Flying Together: NCERT Class 5 English Story (Marigold Unit 2)

etmantra24 Jun 20207 min read

A flock of wild geese learns, the hard way, why it is wise to listen to good advice. This story is about a small problem that grows big, and about how working together can save everyone. It gives parents and teachers plenty to discuss.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 5, unit 2. NCERT’s newer Class 5 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Flying Together

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

Listening to good advice and acting in time
Solving a small problem before it becomes big
Past tense with -ed: noticed, climbed, returned
Reading dialogue aloud in different voices

What the story is about

A flock of wild geese lives safely in a very tall tree in a forest. A wise old goose notices a small creeper at the foot of the tree. He tells the others to destroy it now, while it is tender. If it grows thick and strong, a hunter could use it to climb up and kill them. The other geese say there is no hurry and do nothing.

The creeper grows as strong as a thick rope. One day, while the geese are out looking for food, a hunter climbs up with its help and spreads a net at the top. In the evening the geese fly home and are trapped. They cry that they were foolish and ask the wise bird for help.

The wise bird tells them to pretend to be dead when the hunter comes. Next morning the hunter thinks they are dead and throws them to the ground one by one. When the last bird is thrown down, they all get up together and fly away, leaving the hunter surprised.

New words, with Hindi meanings

flock: a group of birds (हिंदी: झुंड)
geese: more than one goose, a large water bird (हिंदी: हंस)
creeper: a plant that grows along the ground or climbs up things (हिंदी: बेल)
destroy: break or kill completely (हिंदी: नष्ट करना)
tender: soft and young (हिंदी: कोमल)
hunter: a person who catches or kills animals (हिंदी: शिकारी)
fuss: too much worry or noise (हिंदी: हल्ला-गुल्ला)
pretend: act as if something is true when it is not (हिंदी: नाटक 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.

Why did the wise old bird want to destroy the creeper?
How did the hunter reach the top of the tree?
How did the geese escape from the hunter?
Has a small problem ever become a big problem because you left it for later?

Answers for parents

He knew it would grow thick and strong, and a hunter could climb it to reach and kill them.
He climbed up the tree with the help of the strong creeper.
They pretended to be dead. The hunter threw them down one by one, and when the last one was down they all flew away together.
For example: Yes. I did not finish my homework on Monday, and by Friday I had a lot of work left to do.

Grammar corner: Past tense with -ed

A story about the past uses past tense action words. Many of them simply add -ed, like climb becomes climbed. If the word already ends in -e, we add only -d, like notice becomes noticed.

The goose noticed a tiny plant near the tree.
The birds returned to their nest in the evening.
We all laughed when the clever geese escaped.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank with the past tense: The hunter ___ (climb) up the tree.
Choose the meaning of 'tender': soft and young, or hard and old?
Make a sentence with the word 'pretend'.

Answers: 1. climbed · 2. soft and young · 3. For example: My little brother likes to pretend he is a lion.

Try this

Act out the story with family or classmates as the wise bird, the other geese and the hunter. Practise lying very still and then 'flying' away together. Afterwards, ask your child to write the lesson of the story in one sentence of their own.

Tip for parents

Tell the story to your child in Hindi first, in your own words, and then read the English together. Ask 'boodhe hans ne kya kaha?' and let your child answer in Hindi, English or both. Praise them when they use English words from the story, like creeper, hunter or net.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Flying Together?

Listen to wise advice and deal with a small problem before it grows big. The story also shows that working together can save everyone.

Who are the characters in Flying Together?

The characters are a wise old goose, the other wild geese in the flock, and a hunter.

Which NCERT book is Flying Together from?

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

Learn every Class 5 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 →