Unit 1 · Let’s Have Fun · NCERT Class 5 Santoor

Papa’s Spectacles

A funny little rhyming poem. We only name the poem — every line and example here is our own — and use it to learn three reading skills: how rhyme and rhythm make a poem sing, how poets paint word-pictures in your head, and what makes a poem funny. Tap each idea below to see what it means.

👥 3 topics⏱ ~15 min📝 10-question quiz

Play with it

The toolbox of a poem

A poem is built from a few simple tools. Tap each one to see what it does — then you will spot them in any poem you read.

Explore · Poem toolstap an idea

Learn

The three big ideas

Rhyme — two words end with the same sound: cat & hat, star & car, light & night. The rhyming words usually sit at the ends of lines.
Sound, not spelling — say and they rhyme because they sound alike, even though they are spelt differently. But come and home look alike yet do not rhyme. Always listen.
Rhythm — the beat or bounce you feel when you read a poem aloud. Clap as you read and you can feel it, like the tick of a clock.

Try it. Which word rhymes with “ball” — tall, table or balloon?

tall — ends with the -all sound, just like “ball”. ✔ It rhymes.

table, balloon — they start with the same letter, but end with a different sound, so they do not rhyme.

Imagery — words a poet chooses so a picture or sound pops into your head. “Golden mangoes hung on the green tree.” You can almost see the colours.
Use your senses — some words help you see (red, shiny, tall), some help you hear (buzz, splash, tick-tock), some help you feel (soft, cold, sticky).
Why it matters — imagery turns plain words into a small film inside your mind, so the poem feels real and fun.

Common mix-up: a line like “It happened there.” tells you nothing to picture. A line like “The red kite danced in the blue sky.” gives colours and an action, so you can see it. The second line uses imagery.

Surprise — we laugh when something unexpected happens. Searching all over the house for spectacles that are sitting on your own nose is a happy surprise.
Silly mix-ups — ordinary things go a little wrong: putting on two left shoes, or pouring tea into the sugar pot.
Playful words — bouncy rhymes and funny sound words (plop! whoosh! oops!) add to the fun.

Spot the humour. Why does this make us smile? “Grandpa looked for his slippers high and low — they were already on his feet!”

The surprise is that the slippers were on his feet the whole time. We did not expect it, so it is funny.

Where you'll meet it

Rhyme & fun, all around you

Write your own funny rhyme

Pick two words that rhyme, like cat and hat, and build a silly two-line rhyme: “My naughty little cat / ran off with my new hat.” Add a surprise at the end and you have written a funny couplet.

Songs, rhymes and games

Rhyme and rhythm are everywhere — in lullabies, skipping-rope chants and clapping games. Once you can hear the beat and the rhyme, you can join in and even make up new lines of your own.

Reading aloud with feeling

When you notice the rhythm, you know where to pause and where to bounce. Reading a funny poem aloud — with the right beat — makes everyone listening smile too.