The Boy Under the Tree

The bell rings for the start of the tiffin period, and the students of Kajla High School are rushing out of their classes to play. In the school playground, a group of boys starts to play cricket. In this group, there is a boy named Zahin While playing he notices a boy sitting under the Banyan tree at the corner of the playground. But he doesn’t think much of it. A well-struck ball runs toward the Banyan tree and stops just a few feet short of it. Zahin runs to collect the ball.

As he gets near the tree, he recognises the boy sitting under the tree as his classmateJamal. “Hey, Jamal!” he says while collecting the ball and running back to rejoin the game. As they resume the play, Zahin recalls seeing Jamal sitting under the tree quite a few times observing them play. They wrap up the play as the bell rings for the end of the tiffin period. After the class, Zahin gathers other members of the group. “Have you noticed Jamal sitting under the tree watching us play?” says Zahin. “Yeah. What of it?” says one. “He often does,” says another “It seems he is interested in joining us to play,” says Zahin. “But he can’t… and we know the reason, right,” one mumble. “I have an idea,” says Zahin. Zahin shares his idea with the group. The next day, Jamal is sitting under the tree as usual, but Zahin’s group is nowhere to be seen. Feeling a little disheartened Jamal stands up leaning against the tree. He starts to search for something besides the tree. “Ah, there you are,” Jamal says to himself holding two crutches in his hands. As he starts to move toward class, he hears, “Hey, Jamal!” Jamal turns and sees Zahin with the group. “We are playing chess today. Come join us”. A bright smile forms on Jamal’s face as he joins the group to play. The next day, the group requests Jamal to do the scoring for them while playing cricket. Jamal happily accepts that. Jamal is so efficient in counting that the everyday score confusion is gone. Together with Jamal, the group enjoys both cricket and chess.

Read the story again. Now choose the correct words/phrases to make the following sentences meaningful.

Tiffin, under, interested to, plays, usually, an idea, happy, follow, smile

Zahin……………. with his friends in the………………. time.

Jamal ………………… watches his friends play sitting…………………. Banyan tree.

Jamal is also ……………………. ……………………. Play with his friends.

Zahin plans……………. ………………………..To make his friend Jamal………………………………….

We all should ………………………… Zahin to make a friend ……………………

In groups/pairs, read the following situations and then write what you can do in those situations to make your friend smile.

Situation one

When Rida was young, she could see very well. She could point out the small birds sitting on the trees, she could see the board in her classroom. But suddenly her eyesight started to get worse, and she couldn’t do the things she used to do. Now, she cannot see the board in her classroom from a far and she cannot play with her friends. She still wishes she could be a part of everything in her school.

What do you think you can do to make Rida feel included?

Situation two

Marche Chakma has recently transferred from Bandarban to a school in the city. Although he can speak English and his mother language well, he struggles with Bangla, He often feels shy in class because of his ‘special accent.’

What can you do to make him feel more welcome?

Situation three

Kanka’s father works as a peon at the same school he attends. His family isn’t as well-off as some of the other students in his class. He cannot always afford new clothes or school picnics or the latest gadgets. He sometimes feels left out.

How can you be supportive of Kanka?

Situation four

Rodoshi is a 6th grader who has recently moved into a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. During Pooja festivals, she misses her old friends. In the place where she used to live before, she had friends from her religion but now she feels alone. She wishes she could celebrate the festivals with everyone.