Class 4 English (Santoor) Chapter 4, One Thing at a Time, opens Unit 2 (My Beautiful World) with M. A. Stoddart’s classic motivational poem teaching children to focus whole-heartedly on one task at a time — working with all their might when working, and playing happily when playing.
What Class 4 English Chapter 4 Covers
Work While You Work, Play While You Play explains that doing things ‘by halves’ never turns out right; giving full attention to one task at a time and never trifling away precious moments leads to both usefulness and happiness.
Vocabulary, Rhyming Words & Writing ‘My Routine’ matches key words (might, useful, trifled, halves), identifies rhyming pairs (play/way, might/right, well/tell, away/play), and guides students to write their daily schedule in My Routine.
Exercises in Chapter 4
- Let us Think, Let us Speak, and Let us Listen comprehension activities.
- Let us Learn, Let us Write, and Let us Do grammar & writing tasks.
Read Class 4 English Chapter 4 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 3: Be Smart, Be Safe
- Next: Chapter 5: The Old Stag
- All English chapters and the other Class 4 books: Class 4 NCERT books 2026-27
FAQ
What does the line ‘Things done by halves, Are never done right’ mean?
It means that if we do a task with half-hearted attention or leave it incomplete while jumping to another activity, the work will be messy and never done properly.
According to the poem, what is the best way to be ‘useful and happy’?
To concentrate completely on one thing at a time — working with all your energy during work time and playing joyfully during playtime.