Papa's Spectacles: NCERT Class 5 English Poem (Santoor Chapter 1)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Every family has a day when something goes missing and everyone hunts for it. In this funny poem, Papa looks everywhere for his spectacles, and his child finds them in the last place he would think of. Children love the surprise ending and enjoy acting it out.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 5, unit “Let's Have Fun”. Chapter 1.

What your child learns

Words for searching: search, check, glance, look
Past tense action words with -ed: checked, searched, looked
Using 'a pair of' for things that come in twos
Reciting a funny poem with expression and actions

What the poem is about

A child tells us about Papa, who has lost his spectacles. They are his only pair, so he is stuck. Without them he cannot read the newspaper, watch TV or cut the vegetables. He checks his pockets, looks under his chair and searches near the window.

At last the child asks him to stop, goes close to him and points out the answer: the spectacles are sitting on top of his head the whole time. The poem is light and funny. It shows how we sometimes miss what is right in front of us, and how a sharp-eyed child can help.

New words, with Hindi meanings

spectacles: glasses that help you see clearly (हिंदी: चश्मा)
pair: two things that go together (हिंदी: जोड़ा)
searching: looking hard for something (हिंदी: ढूँढना)
glanced: looked quickly (हिंदी: नज़र डाली)
pockets: small bags sewn into clothes (हिंदी: जेबें)
newspaper: printed pages with the day's news (हिंदी: अख़बार)
vegetables: plants we cook and eat, like beans and potatoes (हिंदी: सब्ज़ियाँ)
everywhere: in all places (हिंदी: हर जगह)

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 has Papa lost?
Name two things Papa cannot do without his spectacles.
Where were the spectacles in the end?
What do you often lose at home, and who helps you find it?

Answers for parents

Papa has lost his spectacles, his only pair.
He cannot read the newspaper or watch TV. He also cannot cut the vegetables.
They were on Papa's head all the time.
For example: I often lose my pencil box. My mother helps me find it.

Grammar corner: Past tense with -ed

When something has already happened, many action words add -ed at the end. Search becomes searched and look becomes looked. The poem uses words like these to tell us what Papa did.

Papa checked the cupboard for his spectacles.
My sister looked under the bed.
We searched the whole house before dinner.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Papa ___ (look) under the chair for his spectacles.
Complete with your own word: a pair of ___
Say aloud: one thing you can do only with your spectacles or your eyes, starting 'I can ___'.

Answers: 1. looked · 2. Sample answers: shoes, socks, gloves, earrings · 3. Sample answer: I can read a storybook.

Try this

Play 'Find Papa's spectacles' at home. One person hides a small thing, like a pen, somewhere easy to see, maybe on top of a cushion or behind an ear. The others search and say where they are looking: 'I am looking under the table', 'I am checking my pocket'. Then act out the poem, with one child as Papa and one as the helper who shouts 'Stop, Papa!'

Tip for parents

Ask your child in Hindi first: 'पापा का चश्मा कहाँ था?' Then say the English line together: 'The spectacles are on his head.' If your child answers in a mix of Hindi and English, that is fine; repeat the full English sentence warmly and praise the try.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Papa's Spectacles about?

It is about a papa who has lost his only pair of spectacles and searches everywhere for them. His child finally shows him that the spectacles are on his head.

Where did Papa find his spectacles?

Papa did not find them himself. His child told him the spectacles were right there on his head.

Is Papa's Spectacles in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is Chapter 1 of NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 5, in Unit 1, 'Let's Have Fun'.

Learn every Class 5 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 →