What a Bird Thought

🌏 Introduction

What a Bird Thought is a simple yet meaningful poem that shows how our understanding of the world changes as we grow. The poem follows a baby bird at different stages of its life. First, inside an egg, it thinks the world is small and made of a pale blue shell. In the nest, it believes the world is made of straw and held close by its mother. When it finally flies out, it discovers leaves and realises how limited its earlier understanding was. As an adult bird exploring beyond the tree, it accepts that the world is far bigger and more mysterious than it ever imagined. The poem beautifully illustrates how learning comes with experience, curiosity, and exploration.

Chapter Assessment

This English Comprehension assessment will be based on: What a Bird Thought
Targeting Comprehension & Recall with Intermediate difficulty.

This English Grammar assessment will be based on: What a Bird Thought
Targeting Grammar & Usage with Intermediate difficulty.

This English Vocabulary assessment will be based on: What a Bird Thought
Targeting Vocabulary & Usage with Intermediate difficulty.

Recap: The poem describes a baby bird’s evolving perception of its world as it grows. Initially, living in an egg, the bird believes its world is small, round, and made of a pale, blue shell. Next, in its nest, it perceives the world as made of straw and nestled by its mother. Upon fluttering out of the nest, it discovers the world is made of leaves and realizes it had been “blind” to this. Finally, as an adult, it flies beyond the tree, acknowledging that it no longer knows how the world is truly made, and neither do its neighbours. The poem illustrates the expansion of one’s understanding through different stages of life and experience.

First Perception: The Egg

  • The bird first lived in a “little house”.
  • It lived there “very well”.
  • It thought the world was “small and round”.
  • Its world was “made of pale, blue shell”.

Second Perception: The Nest

  • The bird next lived in a “little nest”.
  • It “needed any other”.
  • It thought the world was “made of straw”.
  • Its world was “nestled by my mother”.

Third Perception: Outside the Nest

  • One day, the bird “fluttered from my nest”.
  • It did so “To see what I could find”.
  • It then said the world was “made of leaves”.
  • It realized, “I have been very blind”.

Final Perception: Adulthood and Beyond

  • “At length” (finally), the bird “flew beyond the tree”.
  • It was “Quite fit for grown-up labours” (tasks or work).
  • The bird concluded, “I don’t know how the world is made, / And neither do my neighbours”.

Important Vocabulary:

  • pale: light
  • shell: the hard outer covering of an egg
  • nestled: settled or snuggled comfortably
  • fluttered: moved lightly and quickly
  • At length: finally
  • labours: hard work or tasks
  • blind: unable to see; here, unaware or ignorant
  • bright: full of light; glowing
  • blue: having the color of the clear sky or the deep sea

Grammar Focus:

Rhyming Words

  • Words that have similar sounds, especially at the end of lines in poetry.
  • Stanza 1: well – shell
  • Stanza 2: nest – nest, other – mother
  • Stanza 3: nest – nest, find – blind
  • Stanza 4: tree – be, labours – neighbours

Describing Words (Adjectives)

  • Words used to describe nouns (e.g., ‘pale’, ‘blue’, ’round’, ‘straw’, ‘little’ ).
  • Other examples: pointed, green, thin, brown, small, wooden, hanging.

Phrases/Idioms:

  • “pale, blue shell” – refers to the egg from the bird’s perspective.
  • “nestled by my mother” – indicates being comfortably tucked in near the mother bird.
  • “fluttered from my nest” – refers to the bird making its first flight.
  • “I have been very blind” – means the bird was previously unaware or ignorant of its surroundings beyond its immediate environment.
  • “At length” – means finally or eventually.
  • “Quite fit for grown-up labours” – means mature enough for adult responsibilities or tasks.
  • “skies so blue” – a descriptive phrase for the color of the sky.

One Word Substitutions:

  • The provided table for “One Word Substitutions” presents word meanings and asks for a single word.
    • The colour of the feather was not dark but
       pale.
    • The butterfly moved lightly and quickly on to the flower.
       fluttered
    • Finally, I finished my bird painting after trying many times.
       At last
    • The pretty flowers were the prize for the gardener’s hard work.
       labour
Previous Topic
Back to Lesson
Next Topic