Santoor

Chapter 1 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Papa's Spectacles", is a short humorous poem about a father who searches his entire home for his lost spectacles, only for his child to discover the glasses are sitting on his own head — download the PDF and read a summary of this lighthearted poem that opens Unit 1: Let's Have Fun.

• 1The poem is part of Unit 1: Let's Have Fun in the Class 5 Santoor English textbook (reprint 2026-27).
• 2Papa cannot read the newspaper, watch TV, or cut vegetables without his spectacles.
• 3Papa searches his pockets, under his chair, and near the window — but finds nothing.
• 4The child solves the mystery: the spectacles were on Papa's head the entire time.
• 5New words introduced: spectacles, pair, glanced, searching.

Chapter 2 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Gone with the Scooter", follows a boy named Gopi who finds a stray hockey ball and tries to return it to its rightful owner — download the PDF to read the full story, vocabulary exercises, and grammar activities on adverbs.

• 1Gopi is sitting on the veranda reading a book on a summer afternoon when he hears a rustling sound and a thud in the garden.
• 2He searches through thick grass, bushes, and a heap of dry leaves before finding a white hockey ball.
• 3At the evening playground, Gopi asks his friends whether anyone lost a ball; Manoj lost one four months ago and Deepak's father had bought him a new football — neither match the hockey ball.
• 4The friends start a game on the spot; Jay hits the ball so hard it flies past the playground gate and lands in a passing scooter's basket.
• 5The scooterist drives away unaware, taking the ball with him — the story ends with all the children bursting into laughter.

Chapter 3 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "The Rainbow", is a two-stanza poem by Christina Rossetti that compares boats, ships, clouds, and bridges to celebrate the rainbow as the most beautiful of all — download the PDF and read a summary of the poem, its key ideas, and vocabulary exercises included in the chapter.

• 1The poem 'The Rainbow' is written by Christina Rossetti and appears in Unit 2 (My Colourful World) of the Class 5 Santoor textbook.
• 2The poem has two stanzas: the first compares clouds to boats and ships; the second compares the rainbow to bridges built on rivers.
• 3The rainbow is described as 'the bow that bridges heaven' and 'builds a road from earth to sky', making it the prettiest of all things mentioned.
• 4Key new vocabulary from the poem includes the words 'overtops', 'bridges' (used as a verb), and 'bow' (used to mean rainbow).
• 5The chapter explains VIBGYOR as the order of the rainbow's seven colours: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.

Chapter 4 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "The Wise Parrot", is a short story about a caged parrot that uses clever thinking to win back its freedom — download the PDF to read the full story and explore its summary, key vocabulary, and grammar exercises.

• 1A rich merchant keeps a bright, talkative parrot in a cage of gold; the parrot entertains him with stories and songs but secretly longs for the open sky.
• 2When the merchant plans a journey, the parrot asks him to carry greetings to its wild friends in the jungle, since the merchant refuses to set it free.
• 3In a forest, the merchant delivers the message to a group of wild parrots; one parrot immediately drops from the tree and falls to the ground, which distresses the merchant.
• 4Back home, when the merchant recounts this incident, his own pet parrot falls from its perch to the cage floor, appearing dead.
• 5The merchant places the seemingly dead bird on the windowsill; the parrot then spreads its wings and flies away, explaining that its wild friend had shown it how to escape.

Chapter 5 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "The Frog", is a poem about a frog's life in ponds and muddy drains — download the PDF and read a summary covering the frog's life cycle from tadpole to adult, its unique body features, feeding habits, camouflage, and natural predators.

• 1The chapter is a first-person poem in which the frog describes its own life, habitat, and features.
• 2The frog begins life as a tadpole — a tiny fish-like creature that swims in water — before becoming an adult.
• 3Webbed feet allow the frog to swim with ease and also help it leap high above the ground.
• 4The frog flicks its tongue at great speed to catch insects and other food.
• 5Colour matching (camouflage) is the frog's main way of hiding from predators among plants and leaves.

