Don't Give Up: NCERT Class 4 English Poem (Marigold Unit 5)

etmantra16 Jan 20217 min read

Don't Give Up is a short poem with a big message. It tells children that problems are like mountains, and that they can climb them if they keep trying. It is a good poem to talk about patience and effort at home.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 4, unit 5. NCERT’s newer Class 4 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Don't Give Up

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

The value of effort: keep trying and don't stop
Phrases like 'give up', 'keep on' and 'make it to the top'
How a poem can use mountains to mean problems
Making 'If … you can …' sentences

What the poem is about

The poem says that if you keep going and do not stop, you can reach the top. It compares life to a land full of mountains. Some mountains are big and some are small, but if you do not give up, you can get over all of them.

The mountains stand for the difficult things we face, like hard lessons or new skills. The poem ends by repeating its main idea: keep going and try not to stop. Its feeling is hopeful and encouraging.

New words, with Hindi meanings

give up: stop trying (हिंदी: हार मानना)
keep on: continue doing something (हिंदी: लगे रहना)
mountains: very high hills; here, it also means big problems (हिंदी: पहाड़)
overcome: win against a problem or difficulty (हिंदी: पार पाना)
top: the highest part of something (हिंदी: चोटी)
full of: having a lot of something (हिंदी: से भरा)
try: make an effort to do something (हिंदी: कोशिश करना)

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 does the poem say life is full of?
What can you do if you don't give up?
What do you think the 'mountains' in the poem really mean?
Tell me about something that was hard for you at first. How did you keep trying?

Answers for parents

It says life is full of mountains, some big and some small.
If you don't give up, you can overcome all of them and reach the top.
The mountains mean the hard things in life, like difficult lessons or new skills.
For example: Riding a cycle was hard at first. I fell many times, but I practised every evening and now I can ride.

Grammar corner: 'If … you can …' sentences

We use 'if' to say what happens when something else happens first. The first part tells the condition, and the second part tells the result. The poem's message is built like this.

If you practise every day, you can learn to swim.
If you climb slowly, you can reach the top of the hill.
If you read one page each night, you can finish the book.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Life is full of ___, some big and some small.
Choose the meaning of 'give up': stop trying, or keep trying?
Make your own 'If … you can …' sentence.

Answers: 1. mountains · 2. stop trying · 3. For example: If you keep trying, you can solve the hard sum.

Try this

Make a 'mountain' climb. Place a few cushions or books in a row as small and big mountains. Your child names something hard to do at each one, such as tying shoelaces or a tricky sum, and says 'Don't give up' while stepping over it. At the end, they reach the top and recite the last lines of the poem.

Tip for parents

Talk about the poem's idea in Hindi first: 'haar mat maano, koshish karte raho'. Then say the English together: 'Don't give up, keep on going.' When your child struggles with homework, use the same words in both languages, and praise the effort, not just the result.

Questions parents ask

What is the message of the poem Don't Give Up?

Keep trying and don't stop. Life has many problems, big and small, but if you don't give up you can overcome them all.

What do the mountains mean in Don't Give Up?

The mountains stand for the difficult things we face in life. Climbing them means working through those problems.

Which NCERT book is Don't Give Up from?

Don't Give Up is Unit 5 of NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 4. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 4 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 writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →