I’m Fifi. I live in a house made of glass. It’s very clean and spacious. I like to move about in it freely with my friends. My house is decorated with different kinds of aquatic plants, stones and ornaments. It’s like a paradise with colourful lights and decorations. I’m fed with different kinds of tasty food, three times a day. I can play whenever I want to. I have no fear of being attacked by any large fish or being caught in a fishing net. My neighbour, whom I can see through the glass, has a house similar to mine.

We have many visitors every day. They walk past us carrying bags, cameras and some stop to take our pictures. I hear visitors talk of me. They admire my beauty. They say that I’m in a “tank” and they call our house an “aquarium”.

Sometimes, I feel lonely even though I live among a big crowd. Then I think of my parents, my family and relations. I remember the happy days I spent among the beautiful corals, seaweed and large rocks. I often remember the enjoyable playtime I had. My mother would shout at us when we hid among the rocks and the seaweed. She always warned us that they weren’t safe places for us to play. She wanted us to stay with her all the time. My mother’s words still echo in my mind. I still can remember the day when a strong current in the ocean separated me from my friends. However, I know that I cannot go back home because I’m in a zoo.

Read Fifi’s story and answer the questions that follow.

1. Where does Fifi live now?

2. What is his house made of ? ................................................................

3. Where did he live earlier? .....................................................................

4. Find similar words from the text for the following.

a. big ......................................................

b. praise ......................................................

5. Find opposite words from the text for the following.

a. small ......................................................

b. weak ......................................................

6. Complete this table by writing about Fifi’s old home and new home.

Let’s make a poster

Rewrite the following instructions in the correct order.

- Then, take a big sheet of paper.

- Finally, write an attractive slogan.

- Next, draw a border of 2 cm on the paper.

- First, discuss a topic for a poster.

- And then draw a suitable picture inside the border.

- After that, colour it.

Mosquitoes breed fast during the rainy season. Dengue is a deadly disease caused by mosquitoes. Can you design your own poster to convey this message to your school friends? Work as teams. Select the best poster and display it on your school noticeboard.

Read this poem and answer the questions.

Snakes

A snake can glide from side to side. They’re really long and like to hide. They have long backbones, but no hair. They use their tongues to taste the air. They taste your scent if you are near, And hiss a threat for you to hear. It’s wise of you to clear their way, So you don’t have an awful day!

By Mariah Deitrick

1. What do snakes like to do?

2. When does a snake hiss?

a. when it is eating.

b. when it hunts for food.

c. when it is threatened.

d. when it uses its tongue.

3. What part of the body do snakes use to sense the air?

4. The poet thinks people should...

a. stay away from snakes.

b. pick up snakes.

c. wear shoes when they walk by snakes.

d. keep snakes as pets.

5. Write three facts about snakes that you learnt from the poem.

6. Write rhyming words for the following.

way - side - air - near -

The Tree, the Pencil Maker and the Pencils

Once there lived a young man. He had no livelihood but he was intelligent. One day he went to the jungle to find some food. He found some fruit and ate it. After a while he rested under a shady tree. There he fell asleep. While sleeping, he heard a strange voice.

“Child, listen to me. I am old now. But my trunk is still strong. Take me and use me for a good purpose. I am the oak tree that you are sleeping under. Make sure that you plant another tree in my place.” Then, the tree fell into a deep sleep.The young man woke up and thought for a while. Then, he cut down the tree. After that, he took the oak trunk to the village. He thought of a way to use the oak trunk for a good purpose. He finally decided to make pencils with it.

He was very happy, when he made his first set of pencils. He talked to the pencils before putting them into the box.

“There are 5 things you should know, before you go around the world,” he told the pencils.

“Keep them in your mind forever, so that you will become the best pencils.”

One: “You will be able to do many great things, but only if you get into someone’s hand.”

Two: “You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll be better pencils once you are sharp.”

Three: “You should be able to correct any mistakes that happen.”

Four: “What’s within you is more important than your outward appearance.”

Five: “Wherever you land, be sure to leave your mark. No matter what the condition is, you must continue with your duties.”

All the pencils agreed to take these into their hearts as they set out to the world.

Answer the questions given below.

