The Old Stag — Class 4 English (CBSE)
From the current Class 4 English Santoor textbook, Unit 2: My Beautiful World, Chapter 5. A gentle forest story about kindness, friendship, and not being greedy with nature's gifts.
1. Chapter at a glance
- Text type: A story with a moral, set in a forest.
- Main characters: The old stag and the forest animals and birds.
- Main theme: Friendship and using nature's gifts wisely (taking only what we need).
- What to notice while reading: How the animals first harm the stag, then make it right.
2. The Story
In a green forest lived a kind old stag, loved by all the animals and birds. Each day he greeted them warmly. He lived on a small hillock covered with soft, tender grass.
As the stag grew old, he became weak and could no longer go down to meet his friends. So the animals came up the hillock to visit him. But as they came, they ate the tender green grass — again and again — until the green cover slowly vanished. With his grass gone, the old stag had little to eat and grew weaker still.
Then the animals realised their mistake. They saw that their greed had taken away the stag's food. Feeling sorry, they stopped eating his grass and instead brought him fresh leaves. With their care, the old stag slowly grew strong and healthy again, and the forest was happy once more.
3. Summary
A kind old stag lives on a grassy hillock and is loved by all the forest animals. When he becomes too weak to come down, the animals visit him — but they eat up all his tender grass, leaving him with little food, so he grows weaker. Realising their greed has hurt their friend, the animals stop eating his grass and bring him fresh leaves until he recovers. The story teaches friendship and using nature's gifts wisely.
4. Theme and values
- Friendship and care — helping a friend in need.
- Using resources wisely — take only what you need.
- Realising and correcting mistakes — saying sorry and making amends.
- Kindness over greed — sharing keeps everyone well.
5. New words and meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| stag | a fully grown male deer |
| hillock | a small hill |
| tender | soft and young (here, fresh grass) |
| greedy | wanting more than one needs |
| recover | to become healthy again |
6. Let Us Think (comprehension)
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Where did the old stag live? On a small hillock covered with tender green grass.
-
Why did the animals come up the hillock? Because the old stag had grown too weak to come down to meet them.
-
What mistake did the animals make? They ate all the tender grass, so the stag had little left to eat and grew weaker.
-
How did the animals make things right? They stopped eating his grass and brought him fresh leaves to help him recover.
-
What lesson does the story teach? To care for our friends and to use nature's gifts wisely, taking only what we need.
7. Language and grammar practice
Adjectives (describing words)
Find describing words: old stag, kind stag, tender grass, green forest. Add two of your own.
Past tense
| Now | Before (past) |
|---|---|
| eat | ate |
| grow | grew |
| bring | brought |
| become | became |
8. Writing and speaking practice
- Writing: Write 5–6 lines about a time you helped a friend or shared something.
- Speaking: Tell the story in your own words using first, next, then, finally.
9. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Saying the animals were always cruel to the stag. Fix: They made a mistake by being greedy, but then realised it and helped him.
- Mistake: Forgetting why the stag grew weak. Fix: His tender grass was eaten up, so he had little food.
- Mistake: One-word answers for why/how questions. Fix: Use a full sentence with because or so.
10. Practice set
- Where did the old stag live?
- Why did the animals come up the hillock?
- What mistake did the animals make?
- How did they make things right?
- Write the past tense of eat, grow, and bring.
- Write 5–6 lines about a time you helped a friend.
11. Answer key
- On a hillock with tender green grass.
- Because the stag was too weak to come down.
- They ate all his tender grass, leaving him little food.
- They stopped eating it and brought him fresh leaves.
- ate, grew, brought.
- Answers will vary — check for the helpful act and its result.
12. Fun activity
Take Only What You Need
Draw the hillock before and after the animals ate the grass. Write one rule about using nature's gifts wisely.
13. Quick revision
- Unit 2: My Beautiful World · Chapter 5 · a forest story with a moral.
- The old stag's tender grass is eaten by greedy animals, so he grows weak.
- The animals realise their mistake and bring him fresh leaves.
- Theme: friendship and using nature's gifts wisely.
- Take only what you need.
Unit 2: My Beautiful World
This chapter is part of Unit 2: My Beautiful World. The three chapters in this unit are:
- Chapter 4: One Thing at a Time — a poem about focus
- Chapter 5: The Old Stag — a story about friendship and using nature wisely
- Chapter 6: Braille — the story of Louis Braille
