Environmental Science : Term 2 Unit 3 : Our Society
Unit 3
Our Society
You will learn about
* Religious and National festivals
* Folk arts
* Our helpers
* Science exhibitions
Festivals
Let Us Discuss
What festivals do you celebrate? What do you do on those days?
Festivals are days of celebration and sharing. Festivals can be religious or national.
Karthigai Deepam is a festival of light, celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai (mid November to mid December) on the full moon day. removes darkness. It brings brightness and cheer to our lives. Rangoli or kolams are drawn and houses are decorated with lamps.
Eid-ul-Adha is commonly called Bakrid. It is a festival of thanksgiving. The spirit of sacrifice is honoured; so it is called a festival of sacrifice. On that day, people prepare special meat dishes and sweets and share them with all.
Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following Good Friday in March/April. It follows a period of 40 days of fasting and prayer called Lent. It is a festival of hope. Decorated eggs and sweets are shared as gifts.
Diwali, Christmas, Ramadhan, Mahaveer Jayanthi, Buddha Purnima, Onam and Guru Nanak Jayanthi are some of the other religious festivals celebrated by us.
Religious festivals are days of prayer and are happy occasions to bond with the people around us and enjoy the special dishes that are made.
National festivals give us a feeling of oneness. These festivals are celebrated by people all over India. On these days, we hoist our National Flag with due respect, in all public buildings and schools. We are proud to be Indians.
Some of the national festivals are…
Write ‘N” for the national festivals and ‘R’ for the religious festivals.
Note for the teacher: While hoisting the flag, students should stand in attention and salute the flag with their right hand.
Folk Arts
Let Us Discuss
Many of us enjoy dancing and singing, don’t we? Look at the pictures. Have you seen these dances? Can you name them?
Folk arts include folk songs (Nattupurapadalgal), dances, stories, puppets and more. People have developed and followed these art forms over many years.
There are many kinds of dances in Tamil Nadu. The special costumes worn by the dancers are colourful.
Artists make their own costumes and ornaments from locally available natural materials. They are handmade.
Let us learn to sing this lullaby
Tha le lo Tha le lo (2)
Sleep little one (2)
As mother sings and swings
Forward and backward
Goes the cradle
Sleep without fear
Smiling all the way
Sleep little one (2)
Tha le lo Tha le lo (2)
Match the following.
Our Friends:
Malar’s father is a retired soldier who worked hard to protect our country. Her family is shifting to a new house. They are travelling by bus to see their new home.
Malar : “What a smooth and enjoyable drive!”
Father : “Yes! Let us thank the driver for a safe journey”.
Mother : “Let us also thank the conductor who gave everybody their tickets with a smiling face”.
Malar and her family go around their new house.
Malar : “Amma, the house is looking beautiful! All the taps and fans are working”.
Mother : “That‛s good. The mason, plumber and electrician have done their jobs well”.
Malar : “Amma, this window is damaged”.
Mother : “Okay, let us call a carpenter to repair it”.
Father: “We also need to find a tailor to stitch some curtains for the doors and windows”.
Malar : “Amma, where can we buy fruits and vegetables?”
Mother : “Since it is a village, we can buy fruits and vegetables from the farmers directly. They grow them in their fields”.
The mason, driver, conductor, plumber, carpenter, electrician, soldier, tailor and farmer are our friends. They help us to make our life comfortable and happy”.
Tick (✓) the people who help to construct a house.
The Science Exhibition
Teacher: “Every year we celebrate February 28th as National Science Day. As you know, there will be a Science Exihibition on this day in our school. We have been preparing for it”.
“Can all of you explain your projects?”
Will the given objects sink or float?
Evaluation
1. Write the names of the folk arts.
( Silambattam, Karagattam, Poikkalkuthirai, Oyilattam )
Ans : Karagattam, Oyilattam, Silambattam, Poikkalkuthirai
2. Group the festivals.
( Diwali, Independence day, Onam, Mahaveer Jayanthi, Republic Day, Pongal, Gandhi Jayanthi, Bakrid )
Ans:
Religious Festivals: Diwali, Onam, Pongal, Bakrid
National Festivals: Independence day, Mahaveer Jayanthi, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanthi
3. Who am I? ( Plumber, Soldier, Conductor, Carpenter, Tailor )
a. I make things out of wood Carpenter.
b. I repair a leaking tap Plumber.
c. I stitch your dresses Tailor.
d. I guard the nation Soldier.
e. I issue tickets in a bus Conductor.
4. Choose and write the correct answer.
a. Festivals help us to meet and greet our friends. (greet/ leave)
b. We are happy to eat the special food. (sad / happy)
c. We hoist our National Flag on national festivals. (national / religious)
d. Easter is celebrated onSunday. (Monday / Sunday)
e. When we drop a coin into the water, it sinks (sinks/floats)
f. National Science Day is celebrated on February 28. (February 24 / February 28)
(Self Evaluation)
* I know the differences between religious and national festivals.
* I appreciate our folk arts.
* I value our helpers.
* I realise that science is related to my everyday life.
