I Am Lucky!: NCERT Class 2 English Poem (Marigold Unit 2)

etmantra18 Jun 20209 min read

This poem takes children on a trip through the animal world, from a butterfly to an octopus. It gently teaches a big idea: be thankful for who you are.

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

Watch: I Am Lucky!

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

Animal words: butterfly, mynah, kangaroo, octopus
Imagining with 'If I were…, I would…'
Feeling words: lucky, thankful, glee
Feeling good about being yourself

What the poem is about

The child in the poem imagines being different animals. A butterfly would be thankful for its wings, a mynah for its singing, a fish for wriggling in the sea, an elephant for its trunk, and an octopus for its eight arms. A kangaroo would try to hop right up to the moon.

After each list, the child says they are lucky to be themselves, not someone else. At the end the poem asks the reader what they want to be. The message is to feel happy and thankful for being yourself.

New words, with Hindi meanings

lucky: having good things happen to you (हिंदी: भाग्यशाली)
thankful: feeling glad and wanting to say thank you (हिंदी: आभारी)
mynah: a bird that can sing and copy sounds (हिंदी: मैना)
wriggle: to twist and turn your body quickly (हिंदी: छटपटाना)
glee: great happiness (हिंदी: बहुत खुशी)
trunk: the long nose of an elephant (हिंदी: सूँड)
octopus: a sea animal with eight arms (हिंदी: ऑक्टोपस)

Sing and dance

Once your child knows the poem, sing it together with actions. Children who can’t sing yet can still do the moves.

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 would the butterfly be thankful?
How many arms does an octopus have?
What would the kangaroo try to do?
What is one thing about yourself that you are thankful for?

Answers for parents

The butterfly would be thankful for its wings.
An octopus has eight arms.
The kangaroo would try to hop right up to the moon.
For example: I am thankful that I can run fast and that I have a kind sister.

Grammar corner: Imagining with 'If I were…, I would…'

We use 'If I were…' to talk about something we are not, but can imagine. The second part of the sentence uses 'I would…' to say what we would do.

If I were a parrot, I would talk all day.
If I were a fish, I would swim in the sea.
If I were an elephant, I would spray water with my trunk.

Practice at home

Match the animal to its body part: elephant, butterfly, octopus — wings, trunk, eight arms.
Complete the sentence: If I were a bird, I would ___.
Spot the rhyme: Which word rhymes with 'sea': glee or fish?

Answers: 1. elephant – trunk, butterfly – wings, octopus – eight arms · 2. For example: If I were a bird, I would fly over the mountains. · 3. glee

Try this

Play "If I were...". Call out an animal from the poem, and your child acts it out: flap butterfly wings, raise an elephant trunk, hop like a kangaroo, wave eight octopus arms. End each round with everyone saying, "I am lucky to be me."

Tip for parents

Ask in Hindi first: 'अगर तुम हाथी होते तो क्या करते?' Let your child answer in Hindi, then help them say it in English with 'If I were an elephant, I would…'. End by saying together, 'I am lucky to be me', and praise every try.

Questions parents ask

What is the message of the poem I Am Lucky?

The poem says we should be happy and thankful for being ourselves. Each animal has something special, and so do you.

Which animals are in the poem I Am Lucky?

A butterfly, a mynah, a fish, an elephant, a kangaroo and an octopus.

Is I Am Lucky! in the new NCERT book?

I Am Lucky! is a chapter from NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 2. The newer NCERT English book for Class 2 is Mridang, so check your child's school book list to see which one the school uses.

Learn every Class 2 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 →