Neem Baba - Textual Notes

Let us do these activities before we read. (Page 75)

1. A tree is useful to us in many ways. Mention some of these uses. Write them in the picture given below.

Answer: 

 2. Neem is a common tree in our country. Discuss in groups of four and fill Columns A and B with what you know about the neem tree and what you want to know.

Column A What do you know?	Column B What do you want to know?
Indian tree	Height
Bitter taste	How Large are their leaves
Fruits sweet	Why not use as vegetables
Medicine	More use in agriculture

Let us discuss (Page 77)

Amber found many facts about the neem tree from Neem Baba. Fill up the fact sheet based on what Neem Baba told her.

LET US KNOW OUR NEEM
Common name:	Neem	Given by: Iranians
Period of birth:	Millions of Years Ago
Born at:	North India Myanmar
Found in:	Asian, African Countries, and Parts of America
Common names:	Nimba, Nimbaca, Nimb, Nim, Leemba, Nimori, Nimo, Nimbe, Nimbamond
Names given by scientists:	1. ‘Bitter grace of God’ 2. ‘Nature’s gift to man, ‘Cleanliness Parting tree’	2. Scientists
Names given by others:	1. Magic tree 2. The tree of the twentieth century	2. Common People

Let us discuss (Page 80)

1. How is neem useful to farmers?

Neem seed powder mixed with water drives away harmful insects, protects crops, and helps control mosquito breeding.

2. Mention some of the uses of the neem tree.

Neem tree parts protect crops, furniture, and stored grains from pests, clean teeth, purify air, and serve as traditional medicines.

Let us think and reflect (Page 81)

1. You just read about the Neem tree. Write any two facts that surprised you the most.

Every part of the tree has medicinal uses, and its timber is naturally resistant to termite damage.

2. Complete the following sentences.

(a) The old man asked Amber to call him Neem Baba because ______________________.

Answer:  he had lived for a very long time.

(b) Neem seed powder protects crops from ______________________.

Answer:  harmful bugs, insects, termites, and pests.

(c) ______________________ is a cost-effective method to stop mosquitoes from breeding in stagnant water.

Answer: Spraying water mixed with crushed neem seeds is a cheap way to stop mosquitoes from multiplying.

(d) One reason why doctors advise us to use neem leaves for someone suffering from measles is _____________________.

Answer:  to fight germs and bring comfort to the sick person.

3. Why can Neem Baba not remember the year when he was born?

Neem Baba cannot recall his birth year because he has been alive for countless ages.

4. Which parts of the neem tree are used to make medicines?

All parts of the neem tree are used for making medicine.

Let us learn (Page 81)

1. Study these words from the text.

something

neem oil

cleanliness-parting

well known

grandmother

seed powder

childhood

well trained

thought-provoking

Put the compound words given above in their trees. These words are known as compound words. There are three types of compound words, based on how the words are separated.

Open compound words: spaces between the words.

Closed compound words: no spaces between the words.

Hyphenated compound words: hyphens between the words.

You may add some more words:

Open compound words:

• neem oil
• seed powder
• well known
• well trained

Closed compound words:

• something
• grandmother
• childhood

Hyphenated compound words:

• cleanliness-parting
• thought-provoking

2. Words that tell us what a person is doing are called verbs. In the table given below, match the verbs in the first column showing action in the present to verbs in the second column showing action in the past. Make a sentence with any one form of the verb. One has been done for you.

Present	Past	Answer	Sentence
1. become	a. made	1. d	I want to become a doctor.
2. find	b. gave	2. e	My brother finds a good reason to escape from doing homework.
3. make	c. told	3. a	Make a cup of coffee for me.
4. discover	d. became	4. f	Columbus discovered America.
5. tell	e. found	5. c	He told his friends to attend the class.
6. give	f. discovered	6. b	He did not give me any pen.

3. Neem Baba speaks to Amber as if he is a person. This type of speech is called personification. 

Let us look at some more examples.

• The leaves whispered in the wind.
• The flowers danced merrily in the breeze.

Now, discuss it with your classmates and teacher.

Personification is a literary device where human characteristics are attributed to non-human entities. It helps create vivid imagery and emotional connections in writing. 

Let’s look at the examples provided:

The leaves whispered in the wind.

