JOY OF LEARNING

(Handbook of Science & Environmental Education Activities)

STANDARDS 9 - 11

Developed by
Centre for Environment Education
and
Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre

A publication supported by Ministry of Human Resource Development

Government of India

FOREWORDR
EWORD
Opportunities for learning exist everywhere. The Joy of Learning handbooks are an attempt
at showing some ways in which these opportunities can be made use of. These books do
not constitute a complete curriculum, nor do they cover all the different aspects that need
to be dealt with at different levels in our education system. But each activity gives students
an experience of a small part of the study of science and environment. And these small
pieces of experience build into a larger mosaic of understanding. The activities have been
selected from very different parts of the mosaic to give a feeling for the tremendous
variety of educational activities that can be carried out at the school level. We hope that
these will provide a framework and approach that teachers can use to develop a number
of activities based on their local environment and available opportunities.

The teacher is the key to the whole education system. It is only through the initiative and
innovativeness of the teacher that any successful programme can be carried out. The
format of the activities calls for a redefinition of what a school activity is, and what the
role of the teacher is. The teacher’s role in these activities is not that of transferring
information but rather one of being a facilitator, a leader and a resource person in a
learning process that is participatory. No teacher can be expected to know all the answers,
nor should it be required. On many occasions, the teacher will need to join the students in
asking question and getting the students to discuss how they will And the answers. It is
also important to stress that all the ‘answers’ are not yet known.
The activities have been developed to encourage students to observe and explore their
surroundings, to understand fundamental principles of science, and relationships in nature,
and to learn better how humans are an integral part of the intricate web of life. We believe
that learning can be more fun, both for the students and the teacher, when based on real
experiences.

The New Educational Policy 1986 identified several thrust areas. In the field of science
these include energy, environment, conservation, wildlife management, social forestry,
agriculture, industry, population, health, nutrition, food and shelter. The new syllabus
designed by the NCERT in 2004 for environmental education for all stages of school
education emphasized the development Of healthy attitudes and encouraging positive
actions through activities, projects and field experiences. We feel that the way to achieve
these is to introduce these opportunities to students through a wide range of activities,
and not by explicitly adding textbook contents covered by thrust areas. The relevance of
each activity to the particular thrust area has been indicated on each page.

While some of these activities are primarily to be covered in the Science Class, many of
them can be carried out in other subjects taught at school. This has been indicated with
the respective activity.

Many schools in India may not have the resources and reference material to back such
programmes. Attempts have therefore been made to keep the need for such material to
the minimum Although, material re9uirementshave been suggested with each activity,
most of them can be done with alternative materials. The duration of each activity and
the suitable time and season for it are also indicated.

We hope that these activities will lead to ‘Joy of Learning’ a process in which both
students and teachers enjoy exploring their environment together.

Kartikeya V. Sarabhai
Director, CEE
 JOY OF LEARNING – THE JOURNEY

In 1986 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERI) as part of its
massive teacher training programme, increasing. The NCERTs initiative in this direction
was an opportunity to explore ways to introduce the activity approach in schools.

The tight deadline within which some relevant material could be developed, necessitated an
intensive effort - bringing together, in a workshop, some of the groups working in the field
of science, health and environmental education, and having some experience in activity-
based teaching and learning. The outcome was Joy of Learning I (JOL), published in 1986.

JOL I continues to be reprinted, and used across India and in other countries of the South
Asian region, in its original or translated versions. Today JOL I is available in 16 languages.
Many excellent activities which the workshop had generated and which did not go into JOL
I, were subsequently included in the second volume, Joy of Learning II, which is for standards
5-8 and published in the 1996.

Almost two decades later, the genesis of this volume, Joy of Learning III, is similar to that
of JOL I. In November 2003, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education
Board (GSHSEB) planned for a three-day event, called Balotsav to be carried out across
Gujarat for secondary and higher secondary students. The event was designed to create an
environment in which students would be exposed to a variety of activities and opportunities
to “learn”. This learning would be with respect to subjects and topics which are part of the
academic curriculum, as well as to real-life skills and understandings.

To generate ideas and activities for the event, GSHSEB and CEE organized an intensive
workshop which included participants with expertise in a variety of subjects and areas, as
well as the learning-by-doing approaches. These activities were used across Gujarat during
Balotsav. They were subsequently compiled into this handbook JOL III.

JOL III is for standards 9-11. The activities are designed to help students to provoke the
mind. To encourage students to question, investigate, collect and organize information
about environmental issues and scientific phenomena and relationships; to understand
societal values and recognize rights and responsibilities.

As with the two preceding volumes, this volume of JOL is also based on the acceptance
that an activity approach is an effective tool in learning, and that teaching and learning
should be a joyful experience.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Project Team

Selection and Editing
Meena Raghunathan, Mamata Pandya

Research and Development

Rajeswari Namagiri

Coordination
Rajeswari Namagiri, Centre for Environment Education
Jigna Navani, Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre

Comments
A. Nagaratnam, Retired Director, Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur

Design
DM Thumber

Illustrations
Mukesh Barad, Shailesh Bhalani, Mahendra Dadhania
Pratik Gajjar, Neelam Mishra, Mukesh Panchal, Shruti Patel,
Vijay Shrimall, Hemal Solanki, Chirag Thumbar, D M Thumber

Photographs
Manoj Dholakia, Pankaj Gorana, Mahendra M Khalas,
Jigish Mehta

Layout
Shruti Patel

Production
DM Thumber

Printing
Babu Jose

Support Services
JK Nair
Ideas for many of the activities in this Handbook were contributed by experts from Gujarat
Secondary and Higher Secondary Board (GSHSEB)Centre for Environment Education
(CEE), Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC), Centre for Health
Education Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA), Gujarat Ecological Educational
Foundation (GEER Foundation) and other Institutions during an intensive two-day
workshop.
Workshop Participants
Aalok Yadav, Ashok Patel, B.R. Rawal, Bhumika Shah,
C.N. Pandey, Chaitalee Devashrayee, Deepak Gohil, Divyesh Vyas,
Gopal Jain, Hem Bhatt, Hetal Thaker, I.U. Sidda, Jalpa Bhatt,
Jayanti Ravi, Jayesh Patel, Jigna Navani, Kartikeya Sarabhai,
Kiran Chhokar, Madhavi Joshi, Mamata Pandya,
Meena Raghunathan, Minaxi Shukla, N. Ramjee, Neelam Mishra,
Purvi Shah, Rajeswari Namagiri, Rama Naicker, SV Kashyap,
SP Patel, Sanjay Joshi, Sarita Thakore, Sejal Mehta, Shivani Jain,
Shriji Kurup, Snehal Makwana, Sukhprit Kaur, Sunil Jacob,
Sureshbhai, Vishnu Patel, Vivek Khadpekar.

Some of the activities in this handbook were originally published in earlier CEE publications:

Building Blocks: From Environmental Awareness to Action; A Teacher’s Manual 2003

(Activities 32, 37)

Dealing with Disasters: Awareness, Preparedness. Response; An Educators’ Manual,

2004 (Activities 22, 23, 25, 26, 27)

Energy Matters: A School Energy Education Guide, 2000 (Activity 19)

Energy: Manual for College Teachers, EnviroScope Series, CEE & World Resource
Institute. 2000 (Activity 16)

Guide to Green Citizenship: A Practical Workbook on Environmental Education for + 2

Vocational Students (Activity 11)

Paristithi Vigyan - Jeev Shrushti Na Tana Bana. 2002 (Activity 39)

Towards a Green Future: A Trainer’s Manual on Education for Sustainable Development,

1999 (Activities 30. 31. 41. 42. 47)

Activity 35 has been adapted from The Australian Teacher’s Guide to World Resources,
Editors, John Flen and Mary Paden, World Resources Institute and Griffith University,
1997
 ACTIVITY INDEX

Napier’s Bones ‘Drop, Cover and Hold’

Proving Pythagoras Tracking a Cyclone
Seeing Squares Winds of Change
Constructing Shapes Weather Clues
Stable Shapes Health Audit
What? Venn? Who is Healthy?
Let’s Watch TV What’s on the Menu?
Kitchen Chemistry Reaping What You Sow
Changing Colours Measuring Turbidity
Separating Colours Pollution Watch
How Much Ozone? Why is the Water Dirty?
Reflecting on Angles Too Much!
Oscillating Colours The Rain on Our Roofs
Interfering with Light
Lift and Drag Measuring a Canopy

Steps to a Hot Bath A Quick Count of Diversity

What am I Paying? Food History

The Wise Shopper How Many Here?

A Box of Sunshine 24 Hours

Maps and Scales Serving the People

Just Passing Through Information Packed

What’s a Disaster? Ad-Ad World...l

Who is Responsible? Playing Detective

When Disaster Strikes... Count Down
 1 NAPIER’S BONE

Focus Objective
Mathematical To make a simple calculating device for multiplying a number by a
operations single digit number.
Subject
Mathematics Activity
Duration John Napier was a Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms
1 Hour and 30 (1614) and ‘Napier’s Bones’, an early mechanical calculating device
for multiplication and division. Tell the students that they will now
minutes
make their own calculator using his design.
Group Size
5
Distribute a thick sheet of paper about 12x10 cm to each student.
Materials
Ask them to draw a 10x10 matrix and make boxes as shown. As
Thick paper of
indicated in Fig 1, fill up the matrix with multiples of 1 to 9. The
12 x 10 cm writing
units digit may be written in the lower triangle and the tens in the
material, scissors,
upper triangle. After filling in the blanks, let them carefully cut out
cutter adn protractor
each column.
for each group.

Fig 1

Now demonstrate how to do a simple multiplication using

this calculator.
Example
Multiply 348 by 7
To obtain the solution, ask the students to keep the Strip X with
1- 9 digits on the left. Now ask the students to arrange the Strips 3,
4 and 8 to the right of this as shown.

To obtain product
of this operation,
consider this row.

Fig 2
Consider Row 7 in relation to the operation required to be done in
the steps given below;

Step 1
The number 6 in the lower triangle in Strip 8 will be the number at
the unit’s place.

Step 2
Now add 5 from upper triangle of Strip 8 to 8 from lower triangle of
Strip 4. The answer is 13. Take 3 in the ten’s place, and carry
forward 1.

Step 3
Now add 1 carried forward from Step 2 to 2 from the upper triangle
of Strip 4 and 1 from the lower triangle of Strip 3. So, the number
at hundred’s place is 4.

Step 4
The thousand’s place will have 2 from the upper triangle of Strip 2.

Extension / Variation
This activity can be extended to include numbers such as 121 * 4,
where you will need two strips containing 1 in the first row.
 2 PROVING PYTHAGORAS

Focus Objectives
Mathematical To understand the geometrical proof of the Pythagoras Theorem.
operations
Subject Activity
Mathematics Distribute the thick paper, one sheet to each student or group as
Duration decided. Ask them to draw a line of 5 cm length, (leaving 5-cm
1 Hour and 30 from the bottom and 12 cm from the left side) and name it BC.
minutes
Group Size Now, ask them to draw a right angled triangle ABC, with BC as a
5 base and right angle at LB. See that the measures are as given below.
Materials
Thick paper of Angle ABC = 900, AB = 12cm, AC = 13cm
12 x 10 cm writing
material, scissors, Then ask the students to draw squares on the side AB, BC and AC
cutter and protractor with respective side lengths, and label them, as shown in Fig 1.
for each group.
Now, ask the students to draw a line 1 parallel to side AC, (not a
diagonal), joining the sides PA and 9B as shown in the Fig 2

Then draw a line m perpendicular to the line l.

Now cut the square PASB along the lines l and m to get four pieces.

Let them also cut out the square BCTU.

Experimental Proof

Ask the students to arrange the four pieces cut from square PAQB
and the square BCTU to fill the square ACRS drawn along the line AC.
This can be related with the statement of the Pythagoras Theorem
that the sum of the squares of two sides of a right angled triangle is
equal to the square of the hypotenuse.
 Fig 1 Fig 2

Clue for arranging the pieces

Each of the four pieces cut from square PAQB if you notice, has
0
one angle of 90 . All one has to do is fit these angles into the four
corners of the square ACRS.

Discussion
The Pythagoras theorem has many practical uses. It is used in
navigation, cartography and in finding angles of elevation and
depression. It is used in geometry for calculation of areas and volumes.

It is also an integral concept of trigonometric functions—the sine,

cosine and tangent are nothing but ratios of the sides of lengths of
sides of a right angle triangle. It is also the idea behind the
fundamental identity of trigonometry – sin2x + cos2x = 1.
 3 SEEING SQUARES
Focus Objective
Algebra To obtain the geometrical proof of the identity (a + b) 2 = a2 + 2ab + b2
Subject Activity
Mathematics Distribute the sheets of paper among the students one per
Place individual or group, as decided. Ask students to draw a square
of 12 cm in the centre of the sheet. Label it ABCD
Classroom
Duration
30-minutes
Group Size
Individual or in
groups
Materials
Thick sheet of paper
(13 x 13 cm) one per
student or group,
writing material,
scissors, ruler and Fig 1

eraser.
Now, within this square ABCD, draw another square of 7 x 7cm
along side AB and AD with A as one of the vertices, and name it
APOR. Now draw another square of dimensions 5 x 5 cm along the
sides CB and CD with C as one of the vertices as shown. Name it
CQOS.

Fig 2
Now ask the students to cut the square along the boundary ABCD
and the lines PQ and R5, so that they have the squares with
boundaries as shown below.
Now discuss with students the explanation of (a + b) 2

Fig 3

This mathematical identity can be explained as under

Area of the square ABCD = (12) 2 = (7 + 5) 2
Area of square APOR + Area of rectangle
PBSO + Area of square OSCQ + Area of
rectangle OQDR
(7) 2 + (7 x 5) + (5) 2 + (7 x 5)
So this can be written as (a + b) 2 = a2 + b2 + 2ab

Extension / Variation
The square model can also be used to prove the identity
(a - b) 2 = a2 + b2 - 2ab
 4 CONSTRUCTING SHAPES

Focus Objective
3D Geometry To make a 3-D object from a plain sheet of paper.
Subject
Mathematics Activity
Place Distribute one sheet to each pair.
Classroom
Duration Draw the figure given here (Fig 1) on the board, and ask the
30-minutes students to draw it on paper with the measurements indicated.
Group Size
Pairs Ask the students to cut out the shape along the dotted line as
Materials shown in Fig 1, using a cutter or scissors.
One sheet of thick
chart paper
(30cm x 30cm)
per student, writing
material, eraser,
cutter, scissors,
gum and ruler.

Fig 1

Fig 2
 Fig 3

Next ask students to fold and lightly press the paper along the
solid lines indicated in Fig 1. Then ask the students to apply
adhesive on the inner side of the flaps and stick the edges one
after the other. After sticking all the flaps, they will get a paper
cube (Fig 3).

Discussion
Tell the students that the figure drawn on the paper to obtain a 3-D
shape is known as a ‘net’. This net when folded appropriately, gives
a solid or 3D shape. Hence for the cube, Fig 1 is the required ‘net’.
Ask the students to observe the number of flaps in the cube
required to join the edges, and then discuss what would happen if
the number of flaps is reduced or increased, and whether there is
any other arrangement for the flaps than the one given here.

Extension / Variation
Ask the students to make a net for another shape like say a pencil
box or a toothpaste carton.

Are they able to make a model using this?

 5 STABLE SHAPES

Focus
Geometrical shapes Objective
To understand the shapes of structures and their stability.
and Structures
Subject
Activity
Physics
Ask the students to roll the sheet along its length to form a
Place
cylinder. Glue the last turn over the body of the cylinder, such that
Classroom
it does not open out.
Duration
30-minutes
Ask the students to place the cylinder upright on a flat surface.
Group Size
Place a book geometry box on top of it. Ask the students to
2-3
observe if the cylinder is able to take the weight of the book / box.
Materials
Now ask students to place more books gently. Observe how many
Thick paper cut to
A-4 size (21 x 30cm) books the paper cylinder can hold.
gum, books (4 or 5).
Observe what happens when cylinders of different diameters are
made from the same sized paper and tested for various loads. Does
the number of times the paper is rolled over matter in taking the load?

