Chapter 5 — The Frog

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.

• Life on Land and in Water — The poem shows the frog as an amphibian that lives both in ponds and on damp land with drops of dew. Starting life as a tadpole swimming in water, it grows into an adult that can hop about on muddy drains and wet ground.
• Physical Features and Movement — The frog uses webbed feet to swim with ease and leaps high into the air with joyful energy. Its fast-flicking tongue is its main tool for catching food.
• Camouflage and Predators — The frog's colours match the plants and trees around it, letting it hide well in grass and leaves. Despite this defence, snakes remain a constant danger the frog must beware of.
• Sounds and Behaviour — Frogs croak loudly and feel pride in their pond environment. The chapter also notes the difference between frogs and toads: frogs have smooth, moist skin and long legs for hopping, while toads have dry, rough, bumpy skin and shorter legs.

1. 01The chapter is a first-person poem in which the frog describes its own life, habitat, and features.
2. 02The frog begins life as a tadpole — a tiny fish-like creature that swims in water — before becoming an adult.
3. 03Webbed feet allow the frog to swim with ease and also help it leap high above the ground.
4. 04The frog flicks its tongue at great speed to catch insects and other food.
5. 05Colour matching (camouflage) is the frog's main way of hiding from predators among plants and leaves.
6. 06Snakes are identified in the poem as the frog's chief natural predator, requiring constant caution.
7. 07The chapter includes vocabulary work (hop, beware, croak, webbed, damp, dew), tongue twisters with the 'fr' sound, and a creative drawing activity called 'My Frog's World'.