Zoo Manners: NCERT Class 2 English Poem (Marigold Unit 5)

etmantra15 Jan 20217 min read

Children love a trip to the zoo, and this poem reminds them that animals have feelings too. It is short, funny and full of animals your child already knows, so it is easy to enjoy and remember.

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

Watch: Zoo Manners

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

Animal words: camel, hump, chimpanzee, penguin
Feeling words: proud, wise, welcome
Telling someone kindly what not to do with 'Don't'
Being kind and respectful to animals

What the poem is about

The poem gives children friendly advice for a visit to the zoo: be careful what you say and do there. Don’t make fun of the camel, because he is proud of his hump. Don’t laugh too much at the chimpanzee, because he thinks he is as wise as we are. Even the penguins strutting around the lake can understand what we say about them.

The message is simple and kind: treat the animals as well as they treat you. If we are polite and respectful, we will always be welcome at the zoo. The poem teaches good manners and respect for all living things in a light, playful way.

New words, with Hindi meanings

careful: thinking before you do or say something, so that no one is hurt (हिंदी: सावधान)
hump: the big round lump on a camel’s back (हिंदी: कूबड़)
proud: feeling happy and pleased about something you have (हिंदी: गर्व)
noble: fine and grand (हिंदी: शानदार)
wise: clever; knowing a lot (हिंदी: समझदार)
strutting: walking in a proud, stiff way (हिंदी: अकड़कर चलना)
remarks: things people say about someone or something (हिंदी: बातें)
welcome: happily wanted as a visitor (हिंदी: स्वागत)

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.

Why should we not make fun of the camel’s hump?
What does the chimpanzee think about himself?
Which animals are walking around the lake in the poem?
Have you ever been to a zoo? How did you behave with the animals there?

Answers for parents

Because the camel is very proud of his hump.
He thinks he is as wise as you or me.
The penguins are strutting around the lake.
For example: Yes, I went to the zoo with my family. I walked quietly and did not throw food at the animals.

Grammar corner: Telling what not to do with 'Don't'

'Don't' is short for 'do not'. We put it before an action word to tell someone not to do something. The poem uses it to give polite rules for the zoo.

Don’t shout near the sleeping lion.
Don’t throw chips to the monkeys.
Don’t tease the penguins by the lake.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: The camel is very ___ of his hump.
Match the animal to the poem: camel, chimpanzee, penguin (a. walks around the lake, b. has a hump, c. thinks he is wise).
Make your own zoo rule starting with 'Don’t'.

Answers: 1. proud · 2. camel – b, chimpanzee – c, penguin – a · 3. Sample: Don’t bang on the glass of the snake house.

Try this

Play a zoo game. One person says an animal from the poem, and everyone acts it out: walk with a camel’s hump, swing like a chimpanzee, or waddle like a penguin. Then take turns showing a good zoo manner, like walking quietly or waving politely at the animals, and a bad one, like teasing. Everyone shouts “Good manners!” or “Bad manners!”

Tip for parents

Talk in Hindi first about how we should behave at the zoo: "जानवरों का मज़ाक नहीं उड़ाना चाहिए." Then say the English rule together, "Don’t make fun of the animals." Let your child make up rules in Hindi and help turn each one into a short English 'Don’t' sentence, praising every attempt.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Zoo Manners?

Treat animals as well as they treat you. If we are polite and careful at the zoo, we will always be welcome there.

Which animals are in the poem Zoo Manners?

The camel, the chimpanzee and the penguins.

Which NCERT book has the poem Zoo Manners?

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

Learn every Class 2 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →