Let us do these activities before we read.
- Look at this picture.
(a) What are these children doing?
Answer: The children are playing ball.
(b) Where do you think they are?
Answer: They are in a field near a creek.
(c) What is the time of the day?
Answer: It is evening time.
- Discuss the given questions with your classmates and teacher.
(a) When do you go to play after school?
Answer: I go to play in the evening after school.
(b) Who do you play with?
Answer: I play with my friends.
(c) Where do you go to play in the evening?
Answer: I go to the playground near my house.
(d) Which games do you like playing?
Answer: I like playing football and hide and seek.
(e) When do you come back home?
Answer: I come back home before it gets dark.
Let us discuss
- Read the given lines from the poem. Write the meaning of the lines by identifying the words/expressions in them.
| S.No. | Lines from the poem | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | next to the creek | Playing beside a small stream of water |
| 2. | I can’t even catch my breath | Running so fast that I am out of breath |
| 3. | When blue dark turns to black | Evening is turning into night |
| 4. | trees creep close | In the dark, the trees seem to come closer (it’s getting dark) |
- Read the poem. Complete the following based on the poem.
The children play ball in the evening in the neighbour’s field. They run so fast that they run out of breath. They continue to play till the evening when the blue sky turns black, and the trees are not clearly visible. They can feel their feet aching, now that it is cold. Finally, they stop playing and go home as it is night.
Let us think and reflect
- Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow.
(a) We run so fast
I
can’t
even
catch
my
breath.
(i) Complete the sentence given below with the correct option.
The speaker needs to catch her breath because running fast results in being breathless.
(ii) Is the speaker alone? Why do you say so?
Answer: No, the speaker is not alone because she says “We run so fast,” meaning she is with others.
(iii) What does the pattern in the lines tell us?
Answer: The pattern shows the speaker is gasping for breath, with pauses, indicating tiredness.
(b) When blue dark turns to black,
cold grass aches our feet,
trees creep close—
game’s over.
Night wins!
(i) Give one reason why the grass is cold.
Answer: Because it is night time and the temperature has dropped.
(ii) Complete the sentence suitably.
The children’s feet are aching because they have been running on the cold grass for a long time.
(iii) Why does ‘Night’ win?
Night wins because the time for play has ended.
Let us learn
[Students are encouraged to create their own examples.]
Let us listen
Riddle 1
Run and pass, run and pass
Kick a black and white ball
Kick it straight into the goal
Watch for mud—don’t fall
What sport am I?
Answer: Football
Riddle 2
Hold your breath, say Hu-tu-tu,
till you touch one or two.
Take care to keep a distance wide
As you run back to your team’s side.
Which sport am I?
Answer: Kabaddi
Riddle 3
In the water, hold your breath,
The water is very cool,
Arms turn, legs kick
In the blue pool.
Which sport am I?
Answer: Swimming
Riddle 4
Breathe in, breathe out!
Practice every day just right,
You will be healthy and fit
Get energy and grow in might.
What am I?
Answer: Yoga
Let us write
My Playtime
I go out to play at 5 p.m. after school. I play with my friends from my neighborhood. We play games like football, cricket, and hide and seek. My favorite game is football. Playing together helps us make friends and stay healthy. We finish playing and go home when it starts to get dark.