
muttered: talked in a low but not clear voice
shoved: pushed something in a rough way
dreadful: fearful

Let's do: 📝

Activity 1 🎯

👉 Tick [✔] the correct alternative:

(a) The tiger took shelter near the house of (i) an old woman (ii) an old man (iii) a neighbour.
(b) The old woman was (i) soft-spoken (ii) ill-tempered (iii) shy.
(c) The tiger thought drip-drip was (i) the constant falling of rain (ii) the name of a man (iii) a creature.
(d) Bholenath was a (i) farmer (ii) weaver (iii) potter.

Activity 2 🧩

👉 Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given boxes. One is done for you:

She pushed her bed around the room to keep it dry. [ ]
The tiger took shelter outside an old woman's hut. [ ]
Bholenath was looking for his donkey. [ ]
A tiger was caught in a storm. [1]
Bholenath saw an animal huddled against the wall of the woman's hut. [ ]
The old woman was ill-tempered that night. [ ]

Activity 3 🤔

👉 Answer the following question:

💡 What do you think would Bholenath's reaction be if he knew that the animal 'huddled in the dark' was actually a tiger?

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Let's continue: 📖

"There is my donkey!" Bholenath shouted, and running to the tiger, grabbed it. He pulled the tiger's ears.

"Move, you lazy donkey, or I will give you a hard time!"

The tiger was really frightened. "This must be the terrible drip-drip!" He thought.

Bholenath dragged the tiger home and kept him tied by a sturdy rope to a tree near his hut. 🏠

In the morning, Bholenath's wife discovered the tiger tied to the tree and screamed in fear. Hearing her, the neighbours came running out of their huts. Bholenath was sleeping. He came out, too. 😱

The people were all mystified. "Who tied this tiger to the tree?" They asked. A neighbour said, "I think Bholenath can tell us. I saw him last night dragging an animal through the storm." ⛈️

Bholenath was too frightened to admit his mistake. Everyone looked questioningly at Bholenath. In the meantime, the tiger, disturbed and confused by all the people, had chewed through the rope. It ran away to the jungle. The villagers were relieved. 🐅🌳

Bholenath now saw an opportunity to brag.

"It is I who captured the tiger last night. I even pulled its ears," Bholenath announced proudly. Everyone marvelled at his bravery. 💪

Soon the news of Bholenath's bravery reached the king. The king was highly impressed. He made Bholenath the Commander-in-chief of the king's army. Bholenath and his wife were given a huge house to live in. 👑🏡

📚 Word Nest:

sturdy: strong 💪
mystified: confused ❓
brag: to talk proudly about oneself 🗣️

Let's do: 📝

Activity 4

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

The tiger was frightened because ___________
Bholenath's wife screamed in fear when ___________
Disturbed and confused by the people, the tiger ___________
Bholenath announced proudly that ___________

Activity 5

Answer the following questions:

Why did Bholenath bring the tiger home?
What made the neighbours come running out of their huts?
Why were the villagers relieved?
How did the king reward Bholenath for his bravery?

Let's continue: 📖

A few months after that evening, news came that a neighbouring king had declared war. Bholenath and his king gathered at the royal court. The king told Bholenath, "You are the Commander-in-chief of my army. I entrust you with the duty of protecting my state."

Bholenath came back home in utter despair. "I don't even know how to ride a horse", he told his wife helplessly, "How will I defend our borders against eight thousand enemy soldiers?"

"Don't worry," his wife said, "I'll tie you to the horse."

In the morning, the king sent Bholenath a magnificent stallion. Bholenath got up glumly on the horse and his wife securely tied him to it with a rope. The horse did not like the feel of the tight ropes. It reared.

suddenly and galloped off wildly. Bholenath hung desperately to its mane.\n\nRealising that the horse was headed straight for the enemy camp 🐎, Bholenath shouted in fear. The horse could not be stopped.\n\nBholenath noticed a large tree with its branches hanging over the road. As the horse galloped under the tree, Bholenath reached up to grasp the branches and pull himself free. But the branches broke away in his hands. The horse had entered the enemy camp. 🌳\n\nThe enemy soldiers were astonished to see a wild-looking man tied to a fierce stallion, waving branches excitedly. "Help, help!" Bholenath was shouting. The enemy soldiers did not hear him. They were greatly scared. 😱\n> "This must be some great warrior come single-handedly to defeat us!"\n\nThe soldiers were overcome with fear and instantly ran away without putting up a fight. 🏃‍♂️💨\n\nSoon the news of Bholenath's great victory spread. Everyone was amazed that he had defended his state all by himself against eight thousand enemy soldiers. The king awarded him in a public ceremony. Bholenath became a legend! 👑🌟\n\nIt all had started with a drip-drip! 💧

📚 Word Nest:

😔 despair: the feeling of having lost all hope 🐎 stallion: a fully grown male horse 🌱 reared: brought up

Let's do: 👇

📝 Activity 6

Write 'T' for true and 'F' for false statements in the given boxes. Give supporting statements for each of your answers:

(a) Bholenath did not know how to ride a horse. [ ]
(b) The king sent Bholenath a magnificent elephant. [ ]
(c) The enemy soldiers were happy to see Bholenath. [ ]
(d) Bholenath defeated the enemy soldiers single-handedly. [ ]

❓ Activity 7

Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

Why was Bholenath full of despair?
How did his wife help him to overcome his trouble?
What made the enemy soldiers greatly scared?
Do you think Bholenath could truly be called a legendary character? Give reasons for your answer.

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💡 Let's learn:

Read the following sentences:

This drip-drip will be the death of me!
Everyone marveled at his bravery.
Bholenath came back home in utter despair.

In the above sentences, the blue-coloured words are Nouns which indicate either a state of being or a quality of mind.

