The Old Stag – Class 4 English Chapter 5 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 4EnglishChapter 5NCERT book: Santoor - English Class 4

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 5 of the NCERT Class 4 English book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 5: The Old Stag

Introduction

"The Old Stag" is a story adapted from The Panchatantra. A kind old stag falls ill, and his friends visit him but greedily eat the tender grass he needs to recover. When they realise their mistake, they change their ways. The lesson: "Nature has enough for everybody. But we need to use its resources wisely."

What's in this Chapter

The story.

  • In a lush forest lived an old stag known for his kindness. He warmly greeted the other animals and birds every day and liked to stay on a small hillock covered with soft, tender grass.
  • One day the stag fell ill. He knew fresh, healthy food and rest would help him get well, so he stayed on the hillock and could not go down to meet his friends.
  • His worried friends came to visit. A deer asked, "Dear stag! How are you?" He replied, "Too weak to come down and meet you all."
  • Before leaving, the visitors ate the fresh grass. "The grass is so tender and nice," said an elephant. "I have never eaten such juicy green leaves," said a giraffe. Word spread, and every visitor feasted on the grass.
  • Soon there was not much grass left, and the old stag grew weaker. His friends felt ashamed; they realised their greed had made them forget their friend.
  • They decided to find food elsewhere and not disturb the hillock. Some even brought fresh leaves for him. It rained well, the grass grew back, and the stag slowly recovered.

    • Key Ideas

  • Kindness makes friends; the stag was loved by all.
  • Greed can hurt others even when we don't mean to.
  • Good friends admit mistakes and make things right.
  • Use nature's resources wisely so there is enough for everyone.

    • Language Learning

  • Word meanings: lush forest – green and dense forest; tender grass – delicate young grass; shaded spot – cool resting place; healthy food – nourishing wholesome food; speedy recovery – quick healing.
  • Describing words (lush forest, friendly animals, tender grass) make writing interesting.
  • Adverbs of manner tell how something is done: "he warmly greeted", "the stag slowly recovered", "the rabbit quickly ate". Others: cheerfully, quietly, carefully, loudly, badly.
  • Writing dialogues in speech bubbles for the comic story "The Monkeys' Fast", where monkeys decide to fast but find it hard to resist the bananas.
  • Paragraph about my best friend, using personal pronouns (he/she/his/her).

    • Activities from the Book

  • Jalebi discussion: imagine a bowl of jalebis in class. What happens if some take too many? Why should we share?
  • Make a thank-you card from the old stag to his friends.

    • Words to Learn

  • stag – a male deer (बारहसिंगा / हिरण)
  • lush – green and thick (हरा-भरा)
  • hillock – a small hill (टीला)
  • tender – soft and young (कोमल)
  • recovery – getting well again (स्वस्थ होना)
  • greed – wanting more than we need (लालच)
  • ashamed – feeling sorry for doing wrong (शर्मिंदा)
  • feasted – ate a lot happily (दावत उड़ाई)
  • resources – useful things we get from nature (संसाधन)
  • warmly – in a kind, friendly way (गर्मजोशी से)

    • Tips for Parents & Teachers

  • Share a snack in the family and talk about making sure everyone gets some.
  • Discuss how water, trees and grass can run out if we waste them.
  • Ask the child to act the elephant, giraffe and deer lines.
  • Point out adverbs in daily talk: "You ate quickly!"

    • Common Mistakes

  • Thinking the friends were bad on purpose – they were careless, then corrected themselves.
  • Confusing adjectives and adverbs: quick describes a noun; quickly describes how an action is done.

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓The old stag was loved because he was kind and greeted everyone warmly.
    • ✓The visitors' greed for tender grass left the sick stag without food.
    • ✓The friends felt ashamed, found food elsewhere and brought him fresh leaves.
    • ✓Nature has enough for everybody, but we must use its resources wisely.
    • ✓Adverbs of manner (warmly, slowly, quickly) tell how something is done.

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Tell the story with animal voices; pause to ask, 'Is it fair to eat the stag's grass?'
    • →Draw a hillock on the board and rub out grass each time a visitor eats, to show it running out.
    • →Connect to real life: water, electricity, paper – what happens if we waste them?
    • →Hold the jalebi discussion without giving the 'correct' answer; let children reason about sharing.
    • →Act out adverbs: walk slowly, speak loudly, smile cheerfully.
    • →Let children fill the Monkeys' Fast speech bubbles in pairs after describing the pictures.
    • →Revise he/she/his/her before the best-friend paragraph.

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the child retell why the stag became weaker and how he recovered?
    2. Can the child state the moral in their own words?
    3. Can the child match lush, tender, shaded spot, healthy food and speedy recovery to their meanings?
    4. Can the child identify and use adverbs of manner?
    5. Can the child write a short card or dialogue using correct pronouns?

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    All chapters in Santoor - English Class 4

    1. 1. Together We Can
    2. 2. The Tinkling Bells
    3. 3. Be Smart, Be Safe
    4. 4. One Thing at a Time
    5. 5. The Old Stag
    6. 6. Braille
    7. 7. Fit Body, Fit Mind, Fit Nation
    8. 8. The Lagori Champions
    9. 9. Hekko
    10. 10. The Swing
    11. 11. A Journey to the Magical Mountains
    12. 12. Maheshwar