Nouns and Its Types

A noun names a person, place, animal or thing. Therefore, they are also called naming words. They are of different types. We will deal with them one at a time. Here's a list of all the major types of nouns and their explanation. Proper Nouns Common Nouns: The video given below covers common and proper …

How to Write a Character Sketch (For Beginners)

A character sketch is description of a person's qualities or traits. It tells you what makes a person who he/she/it is. Here's a video describing how to find character traits. It will also talk about character development. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWYpj9aqTr0 The image below sums up what the video is trying to tell you about character traits. Image …

The Key to Happiness

Hey friends! Here's a short poem I wrote for a new start! Have started a new account on Instagram to share my poems and some general thoughts about everything. Here's the link. https://www.instagram.com/p/BykkUcphJgr/?igshid=qsk720dp3wqd Wanted to start with something very positive. Just taking the first step in the direction of where we want to go fills …

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Here's the story of the week. The video is a summarized version of the "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" written by Mark Twain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pNO6dU-9k4So which was four favourite part and why? Is there anything that you learnt from the story? Do share your views in the comments section below. Have a great day!

Pride Hath a Fall- Micro- Poem

Here's presenting another micro- poem. Let me know what you think about this. Leave your responses in the comments section. Have a great day! Much love. Follow me on Instagram by clicking here. Follow me on Mirakee for poetry updates by clicking here.

How We Age- Micro Poem

With my exams over, I have decided to get back on track with whatever I left in middle blogging- wise, and in terms of whatever I wanted to do and achieve other than academically. Somehow, it was during my exam days that I wrote the most, especially during the travel back home. I don't think …

Happy Halloween, Friends!

Halloween a festival loved by children all across the world. Many of my students who had birthdays in October have already had Halloween themed birthday parties. And who doesn't like some extra candy! Something funny happened in the morning assembly on Halloween. 31st October is also "National Unity Day" which was introduced by the government …

Alice in Wonderland- The Cartoon Movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiYYflms-w " Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." Just today Videh of 5-B asked me to post three stories as that's how many stories were due. You all know how busy your teachers have been this past month. And as much as most of you would like it, I can't upload three stories …

A Proverb a Week: Persuasion is Better Than Force

Proverbs are well-known sayings that give us some advice or state a truth. Here's a proverb related to a story based on the text "The Milkman's Cow". Do you think this proverb fits in well with the story? Give reasons for your response. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZOlFmGBq_A Happy learning!

My Donkey Won’t Move

This story reminds me of something I am about to teach in the coming days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJMtcDdFgVI What do you think is happening in the video? Why do you think the donkey isn't moving? Can the man try something else to make the donkey move? If yes, what can it be? Do share your thoughts below.

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 …

Exercises on Commas- II

Image source: Grammarly.comComma is an extremely important member of the punctuation family. But it is slightly confused too. It is like the young siblings of the full stop for it doesn't know whether it should end the sentence or let it go on. So it kind of does both and neither of these things completely. …

Alice in Wonderland- Story of the Week

Alice is a little girl who finds herself in an unusual world. She sees things she had never dreamt in this topsy-tuvry land. Find out more about her adventures in the story below. Do pay special attention to the diction, voice modulation and sentence structure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc7WuYfGbrA When I speak to my students, many of them …

My First Tanka!

Yesterday I posted my first haiku with the prompt "water" posted on Blogging University. Once I started writing I had an idea to expand it further into a Tanka, which is also a Japanese form of poetry. It has 5 lines with the syllable format: 5 7 5 7 7 This too is about GOD- …

18 Grammatical Errors Even Smart People Make

Language can be a tricky business sometimes, especially when we have been hearing and watching the wrong thing without someone correcting it. Fortunately, with a little caution, we can always undo the mistakes that have become a part of our learning. Therefore, here's a list of some common errors even adults make. Article Do try …

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 …

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!

The Lighter Side of Life

Looking at how far we have come together, I thought it's important to also take out time to appreciate the journey we are on. So here are 10 riddles/ jokes/ puns for you. Learning a language is so much fun! Don't you agree? Please feel free to share any of your funny riddles, jokes or …

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 …

Peter Pan

Stories take us to a different world. Let's see what happen in the world of Peter Pan. Here's the story. https://youtu.be/yJIrCIqA-6c So, how did you find the story? Any connections that you made? Any predictions that you came up with as you were listening? Do share your thoughts below. Happy learning!

