200 Posts and a Sign for This New Year!

This feels amazing! What's even more amazing is that my first post this year turned out to be my 200th one! The moment I saw the notification, I was reminded of never underestimating the power of perseverance. One never knows what's hiding behind one more step, that step before we thought about giving up. This …

Subject-Verb Agreement: Best Friends with a Twist- Video

I still remember the day I introduced my grade 4 students to The Grammar Family. I told them about how each member of the family has its own place without which everything would be topsy-turvy in the Grammar family's household. But, there are some words that are naughty and keep breaking the rules. And how …

The Rain and Her Sorcery (A Poem)

Sitting alone I stared out of my window. Her presence was felt Even in her absence. I traced my finger as she did, Chasing the raindrops Slinding down my window- Racing down, mingling and sometimes Diverging onto separate paths. Life! I smirked. I saw her smile. Pain melted into my chest, spread And rested there. …

Pinocchio- The Story

Image Source- Pinterest.com We have heard the above statement so many times in our life. Let's find out what happened with a puppet named Pinocchio who would always lie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aewbOlGXv6s Could you make any connections? Have you experienced the ill-effects of lying in your life? What do you think about the story? Do leave your …

500 Likes! Yikes!

My first 500 likes! Yay! Thanks guys for leaving so much love on the blog! Yet another memorable moment for me. Thanks for making my blogging experience so special. Much much love and light!

Test Your Smarts- Grammar Quiz 1

I just came across this interesting quiz on grammar. It tests everything from subject- verb agreement to your knowledge of sentence structure. Quite interesting. Do check it out. Comment below what you found easy and what was a challenge. Let's see if we can help each other out. Do like, share, follow and comment if …

Tenderquill: A Blog by a Nine Year Old Plus India’s Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Before we get into this blog post, here's the inspiration I was talking about in my last blog post. Click here to read the last blog. I teach grade 4 and 5 students. Today India is celebrating its Independence Day. We generally discuss about what freedom truly means to them. They …

100 Followers!

This seemed surreal when it happened! It sure took its time. But to be quite honest, I did leave blogging for a couple of months after initially starting. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this amazing journey! I can't thank you enough for the support. I firstly want to thank my school …

5 Phrasal Verbs with the Verb “Take”

Here's something interesting I found which will help you speak and write better English. Click here to view it. Do let me know what you think about this. Use them in sentences so that they stay with you. You can leave your sentences in the comments section for your friends to see. Happy learning!

20 Children’s Book That Redefine Gender Roles

Children are exposed to gender roles sometimes in very obvious ways, but sometimes very subtly. One of the subtle ways was the fairytales and story books we read while growing up where the girl was always the damsel in distress in need of being saved by a handsome and strong boy. Ugh! There were many …

Robinson Crusoe- Video

Robinson Crusoe sure is an interesting story. Here's a summary of the text "Robinson Crusoe".Good readers are always visualizing while they read. After watching the video, ask yourself these questions:Did the visuals in the video match with the visuals I had in my mind while I was reading the text?What was different in the video …

Present, Past and Future Continuous Tenses

The continuous tense shows an action that is, was, or will be in progress at a certain time. The continuous tense is formed with the verb ‘be’ + -ing form of the verb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYuwpd0YShU Questions to guide your thinking: What are continuous tenses?Give two examples of each of the following by writing complete sentences:Present Continuous …

Word of the Day- August 7, 2019 and Special Mention

Don't you collaborate almost everyday in school? So do you have any interesting stories to share of the time you collaborated? How did the work turn out to be? Do you like collaborating? Do you think it's important? I think we must congratulate the person who contributed this word. It's none other than... Ananya Goel …

Change with Time (Short Poem)

It's not always a lack of money and resources that can bring a place down. Time wrecks havoc on a place in many ways. Don't you think it's important to adapt to changing times? Yes, we need to preserve cultural heritage, but that does not mean we can't move ahead with the new and positive …

Winner: Word of the Day- July 13, 2019

A while back we had tried something new on the blog. We decided to start a short story competition with the "Word of the Day" blog posts. The word we started this with was - enrol. Click here to view that blog post. There were quite a few good sentences I got and some short …