What happens when the base of the cylinder is uneven or when

the last turn of the paper cylinder is not glued evenly?

Ask students to fold chart paper into various other shapes like,
cuboids, triangular prism, etc. Carry out the load tests to test the
stability of each of these structures.

Encourage students to discuss the stability of each of these

geometrical forms and their importance in the construction of
pillars of buildings.

Discussion
While doing the experiment with the cylinder it may be observed
that depending on the load, thickness and diameter of the cylinder
the cylindrical structure either crumbles, wobbles or topples.
 6 WHAT? VENN?

Focus Objective
Set Theory To understand the formation of sets and some set operations.
Subject
Mathematics Activity
Place Mark out four circular areas on the ground with at least 10-12
Outdoors metres distance between them. Label them X Y, Z and W. (See Fig. 1)
Duration
30-minutes Ask the students to look at the blackboard and position themselves
Group Size in the areas X, Y, Z, or W depending on which of the sets they
Entire Class belong to. The sets will be based on the first names of the students.
Materials The sets as described below should be written down on the board.
Black board,
chalks, writing alpha =[x / x is between A & D including A and D, where x is the first
material. letter of the first name]

[Students whose names begin with alphabets between A and D

including both of them belong to the set a and may move into the
area marked as X]

Beta = (x / x is between H & L including H and L, where x is the first

letter of the first name)
(Students whose names begin with alphabets between H and L
including both of them belong to the set P and may move into the
area marked as Y)
Gamma =[x / x is between N & T including N and T, where x is the first
letter of the first name)
(Students whose names begin with alphabets between N and T
including both of them belong to the set y and may move into the
area marked as Z]
Delta = [x / x is not in any of above sets, where x is the first letter of
the first name]
(Students whose names begin with alphabets other than those
mentioned in the sets alpha, beta, gamma belong to the set 6 and may
move into the area marked as W)
Once they have positioned themselves in their respective areas, go
around to ensure that they are in the right circles. Then write the
following on the board and ask them to rearrange themselves
according to the new sets
“alpha u delta in circle Y” and “beta u gamma in circle Z”.

Ask them to draw a Venn diagram related to this activity and also
ask them what the Universal set for this activity is.
Now you can change the set conditions, for example, month of
birth, area of residence, etc., and repeat similar exercises.

Discussion
Discuss the two set representation methods (List method and
Characteristic listing method) and ask the students what type of
set representation was used to write the above sets.

X Y

Z W

Fig 1
 7 LET’S WATCH TV

Focus Objective
Statistics / To carry out a survey to find out TV viewing preferences of the public.
Quantitative /
Activity
Research
Tell the students that they will be doing a survey to find out more
Subject
about TV viewing preferences. Discuss the questionnaire given
Social Studies /
here and ask them if they feel any modifications are necessary.
Mathematics
The class should modify as they feel necessary. Then photocopy or
Place
handwrite multiple copies of the questionnaire. Tell each group
Indoors and
that they must choose a different area neighbourhood. Each
Outdoors
group must survey at least 30 people.
Duration
30-minutes
Survey Questionnaire
Group Size
5
Area :
Materials
Name :
Writing material
Sex :
for each student
Age :
Occupation :
Student (school / college)
Employed (where)
Self Employed (as what)
Home Maker
Senior citizen
Do you have a cable connection?: Yes / No
When do you watch TV?: Morning /Afternoon /Evening /Night
Average number of hours you watch TV on weekends and week
days (note both separately):
Favourite programme category:
(Cartoon Movies Serials / Comedy / News / Sports /Educational
Science / Musical /Horror-Thriller / Detective Sports
Interviews / Cookery shows / Travel / Feature films Wildlife
or specify if others):
Number of programmes you and your family watch together:
Languages of the channels that you watch:
Name five channels that you watch regularly: (in order
of preference)
After surveying, ask each group to compile the data gathered, into
two tables, one each for weekdays and weekends, given here.

School College Employed Non Senior

Category Employed
Children Students Non-Senior Citizens

G B G B W M W M W M

1. Cartoons

2. Movies

3. Soaps / Mega
Serials

4. Comedy

5. News

6. Sports

7. Educational /
Science

8. Musical

9. Horror /
Thriller

10. Detective

Total Viewing Time

G = Girls B= Boys W = Women M = Men

Discussion
Ask each group to use the survey data and data compiled in the table to
answer these discussion questions.
Number of viewing hours per week by

School children
College students
Employed Non-senior citizens
Non-employed
Senior citizens

The per cent of people that watch Doordarshan channels. And per
cent of the sample that has cable connection.
The per cent of people that have a cable connection.
The per cent of people that watch movies in theatres and multiplexes.

Category of programme -
that has maximum viewer ship / airing time
that has minimum viewer ship / airing time

Reasons?

The category of programme that is watched by all.

Ask each group to make a presentation of their finding. Are there

significant differences between the findings of different groups?
What could be the reasons?

Ask students what kind of programmes they think school children

should watch and why.

Let each group make a plan regarding the use of TV for creating social
awareness. (programmes on HIVAIDS, hepatitis, or polio vaccination,
rainwater harvesting), by choosing appropriate time slots, programme
categories and channels (depending on the survey results). Their aim
should be to reach the maximum number of appropriate target audience
(students, adults, home makers, mothers, etc.). They have to substantiate
their decisions by citing data or examples from their survey.
 8 KITCHEN CHEMISTRY

Objective
Focus
To learn about the production of Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas
Gases
and some of its properties.
Subject
Chemistry
Activity
Place
Ask the students to take some baking soda in a test tube and pour
Classroom
one of the liquids on it (lemon juice, vinegar, water, milk or curd)
Duration
Then wet a strip of blue litmus paper and place on the mouth of
20-30 minutes
the test tube and note colour change, and tell, them to record the
Group Size
observations. Let them clean the test tube, and repeat the same
4-6
with another liquid.
Materials
Discuss the whole procedure and the changes that took place.
Baking Soda,
Baking soda is Sodium bicarbonate (Na2CO3). When it reacts with
several liquids (like
acid (vinegar) Carbon dioxide gas is produced. Carbon dioxide gas
lemon juice, vinegar,
being weakly acidic in nature, turns the blue litmus red. Carbon
water, milk, curd)
dioxide reacts with water to form a weak acid known as Carbonic
filter paper / litmus
acid (H2CO3).
paper, 3-4 test tubes
Another property of Carbon dioxide can also be shown by placing a
per group, writing
burning match stick in the mouth of the test tube, The flame will
material.
be extinguished, Carbon dioxide will not burn or support
combustion, Air with a carbon dioxide content of more than 10 per
cent will extinguish an open flame.

Discussion
Application of properties of this gas in our day-to-day lives can be
discussed. Some of the common uses include fire extinguishing
systems; use as raw material for production of various chemicals
and treatment of alkaline water; carbonation of soft drinks.

Initiate a discussion on how CO2 is formed naturally by

combustion and biological processes including decomposition of
organic material, fermentation and digestion; that it is also
produced due to human activities like burning fossil fuels; what problems
does excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere lead to and
how is it linked to Greenhouse effect.
 9 CHANGING COLOURS

Focus Objective
Indicators To enable students to learn about indicators using an easily available
indicator - turmeric.
Subject
Chemistry
Activity
Place
Divide the students into groups. Give one watch glass and small
Classroom amounts of the listed materials to each group.
Duration
30-minutes Now tell them to take a small amount of turmeric powder on the watch
Group Size glass and add 2-3 drops of soap solution to it and note the change in
6-8 colour.
Materials
Turmeric powder, After this, ask them to clean again the watch glass, dry it and take
watchglass, clean some fresh turmeric powder.
rag, soap solution,
soda water, Ask them to add the other materials mentioned, one by one, and record
Calcium carbonate, the observations in the table. They should clean the watch glass and
solution, lemon juice take fresh turmeric powder before adding any new substance.
and tomato juice
(all these items Indicator: Turmeric powder
for each group). Colour : Yellow

Discussion
Substances that are basic in nature change the colour of turmeric to
red, whereas substances that are acidic help regain its colour.
 10 SEPARATING COLOURS

Focus Objective
Chromatography To observe the separation of different substances in a drop of black
ink.
Subject
Chemistry
Activity
Place
Ask the students to make groups of 4-6. Give each group a filter
Classroom
paper and ask them to cut the Alter paper in a circular shape (a
Duration
minimum of 8 cm radius). Now ask the students to put a drop of
20-30 minutes
ink in the centre of the paper. Ask them to wait for a while till it
Group Size
gets soaked in and then put a drop of water exactly on the same
4-6
spot, and wait. Add one more drop if required, and let the paper
Materials
dry on its own. Circular coloured bands spreading away from the
Filter papers, black
Centre will be seen. The bands expand with time. You may ask
ink, dropper, a pair
students now;
of scissors and
water.
What do they conclude from this experiment?

Do they observe more than one colour in the paper?

Why did the colour bands appear?

Most non-permanent inks are made of coloured pigments and

water. In the above experiment, as the Alter paper absorbs the ink
mixed with water, the mixture travels through the paper. The drop
of water acts as a solvent that dissolves the pigments. As the water
travels up the paper, it carries the pigments along with it. Different
coloured pigments are carried along at different rates. Hence we
get the coloured bands.

The colours which make up black ink have different solubillties.

The most soluble ink spreads through the filter paper while the
less soluble ink will travel more slowly. Different colours in the
black ink will separate quickly.

Extension
You could demonstrate another technique called column
chromatography by placing a drop of ink on a chalk piece.
Discussion
The experiment described above is a separating technique called
paper chromatography. Chromatography is a process used to
separate different substances from a mixture of liquids or gases.
It is an important technique used in chemical analysis and is used
to separate substances in small concentrations, such as pollutants
in air. It is used in forensic science too.

You could explain more uses of this technique.

 11 HOW MUCH OZONE?

Focus Objective
Atmosphere To understand how little ozone there is in the atmosphere and
Subject visualize the tiny amount in the context of the atmosphere.
Chemistry
Place Activity
Indoors Ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms, and is a naturally
Duration occurring gas found in the earth’s atmosphere. Ozone molecules
30-minutes make up a sparse layer in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere)
Group Size which is about 15-50 km above earth’s surface. This is called the
Individual ozone layer. This layers acts as a protective layer shielding the
Materials earth from harmful UV radiations.
Cardboard covers of
old notebooks, About 90 per cent of the ozone molecules are present in
scissors, a 30-cm stratosphere, but are spread they and unevenly, The total
ruler, gum, string, number of ozone molecules in this layer is very small compared to
table, writing other molecules.
material.
Tell the students that this activity would give them an idea of the
proportion of ozone in the stratosphere. Ask the students to
measure the length (1), breadth (b) and height h) of the underside
of a table in centimetres. 1 x b x h gives the volume of the
underside space of the table in cubic centimetres (cm3)

For example, if the dimensions of the table are

l = 70 cm
Oxygen atom
b = 60 cm
h = 77 cm

Then, the volume of the table is 70 cm x 60 cm x 77 cm = 323400 cm3

Oxygen molecule
Now ask the students to do a simple ratio calculation equating the
volume of the table to the atmosphere. If out of 10, 00,000 parts,
10 parts are ozone, which is the case, how much out of the
3,23,400 cm3 would be ozone?

(3,23,400 x 10) / 10, 00,000 = 3.23

Ozone molecule
Thus about 3 cm3 represents the volume under the table occupied by
ozone.
Now, to understand the proportion of ozone molecules as compared
to all other gases in the stratosphere, ask them to cut out squares
of 1cm x 1cm from a cardboard cover. Let them stack these to
make 1 cm high cubes and stick them together with the glue. This
is a cube of 1 cm3. These cubes represent units of ozone.

Tell them to suspend the proportionate number of cubes, three in

this case, on pieces of string from the underside of the table.
These represent the amount of ozone that would be present if the
underside of the table were to represent the stratosphere.
Remember that the remaining space is not empty but filled with
other gases, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.

Discussion
There are only one to ten units of ozone for every million units of
gas or particles in the stratosphere and ozone in measured in
parts per million (ppm).

This little ozone in the stratosphere has a vital role to play. Ozone
absorbs the bulk of solar UV radiation which is harmful to living
creatures. Thus the ozone layer acts like a protective umbrella.

This natural protective shield - the ozone layer- is being destroyed

by human activities, thereby decreasing the ozone levels in the
upper atmosphere. This process by which ozone is reduced is
called ozone depletion. Ozone depletion is caused by ozone
depleting substances (ODS) like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and
halons.

Where are these substances used? Find out more about them.
 12 REFLECTING ON ANGLES

Objective
Focus To observe the images formed by two plane mirrors.
Reflection
Subject Activity
Physics You could demonstrate this activity to the whole class. Make the
Place following types of arrangement using two plane mirrors of the
Indoors same size on your table.
Duration
20-30 minutes First draw a 900 angle on the table with the help of a chalk piece,
Group Size protractor and scale.
Entire Class
Materials Place the two mirrors upright on this angle as shown in the figure.
Two plane mirrors of
the same size, Call a student to the table and ask her to look at her image at the
protractor, chalk
place where the two mirrors meet. Tell all students to note down
sticks, pencils and
scale. the number of images.

Now ask the student to raise one arm or close one eye and note
down the image type (real or virtual)
Then change the angle to say, 300. This time, place a pencil in the
middle and ask the students to note down the number of images.
Repeat for 450 and 600 angles.

Discussion
The following would be observed:

Lead students to observe that the relation between the angle

between the mirrors and the number of images formed can be
given as (360 / n) - 1, where n = angle between mirrors.
What will the number of images when the angle between the
mirrors is 1800
What is the difference between the image formed by one plane
mirror and that formed by two plane mirrors?
 13 OSCILIATING COLOURS

Focus Objective
Fluid Mechanics To understand the way two different fluids mix with one another.
Subject
Physics Activity
Place Ask the students to fill half of the bowl with water. Then ask them
Indoors to add salt little by little to this water and dissolve it well until the
Duration solution becomes ‘saturated’.
30-minutes
Group Size Now, ask them to add a little potassium permanganate or any
Entire Class other substance to impart colour to the saturated salt solution.
Materials
1 small transparent Then ask them to fill the bigger plastic jar three-fourths with
plastic bottle fresh water.
(mineral waterbottle)
which can be closed, Take the smaller plastic bottle and punch two pinholes spaced
1 big transparent
about half Centimetre apart at the bottom, and fill this bottle with
plastic jar (diameter
at least 10 cm and the salt-water solution prepared earlier. Do not fill completely.
height at least 14 cm) Close its mouth with its lid. Very gently immerse this bottle in the
per group. 1 big bowl bigger jar such that the bottom of the bottle goes in first. Observe
(of same capacity as what happens.
the small plastic
bottle); 1 paper pin Observation
or sewing needle, salt The following will be seen:
(2 kgs approx)
p o t t a s i u m
There will be an alternating exchange of solutions i.e., the salt
permagnate or any
other coloured solution will flow down through the pinholes of the bottle, and the
chemical which can fresh water from the jar will flow up.
be dissolved in water,
freshwater. The ‘oscillations’ (exchange of solutions! may occur every 3-4 seconds.
Both the solutions will eventually mix, but in a very interesting way.

Discussions
Saturated salt solution is heavier than freshwater. When a lighter
fluid supports a heavier fluid, instability develops. This
instability is known as Rayleigh Instability. The exchange of
fluids takes place eventually in intervals.
 14 INTERFERING WITH LIGHT

Focus Objective
Interference To demonstrate the phenomenon of interference.
(Physics / Optics)
Subject Activity
Physics Hold the glass slide over a candle flame so that a thin uniform
Place layer of soot is deposited.
Outdoors / Indoors
Duration Take two razor blades. Stick them together. Using this, carefully
30-minutes make a cut mark along the width of the glass plate through the
Group Size layer of soot. Two thin slits very close to each other should be
8-10 visible on the layer of the soot.
Materials
A glass slide, two Ask a student to hold the glass slide close to the eyes (2-3 cm away
razor blades, a approximately), and look through the silts at an illuminated
candle, an electric electric bulb.
bulb and coloured
transparent sheets What do they observe?
(red, green, blue)
After this, ask the students to hold out their index finger and
middle finger, so that there is a very thin gap (slit) between the two
fingers. Then ask them to look at an illuminated bulb or tube
through this slit.

