Summary
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.
- The Poem: Papa's Spectacles — The poem narrates how Papa searches everywhere for his spectacles — his pockets, under his chair, near the window — unable to read the newspaper, watch TV, or cut vegetables. The humorous twist is that his child spots the spectacles sitting right on Papa's head.
- Vocabulary in Context — The chapter introduces four key new words: spectacles, pair, glanced, and searching. Students practise using 'pair' in phrases (a pair of shoes, etc.) and identify the correct spelling of everyday words like vegetables, balloon, and receive.
- Language Skills: Prepositions and Order — Activities include filling in prepositions (around, after, before, in, above, on, among) in a short story about a father hunting for spectacles, and arranging groups of objects or numbers in ascending order — from smallest/lightest to biggest/heaviest.
- Listening, Speaking, and Writing Activities — Students listen to word pairs to distinguish similar sounds (pair/peer, knot/not, sun/son), discuss what the word 'Papa' means in their home language, and rewrite the poem as a short story starting with 'Today, my father is unhappy...'
Key points & formulas
- 01The poem is part of Unit 1: Let's Have Fun in the Class 5 Santoor English textbook (reprint 2026-27).
- 02Papa cannot read the newspaper, watch TV, or cut vegetables without his spectacles.
- 03Papa searches his pockets, under his chair, and near the window — but finds nothing.
- 04The child solves the mystery: the spectacles were on Papa's head the entire time.
- 05New words introduced: spectacles, pair, glanced, searching.
- 06The chapter's language exercises cover ascending order, the word 'pair', spelling correction, and prepositions.
- 07The writing task asks students to retell the poem as a story, practising present or past tense narration.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the poem 'Papa's Spectacles' about?
The poem is about a father who loses his spectacles and searches all over the house for them. His child finally discovers that the spectacles were sitting on Papa's head the whole time.
02What could Papa not do without his spectacles?
Without his spectacles, Papa could not read the newspaper, watch TV, or cut the vegetables, as stated in the poem.
03Where did Papa look for his spectacles?
Papa checked inside his pockets, glanced under his chair, searched near the window, and looked everywhere around the house.
04Where were Papa's spectacles finally found?
The child found that Papa's spectacles were right there on his head — he had been wearing them without realising it.
05Who finds Papa's spectacles and how?
The child finds them by going up close to Papa and looking carefully, then telling Papa to stop searching and pointing out that the spectacles were on his head.
06What does the word 'glanced' mean as used in the poem?
In the poem, 'glanced' means to look quickly or briefly — Papa glanced under his chair while searching for his spectacles.
07What are the new words introduced in Chapter 1 of Santoor Grade 5?
The four new words listed in the chapter are: spectacles, pair, glanced, and searching.
08Why is the word 'pair' used with spectacles?
Spectacles consist of two lenses held in a frame, so they are counted as a pair. The word 'pair' is used for things that come as a set of two, such as a pair of shoes or a pair of spectacles.
09What writing activity does the chapter ask students to do with the poem?
The chapter asks students to rewrite the poem 'Papa's Spectacles' in the form of a story in their notebook, starting with the suggested line 'Today, my father is unhappy ...'
10What language activity in the chapter teaches ascending order?
The 'Let us Learn' section asks students to arrange words in ascending order from smallest or lightest to biggest or heaviest, using groups like Towel/Sari/Handkerchief/Bedsheet and Apple/Strawberry/Cherry/Watermelon.
11What is the riddle given at the end of Chapter 1?
The riddle says: 'I go to the market, I lovingly bring you home, I sit in front of you, and I cry, cry, cry.' It appears under the 'Just for Fun' section at the end of the chapter.
12Which book and class does the chapter 'Papa's Spectacles' belong to?
'Papa's Spectacles' is Chapter 1 of the Santoor Grade 5 English textbook, published as part of the 2026-27 reprint.
More chapters in Santoor
Read Chapter 1 of Santoor, the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (2026-27 edition), online for free: the complete chapter as published by NCERT with every diagram, solved example and exercise, with a chapter summary, question answers and revision notes. Open the NCERT PDF above, or browse all NCERT Class 5 textbooks.
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