Actions We Do: NCERT Class 1 English Lesson (Raindrops Chapter 14)

etmantra4 Feb 20206 min read

This chapter uses pictures of children doing everyday things. It teaches a very useful sentence pattern, like 'He is brushing his teeth', which children can use all day long.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 1, chapter 14. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Actions We Do

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

Action words with -ing: washing, combing, dancing
Using he and she, his and her
Saying what someone is doing now: 'She is…'
Talking about daily habits

What the lesson is about

The chapter asks children to look at pictures and say what each child is doing. One girl is washing her face. Another is wearing a garland around her neck. A boy is combing his hair, a girl is dancing, a boy is brushing his teeth, and another is eating an apple.

It teaches action words with “-ing” and the use of he, she, his and her. These are the things children do every day, so they can practise them at home.

New words, with Hindi meanings

washing: cleaning with water (हिंदी: धोना)
face: the front of your head, with eyes, nose and mouth (हिंदी: चेहरा)
garland: a ring of flowers worn around the neck (हिंदी: माला)
neck: the part of the body between the head and shoulders (हिंदी: गर्दन)
combing: making hair neat with a comb (हिंदी: कंघी करना)
brushing: cleaning with a brush, like teeth (हिंदी: ब्रश करना)
dancing: moving the body to music (हिंदी: नाचना)

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.

What is the girl wearing around her neck?
What is the boy eating?
Who is combing his hair?
What do you do every morning after you wake up?

Answers for parents

The girl is wearing a garland around her neck.
The boy is eating an apple.
A boy is combing his hair.
For example: I brush my teeth, wash my face and drink milk.

Grammar corner: Saying what someone is doing (is + -ing)

To say what someone is doing right now, we use 'is' and add -ing to the action word. For a boy we say 'he' and 'his'; for a girl we say 'she' and 'her'.

She is combing her doll's hair.
He is washing his hands before lunch.
She is eating a banana.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank with 'his' or 'her': She is washing ___ face.
Fill in the blank: He is ___ his teeth.
Look at someone at home and make a sentence about what they are doing.

Answers: 1. her · 2. brushing · 3. For example: Mummy is cooking. Papa is reading the newspaper.

Try this

Play an action guessing game. One person acts out a daily action without speaking, like combing hair or eating an apple. The other guesses and says the full sentence, for example “You are brushing your teeth.” Take turns.

Tip for parents

Through the day, say what your child is doing in Hindi, then in English: 'तुम दाँत साफ़ कर रहे हो… You are brushing your teeth.' Soon let your child say the English line. If they say 'I am brush-ing दाँत', smile and praise the try.

Questions parents ask

What does the chapter Actions We Do teach?

It teaches children to look at pictures and say what someone is doing, using action words with -ing and he, she, his and her.

Which actions are shown in Actions We Do?

Children are washing a face, wearing a garland, combing hair, dancing, brushing teeth and eating an apple.

Is Actions We Do in the new NCERT book?

Actions We Do is a chapter from NCERT's older Raindrops book for Class 1. The newer NCERT English book for Class 1 is Mridang, so check your child's school book list to see which one the school uses.

Learn every Class 1 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →