Standard III – Environmental Education

Contents

Section I: The Environment – Near & Far………………………2

• Things Around Us………….…….…………………….………….2
• Humans, Animals & Plants..…….…………………………………2
• What are the Differences Between Humans & Animals……………3
• Wiggle My Body……………...……………………....…………….4
• Physical Features of a Locality.…...………….………..………..…..4
• The Earth, the Sun, the Moon & the Stars…………………………5

Section II: The Environment & A Child’s Needs….…………….6

• The “Bare” Necessities……………..……………………...……….6
• Food For Thought……………...…………………….……………6
• Home Sweet Home! ………………………….……………………7
• The Clothes We Wear……………………………………………...8
• Functions And Festivals…………………………………………....9
• Transport: Out & About…………………………………………...9

Section III & IV: Care & Protection Of The Environment…….10

• Why do we Need to Protect our Environment……………………10
• The Ganga’s Sickness……………………………………………..10
• The Population Challenge.………………………………………...11
• Everyday Environmentalists…………………………………...….11

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 Standard III – Section I: The Environment – Near & Far
Things Around Us
There are many different things in the
world. Some of these things are living
and some of them are non-living.
Living things can eat, grow, move,
respond the other things around them
and even have babies. Non-living things
can do some of these things, but not all
of them.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell the
difference between living and non-living
things. A car can move, but it is not a
living thing, while a tree usually doesn’t
move, but we all know trees are living.
? ?
Living Or Non-Living ???
Group Assignment:
Cut out pictures of Living or Non-living
things from magazines & create a collage
by sticking those pictures onto a sheet of
recycled paper that is divided into two
columns, one living, one non-living.
Display your collages in class and say
what each thing is and why you think it
is living or non-living.
To the Teacher: Ask children to bring in 1
magazine each before this assignment is
given.
Humans, Animals & Plants
Human beings, animals and plants are all
living things. While Humans and animals
are similar in many ways (in fact human
beings are a type of animal), plants are
very different from animals.
Can you find some differences
between plants and animals? Use the
pictures below to write down some of
these differences in the space below.
Plants Animals
Human beings are also animals but there
are some differences between humans
and other animals. The differences
between humans & animals cause many
people to think that humans are more
important than other living things.
Can you think of why this type of
thinking may be harmful to the
environment ?
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 Standard III – Section I: The Environment – Near & Far
What are the Differences between Humans and Animals?

Human beings are also animals but there are some differences between humans and other
animals. One of the most obvious differences between humans and animals is the way we
look. This means that our physical features or external body parts are different from
those of other animals.

External Body Parts:

1. On a piece of paper draw two boxes label them Box A and Box B as given below. In
Box A draw an outline of yourself. Label as many external body parts as possible.
Take your groups help if needed.
2. In Box B draw any animal and label the parts of that animal. Find out and write how
that animal is different from you. Compare the animal’s shape, size, colour and
physical features to those of a human being.
Box A Box B

Head

We have talked about how humans and animals are different in their physical
features, now try and find other ways in which humans and animals are
different. Think about how animals move, what kind of food they eat and the
different homes and shelters they live in. How are all these things different
from humans?

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 Standard III – Section I: The Environment – Near & Far
Wiggle My Body
Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle!
I like to wiggle my body. All around.
I like to wiggle my body. All over town.
I like to wiggle my body.
Can you wiggle yours too?
Everybody get wiggling.
It's fun to do!
Can you wiggle your eyebrows up & down?
Wiggle your nose all around.
Can you wiggle your hips left and right?
Wiggle your fingers. Wiggle your toes.
Wiggle your arms and your elbows.
I like to wiggle my body. All around.
I like to wiggle my body. All over town.
I like to wiggle my body.
Can you wiggle yours too?
Everybody get wiggling.
It's fun to do!
Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle!
Can you wiggle your wrist round & round?
Wiggle your lips up and down.
Can you wiggle your knees left and right?
Wiggle your ears. Wiggle your eyes.
Wiggle your shoulders just give it a try.
I like to wiggle my body. All around.
I like to wiggle my body. All over town.
I like to wiggle my body.
Can you wiggle yours too?
Everybody get wiggling.
It's fun to do!
Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle!
- by Ron Brown
Physical Features of a Locality
The space that we live in is called our
locality. This locality can include
everything from your house and your
school to local shops & restaurants,
stations, bus stops, hospitals and offices,
or even rivers, hills, rocks and beaches.
Mapping your Locality
Your school is in the middle of the box
shown below. Complete the diagram by
drawing a rough map of the physical
features (natural and man-made) around
your school.
Create a School Map:
Your School
Make a list of all the things you can see
around your school in two separate
columns :
Things I Like Things I Dislike
Flower garden Overflowing bin
Sit with your group and share ideas on
how things you dislike can be improved.
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 Standard III – Section I: The Environment – Near & Far
The Earth, the Sun, the Moon & the Stars
There’s No Place Like Home:
Our home planet, Earth, is an incredible place. It is probably the only place in our solar
system (maybe even the whole universe) that supports life. From space, Earth looks like
a beautiful blue marble, with deep oceans, changing cloud patterns & vast continents.
The Earth is basically a ball of rock, metal, water (oceans, seas, lakes) and gases (air)
that is rotating on its axis and is, at the same time, circling (revolving) around the Sun.
The Sun is a gigantic ball of hot, glowing gases. The Sun lies at the centre of our solar
system and all the planets, including Earth, are like its prisoners. These planets revolve
around the Sun and are held in place by a force called Gravity. The Moon is our closest
neighbour. It is also a ball of rock but much smaller and has very little air or water.
The distance between the Earth and the Sun is millions of kilometres. The stars that we
see twinkling in the sky are even further away; they are trillions of kilometres away. So,
the Earth is really a tiny island in the black emptiness of space. The Earth, Sun and
Moon provide us with everything that we need and this is why it is very important to
protect this little blue planet, our home!

Earth

Earth’s Axis
Sun Moon

Fun Facts Fill in the Blanks

1. The Earth takes _______ days to revolve around the Sun.
2. The blanket of air surrounding the Earth is also called the ________________.
3. The sun is made up of two main gases: ____________ and ______________.
4. The surface of the Moon is covered in _________ caused by meteor impacts.
5. Lots of _________ and ________ allow life to exist on Earth.
6. The Sun is so big that it could fit _____________ Earths inside it.
7. The temperature of the Moon is very ______, while the Sun is very ______.
8. The sun is one of millions and millions of ________ in the universe.

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Standard III – Section II: The Environment & A Child’s Needs
The “Bare” Necessities
In the “Jungle Book” Baloo tells Mowgli
about the “Bear Necessities”, the few
things that a bear needs to get by to live
happily in the jungle. Well, like bears (and
all other animals), humans also have some
“bare necessities”, things that we need
to live. Air, Water, Food, Shelter and
Clothing are the most basic needs of all
humans.
Why do We Need … ?
Air : Example: We need air to breathe, we
would die without oxygen.
Water :
Food :
Where do all these things come from?
Well, the environment supplies us with
everything that we humans need to live.
Air is found all around us, drinking water
is found in lakes and rivers, and a wide
range of plants and animals act as a
source of food
Look at your classroom, everything
in it has come from something in the
environment. Try and find FIVE
things in your classroom that have
come from either a plant or an animal.
Which plants and animals have these
things come from?
Food for Thought
We all love to eat. Most of the food we
eat comes from plants while some of the
food we eat comes from animals.
Food from plants consists of fruits and
vegetables, cereals, pulses (dals), and
spices.
Food from animals consists of things
like eggs, milk products and meat.
Assignment: Fruit Salad Party
1. Bring one or two of your favourite
fruits to class.
2. Find at least 3 interesting facts about
the fruits you brought to class. Like the
one below:
“ Strawberries contain more Vitamin
C than Oranges do.”
3. Cut up your fruit and make a salad.
What They Eat!
If you know someone who has a pet,
interview them and try and find out what
their pet eats. Draw your chosen pet &
then draw a blurb and write down all the
things it eats. Put up all your drawings on
the class bulletin board.
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Standard III – Section II: The Environment & A Child’s Needs
Home Sweet Home!
Every animal needs a home. A home for Most of us have homes to live in with our
many animals is not just a house, but a families. There are many different types
much bigger place and it is usually of homes around the world .
outside. The scientific term for an
Try & identify the different homes
animal’s home is habitat.
shown below and where they can be
found. Why do you think all these
An animal’s habitat includes sources of
houses are so different?
food, water, shelter or cover, and space.
Some animals build their own homes Even though all these homes look
while other animals find shelter (e.g.: different we know that each one of
caves) in nature. them is a home. What are some of the
features that are common to all these
Animal Homes human homes?
Visit a local park or garden, or just walk
around your school grounds. See how
many different kinds of “Animal Homes”
you can find. When you get back to class
discuss what you found with your teacher
and your classmates.

Here are some examples of what to

look for:
Trees,
Soil,
Puddles,
Ponds,
Nests,
Cobwebs,
Holes or burrows

With your group, try and think of

why animals and humans need homes.

How are animal homes different

from human homes?
Write a story about a little girl who
did not have a home. Make sure to
mention all the difficulties she faced.
Group Assignment:
Get any pictures from newspapers and
magazines of homes or buildings that you
have seen in your town or city and make a
collage of these.
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Standard III – Section II: The Environment & A Child’s Needs
The Clothes We Wear
Humans are the only animals that wear Clothes From Around the World
Clothes. Clothes are made from many See if you can figure out where all these
different kinds of material. Clothes can be clothes come from & find out something
made from cotton or linen (from plants) special about them:
or from wool and silk (from animals).
Some clothes are man made like
polyester.

