Class 8 · English · New NCERT
Chapter 5: Somebody's Mother
"Somebody's Mother" is a poem by Mary Dow Brine. According to the preface, it focuses on kindness, empathy and the importance of helping others, and teaches that small acts of kindness can bring great comfort to people in need. At about twelve pages with its activities, it is a mid-length chapter. Students read the poem, follow the scene it describes, notice its tone and discuss how they can help people around them, especially the elderly. They can write a few lines about an act of kindness they have seen or done, which builds empathy through language.
This is chapter 5 of 15 in Poorvi, the Class 8 English textbook, in Unit 2, Values and Dispositions, and begins on page 70 of the printed 2026-27 book. It follows "A Tale of Valour: Major Somnath Sharma and the Battle of Badgam" and is followed by "Verghese Kurien — I Too Had A Dream".
Teachers can use "Somebody's Mother" to build confidence as well as vocabulary. Short, repeated tasks, pair talk, role-play and choral reading help children who are shy about speaking English. 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) offer ready-made activities, and the notes to the teacher encourage the use of the home language, local stories and objects to explain new ideas. The aim is progress from guided to independent use of English rather than perfect accuracy at any single step.
At home, listen to your child speak English about "Somebody's Mother" without correcting every mistake. Ask them to sing or say the lines, point to pictures and name things, or tell you in two or three sentences what the lesson was about. Reading a favourite part aloud a few times builds fluency and confidence.
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.