Nina and the Baby Sparrows: NCERT Class 3 Story (Marigold Unit 2)

etmantra21 Jul 20207 min read

A warm story about a girl who cares more about two baby birds than about a new dress. It is a lovely way to talk with children about kindness to animals.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 3, unit 2. NCERT’s newer Class 3 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Nina and the Baby Sparrow

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

Feeling words: upset, thrilled
Asking and answering “Why” questions
Story order: the beginning, the problem and the happy ending
Caring for birds and animals around us

What the story is about

Nina’s aunt is getting married, and the whole family is going to Delhi for the wedding. Everyone is happy except Nina. At the market she says no to a new dress, a salwar-kameez and even the white shoes she liked. At home she starts to cry, and her mother gently asks what is wrong.

Nina explains that there is a sparrow’s nest on the bookshelf in her room, with two hungry baby sparrows. If the family goes away and the house is locked, how will the parent sparrows feed them? Her mother hugs her and has an idea: they will leave the window open and lock her room from outside. When Nina comes back from the wedding, two plump little sparrows are flying around her room.

New words, with Hindi meanings

wedding: the ceremony when two people get married (हिंदी: शादी)
upset: unhappy or worried (हिंदी: परेशान)
sparrow: a small brown bird often seen near houses (हिंदी: गौरैया)
nest: a home that birds make for their eggs and babies (हिंदी: घोंसला)
feathers: the soft covering on a bird’s body (हिंदी: पंख)
plump: nicely round and fat (हिंदी: गोल-मटोल)
thrilled: very happy and excited (हिंदी: बहुत खुश)

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 was everyone in Nina’s house happy?
Why did Nina not want to go to the wedding?
How did Nina’s mother solve the problem?
Have you ever seen a bird’s nest? What can we do to help birds near our home?

Answers for parents

Nina’s aunt was getting married, and the family was going to Delhi for the wedding.
There were two hungry baby sparrows in a nest in her room. She was worried that the parent sparrows could not feed them if the house was locked.
She said they would leave the window open and lock Nina’s room from outside, so the sparrows could still come and go.
For example: Yes, I saw one in the tree near our gate. We can keep water and grains on the balcony for birds.

Grammar corner: Asking questions with “Why”

We use “Why” when we want to know the reason for something. Everyone in the story wonders why Nina is sad. We often answer a “Why” question with “because”.

Why is the window open? Because the sparrows need to fly in.
Why are you sad today?
Why do birds build nests? Because they need a safe home for their babies.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: There was a sparrow’s ___ on the bookshelf in Nina’s room.
Choose the right meaning: “thrilled” means (a) very happy and excited (b) very tired.
Answer with “because”: Why did Nina cry?

Answers: 1. nest · 2. (a) very happy and excited · 3. Sample: Nina cried because she was worried about the baby sparrows.

Try this

Make a “bird corner” with your child: a shallow bowl of water and a few grains on a window sill or balcony. Watch which birds come, and name them in English. Then ask your child to tell Nina’s story in three sentences: the beginning, the problem and the happy ending.

Tip for parents

Tell Nina’s story in Hindi first, then read it in English, and ask “नीना क्यों रो रही थी? Why was Nina crying?” Let your child answer in Hindi, English or a mix, then help them say one English sentence with “because”. Praise the kindness in their answer as well as the English.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Nina and the Baby Sparrows?

We should care for small creatures and think of their needs. Nina gave up her excitement about the wedding because she worried about the baby birds.

Who are the characters in Nina and the Baby Sparrows?

The main characters are Nina, her mother and the two baby sparrows in the nest. Nina’s aunt, whose wedding it is, and the parent sparrows are also part of the story.

Why did Nina not want to go to the wedding?

She was worried that if the house was locked, the parent sparrows could not feed their babies. The story is Unit 2 of NCERT’s older Marigold book for Class 3.

Learn every Class 3 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 first writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →