Class 8 · English · New NCERT
Chapter 4: A Tale of Valour: Major Somnath Sharma and the Battle of Badgam
"A Tale of Valour: Major Somnath Sharma and the Battle of Badgam" opens Unit 2, Values and Dispositions, at about twenty-one pages. The preface says it teaches the values of courage, duty and patriotism and shows how selflessness and commitment to one's country can make a lasting impact. Major Somnath Sharma is remembered as the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. Students read an account of a battle in 1947, discuss duty and sacrifice and learn how to summarise a real event. The chapter links with the Class 7 English lessons on soldiers and Class 7 Urdu on Brigadier Usman.
This is chapter 4 of 15 in Poorvi, the Class 8 English textbook, in Unit 2, Values and Dispositions, and begins on page 49 of the printed 2026-27 book. It follows "Wisdom Paves the Way" and is followed by "Somebody's Mother".
The main skills practised in "A Tale of Valour: Major Somnath Sharma and the Battle of Badgam" are comprehension and expression. Children are encouraged to answer orally before writing, to retell or describe in their own words, and to use new words in sentences of their own. The book's sections (the Let us discuss, Let us think and reflect, Let us learn, Let us listen, Let us speak, Let us write and Let us explore activities) ask for different kinds of response, from reciting and speaking to drawing and writing, so that children with different strengths all find a way in. Phonological awareness, such as noticing rhyme and similar-sounding words, is practised along the way.
After the lesson on "A Tale of Valour: Major Somnath Sharma and the Battle of Badgam", children can make their own small page: a drawing, a few labelled words or a sentence of their own. Reading it aloud to a family member gives meaningful practice. Encourage questions and curiosity rather than correctness alone.
This overview is written from the 2026-27 textbook's Contents page, its preface and the chapter title, to help families and teachers prepare. Please read the chapter itself for exact content, activities and exercises.