What do they observe?

Ask them to cover the candle bulb with differently coloured
transparent sheets, one at a time, and ask them to observe the
pattern of light through the silt formed by the two fingers.

The pattern of bright and dark bands seen is due to the

phenomenon known as interference.
Extension
In the same way as mentioned above, try to look at white light
(mercury bulb or tube light) through two thin silts. See whether
seven colour bands can be observed.

Discussion
Discuss the phenomenon of interference and ask students
the name of the scientist who first conducted this
experiment to understand interference.

A film of oil floating on water or the thin film of a soap bubble that
reflect a spectrum of beautiful colours when illuminated with light,
are some of the best examples of interference. Here the waves
reflected from the inner and outer surfaces of the him recombine,
interfere with each other resulting in a dazzling display of colour
that seems to gyrate along the surface of the bubble.

Ask students why a compact disc (CD) surface produces a

spectacular rainbow-like effect of colour when ordinary light is
reflected from the surface. The closely spaced spiral tracks on a
CD contain a series of pits and lands that mimic the ultra-fine
lines present on a diffraction grating (A large number of parallel,
closely spaced silts constitutes a diffraction grating.) to produce
such an effect.

Interference is responsible for the often-brilliant iridescent

colouring displayed by humming birds, a variety of beetles and
several species of butterflies whose wings cast a metallic lustre.
15 LIFT AND DRAG

Objective
To understand how Bernoulli’s Principle is applied in the design of
an airplane’s wings and how it helps the plane to fly.

Activity
Distribute one sheet of chart paper to each pair.
Instruct them to make a dotted line as shown in Fig 1 and fold and
crease at the dotted line.

Fig 2
Fig 1

Let them then open the paper and put a pencil on the edge of the
longer side and roll it down up to the dotted line. (as in Fig 2).
Then let them take out the pencil and release the paper.

Now ask them to stick the shorter (20 cm) edges of the paper
together, using glue or tape, so that they get the shape shown in
Fig 3. They will get the shape of an aerofoil, which looks like a part
of an airplane’s wing. The upper surface of this aerofoil is curved
and the lower surface is flat, and the front end is curved and thick.

Ask the students to cut their 80 cm thread in half, and then using
a needle, thread it through the aerofoil at two places about 2/3rd
from the leading edge. (As in Fig 3)

Fig 3 Fig 4
Ask one student to hold the thread so that the aerofoil is
Suspended vertically with the curved part up. Another student
should blow above the curved edge. (Fig 4)
Ask the students to observe what happens.

Extension / Variation
Ask students to make two aerofoil from sheets of paper of
dimension 8 cm x 5 cm each.
Now ask them to take two broom sticks of equal length from a
broom and join them to make a T shape using tape or thread (Fig 5).
They could also use plastic straws instead of broomsticks.

Fig 5 Fig 6

Ask them to apply adhesive glue on the horizontal straw stick and
insert an aerofoil from each end of the horizontal straw. They
should face opposite sides and the curved surface of the aerofoil
should be on the upper side. (Fig 6)

Then, ask the students to hold the vertical straw between their
palms, churn between the palms and let go of the toy.

Ask them to observe its motion.

Discussion
Bernoulli’s principle explains the pressure differences on each
surface of an aerofoil, which gives lift to the wing of an aircraft
and how it is put to use in such a design.

Discuss Bernoulli’s principle [a rise (fall) in pressure in a flowing

fluid must always be accompanied by a decrease (increase) in the
speed, and conversely, if an increase decrease) in, the speed of the
fluid results in a decrease (increase) in the pressure.]
 16 STEPS TO A HOT BATH
Objective
Focus To help students understand the various steps in energy
Generation of generation and also analyze and rate various energy resources on
Energy the basis of their environmental impacts.
Subject
Science Activity
Place Let students list all the sources of energy required to heat a
Indoors bucketful of water for a hot bath. (Please note that electricity is a
Duration form of energy and not an energy resource).
30-minutes Ask the students to think of the various steps involved in
Group Size converting different sources of energy into a source of usable
5 energy. Some resources like firewood may not need any conversion
Materials for direct use. But many other resources like coal, natural gas and
Writing material nuclear material have to be mined in the first place and
transported for refining enriching to allow further use. This and
energy generation require large infrastructure. This will help them
realize that all energy resources must be processed and converted
by machines and other kinds of equipment into usable energy for
end use. This would involve many steps /stages.

Help students list the ecological and other consequences of various

stages of energy production which are seldom taken note of. Some
of these are:
- Energy itself is consumed in each stage of energy production
(e.g. mining coal requires equipments that run on diesel,
petrol and electricity).
- Also, these activities pollute natural resources like air, water,
soil and the constituents of the natural environment. Waste is
generated in large quantities in this process. The pollutants
and wastes affect human health too.
- Energy generating set-ups may be sources of potential hazard.
For instance, a nuclear plant is a threat to the area around; a
dam impounding huge amounts of water could breach and
inundate low lying areas.

Now, draw the Energy Source-Steps-Consequences matrix on the

black board. The columns represent energy sources, while the
rows discuss associated factors. Assign one energy resource to
each group.
Let them discuss within the group which of the steps and
consequences identified and listed in the matrix are applicable to
the energy resource given to them. After 10 minutes, one from the
group could come to the board and put a cross mark against each
applicable stage and consequence. Tally the number of crosses.
The number of crosses for an energy source is indicative of its
degree of deviation from an ideal source.

Energy Source - Steps - Consequence Matrix

Solar / Nuclear
Firewood
electric
Hydro-
Natural

thermal
Source

Wind
Coal

Geo-
Oil

gas
steps /
consequences

Mining /
Harvesting

Transporting

Enriching /
Steps

refining

Generation

Transmission

Large
Infrastructure
requirement

Waste
generation /
dispossal

Pollution

Disruption
of ecosystems
Consequences

Human
health

Potential
hazards / risks
Discussion
Discuss why in spite of having energy sources that are dependable,
renewable, safe and environmentally sound, today’s primary
sources are natural gas, oil and coal which are non-renewable
sources. What are the barriers to using renewable sources like
wood, biogas, and water with potential energy, geothermal sources,
solar energy and wind energy?

What are the key elements for sustainability of any energy resource?

MINING

MINING MINING

WASTE AND POLLUTION

 17 WHAT AM I PAYING?

Focus Objective
Energy To understand the concept of work unit cost and the fact that for
Subject each family member’s energy-wasting habits, some other family
Science / Social member has to work more to meet the costs.
Science
Place Activity
Indoors Tell students that there are several ways to look at how much
Duration things cost us. The cost of an item is not solely the amount marked
A day for making on the price tag, in terms of rupees and paise. In fact, it also
observations and possible to think of expressing the cost of an item as the amount of
30 minutes for time that one must work to earn enough money to pay for the
doing the activity goods and services needed or desired.
Group Size
Individual Tell the students that ‘work unit cost’ is the number of hours an
Materials individual must work to pay for a particular goods or service. It is
Writing material calculated by dividing the cost of an item by the hourly rate of pay
that the individual earns.

Example
A person earns Rs. 10,000 a month for 8 hours of work everyday. If
the person purchases a bicycle for Rs. 2,500, the work unit cost of
the bicycle would be calculated as follows:

Wage per hour = (Monthly wage No. of days per month) hours of
work per day
= (10,000 / 30) / 8
= (333.33 / 8)
= Rs. 41.7 hr.
Work unit cost = Cost of the item divided by wage per hour
= 2500 / 41.7
= 59.95 hours
= 59 hours and 57 minutes.
Hence the person has to work nearly 60 hours to pay for the bicycle.

Tell the students that they need to look at the cost of every item as
not just the amount marked on the price tag, but also as the
amount of time their parents must work to pay for the goods or services
needed or desired.
Now, ask the students to observe carefully and list all the energy-
wasting habits of the members of the family. Ask them to look at
the electricity bill for their home and calculate the ‘work unit cost’
and number of hours their parents would have worked to pay that.

Discussion
Initiate a discussion with the students on how many hours of work
are being spent on wasteful energy habits, so that they may
become more conscious of energy conservation.

Let them share this information with all in the family; and tell
them how many hours of work their parents have to do towards
meeting the same.
 18 THE WISE SHOPPER
Focus Objective
Energy Efficiency To understand the importance of energy efficiency in making
purchase decisions.
Subject
Science
Activity
Place Ask the students to list down that product features they would
Indoors look into if they had to buy an electrical appliance. What other
Duration features besides the price would affect their purchase decisions
A day for with regard to such items?
observations, and
30 minutes for List all these features on the black board. If energy efficiency has
doing the activity not come up in the list, ask how many think it is important.
Group Size
Individual or Tell the students that it is wattage ratings of an appliance that
in groups actually help to compare the energy efficiency of different model.
Materials Wattage ratings determine the energy efficiency which is
Writing material, necessary in order to conserve energy.
copies of the "Wise
Tell them that the total cost of an appliance is the initial cost plus
Shopper" table.
the operating cost. It can be calculated using the wattage
consumption of any appliance.

Take up the following example to calculate the total cost of a

refrigerator on the board.

The task is to And out which is a better buy between the two
refrigerators described: a model “A” that costs Rs. 10,000/- and
consumes 300 W for every hour used, or a model “B” that costs Rs.
15,000/- and consumes 200 W for every hour used. A refrigerator
will last approximately for 15 years. Assume the cost of electricity
to be Rs. 3.50 per kWh (one unit) and that the refrigerator is
operated for 24 hours a day.

STEP 1 Calculate the energy consumed in a year by multiplying

the wattage of the appliance with the number of hours
used per day and by the number of days in a year.

Model “A” would consume 300 x 24 x 365 = 26, 28,000 W

or 2,628 kWh or 2,628 Units.

Model “B” would consume 200 x 24 x 365 = 17, 52,000 W

or 1,752 kWh or 1,752 Units.
STEP 2 Calculate the annual operating cost by multiplying the
wattage consumed in a year with the cost per unit.
The annual operating cost of Model “A”
2,628 x 3.50 = Rs. 9, 198 /-.
The annual operating cost of Model “B”
1,752 x 3.50 = Rs. 6, 132 /-

STEP 3 Compare the total cost (the initial cost plus the operating
cost over the appliance’s life time) of the two appliances.
The total cost for Model “A”
10.000 + (9, 198 x 15) = Rs. 1, 47,970 /-.
The total cost for Model “B” is
5,000 + (6,132 x 15) = Rs. 1, 06,980 /-.
The difference: Rs. 1,47,970 - Rs. 1,06,980
= Rs. 40,990 /-

This calculation tells us that since a refrigerator will probably last

15 years, the model ‘B” whose initial cost was more by Rs. 5,000/-
would in fact work out cheaper by Rs 40,990/- in the total cost.
Thus, Model “B” is the better buy.

Discussion
Through discussions elicit how energy efficiency needs to be taken
into consideration not only at home, but also in schools,
workplaces, areas of worship, etc.
Tell students to collect wattage details of various appliances that
they have at home and list in the table Wise Shopper’, and do the
necessary calculations. [Wattage details are usually in the
instruction manual of all appliances, and also often on the
appliance, near the power chord of the appliance or at the bottom).
This will give an idea on how much power is being consumed by
these appliances. You can use the details logged in this table when
you have to buy another appliance, and also share the information
with Mends and neighbours to help them make better choices.
Wise Shopper

Appliance Brand Model Initial Operating Cost Total

Cost for 10 years Cost
(or its expected life)

Home Appliances
Appliance Type Wattage Running Time For
Rating Consumption of
One Unit of Power

Incandescent 60W 16 hours 40 minutes

Bulb CFL 67 hours
15W

Air Conditioner 1 - 1.5 tonnes 1500 W 40 minutes

Refrigerator Ordinary 165 litres 225 W 4 hours 45 minutes

Frost Free 165 litres 350 W 2 hours 52 minutes

Water Heater Instant Geyser 3000 W 20 minutes

Storage Type 2000 W 30 minutes
Immersion Rod 1000 W 1 hour

Washing Machine Semi-automatic 210 W 4 hours 45 minutes

Automatic 230 W 4 hours 20 minutes
 19 A BOX OF SUNSHINE

Focus Objective
Non Conventional To enable students construct a lightweight portable solar cooker
Energy and use it, and list the advantages and disadvantages of
Subject cooking food in a solar cooker.
Science
Place Activity
Indoors and Help the students to build a solar cooker according to the
Outdoors instructions given. This model of solar cooker is based on having
Duration one box inside the other. The larger box of dimensions
30-minutes to 38 cm x 38 cm x 25 cm will serve as the outer box, and the box of
1 - hour plus dimensions 31cm x 31cm x 22 cm will serve as the inner box.
cooking time
Group Size Instructions for making the solar cooker;
5-6
Materials 1. Paste silver foil on all the inside surfaces of the larger box.
For each group: 2. Also paste foil on the inside and outside of the flaps (lid) of the
two cardboard outer box.
cartons (The first box 3. Paste black paper on the bottom of the inner box. On all the
should be approx. other inner surfaces of this box, paste silver foil.
38 cm x 38 cm, and 4. Cut off the flaps of the inner box.
of height 25 cm. The 5. Make four ‘legs’ for the inner box by folding four pieces of
second box should be corrugated sheet and pasting near the four corners at the
approx. 31 cm x 31 bottom of the box. The height of the legs should be about 3 cm.
cm and about 3 cm 6. Place the smaller box inside the larger one. If the height of the
shorter than the first
inner box is more than that of the outer box, trim as necessary
box), corrugated
sheet, one sheet of to bring them to the same height.
cardboard to make 7. Fold the flaps of the outer box such that they cover the gap
the reflector (43 cm x between the outer and inner boxes and can be folded down 2 cm
43 cm) silver foil (one into the inner box.
roll), dull black 8. Hold tight and tape down securely, so that there is no gap. If
paper, flower clips, there is extra length, trim it.
thick transparent
9. Now, cut a piece of corrugated sheet (approx. 42 cm x 42 cm) large
plastic sheet, scotch
enough to make a tight fitting lid for the outer box (38 cm x 38 cm).
tape.
10. Cut out a window of the size of the inner box (31 cm x 31 cm) from
this piece of the sheet. Tightly tape a piece of thick transparent plastic
over this window.
11. Paste silver foil on the inside of the lid (except where there
is plastic).
12. Now fold and tape the edges of the corrugated sheet to make a
tight fitting lid.
13. Take a piece of cardboard of 43 cm x 43 cm size to make a
reflector. Paste silver foil on the inside.
14. Make hinges of cardboard and attach with flower clips to the
lid and the reflector.
15. Take a piece of cardboard of 15 cm x 12 cm and make
serrations as shown in the illustration.
16. Tape securely, at the angle shown, to the outside of the box.
17. Make a firm prop using a folded piece of cardboard or a stick.
The prop should be long enough to hold up the reflector at 900.
The solar cooker is ready to use.
18. Set up the solar cooker where there would be no obstruction of
sunlight through out the day. You may have to turn the cooker
to allow continuous stream of sunlight while cooking.
19. Cook kichchdi (take rice and moong dal in 2:1 ratio, wash
them clean, add Ave measures of water) or rice (wash the rice
clean and add two measures water for every measure of rice)
in the cooker. Do not cover the dish.

Discussion

Discuss how a solar cooker can prepare food efficiently and at the
same time promote good health and wise energy use.

Ask the students to list advantages and disadvantages of

using a solar cooker.

