Yogesh Pathak

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As said earlier, the emphasis this year should be on natural science understanding.

 

At this age, students may have separate textbooks for science or environmental studies. The web of ecological concepts represents our main, integrated view with nature (and not man) at it’s center. Concepts outside these, if present in other texts, should also be covered separately. Overlapping concepts, however, should keep nature at the center.

 

Key concepts in the 4th grade strand of the Web of Ecological Concepts include the following.

• Living vs. non-living things

• How to observe plants and animals in the context of their body structure, movement, food, habitat and ecosystem, life cycles, seasonal adaptation, migration, breeding/reproduction, child-rearing, evolution, and biodiversity

• Plant classes: preliminary introduction

• Animal classes: preliminary introduction

• Plant communities: preliminary introduction

• Animal communities: preliminary introduction

• Detailed observation of living beings: plants – tall/large trees

• Detailed observation of living beings: plants – medium tall trees

• Detailed observation of living beings: plants – shrubs

• Detailed observation of living beings: plants – herbs

• Detailed observation of living beings: plants – creepers/vines

• Detailed observation of living beings: animals – mammals

• Detailed observation of living beings: animals – fish

• Detailed observation of living beings: animals – insects

• Detailed observation of living beings: animals – birds

• Detailed observation of living beings: animals – snakes and worms

• Detailed observation of living beings: animals – amphibians

• Behavior of social animals e.g. bees, ants

• Mapping of natural ecosystems on the map of a region within a state (ecosystems would include rivers, forests, grasslands, wetlands, etc)

• Mapping of natural ecosystems on the map of a state

• Exploring connections between humans and natural ecosystems in a given location: with human life, agriculture, economy, and nature-centric occupations.

• How man has moulded both living and non-living things (e.g. materials) and created an imbalance in nature: Preliminary introduction

• Human food:

  • Current means of production (e.g. agriculture and processing of food)

  • Seed diversity

  • Food diversity

  • Distribution of crops across the country and state.

• Human clothing: 

  • Raw materials

  • Current means of production

  • Diversity of clothes by seasons-regions-communities

  • Diversity of materials and means of production.

• Human water use:

  • Current means of extraction, their diversity

  • Scale of water use

  • Lifecycle of water

• Human housing, work infrastructure, and built public spaces: 

  • Current scale and diversity

  • Raw materials

  • Lifecycle of materials

• Preliminary introduction to human anatomy

• Preliminary introduction/sample bird and mammal anatomy

• First-aid to humans

• First-aid to injured birds and mammals (domestic and wild): Preliminary

• Change in land use due to human civilization and growth in population: Preliminary

• Natural disasters and their impact on human settlements, trees, animal habitats

• Consolidating discussion: Human responsibility towards nature, soil and water conservation, habitat protection