1. Where did the young man go to find food?

2. How did he become a good man?

3. What did the pencil maker want the pencils to remember? List them.

4. Find similar words for the following from the story:

forest - right - glad - relax -

5. Find opposite words for the following from the above story.

old - sad - outside - worst - wrong - bad -

6. Re-write these sentences replacing the underlined words with opposite words.

1. We might win the final race.

2. This man is very strong.

3. Krishna wears dark colours in the night.

4. Maheem remembers all his friends’ birthdays.

5. Sarjoon was happy to hear that he had won a prize.

6. The competition will start early in the morning, this Sunday.

7. I had a glass of hot water.

8. The concert ended around 8 p.m.

9. The big house he bought was expensive.

10. Rumali has long hair.

Using the apostrophe

We use an apostrophe to;

1) • Show the omission of a letter (contraction) – positive

I am – I’m

Who is – Who’s

You are – You’re

Here is – Here’s

He is – He’s

Let us- Let’s

She is – She’s

That is – That’s

It is – It’s

There is – There’s

We are – We’re

They are – They’re

• Show the omission of a letter (contraction) – negative + question

Are not – Aren’t

Is not – Isn’t

Do not – Don’t

Should not – Shouldn’t

• Show the omission of letters (contraction) – positive

I have – I’ve

I will – I’ll

I would – I’d

• Show the omission of letters (contraction) – negative + question

Will not – Won’t

Cannot – Can’t

2) • Show possession/ ownership

e.g. :- Rahal’s bat

Abdul’s book

Ann’s pencil

Yoga’s bicycle

• We don’t use the apostrophe with the following possessive pronouns

Yours

His

Hers

Ours

Theirs Its ( belonging to it)

1). Rewrite the following using apostrophes.

1. I am -

2. You are -

3. I have -

4. Photo of my mother -

5. Should not -

6. Plays of Shakespeare -

7. Will not -

8. Help of everyone -

9. A captain of a ship -

10. The speech of the Chief Guest -

2). Underline the correct answer.

1. Damhiru’s ......................... name is Toga. ( dog’s / dogs’ )

2. Saveen studies in a .............................. school. (boy’s / boys’)

3. My .......................... house is in the Central Province. (grandparent’s / grandparents’)

4. Himaya’s ..............................car is for sale. (father’s/ fathers’)

5. My ................................. hobby is reading. (mother’s/ mothers’)

6. The train to Jaffna is very crowded. ......................... moving very fast. (It’s / Its’)

7. ................................. you cleaning the class today? (Aren’t/ Arent’)

8. You ..................... have the cake and eat it. (can’t/ cant’)

Tongue Twisters

Let’s say them aloud.

I slit the sheet,

The sheet I slit

and on the slitted sheet I sit.

Sister Suzie’s sewing socks for soldiers

Sock for soldiers sister Suzie sews,

If sister Suzie’s sewing socks for soldiers,

Where’re the socks for soldiers sister Suzie sews?

Now complete this grid with words that begin with “s” and “sh” from the above poem.

This is the plan of Thamal’s garden. Listen to your teacher and label the places in it.

house / pond / mango trees / well/ steps / flower bed / garden / bench

There’s a little white duck, sitting in the water

A little white duck, doing what he oughter

He took a bite of a lily pad

Flapped his wings and he said, “I’m glad

I’m a little white duck sitting in the water.

Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack,

quack”

There’s a little green frog swimming in the water

A little green frog, doing what he oughter

He jumped right off of the lily pad

That the little duck bit and he said, “I’m glad

I’m a little green frog swimming in the water.

Glump glug, glump glug, glump glug glug”

There’s a little black bug floating on the water

A little black bug doing what he oughter

He tickled the frog on the lily pad

That the little duck bit and he said, “I’m glad

I’m a little black bug floating on the water.

Chirp bzz, chirp bzz, chirp bzz bzz”

There’s a little red snake playing in the water

A little red snake doing what he oughter

He frightened the duck and the frog so bad

He ate the little bug and he said, “I’m glad

I’m a little red snake laying in the water.

Wriggle hiss, wriggle hiss, wriggle hiss hiss”

oughter - ought to

Answer these questions.

1. List out the actions that each animal is doing in the poem.

2. What are the words that describe each animal?

3. Imagine that you have to explain the poem in the form of a story to one of your friends. Write the story. Start like this. Once there was a duck sitting in the water........

4. Read the following poem.

Tiger

striped, fierce

leaping, pouncing, and snarling

I hope I never meet one in the night

ROAR!

Now write a poem about your favourite animal, using the following format.

Line 1: one word (subject of the poem)

Line 2: two words (adjectives) that describe Line 1

Line 3: three words (action verbs ending with “-ing”) that relate to Line 1

Line 4: four or five words or a complete sentence (feelings) that describe the subject or related to it in some way

Line 5: the sound that the animal makes