Ask each of the students to describe their experience with the solar
cooker to their parents, and discuss with their parents the possibility
of using a solar cooker at home.
 20 MAPS AND SCALES
Objective
Focus Students will learn about scale and its use importance.
Mapping and Scale Students will learn how to use scale to determine the size of objects.
Subject Use a map scale to find distance on a map.
Geography
Place Activity
Indoors Tell the students that ‘Scale’ on a map is the ratio of distance
Duration between two points on the map and the corresponding distance on
30-minutes the ground. A map scale usually is given as a fraction or a ratio.
Group Size For example, if 1 cm on the map represents 1 km (1,00,000 cm) on
5 the ground, then the map’s scale is 1 : 1.00,000.
Materials
Map of an area, Ask the students to find a full-length photograph of themselves,
writing material, standing close to the building, so that the complete building shows
a full length in the photograph.
photograph of a
person close to Explain that in the photograph, their size and the size of the
a building.
building have been proportionately reduced to fit them on the
photograph.

Ask them to find out by bow their image size on the photograph is
reduced as compared to their actual size. This ratio is the scale of
the photograph.

Ask the students to mention the scale on the photographic image.

Let them calculate the height of the building by using this scale.

Point out the scale in the legend on maps. Suppose a distance of

1-cm on the scale equals ‘X’ km on the ground. You may want to
show the students that by dividing the number of centimetres on
the map by the scale gives the distance between two points in
kilometres, e.g., if the distance on the map is 4 cm, and the scale
is 1:1000, then, 1 cm on the map equals 1000 km, and actual
distance is (4 / 1000) = 4000 km.

Explain to the students that one reason why people use maps is to
find the distance between two places. Demonstrate how they can
use the scale to measure the distance between two places on the
map and calculate the actual distance between these two points on
the ground.
Extension / Variation

Select some items found in the background of the photograph like

mountain, valley, monuments, buildings, tree, etc.

Let the students use the concept of scale to determine the size of
these features. Are they correct in their estimates? Tell them the
importance of all objects remaining in the same plane and
equidistant from the camera to get the actual size. This is why
their calculations will be inaccurate. Objects in the background
and their images are not on the same plane. A rectification has to
be carried out.
 21 JUST PASSING THROUGH

Focus Objective
Soils To develop an understanding of the relationship between soils,
Subject types of soil and permeability, water retention, etc.
Science
Place Activity
Indoors Remove the label and lid of a 2 litre plastic bottle and cut the top
Duration off to make an opening of radius 3 cm, Now cut the bottle into two
30-40 minutes halves. The top half (when inverted) is to be used as a funnel and
Group Size the lower half is the container into which the water will flow. Cover
4-5 the smaller opening of the funnel with a piece of nylon net or
Materials muslin and fasten with tape. Place the funnel, mesh side down, on
Two transparent the lower half of the cut bottle. Alternately, you could use a 500
2-litre bottles (e.g. mi. beaker as the container.
soft drink bottles)
a 500-ml. beaker, a Choose a soil sample (sandy loam works best for demonstration)
mug or a tumbler and fill up to two-thirds of the funnel with it.
(you can also cut
and use lower half of Measure 300 ml of water into a beaker and record both the pH
any plastic bottle), 4 and amount of water. Ask the students to note the clarity of the
different types of soils water. Ask them what would happen if this water was poured the
(sandy loam, sand, water onto the soil.
gravel, clayey soil,
garden soil, or any 1. How much water will flow into the bottom container?
other type from 2. How much time will the water take to pass through soil?
around the school or
3. Will the pH of the water change, and if so, why?
home), fine mesh of
4. What will the water look like when it comes out?
1-mm or lesser size -
such as a nylon net
Now pour the water onto the soil, Ask one student to keep a note of
or a piece of muslin
the time and record how long it took the water to pass through the soil.
cloth, sturdy tape,
scissors, water, pH
paper, stopwatch or
wristwatch with a
seconds hand.
Let each student observe as you pour the water, and note down in
her / his notebook.
1. Is all the water staying on top or moving down?
2. Where is it going?
3. Are there air bubbles at the top of the water?
4. Does the water coming out of the soil look the same as the water
going in?
5. What is happening to the soil structure, especially at the soil surface?

Measure the amount of water that moved through the soil into the
container or beaker. Ask students:

1. What happened to the water that is missing?

2. How has the clarity of water changed after it has passed through
the soil?

Ask the students to test the pH of the water that has flowed through
the soil. Compare the results with the pH of the water that was poured
into the soil. Ask students:

1. Did the pH change?

2. If so, what might have caused this change?

Different groups may do the same experiment taking different soils

and discuss the results of their experiment in the class. Their
presentation should include observations regarding the points
given above, as well as their conclusions about the factors that
affected the soil and the water.

Let them focus their observations soil characteristics (physical;

particle size, texture, permeability, porosity, colour, chemical; pH)
as well.
 22 WHAT’S A DISASTER?
Objective
Focus
To help students understand different aspects associated with a
Disaster
disaster and to make them aware of the several types of disasters.
Management
Subject Activity
Science / Students should know that disasters can occur both due to
Geography natural and human-made causes.
Place Make a list of disasters likely to take place in your area.
Classroom Develop around 10 cards each related to a disaster. Each of the
Duration cards would have information pertaining to some aspect of the
35-minutes disaster. (Some suggested information for some disasters that
Group Size could go on the cards is given in the box.) The information
Entire Class provided could be either a single word or a sentence.
Materials
Paper, pen, Ask the students to make a circle. Thoroughly mix the cards
scissors, chart associated with all disasters and place them in the centre. Now
ask the: students to come forward and pick up one card each. After
paper.
everybody finishes picking up a card each one has to read the
message on his / her card. They now have to move around and
identify other team members from the class to form a group with
information pertaining to their particular disaster. For example,
students with the cards: ‘Richter scale’, ‘earth shakes’, ‘building
cracks’, ‘intensity’, ‘epicenter’, ‘stay under a table or cot’, ‘keep a
safe distance from electricity poles’, etc., would form the
earthquake group.
There would be some common factors that cut across most
disasters e.g., loss of property, loss of human and animal life, etc.
Students drawing these cards can join any of the disaster groups.
Once the students have all identified their groups, they must
develop a chart with the relevant information about the disaster
they represent. The chart could have information on the cause of
the disaster, the impacts, the response time for rescue and relief,
how the impact could have been reduced, what are the learnings,
planning for the future, etc. The chart may then be presented to
the entire class.

Extension / Variation
Pin a card with the name of the disaster on the back of a student
without revealing it to the student. Let the tagged student go
around so that the entire class gets to see the name of the disaster.
Let the tagged student ask questions that can be answered either
as yes or no. To every question asked, the class responds by
saying yes / no.
The tagged student has to eliminate the various possibilities and
then narrow down on to the correct answer. The number of
questions allowed, or the duration which the student with the
card takes to ask a question, can be varied according to the
situation and the level of difficulty of the question.

Disasters: Key Points

Earthquake: Richter scale, earth shakes, movement of

tectonic plates, big cracks on earth’s surface, building cracks,
intensity, epicentre, buildings collapse, people dead, stay
under a table or cot, keep a safe distance from electricity
poles, seismograph, P waves, S waves, column and pillar
constructions, load-bearing structure, etc.

Tsunami: Harbour wave, Richter scale, epicenter, coastal

areas, earthquakes and volcanoes in oceans, rushing waves
appearing as a series of towering walls of water that can level
buildings, waves travel at the speed of more than 800 km
hour, fishing communities, beach resorts, islands, also called
‘killer waves’.

Flood Cyclone: Wind speed, low pressure development,

hurricane, swept away, submerged houses, spread of
epidemics, dead cattle floating, marooned people, food packets,
aerial survey, coastal areas affected, houses blown away,
bunding, etc.

Drought: Low rainfall, parched agricultural lands, dying

cattle, average rainfall, drought relief, water harvesting, water
conservation, silos, drought-resistant crops, cattle shelters,
bunding, migration of people and cattle, cloud seeding, etc.

Landslide: Torrential rains, falling boulders, loose soil,

increase vegetation on slopes, road blockade, quarrying,
deforestation, etc.

Industrial disaster: Gas leak, inhalation of toxic gases,

chemical tanker overturned, chemicals flowing on the road,
Bhopal gas tragedy, awareness about what happens around / in
industries, accident preparedness, first aid availability,
knowledge of antidotes, etc.
 23 WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Objective
Focus
To help students understand that human factors amplify the
Disaster impacts of natural calamities.
Management
Subject Activity
Science/ It is important for students to understand that while earthquakes,
Geography cyclones, etc., will occur and nothing can stop them, human
Place actions make these into worse tragedies than they need to be.
Indoors
Duration Put up the statement ‘Who is responsible for 1500 deaths in the
35 - minutes disaster?’ Distribute photocopies of the news clipping provided at
the end of the activity or identify and cut out any other similar
Group Size
news clipping.
4-5
Materials Make four or Ave groups of students. Tell the groups to act as
Copies of groups of lawyers who are paid to put the blame on one particular
newspaper ‘villain’. Give each group the ‘villain’ they will be trying to
clippings, accuse. This list could include: nature; builders; politicians;
paper, pen. municipality; citizens; etc., (depending on the news report).

Give the groups about 15 minutes to prepare their arguments. Call

one person from each group to present the arguments, as it happens
in a court.

After the exercise, discuss the question as a single group and try to
reach a consensus. Stress that there are two aspects of
investigations and discussions at times of tragedy—one is to bring
to justice those who are responsible, and the other, to learn for
the future.

Ask them, from the discussion above, to draw up and list out what
they have learnt for the future. Discuss how these might be put
to action.

Extension / Variation

Ask the students to become

planners for a day. Ask them
to plan to reduce the impact
of a specific disaster on their
city village in the future.
Sample reports of Disasters

1,500 feared killed in Gujarat quake

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD, JAN. 26. At least 1,000 people were feared killed, including about
300 in Ahmedabad city, and several thousands injured in an earthquake which struck
Gujarat this morning. Several hundreds were also rendered homeless. The Army
was called in to assist civic authorities in the rescue and relief operations in
Ahmedabad and some other parts. (A PTI report said the toll was over 1,500.) An
official spokesman said the toll was expected to go up further as thousands were
still trapped under the debris of fallen buildings in several towns.

(According to PTI, the entire northern belt experienced tremors while “vibrations”
from the severe quake were felt even as far south as Chennai. Mild tremors were
also felt in Kolkata, Shillong, Agartalaand Nepal.)

The quake, said to be the second strongest in the last 50 years in anypart of India,
measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre about 20 km northeast of Bhuj,
district headquarters of Kutch, lasted several seconds.

Communications hit

The Kutch and Saurashtra regions were said to be the worst affected and with the
communication network badly hit, only sketchy reports reached the State
headquarters. According to initial reports, at least 160 persons were killed in Bhuj,
about 155 in Rajkot, 100 in Morbi, 87 in Jamnagar, 55 in Surendranagar, 25 in
Porbandar, 30 in Wankaner, about 40 in Palanpur, 28 in Patan and about 10 each in
Broach and Navsari. No information was available from rural regions.

Bridge develops cracks

At least 150 buildings, including about a dozen high-rise structures, collapsed in

different parts of Ahmedabad. By evening, at least 247 bodies had been recovered
and rescue work was in full swing. The Nehru bridge, one of the six major bridges
over the Sabarmati linking the old city with new Ahmedabad, developed a major
crack in the middle, forcing the authorities to suspend traffic. There was hardly a
building left in the city and many other parts of the State which had not developed
cracks. Action by authorities averted a collapse of the western power grid after
several power plants in the State collapsed.

The Hindu
Tsunami kills thousands across nation
By Our Bureau and agencies

CHENNAI, DEC. 26. Huge seismic sea waves, triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off Sumatra in
Indonesia, left over 9,300 people dead and tens of thousands homeless in India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia
on Sunday. The earthquake, which had its epicentre 257 km south- southwest of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, measured
8.9 on the Richter scale making it the most powerful in the world in the last 40 years. At least 2,200 people
were killed in and around Sumatra by floods and collapsing buildings, officials said. But, most of the destruction
was caused by seismic waves or tsunami that hit India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand within two hours of the
first impact of the quake.

Fishermen, tourists and people living on the coast were unprepared for the waves that rose as high as six metres
(20 feet) throughout the Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea. In India, more than 3,000 people were killed in
Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Tamil Nadu alone accounted for 1,705 deaths. The toll is
expected to rise. In Chennai, early morning walkers and children playing cricket on the beach were washed
away. The toll: 131. Nagapattinam was worst hit in the State with the toll put at 788. In Kanniyakumari, 392
people died.

Late reports said at least 1,000 people had died in the Andamans. Pondicherry reported 280 deaths, 211 in
Karaikal alone. In Kerala, at least 100 people have died. The toll in Andhra Pradesh was 84.

Sri Lanka, whose capital, Colombo, is 1,806 km west of the epicentre, suffered extensive damage with reports
putting the number of people killed at 4,500. One million more were affected by the surging seawater that
flooded coastal towns including Colombo. The Government called Sunday’s events a national disaster and
appealed for emergency relief.

Nearly 300 were confirmed dead in Thailand, among them holiday revellers from around the world. The toll in
Malaysia was 428, including foreign tourists. Thousands of people, mostly fishermen, were reported missing.

The United States Geological Survey recorded the magnitude 8.9 earthquake off Sumatra as lying centred 10
km below the seabed. Aftershocks struck in the magnitude 7 range.

The earthquake was the world’s fifth most powerful since 1900 and the strongest since a 9.2 temblor slammed
Alaska in 1964, U.S. earthquake experts said. The quake occurred at a place where several massive geological
plates push against each other with massive force. The survey said a 1,000-kilometer (620- mile) section
along the boundary of the plates shifted, motion that triggered the sudden displacement of a huge volume of
water.

The force of it shook unusually far afield, causing buildings to sway hundreds of miles away, from Singapore to
the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and in Bangladesh. At least 2 children were killed when a boat
capsized in Bangladesh, local authorities said.

The Port Blair airport in Andaman and Nicobar islands was damaged and it will not be operational for at least a
month. However, flights have not been affected in Chennai and other cities.

Railway tracks on the east coast of India were also damaged in the tsunami and train services have been suspended
in some sectors.
The Hindu
 24 WHEN DISASTER STRIKES…
Objective
Focus
To help students express their perception of the past and present,
Disaster
and their vision of the future, in the event of a disaster.
Management
Subject
Activity
Geography /
Tell the students that in this activity, they are reporters who report
Language
for various newspapers. Their task is to compile news articles
Place
(stories) for the main page. At the end of this activity, they have to
Indoor
write and present articles that appear on two successive days.
Duration
35-minutes Day 1
Group Size On day 1 they have to report a disaster that has hit their town on
Entire Class the evening of the previous day. The disaster has caused loss of life
Materials and destruction of property. Several people have been injured. All
Writing material, support services have also been disrupted. They have to report
erasers and colours. this disaster as it would appear on the main page on the day
after it occurred, and one day later.

Day 2
They would need to feature the disaster and its after-effects; the
response of people, government, international community, NGOs, etc.
Let them bear in mind that a lead story of the day has
photographs and prominent headlines, along with brief write- ups on
the first page.

Tell them to look up various newspapers to see how news is

organized on the main page. Let them also observe how many news
items feature on the main page. Ask them to note the proportion
of space allocated or photographs.

Variation
Past, present and future scenes of a disaster can also be
represented by drawing and painting. The three scenes (before,
during, and after) could be depicted on three separate sheets. An
interesting way to depict could be a bird’s eye view of the place
struck by a disaster.
Once the students have completed the work, the creations may be
put together onto a large sheet under the relevant titles,
e.g., ‘X: Before the Disaster, X: After the Disaster’, and ‘My dream
X of tomorrow’. Each student group can explain their creation.
Writing essays or making a newspaper collage are some other ways
to do the same activity to understand how disasters affect people
and places.