✅ Let's do:

Activity 8(a)

Read the following sentences. Underline the the Nouns which indicate either a state of being or a quality of mind:

The king is known for his kindness.
The beauty of the flower attracted me.
Childhood is fun.
India attained freedom in 1947.

💡 Let's learn:

The words you have underlined in Activity 8 (a) are Abstract Nouns. Abstract nouns always indicate a state of being or a quality of mind.

📝 Note that Abstract nouns are usually formed from:

Adjectives e.g. bravery from brave, kindness from kind etc.
Verbs e.g. death from die, freedom from free
Common nouns e.g. childhood from child, heroism from hero etc.

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Let's do: 🚀

Activity 8(b)

Form abstract nouns from the following words:

(i) dark :
(ii) adult :
(iii) amaze :
(iv) disturb :
(v) confuse :
(vi) sweet :

Let's learn: 💡

Read the following sentence :

➡️ You are the Commander-in-Chief of the king's army.

In the above sentence, the word 'army' indicates a number of soldiers spoken of as a whole.

Let's do: 📝

Activity 8(c)

Underline the words that indicate a group of people, animals or things taken as a whole:

I saw a crowd in front of the shop.
A herd of cattle is passing by.
Our school cricket team has won.
A bunch of flowers was kept in the vase.

Let's learn: 🧠

The words you have underlined in Activity 8 (c) are called Collective Nouns. 📌 Collective Nouns indicate a group of people, animals or things taken as a whole. Collective Nouns always take a singular verb when it is used in Present tense.

Let's do: 📝

💡 Activity 8(d)

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate collective nouns given in the Help Box. One is done for you:

A posse of policemen marched by.
I bought a ______ of grapes from the market.
A ______ of sheep was grazing in the field.
I saw a ______ of bees buzzing around.
The ______ is very noisy.

Help Box: flock, posse, swarm, bunch, class

Let's learn: 📚

Read the following sentences:

The wall shook.
The horse galloped off wildly.
Rainwater was leaking through the roof.
Bholenath hung desperately to its mane.

In sentences 1 and 2, the blue coloured words 'wall' and 'horse' are names of an object and a living being which can be counted. But in sentences 3 and 4, the red coloured words 'rainwater' and 'mane' cannot be counted.

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Let's do: 📝

Activity 8 (e) 🎯

Task: Underline the words that can be counted and circle the words that cannot be counted.

I am reading a book. (Countable)
Iron is a useful metal. (Uncountable)
Snowy is his pet dog. (Countable)
She has long hair. (Uncountable)

Let's Learn: 💡

The words you have underlined in Activity 8 (e) are Countable Nouns. 📌 Countable Nouns have plural forms.
The words you have circled in Activity 8(e) are Uncountable Nouns. 📌 Uncountable Nouns do not have plural forms.

Let's do: 📝

Activity 8(f) 📋

Task: Read the sentences carefully and put the underlined words in the correct columns.

Milk is good for health.
The door is closed.
I bought a kilo of sugar from the market.
Children play with toys.

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Countable Nouns	Uncountable Nouns

📝 Activity 9

Find words from the text nearest in meaning to the words given below:

(a) kingly
(b) sorrow
(c) surprised
(d) afraid

🗣️ Let's talk:

Tell the class how 'drip-drip' changed Bholenath's life, from being a potter to a Commander-in-Chief of the king's army.

✍️ Let's do:

💡 Activity 10(a)

Imagine you are caught in a storm while returning home one night. Write a short paragraph in about sixty words describing your experience. Use the following hints:

returning from aunt's place
sky darkened
wild wind
rain
no one around
how you reached home

Activity 10(b) 🚀

Study the family chart given below:

Raghunath Jha (Grandfather)
Banidebi Jha (Grandmother)
- Children:
  - Sabita-Birendralal (potter) (postman)
    - Child:
      - Damu (College student)
  - Sundarlal-Rajani (farmer) (homemaker)
    - Children:
      - Ramu (school student)
      - Rima (school student)

Task for You! 📝

Suppose you are Rima. Your grandfather is Raghunath Jha. Write a short paragraph in about six sentences about your family.

Let's work together: 🤝

📌 Form groups.
📜 Take a sheet of chart paper.
🎨 Draw that incident from the text which you liked the most.
🌈 Colour it.
🗣️ Describe the picture that you have drawn to the class.

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Academy

BLOSSOMS

Lesson 1 🐅 It All Began With Drip-Drip 💧

Lesson 1

🐅 It All Began With Drip-Drip 💧

Let's start: 🚀

Let's share: 🗣️

Let's read: 📖

Word Nest: 📖

Let's do: 📝

Activity 1 🎯

Activity 2 🧩

Activity 3 🤔

Let's continue: 📖

📚 Word Nest:

Let's do: 📝

Activity 4

Activity 5

Let's continue: 📖

📚 Word Nest:

Let's do: 👇

📝 Activity 6

❓ Activity 7

💡 Let's learn:

Read the following sentences:

✅ Let's do:

Activity 8(a)

💡 Let's learn:

📝 Note that Abstract nouns are usually formed from:

Let's do: 🚀

Activity 8(b)

Let's learn: 💡

Let's do: 📝

Activity 8(c)

Let's learn: 🧠

Let's do: 📝

💡 Activity 8(d)

Let's learn: 📚

Read the following sentences:

Let's do: 📝

Activity 8 (e) 🎯

Let's Learn: 💡

Let's do: 📝

Activity 8(f) 📋

📝 Activity 9

🗣️ Let's talk:

✍️ Let's do:

💡 Activity 10(a)

Activity 10(b) 🚀

Study the family chart given below:

Task for You! 📝

Let's work together: 🤝