M a n u M ix es C la y

an d S u n sh in e

Reading 0

Read a story abo ut a family of potters.

Man u look ed out of the door way from his bed. The
sun had already risen. He should have
wok en up earlier, but last nigh t they had gone to sleep
very late. It had been firing day, anc
firing day mea nt hard work for everyone in the fami
ly. Manu's gran dfath er and his father
were potte rs and Manu was goin g to be one too. It
was not an easy craft to learn, and one
need ed very skilled finge rs to make a perfe ct pot.
The rainy season, which was a long holid ay for potte
rs
sinc e they coul d not do any firing, had just ended and What do you call 'po:e :•.J
the in your language?
sky look ed clear. Today, Manu was going with Dada
, his
gran dfath er, to dig up clay near the river.

0 t:
Manu helped Ma make toys. They made tall men and
women, dogs, deer, owls and toy
carts. The other day, his mother had made a beautifu
l bell with a four feet long clay rope.
During festivals, people came to their house to buy
her little Ganesh and Lakshmi statues.
"Not everyone can do it. We potters have special hand
s that work like magic to make so
many wonderful things out of just a lump of clay," Ma
told him.
"Manu, come on, it is getting late, son. We must leav
e before the sun gets too hot," said
Dada. Manu and his grandfather left the village bou
ndary and soon, they reached the
riverbank.
Dada had already found a place to dig. They began
to dig up the clay. It was not very
difficult since it had rained a few days earlier and the
earth was soft. Manu cleared the tiny
pebbles away with his hands and gathered the lump
s of clay in one pile. Then, he filled the
sacks. It had become hot by now. "Come, let us rest
for a while," said Dada. They sat down
under the banyan tree.
Wha t do you mea n by
'earth' here?
-
Manu began pressing Dada's legs and said, "Our potter's wheel is one of the first
machines made by man that uses the power of motion."
Dada lifted his head and looked at him with surprise. "Who told you th at?"
Manu laughed. "My teacher told us. She also said that the potter's craft was one of
the oldest crafts in the world. Many clay toys and pots were found buried under the
ground in places where people had lived thousands of years ago."

The following day, Manu helped Baba break the now dried clay into small pieces.
Later, they used a big sieve to separate the stones and then, his parents kneaded the
clay with water. Once the clay was well-kneaded and Baba prodded it with his fingers
a few times to check if it was ready, they moulded it into
What was the sieve used for?
a few huge lumps and stored it under a damp sack.
..w
 Which adjectives would you use
to describe Baba and Dada?

Every day, Baba and Dada would take a little bit of the lump out and shape it into
balls. These would be thrown on the wheel to make pots. In a few quick turns, a
beautiful pot would rise on the wheel as if by magic! One second it was just a lump of
clay and then, a pot stood in its place!
Then, the pots went into the kiln. Once the kiln cooled down, they would take the
pots out and then, Baba would go to the market to sell them. Once he returned,
another day of making pots out of clay, sunshine and fire would begin.

Bulbul Sharma is an Indian writer and painter. She teaches

children with special needs and loves bird-watchin g.
Comprehension

A. Choose the correct answer.

1. Manu could not wake up early because ....
a. he had gone to sleep very late the previous night
,·---
:
.. ~
b. he was not fond of waking up early ::
'· ......)
.:
2. What did 'firing day' mean for everyone in. the family?
c::J [. ✓

rt
a. making fire for food b. hard work for everyone

.3. :~::f;~ee:::;rwent into the 7:rhat do: ~:;n:::d 'kiln' mean here?

4. One of the first machines made by man that uses the power. of
motion is the ....
:·:/····· r······~
a. potter's wheel .. ..' b. steam engine
··------·· ······-·

B. Write T for true and F for false.

1. Pottery is an easy craft to learn.
2. Potter's craft is one of the oldest crafts in the world.
3. The potters are very busy during the rainy season.
4. The potter's wheel uses the power of motion.
C. Read the sentences and answer the questions.
1. It was not an easy craft to learn...
a. Which craft was not easy to learn?
b. What did one need to make a perfect pot?
2. Dada lifted his head and looked at him with surprise.
a. Why was Dada surprised?
b. Whom does 'him' refer to? What else did the person tell Dada?
D. Answer the questions.
1. What kind of toys did Manu and Ma make?
2. Pick out the lines from the text that indicate that Manu's mother was proud of
her work.
3. What were Manu and his grandfather going to collect from the riverbank?
Why could they collect it easily from there?
4. What did Manu and his family do before storing the lumps of clay under
the sack?

G
 Think and ans~er.
f. With the use of a_ s!mple technology, Manu's family made magic with clay.
What, in your opinion, is more important-sk ill set or technology? Discuss.

vocabulary
cornplete. Use th~ ~ords below.
A-
especially •
""
j ceremony J 5 J>otter steps
successful • ( __
br_e_a_k_)

1 _ I hope I will be more - ~ - - at making pots this season.

2 _ I enjoy making different things from clay, . ~ o y s .
3 . Manu was interested in pottery and he'd like to be a · · · · ~ · · · · .
4 . You have to walk up some more ....~ t o get to ~y house.
s. In my village, there is a · · · · ~ the first day of school every year.
6. The streets in my village are quite · · · ~ · - · · .
7. Be careful not to .... ~ ...... your new pot!
B. select the correct answer. - - /
1. When people hear a funny story, they usually whisper/ l~h.
2. A c u ~ / frightened person usually asks lots of questions. /
3. There's the new han icraft museum. Let's go inside and turn / \oJk around.
4. Manu voiced/ pre ed Dada's legs.
s. Dada was surpri d / sad when Manu to\d him about the first machine using
the power of motion.
C. Using the words given, describe the process of making pottery in your own
words.

