The Lagori Champions – Class 4 English Chapter 8 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 4EnglishChapter 8NCERT book: Santoor - English Class 4

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 8 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 8: The Lagori Champions

Introduction

"The Lagori Champions" is a play in two parts about a traditional Indian game, Lagori – the game of seven stones. Ravi's cousin Prakash visits Sundarpur village, learns that Lagori is the same game he calls Satoliya in Rajasthan, and helps the Sundarpur Tigers win a friendly match. The chapter celebrates teamwork, sportsmanship and traditional games.

What's in this Chapter

Part I – Learning about the game.

Ravi and his cousin Prakash go to the children's park, where Ravi introduces Prakash to his friends Guneet, Deepa, Nidhi and later Imran.

Guneet wants Prakash in the team for tomorrow's Lagori match because "he's a good runner."

Prakash has never heard of Lagori. Nidhi explains it is a game of seven stones, and Imran, a champion, explains the rules: seven flat stones are stacked; one team knocks them down with a ball; the other team tries to rebuild the stack while avoiding the ball thrown by the opponents. The field is marked with a boundary that players must not cross.

Prakash says, "Oh! Okay, you mean Satoliya." In Rajasthan the game is called Satoliya; in Sundarpur village it is Lagori.

Their team is the Sundarpur Tigers, the captain is Deepa, and the opponents are the Green Warriors from a nearby village.

Part II – The match.

The referee blows the whistle, and Deepa takes the first shot, scattering the stones.

The Tigers rebuild the stack while the Green Warriors throw the ball at them. Ravi stacks two stones and ducks; Imran warns, "Deepa, watch out!" and she dodges; Nidhi places the fourth and fifth stones; Ravi, dripping with sweat, places the sixth.

Just as the Green Warriors try to hit Ravi, Prakash sets the seventh stone on top. The Sundarpur Tigers win!

Both teams shake hands and appreciate each other. The referee lifts the hands of both captains, and villagers cheer. Deepa says it was "even better than our video games!" Ravi says, "We should play our traditional games more."

Key Ideas

The same game can have different names in different parts of India.

Teamwork wins games; everyone plays a part.

Good sportspeople respect the other team, win or lose.

Traditional games are fun and bring people together.

Language Learning

Synonyms and odd ones out: huge/big vs tiny; margin/border/boundary; match/contest; opponent/rival/competitor; repair/mend/rebuild vs ruin.

Unscramble: OUTSIDE, WAVE, MATCH, COUSIN. The teacher's note says "cousin" is common gender, so we do not say "cousin brother" or "cousin sister".

Sentences and questions: a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop; a question ends with a question mark.

Rearranging words: "The field is marked with a boundary."

Activities from the Book

Word treasure hunt in a grid (sweat, include, warrior and others).

"Find someone who…" speaking game.

Talk about a community game in your area.

Design a Lagori Team Badge in groups.

Spot eight differences between two pictures.

Words to Learn

match – a game between two teams (मुकाबला)

stacked – placed one on top of another (एक के ऊपर एक रखा)

opponent – the other team (विरोधी)

boundary – the edge line of the field (सीमा)

referee – the person who makes sure rules are followed (रेफ़री, निर्णायक)

dodged – moved quickly to avoid (बच निकला)

teamwork – working together (टीम भावना)

warriors – fighters (योद्धा)

cousin – child of your aunt or uncle (चचेरा/ममेरा भाई या बहन)

captain – leader of a team (कप्तान)

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Play Lagori/Satoliya with seven flat stones and a soft ball; follow the boundary rule.

Ask elders what the game was called in their childhood.

Read the play in parts, with children as characters.

Discuss why both captains' hands were raised.

Common Mistakes

Saying "cousin brother" – just say "cousin".

Forgetting the question mark at the end of a question.

Note on the book's exercise: the sequencing exercise (E) says "Nidhi threw the ball" and "Nidhi took the first shot", but in the play it is Deepa who takes the first shot. Follow the story.

💡 Key Learning Points

✓Lagori is a traditional game of seven stones; in Rajasthan it is called Satoliya.
✓One team knocks down the stacked stones with a ball and tries to rebuild them while the other team throws the ball.
✓The Sundarpur Tigers, captained by Deepa, beat the Green Warriors when Prakash placed the seventh stone.
✓Good sportspeople shake hands and appreciate the other team; teamwork brings joy.
✓A sentence ends with a full stop; a question ends with a question mark.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Read the play aloud with children taking parts; use a narrator for the stage directions.
→Play a real Lagori match in the playground after reading Part I rules.
→Ask children the local names of traditional games (gilli-danda, kho-kho, hopscotch).
→Discuss sportsmanship: why did the referee lift both captains' hands?
→Point out the teacher's note: 'cousin' is common gender.
→Use the word grid and unscrambling as quick pair games.
→Check the sequencing exercise against the story: Deepa, not Nidhi, took the first shot.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the child explain how Lagori is played?
Can the child name the two teams, the captain and who placed the seventh stone?
Can the child pick the odd word out in synonym sets?
Can the child tell a sentence from a question and punctuate both?
Can the child say why traditional games are valuable?

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