Here, the leaves are given the human action of whispering, which creates an image of gentle movement and a soft, rustling sound as the wind passes through them.

The flowers danced merrily in the breeze.

In this example, the flowers are described as dancing, which conveys the idea of them swaying joyfully with the gentle breeze, adding a sense of liveliness and cheerfulness to the scene.

Personification makes writing interesting by giving human qualities to things or ideas. In Neem Baba, the neem tree speaks to Amber like a person. This makes the tree seem wise and friendly. It also makes the information easy to understand, remember and enjoy.

Let us listen (Page 83)

Peepal Baba

Rahul: Maa, have you heard about Peepal Baba? Our teacher told us about him today.

Mother: I have not heard about him. Who is he and what does he do?

Rahul: He plants trees along with his team. He also started a movement to plant and save trees.

Mother: That’s wonderful. Where did he get this idea from?

Rahul: When he was studying in a school in Pune, his English teacher gave him the idea to plant trees. He was just 11 years old.

Mother: How did he plant so many trees all over the country as a child?

Rahul: He was born to an army officer’s family in Chandigarh and whenever they were moved to a new city, he planted more trees.

Mother: But how did he come to be known as Peepal Baba?

Rahul: He used to plant Peepal and Neem trees as they have many uses for us and told others to do so. So, in the beginning, people made fun of him by calling him Peepal Baba but he was not bothered and continued to do his work. Now everyone calls him by that name lovingly.

Mother: He is doing great work. We should learn from him and plant more trees.

Rahul: Yes, Maa. We must tell others to do the same.

You will listen to the audio or narration once again. As you listen, check your answers. You will now listen to a boy speaking to his mother. As you listen, select the correct statements.

(a) The mother was surprised to know that Peepal Baba had planted trees all over the country. Correct

(b) The mother disliked the work being done by Peepal Baba.

(c) The mother wanted to know more about Peepal Baba. Correct 

(d) The boy decided to take care of trees by listening to Peepal Baba’s journey. Correct 

(e) The boy was worried about what his teacher had told him.

Let us speak (Page 83)

Collect dry leaves of four different trees and plants around you.

1. Make one card as given below. On the top, draw the shape of the leaf look at the dry leaf, and colour it. Inside the card, write the name of the tree/plant the leaf is taken from and one of its uses.

2. Now, speak about the whole process of making the card in front of the class.

Hello everyone,

Today I am going to tell you how I made a card about a neem tree.

Step 1: Collect a Leaf
First, I collected a clean and dry neem leaf.

Step 2: Draw the Leaf
Next, I drew a neem leaf on a card. I drew its lines and edges. Then I coloured it neatly.

Step 3: Write About the Tree
Inside the card, I wrote:

Name: Neem
Use: Neem leaves are useful for our health. They are also used to treat some skin problems.

Step 4: Finish the Card
Finally, I checked my card and made it neat and clean.

Conclusion
This activity helped me learn about the neem tree. I also enjoyed drawing and writing.

Thank you!

3. Ask your classmates to identify the leaf and tell them one of its uses. After they answer, open the card, and share what you have written.

Answer:

Do it in the classroom.

Let us write (Page 84)

You have read about Neem Baba and learned many things about the Neem tree. Look at the trees in your neighborhood and write a paragraph about any one tree that you like.

Where it is (roadside/park, etc.)

How it looks (height, tree trunk, leaves, flowers, etc.)

Why do you like it (shade, medicinal properties, shelter, beauty, etc.)

Give a title to your paragraph.

My Favourite Tree – The Mango Tree

There is a mango tree near my house. It is tall and has a thick trunk. It has many green leaves and gives good shade. In summer, it gives sweet mangoes. Birds also sit on its branches. I like this tree because it is beautiful and useful. It gives us fruit, shade and a cool place to sit.

Let us explore (Page 84)

When people from Persia came to India and saw that a common tree of their country was freely growing here, they started calling the tree Azad Darakhte Hindi. So, the scientific name of Neem in Latin became Azadirachta indica.

Neem has different names in the Indian languages. Discuss with your teacher and find out which Indian languages these names belong to.

Name of Neem	Indian Language
Nimb	Hindi
Nirn	Punjabi
Leemba	Marathi
Nimori	Gujarati
Nimbamond	Bengali
Nimbe	Kannada
Nirno	Tamil