Discussion
Highlight how emergency preparedness is crucial for reducing
impacts of disasters.
What an: the services that students think are essential for relief
operations?
Ask the students to put together a Disaster Management Plan for
the community Panchayat District.
 25 ‘DROP, COVER AND HOLD’
Objective
Focus To help students practice a mock earthquake drill.
Disaster
Management/ Activity
Earthquake Explain that a mock earthquake drill is going to be undertaken.
Subject
Geography A mock drill helps people to be prepared and to react properly in
Place an emergency and follow a disaster preparedness plan. By
Classroom conducting or participating in a mock drill, people learn to react
Duration quickly and move to safety when a disaster strikes.
35-minutes
Group Size Direct students to practice the following actions when they hear
Entire School / the cry “Earthquake! Drop, Cover and Hold,”.This is the memory
Class jolting clue that students should respond to as quickly as possible.
Materials
Dishes, pans, The Drill:
sticks, etc. to a. Get under a table or desk.
generate sound b. Turn away from the windows.
effects. c. Put a hand on the back of your neck.
d. Tuck your head down.
e. Hold on to the legs of the table or desk and be prepared to move
with it.

To make the simulation more effective, appoint student helpers.

Ask one student to dick the lights on and off several times, and
then turn them off. Appoint another to act as timer for this
activity. Designate students to help create earthquake sound
effects, such as:

· Rattling glass
· Scraping desks
· Scraping tables
· Opening drawers
· Barking dogs
· Meowing cats
· Books falling
· Trees scraping
the building
· People shouting
· Babies crying
· Bricks falling (drop several pencils)
· Doors banging shut
· Hanging plant falling (drop an unbreakable dish or pan)

When the drill begins, students given the task of making sound
effects initiate their activity. Other students follow the “Earthquake!
Drop, Cover and Hold” instructions during the simulation.

Repeat the simulation a second time, selecting different students

to provide the effects, so that each student has an opportunity to
practice the “Earthquake! Drop, Cover and Hold” procedure.

Take time after the simulation to let students discuss the actions
and clarify doubts.

Encourage them to ask questions and discuss their fears and

concerns, including the unpleasant, worried and frightened
feelings that they might experience.

Mock drills need to be conducted periodically.

Note: It is not recommended excusing children with special needs

from participating in earthquake drills. Children who are visually
or aurally challenged, or have impaired mobility, especially need
experiences which build confidence in their ability to avoid and
cope with dangers. Plan with parents, other teachers and students
to determine quake-safe actions for these children.

It may not be possible for children with impaired mobility to get

under a desk or table. They can, however, learn to react quickly
and turn away from windows; move away from light fixtures and
unsecured bookcases; and use their arms or whatever is handy to
protect their heads. If the child is wheelchair-confined, you
might suggest attaching a hard hat on the wheel-chair, such
that it is accessible to the child if the ground starts shaking.

Discussion
Ask students to come up with disaster preparedness and response
plans for the school and family. Select the disaster— floods,
cyclones, fires, landslides, or industrial accidents depending on the
area they live in. Discuss the plans with the family, community or
residents of the housing society. Conduct periodic mock drills.
 26 TRACKING A CYCLONE
Focus Objective
Weather To understand how cyclones are traced by the meteorological
Subject department and how cyclones change their path.
Geography
Activity
Place
Ask the students to listen to radio and television weather reports
Classroom / Home for some days, preferably during October to December or April-
Duration May. If development of a low-pressure area or a cyclone is
35-minutes reported, mark the position of the cyclone on the map along with
Group Size the date. Also, they must note down the direction or place where
Entire Class the weather office predicts the cyclone is headed. Let them keep
Materials listening to watching the news for the next few days. Every day,
ask them to mark the position of the cyclone, with date and its
Map of India,
predicted course.
writing material.
Let them note down these readings until the cyclone has withered
down. Observe how the cyclone moved. Did it follow the path as
predicted’? Discuss how difficult it is to predict the path of a
cyclone and hence its exact place of landing. Discuss with
students cyclones of different categories.
Tell them to make posters for cyclone preparedness based on the
tips, and put these up in the school

Tips for Cyclone Preparedness

· Plan where you would stay during the cyclone, at home or in a cyclone
shelter.
· Stay indoors during cyclones. Do not venture out as cyclones are
accompanied by winds that could snap electric lines, uproot trees and
displace rooftops.
· Stock food and other necessities like food, water, medicines, and
batteries to run transistors and torches at home. You may not get a
chance to move out during the cyclone.
· Monitor radio and TV broadcasts on updates of cyclone regularly.

Cyclones Severity Categories

Cyclones are classified into the following categories based on the wind
speed, in the ascending order of their severity.
1. Depression: 32-50 km/h
2. Deep Depression: 51-61 km/h
3. Cyclonic Storm: 62-68 km/h
4. Severe Cyclonic Storm: 89-117 km/h
The risk of property and crop damage, shore erosion and danger to life increases with each
category. Using this severity scale, communities must assess the degree of the cyclone threat to
take appropriate action.

Discussion
Who is at risk in case a cyclone hits? Identify ways to alert communities, establishments and
visitor’s recreation spots and places of worship along the coast. Also find out what else could
be affected by the cyclones.

Variation
Given with this activity are satellite pictures of India when there was a cyclone in the Bay of
Bengal along with the weather report. Let the students study the report and note how the
cyclone travelled in the Bay.

Depression over Bay

CHENNAI, OCT. 2.
A depression has formed over southeast Bay of Bengal and lies centred this morning at 0830
hours IST about 750 km east southeast of Chennai. It is likely to intensify further and move in a
north-westerly direction. Rainfall occurred at a few places over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep,
Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Telangana. Isolated rainfall occurred over coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Chickanavahanahalli Tumkur dt.) recorded a heavy rainfall of 9 cms.

Depression moves north-west

CHENNAI, OCT. 3.
Yesterday’s depression over southeast Bay of Bengal moved North-westwards and lies at 0830
hours IST of today over west central Bay of Bengal about 500 inn. Northeast of Chennai. It is
likely to intensify further and move in a north-westerly direction and cross Andhra coast between
Machilipatnam and Kallngapatnam by Monday afternoon.

The southwest monsoon has been vigorous over Kerala and active over north interior Karnataka.
Rainfall occurred at most places over Kerala, Lakshadareep and coastal Karnataka, at many
places over interior Karnataka, and a few places over Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Thundershowers likely in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI, OCT. 4.
Yesterday’s depression over West central Bay of Bengal moved north wards and now lies
centred at 0830 hours IST of today the 4th October 2004 about 50 km south of Kallingapatnam.
It is likely to intensify further and move in a northerly direction and cross north Andhra coast
near Kalingapatnam by today afternoon. Southwest monsoon has been vigorous over Kerala
and coastal Andhra Pradesh and active over Telangana and south interior Karnataka.

Rainfall occurred at most places over Kerala, Lakshadweep, Coastal Karnataka and coastal
Andhra Pradesh at many places over Telangana and south interior Karnataka and a few places
over Tamil Nadu, north interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema.

Source: Online edition of the Hindu newspaper.

 27 WINDS OF CHANGE

Objective
Focus
To understand the relation between pressure and wind speeds, and
Weather
to be able to draw isobars.
Subject
Geography Activity
Place Air, in the form of wind, moves from areas of high pressure to low
Indoor pressure. The speed of the wind depends on the difference in air
Duration pressure between two points. Greater the difference in pressure,
30-minutes greater is the wind speed.
Group Size
Isobars are lines drawn through paints of equal atmospheric
Entire Class pressure and so connect places of equal air pressure. These are
Materials shown on weather maps. Air pressure is measured in
Photocopies of hectopascals, with isobars normally drawn at intervals of two
the figures, hectopascals. If isobars are close together, this means the pressure
writing material. difference between two points is great and therefore the winds will
be strong. If they are apart, winds will be lighter.

Also, due to the Coriolls Effect caused by the rotation of the earth,
winds do not move in a straight line, but are deflected. Due to this,
the wind circulation in the Southern hemisphere is clockwise into
the centre of a low pressure area, and anti-clockwise out from the
centre of a high pressure system. The opposite occurs in the
Northern hemisphere.

Discuss this with students, and following that, ask students to

study the following figures carefully and answer the questions
given below:

Fig 1 Fig 2
Q1. Which of the locations in Fig 1 has the highest air pressure?
A B C D
Q2. Which of the locations in Fig 1 has the lowest air pressure’?
A B C D
Q3. Which of the locations in Fig 1 has an air pressure of reading
of 1003 hectopascals?
Q4. Which of the locations in Fig 1 is likely to experience the
highest wind speed?
A B C D
Q5. Which of the locations in Fig 1 is likely to experience the
lowest wind speed?
A B C D
Q6. Is the pressure system shown in Fig 2 from southern or
northern hemisphere3 Give reasons.

Discussion
Weather maps are designed to depict the horizontal pressure
distribution across an area of land, but atmospheric pressure also
varies vertically, i.e., with altitude. To eliminate any consideration
of the vertical variations of pressure, the barometer readings at all
stations are reduced to their corresponding sea-level pressures
before the isobars are drawn.

Isobars are used to define cyclones (low-pressure regions) and

anticyclones thigh-pressure regions).

Winds get deflected due to earth’s rotation which sets up an

apparent force, called the Coriolls force, which pulls the winds to
the night in the Northern Hemisphere (and to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere). So when a low pressure starts to form
north of the equator, the surface winds will flow inward, trying to
fill in the low pressure and will be deflected to the right and a
counter-clockwise rotation will be initiated. The opposite
(a deflection to the left and a clockwise rotation) will occur south
of the equator.
 28 WEATHER CLUES

Objective
Focus
To help students correlate weather parameters to geographical location.
Weather
Subject Activity
Geography Divide the class into Ave groups. Make one copy of each of the five
Place data sets.
Indoor Assign one data set to each group, but ensure that they do not
Duration know which place that data pertains to. Ask them how they could
1 hour most effectively and appropriately depict the different data given to
Group Size them, Bar graph for rainfall data and line graph in two different
colours for maximum and minimum temperatures may be
5
appropriate. Based on the discussion, ask each group to represent
Materials their data graphically.
Graph paper, map Let each group study the data represented graphically and note:
of India, coloured i. The highest and the lowest temperatures recorded
pencils and ruler. ii. The months that record highest /lowest temperatures
iii. The highest rainfall recorded and
iv. The months which record high rainfall and their number.
Now, ask each group to guess the region their meteorological data is
likely to represent. Let them bear in mind that weather of a place is
determined by its latitude, altitude and its distance from the coast (inland
or coastal), etc. ‘More clues’ given with data sets will be helpful. Make
the table given here on the board and ask each group to All it with the
information pertaining to their data set.

Now, disclose the station to which that the data belongs. Ask each team
to present the findings to the class describing how they tried to correlate
the given weather data to arrive at the conclusion. Ask them to point out
the station on the India map, and provide interesting facts related to the
climate and weather of that region.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5

Monthly recording
highest temperature

Monthly recording
lowest temperature
Monthly recording
highest rainfall
Our guess about the
region is that this
station belongs to

And the station is...

Discussion
Everything about a place is influenced by weather. Weather is the
condition of the atmosphere at any given time with respect to such
factors as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed
and direction, precipitation and cloudiness. Averaging the weather
pattern for a particular region or location over long periods of time
(approximately 30 years), gives us the climate of the place. Climate
of a place influences the biodiversity (plants, animals and
microbes), agriculture, architecture, local customs and traditions,
festivals, the kind of clothes people wear and the food they eat.

Data set 1
Mean Temperature 0C Mean Total Mean Number
Rainfall of
Month (mm) Rain Days
Daily Daily
Minimum Maximum

Jan 20.6 28.4 16.2 -

Feb 21.2 29.9 3.7 -

Mar 23.1 31.9 3.0 -

Apr 25.9 33.6 13.6 -

May 27.6 36.4 48.9 -

Jun 27.2 36.6 53.7 4

Jul 25.9 34.7 97.8 7

Aug 25.3 33.9 149.7 9

Sep 25.3 33.5 109.1 7

Oct 24.3 31.4 282.7 10

Nov 29.2 350.3 10

22.8

Dec 21.6 28.1 138.2 6

More Clues
1. Bharatanatyam is the classical dance form of this region.
2. Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in the state to mark the
withdrawal of the Southeast monsoon and when the sun passes
from one Zodiac sign to another. Pongal is a sweet dish made
out of rice, paruppu (pulses) and jaggery during the festival.
Data Set 2

Mean Temperature 0C Mean Total Mean Number

Rainfall of
Month (mm) Rain Days
Daily Daily
Minimum Maximum

Jan 16.4 30.6 0.6 -

Feb 17.3 31.3 1.5 -

Mar 20.6 32.7 0.1 -

Apr 23.7 33.1 0.6 -

May 26.1 33.3 13.2 -

Jun 25.8 31.9 574.1 15

Jul 24.8 29.8 868.3 24

Aug 24.5 29.3 553.0 22

Sep 24.0 30.1 306.4 14

Oct 23.1 32.9 62.9 3

Nov 33.4 14.9 -

20.5

Dec 18.2 32.0 5.6 -

More Clues
1. This place has three railway lines — Western, Central and
Harbour, all of which get paralysed due to water-logging during
monsoons, bringing life in the megapolis to a virtual halt.

2. People relish a favourite delicacy, ‘til gul’ during the festival

Makar Sankrant. (Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the month
of Magha when the sun passes through the winter solstice from
the Tropic of Cancer southwards. It takes 6 months for the sun
to move from the Tropic of Cancer to Tropic of Capricorn.)

3. The River Godavari rises in the hills in this state.

Data Set 3

Mean Temperature 0C Mean Total Mean Number

Rainfall of
Month (mm) Rain Days
Daily Daily
Minimum Maximum

Jan 7.8 22.5 7.9 -

Feb 10.7 25.7 11.7 -

Mar 15.8 31.5 6.1 -

Apr 21.4 37.0 4.1 -

May 25.4 40.3 16.2 -

Jun 27.2 39.3 66.0 4

Jul 25.5 33.9 216.3 11

Aug 24.3 32.0 231.2 12

Sep 22.9 33.2 80.3 5

Oct 18.6 33.4 22.6 -

Nov 29.0 3.2 -

13.1

Dec 9.1 24.4 3.3 -

More Clues
1. This region has the oldest mountain range in our country.
2, This region has a relatively dry climate with precipitation insufficient
for many trees or shrubs to grow, The absence of greenery and lack of
colours in their surroundings is compensated by the people who wear
colourful clothes.
Data Set 4

Mean Temperature 0C Mean Total Mean Number

Rainfall of
Month (mm) Rain Days
Daily Daily
Minimum Maximum

Jan -2.3 4.7 56.5 5

Feb -0.6 7.8 64.9 5

Mar 3.8 13.6 98.5 8

Apr 7.7 19.4 87.5 7

May 10.7 23.8 71.9 6

Jun 14.7 29.2 37.2 3

Jul 18.2 30.0 48.7 4

Aug 17.5 29.7 69.7 5

Sep 12.9 27.8 33.3 3

Oct 6.1 21.9 36.4 2

Nov 14.7 27.0 2

0.9

Dec -1.6 8.2 43.3 3

-

More Clues
1. This state has two capitals, a summer and a winter capital.
2. The weather here is conducive for growing the most expensive spice
in the world, saffron.
Data Set 5
Mean Temperature 0C Mean Total Mean Number
Rainfall of
Month (mm) Rain Days
Daily Daily
Minimum Maximum

Jan 15.7 7.2 11.0 -

Feb 17.3 8.9 46.0 3

Mar 20.5 12.5 240.0 9

Apr 21.7 14.5 938.0 19

May 22.4 16.1 1214.0 22

Jun 22.7 17.9 2294.0 25

Jul 22.0 18.1 3272.0 29

Aug 22.9 18.2 1760.0 26

Sep 22.7 17.5 1352.0 21

Oct 22.7 15.8 549.0 10

Nov 12.3 72.0 3

20.4

Dec 17.0 8.3 29.0

More Clues
1. Two places separated by no more than 10 km in this region
have been vying to clinch a world record in one of the weather
parameters.
2. Despite heavy rainfall, there is a dearth of drinking water in
this beautiful place.
Comments
Climatological information is based on monthly normal for the 30-
year period 1951-1980for Jaipur, Srinagar, Mumbai and Chennai.
Climatological information is based on monthly normal for the 20-
yearperiod 1971-1990 for Cherrapunji.
Mean number of rainy days = Mean number of days with at least 2.5
mm of rain ·— indicates less than 2 days of rainfall.
The answers
Set 1= Chennai Set 2 = Mumbai
Set 3 = Jaipur Set 4 = Srinagar
Set 5 = Cherrapunji
 29 HEALTH AUDIT

Focus Objective
To enhance, through an auditing exercise knowledge of common diseases
Health
caused due to lack of sanitation.
Subject
Science / Activity
Social Studies An audit is the systematic collection and analysis of information to evaluate
Place the situation and identify existing problems. It is the backbone for planning
Classroom actions required to deal with problems associated with a system or an
Duration issue.
45-minutes Health audit undertaken periodically in a school or home would help;
1. Assess health status
Group Size
2. Identify causes to the problem
Entire Class
3. Identify opportunities to prevent illnesses
Materials Let the students do a Health Audit of their class.
Writing material.
Ask them to look into the attendance register of the class and find out
how many classmates were absent in the last 4-6 months.

