Teamwork: NCERT Class 5 English Poem (Marigold Unit 2)

etmantra24 Jun 20207 min read

Can one player win a basketball match alone? This lively poem says no. It uses games children know to show that working together makes dreams come true and brings shared joy.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 5, unit 2. NCERT’s newer Class 5 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Teamwork

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

Sports words: hoop, relay race, baton
The idea of a common goal
Using 'if… then' to show what happens
Why sharing and passing helps a team

What the poem is about

The poem begins by saying that with teamwork we can make our dream work, and then share the joy of what we have done. It says teamwork is fun for everyone.

It uses examples from sport. Shooting a basketball through the hoop is fun, but if nobody passes the ball, nobody gets to shoot. A relay race cannot go on if nobody passes the baton. The poem says each of us is a part of the whole team, and we all look at a common goal. Sometimes it helps when 'you' and 'me' become 'us'.

New words, with Hindi meanings

teamwork: working together as a group (हिंदी: मिलजुलकर काम)
joy: great happiness (हिंदी: खुशी)
hoop: the ring that a basketball goes through (हिंदी: घेरा)
relay race: a race in which team members run one after another (हिंदी: रिले दौड़)
baton: a short stick passed from one runner to the next (हिंदी: डंडा)
whole: all of something, complete (हिंदी: पूरा)
common goal: an aim that everyone shares (हिंदी: साझा लक्ष्य)
plus: here, something good or helpful (हिंदी: फ़ायदा)

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 does the poem say happens in basketball if nobody passes the ball?
Why can't a relay race go on if nobody passes the baton?
What does it mean when 'you' and 'me' become 'us'?
Tell about a time you worked in a team. What did you do together?

Answers for parents

If nobody passes the ball, then nobody gets to shoot.
In a relay race each runner must pass the baton to the next one, so the race stops if nobody passes it.
It means people stop thinking only of themselves and work together as one team.
For example: In a school project, my friends and I made a chart. One drew, one wrote and I coloured it.

Grammar corner: Showing what happens with 'if… then'

We use 'if' to talk about something that may happen, and 'then' to say what will follow. The poem uses this to show why passing matters.

If we all clean the classroom, then it will be done quickly.
If you pass me the ball, then I can score a goal.
If one runner drops the baton, then the team loses time.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: In a relay race, runners pass the ___.
Complete: If nobody passes the ball, then ___.
Make a sentence about teamwork at home.

Answers: 1. baton · 2. nobody can shoot · 3. For example: When we all set the table together, dinner starts sooner.

Try this

Play a simple passing game: stand in a line and pass a ball or a rolled-up paper 'baton' from one person to the next as fast as you can. Then try it with one person refusing to pass. Talk about what happened and connect it to the poem.

Tip for parents

Do a small job together, like folding clothes, and talk about it in Hindi first: 'हम सबने मिलकर काम किया.' Then say the English, 'We did it together. That is teamwork.' Let your child explain the poem in Hindi, English or both, and praise every attempt.

Questions parents ask

What is the message of the poem Teamwork?

When we work together towards a common goal, we can make our dreams come true and share the joy. Sometimes 'you' and 'me' need to become 'us'.

Which games are mentioned in the poem Teamwork?

Basketball and the relay race. In both, players must pass the ball or baton for the team to go on.

Is Teamwork in the new NCERT book?

Teamwork is a chapter from NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 5. The newer NCERT English book for Class 5 is Santoor, so check your child's school book list to see which one the school uses.

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 →