The Lazy Frog

Class 5, Unit 5: Poem 

The Lazy Frog 

Day 1: Narrative, Textbook-picture-based Interaction and Reading 

• Begin the class with the narrative. This narration will help the children familiarize themselves with the context of the poem. 

We are going to listen to the story of Fred. Do you know who Fred is? Can you guess? Look at the title on page 78. 

What does it say? 

‘The Lazy Frog’. 

And who is this lazy frog? Well, it is Fred. 

• Show this picture to the children and elicit their responses to the questions given below: 

1. What do you see in the picture? (A frog-sitting on a tree) 
2. What is the frog doing? (Resting; sitting on a tree) 
3. Where is he sitting? (He is sitting on a tree) 
4. Can you describe the expression on his face? (smiling/calm/lazy) 
5. Do you think he is lazy or tired? 

• Write down the key words and phrases, such as “frog”, “log”, “lazy”, “Fred”, “sitting on the log”, etc., on the blackboard. 
• Continue the narration. 

It was a sunny day. Fred was sitting on the log. He was not moving from this place. 

“It is very good to sit here like this. I will sit here the whole day. I won’t do anything. I will sit here and relax,” said Fred to himself. 

Interaction 

But, can a frog sit idly like that for the whole day? 

See what happened then. 

• Show this picture to the children and elicit their responses to the questions that follow. 

1. Who do you see in the picture? 
2. How do you think this frog is related to Fred? 
3. Is this frog old or young? 
4. What is she doing? 
5. Do you think she is happy or angry? Why? 
6. What will she be saying to Fred? 

• Write down the key responses on the board, such as “mother frog”, “old frog”, “getting angry with Fred”, etc. 
• Continue the narration. 

Fred’s mother noticed Fred sitting on the log for a long time. She got very angry. She went near him and shouted, 

“Fred, what are you doing?” 

“Fred, why are you sitting lazily on the log?” 

“Fred, I am talking to you! Why are you so lazy? Come and help me!” 

“Fred! Fred! Fred, answer me!” 

Interaction 

1. Fred pretended to be deaf when his mother called for help. Do you think his mother would be happy? 
2. Do you like Fred’s behavior towards his mother? 
3. Do you act like you are deaf when your mother asks for help? 
4. Does your mother get angry just like Fred’s mother? When does she get angry with you? 

Reading 

Blackboard Reading 

Ask students to come in pairs/groups and read the words/phrases written on the blackboard. They can use a ruler/stick to point to the word that they are reading. Teacher can ask other students to help them if they struggle to read a word. 

Individual Reading 

• Ask the children to read the first 10 lines of the poem individually—From “Fred is a very lazy frog” to “And stays conveniently asleep”. 
• While reading, let them put a question mark (?) for the words/ideas/phrases that they don’t understand and underline the lines that they are able to comprehend. 

Group Reading 

• Place the children in small groups. Let them discuss with their peers what they understood from the poem and share the words that they know and the ones which they do not. Let them use the glossary for the poem. 
• Go near each group and check what they are discussing. Also, ask some questions in between to check whether they are able to understand. 

Reading Aloud 

• Read the poem aloud to the whole class. Then sing the poem in the form of a song. 
• Make the children will read the poem aloud in a group. Later, make them read it out individually. 

Comprehension Questions 

The following questions can be asked to check the students’ understanding. 

1. Can you identify the word in the poem which suggests that Fred is sitting lazily on the log? (“loll”) 
2. Which words in the poem convey that Fred avoids doing any work? (“loll”, “shirk”) 
3. Can you identify the word in the poem that suggests that Fred pretended to be deaf? (“hard-of-hearing”) 
4. Can you identify the words used in the poem to describe Fred’s mother? (“poor”, “old”) 

Day 2: Narrative, Textbook-picture-based Interaction, Reading 

• Continue the narration. 

Fred’s poor old mother left the place. Fred continued to loll on the log. There were some other frogs around him. They were doing their work. 

Suddenly, a very pretty lady frog walked by. All the male frogs looked at her. 

“Who is this beautiful girl?” they asked each other. When the lady frog reached near them, they all got up and bowed to her. 

“Can I help you, miss?” asked one male frog to the lady frog. 

“This way, please,” suggested another. 

“Let me show you the way,” called out a third one. 

“No,”’ she said to all. The lady frog continued walking and came close to Fred. 

Interaction 

What do you think happened then? Do you think Fred also acted like the other male frogs? 

• Show this picture and elicit the children’s responses to the questions that follow. 

1. What do you see in this picture? Identify the two characters. 
2. Do you think Fred would get up and say ‘hi’ to the lady frog? 
3. Do you think Fred is a gentleman? Why? 
4. Bowing one’s head and offering help to women is a cultural practice of the English. What do we do in our culture to show respect to women? 

• Write down the relevant responses on the board, such as “Fred and the lady frog”, “bowing one’s head”, “helping”, etc. 
• Continue the narration. 

The lady frog passed by Fred. Fred didn’t even open his eyes. He still sat on the log without moving. 

Interaction 

1. Why do you think Fred didn’t react to the lady frog? (He is lazy) 
2. Do you like Fred? Can you think of some other words to describe him? (Hint: How he behaved with his mother and the lady frog, etc., reveal certain characteristics) 
3. Are you lazy like Fred?  

• Initiate a discussion on the value of time, obeying/helping one’s parents and elders, not being lazy but prompt, etc. 

Reading 

(The same method mentioned before for reading—blackboard reading, followed by individual, group and teacher’s reading of the text – can be followed here as well.) 

Comprehension Question 

• Identify the word used in the poem to describe the walk of the lady frog. (“hops”) 

Day 3: Choreography 

Once the poem has been discussed, the teacher can make the children do a choreography of the poem. In the choreography, there will be the main actors and the chorus. The chorus will create the setting of the poem, while the main actors will play the roles of the main characters in the poem. No objects need to be used in the choreography. Choreographies help children to understand the meaning of a poem very clearly. 

For doing a choreography of this poem, do the following things: 

1. Identify the main characters in the poem. (Fred, his mom, the lady frog) 
2. Add more characters, as necessary, to make the context clear—here, we can add some friends of Fred (3–4 male frogs) to show how he didn’t respond when the others went after the lady frog. 
3. Identify the events in the poem, sequence them, and put it as scenes. (Fred sitting on a log, Fred’s mom calling him, Lady frog walking near him, and so on) 
4. Identify where the events are taking place and make the chorus recreate the background. (Some trees near the place, some mushrooms, flowers, rocks, big log, etc.) 

The first scene of the choreography can be enacted in the following way: 

Scene 1 

Fred is sitting on a log. 

Fred’s mother comes near him. 

Fred’s mother tells him to help her. 

Fred doesn’t look at her or respond to her. 

Fred’s mother leaves the place. 

(While two children play the roles of Fred and Fred’s mother, the other children can act as the chorus to create the setting, e.g., a group of them can move their hands like trees, one can lie like a log, some can pretend to be mushrooms) 

Similarly, let the students plan and enact the other scenes.