Murali's Mango Tree: NCERT Class 1 English Story (Marigold Unit 6)

etmantra4 Jul 20206 min read

In just a few lines, this story shows how a seed becomes a tree. It is a lovely first lesson about plants, patience and caring for nature, told through a mango, a fruit every Indian child knows.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 1, unit 6. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Murali's Mango Tree

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

How a seed grows into a plant and then a tree
Words about plants: seed, plant, tree
Words for things that already happened: ate, threw, saw, watered
Caring for living things every day

What the story is about

One day Murali eats a mango and throws the seed behind his house. Many months later, he sees a small plant growing there.

Murali waters the plant every day, and it grows into a big mango tree. Every summer, many mangoes grow on it. Now Murali's own children eat the mangoes. The story shows that something we care for today can give us joy for many years.

New words, with Hindi meanings

mango: a sweet yellow fruit that grows on trees (हिंदी: आम)
seed: the small part of a fruit from which a new plant grows (हिंदी: बीज, गुठली)
threw: sent something through the air with your hand (हिंदी: फेंका)
plant: a small green living thing that grows in soil (हिंदी: पौधा)
watered: gave water to (हिंदी: पानी दिया)
summer: the hot season of the year (हिंदी: गर्मी)
months: parts of a year; a year has twelve of them (हिंदी: महीने)

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 did Murali do with the mango seed?
How did Murali take care of the plant?
Who eats the mangoes now?
Which fruit do you like best? Have you ever seen its seed?

Answers for parents

He threw the seed behind his house.
He watered the plant every day.
Murali's children eat the mangoes now.
For example: I like watermelon best. It has many small black seeds.

Grammar corner: Past tense: words for things that already happened

When something has already happened, we change the action word. Some words just add -ed, like water and watered. Others change in their own way, like eat and ate, or throw and threw.

Murali ate a sweet, juicy mango.
The little plant grew taller every week.
His children picked the ripe mangoes.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Murali ___ the plant every day. (water / watered)
Put these in the right order: tree, seed, plant.
Make a sentence with the word "seed".

Answers: 1. watered · 2. seed, plant, tree · 3. For example: I found a big seed inside the mango.

Try this

Show your child the seed of a fruit you eat at home, such as a mango, lemon or tomato. Talk about how a tree grows from it. Then act out the story: crouch down small like a seed, pretend to be watered, and slowly stand up tall with arms out like a big tree.

Tip for parents

While eating a mango at home, hold up the गुठली and say "बीज, seed". Tell the story in Hindi first, then say each line in English and let your child repeat it. If your child answers in Hindi, say the English back gently and praise them for answering.

Questions parents ask

What is the story Murali's Mango Tree about?

Murali throws a mango seed behind his house. It grows into a plant, he waters it every day, and it becomes a big mango tree.

What is the moral of Murali's Mango Tree?

Something we plant and look after can give joy for many years. Murali cared for the plant, and now his own children eat mangoes from the tree.

Which book and class is Murali's Mango Tree from?

It is Unit 6 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.

See the free lessons and enrol →