Chapter 6 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "What a Tank!", explores the importance of water conservation and the unique overhead water tanks of rural Punjab — download the PDF to read how traditional storage methods across India and creative cement tank designs in Punjab reflect community identity and the value of water.

• 1Water conservation has been practised for centuries across India through structures like Ooranis, Panam Keni wells, and Tankas.
• 2Tankas are underground tanks in Rajasthan's Thar region that can store enough water for six to seven months.
• 3Punjab, located in northwestern India, is known for overhead water tanks in creative shapes including flowers, footballs, roosters, statues, and aeroplanes.
• 4The shape of a water tank in rural Punjab reflects the identity or profession of the house owner — a farmer may have a tractor-shaped tank, a sports fan may have a football-shaped tank.
• 5All the uniquely shaped tanks are made using a steel rod frame covered with concrete, then installed on the rooftop.

Chapter 7 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Gilli Danda", is a poem about the traditional Indian outdoor game played with two sticks — download the PDF to read the poem, comprehension questions, and grammar exercises on prefixes, abstract nouns, and possessive pronouns.

• 1Gilli Danda is a traditional Indian outdoor game played with two sticks: a long danda and a short gilli; in English it is known as tip-cat.
• 2The poem describes players gathering in the playground, swinging the danda to hit the gilli, and watching it fly up under bright blue skies.
• 3New vocabulary words introduced in the chapter include: gather, gilli, quit, and underneath.
• 4The grammar section teaches two prefixes — 'un-' (meaning not) and 're-' (meaning again) — with examples like unhappy and redraw.
• 5Students learn to distinguish concrete nouns from abstract nouns; abstract nouns like happiness and fear have no physical shape and cannot be touched or seen.

Chapter 8 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "The Decision of the Panchayat", tells the story of a farmer cheated by a cunning neighbour over well water — download the PDF to read how the village Panchayat's clever judgment exposed the trick and delivered justice.

• 1A farmer buys a field and also purchases a well from his neighbour to get water for his crops.
• 2The neighbour, trying to cheat the farmer, claims he sold only the well and not the water, refusing to let the farmer draw water.
• 3The farmer takes the dispute to the village chief, who calls a meeting of the Panchayat under the banyan tree.
• 4Both the farmer and the neighbour speak before the assembled Panchayat members and villagers.
• 5The village chief accepts the neighbour's claim — that the water was not sold — but immediately points out that he therefore has no right to keep his water in the farmer's well.

Chapter 9 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Vocation", is a poem by Rabindranath Tagore in which a school-going child envies the apparent freedom of a hawker, a gardener, and a watchman — download the PDF and read a summary of this thoughtful poem about work, childhood longing, and the dignity of everyday occupations.

• 1The poem 'Vocation' is written by Rabindranath Tagore and appears in Unit 5: Work is Worship.
• 2The poem has three stanzas, each set at a different time of day: morning (hawker), afternoon (gardener), and evening/night (watchman).
• 3The child hears the hawker at 10 in the morning crying 'Bangles, crystal bangles!' and envies his freedom to roam without a fixed road or schedule.
• 4Returning from school at 4 in the afternoon, the child watches the gardener digging, getting dusty and wet with no one to stop or scold him.
• 5At night, the child sees the watchman through the open window; the street lamp is compared to a giant with one red eye in its head.

Chapter 10 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Glass Bangles," follows Ravi, a skilled glass artisan from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, and his daughter Ananya, whose blend of traditional and modern bangle designs becomes a Diwali success — download the PDF to read the full story and explore the chapter's exercises on past perfect tense, word association, and Indian craft traditions.

• 1Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is the setting, known across India for its glass bangle industry.
• 2Glass bangles are made by heating glass in a furnace, shaping it, adding colours and designs, then cooling it carefully.
• 3Ananya, Ravi's daughter, introduces floral patterns and geometric shapes that blend traditional and modern styles.
• 4The father-daughter duo creates a special Diwali collection that proves to be a big commercial and artistic success.
• 5During Diwali, demand for bangles increases so much that artisans work around the clock to meet orders.