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
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
- Every book chapter by chapter: NCERT chapter wise PDF
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.
Updated 2026–27 NCERT Class 4 Books & Chapter-Wise PDFs
Looking for all chapters and the latest 2026–27 NCF NCERT textbooks for Class 4? Open any chapter below to download its official PDF or read our Read Online & Notes study guide, or visit the complete NCERT Class 4 Books PDF (2026–27 Main Page) for all subjects or All NCERT Books PDF (Class 1 to 12).
Class 4 English Book: Santoor 12 chapters
- Chapter 1: Together We Can — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 2: The Tinkling Bells — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 3: Be Smart, Be Safe — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 4: One Thing at a Time — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 5: The Old Stag — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 6: Braille — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 7: Fit Body, Fit Mind, Fit Nation — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 8: The Lagori Champions — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 9: Hekko — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 10: The Swing — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 11: A Journey to the Magical Mountains — Read Online & Notes
- Chapter 12: Maheshwar — Read Online & Notes