Exercises on Direct and Indirect Speech (Declarative Sentences)

Practice makes perfect. Here are some exercises on Direct- Indirect Speech (Declarative Sentences) for you to practice for your test. The exercises are of different levels of difficulty. In case you want to revise the concepts before you attempt the exercises, watch the videos n Direct and Indirect Speech by clicking here. Exercise -1 Exercise- …

Easy Goal-setting Tips and Activities for Children

Many a time students don't do well in school because they don't know where to go or what to aim for. They wander aimlessly through their curriculum without identifying weakness and setting SMART goals for themselves. This is especially true for the age group I teach which comprises of 9 and 10 year olds. However, …

Direct and Indirect Speech (Declarative Sentences) – Videos

Direct Speech is when the exact words of the speaker are used in a conversation. The exact words of the speaker are enclosed in quotation marks. Indirect Speech is when we convey the words/ message of the speaker in our own words. Therefore, it is also called Reported Speech. Here the quotation marks are not …

Word of the Day- July 13, 2019 and Special Mention

Are any of you enrolled in any after school classes? Isn't it a wonderful word that we can use instead of the word "join"? Like many a time we say - I joined skating classes. Instead, we can use- enrolled. Eager to know who gave this word? It's Aditya Shaw of class IV- B! Well …

How to Find the Main Idea of a Text

Finding the "Main Idea"is one the most important skills a reader must have. Without this skill, a reader cannot understand what the text is mainly about. There are various places in the text which tell us about its main idea. Watch these two videos to find out WHAT a main idea is and HOW to …

This is How I Feel When I Write

My relationship to GOD has always been of importance to me. I keep going forward and backward in how close I feel to him. I am working on maintaining a steadiness in that sphere. There is something I have been recently noticing. I love to write. No, that's not what I noticed. Read on. I …

A Special Comment on the Word of the Day- July 3, 2019

The blog on July 3rd featured the word "exotic". I received a lot of brilliant sentences on the word. (Click here in case you want to read that post again.) However, there was one comment that stood out for me. Here are the reasons why: 1. Due to the effort put in by the person. …

Winner of the Word Hunt

Wow! What amazing sentences I got on the last Vocabulary post! Indeed all of you are becoming better at framing sentences. In case you don't know what I am talking about, click here. The rules of the Word Hunt were: You had to find the synonym of "devour". The child who would find the word …

Flying Together- Audio and Questions (FBLD)

With summer break about to end, everyone is getting ready to come back to school in full swing. But for that to happen, here's a simple preliminary exercise you have to do, so that your class time is more exciting than usual. You have to listen to the audio (given below) based on the chapter …

Prepositions- Explanation and Examples (FBLD)

Ever wondered what prepositions are? Here's your answer. Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns and other words in a sentence. Here are some videos that will help you to understand Prepositions step-by-step. Video on- What are Prepositions? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VK-kXkXTBc Video on- Position of Prepositions in a Sentence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6LE4P_bEU A video song on various examples of …

Word of the Day- July 4, 2019, Special Mention and Word Hunt

This word reminds me of the mouth watering food that I too am guilty of devouring sometimes! Does it remind you of anything? Leave your connections below. For contributing a word which brings back such delectable memories, let's thank the person who contributed it. It's none other than Saanvi Nautiyal of IV- E! Congratulations! Keep …

Word of the Day- July 3, 2019 and the Special Mention

The word today is quite relatable, as some of you might have travelled to some exotic location sometime in life or seen someone tell you about such a place. There are many things that can be exotic- plants, animals, languages etc. List some exotic places, plants, animals or any other examples in the comments section …

Word of the Day- June 29, 2019 and the Special Mention

Today's word has been contributed by Poorvi Sarda of V- C. Well done Poorvi! To listen to the pronunciation of the word, click here. "Phenomenal" can be used to talk about many things. Find out what you can use it for and leave your sentences or connections in the comments section. Happy day to you! …

Motivation: The Power of Mindset and How to Change It

How does our mindset affect us? Are you trying to change it? How can you change it? Read this article to find answers to all these questions.

Word of the Day: May 19, 2019 – Special Mention

Another word for you. Guess who gave this one.