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 …

Trust and Comfort (A Microtale)

I'll let the picture speak for itself. What do you have to say about this? What are your feelings on this? Any connections? Leave a comment below. Light and love. Follow me on Instagram for more of my poetry by clicking here.

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! …

Habits and the Law of Nature

Here's another micro poem as some food for thought. Don't you think this is so important to move forward in life? If you want to become who you want to be, you have to change your toxic habits. How can you start a new, positive habit, without leaving the old one? If you can't, then …

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.

Good Signs for Readers- Punctuation Marks

Using punctuation marks is essential while writing, for without them, the reader feels lost while reading. He/she wouldn't know when a thought has ended or what the feeling behind the thought is, like whether it was a strong emotion or a normal one. Like look at this picture.Punctuation marks completely alter the meaning of a …

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 …

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- April 29, 2019

Here's another word to enrich your vocabulary. This word was contributed by Nikunj Narang of class 5C. Off late, the children of C have started contributing new words for the Word Wall of our class. Some children who have done this are Aanya Dhawan, Atharv Nag, Poorvi Sarda, Trinabh Mehra among others. The class gives …

Reading Strategies

A good reader is consciously or unconsciously always using these strategies while reading. Well, to be more precise, while learning, these strategies are consciously used, but once a person keeps reading using these strategies, it becomes an automated process. These strategies have proved beneficial in more than one way in the classes I teach. My …

How to Spell Well?

Here's what I have to tell anyone who has trouble with spellings- please use the following: These are easy yet effective tools. When I am spelling, I am unconsciously using a combination of these or at least one of them. Another thing that helps me with spellings is that most words or similar words have …

Word of the Day- April 4, 2019

Here's another word that quite usable. I can think of so many situations this can be used in. One example is: During the Annual Day, I was completely enthralled by the glorious performance and colourful costumes of the dancers. Think of some situations where you can use this word. And if you can use them …

Word of the Day- March 28, 2019

Here's another word. This word can be used in many different ways. It can be used well to define the place, the weather, an event among other things.Find out some other meanings and ways to use this word.Can you come up with a sentence using this word. (Hint: You can refer to the background of …

Exercises on Commas

So here a video to help you learn about some of the uses of commas: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/punctuation-the-comma-and-the-apostrophe/introduction-to-commas/v/meet-the-comma-the-comma-punctuation-khan-academy Exercise on use of commas to punctuate lists. Exercise on use of commas while directly addressing someone. Here's a quiz on commas. Mixed bag quiz on commas. Another mixed bag exercise. You can check your answers at the end. …

FANBOYS Conjunctions

Conjunctions are also known as "joining words". They can be used to join words like: Jasmine and Jyoti are best friends. Here the conjunction "and" is joining the two names- Jasmine and Jenny. Or, they can be used to join two sentences. Like: James went to the market. He bought a packet of chips. We …

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech is one of those topics that ESL learners find especially challenging. However, if you only understand the use of both types of speeches, it becomes fairly easy. I always tell my students to just think about reporting everything that is said in the direct speech to a friend of theirs in …

Still Think Punctuation Isn’t Important?

Funny right? or Funny, right? Did you get the difference between my first two sentences? The first sentence "Funny right?" means that the right side is funny, whereas the second sentence "Funny, right?" simply means that I am asking for an affirmation from you that these pictures are funny. By the way, even the meaning …

Making Inferences

Confused? A lot of people are when they have to draw inferences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acZzllpIYz4 Now let's watch another video explaining how you already are drawing inferences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to30AJm2epQ Give these exercises a shot once you are done with the videos: Exercise 1- What Causes a Solar Eclipse? Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 1 and 2 are grade …

Finding the Main Idea

Finding the main idea of a story can sometimes be challenging for young students and even adults sometimes. But to know how to find it, we must first know what it is. So here's a video explaining this topic in the simplest way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHEQ04EOykE Another video to help you with this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjjYRI3QCTsNow try out …

How to Arrange Things in a Sequence

We engage in sequencing things everyday. But how is it relevant to learning a language? And how can we sequence things? Let's find out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTXQMjRx28M Sequencing is generally done to put things in a logical order for them to make more sense. Transitions are great indicators to know the sequence of a story. Here's a …

What are Context Clues?

