Topsy-Turvy Land

Class: 5: Unit 7: Poem 

Topsy-Turvy Land 

Day 1 

Picture-Based Interaction 

Show this picture to the students and elicit responses from them regarding the following questions: 

1. What do you see in this picture? 
2. How would you describe this kind of a room? 

        BB (blackboard): “Topsy-turvy room.” 

Narrative 

It was a Monday evening. The boy came back from school, feeling very angry since he had quarrelled with his friends. On reaching home, he threw his school bag on the bed. As the bag fell down, the pens and pencils inside it came out. His books also got scattered. 

“Oh! It does not look that bad!” the boy said. “Wow! Everything became upside down!” he added excitedly, feeling happy. 

That night, while the boy was sleeping, he had a strange dream. 

He saw a big board that read, “WELCOME TO TOPSY-TURVY LAND!” 

“What kind of a land is this?” he thought, walking through this Topsy-Turvy Land. 

Show these pictures to the students and elicit responses from them. 

1. How do these people differ from others? 
2. How is their style of walking different from ours? 

Narrative 

The boy saw a man walking with his head upside down, and he wore his hat on his feet. 

Afterwards, the boy saw many other people walking in the same way, with their heads upside down. All of them were also wearing their hats on their feet. 

“How strange are these people!” the boy exclaimed, following them. 

These people – men, women, and children – were all walking on their heads. They were moving towards the sea shore. 

The boy looked at the sea. “What kind of a sea is this!” he wondered. 

Interaction 

1. How do people walk in Topsy-Turvy Land? 

    BB: “They walk on their heads.” 

2. Where do these people wear their hats? 

     BB: “They wear their hats on their feet.” 

Ask the students to take turns and read from the blackboard. 

Continue the narrative: There were more things to surprise the boy. Do you know what they were? Look at this picture. 

Picture-Based Interaction 

1.When do children go to school in Topsy-Turvy Land? 

    BB: “The children go to school at night.” 

In our land, the sea is made of water. What do you think the sea is made of in Topsy-Turvy Land? (Show the picture) 

    BB: “The sea is made of sand in Topsy-Turvy Land.” 

Ask the students to take turns and read from the blackboard. 

Narrative 

The boy was walking on the side of the road. He saw no steps to the front door of the houses lining the road. All such front-door steps were built at the backside of these houses. He also observed that the people used the word “walking” for when you stand. 

Interaction 

1. Where are the front-door steps located in Topsy-Turvy Land? 

    BB: “Front-door steps are located at the back of houses.” 

2. What word do the people use for “standing” in Topsy-Turvy Land? 

   BB: “They use the word ‘walking’ for when you stand.” 

Reading Practice 

Ask the students to do the following: 

• Read the first two paragraphs of the poem and the introductory part individually; 
• Put a question mark (?) on words, ideas, or sentences they did not understand; 
• Sit in groups and discuss what they understood. 

While the students sit in groups, show the pictures shown to them previously once again. A glossary of words can also be written down. 

Ask a few comprehensive questions during the group reading exercise. 

• What is the sea made of in Topsy-Turvy Land? 
• When do children go to school in this land? 

Ask the students to read the poem aloud. 

Writing 

What ideas do you get from the first two stanzas about Topsy-Turvy Land? Write a description. (Draw pictures; home assignment). 

Day 2 

Homework Review 

Review the students’ home assignments. Give them feedback on the same, and continue with the lesson. 

Narrative 

Where is the boy now in his dream? Now, listen to the story. 

Suddenly, the boy was on the roadside. He saw many boats on the street; they were sailing up and down. And, people were travelling on these boats to different places. They were laughing and shouting. 

“I think these are pleasure boats,” the boy said to himself. 

He saw many buses on the sea too. One bus came near him from the waves, and all the people got in. The boy wanted to enter the bus too, but there was no door! 

“Where is the front-door step?” he asked the driver. 

“It is at the back.” 

The boy was amazed on hearing this. He entered the bus through the door at the back. 

Interaction 

1. What did the boy think about the boats? BB: He thought they were pleasure boats. 
2. What did these pleasure boats do? BB: “They travelled up and down the streets.” 
3. What did the boy notice in the sea? BB: “He noticed buses in the sea.” 

Ask the students to take turns and read from the blackboard. 

Narrative 

After some time, the boy got down from the bus and stopped in front of a shop. He wanted to buy some food. He saw the people giving money but buying nothing in return. 

“Please give me two apples. How much do they cost?” he asked the shop owner. 

“Twenty rupees. Give me the money.” 

The boy handed him the money and waited, but he was not given any apples. “Where are my apples? I paid for them!” he said. 

“Here, you pay for what you never get.” 

The boy thought this was fun and felt jolly. 

Suddenly, he heard his mom’s voice. “Hey, I am going,” she said and came near. 

The boy laughed and said, “When people come near, they say they are going. What kind of a land is this!” 

Interaction 

What do you pay for in Topsy-Turvy Land? 

BB: “You pay for what you never get.” 

What do you do when you say that “you are going” in Topsy-Turvy Land? 

BB: “When you say that you are going, you actually come back.” 

Ask the students to take turns and read from the blackboard. 

Reading Practice 

Ask the students to do the following: 

• Read the last two paragraphs of the poem individually; 
• Put question marks (?) on words, ideas, or sentences they did not understand; 
•  Sit in groups and discuss what they understood. 

While the students sit in groups, show the pictures shown to them previously once again. A glossary of words can also be written down. 

Ask the students a few comprehensive questions such as the following: 

• In Topsy-Turvy Land, what will you meet in the sea? 
• What will you say for anything that is upside down? 

Ask the students to read the passage aloud. 

Activity 

Ask the students to think about other things that could be different in topsy-turvy land. There can discuss in groups and share their ideas to the whole class. The sharing can be done in English or Tamil. Further students can draw pictures based on their discussion and write corresponding sentences below them.