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Poem

*Special Hero
Christina M Kerschen

*Memoriter

Warm up

What are the sacrifices made by your father for

your family.

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

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When I was a baby,

you would hold me in your arms.
I felt the love and tenderness,
keeping me safe from harm.
I would look up into your eyes,
and all the love I would see.
How did I get so lucky,
you were the dad chosen for me.
There is something special
about a father's love.
Seems it was sent to me
from someplace up above.
Our love is everlasting,
I just wanted you to know.
That you're my special hero
and I wanted to tell you so.
Christina M Kerschen

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Glossary

tenderness (n) – gentleness and kindness

everlasting (adj) – lasting forever or a very long time

special(adj) – different from what is usual

A) Read the poem aloud in pairs.

B) Find a line from the poem to match the statements given below and write it
in the blank.
1. He always saves me from harm --------------------------------------------------.

2. I am so lucky to get you --------------------------------------------------.

3. The affection between us has no end --------------------------------------------------.

C) Answer the following questions.

1. Who is the speaker?
2. Who is the special hero mentioned in the poem?
3. How did the child feel when it was hold by its dad?
Seems it was sent to me
From someplace up above.
4. What do the above lines mean?
5. What did the child want to tell its dad?

D) Work in pairs and answer the questions below.

1. "There is something special
about a father's love".
Identify the alliteration in the given lines.
2. Pick out the rhyming words from the poem.

WRITING

E) Write a paragraph on the father’s love as described in the poem.

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Parallel Reading

ONLY A DAD

Only a dad, with a tired face,

Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame,
To show how well he has played the game,
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come, and to hear his voice.
Only a dad, with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more.
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.
Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent, whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.
Only a dad, but he gives his all
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing, with courage stern and grim,
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen,
Only a dad, but the best of men.
Edgar Albert Guest

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Making Life Worth While

Every soul that touches yours -

Be it the slightest contact -

Get there from some good;

Some little grace; one kindly thought;

One aspiration yet unfelt;

One bit of courage

For the darkening sky;

One gleam of faith

To brave the thickening ills of life;

One glimpse of brighter skies -

To make this life worthwhile

And heaven a surer heritage.

- George Eliot

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About the Poet

Mary Ann Evans (1819 – 1880), known by her

pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist,
poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading
writers of the Victorian era. She wrote seven novels.
George Eliot

Glossary
grace (n) - elegance, charm
a hope or ambition of achieving something, desire,
aspiration (n) - wish
courage (n) - bravery, valour
gleam (n) - shine brightly
glimpse (n) - glance, quick look
worthwhile (adj) - valuable, purposeful
heritage (n) - inheritance

1. Comprehension questions.
1. What should we learn from every soul?
2. What qualities will help us brave the thickening ills of life?
3. Why should we make this life worthwhile?
4. What does the poet assure if we make our life worthwhile?
2. Fill in the blanks:
1. We should have a _____________________ in life.
2. A ______________ is need for the darkening sky.
3. One must have a ___________ of brighter skies to make the life worthwhile.

3. Figure of speech.
Repetition:
Repetition is a literary device that repeats the same words of phrases a few times to
make an idea clearer and more memorable. It is used to emphasize a feeling or idea,
create rhythm, and bring attention to an idea.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost
Pick out any two lines of repetition from the poem.
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Parallel Reading

Just One
One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream,
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,

One handclasp lifts a soul,
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room,
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,

One word must start each prayer,
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what's true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

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Poem

*A Thing of Beauty
John Keats

Warm up
1. Do you admire the beauty of nature, animals,
people, places or things? Discuss with your partner.

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A Thing of Beauty

John Keats

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About the Poet

John Keats (1795 – 1821) was a British Romantic
poet. Although trained to be a surgeon, Keats decided
to devote himself wholly to poetry. Keats’ secret, his
power to sway and delight the readers, lies primarily
in his gift for perceiving the world and living his
moods and aspirations in terms of language. "A Thing
of Beauty' is an excerpt from his poem ‘Endymion:
A Poetic Romance’. The poem is based on a Greek
legend, in which Endymion, a beautiful young shepherd
and poet who lived on Mount Latmos, had a vision
of Cynthia, the Moon Goddess. The enchanted youth
resolved to seek her out and so wandered away through the forest and down under the sea.

