A Little Fish Story: NCERT Class 3 English Story (Marigold Unit 4)

etmantra20 Jul 20207 min read

A little fish is unhappy because he is so small, until one day being small saves him. Children learn, in a gentle way, to value who they are.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 3, unit 4. NCERT’s newer Class 3 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: A Little Fish Story

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Comparing words: small, smaller, smallest; large, larger
Sea words: school of fish, net, mesh
The story's lesson: be happy with who you are
Retelling a story in order: before, then, at the end

What the story is about

There are millions of fish in the sea, but this story is about one very small fish. He has everything he needs, yet he is not happy, because he wishes he were bigger. He says again and again that he would be happier if he were larger.

One day, while he is swimming with his school of fish, they are suddenly caught in a big net. The net is pulled up into a boat. Just as the fish are being emptied out, the smallest fish wriggles through the mesh and slips back into the cool, clear water. For the rest of his life, the fish who knew him never again hear him wish to be anything but a little fish.

New words, with Hindi meanings

contented: happy with what you have (हिंदी: संतुष्ट)
larger: bigger (हिंदी: बड़ा)
school: here, a large group of fish swimming together (हिंदी: मछलियों का झुंड)
net: a bag made of strings with holes, used to catch fish (हिंदी: जाल)
mesh: the small holes in a net (हिंदी: जाल के छेद)
floundering: moving about wildly and helplessly (हिंदी: छटपटाना)
splashing: hitting water so that it flies about (हिंदी: छपछप करना)
wriggled: moved by twisting and turning (हिंदी: सरककर निकला)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Why was the little fish unhappy?
What happened to the school of fish one day?
How did the little fish escape?
Has being small or young ever helped you?

Answers for parents

He was unhappy because he was so very small and wished to be larger.
They were suddenly caught in a big net and pulled up into a boat.
Because he was the smallest, he wriggled through the mesh of the net and slipped back into the water.
For example: Yes, when we played hide and seek, I could hide under the bed where no one else fit.

Grammar corner: Comparing with -er and -est

We add -er to compare two things, like 'larger'. We add -est when one thing is the most of all in a group, like 'smallest'. The little fish was the smallest in his school.

The whale is larger than the little fish.
This net is bigger than that one.
The smallest fish slipped out first.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: The little fish wished he were ___ (large).
Choose the right word: He was the (small / smallest) fish in the school.
Make a sentence comparing two animals with -er.

Answers: 1. larger · 2. smallest · 3. Sample: An elephant is taller than a dog.

Try this

Make a net with your arms. Two people hold hands to make the net, and the others are fish swimming around. When the net closes, the smallest "fish" tries to wriggle out under the arms. Afterwards, talk about why the little fish was happy to be small.

Tip for parents

Tell the story first in Hindi in your own words: "छोटी मछली बड़ी बनना चाहती थी, पर छोटी होने से ही बच गई." Then read the English together and ask, "Why was he happy to be small?" Your child may answer in Hindi or a mix; praise the idea, then help with one English sentence.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of A Little Fish Story?

Be happy with who you are. The little fish wanted to be bigger, but being small is what saved him from the net.

How did the little fish escape the net?

He was so small that he wriggled through the mesh of the net and slipped back into the water.

Which NCERT book has A Little Fish Story?

It is Unit 4 of NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 3. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 3 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and first writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →