Animals and Birds: NCERT Class 1 English Lesson (Raindrops Chapter 6)

etmantra4 Feb 20206 min read

This chapter is a picture list of animals and birds that Indian children see every day. It builds early English vocabulary in a simple way: look at the picture, hear the name, say it back.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 1, chapter 6. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Animals and Birds

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

English names of nine animals and birds
Saying “a” before one thing: a dog, a cat
Sorting: which are birds and which are animals
Saying each name clearly and copying animal sounds

What the lesson is about

The chapter names nine creatures, one by one: a dog, a rat, a duck, a sparrow, a hen, a cat, a donkey, a crow and a frog. Each name comes with “a” before it.

It teaches children the English names of animals and birds they already know, and helps them notice which ones are birds and which are animals.

New words, with Hindi meanings

sparrow: a small brown bird often seen near houses (हिंदी: गौरैया)
duck: a bird that swims in water and says quack (हिंदी: बत्तख)
hen: a female chicken that lays eggs (हिंदी: मुर्गी)
rat: a small animal with a long tail (हिंदी: चूहा)
donkey: an animal like a small horse with long ears (हिंदी: गधा)
crow: a black bird that says caw (हिंदी: कौआ)
frog: a small green animal that jumps and lives near water (हिंदी: मेंढक)

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.

Which of these can fly: the sparrow, the cat or the donkey?
Which bird in the chapter can swim and also quack?
Which of these animals have you seen near your home?
Can you make the sound of a dog, a cat and a crow?

Answers for parents

The sparrow can fly.
The duck.
For example: I have seen a dog, a crow and a sparrow near my home.
For example: A dog says “woof”, a cat says “meow” and a crow says “caw, caw”.

Grammar corner: Using “a” before one thing

When we talk about one animal or bird, we put “a” before its name. We say “a dog”, not just “dog”. That is why every name in this chapter starts with “a”.

I saw a cat sleeping on the wall.
There is a crow on our roof.
A frog jumped into the puddle after the rain.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: ___ dog is barking at the gate.
Sort these into birds and animals: duck, cat, sparrow, frog.
Say aloud the names of three creatures from the chapter, with “a” before each.

Answers: 1. A · 2. Birds: duck, sparrow. Animals: cat, frog. · 3. Sample: a hen, a donkey, a rat.

Try this

Play “bird or animal”. Say a name from the chapter. If it is a bird, your child flaps their arms. If it is an animal, they walk on all fours. Then ask them to make that creature’s sound.

Tip for parents

Say the Hindi name first and let your child find the English one: “गौरैया… sparrow!”, “मेंढक… frog!”. When you see a real dog or crow outside, point and say both names. It is fine if your child says the Hindi name first; praise them and say the English together.

Questions parents ask

Which animals and birds are in Animals and Birds?

The chapter names a dog, a rat, a duck, a sparrow, a hen, a cat, a donkey, a crow and a frog.

Which ones in the chapter are birds?

The duck, the sparrow, the hen and the crow are birds. The dog, rat, cat, donkey and frog are not birds.

Which book is Animals and Birds from?

It is Chapter 6 of NCERT’s older Raindrops book for Class 1. The newer NCERT books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

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 →