( melt } ~ mould j
( kiln
1 wheel

skill clay

( magic ) ( wet sand J

j
 Grammar
Kinds of Adverbs
, b dJ. ective or another adverb Th
An adverb is a word that describes a ver , an a ' • ere ~
five kinds of adverbs.

Adverbs of manner tell us the way in

The potters worked hard on firing day.
which something is done. They are
usually placed either after the main The potters make the pots patiently.
verb or after the object. They answer Dada told Manu to come quickly.
the question how? or in what manner?.
Manu is extremely happy.
Adverbs of degree tell us the degree
or intensity of actions. They answer The pot was pretty good.
the question to what extent?. That beautiful pot almost fell down.
We can see pots everywhere in the
market.
Adverbs of place tell us the place,
location or direction of an action and People who want to buy clay statues are
answer the question where?. standing outside. "---
Please keep the statues here.

Adverbs of frequency tell u~ how often I often go to the market to sell pots with
something occurs or somebody does my father.
something. In other words, they show Potters hardly get any free time.
routine or repeated activities.
Manu always wakes up early.

Adverbs of time tell us the time or It was firing day yesterday.

duration of an action. They answer the I will go to pottery classes for a year.
questions when? or how long?.

Fill in the blanks with adverbs based on the kinds mentioned in the brackets.
1. Sia dances : ~ a n n e r ) ,
2. We ...,~¥.'1/.:.... play hockey with our friends. (frequency)
0 I /(/
3. The/dishes are kept ...~~ ..... (place)
4. The restaurant was ....!,::~~:--~...... baf. (pegree)

5. My father is going to the bank ..... ~f- . (time)

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Writi11g
----· - ----"---
1

A. Shelly couldn't wait to write to her friend Pragya about a field V(sit, Whit~
their school had organised for the students of Grade S, to a textile fllill in
Pochampally. This is what she wrote.

346, Sector - 12
R KPuram
Hyderabad - 500091 4•-- \ sender's address J
Telangana

9 August 20xx J• 8
Dear Pragya, J • \_ salutation J
I feel delighted to inform you that the long-awaited field visit to
Pochampally finally happened yesterday. It was one of the most
informati ve and astonishing visits I have ever had. I was dumbstruck
to witness the rich heritage of the Indian culture and the creativity of
our weavers on the handlooms as they used different strategies to
create innovative designs.
Well, you must be wondering what Pochampally is all about. It is a
weaving village in Telangana known for the famous design called
Ikat. I was amazed to see the precision with which the workers work.
The result is beautiful, vibrant prints, made with the traditiona l, be
tie and dye method. In Ikat, a bundle of threads are tied at regular
intervals and immersed in dye. After drying, when they open the
knots, we find the thread dotted with colours at intervals. The ties
indicate the design we want. I could not help but appreciate the
workers who work with so much concentration and patience, and of
course, the efforts are rewarded in the form of beautiful designs.
Please do spend your autumn break with me. I'll take you to
Pochampally, where you can see this amazing work of art for
concludin
yourself.
remarks
I'll close here now. Hope to hear from you soon. Do
convey my love and regards to your parents.

Yours affectionately, J• \sign off ]

Shelly J ""'lllt <~---- ------- ---l~s ende r's name J

Note: You may or may not put the comma after the salutation and the sign-off.
However, be sure to be consistent in its usage.

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p

AflSWer these questions.

8
' • Who wrote this letter and to whom?
_What did the sender talk about?
. What kind of language is used? Formal or informal?
Af1 informal letter is a type of letter that is written in a casual style. It is usually
written to friends and relatives.. We use informal language in such letters.

c. Last week, Anu went to an art gallery with her family. She wrote a letter to
her cousin describing her visit. Read Anu's letter and complete it using the
words and phrases given below. J /
/d I •~
happy an ca m art1 sts1
draw and colour art gallery paintings

51, Shriram Apartments

sudigere Cross, Mandur Post
sengaluru - 560049
Karnataka

21 June 20xx
Dear Samarth,
How are you? I hope you are doing well. I w,9nte9/o write to you about a
fun thing I did recently. I went to an (1>"1"~.~with my family and
f ~ '.:..
11

saw so many won d erf u I (2) .........,.1~ .......A-:-.-:-r., ..... There were some young

<3>....... J.L>~~...li/......... who were paintin pictures right outside the gallery.
It was really exciting to watch them paint using water colours and oil paints.
one of my favourite paintings was called 'The Starry Night' by Vincent van
It had lpts of bright colours and swirling shapes, and it made me feel
Go?hit.
c4,. • •.• d.1~i~.i11..lm. I think it} really 1i3mazing to see how art can make you

feel o peaceful. I like to cs, .. ~ . ~ m t . ~ t home, and I think it's fun to

create my own pictures.
Have you ever been to an art museum or seen any cool art? I would love to
hear about it. Maybe we could even draw some pictures together next time
we meet during the summer vacations!

Yours affectionately,
Anu

D. Now, write a letter to your brother I sister who is away in a hostel, narrating
your experience of a field visit, which enriched you with the knowledge of
making exquisite items. Remember to follow the format.