Unit 1 introduces students to the rich tradition of fables and folk tales. Through three distinct narratives—a prose story, a classic poem, and a comic strip—students explore themes of hard work, the dangers of flattery, and clever problem-solving, alongside foundational grammar and vocabulary exercises.
Written by Sudha Murty, this story highlights the value of hard work over the pursuit of quick wealth through magic.
Rama Natha is obsessed with finding a magic potion. Sage Mahipati tells him that to create it, he must plant banana trees and collect five litres of winter dew with his own hands. Rama Natha spends six years working tirelessly on his fields to collect the dew. Meanwhile, Madhumati harvests and sells the bananas, accumulating a fortune. When the dew fails to turn copper to gold, the sage reveals that Rama Natha's hard work, which created the plantation and the wealth, is the true magic potion.
A classic poem by Jean de La Fontaine that warns against the dangers of vanity and flattery.
An entertaining folktale from Tamil Nadu presented in a comic strip format by Amar Chitra Katha.
Rama, the village kotwal (policeman), and his wife realize a thief is trying to break into their house. Instead of panicking, they play a clever game. They talk loudly about naming their future child "Rama" and how they will call out his name softly, loudly, or very loudly depending on where he is (house, yard, or street). The thief waits outside, listening to their chatter. When they scream "Rama! Rama!" very loudly, the actual village kotwal (who is also named Rama) hears his name, runs to the house, and arrests the thief.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
Used to describe actions happening at the exact moment of speaking. Structure: [am/is/are + verb + -ing].
Adverbs provide more information about a verb, such as how, when, or where an action is performed.
An apostrophe (’) is used to show missing letters in contracted words, which are common in spoken English.