Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Trees from Class 6 English_FL. Before we begin our lesson, let us do a quick pre reading activity. Take a few minutes to tell one another the names of trees that you know or have heard of. Think about what trees give us in our daily lives. Keep these thoughts in mind as we now read a beautiful poem about trees.
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Here is the complete poem titled Trees, written by Shirley Bauer. Please listen carefully to every line exactly as it appears in your textbook. Trees are for birds. Trees are for children. Trees are to make tree houses in. Trees are to swing swings on. Trees are for the wind to blow through. Trees are to hide behind in “Hide n Seek”. Trees are to have tea parties under. Trees are for kites to get caught in. Trees are to make cool shade in summer. Trees are to make no shade in winter. Trees are for apples to grow on and pears. Trees are to chop down and call, “TIMBER-R-R!” Trees make mother say, “What a lovely picture to paint!” Trees make father say, “What a lot of leaves to rake this fall!”
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Now let us explore the meaning of this poem together. The poet begins by telling us that trees are for birds and for children. She explains how children use trees in wonderful ways. They build tree houses inside them, and they swing on swings tied to their branches. The trees also let the wind blow right through their leaves, creating a gentle rustling sound. Children love to play behind the thick trunks and branches during their games of Hide n Seek. They even gather under the trees to have lovely tea parties. Sometimes, when children fly kites, the strings get tangled and the kites get caught in the branches.
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The poet also points out how trees change with the seasons. In the hot summer, they provide cool shade to rest under. But in winter, they lose their leaves and make no shade at all, allowing the warm winter sun to reach us. Trees also give us delicious fruits like apples and pears. However, the poem also shows the other side of trees. Sometimes they are chopped down, and the woodcutters shout TIMBER-R-R! to warn others. Trees also inspire our parents. A mother looks at a tree and sees a beautiful, natural scene that she would love to paint as a picture. A father looks at the same tree in autumn and grumbles about the many fallen leaves he has to gather and rake up. The poet Shirley Bauer beautifully captures how trees are a part of our daily lives, our play, our seasons, and our family moments.
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Let us now move on to the vocabulary exercise from your textbook. Exercise one asks you to read definitions aloud and guess the word. The clue tells us that the same word is used for the first three definitions. Let us solve them together. Definition a describes a wooden seat fixed by four lengths of rope from a branch of a tree. The answer is swing. Definition b asks for the action to fix that seat, which is also swing, used here as a verb. Definition c describes the action of riding on it, which is again swing. Definition d asks for the word meaning to sweep up dead leaves into a heap. The word is rake. Definition e asks for the season between summer and winter when leaves turn gold. That season is autumn, which is also called fall in the poem.
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Next, we will answer the comprehension questions in exercise two. I will read each question and guide you to the correct answer based on the text. Question two a asks how birds, children, and people make use of trees according to the first four lines. Focusing strictly on those lines, the poet tells us that birds use trees for their homes, while children use trees to build tree houses and to play on swings. Question two b asks why trees make noise sometimes. Trees make noise when the wind blows through their leaves and branches, creating a rustling sound. Question two c asks when children complain about trees. While the poem does not explicitly use the word complain, it mentions that trees are for kites to get caught in. This implies a moment of frustration where children might complain when their kites get stuck in the branches.
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Question two d asks where people look for cool shade in summer. People look for cool shade under the thick branches and canopy of trees during the hot summer months. Question two e asks why mother is happy to see trees. Mother is happy because she sees the trees as a beautiful, natural scene that she would love to paint as a picture. Question two f asks why father grumbles about his tree. Father grumbles because in autumn, the tree drops a large number of leaves that he has to gather and rake up. Question two g asks which word suggests the sound of an electric saw. The textbook points to the word TIMBER-R-R! The drawn out pronunciation with the repeated R sounds mimics the loud, echoing shout of woodcutters or the crashing sound of a falling tree.
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Now let us practice with exercise three. This activity asks you to fill in the blanks with suitable words based on the pictures that come to your mind when you read the poem. Your textbook leaves these blanks open for your own imagination, so there is no single correct answer. I will guide you on how to approach them. For the first blank, think of where you might see little tree houses. For the second, remember the poem mentions hiding behind a tree to play hide and seek. For the third, imagine an old kite caught in branches and what it might have lost. For the fourth, describe how cool shade feels at mid-day. For the fifth and sixth, picture a coconut palm moving its fronds on a breezy day, and a mango tree heavy with fruit. For the last one, think of a large tree standing quietly on a misty morning. Use the letter counts in your book as clues, and choose words that match the scenes you visualize.
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Finally, let us complete the project work in exercise four. The first task asks you to find out interesting things about tree houses and write them down. You can research how they are built safely, their history in different cultures, or how they are used for play and nature observation. The second task asks you to write a paragraph on why trees must not be cut down indiscriminately. Think about the many benefits trees provide, such as giving us oxygen, preventing soil erosion, providing shelter for animals, and keeping our environment cool. Gather your thoughts and write them in your own words. Share your finished paragraph with your partner for feedback, and remember that your personal observations and ideas are what make your writing strong.
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Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]