Q1.
Try to remember the time you were in Grades 3 and 4. Think and write about the changes that you have noticed in yourself and your friends, in your school, and in your environment. Fill the table given on page 148.
The blank table printed on page 148.
| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself and your friends | |||
| School | |||
| Surrounding area |
Answer
Think of one thing under each heading that was true in Grade 3, one that was true in Grade 4, and one that is true now. Then you can see the change with your own eyes, the way Saba saw that Aparna had grown taller.
How to do it, step by step:
- Close your eyes and picture yourself on the first day of Grade 3. How tall were you? Who sat beside you?
- Ask at home. Old photographs, an old school diary and an old notebook help a lot.
- Write only one short line in each box. This table is for noticing change, not for writing an essay.
- Fill one row fully before you start the next one, so you can compare across the three years.
Sample answer — your own table will be different, and that is exactly right.
| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself and your friends | I was the shortest in my row. I could not tie my own shoelaces. Meena was my only friend. | I grew about 5 cm taller. I learnt to ride a bicycle. Two new friends joined our class. | I am taller than Meena now. I can swim a little and I have started learning the dholak. My best friend has moved to another city. |
| School | Our classroom was on the ground floor. We sat on mats. There was one blackboard. | We got new benches. A drinking-water tank was put up near the field. | Our class is upstairs now. There is a small library and a science corner. A new teacher takes our music class. |
| Surrounding area | The road in front of the school was of mud. There was an open field beside it. | The road was cemented. Two new shops opened. | The neem saplings planted near the gate are taller than me. Streetlights have been put up. The pond behind the school is smaller than it used to be. |
Why this table matters: Change is happening all the time, but it is slow, so we do not notice it while it is happening. Writing down what things were like a year or two ago turns an invisible change into something you can actually see. That is the same trick you will use later in this chapter with the seasons' journal.
Tip: Keep this page. If you fill the same table again in Grade 6, you will be able to see two more years of change at one glance.