Don't we sometimes get stuck on words while reading a book? Well, we don't know the meaning of words and wonder how our teachers and other adults know the meaning of so many words. Well, I always tell my students that nobody can memorize the entire dictionary, unless they have an eidetic memory.  Most people …

Word of the Day- February 8, 2018

A good word while describing a character in your story, don't you agree? By the way, did you notice the use of the Question Tag? And yes, as the visual suggests, our optimism makes even people we encounter joyful. So keep smiling! Put in your efforts to improve at the right time and not at …

All About “Question Tags”

I asked my students what does a tag on clothes looks like? Most of them said that it hangs separately to the piece of clothing. They all agreed it sort of sticks out at the end. Similarly a Question Tag is a small question that sticks out at the end of a statement. It is …

Types of Sentences

There are four types of sentences. Knowing the different types of sentences helps to write the correct sentence structure and also in proper punctuation. Here is a video that will help you to identify them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf9LWnnADzw Just to add on, Imperative Sentences also express requests, advice or suggestions. Now, let's test how much you have …

Comparison of Adverbs

We earlier learnt about the various kinds of adverbs. If you want to revisit the post, click here. Now let's learn about the adverbs that compare. Here's a video on this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shLLaRxIgnw Do notice the adverbs that are compared in an irregular way. Now, test how much you understood by clicking on the links to …

Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice: The verb is in active voice when the subject performs the action. The focus is on the subject. Eg. The lion killed the deer. Passive voice: The verb is in passive voice when the subject receives the action. The focus is on the action. Eg. The deer was killed by the lion. HOW …

Idioms and Phrases of the Week

So here's the thing! I have been getting a good response related to idioms and phrases that are uploaded. A lot of you seem to be using them quite well. So every now and then, I plan to upload more idioms and phrases so that your fluency and expression is enhanced further. And, keep up …

Word of the Day- December 30, 2018

Here is another word you can use to describe a place. It goes hand in hand with yesterday's word. Isn't the place picturesque? To find out the meaning of 'picturesque' click here. So what did you understand from today's word? Can you tell what the ambience of the place in the picture seemed like to …

Word of the Day- December 29, 2018

This word seems really easy to use. Instead of using the word 'beautiful' all the time to describe a place, this word can be used. Can you think of some other synonyms of the word? A little research only helps us improve. So go look up some synonyms and think of how you can use …

Word of the Day- December 23, 2018

So what are you able to visualize while reading this? Any connections anybody could make? Do list some synonyms in the comments sections. Like, share, follow and comment if you like the blogposts. Follow the blog also to get an instant update about all blogpost. To visit all the previous blogposts click on the title …

Word of the Day- December 18, 2018

Any connections, anyone? Can you frame a good sentence using the word? Do like, share, follow and comment if you like the blogposts. Follow the blog also to get an instant update about all blogpost. To visit all the previous blogposts click on the title of the blog.

Word of the Day- December 17, 2018

Can you come up with a good sentence with this word? Any connections? Comment below. Do like, share, follow and comment if you like the blogposts. Follow the blog also to get an instant update about all blogpost. To visit all the previous blogposts click on the title of the blog.

Word of the Day- December 11, 2018

I noticed dense thicket all throughout our trip in Ranthambore. I took the picture with 'the word of the day' during our trips in the canter. Did anyone else notice it?

Word of the Day- December 10, 2018

denounce (verb) publicly declare to be wrong or evil Sentence- The government denounced the use of violence, as it leads to only fear and destruction. Questions- Have you come across this word before? If yes, then when or where?

Word of the Day- December 9, 2018

gluttony (noun) habitual greed or excess in eating Sentence- During the holidays, I usually give in to gluttony and gain at least ten pounds. Question- Have any of you ever indulged in gluttony?

Puns- An Amusing Use of the English Language

Puns are a creative and humorous use of the English language. Here's are some good ones to "crack you up" (You see what I did there).

Word of the Day- November 28, 2018

Puns are a great way to add humour to whatever you are writing or speaking and to liven them up. The previous two blogposts talked about using idioms as puns. To view to two post click on the words below: Idioms- Two Ways Idioms with Food Click here to get some more examples of puns. …

Idioms- Two Ways

There's an interesting way to use idioms to even add humour to your write- up. Learn more about it here.

Idioms with Food

Learn about an interesting literary activity to add humour to your creative writing pieces.

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 …