Ask the absentees to recollect why they could not attend school.
Alternately, or look up the leave-letters file. You would find that many
could not attend school as they were unwell. Take note of what they were
suffering from. (e.g., cold and cough, stomach problem, fever, etc.)

Tabulate the information. A table like the one given below could be used.

Name of Possible reason

No. of days Month Illness Infections? for contracting
the student
absent the illness
absent
Let them analyze if there is any linkage between the time of the year
(summer, monsoon, winter), the kind of illness and the number of
absentees.

Ask students to make a general list of ‘does and don’ts’ that should
be followed to ward off diseases. Put this up on the class notice
board. The advice on the notice board could be modified according
to season or at the first indication of an illness that is likely to spread.

How many of the illnesses could be linked to polluted air, water, or

those spread by dirty surroundings, garbage, etc.?

How many students were absent because of injuries caused in the

classroom, on the playground, etc.?

How many of them remained absent from school because of injuries?

What can be done to reduce such injuries?

Extension / Variation
Students can share information on the diseases and their prevention
with younger students.
Let students describe the problems they faced because of the illness
at school and home.
The students can prepare a “Family Health Report” for the previous
three months, noting illnesses and probable causes.

Discussion
Ill health has implications on
quality of life and ability to
work. There is a cost involved
for people and businesses
because productive person-
days are lost. How do you
think ill health affects the
earnings and lives of people
who are on daily wages?
 30 WHO IS HEALTHY?

Focus Objective
Health & Nutrition To help understand the factors influencing human health and the degree
of control individuals have on their health.
Subject
Science / Activity
Social Studies Make copies of the ‘Health List’ (see next page), along with the
Place accompanying ‘Health Report’ format, one for each group of students.
Indoor
Duration Divide the students into groups of five each.
30-minutes
Group Size Give one copy of ‘Health List’ and ‘Health Report’ to each group.
5
Tell the students that they have to make a health report for the people in
Materials
the list in the given format.
Copies of the
'Health list' Health Report
and
'Health Report'.
Person Health Status Causes Who / What Influence
Health Satus?

Woman Anaemia Poor nutrition Husband

30 yrs.

Give the students 15 minutes for the task.

After the groups finish making the report, ask them to rank the persons
on the ‘Health List’ from the
healthiest to the least healthy.
Students also have to specify the
reasons for the ranking they
decide upon. They have 10
minutes to complete the ranking
exercise.

Ask the groups to present their

health reports and the health
ranks. The other groups can give
their feedback and comments.
Discussion
How is human health influenced by the environment?

In addition to infection, and nutritional deficiency, what are some

other causes for ill health, as indicated by the ‘Health List’

Are individuals always in control over their own health?

Tell them to keep in mind that the health of an individual may not
always be within his / her control. A number of social, political,
economic and environmental factors can influence and impact
human health, For example, while a person living in a slum may
know that boiling water before drinking is good, he / she may not be
able to do so due to economic reasons.

Health List

1. 30 year old woman. Mother of six children aged between

15 years and 1 year. Daily wage labourer. Anaemic. Main
earning member of the family with an alcoholic husband
and an aged mother-in-law dependent on her.
2. 25 year old man. Narcotic addict. Initiated into drug abuse
by friends. Has severe withdrawal symptoms when he does
not inject the drug. Suspicious of de-addiction centres.
3. 15 year old boy. Rag picker. Poor and illiterate. While
rummaging garbage dumps, subjected to chemical poisons
and infections. Because of malnutrition, suffers from
anaemia. Regularly exposed to hazardous materials. Has to
work because his family needs extra income.
4. 50 year old farmer. Uses pesticides without protective gear.
Unaware of the harmful effects of pesticides. Unwilling to
stop using chemical pesticides due to fear of poor yield and
reduced profits.
5. 13 year old girl. Frequently gets bouts of diarrhoea. Lives in
a slum settlement, with poor sanitation facilities. The only
source of water for 25 households is a single public tap.
6. 55 year old senior executive. Works indoors for 12 hours
each day for seven days a week. Highly stressful but
sedentary job in a large city corporate office, Most meals
consist of rich foods at expensive restaurants. Experiences
bouts of depression.
 31 WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Focus Objective
Health & Nutrition To become aware that people often cannot or do not eat the right
Subject type or quantities of food.
Science /
Social Studies Activity
Divide the class into live groups of about 6-8 students each.
Place
Indoors
Give one ‘People Card’ (see page 80) to each group.
Duration
45-minutes
Display the ‘Food Chart’ at a location from where all the students
Group Size can see it. (Ask them to calculate ‘Calories per Rupee’ and ‘Amount
6-8 per Rupee’ and fill up the columns in the ‘Food Chart’ )
Materials
Food chart and Ask each group to read their ‘People Card’ and prepare a menu for
Minimum the person on the card, using the food items available on the
Requirements chart chart. The group should try to make a menu that meets the calorie
for display. People and nutritional requirements of the person within the person’s budget.
Cards and writing
Give the students 15 minutes to complete this task.
material.

Then, ask each group to present their menu to the rest of the class.
Food Chart

Calories Caloreis Cost per Amount

Items per 100 gms per Rupee 100 gms per Rupee

Cereals

Rice 345 Rs. 1.50

Wheat 341 Rs. 1.20

Pulses

Redgram 335 Rs. 3.00

Green Leafy Vegetables 51 Rs. 1.00

Other Vegetables 32 Rs. 1.00

Roots & Tubers

Potato 97 Rs. 1.00

Onion Rs. 1.00

50

Milk

Buffalo milk 117 Rs. 2.00

Oils 900 Rs. 4.00

Others

Sugar 398 Rs. 1.60

Minimum Nutritional Requirements

Green Leafy vegetables 100 gms

Other vegetables 100 gms

Roots and Tubers 100 gms

Milk 300 ml.

Pulses 60-90 gms.

Cereals 300 - 700 gms

People Cards

Cut a piece of chart paper into cards of the size 10 cm x 15 cm.

Write the following paragraphs, one on each card:
Software professional: 25 year old woman. Works for 9 hours a
day. Most of the work is programming on the computer. Spends
about 2 hours each day working for home (buying groceries,
cooking, etc.). Needs about 1,900 calories a day. Can afford to
spend Rs. 100 on her food each day.
Construction worker: 40 year old male. Works for 10 hours a
day lifting loads, digging, etc. Needs 3,900 calories a day. Can
afford to spend Rs. 15 on his food each day.
Shopkeeper. 35 year old male. Works for 10 hours a day. Much
of his work is collecting payments in his shop, sitting at the
billing counter. Needs about 2,400 calories a day. Can afford
to spend Rs. 50 on his food each day.
Farm labourer: 20 year old woman with a three month old child.
Works on the farm (weeding, digging, feeding animals, etc.) for
about 6 hours each day, and for the home (collecting fuel wood,
fetching water, cooking, etc.) for about 3 hours. Needs about
3000 calories a day. Can afford to spend Rs. 10 on her food a
day.
School student: 15 year old. Is at school for 7 hours a day. Plays
for 1 hour, attends tuition classes for two hours and does home
work for another hour each day. Needs about 2,360 calories a
day. Family can afford to spend Rs. 30 on his / her food each day.

Discussion
Which menus were easier to make and which were more difficult
to make? Why?

Which of the people in the ‘People Cards’ could meet their

nutritional requirements? Why?

Not all the people featured in the ‘People Cards’ may be able to
meet their nutritional requirements, the main reason for this being
lack of purchasing power.

Is there a difference in the type of food chosen for the different

people? Why?

Does everyone who can afford it, eat a healthy diet?

 32 REAPING WHAT YOU SOW
Objective
Focus
To help students understand factors that influence choices made by
Agriculture farmers, which in turn have a bearing on the sustainability of agriculture.
Subject
Science / Activity
Social Studies Divide the students into five groups of about 5-7 students each. Give
Place each of the five groups a different Farmer’s Card.
Outdoor
Duration Tell them that they are farmers who have to make a decision on the kind
of seeds that they will sow, Display the ‘Data Sheet’ prominently or
30-minutes
give copies to each group.
Group Size Data sheet
5-7
Seed Varieties
Materials
Alpha Beta
One Farmer's Card Yield (kg/hectare) 3300 4700
for each group, Water Demand 12 units 36 units
papers and pencils, Fertilizer Requirement 50 units 90 units

Data Sheet for each Pesticide Requirement 30 units 20 units

group, or data Grain: Straw ratio* 1:6 1:1

displayed *Grain: Straw ratio is the ratio of the amount of grain produced to the amount of
straw produced. The ratio 1: 6 means that for every one unit of grain that is produced,
prominently.
6 units of straw is produced.
Tell them that as a farmer, they need to keep the following in
mind while making their decisions:

Yield of the crop: Their choice will depend on: the number of
members in their families, whether they would like to market their
produce, if agriculture is the only source of their income, etc.
Water, fertilizer end pesticide demand: All of these will require
expenditures to be made.
Straw production: Their choice will depend on the number of
livestock they possess and their ability to buy animal feed if required.
Sustainability: Their choice will depend on their perception
whether they can continue farming in the same manner in the
future. For example, if they choose a seed variety which needs
more water than is naturally available in the area, irrigation may
be required, irrigating an arid area may cause the soil to become
saline over a period of time and become unproductive.

Give them 15 minutes to make the decision and to list down the reasons
for taking the decision.

Ask each group to present their decisions and the reasons behind the
decisions. The reasons should not be just the data already given for the
seed varieties, but they will need to expand on this.
For example, a statement which says, ‘We chose the Alpha variety
because it requires 50 units of fertilizer’ is not valid. The groups have
to say something like, ‘We chose the Alpha variety because it requires
50 units of fertilizers. We feel we cannot afford to buy the 90 units of
fertilizer that the Beta variety requires.’
Discussion
What factors governed their decision regarding the kinds of seeds they
will sow?
What are the kinds of seeds available to farmer’s today?
What governs farmer’s decision about which seed to sow?
Does the choice of seed influence agricultural practices?
Does the choice of seed influence the sustainability of agriculture?
Farmer’s Cards

Cut a piece of chart paper into cards. The dimensions of each should
be approximately 10 cm 15-cm. Write the following paragraphs, one on
each card:
Farmer 1: You are a poor farmer with one hectare of land. Agriculture
on this land is your only source of income. You do not own any livestock.
You live in a dry area and are totally dependent on the rains for agriculture.
There are six members in your family.

Farmer 2: You are a poor farmer with one hectare of land. You also own
two cows and four goats. Produce from the land and the livestock is
your only source of income. You live on the plains close to a perennial
river, which is the main source of water for irrigation. There are two
members in your family.

Farmer 3: You are a middle class farmer with two hectares of land. You
also own three cows. The produce from the land and from the livestock
are the main sources of your income. You live in an arid area where the
availability of water for irrigation and fodder for cattle is a perennial
problem. There are eight members in your family.

Farmer 4: You are a middle class farmer with three hectares of land and
four goats. You also have a small business. Both agriculture and business
contribute to your income. You live in a fertile, well irrigated area. ?here
are six members in your family.

Farmer 5: You are a rich farmer with six hectares of land. You do not
own any livestock. You have a profitable business in a nearby town.
The business is the major source of your income, while agriculture is a
secondary source. Your fields are irrigated by water from a canal close
by. There are five members in your family.
 33 MEASURING TURBIDITY

Focus Objective
Water To make a Secchi (pronounced sek-kee) disk and measure the turbidity
Subject of water.
Science
Activity
Place Before you begin the activity, tell the students that when the water is
Outdoors muddy and murky, it is said to be ‘turbid’. Turbidity affects water clarity
Duration and can impede the passage of sunlight through the water.
40 - 45 minutes
Group Size Ask the students to take a thick plastic sheet, and cut out a circle of 10-
Individual or in cm radius. Now ask them to divide the circle into four quadrants (parts).
groups Paint the alternate quadrants with black and white paint.
Materials
Let them bore a hole in the centre of the circle. Attach a rope through the
A thick stiff plastic centre of the disk. Tie a heavy object e.g., a bolt, to the underside of the
sheet; a nylon rope; disk to give steadiness to the disk while carrying out the experiment in
a cutter; black, flowing waters.
whete and red
waterproof paint; Using black paint, tell them to mark the length of the rope at every tenth-
brush and any of-a-metre. And, mark every one metre increment on the rope with a red
line. The Secchi disk is now ready for use.
heavy object, like a
bolt.
Now take the students to a water body.

They have to make two readings

1. The depth where the disk disappears

2. The depth where the disk reappears

While taking the readings, let them make sure the Secchi disk hangs
horizontally when suspended.
Tell the students to lower Secchi Disk into water until it just disappears
(Reading A3 and record the length of rope submerged to the nearest
one-tenth metre (i.e., let than note the point where the rope and water
line meet).
Next, tell than to raise Secchi Disk until it just appears (Reading B) and
record the length of rope submerged to the nearest one-tenth metre
where the rope and waterline meet.
The Secchi depth is the average of these two readings. (Add readings
A and B, divide by 2)

This gives the limit of visibility in the water body being studied.

Secchi disk measurements are most accurate when taken on relatively

calm, sunny days during the middle of the day.

Note: If the disk hits the bottom before dropping out of sight, note this
observation and record the bottom depth of the water body.

Discussion

Turbidity is a relative measure of clarity of water. Murkier the water,

greater the turbidity. It is usually expressed as nephelometric turbidity
units (NTU) or as metres depth.

Ask students to list the probable causes of turbidity. Some of the

reasons could be soil erosion, waste discharge, and urban runoff,
dredging operations along a coast or harbour, or algal growth.

Tell them how water quality is fundamentally important for fish and
aquatic plants, and muddy waters limit growth of both.

As turbidity increases, the ability of water to support diverse aquatic

life diminishes. Lack of sunlight, caused by too much turbidity can
have a detrimental ! harmful affect on aquatic life. Suspended solids
may clog the gills of the fish, reduce their growth rates and decrease
their resistance to disease.
 34 POLLUTION WATCH

Focus Objective
Pollution To become aware of pollution caused by small establishments in a
locality.
Subject
Science /
Activity
Social Studies With the class, decide a compact area neighbourhood around the school.
Place Ask the students to identify five types of establishment - e. g.,
Outdoors workshops, automobile garages, carpentry, electrical workshops, kiosks,
Duration hospitals and clinics, tea stalls, restaurants, grocery stores, etc., in this
Spread over a area.
few days
Let each group choose one type of establishment. They must study it
Group Size
in detail and also find out the number of such units in the study area.
4-5 Ask them to record the type of waste being generated by each type of
Materials establishment. Let them make an approximate estimation (this may not
Writing materials be possible if it is gaseous waste) being generated by each unit, and
estimate total waste generated by all the units present in one square
kilometre radius of the study area. They could use a table like one given
here to record their observations.