Why do you think people all

around the world wear clothes?
Why do people’s clothes vary from Stetson Hat
place to place? U.S.A
Clothes and Weather
Look at the clothes in the column below.
Match the weather to the clothes. Write
down why these clothes are useful.

Costume Parade!
Have a costume parade in class where you
all come dressed in different kinds of
clothes and talk about your costume, your
dress or attire. Tell the class what your
clothes are made of & why these
particular clothes are important to you.

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Standard III – Section II: The Environment & A Child’s Needs
Functions and Festivals
India is a land of festivals. Every day of
the year there is a festival celebrated in
some part of the country. Some festivals
celebrate religious occasions like Ramzan
and Holi. Some days celebrate great
leaders, national events or honour
important people. Like Republic Day and
Teachers’ Day. Some festivals celebrate
Earth Events and the Environment
Festivals of India
Write 2 examples of each kind of festival
or celebration in the space below:
Religious:
Transport: Out & About
Humans are always on the move. We
travel to school and to work, we go on
holiday or out to dinner and we use more
than our own two feet to get us there.
One of the main problems with all this
travel is that we use a lot of petrol. This
causes problems like air pollution. We can
reduce air pollution by being responsible.
Be A Responsible Traveler.
Number the following list of ‘modes of
transport’ from least polluting to most
polluting.

National:

Environmental:

Did you know ???

Indians celebrates so many
functions and festivals that
there are more festivals in
a year than the number of
1
days in a year (365).

Group Activity: Festival Favourites

Find out more about your favourite
festivals (Pick any 2 festivals). Find out
how these festivals started and by whom
and where they are celebrated. Also
discuss how these festivals have changed
over time. Present this information before
your class.
Find out how kids from your class
come to school & make a chart. Look
at your chart & see which means of
transport is used most & which least. Also
note the amount of petrol they each use.

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 Standard III – Section III & IV:
Care & Protection of the Environment
Why do we Need to Protect our
Environment?
For millions of years the Earth was clean,
the seas were clean and the air was clean.
Now, big cities, cars and factories pollute
the air, water and soil so much that our
earth is becoming choked with poisonous
gases and chemicals. At the same time we
are cutting down forests, killing wildlife
and slowly depleting our own natural
resources. Thus, it is very important that
we protect and care for our environment
before we make the Earth uninhabitable
for us all.
Pollution Watch
Can you find out what sort of illnesses we
get because of Air Pollution. Have you
watched “Pollution Watch” on any TV
channel? As a group prepare a similar
programme where you do a skit or talk
about how the air gets polluted and what
you and your team can do to stop it.
Pollution Posters
Make a poster with your group on water
pollution for your bulletin board. Write
how it is caused and some things we can
do to prevent it. Also talk about how the
Ganesh festival causes water pollution.
The Ganga’s Sickness
According to Hindu beliefs, the Goddess
Ganga descended to Earth in the form of
a river in order to purify the souls of
60,000 dead princes. The River Ganga
symbolises purification for millions of
Hindus around the world, and many make
their way to it, believing that drinking the
waters will give them salvation.
Today there are 400 million people living
along the banks of the river in 29 cities,
70 towns & hundreds of villages. These
people deposit nearly all their sewage –
almost 1.3 billion litres per day – directly
into the river.
Add to this the 260 million litres of
industrial waste (chemicals) from the
factories along the river. Farms & fields
along the Ganga also pollute the river
water with over 6 million tonnes of
chemical fertilizers & pesticides. Thus,
this holy symbol of purification has
become an open sewer of shame.
Ref: India Picture Gallery
River Research
As a group find out about any other river
in India or your city that has been
polluted and write an article about it.
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 Standard III – Section III & IV:
Care & Protection of the Environment
The Population Challenge
Take a look at the graph below. You can see that until about 1800, world population was
growing slowly. But after 1800, population shoots up rapidly, reaching, 3 billion in 1960, 4
billion in 1975, 5 billion in 1987 and 6 billion in 1999. This rapid increase in human
population is called the population explosion.
All of these people require food, fuel and
homes, putting a great strain on our planet’s
natural resource supply. In addition,
population and resource use also impacts
animals and plants. As human populations
continue to grow & consume more resources,
we lose natural habitats & drive other species
towards extinction. In the end, if we can’t
take care of our resources we can’t take care
of ourselves.
The People Problem.
As a group, can you come up with ways India and the world can solve the problem of the
population explosion? Think about both, number of people & natural resources.

Everyday Environmentalists
Taking the earth and our surroundings is the responsibility of every single human being
including YOU. There are many little things that we all can do in our everyday lives to
make big differences to the Earth.
Taking Care of the Earth, Every Day
Keep track of all the good deeds you can do for the Earth and discuss what makes them
environment friendly. Think of more good deeds, write them down in the empty blanks.

Good Deeds Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun

Used both sides of my paper 8 8
Turned Off the lights and fan
Didn’t leave the water running
while brushing my teeth

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