Std 6 English · Unit One

1.1 The School Bell Rings Again…

Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Six English.

About the poem

This cheerful poem is about the start of a new school year. The students have now reached Grade Six. They are excited and ready to learn new things. The poet wants the whole class to begin the year with the spirit of “Yes, we can!”

Key points

Form: a short rhyming poem.
Theme: a fresh start and the joy of learning.
New things like difficult calculations and new forms of writing will be learnt.
The poet feels that every school term will be exciting.
Figure of speech: alliteration, as in “commence, get cracking”.
Message: work together as a class and keep a positive attitude.

Words to remember

buckle up – get ready
commence – begin
get cracking – start working quickly
slacking – being lazy
clan – a close group of people

2Read the following questions and tick ✓ the correct answer.

(i) What does the poem describe at the start? — (c) A new school year
(ii) What does “buckle up” suggest in the poem? — (b) Get ready for a journey
(iii) Which Grade are the students in? — (c) Grade Six
(iv) What new things will be added to the learning mix? — (b) Difficult calculations and writing
(v) How does the poet feel about each school term? — (c) Exciting

3Discuss in pairs and answer the following.

(i) What is the poem about?
The poem is about the beginning of a new school year. The students have come into Grade Six. They are eager to learn new things. The poet wants the class to begin with the motto, “Yes, we can!”

(ii) How does the poet describe each school term?
The poet says that each term will be very exciting. New things like difficult calculations and writing will be added to their learning.

(iii) How was your first day in the school? Explain in 2 or 3 sentences.

This is a personal-response question. Students should write about their own first day at school.

4Find and write rhyming words from the poem for the following.

(i) start – part
(ii) go – know
(iii) cracking – slacking
(iv) writing – exciting

5Complete the following tree diagram — Two new things you learnt in Grade Five.

This is a personal-response activity. Students should write their own answer, naming two things they actually learnt in Grade Five.

6Find more examples of Alliteration from the poem.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same beginning sound in nearby words. Examples from the poem:

“So let’s begin, commence, get cracking” — the /k/ sound is repeated.
“Now that we are in Grade Six, New things will be added…” — the /n/ sound is repeated.
“as a classroom clan” — the /kl/ sound is repeated.

Remember: In alliteration, the sound is repeated, not always the same letter.

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