Shubha Subramaniam

A Course on Environmental Studies

Fiſth Edition
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 Preface
The fifth edition of I CARE: A Course on Environmental Studies is a well-graded series for classes 1 to 5. The
series conforms to the syllabus for Environmental Studies formulated by the National Curriculum Framework.
This edition focuses on the key principles such as competency-based education, integrated pedagogy, experiential
learning and 21st Century Skills highlighted in the National Curriculum Framework for School Education
(NCF-SE) 2023 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The series also aims at developing Life Skills
recommended by the UNICEF. The features can be broadly grouped under various learning and teaching tools.
Learning tools to develop interest and understanding
• Warm-up: Chapter-opening exercises to introduce a chapter in an interactive way
• Fact Corner: Interesting snippets of information to correct common misconceptions
• Short Biographies: Brief insights into the lives of great pioneers to motivate young learners
• Wrap-up: Mind maps to recall the key topics covered in a chapter
• Quick Connect: In-text exercises through a variety of testing modes after major topics for quick revision
Learning tools to bridge pure science and social science curricula
• Subject Connect: Interdisciplinary snippets linked with the topics in discussion to lay a strong foundation for
higher classes
Learning tools to hone 21 st Century Skills and endorse Active Learning
• Things to Do: Suggestions for subject enrichment activities to hone 21 st Century Skills
• Activity Corner: Hands-on interdisciplinary activities for deeper understanding of concepts
• Wear Your Thinking Cap!: Questions/Exercises to assess the depth of overall learning
• Sticker Page: Fun page with stickers at the end of the book
Learning tools to develop Life Skills recommended by the UNICEF
• Environment Connect: Snippets to evoke awareness on environment-related issues to facilitate individual
introspection
• Life Skills and Values: Thought-provoking activities based on key life skills recommended by the UNICEF
- Cognitive: critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making
- Personal skills: self-awareness, self-management
- Interpersonal skills: communication, negotiation, cooperation, teamwork, inclusion, empathy, advocacy
• Being Healthy: An interactive activity-based poster set in the backdrop of a birthday party to hone problem-
solving skills and evoke awareness on various aspects of eating healthy in everyday life
Teaching tools to facilitate Active Learning
• Mapping to NCERT Learning Outcomes: Learning Outcomes as recommended by the NCERT are tagged with
appropriate pedagogical processes for every chapter in Grades 3–5
• Comprehensive Teacher’s Books: Additional teaching guidance in the form of spiral lesson plans for each chapter,
answers to all questions and additional worksheets
• Cambridge GO: Enhanced eBook with interactive teaching aids, Test Maker and online assessments
• QR Code enabled digital content access
Each digital asset is tagged with a unique icon such as SVID VID ANM INT for slideshow, video, animation and
interactivity, respectively.
It is hoped that the series will attain its purpose in cushioning the subject frontiers so that the learners can develop a
sense of responsibility through the joy of learning.
Shubha Subramaniam
Overview
Learning tools to develop interest and understanding

Warm-up Life Personal skills

Skills Fact Corner

Warm-up: Fact Corner:

Chapter-opening Interesting snippets Short Biography
exercises to of information to
introduce a chapter correct common
in an interactive way misconceptions
Short Biographies:
Brief insights into
the lives of great
pioneers to evoke
Wrap-up Means of Quick Connect INT
awareness towards
Think and Answer the environment
Signals Television and motivate young
learners
Wrap-up: Mind Quick Connect: In-text
maps to recall the exercises through a
key topics covered variety of testing modes
in a chapter after major topics for
quick revision

Learning tools to bridge pure science and social science curricula

Subject Connect | Mathe Subject Connect: Interdisciplinary snippets linked with the topics in
discussion to lay the foundation for topics especially for science and
Piya is in a park which has
lots of plants. She enjoys her social science for higher classes
time looking at the flowers.

Learning tools to hone 21st Century Skills

Wear Your Thinking Cap Sticker Page

Things to Do

Wear Your Thinking Activity Stickers: Things to Do:

Cap!: Questions/Exercises Fun page with Suggestions for subject
to assess the depth of stickers at the end enrichment activities to
overall learning of the book hone 21st Century Skills

Life Inter Activity Corner: Hands-on interdisciplinary activities for deeper

Activity Corner Skills
understanding of concepts
Learning tools to develop Life Skills recommended by the UNICEF

Environment Connect | Today is Aalya

Life Skills and Values

celebrating h
family and frie
her parents a

Life Interpersonal skills | Cooperation

Skills

Environment Life Skills and Values: Being Healthy: An

Connect: Snippets Thought-provoking interactive activity-
to evoke awareness activities based on key based poster set in
on environment- Life Skills recommended the backdrop of a
related issues to by the UNICEF birthday party to hone
facilitate individual (Cognitive: skills for problem-solving skills
introspection critical thinking, problem- and evoke awareness
solving, decision- on various aspects
making; Personal: of eating healthy in
skills for self-awareness everyday life
and self-management;
Interpersonal: skills
for communication,
negotiation, cooperation,
teamwork, inclusion,
empathy and advocacy)

Teaching tools to facilitate Active Learning

Cambridge GO: Enhanced eBook with interactive teaching tools and QR Code enabled
learning material in the form of slideshows, videos, animations and digital content
interactive exercises. Offline Test Maker and online assessments are access: Each digital
designed to facilitate teachers in creating a variety of test papers from an asset available in
exhaustive pool of questions. Cambridge GO is
tagged with a unique
icon and QR code for
ease of access.