Glossary
bower (n) - shelter under the shade of trees
wreathing (v) - cover, surround, encircle something
pall (n) - covering
rills (n) - clear stream
sprinkling (v) - falling in fine drops

A. Read the poem aloud twice.

B. Choose the correct answers

1. According to the poet, a thing of beauty is ____________.
a. a joy forever b. a pain forever
c. a suffering forever d. neglected
2. Beautiful things never “pass in to nothingness ” means that they ____________.
a. never increases b. create unpleasantness between friends
c. never fade away d. always bring unhappiness
3. “Will keep a bower quiet for us” means ____________.
a. will give us peace and calm b. will stop unpleasant sound
c. make our beds fit to sleep d. reduces noise
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4. Of all the unhealthy means ____________

a. pain b. neglect
c. suffering d. ill-health
5. The sun, moon, trees, old and young are the things that ____________.
a. depress us b. remove the pall of gloom from our lives
c. makes us laugh d. gives us oxygen
C. Answer the following
1. How is a thing of beauty joy forever?
2. Why do we suffer?
3. According to the poet, mention the evil things we possess?
d. Figure of Speech
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant letters or similar sounds at the
beginning words in a set or series of words.

 wild wind

 curious clock

 splendid scholar

 memorable moments

 creepy crawlies

Imagery is the way that a writer helps reader visualize or see in their minds what is
being described. These images often suggest emotions. Images appeal to one or more of
the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell.

For example

 It was dark and cloudy in the woods.

 The boys were screaming and shouting in the playground.

 The mountain was spewing and spitting the smoke.

 The sauce was sweet and sour.

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Poem
*Lessons in Life
Brigette Bryant & Daniel Ho

Warm up
What do you feel when you meet your friend after a long time?
Building a friendship with someone is easy or difficult? Why?

Having a friend is like planting a flower

Show love and kindness it one day will bloom
Let’s be aware as we walk on this planet
Even the tiniest creature needs room.
Lessons in life aren’t always so simple
Nothing you’re given will ever come free
Even the smallest of gifts deserves “thank you”
I respect you and Eliot
George you respect
I think of you and you think of me.

Remember everyone here is important

When you’re forgotten it makes you feel sad
Know that you matter and you make a difference
Let no one shame you or make you feel bad.

Lessons in life aren’t always so simple

Nothing you are given will ever come free
Even the smallest of gifts deserves “thank you”
I respect you and you respect
I think of you and you think of me.

Bridgette Bryant & Daniel Ho

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Glossary
kindness (n) - humble
bloom (v) - come into
tiniest (adj) - smallest
forgotten (v) - out of mind
deserves (v) - be qualified for

A. Comprehension Questions

1. What is planting a flower compared to?

2. What does the tiniest creature need?

3. What do the smallest gifts deserve?

4. What will happen if you fail to give importance to others?

5. What do you learn from your lessons in life?

6. Pick and write the rhyming words from the third stanza.

7. “Having a friend is like planting a flower.” Explain.

Figures of speech
a. Simile:

A ‘Simile’ is a figure of speech, in which two unlike things are compared, using the
words, ‘like’ or ‘as’. It is used to bring a dramatic effect in Prose. Simile is one of the most
common forms of a figure of speech and is also used in poems as well as our day-to-day
talks.

Examples:

• as blind as a bat (means that someone is not willing to notice)

• like peas in a pod (means that two people are quite similar)

• as wise as an owl (refers to someone who is very smart / knowledgeable)

• quiet like a mule (refers to someone who is silent / quiet)

• as brave as a lion (refers to someone who is too brave/courageous)

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Exercise:
Answer the following.

