Clouds: NCERT Class 1 English Poem (Marigold Unit 9)

etmantra13 Jun 20206 min read

Every Indian child knows the relief of the first rain on a hot day. This short poem captures that moment in a few easy lines that are fun to sing and dance to.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 1, unit 9. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Clouds

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

Weather words: hot, cool, cloud, rain, sky
Opposite words like hot and cool
Rhyming words: blue and you, rain and again
Saying a short poem with actions

What the poem is about

It is a hot day with a blue sky. Then a little cloud comes along, as if it is looking for you.

More clouds come and they bring rain. Now everyone can sing and dance, because it is cool again. The poem is short and joyful, and it shows how welcome rain is after the heat.

New words, with Hindi meanings

hot: very warm (हिंदी: गरम)
sky: the space above us where we see clouds and the sun (हिंदी: आसमान)
blue: the colour of a clear sky (हिंदी: नीला)
cloud: a white or grey shape in the sky made of tiny drops of water (हिंदी: बादल)
rain: water that falls from clouds (हिंदी: बारिश)
dance: to move your body to music (हिंदी: नाचना)
cool: a little cold, in a pleasant way (हिंदी: ठंडा)

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 colour is the sky in the poem?
What do the clouds bring?
How does it feel after the rain comes?
What do you like to do when it rains?

Answers for parents

The sky is blue.
The clouds bring rain.
It feels cool again, so everyone sings and dances.
For example: I like to look at the rain from the window and float paper boats.

Grammar corner: Opposite words: hot and cool

Some words mean the opposite of each other. 'Hot' and 'cool' are opposites. The poem starts hot and ends cool.

The afternoon is hot, but the evening is cool.
Papa's tea is hot, and my water is cool.
The sun makes the road hot; the rain makes it cool.

Practice at home

Spot the rhyme: which word rhymes with 'blue'? (sky / you / hot)
Fill in the blank: The clouds bring ___.
Look outside and say: 'Today it is ___.' (hot / cool)

Answers: 1. you · 2. rain · 3. For example: Today it is hot.

Try this

Look at the sky together and talk about the clouds you see: are they white or grey, big or small? Then say the poem with actions: fan yourself for the heat, float your hands like clouds, wiggle your fingers down like rain, and dance at the end.

Tip for parents

Before the poem, talk about a hot day in Hindi: “बहुत गरमी है!” Then say the English, “It is hot.” Do the same for बादल (cloud) and बारिश (rain). Let your child say the words in either language, and clap every time they try the English one.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Clouds about?

It is about a hot day with a blue sky. Clouds come and bring rain, and it becomes cool again, so everyone can sing and dance.

Which words rhyme in Clouds?

'Blue' rhymes with 'you', and 'rain' rhymes with 'again'.

Which NCERT book is Clouds from?

Clouds is Unit 9 of Marigold, NCERT's older English book for Class 1. The newer NCERT English 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.

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