How Blogging is Helping Me to Become a Better Teacher

There are still some misconceptions about blogging as teachers. Here is a blog post to tell you how despite being an additional responsibility, blogging can be an aid to the teaching-learning process, rather than a chore or hinderance.

To Part in Many Ways- A Short Story

This has been on my mind for very long! Not the story, but to post some of my own writing. This is something I finished today. Do leave your comments about what/how it made you feel. To Part in Many Ways She banged at the door with restless hands, hoping for some shelter inside. She …

Word of the Day- May 7, 2019 : Special Mention

The Word of the Day has been contributed by Devansh Trehan of class IV-E. He came across this word while reading "Alice in Wonderland". Click the link below to check out the pronunciation of "perplexed" in British English: Pronunciation of "perplexed". Let's put our thinking caps on: Why do you think the visual of the …

Word of the Day- May 5, 2019

The Word of the Day has been contributed by two children this time. Both of them gave the same word. The names of these two children are- Pragun of V-B and Nikunj Narang of V-C. Congratulations to the winners! Are you able to make any connections with this word? Think about it, we too practice …

Word of the Day- May 2, 2019: Mini Stories Special

I know everyone's been waiting to see whose word has been put up as "Word of the Day". So here it is! Today's word is by Laksh Nimesh of V-C. Well done, Laksh! However, I must mention how difficult it was for me to choose the winner today. Therefore, I have some other special mentions …

Word of the Day- May 1, 2019

Yet another word to foster your understanding of vocabulary. The "Present: A Word Activity" seems to be working very well in my classes. So many children are coming up with new words each day that it is getting difficult to keep up with the pinning of new words to the Word Wall. The class I …

Help! My Child Hates Reading! 10 Tips to Empower Parents

It has so happened in the past that some parents have expressed grief over their child not reading books. As all good or bad habits, reading is a habit that can be cultivated with a little effort. No doubt the Reading Strategies help with this (If you don't know what I am talking about, click …

Special Mention- Winner of the Word Hunt

The first person to find the synonym of "delicious" uploaded on the blog is Sreenath Sreekrishna of 5B. The synonym of the word is "delectable". Kudos to the winner! You have won the word hunt!

Word of the Day- November 24, 2018

Questions- Could anybody make any connections? Were you able to visualize anything? Can anybody come up with any synonyms Do like, share, follow and comment if you like the blogposts. Follow the blog also to get an instant update as soon as any blogpost is uploaded. To visit all the previous blogposts click on the …

Word of the Day- November 21, 2018

elaborate i. (verb) to add more information or explain something that you have said Sentence- The teacher told the student to elaborate on his reason for breaking the school rules, so that she could get a clear picture of what was going on in his mind. ii. (adjective) Containing a lot of connected parts or …

Some Food for Thought

I was reminded of a quote from the movie "Rough book"- "Padhaane se sabse zyada fayda padhaane wale ko hota hai." So which level are you on? Think of some ways you can teach others what you have learnt yourself. Can simply teach everything to ourselves again or our parents? Group studies can also help …

Common Errors in English: Part- I

This picture tells us about some common mistakes we make in English. There are mistakes related to subject-verb agreement, use of correct adverb and many other grammar topics. Just check which mistakes you make, and try to avoid them next time. One mistake I have seen a lot of people make is using the past …

Word of the Day- November 17, 2018

introspect (verb) examine one's own thoughts or feelings Sentence- The teacher told the student to introspect on his actions to find out how he could improve his behaviour and life. Question- Can you think of any synonyms of this word? Hint: You even have a corner in your classes to help you introspect. Do make …

Word of the Day- November 16, 2018

badinage i. (noun) conversation or remarks that are jokes and not serious ii. (noun) witty or humorous conversation Sentence- The President was in a good mood as he walked through the crowd and made several voters laugh with his witty badinage.

Word of the Day- November 14, 2018

sue (verb) to start a legal case against a person or an organization, in order to claim money from them because they have harmed you in some way Sentence- Siddharth decided to sue the manufacturing company for £2 million for the harm caused by the defect in their mobile phones. Special mention to Siddharth Gautam …