Wake Up!: NCERT Class 4 English Poem (Marigold Unit 1)

etmantra2 Jul 202011 min read

Wake Up! is a short, happy poem full of morning sounds. It invites a sleepy child to get up, get ready and come out to play. Its bouncy rhythm makes it a lovely poem to read aloud together.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 4, unit 1. NCERT’s newer Class 4 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Wake Up!

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

Morning sounds and animal names
Giving commands: 'Wake up', 'Hurry up', 'Come and play'
Phrases like 'lie in bed' and 'up and about'
Reading a poem aloud with rhythm and actions

What the poem is about

The poem speaks to a child who is still in bed. It says it is a lovely day and asks the child to get up and come and play. Outside, the birds are singing in the trees and the bees are buzzing.

The speaker says it is too late to lie in bed and calls the child a sleepy head. Everyone else is already up: the cows, the horses, the ducks, the sheep and even the tiniest chicken going 'cheep, cheep'. The feeling of the poem is bright and joyful. It tells us that mornings are full of life and fun.

New words, with Hindi meanings

lovely: very nice and pleasant (हिंदी: सुहाना)
buzzing: the humming sound bees make when they fly (हिंदी: भिनभिनाना)
lie in bed: stay in bed and not get up (हिंदी: बिस्तर में पड़े रहना)
hurry up: be quick (हिंदी: जल्दी करो)
sleepy head: a friendly name for someone who is still sleepy (हिंदी: नींद का मारा)
up and about: out of bed and moving around (हिंदी: उठकर चलना-फिरना)
tiniest: the very smallest (हिंदी: सबसे छोटा)

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.

Explained in Hindi

If your child finds the English hard, watch this explanation of the poem and its word meanings in Hindi, then go back to the English video.

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 sounds can the child hear outside in the morning?
Which animals are already up and about?
Why does the speaker want the child to get up quickly?
What is your favourite thing to do in the morning?

Answers for parents

The child can hear birds singing in the trees and bees buzzing.
The cows, horses, ducks, sheep and the tiniest chicken are already up.
It is a lovely day, it is too late to stay in bed, and everyone else is already up and ready to play.
For example: My favourite thing is to drink milk and watch the birds on our roof.

Grammar corner: Giving commands (imperatives)

A command tells someone to do something. It starts with an action word, like 'Wake up' or 'Come and play'. Adding 'please' makes a command polite.

Brush your teeth and wash your face.
Please open the window and listen to the birds.
Come and see the ducks in the pond.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: The bees are ___ in the garden.
Complete the set: tiny, tinier, ___.
Make a polite command with 'please' for the morning.

Answers: 1. buzzing · 2. tiniest · 3. For example: Please get up, it is time for school.

Try this

Read the poem aloud together and add actions: flap arms for the birds, buzz like a bee, and say 'cheep, cheep' like a little chicken. Then ask your child to name two more animals or sounds they hear in the morning near your home and make up one new line about them.

Tip for parents

When you wake your child, say it in Hindi first, 'utho, jaldi karo', and then in English, 'Wake up, hurry up!' Soon your child will join in. Let them answer in Hindi, English or a mix, and praise each English phrase they use.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Wake Up! about?

It calls a sleepy child to get out of bed on a lovely morning. Birds are singing, bees are buzzing and all the animals are already up.

Which animals are named in Wake Up!?

The poem names birds, bees, cows, horses, ducks, sheep and a tiny chicken.

Which NCERT book is Wake Up! from?

Wake Up! is Unit 1 of NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 4. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

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 →