Type of waste Estimate of Number of such

Type of
generated; Solid, quantity of establishments
establishment
liquid, gaseous, waste in the study area
hazardous
Discussion
Ask the students to identify some of the possible health impacts of
these pollutants.

Tell them to do some library research or take the help of a scientist

or a doctor to discuss the impacts of these pollutants.

Discuss how pollutants may be dispersed by wind or flowing water

far away from the original source.

Discuss how pollutants also have a harmful effect on the environment

(air, water, soil), which in turn affects flora and fauna.

Besides these establishments, what are the other sources of pollution

in the area?

Discuss that noise and heat are also forms of pollution.

 35 WHY IS THE WATER DIRTY?

Focus Objective
Pollution Understand the various sources and types of pollution.
Subject On a State map locate the areas with different kinds of pollution.
Science
Activity
Place
The activity here is based on examples from Gujarat. Events need to
Indoors be changed depending on the area you would like to do it for.)
Duration
30-35 minutes Put up a map of Gujarat on the wall. Divide the class into groups of 4-
Group Size 5 students each.
4-5
Materials Give each group a slip with a brief description of an environmental
event written on it. Each description is also numbered.
Wall map of States /
Country, slips with
Give the groups 15 minutes to discuss among themselves the event,
various pollution its likely causes, and consequences, the kind of pollution responsible
related events for it, and the possible locations in the State where it could have
written on them occurred.
(see list), stick-on
slips of paper, Have one student from each group walk up to the map, take a stick-on
felt pens or slip and write the number corresponding to their slip on it, and stick it
on the map at the place where the event could have occurred. Have
coloured marker
the students read out the event, and explain why they think that it
pens. occurred at the place which they have marked.

It is possible that some kinds of pollution may occur in many places.

The students’ explanation would therefore help you decide whether to
accept or reject the location that they identify on the map.

After the identification ask students from each group explain the causes
of the event, the kind of pollution that caused it, the source of the
pollution, other areas that are likely to be similarly affected, and its
Impact on the environment.

Discussion
How many different kinds of pollution did the various events represent?
(e.g., air pollution, water pollution, etc.)

What are the different kinds of pollution that affect different parts of
the chosen State / UT?

How many different sources of pollution can they identify?

(E.g. vehicular emissions, industrial effluents, sewage, etc.)
Which are the examples of point (i,e., single identifiable source that
discharges pollutants— E.g., a chimney of a power plant or factory,
the exhaust pipe of a vehicle) and non-point sources of pollution (i.e.
large and dispersed areas such as agricultural fields that are responsible
for the runoff of fertilizers and pesticides.)

Which instances of pollution are accidental?

Which of the events would affect the largest area? Why?

Which upstream events affect downstream communities and

environment? How?

Which do you think are the most polluted parts the chosen State/UT?
Why?

What are some of the ways of dealing with pollution?

Discuss control, which includes cleaning up pollutants after they have

been produced, and prevention, which reduces or eliminates the
production of pollutants through the use of technology, better practices
such as reuse, recycling, and the use of less harmful chemicals or
processes. Clarify that although both are needed, it is increasingly being
realized that pollution prevention pays.

Events
No.1 A major fish kill was reported in a river that has been subjected to
agricultural runoff. (Kheda District or Middle Gujarat)

No.2 The collapse of a major urban sewer has resulted in the

contamination of the municipal water supply, leading to an outbreak of
cholera. (This could be any municipal corporation like Baroda,
Ahmedabad, Surat, Porbandar. etc.)

No.3 Tests reveal high levels of pesticide residue in the droppings of

the Sarus crane. (Bharuch / Gandhinagar District, Nalsarovar area
of Surendranagar District)

No.4 An 80-km stretch of this river is covered with pink foam, Part of
this scum comes from industrial effluents illegally let out by chemical
units into storm-water drains, But what is more worrying is that some
of it comes from the Municipal Corporation s Sewerage Treatment
Plant. (Vapi)
No.5 Excessive pumping of groundwater for the irrigation of the cotton
crop has resulted in the ingress of salty sea water into the groundwater
aquifer. (Coastal areas of Saurashtra)

No.6 The oil remaining in the fuel tanks of large ships brought here to
be broken down in the ship-breaking yards, regularly spills into the sea,
killing marine life. (Alang in Bhavnagar District)

No.7 Salt pans discharging brine and other pollutants in the coastal
zone have caused an imbalance in seawater quality and stunted the
growth of mangroves. (Mithapur, Okha District)

No.8 An Indian pollution survey declared this city as the most polluted
in the country, with its air pollution level 300 percent higher than the
accepted standards. This city is home to 45, 33,298 two-wheelers and
2, 51,644 three wheelers. (Number of motor vehicles registered as on
31 Oct 2002 Source: Commissioner of Transport, Gujarat State,
Ahmedabad.)

No.9 The industry lobby is seeking de-notification of the Marine National

Park with its fragile mangroves and coral reefs, in order to lay a pipeline
to carry crude oil from Oman to central and north India. Already oil
spills have affected vast stretches of mangrove forests in the Gulf of
Kachchh. (Coast of Jamnagar)
 36 TOO MUCH

Focus Objective
Water Pollution To help students understand how various detergents used in homes
Subject cause water pollution.
Science
Activity
Place Explain to students that a detergent is a surface active agent
Indoors (surfactant), which aids in removal of dirt from surfaces such as
Duration human skin, textiles and other solids.
40-50 minutes for
the activity Phosphates present in the detergent soften the water in order to
Group Size improve the cleansing action. But they also contribute to an oversupply
Individual of nutrients to water bodies, and hence leading to eutrophication of
lakes and ponds.
Materials
Brainstorm a day before doing this activity on kinds of detergents
List of detergents, used in households. Make a list of these and put it up in the classroom.
writing material.
Kinds of Detergents

Detergents to wash clothes, including woollens (bars, powders and

liquids)
Detergents to clean dishes (bars, pastes, liquids and powders)
Detergents to clean floors (liquid cleaning agents)
Detergents to clean bathrooms (liquid cleaning agents)
Detergents to clean glass and electronic items (liquid cleaning agents)

Now ask each student to make an inventory of detergents used in

their home. Let them take the help of their parents or check the monthly
grocery list, to find out how many and how much detergent is
consumed per month.

Let them calculate the amounts of various cleaners consumed over a

period of one year.
Detergents have molecules with one end that attracts water
[hydrophilic), and another end that attracts oils and fats (hydrophobic),
The hydrophillc side attaches to water molecules, and the hydrophoblc
side attaches to oil molecules. This action causes soil droplets to
break up into smaller droplets, surrounded by water. These smaller
droplets of oil are no longer stuck to the material to be cleaned, and
are washed away. Phosphates presents in detergents soften the water,
but phosphates are excellent fertilizer for algae in rivers and oceans.

When excessive phosphate nutrients enter a water body, it leads to a

massive proliferation of algae and other plants. This affects the water
bodies in two ways. Firstly, it decreases the clarity of the water by
blocking sunlight, and thus limits growth of submerged plants. Second,
as the algae and other plants decompose, they consume more and
more oxygen, leading to depletion of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in the
waterbody, resulting in fish kills. Over a period of time, native fish
species disappear, to be replaced by species more resistant to the
new conditions.

Discussion
Explain to the students that eutrophfcation as such is a natural aging
process of a lake, pond, or slow-moving stream. Organic matter and
nutrients accumulate and eventually the water body fills in and becomes
dry land. However, this process is being seriously accelerated by
addition of detergents containing phosphorus, leaching of fertilizers,
sewage and toxic dumping, and warm water from the cooling systems
of power plants and other industries.

Ask students to and out the difference between soap and a detergent.

Discuss the implications of the quantity of detergent used in households

with students. What would be the impact of these detergent residues
on water bodies and the life within it?

Point out that wastewater

treatment plants are inadequate
in handling the variety of
chemicals that are washed
down our sinks and flushed
down the toilet.
Ask the class to brainstorm on
possible ways to help reduce
detergent use in homes.
 37 THE RAIN ON OUR ROOFS

Objective
Focus
To appreciate the potential of rainwater harvesting to help mitigate water
Water Harvesting shortage problems.
Subject
Social Studies Activity
Place Tell students that rooftop water harvesting is a method of collecting
Classroom and storing rainwater which falls on the roofs of houses establishments.
Duration The water collected from a roof is of good quality. It can be stored in
40 - 45 minutes tanks sumps, either for direct use or can be diverted to an existing bore
well open well percolation pit for groundwater recharge.
Group Size
Individual or in Tell the students that they will be doing an exercise to understand how
groups much water can be collected through this technique from roof of their
Materials home or school.
Writing material,
average rainfall Let students measure the length and breadth of the roof to calculate the
data. area of the roof.

Area of roof = length x breadth (measured in metres)

Let the class find the average rainfall that the city/town /village receives
annually or per month during the monsoons. This would be in millimetre.

Volume of rainfall that can

be collected over the roof : Area of roof x Average rainfall
Average quantity of rainfall in metres: Average rainfall in mm / 1000
All the rain that falls on the roof cannot be collected due to seepage or
spillage. Therefore, it is normally assumed that about 60 per cent of the
rainfall can be effectively harvested.

Volume of the water

harvested would be : Volume of rainfall x 0.6

Considering the average water requirement is 10 litres for drinking and

cooking, let the students find out the amount of water harvested would
serve their family for how many days.
Discussion
Discuss with students some of the other advantages and benefits of
harvesting rainwater. Some of these are:

- Areas around houses, offices and schools are paved with concrete or
tar and do not allow water to percolate through, while groundwater
extraction has increased manifold in the recent years. It is therefore
very essential to find ways to replenish the groundwater table.

- Rainwater is a pure form of water and when added to the relatively

poor quality of groundwater, the quality of that water will improve due
to dilution. More the water harvested, better will be the result.

- It avoids subsidence and salt water intrusion in coastal areas.

- Makes dug wells and bore wells sustainable.

- Flooding of low lying areas during rains can be avoided to a large

extent.

In cities like Chennai and Hyderabad, it is mandatory to have recharge

pits in every house, society and apartment complex. Do students agree
that it should be made mandatory for all buildings to harvest rainwater?
 38 MEASURING A CANOPY

Focus Objective
Biodiversity / To find the area of the canopy of a tree.
Mensuration
Activity
Subject A canopy is the cover formed by leafy upper branches of a tree.
Science / Can we measure the canopy area of a be? Tell the students that
Mathematics in this activity they can find the area of the canopy, without
Place actually climbing up a tree!
Outdoors
Duration During midday, 12 noon, when the sun is overhead, tell the
40 - 45 minutes students to demarcate the shadow the canopy of the tree with
chalk powder. Mark points A, B, C, along the demarcated line.
Group Size
Let the base of the tree be O.
4-5
Materials Measure distances OA, OB, and OC, etc.
Chalk powder to
mark the shadow, Find the area of different triangles and add them up. This will give
a measuring tape, the approximate canopy area of the tree.
and writing material.
Note: Sun has to be overhead. Sun in any other direction will not
give the exact canopy area.

Discussion
Why do trees attain different heights and place their canopies differently.
How does it help various insects, birds and animals?
What kind of biodiversity is found in the canopies?
 39 A QUICK COUNT OF DIVERSITY

Focus Objective
To enable students to understand the concept of biodiversity, to
Biodiversity
appreciate biodiversity around them, and to build skills of observation
Subject and recording.
Science
Place Activity
Outdoors Take students to an area where there is a fair amount of vegetation.
Duration Divide students into groups of five. Ask each group to mark out a 10
40-45 minutes m x 10 m plot in the area. If the area is very dry, mark out a 20 m x 20
m plot. Mark the corners with pegs or sturdy sticks, and tie a string or
Group Size
rope from one peg stick to the next, so that the plot is enclosed. The
5
string marks the perimeter of the plot.
Materials
For each group: Students should record the numbers of each type of plant, mammal,
A ball of string amphibian, reptile, insect and bird observed within the plot. Ask them
(about 25 metres in to use a magnifying lens if required, to observe some of the smaller
length), measuring life forms.
tape, four sticks or
Students could use the format given below to record their observations,
pegs each about
As the intention is to understand the diversity of life, it is not necessary
15-cm long, that students name each species they see and record. They could
magnifying lens, record different species as Bird 1, Bird 2, Grass1, Grass 2, Creeper,
printout of Survey etc., along with a short description.
Sheet and a pencil.
Biodiversity Survey sheet

Plant / Insect/ No. of Local / Scientific

S. No. Amphibian / Reptile / samples Common Name
Bird / Mammal found Name (optional)

1
If students are interested in identifying the plant or animal species, ask
them to use field guides. Alternately, they could of the field guide.

Warn students that they must not disturb anything in the plot, nor should
they collect any specimens.

After all the groups have made observations in their respective plots,
ask them to compile the observations into;

1. Number of plants animals observed in the study plot.

2. Numbers of different types of plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians,
insects and birds in the study plot.

Variation
Similar surveys can be carried out in different areas. For example, one
group could survey a plot in an area with some wild growth while
another group could examine a garden near their school. A third group
could visit a local pond and survey the life forms in it. At the end of the
survey, groups could present and compare their findings.

Surveys specifically on birds, insects, or plant life can also be carried

out.

Discussion
Were the numbers and types of plant and animal species recorded
different for different study areas? What could be the reasons for these
differences? Discuss possible human impacts on the biodiversity of a
region.
 40 FOOD HISTORY

Focus Objective
To become aware of the diversity of food we eat everyday and the
Biodiversity
concept of loss of biodiversity.
Subject
Science Activity
Place Ask each student to interview grandparents and parents and or
Indoors and
neighbours, relatives or others belonging to those two generations.
Outdoors Students should find out;
Duration 1. Vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, meats and fish that the
One day for persons used to eat when young; dishes cooked for breakfast
collection and and other meals on a typical day; beverages (tea, coffee, milk,
compilation of lassi buttermilk, etc.) they consumed.
information 2. Vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, meats and fish that were
Group Size available then, but not any more.
3. Vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, meats and fish that were not
Individual
available then, but now are.
Materials 4. Special foods associated with different seasons.
Writing material, Students can use the ‘Food History’ to record the information.
Food History table.
Ask students to begin by listing, in the appropriate column, items
mentioned by grandparents. Against each item they could put
either a tick (Yes) mark or a cross (X) in the other two columns
depending on whether parents and they themselves also eat those
items of food. Add any items mentioned by parents but not by
grandparents in the “parents” column and mark, as appropriate, in
the other two columns.

Finally the students should add items to their own column which
are available now but were not mentioned by either or both of die
other groups.

Students should ask both groups why some of the varieties of foods
are not eaten or available any more. They could record the reasons
in the “Remarks” column.
 Food Grand Parents Remarks
Myself
Category Parents
Vegetables
Yes Yes Tomatoes were seasonal
1. Tomatoes No
during my parents time,
but are now available
in all seasons.

2.
3.
Beverages
1.
2.
3.

Extension
The students could find out about the kind of dishes that were
customarily made on different occasions like; festivals, rituals and
celebrations like weddings, in all the three generations.
Is there any change in the way certain dishes are cooked and
prepared today as compared to before3 For instance, how is
baingan ka barttaa made? These days, the brinjals are either roasted
ongas stoves or micro-waved, while earlier they were roasted on
coals.
Have students do a market survey of the five food categories
(vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses and meats) mentioned above.
Ask them also to check out what is available in the government
ration shops. Does the Public Distribution System sell bajra, jowar
and other nutritious cereals? Why is this?

Discussion
List vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses and meats (e.g., fish, fowl)
which seem to have either disappeared from the range of foods
available now, or have become rare. Discuss why this might have
happened, e.g., loss of forests, grasslands, water bodies that
harboured these plants or animals, monocultures, changing lifestyles.

Ask students to name items that they eat but their parents or
grandparents did not. What does this indicate? What is the role of
modern agriculture and
transportation in this? What
is the role of technologies
such as refrigeration?
Discuss the importance of
biodiversity.
 41 HOW MANY HERE?

