The Kites: NCERT Class 6 English Poem (Poorvi)

etmantra3 Nov 20265 min read

Almost every Indian child has looked up at a sky full of kites on Makar Sankranti or Independence Day. In this short, musical poem, a child goes one step further and imagines riding a kite over the park and the rooftops. It is a lovely chapter for learning similes, alliteration and words for movement.

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From NCERT’s new English book Poorvi for Class 6, unit “Culture and Tradition”. Unit 5.

What your child learns

Similes with 'like' and 'as': kites like coloured birds, light as air
Alliteration: words that begin with the same sound, such as wild wind
Words for movement: fly, drift, glide, soar, dive, swoop
Writing a five-line cinquain poem and a paragraph called 'I am a Kite'

What the poem is about

The poem in this chapter, "Up in the air" by Daphne Lister, begins with a child looking up at kites flying in a windy sky. The kites look like colourful birds. The child wishes to be small and as light as air, so that they could climb onto a kite and sail up into the sky.

Up there, the child imagines drifting along on the kite's paper wings and hearing the song of the wild wind. It would be fun to look down at the park and the town's rooftops, while the people below stand, stare and wish they were the one flying so high. The poem is about imagination, freedom and the simple joy of kites, a joy that is part of many Indian festivals.

New words, with Hindi meanings

wind-whipped: hit and pushed about by a strong wind (हिंदी: तेज़ हवा वाला)
wish: to want something that may not be possible (हिंदी: इच्छा करना)
sail: to move smoothly through the air or water (हिंदी: तैरते हुए जाना)
drift: to move slowly, carried by wind or water (हिंदी: धीरे-धीरे बहना)
wings: the parts a bird uses to fly; here, the kite's paper sides (हिंदी: पंख)
rooftops: the tops of houses and buildings (हिंदी: छतें)
stare: to look at something for a long time (हिंदी: घूरना)
soar: to fly high up into the sky (हिंदी: ऊँचा उड़ना)
glide: to move smoothly and quietly without effort (हिंदी: सरकते हुए उड़ना)
reel: a roller around which the kite string is wound (हिंदी: चरखी)

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 child compare the flying kites to?
Why does the child wish to be small and light?
What would the child see when looking down from the kite?
How would the people below feel when they saw the child in the air?
Have you ever flown a kite or watched kites fly? Tell us about it.

Answers for parents

The child says the kites look like coloured birds in the windy sky.
The child wants to be small and light so they can climb onto a kite and sail up into the sky.
The child would see the park and the rooftops of the town far below.
They would stand and stare, and wish that they were the one flying so high.
For example: On Makar Sankranti I flew a red kite from our terrace with my cousin. The wind was strong and my kite went very high.

Grammar corner: Similes with 'like' and 'as'

A simile compares two different things to help us picture them, using the word 'like' or 'as'. The poet compares kites to coloured birds and says the child wants to be light as air. Not every sentence with 'like' is a simile: 'I like kites' only tells what you enjoy.

The red kite danced like a flame in the evening sky.
The string was as thin as a hair.
On Makar Sankranti, the rooftops were as busy as a market.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank with 'like' or 'as': The kite was as light ___ a feather.
Find the pair that shows alliteration: (a) wild wind (b) blue sky (c) paper kite
Make a sentence with 'drift' about a kite or a cloud.

Answers: 1. as · 2. (a) wild wind: both words begin with the 'w' sound. · 3. For example: The white clouds drift slowly over our school.

Try this

Play 'Kite moves'. One person calls out a movement word: fly, drift, glide, soar, dive, swoop or circle. Everyone moves their arms like a kite in that way: slow and floating for drift, high and steady for soar, fast and down for dive. Then take turns making a simile about the kite, such as 'My kite is as quick as a bird.'

Tip for parents

Ask your child in Hindi first: 'पतंग आसमान में कैसी दिखती है?' Let them answer in Hindi or a mix, then help them say it in English with 'like': 'The kite looks like a bird.' Do the same with 'as': 'हवा जैसी हल्की' becomes 'as light as air'. Praise every try, even when the English is not perfect.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem in The Kites about?

A child watches kites flying like coloured birds and wishes to be small and light enough to ride one. From up there the child would see the park and rooftops, while people below stare and wish they were flying too.

Who wrote the poem in the chapter The Kites?

The poem, titled "Up in the air", is by Daphne Lister.

Is The Kites in the new NCERT book?

Yes. The Kites is in NCERT's new Poorvi book for Class 6, Unit 5 (Culture and Tradition).

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