Seeing without Seeing – Class 2 English Chapter 4 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 2EnglishChapter 4NCERT book: Mridang - English Class 2

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 4 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 4: Seeing without Seeing

Introduction

Seeing without Seeing is the story in Unit 2, Welcome to My World. Little Onshangla comes home very quiet because a new boy in her class cannot see. Her mother, whom she calls Ava, plays a clever game with her to show that we can find out about things using our other senses — touch, smell, hearing and taste. The story teaches kindness and friendship towards children who are differently abled.

What's in this Chapter

The story:

Onshangla returns from school and puts her bag down quietly. Ava asks what happened.

A new boy has joined her class. The teacher helped him sit at the front desk. He wears black glasses. He cannot see. Onshangla wonders how he will do things.

After biscuits and milk, Ava ties a scarf over Onshangla's eyes and plays a game:

- Ava holds a rose. Onshangla touches it — "something soft… a flower!" — then smells it: "It is a rose!"

- Ava shakes a small bell — trin… trin… Onshangla hears it and knows it is the bell.

- Ava gives a glass. Onshangla touches it, dips a finger — "A glass of water!" Ava asks, "Are you sure? It could be milk or juice." Onshangla tastes it: "It is not water, it is orange juice."

Ava removes the scarf and Onshangla shouts with joy, "It is you, Ava! I see you!"

Ava explains: if a child cannot see, there are other ways of finding out things, though the child may have some difficulties. She hopes all the children will be friends with the new boy. "Yes, Ava," says Onshangla.

Sight words: is, from, what, on, how, and, it, me, our, some, other.

New words: quiet, front, sniff, remove, joy, blink, difficulties.

Key Ideas

We have five senses; when one is missing, the others help us find out about the world.

Children who cannot see can still learn and do many things.

We should be friendly and helpful to children who face difficulties.

Onshangla calls her mother 'Ava'. Different languages have different words for mother.

Activities from the Book

Let us speak: say the word for "mother" in your mother tongue. Close your eyes and imagine how you would identify water, a flower, sugar and the direction of a clap.

Let us draw: two things you like to smell and two things you like to taste.

Let us write: fill in the blanks (quiet, boy, biscuits and milk, game, orange); "I like to ___ with my ___"; five things you can do by yourself ("I can take a bath by myself.").

Let us do — eye care: tick what is good for our eyes (sit straight, read in good light, eat carrots and vegetables, splash water on closed eyelids); cross what is not (sitting very close to the TV, staring at the sun, playing on the mobile for a long time). Do the eye exercise: look up, down, right and left without moving your face.

Vowel sound 'o': an ox, an otter, an orange; a fox, a dot, a top; a clock, a lock, a frock.

Words to Learn

quiet – making no noise (चुप)

front – the place ahead (आगे)

scarf – a cloth worn around the neck or head (दुपट्टा/स्कार्फ़)

sniff – to smell with short breaths (सूँघना)

taste – to find out using the tongue (चखना)

remove – to take off (हटाना)

joy – great happiness (खुशी)

blink – to close and open the eyes quickly (पलक झपकाना)

difficulties – problems (कठिनाइयाँ)

juice – drink made from fruit (रस)

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Play Ava's game at home: blindfold the child and let them guess objects by touch, smell, sound and taste (use safe things).

Talk gently about children who cannot see or hear, and how we can be good friends to them.

Collect the word for "mother" in all the languages in the class.

Practise the eye exercise daily and discuss good habits for healthy eyes.

Common Mistakes

Thinking the new boy is Onshangla's brother — he is a new classmate.

Saying the drink was water — Onshangla tasted it and found it was orange juice.

Thinking Ava is a friend's name — Ava is what Onshangla calls her mother.

Believing that sitting close to the TV or staring at the sun is good for the eyes — both are harmful.

💡 Key Learning Points

✓Retell how Onshangla found out about a rose, a bell and orange juice without seeing.
✓Understand that the senses of touch, smell, hearing and taste help us when we cannot see.
✓Learn to be kind and friendly towards children who face difficulties, like the new boy.
✓Know good habits for healthy eyes and do the eye exercise.
✓Read short 'o' words and use 'an' before ox, otter and orange.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Begin by asking why someone might come home very quiet from school.
→Read the story with pauses; before each object, ask children to guess what Onshangla will find.
→Play the blindfold game in class with safe objects, as Ava did.
→Sensitise children to the challenges faced by the differently abled, as the teacher's note suggests.
→Let every child say the word for 'mother' in their own language and write them all on the board.
→Do the eye exercise together and make sure children only move their eyes.
→Discuss the tick/cross list of eye habits and why each is good or bad.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the child name the three things Ava gave Onshangla and how she found out each one?
Can the child explain why Onshangla was quiet when she came home?
Can the child fill in the blanks about the story correctly?
Can the child sort eye habits into good and not good?
Can the child write five sentences beginning 'I can … by myself'?

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