1. Write a sentence using ‘as fast as the wind’.

2. Write a simile using the word ‘like’.
3. Create a simile using the word ‘as’.
4. What does ‘as smart as a fox’ mean?
2. Metaphor:

A ‘Metaphor’ is quite similar to a ‘Simile’, as a ‘Metaphor’ also compares two unlike

things. But a Metaphor has an implied or a hidden meaning between unrelated things.
Here, for a Metaphor we do not use words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’. Unlike Similes which
compare two things, Metaphors directly state a comparison to things that are in no way
similar. We can use Metaphors to explain an idea, but its literal meaning should not be
taken. It is only to be used as a symbolism.
Examples:
• My father was boiling mad. (implies that he was too angry)
• She is the apple of my eye. (implies that she is too dear to me)
• Your brain is a computer. (implies that your brain is smart and quick)
• Her voice is music to his ears. (implies that her voice makes him feel happy)
• The given task was a breeze. (implies that the task was not difficult)

Exercise:
1. Which of the given options is a Metaphor?
a) Life is like a chocolate box. b) Raj is like his twin brother.
c) His words are pearls of wisdom. d) The bus is slow as a snail.
2. What does "The world is a stage” mean?
3. Identify the Metaphor in the sentence.
Her hair is always a rat’s nest in the morning.
4. Write a sentence on your own that includes a Metaphor.

William Shakespeare invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns
into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used
together, adding prefixes and suffixes and devising words wholly original.

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Parallel Reading

A Time to Talk

When a friend calls to me from the road

And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Robert Frost

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Poem

My Computer Needs A Break

Shanthini Govindan

Warm up
In pairs, tell each other how computer plays a vital
role in all fields.

1. Computer helps students learn new things.

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

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My Computer Needs A Break

My computer has always been so brainy and smart –

It seems to know mountains of information by heart.
If I type in a question, and give my mouse a click,
My computer always gives me the answer really quick!

But of late, my computer has been behaving badly too,

It’s so absent-minded, that I don’t know what to do.
It forgets to ‘save’ my work, and store it away,
And instead, makes it vanish in the most dreadful way.

My computer doesn’t check that my spellings are right,

And hides my files, so that they vanish from sight.
And one day, my naughty computer actually gobbled a worm,
And behaved so erratically that it made me squirm.

Then my computer caught a virus, and fell very sick,

So I had to call in a doctor, double quick.
As the doctor examined my computer, I just had to say,
‘Doctor, do you think my tired computer wants a holiday?’
Shanthini Govindan

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About the Author

Shanthini Govindan is a widely published, award-winning
author of children's literature in English in India, who has
written over 50 books for children including poetry, picture
books and short stories for children of all ages.

Glossary
brainy (adj) – very intelligent

absent-minded (adj) – being forgetful

vanish (v) – disappear

dreadful (adj) – unpleasant

gobbled (v) – ate hastily or greedily

erratically (adv) – unsteadily or unpredictably

squirm (v) – to twist the body in discomfort

A) Answer the following:

1. How does the poet describe her computer?
2. What happened to the computer?
3. List four things that the computer could not do after it became absent-minded
4. What made the poet squirm?
5. Why did the poet call the doctor?

B) Fill in the blanks.

1) Computers are ______ and _______.
2) We get answers for questions by a ______.
3) The computer forgot to ______ the poet's work.
4) The computer actually gobbled a _______.
5) The poet feels that his computer needs _______.
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C) Pick out the rhyming words from the poem.

Smart - ________
click - _________
right - _________
sick - __________

D) Match the poetic lines with Figures of speech

1) So brainy – personification

2) Mountains – personification

3) It's so absent minded – hyperbole

4) Computer gobbled a worm – metaphor

5) Very sick – metaphor

E) Find the alliterating words from the poem

1) Save - ________________________________

2) Doctor - ________________________________

3) Virus - ________________________________

4) makes - ________________________________

5) Gobbled - ________________________________

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Parallel Reading

Ode to Technology...

You've brought us closer,

Then made us more distant.
Made us more aware,
Then made us doubtful of ourselves.
Introduce us to more friends,
Then invited more enemies.
Given us more publicity,
Then exploited us.
Save us more time,
Now it's spent to be more busy.
Simplify our tasks just to make life more difficult.
You're an entrapping blessing in disguise.
Made us feel more secure,
Yet gave us more tools to break in.
You've become our new addiction,
Just a second without you,
Got us in technology withdraw.
You're a complication in simplicity.
There's so much to love you but also so much to hate.
Can't live with you or without you...
Tien Dang

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