Noses: NCERT Class 4 English Poem (Marigold Unit 2)

etmantra24 Jun 20209 min read

Have you ever looked closely at your own nose in the mirror? In this playful poem, a child does just that and finds it very funny. It is a light, happy poem that helps children enjoy rhyme and laugh at themselves.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 4, unit 2. NCERT’s newer Class 4 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Noses

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

Face words: nose, chin, hair
Comparing with 'like': a nose like a handle
Rhyming words: nose, grows, shows, goes
Laughing at ourselves in a kind way

What the poem is about

The child in the poem looks in the mirror and studies their nose. They think it is the funniest thing: it sticks right out where everyone can see it, with two little holes for breathing.

Looking again, the child sees the chin at the bottom and the hair at the top. There is not much space in between, and the nose sits there like a handle. The poem ends with a fun tip: if you ever want to giggle, just look in the mirror and see how funny your nose sticks out. Its message is that it is good to laugh and to enjoy the way we look.

New words, with Hindi meanings

mirror: a glass in which you can see yourself (हिंदी: आईना)
funniest: the most funny (हिंदी: सबसे मज़ेदार)
breathing: taking air in and letting it out (हिंदी: साँस लेना)
chin: the bottom part of your face, below your mouth (हिंदी: ठोड़ी)
spare: extra; more than you need (हिंदी: फ़ालतू)
handle: the part of a cup or door you hold (हिंदी: हत्था)
giggle: laugh in a light, silly way (हिंदी: खिलखिलाना)
sticks out: comes forward from a surface (हिंदी: बाहर निकला हुआ)

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.

What did the child see when they looked in the mirror?
What does the child say the two little holes in the nose are for?
Why does the poet compare the nose to a handle?
Look in a mirror. What do you find funny or interesting about your face?

Answers for parents

The child saw their nose sticking right out where all of it shows.
The two little holes are where the breathing goes.
The nose sticks out from the face, just as a handle sticks out from a cup or a door.
For example: I find my eyebrows funny because they go up when I am surprised.

Grammar corner: Comparing with 'like'

We use 'like' to say one thing is similar to another. The poem says the nose is like a handle. This helps us picture something in a fun way.

My little sister's nose is like a tiny button.
His ears stick out like the handles of a pot.
Her laugh sounds like a ringing bell.

Practice at home

Spot the rhyme: Which word rhymes with 'nose': grows or mouth?
Fill in the blank: The bottom part of my face is my ___.
Finish with 'like': My nose is ___.

Answers: 1. grows · 2. chin · 3. For example: My nose is like a little hill.

Try this

Give your child a mirror and ask them to draw their own face, paying special attention to the nose. Then ask them to write one funny line about their nose, like the poem does, and read it aloud to the family.

Tip for parents

Stand at a mirror together and name face parts in Hindi first, 'नाक, ठोड़ी, बाल', then in English, 'nose, chin, hair'. Ask your child to tell you, in Hindi or English or both, what looks funny. Laugh along and praise every English word they try.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Noses about?

A child looks in the mirror and finds it funny how the nose sticks out from the face, with two little holes for breathing, like a handle between the chin and the hair.

Which words rhyme in the poem Noses?

'Nose', 'grows', 'shows' and 'goes' rhyme, and so do 'there', 'hair', 'spare' and 'sticking there'. 'Shout', 'about', 'doubt' and 'out' also rhyme.

Is Noses in the new NCERT book?

Noses is a chapter from NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 4. The newer NCERT English book for Class 4 is Santoor, so check your child's school book list to see which one the school uses.

Learn every Class 4 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 →