The Cap-seller and the Monkeys – Class 1 English Chapter 4 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 1EnglishChapter 4NCERT book: Mridang - English Class 1

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 4 of the NCERT Class 1 English book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 4: The Cap-seller and the Monkeys

Introduction

This chapter of Unit 2, Life Around Us, is built around a much-loved story, The Cap-seller and the Monkeys. The story teaches that thinking calmly helps solve problems. The chapter also has an action song (Butterflies), a short reading story (Catch me if you can), and lots of sound work: first sounds, syllables and -at words.

What's in this Chapter

Story – The Cap-seller and the Monkeys. A man sold caps and carried them in a basket on his head. One day he slept under a tree full of monkeys. The monkeys came down and took away all the caps. When he woke up, the basket was empty and the monkeys were wearing his caps.

He shook his fists at them; they did the same. He scratched his head; they did the same. Then "The cap-seller had an idea!" He took off his cap and threw it into the basket. The monkeys did the same. The cap-seller got all his caps back and went away happily. The question in the middle, "What do you think the cap-seller would do now?", gives children time to guess.

Let us speak and write. Questions: Do you have a cap? What colour is it? Why did the monkeys throw the caps in the basket?

  • First sounds: cap, cat, coat; monkey, mango, mouse; basket, bat, ball.
  • Same-sound words: circle words that begin alike, such as car, can, cat, cow and mat, man, mango, mug.
  • Sequencing: number four pictures of the story in order, then retell it.
  • Alphabet with names: Ant, Bee, Cat, Dog … Yak, Zebra. Then write your own name.

    • Song – Butterflies. "Butterflies, butterflies, / Up, up, up … Down, down, down … In, in, in … Out, out, out." Children act it out and may swap butterflies for another word. They clap for every word (five claps for "Butterflies, butterflies, up, up, up").

    Look up, look down. Children complete "I see ___ on the tree / on the ground / in the sky."

    Syllables. mon-key, sell-er, bas-ket and don-key each have two syllables, so two claps.

    Story – Catch me if you can. "A fat cat sat on a mat." The cat wants to catch a little rat. The rat hides in a hat, then in a box whose lid does not open. "Ha, ha! You can't catch me, big cat!" Children make -at words (bat, cat, mat, fat, rat, hat) and follow action commands (catch, throw, hide, open, close, say hurray). They cut out the cat mask from the back of the book, then act out the story.

    Let us explore / do. Draw insects, birds and trees around your home. Help animals find their homes. Share an animal story from home.

    Key Ideas

  • Clever thinking beats anger. Monkeys copy what they see.
  • Words can share a first sound or an ending (-at).
  • Words are made of syllables that we can clap.

    • Words to Learn

  • cap – टोपी
  • seller – बेचने वाला
  • basket – टोकरी
  • monkey – बंदर
  • tree – पेड़
  • empty – खाली
  • idea – उपाय / विचार
  • catch – पकड़ना
  • throw – फेंकना
  • hide – छिपना
  • open – खोलना
  • close – बंद करना

    • Tips for Parents & Teachers

  • Tell the story with actions and voices. Pause at the question and let children guess.
  • Play a copy game: one child is the cap-seller and the others copy every action.
  • Clap syllables of family names (Ra-ju = 2 claps).
  • Make -at word slides with letter cards.
  • Let children retell the story. Accept home-language words, then help with English ones.

    • Common Mistakes

  • Thinking the monkeys gave the caps back on purpose. They only copied the cap-seller.
  • Clapping letters instead of syllables. Monkey has two claps, not six.
  • Mixing up throw and catch.

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Retell 'The Cap-seller and the Monkeys' in order using pictures.
    • ✓Understand that the cap-seller solved his problem by thinking, because monkeys copy actions.
    • ✓Identify words with the same first sound and make -at words.
    • ✓Clap syllables in two-syllable words like mon-key and bas-ket.
    • ✓Follow simple action commands: catch, throw, hide, open, close.

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Narrate the story using the pictures, with voice changes and actions.
    • →Draw attention to details in the illustrations and ask questions to draw out English answers.
    • →Accept one-word answers like 'cap', then model the full sentence.
    • →Repeat the story after a few days to reinforce the English words.
    • →Sing 'Butterflies' with actions and let children swap in other words.
    • →Have children clap once for each word, then once for each syllable.
    • →Use the cat mask from the book and let children enact 'Catch me if you can'.

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the child put four story pictures in order and tell the story?
    2. Can the child explain how the cap-seller got his caps back?
    3. Can the child make three -at words?
    4. Can the child clap the syllables in 'monkey' and 'basket'?
    5. Can the child do the action when the teacher says 'hide' or 'throw'?

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    All chapters in Mridang - English Class 1

    1. 1. Two Little Hands
    2. 2. Greetings
    3. 3. Picture Time
    4. 4. The Cap-seller and the Monkeys
    5. 5. A Farm
    6. 6. Fun with Pictures
    7. 7. The Food we Eat
    8. 8. The Four Seasons
    9. 9. Anandi's Rainbow