Class 8 · English · New NCERT
Chapter 10: The Cherry Tree
"The Cherry Tree" opens Unit 4, Environment, at about eighteen pages. It is a story by Ruskin Bond, and the preface says it emphasises nurturing and the rewards of perseverance, and teaches us to appreciate the small miracles of life and our deep connection with nature. Students read a gentle story about growing a tree, discuss patience and care and notice how the author describes place and character. It supports comprehension, descriptive vocabulary and writing about a plant or tree they have cared for. Planting a seed or sapling and watching it grow is a natural activity.
This is chapter 10 of 15 in Poorvi, the Class 8 English textbook, in Unit 4, Environment, and begins on page 155 of the printed 2026-27 book. It follows "Spectacular Wonders" and is followed by "Harvest Hymn".
The main skills practised in "The Cherry Tree" are comprehension and expression. Children are encouraged to answer orally before writing, to retell or describe in their own words, and to use new words in sentences of their own. The book's sections (the Let us discuss, Let us think and reflect, Let us learn, Let us listen, Let us speak, Let us write and Let us explore activities) ask for different kinds of response, from reciting and speaking to drawing and writing, so that children with different strengths all find a way in. Phonological awareness, such as noticing rhyme and similar-sounding words, is practised along the way.
After the lesson on "The Cherry Tree", children can make their own small page: a drawing, a few labelled words or a sentence of their own. Reading it aloud to a family member gives meaningful practice. Encourage questions and curiosity rather than correctness alone.
This overview is written from the 2026-27 textbook's Contents page, its preface and the chapter title, to help families and teachers prepare. Please read the chapter itself for exact content, activities and exercises.