Mohan, The Potter: NCERT Class 2 English Lesson (Raindrops Chapter 5)

etmantra13 Jan 20217 min read

Where does a clay pot come from? This short chapter introduces children to Mohan, a potter, and shows how the clay things we use every day are made and used. It is a lovely way to talk about the work people do around us.

Open now: the CALP Class 2 English course (Mridang)
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, and “Start here” and the first lesson’s notes are free to try.
See the free lessons and enrol →

From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 2, chapter 5. NCERT’s newer Class 2 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Mohan, The Potter

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 work of a potter and the things made from clay
Words like clay, jug, oil lamp and bullock cart
Action words with he: he makes, he uses, he sells
Respect for the work people do around us

What the lesson is about

Mohan is a potter who lives in a village. He uses clay to make pots, jugs, oil lamps and clay cups. He shapes the clay on a potter's wheel.

The chapter also tells us how we use these things. A clay pot keeps drinking water cool in summer. We drink tea and lassi from clay cups, and we use oil lamps for light and for worship. Mohan carries the things he makes to the city in his bullock cart. He sells them there, and people like his pots and jugs very much.

New words, with Hindi meanings

potter: a person who makes pots and other things from clay (हिंदी: कुम्हार)
clay: soft, wet earth that can be shaped and then dried hard (हिंदी: मिट्टी)
jug: a pot with a handle and a lip for pouring water (हिंदी: जग)
oil lamp: a small lamp, like a diya, that burns oil to give light (हिंदी: दीया)
potter's wheel: a round flat wheel that spins while the potter shapes clay on it (हिंदी: चाक)
store: to keep something safely to use later (हिंदी: रखना)
worship: praying to God (हिंदी: पूजा)
bullock cart: a cart pulled by bullocks (male cattle) (हिंदी: बैलगाड़ी)

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 things does Mohan make from clay?
Why do we store drinking water in a clay pot?
How does Mohan take his things to the city?
Which clay things have you seen or used at home or at a festival?

Answers for parents

He makes pots, jugs, oil lamps and clay cups.
A clay pot keeps the water cool in summer.
He carries them to the city in his bullock cart.
For example: We light clay diyas at Diwali, and we keep water in a clay pot in summer.

Grammar corner: Action words with he and she (adding -s)

When we talk about one person, like he or she, the action word usually gets an -s. We say 'I make' but 'he makes'. The chapter says what Mohan does in this way.

The potter makes a small cup.
My grandmother keeps water in a clay pot.
The bullock pulls the heavy cart.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Mohan shapes clay on a potter's ___.
Match: clay cup, oil lamp, clay pot with light, cool water, tea.
Choose the right word: He (sell / sells) pots in the city.

Answers: 1. wheel · 2. clay cup – tea; oil lamp – light; clay pot – cool water · 3. sells

Try this

Play 'potter and shop'. Your child pretends to sit at a potter's wheel, turning their hands to shape a pot, a cup or a lamp. Then set up a pretend shop where your child 'sells' the things and says what each one is used for. You can also walk around the house and look for anything made of clay.

Tip for parents

Show your child a diya or a matka and name it in Hindi first, then in English: diya is an oil lamp, matka is a clay pot, kumhaar is a potter. Let your child mix the two, like 'kumhaar makes pots', and praise each English word they use.

Questions parents ask

Who is Mohan in Mohan, The Potter?

Mohan is a potter who lives in a village. He makes things from clay and sells them in the city.

What does Mohan make from clay?

He makes pots, jugs, oil lamps and clay cups, and shapes them on a potter's wheel.

Which NCERT book is Mohan, The Potter from?

Mohan, The Potter is Chapter 5 of NCERT's older Raindrops book for Class 2. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

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 →