Comprehensive Teacher’s Books: Additional teaching guidance in

the form of spiral lesson plans for each topic in a chapter, answers
to all questions and additional worksheets
 Contents
13. Mapping........................................... 98
Unit 1: Family and
Friends Test Paper 1 ..................................106

1. My Family ......................................... Unit 5: Water

1

2. Sharing and Caring ......................... 9

14. Importance of Water ................. 107
3. Games Are Fun! ............................. 17
15. Using Water Wisely .................... 114
4. Work People Do ............................26
Unit 6: Travel
Unit 2: Life Around Us
16. Travel ..............................................121
5. World of Plants .............................. 33
17. Communication........................... 130
6. Leaves of Plants .............................. 41
7. World of Animals........................... 51 Unit 7: Things We Make
8. Birds .................................................. 61 and Do
9. Worms and Insects ...................... 70
18. Pottery............................................ 139
Unit 3: Food 19. Textiles ...........................................144
20. Conserving Our Natural
10. Sources of Food .............................77 Resources ......................................150
11. Cooking ............................................84 Characteristics of
Living Things .................................158
Unit 4: Shelter Test Paper 2 ..................................160
Worksheets 1–4 .......................... 162
12. Types of Houses ...........................90
01 My Family
Warm-up 7E Elicit

I am Hitesh.
There are four members in
my family. My father is forty years old. Nisha,
my sister, is the youngest. She is only three
years old! People often tell me that I look like
my mother. We both have brown eyes
and straight hair. Nisha looks like my
father. They both have black
eyes and curly hair.

Do you resemble anyone in your family? Write about some

features you share with the members of your family.

A family consists of a group of people who are related to each

other. A family may be small or large, depending on the number
of members it has.

1
KINDS OF FAMILY
A family in which
only parents and
their children live
together is called a
nuclear family.
Nuclear family

A family in which
Joint family either of the parents
A family in which many live with their child
members live together or children is called a
is called a joint family. single-parent family.

Single-parent family
Some children may not be living with either of their parents. This may
happen because of several reasons. Some children live in orphanages
or with other members of their family. At times, people adopt
children, that is, care for children who are born to somebody else.
EXTENDED FAMILY
People who are related to us are called our relatives. We address
them according to their relationship to us. Two or more children
of the same parent/parents are called siblings. The parents of our
mother and father are our grandparents. People who are related
to our mother are our maternal relatives. People who are related
to our father are our paternal relatives. The sister of our father or
mother is our aunt, while the brother of our father or mother is our
uncle. Children of our aunts and uncles are our cousins.

2
Our grandparents, parents,
brothers and sisters are
our immediate family.
Our aunts, uncles
and cousins are our
extended family.
FAMILY TREE
A family tree shows the
relationship between
each member of the
family. It can help
us understand our
relations with our
family members better.

Fact Corner 7E Extend

All the people of about the

same age in a family are Family tree
part of one generation.

Quick Connect 7E Evaluate

Write T for True or F for False.

1. A family consists of a group of people who are related to
each other.
2. Our parents, brothers and sisters are our extended family.
3. People who are related to our father are our maternal relatives.
4. Children of our aunts and uncles are our cousins.

3
 Integrated
Subject Connect | English Pedagogy
English

The words ‘paternal’ and ‘parental’ sound the same. Find out the
difference between the two. Write one sentence using each word.

FAMILY RESEMBLANCES
Have you heard someone telling you that your nose resembles your
mother’s or you have curly hair like your father’s? Children often
resemble their parents with respect to one or many characteristics.
Characteristics which are passed on from parents to their children
are called hereditary traits. Two children born together to the same
mother are called twins. Twins who look alike are called identical
twins. They are of the same gender. Non-identical twins look
different and may be of different gender.
HELPING FAMILY MEMBERS
Family members help each other in many ways. Parents often help
their children with their homework and other day-to-day activities.
Children help in household tasks like setting the dining table or
keeping the house clean.
Children help their grandparents by carrying or fetching things
for them.

gender • the physical and/or social condition of being male or female

4
 Members of a family help each other.

Keywords 7E Explain

•
Hereditary traits Characteristics which are passed on from parents
to their children are called hereditary traits.
Twins
• Two children born together to the same mother are called twins.
Wrap-up 7E Engage

Kinds of families

A nuclear family A single-parent family A joint family has

has parents and has either of the many members
their children parents living with living together.
living together. their child or children.

Our aunts, uncles and cousins are some members of our

extended family.

Relatives from our mother’s Relatives from our father’s

side are our maternal side are our paternal
relatives. relatives.

5
EXERCISES 7E Evaluate

A. Choose the correct options.

1. Two children born together to the same mother
are called .
a. twins b. cousins
c. kins d. rings
2. Which of the following kinds of family has either of the
parents and their children living together?
a. Joint family b. Single-parent family
c. Nuclear family d. Maternal family
3. Which of the following shows the relationship between
each member of the family?
a. Family tree b. Family plant
c. Family garden d. Family park
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. A family in which only parents and their children live
together is called a family.
2. are our parents’ father and
mother.
3. Characteristics which are passed on from parents to their
children are called .
C. Write T for True or F for False.
1. A family with parents, aunts, uncles and cousins
living together is a joint family.
2. Twins who look alike are called identical twins.