Focus Objective
To understand the concept of overpopulation in terms of the carrying
Population
capacity of an area.
Pressure
Subject Activity
Science / Mark out a large area on the floor or in the playground. Place cards
Social Studies representing wood (green wood or fuel wood) randomly on the ground
Place in the marked out area on the cards, in such a way that the writing
Outdoors faces the ground.
Duration
Tell the students that the area marked out on the ground represents a
1 hour wooded area near a village. It has fuel wood that can be collected and
Group Size green wood that cannot be collected.
10 to 15
Materials Each one of them is a fuel wood gatherer from the village and needs to
Fuelwood Cards kilograms of fuel wood daily, unless otherwise specified.
with weights
written The cards represent pieces of fuel wood of different weights that can
be collected.

Each student is allowed to collect a maximum of 10 cards.

Besides the fuel wood cards, there are other cards marked ‘Green’.

These cards represent green wood which cannot be collected.

Divide the students into four groups.

Group 1: The first group represents children and they are physically
not capable of collecting a large quantity of fuel wood. To represent
this, they have to hop while they are gathering fuel wood.

Group 2: The Second group represents mothers with babies in their

arms. They have to use only the thumb and the little finger of their left
hands to collect the fuel wood.

Group 3: The third group members come from families with 10

members each. They need to cook more food and need more fuel
wood than the others. They have to collect 20 kg each.

Group 4: The fourth group represents people who have no special

restrictions or requirements, and can collect the fuel wood cards
normally.
On a signal, each one of the participants must start collecting the
cards. As the maximum number of cards that each person can collect
is limited to 10, the participants have to pick and choose between the
cards. For example, if a person collects ten ‘A’ cards, they will not
add up to the 10 (or 20) kg he / she may require. Pushing and shoving
is not allowed.
When all the cards have been gathered, ask the participants to calculate
the quantity of fuel wood they have gathered.

Discussion
How many kilograms of fuel wood did each participant gather?
How many participants could gather enough fuel wood to meet their
requirements?
What is the total amount of fuel wood available in the area?
The total amount of fuel wood available in the area amounts to 135
kilograms.
How many people’s fuel wood requirements can the area support if
each person needs 10 kg- what is the area’s carrying capacity in terms
of fuel wood collection?
Are the numbers of fuel wood collectors more or less than the number
that the area can support? What could happen when the number of
fuel wood collectors exceeds the carrying capacity?

Fuel wood and Green wood cards

Mark the weights on cards preferably of the size of visiting cards.

Mark on one side of the card only.
You could also use ice cream cups— cleaned after use—in place of
cards.
In this case, you will need to mark the weights on the outside bottom
of the cups.
Details
50 cards marked ‘500 grams’ (to represent fuel wood of weight 500
grams each)
25 cards marked ‘1 kilogram’ (to represent fuel wood of weight 1
kilogram each)
15 cards marked ‘2 kilograms’ (to represent fuel wood of weight 2
kilograms each)
9 cards marked ‘5 kilograms’ (to represent fuel wood of weight 5
kilograms each)
1 card marked ‘10 kilograms’ (to represent fuel wood of weight 10
kilograms each)
20 cards marked ‘G’ (to represent green wood which cannot be
collected)
 42 24 HOURS

Focus Objective
Gender / Population To help students become aware of the different roles and tasks performed
by men and women.
Subject
Science / Activity
Social Studies Divide the students into 5-8 groups. Give two circles of cards to each
Place group. Ask them to divide the circles into twenty-four equal sectors.
Indoors Now, ask each group to choose a particular type of family- e.g., a family
Duration where husband and wife are college professors.
1 - hour Tell them, as a group they have to agree on the situation of the family.
For example: What is the income class of the couple? What are their
Group Size
ages? Are they from a rural or an urban background? They should choose
About 5
a situation that they are familiar with. After this, the group should break
Materials up into two sub-groups. Each should have one card. One of them will
Two pieces of card take ‘the man’ as the subject and the other will take ‘the woman’ as the
paper cut into subject.
circles (each having Tell the sub-groups that their task is to make a list of all the activities their
a diameter of about subjects perform each day and the average time spent on each of these
30-cm), two sets of activities. They may interview any person who matches their subject for
colour pencils, information.
paper) Now, ask the students to make a pie chart of the time their subjects
spend on each activity on the card circle. They can use different colour
codes for different activities.
After mapping, ask each group to make a presentation of their time
circles.

Discussion
Is there any difference between the tasks that men and women do?
What are the differences?
Is there any difference in the time that men / boys and women / girls
spend on different tasks? What are the differences?
What are the reasons behind these differences?
Are the roles and responsibilities taken up by men /women the same for
all men /women?
What impact do the roles of men and women have on their time?

Discuss whether ‘men’ and ‘women’ are homogenous groups, i.e. are
all men the same, or all women the same. For example, the roles and
responsibilities of a woman who is a landless labourer in a village may
not be the same as the roles and responsibilities of a woman who is a
marketing executive in Mumbai. Yet there are similarities. For instance,
both the women may be expected to be primarily responsible for the
rearing of their children.
 43 SERVING THE PEOPLE

Focus Objective
Civic Services To make students aware of the roles and responsibilities of people
providing various civic services.
Subject
Social Studies
Activity
Place Ask the students to divide themselves into groups of 6-7.
Classroom and Tell then that each group would be required to meet and interview one
Outdoors civic service provider, (e.g, Sarpanch, Taluka Development Officer,
Duration District Development Officer, District Collector, Postman, Talati
40 - 45 minutes Tehsildar), policeman, Nurse or Health worker, Doctor, etc.) about their
Group Size functions.
Allow the students to choose a civic service provider that they would
6-7
like to interview. Try and bring in as much variety as possible in the
Materials selection.
Notebooks, Provide each group with a list of questions that could be asked during
guidelines, chart the discussion. The following questions are indicative and not exhaustive.
paper, crayons.
· What are the functions of the selected civic service provider?
· How does their work help people?
· What are timings of their duty?
· What do they like about their work?
· What are the difficulties faced by them in their work?
· What is the response of the people and communities towards their
work?
· What would help them to do their job better?
· What motivates them and what discourages them?

At the end of this activity, ask each group to make a presentation to the
class.
Interaction through such interviews would help the students in gaining
firsthand information about the functions and responsibilities of the
officials and the goals of the organizations institutions that they belong
to.
In particular, it gives students insights into how these officials can be
approached. It helps them learn about the realities and difficulties in
carrying out their duties and functions.
This will further help students understand their role as citizens.

Extension / Variation

You could invite any of the civic service providers to the school for an
interaction with the students.
 44 INFORMATION PACKED
Objective
Focus
To understand the importance of information on packages in relation
Consumer to consumer’s right to information, and to examine claims made by
Education manufacturers about their products.
Subject
Social Studies Activity
Place Draw the table given on this page on the board. Ask the students
Indoors whether any particular piece of information is necessary for the
Duration mentioned products. Put a YES or NO depending on the consensus.
30 - minutes
Product Electrical Ready to
Group Size Information
Cosmetics Clothes Insecticides
Gadgets
Medicines
cook food
products
5
Materials Date of
manufacture
Containers of a
variety of different
products. Expiry date

Ingredients

Licence
Number

Name and
address of
manufacturer

Name and
address of
packer

Name and
address of
distributor

Price of the
product

Instructions
for use

Precautions
in use

Any
other
Now ask each group of students to collect containers (bottles, tin cans,
tetra-packs, and cardboard boxes, plastic or polythene bags) of four
different types of branded packaged items. These could include food
items (processed and unprocessed), medicines, toiletries (soaps,
shampoos, face powders etc.), and household electrical items (mosquito
repellent devices, hand mixers etc.).
Ask them to fill details about each item in the table below.

Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4

Product name

Type of package

Date of manufacture

Expiry date

Ingredients

Licence Number

Is the name, address of manufacturer given?

Is the name, address of paker given?

Is the name, address of distributor given?

Price of the product

Are instructions for use given?

Are precautions for use given?

Does the reality match with what they set out as desirable in the previous
table? What could be the problems arising from not having specific
information in the relation to specific product categories?

Discussion
As consumers students can play a role in preventing widespread sale of
sub-standard, spurious or counterfeit products. Spurious products do
not follow any quality parameters and use substandard or even harmful
ingredients. Counterfeits also cause economic loss to the government as
the manufactures of such goods do not pay excise, sales, and other
taxes.
They must carefully check the brand, logo and details of manufacturer
of goods they buy; be wary of unusually low priced goods; buy from
known shops or dealers.

Extension / Variation
About 48 per cent of Indians are not literate. What should be done so
that necessary information reaches consumers who are not literate?
 45 AD-AD WORLD….!
Focus Objective
Consumer To understand the power of advertising to inform and influence.
Education Activity
Subject Ask each group to check out the front page of a daily newspaper, the
Civics Sunday edition of a newspaper; and the middle pages of a popular
Place magazine. Ask them to observe how much space is devoted to
advertisements, and how much of it carries editorial matter and news
Indoors
features. Ask them also to watch TV and listen to radio for half an hour
Duration at prime time and note the same details.
About a week
Group Size Ed vs. Ad
5-6
Daily Sunday
Materials Magazine TV Channel Radio
Newspaper Newspaper (In coloumn cm) (In minutes) (In minutes)
(In coloumn cm) (In coloumn cm)
Newspapers,
magazines, Ed:

writing material. Ad:

Let them discuss what this means for the promoters of media and what
this implies for the readers viewers?

Ask them to identify ads that try to link to any aspect of the environment.
Are there ads that highlight some environment- friendly feature of the
product? Are there ads that promise to include natural herbal ingredients
for reducing the product’s impact on the environment (e.g. less polluting)

Ask them to critically look at 20-25 TV or print commercials (ads) and

note the products and their logos / symbols used to advertise these.
Which of those used an element of the environment in the logo? Let them
make a list of the products and their logos and record their observations.
If you come across ads
that are offending,
misleading or making Possible Ad accurate /
Product Environment Ad reinforces
tall / false claims, in the reason for realistic /
related logo positive /
press, on TV or any media, use of such positive negative image.
write to logo
CONSUMER EDUCATION
AND RESEARCH SOCIETY
Suraksha Sankul
Thaltej
Ahmedabad - Gandhinagar
Highway, Ahmedabad Discussion
380 054
Nowadays many public interest causes (rainwater harvesting, recycling,
no to smoking, no to speeding, etc.) employ advertising to reach out to
the public with their messages. Can the students recall seeing any such
ad? Did it make them sit up and think?
 46 PLAYING DETECTIVE
Focus Objective
Consumer To carry out simple tests and observations to help detect adulteration
Education in foodstuffs.
Subject
Activity
Civics Ask students to collect the following food items from the local
Place market or from home:
Classroom 50 ml milk, 20 grams each of ghee, butter, vegetable oil, chilli powder,
Duration cinnamon powder, black pepper, asafoetida (Hing), Bengal gram,
Two hours red gram, tea leaves, coffee powder
Group Size
Help them to conduct the following tests and note down their
2-4
observations and conclusions.
Materials
50-ml milk, 20
grams each of Chilli Powder
ghee, butter, Sprinkle the powder on the surface of a glass of water. If wood
vegetable oil, chilli shavings float on the surface and water turns red, it shows
powder, cinnamon adulteration with saw dust and artificial colours.
powder, black
Cinnamon
pepper, Asafoetida
Add cinnamon powder to water and stir. If it dissolves in water, it
(Heeng), Bengal shows the presence of cassia bark, which resembles cinnamon in
gram, red gram, taste and colour.
tea leaves, filter
coffee powder, Black Pepper
water, blotting paper, Soak the pepper in water. If adulterated with papaya seeds, these
lactometer, will float to the surface of water.
hydrochloric acid,
Asafoetida
furfural solution,
Dissolve the contents in water. The powder should dissolve and
nitric acid, iodine form a milky solution. If it does not dissolve, it reveals adulteration
solution, writing with resin or gum.
material.
Pulses (Bengal gram / Red gram)
To the pulse, add five ml. of water and a few drops of hydrochloric
acid. If the colour turns pink, it reveals adulteration with Kesari dal
(Lathyrus sativa) that has been artificially coloured yellow with
coal tar dye metanil yellow.

Tea leaves
Moisten tea leaves and place on blotting paper. If spots of yellow,
pink and red colour appear, it indicates adulteration with used tea
leaves that have been artificially coloured.
Coffee
Add a small quantity of filter-coffee powder (not the instant coffee
powder) to cold water and shake well and let the entire set-up remain
undisturbed. If chicory has been added, it will sink to the bottom
and stain the water into a brownish red colour.

Butter and Ghee

Take equal quantities of butter or ghee, and hydrochloric acid. Add
2-3 drops of furfural solution to the mixture. Shake well and let it
stand for a few minutes. The appearance of pink colour at the bottom
of the add layer shows adulteration with vanaspati.

Heat vegetable oil with nitric acid. Appearance of red colour implies
that Argemone oil has been added.

Milk and Milk Products

Use a lactometer to measure specific gravity. It should range between
1.020 and 1.034. If the specific gravity is not within this range, it
indicates adulteration with water.

Add a drop of iodine to a little milk. If it turns blue or grey, it shows

addition of starch to thicken milk.

Extension
Ask students to collect some packaged food items and study it to
see if the details required to answer the questions below appear in
the information provided. These are essential labelling requirements
as covered by Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), 1954

Does the packaged food bear the name and complete address of
the manufacturer, packer, vendor and importer?
Does it give the name and trade name of the product?
Are the ingredients listed in descending order of composition?
Does the information on the packing give net weight or volume,
distinctive batch number or lot number?

Do the date, month and year of packaging appear in capital letters and
does it come with ‘Best before use’

If the product is irradiated, does it come with proper labelling that it is

radiated food? Are the prescribed doses of radiation mentioned?

Is there extraneous colouring matter natural or synthetic that is added

and is it displayed in capital letters just beneath the ingredients on the
label?

Does it display maximum retail price?

Discussion
Invite a doctor to talk to the class about the impact of adulterants on
health.
Initiate a discussion to help the students understand that adulteration
may occur at any stage of the chain, from production to selling of the
food—i.e. growth, harvesting, storage, processing, transportation and
distribution.

Also, adulteration could be incidental or intentional. Incidental

adulteration occurs due to ignorance, negligence or lack of proper
facilities for processing, storing or transporting material, while intentional
adulteration includes the intentional addition, subtraction or addition of
substances, which adversely affect the nature, substance and quality
of food. In either case, quality of food is lowered.
 47 COUNT DOWN
Objective
Focus To enable students to distinguish between need and wants.
Sustainable
Development Activity
Divide the class into teams of 5-6 players each. Ask each team to be
Subject
ready with a paper and a pencil. Tell the players that they are escaping
Science,
from their home town because of a sudden disaster that has hit their
Social Science locality. Each team represents a family. Each family has time to take just
Place 20 things from their homes before they leave their town (and before
Indoors their homes are destroyed). They are not allowed to take money. They
Duration do not know where they are going, when they will reach another place
35 - minutes where they can find help, and what facilities and services they may get
Group Size at the new place. They also do not know when, if at all, they will return
to their town and whether their homes will be standing there. Which are
5-6
the twenty things the family will choose to take? Give the players live
Materials minutes to discuss and make a list of those twenty things.
Writing material
After the players have made the list, give the next instruction. Tell them
that the truck which is to take them out of the town is already overloaded,
and so they have to drop any five of the 20 things they are carrying with
them. Which five will they choose to drop? Ask the players to strike off
from their list those five things. On their way out of the town, the truck
has a breakdown and everyone has to walk. They cannot carry 15
things, as the walk is too long. Which five things will they discard now?
Ask the players to strike out five more items from the list. On their way
they are stopped by a gang of dacoits who demand that they part with
any live items out of the ten they carry. Which five items will they give
up? Ask the players to strike out five more items from the list.
Finally each team will have a list of five items.
Ask them to read out their original list and
their final list of five. If there are only a few
teams (up to five) you may be able to write
these on the board.

Extension / Variation
The players may be asked to make a list of
things they own but which they can easily do
without.

Discussion
What are needs, wants and luxuries?

END OF BOOK