Be Smart, Be Safe: NCERT Class 4 English Lesson (Santoor Chapter 3)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Many children walk, cycle or take a bus to school every day. This chapter is a letter from the traffic police that teaches simple road safety rules every child should know.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 4, unit “My Land”. Chapter 3.

What your child learns

Six road safety rules for walking and crossing
New words: pedestrian, footpath, reflective, distract
Countable and uncountable nouns (buses, traffic)
Writing a thank-you letter

What the lesson is about

The chapter is a letter to children from the Traffic Police of Bharat. They say roads can be busy and sometimes dangerous, and they want children to stay safe while walking on or crossing the street.

The letter gives six rules: use the zebra crossing and look right, then left, then right again; follow the traffic lights and wait for the green signal for walkers; walk on the footpath; hold an adult's hand near roads; wear reflective stickers when walking in the evening; and stay alert, without playing or using headphones or phones near traffic.

New words, with Hindi meanings

traffic: cars, buses and other vehicles on the road (हिंदी: यातायात)
dangerous: something that can hurt you (हिंदी: ख़तरनाक)
pedestrian: a person walking on the road (हिंदी: पैदल चलने वाला)
footpath: the path at the side of a road for walking (हिंदी: फुटपाथ)
regulate: to control (हिंदी: नियंत्रित करना)
reflective: shining back when light falls on it (हिंदी: चमकने वाला)
distract: to take your attention away (हिंदी: ध्यान भटकाना)
alert: watchful and careful (हिंदी: सतर्क)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What should you do before crossing the road?
Why should you not use headphones while walking near traffic?
Why do we wear reflective stickers in the evening?
How do you reach school, and which rule do you follow on the way?

Answers for parents

Use the zebra crossing and look right, then left, then right again. Cross only when it is safe.
Headphones can stop you from hearing the sounds of traffic.
So that drivers can see us clearly in the dark.
For example: I walk to school with my sister, and we always walk on the footpath.

Grammar corner: Countable and uncountable nouns

Some naming words can be counted, like one bus, two buses. Others cannot be counted one by one, like water, rice or traffic. Uncountable nouns usually do not have a plural form.

Three buses stopped at the traffic light.
There was a lot of traffic near the school gate.
The policeman drank some water in the hot sun.

Practice at home

Countable or uncountable: helmet, speed, cars, safety
Fill in the blank: Always walk on the ___. (footpath / road)
Say aloud the crossing rule in the right order: look ___, then ___, then ___ again.

Answers: 1. Countable: helmet, cars. Uncountable: speed, safety. · 2. footpath · 3. right, left, right

Try this

Make a zebra crossing at home with a few strips of paper or a chalk line. Take turns being the traffic light and the walker. The 'light' says red, yellow or green, and the walker must stop, get ready or cross after looking right, left and right again.

Tip for parents

Walk with your child and ask in Hindi, 'Sadak paar karne se pehle kya karte hain?' Then teach the English words 'look right, look left'. Let your child explain a rule in Hindi first and then try it in English; praise them for remembering.

Questions parents ask

What is Be Smart, Be Safe about?

It is a letter from the traffic police to children, giving six rules to stay safe on the road.

What are the road safety rules in Be Smart, Be Safe?

Use the zebra crossing, follow traffic lights, walk on footpaths, hold an adult's hand, use reflective stickers in the dark and stay alert.

Is Be Smart, Be Safe in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is Chapter 3 in NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 4.

Learn every Class 4 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →