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A Show of Clouds – Class 2 English Chapter 8 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 2EnglishChapter 8NCERT book: Mridang - English Class 2

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 8 of the NCERT Class 2 English book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 8: A Show of Clouds

Introduction

A Show of Clouds opens Unit 4, Life Around Us, in Mridang. In this poem a child lies on their back, looks up at the sky and sees shapes in the clouds — a big white bear, a ship sailing on a white sea and an elephant waving its trunk. It is a gentle poem about imagination and enjoying nature.

What's in this Chapter

The poem: Each verse begins "As I lie on my back, / Looking up at the sky."

  • "I see a big white bear, / Looking down at me."
  • "I see a ship sailing, / On a white sea."
  • "I see an elephant, / Waving its trunk at me."
  • "Oh! It's fun, it's fun to me, / To see whatever I want to see."

    • Sight words: as, up, at, my, sky, back.

    New words: lie, bear, sea, sailing, waving.

    Key Ideas

  • Clouds take many shapes, and we can imagine them as animals and things.
  • Watching the sky is a simple, happy activity.
  • Clouds can be different colours — white, grey, even black; at sunset they may look red.
  • A repeated line ("As I lie on my back…") gives the poem its rhythm.

    • Activities from the Book

  • Say aloud: sit outside, watch the clouds and tell the class what you saw the next day. Tick the colours clouds can be.
  • Answer the teacher: "When I look up, I see…", "When I look down, I see…", "When I close my eyes, I see…" — every answer, real or imaginary, is accepted.
  • Let us write: Which animals did the child see? (a bear and an elephant; the child also sees a ship) What three things do you see in the sky during the day? What do you see in the sky at night?
  • Let us draw — picture time: join the dots in alphabetical order and colour the picture.
  • Let us listen — the 'ck' sound: back, pack, lack, jack, rack; pick, tick, flick, thick; pluck, duck, muck, truck.

    • Words to Learn

  • lie – to rest flat (लेटना)
  • back – the rear side of the body (पीठ)
  • sky – the space above us (आसमान)
  • cloud – white or grey mass floating in the sky (बादल)
  • bear – a big furry animal (भालू)
  • ship – a large boat (जहाज़)
  • sailing – moving across water (पाल से चलना)
  • sea – a large body of salty water (समुद्र)
  • waving – moving from side to side (हिलाना)
  • trunk – an elephant's long nose (सूँड)

    • Tips for Parents & Teachers

  • Go outside on a cloudy day and lie down (or sit) to find shapes in the clouds together.
  • Recite the poem slowly; let children add their own verse: "I see a ____, ____ at me."
  • Talk about day-sky and night-sky things: sun, clouds, birds, aeroplanes; moon, stars.
  • Clap on the 'ck' ending as you read duck, truck, pick, back.
  • Accept every imaginative answer — the poem itself says "to see whatever I want to see".

    • Common Mistakes

  • Thinking the child sees a real bear — it is a cloud shaped like a bear.
  • Saying clouds are always white — the book asks children to think of grey and other colours too.
  • Forgetting the ship: the child sees a bear, a ship and an elephant.
  • Spelling duck as "duk" — the sound at the end is written ck.

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Recite 'A Show of Clouds' and name the shapes the child sees: a bear, a ship and an elephant.
    • ✓Use imagination to describe shapes in the clouds.
    • ✓Speak in full sentences: 'When I look up, I see…'.
    • ✓Name things seen in the sky by day and by night.
    • ✓Hear and read words ending in 'ck' (back, duck, truck, pick).

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Take children outside to watch clouds, then ask them to share what they saw the next day.
    • →Recite the poem with a lying-back pose and arm actions for the trunk and the sailing ship.
    • →Let children speak freely; accept one-word or phrase answers and help them build full sentences.
    • →If a child says 'the cloud is red', ask them to explain — they may be thinking of sunset.
    • →Practise the sentence frames 'When I look up/down, I see…' regularly.
    • →Let children repeat the 'ck' words one by one; they need not know every meaning.

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the child name the three shapes seen in the clouds?
    2. Can the child complete the frame 'When I close my eyes, I see…'?
    3. Can the child name three things in the day sky and two in the night sky?
    4. Can the child join the dots in alphabetical order?
    5. Can the child read and say 'ck' words correctly?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Mridang - English Class 2

    1. 1. My Bicycle
    2. 2. Picture Reading
    3. 3. It is Fun
    4. 4. Seeing without Seeing
    5. 5. Come Back Soon
    6. 6. Between Home and School
    7. 7. This is My Town
    8. 8. A Show of Clouds
    9. 9. My Name
    10. 10. The Crow
    11. 11. The Smart Monkey
    12. 12. Little Drops of Water
    13. 13. We are all Indians