People in Action – Class 4 Arts Chapter 4 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 4ArtsChapter 4NCERT book: Bansuri - Arts Class 4

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

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Chapter 4: People in Action

Introduction

In a crowded place, people move in many different positions and actions, and each posture tells a story. Nandalal Bose's paintings in Chapter 1 showed people in action. In this chapter children learn to use geometric shapes to sketch people moving. Inspired by traditional Indian toys, they also craft 3-D shapes to make a spinning paper doll.

What's in this Chapter

Visual journal. A journal is a book for writing ideas and observations or making quick sketches. Children play the statue game. One friend acts out everyday actions such as showering, playing or eating. When someone sees an interesting pose they shout "statue!" and everyone makes a one-minute sketch. The book reminds children that these sketches do not need to be perfect; it is fine if they look sketchy or incomplete.

Drawing body movements. When you look carefully at the body, it is made of spherical and cylindrical forms. The book's pictures draw whole bodies using imperfect circles and ovals. Children capture postures this way, including positions they practise in dance.

Toy people. Every region of India makes toys in its own way, from clay, wood, cloth, jute, palm leaves, papier mâché, shells and metal. The "Do You Know?" box says Channapatna in Karnataka is known as the toy town, famous for colourful wooden toys built from cylinders, spheres, cubes and cuboids. Children look at dolls from around India and discuss their materials, their characters and the stories they might tell.

Spinning paper doll. Children need a thin stick or broomstick, A5 paper (half of A4), glue, pens and colours. The book gives the sizes of each part:

head 3 cm × 5 cm

torso 3 cm × 6 cm

costume 6 cm × 6 cm

arms 0.8 cm × 9 cm

legs 0.8 cm × 11 cm

The steps are: draw the shapes, colour them and cut them out. Roll the smaller rectangle into a cone for the head and draw a face. Roll the bigger rectangle into a cylinder for the torso. Fold and snip the costume. Then assemble everything on the stick: glue the legs, place the costume, glue the arms with folds at the shoulders, elbows and wrists, and add the head. Now spin the doll and play!

Key Ideas

Posture and movement tell a story about what a person is doing or feeling.

Quick sketches catch action; they need not be perfect.

The human body can be drawn with circles, ovals and cylinders.

Indian toy traditions use geometric forms; Channapatna is the toy town.

Flat paper can become 3-D shapes like cones and cylinders.

Activities from the Book

4.1 Visual Journal: the statue game and one-minute sketches.

4.2 Drawing Body Movements: figures from ovals and circles.

4.3 Toy People: dolls from different regions.

4.4 Spinning Paper Doll.

Summative assessment ideas: an imaginative indoor or outdoor scene, or a group classroom display on a theme.

Words to Learn

Posture (मुद्रा): the position of the body

Action (क्रिया): something being done

Journal (डायरी/पत्रिका): a book for ideas and sketches

Sketch (रेखाचित्र): a quick drawing

Oval (अंडाकार): an egg-like shape

Cylinder (बेलन): a tube shape

Cone (शंकु): a shape like an ice-cream cone

Sphere (गोला): a ball shape

Torso (धड़): the middle part of the body

Costume (पोशाक): clothes worn for a role

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Use a phone timer for the one-minute sketches to keep them quick and fun.

Show real toys at home and ask which shapes they are made of.

Pre-cut the stick and check the glue before the doll activity.

Let each child make the doll different from others, as the book encourages.

Connect poses to dance class, where children practise positions.

Common Mistakes

Spending too long on one pose. The sketch must take one minute.

Drawing stiff stick figures instead of ovals and circles.

Mixing up cone and cylinder: the head is the cone and the torso is the cylinder.

Forgetting the folds at shoulders, elbows and wrists, so the arms cannot bend.

💡 Key Learning Points

✓A person's posture and movement tell a story; artists capture them through quick observation.
✓The body can be sketched using imperfect circles, ovals and cylindrical forms.
✓A visual journal holds quick one-minute sketches that need not be perfect.
✓Indian toys use many materials; Channapatna in Karnataka is known as the toy town.
✓Rolling paper into cones and cylinders makes a spinning paper doll.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Play the statue game with a timer and keep the mood light.
→Demonstrate building a figure from ovals on the board.
→Bring toys from different regions, or pictures of them, for discussion.
→Prepare A5 paper, sticks and glue in advance for the doll.
→Show the difference between a cone and a cylinder by rolling paper in front of the class.
→Encourage each child to decorate the doll's costume uniquely.
→Link poses to dance and theatre activities later in the book.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the child use basic shapes to show the human body in different postures?
Can the child make simple 3-D forms such as a cone and cylinder from paper?
Does the child follow the sequence of steps to make the paper doll?
Does the child produce quick sketches confidently without worrying about perfection?
Can the child name materials and places linked with Indian toys?

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