Natural Resources: Forests and Soil 47 SST_Class 4_Book.indb 47 1/30/2018 5:50:08 PM
Understanding We now know the different types of soil. Let us see how soil affects plant and animal life. Living beings depend, directly or indirectly, on soil. Plants feed Plant material and Some animals get many animals. insects feed many their food from the birds and animals. meat of other animals. Plants grow naturally on soil. People plant crops in the soil. Microorganisms and insects live in and on the soil. For human beings it is important since it forms the basis of agriculture SOIL EROSION We learned how important soil is for plant and animal life. So, we need to protect our soil from soil erosion. Soil erosion is the washing or blowing away(by water or wind) of the soil on the surface of the Earth. How can we preserve and protect soil? 1) Plant more trees. This is especially helpful in places where the soil is exposed to wind and flowing water. Planting trees creates a speed-breaker in the path of winds blowing fast across flat lands. These plants and trees can stop the wind from blowing the soil away. 2) Planted trees and plants keep soil in place when water flows swiftly. The soil gets caught up in the roots of the bushes, rather than being washed away. Application Why should we preserve and protect soil? 48 1/30/2018 5:50:09 PM SST_Class 4_Book.indb 48
• Uncountable microorganisms of different types live in the soil. Each microorganism helps plants and other living things in its own special way. • The soil is a place where gases like carbon dioxide are stored. If soil is eroded, these gases enter the air. Some of them can be harmful to other living things. Some gases need to remain in the soil to help plants grow well. • Soil is an important natural resource, especially for farmers. When soil is carried away, it affects crops. Crops do not grow well in areas were top soil is lost. • It can take 100 years to form one inch of soil. This means that once soil is eroded, it cannot be replaced quickly. • Healthy soil can keep the environment clean and healthy. Higher Order Thinking Skills (H.O.T.S.) 1) Make a mind map to show: • the things people get directly from the soi • occupations which depend on soil Amazing Facts There are about 7,000,000,000 people on the entire Earth. In any handful of soil, there can be up to 50,000,000,000 microorganisms. This means that there can be more microorganisms in one handful of soil than people on Earth! New Words 1) UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation 2) prevent 3) foothills – to stop something from happening 4) raw material – the smaller hills found near tall mountains 5) exposed – the resources used to make something – left open Natural Resources: Forests and Soil 49 SST_Class 4_Book.indb 49 1/30/2018 5:50:10 PM
LESSON 12 The Lesson Public Constitution Facilities 7 of India Let Us Learn About 7.1 R public facility and public property. U important public facilities and their functions. A the need to protect public facilities. h the steps to safeguard public facilities. Concept 7.1: Public Facilities Think Rashi went to her friend’s house. There, she met her friend’s Chetan uncle. He had brought many books for her friend. Chetan uncle: Do you have a library in your school? Rashi: Yes uncle,We go to the library only once a week. Chetan uncle: You should then visit the public library in your town Rashi, You will get to see many books there. Rashi: What is a public library, uncle? Chetan uncle: The government provides facilities for public. Just as we have transport, hospitals or water, there are libraries for the public as well where anyone can go and read books. There will be a children’s section too. You should ask your papa to take you there. You will surely enjoy your visit. Rashi: Thank you uncle. I will ask Papa to take me. Rashi said and went out to play with her friend. 50 1/30/2018 5:50:12 PM SST_Class 4_Book.indb 50
Q. Who provides facilities for the public? (A) public (B) school (C) government (D) uncle Remembering Wherever we stay, we are dependent on some things in our daily life. We need water for drinking, washing, irrigation and also for animals. It is necessary to clear the garbage in our neighbourhood every day. We need public libraries to read books. We need public roads, street lights, schools, hospitals, parks and gardens. All these are known as public facilities. Since they are provided in public places and for the benefit and use of the public, they are also called public property. Public facilities are important to make our life easy and comfortable. They address to the basic needs of the people. Any society would need these facilities to meet its basic needs. Example: imagine your town or city without roads or street lights or public transport. Don’t you think that would make your life difficult? The important feature of a public facility is that once it is provided, its benefits can be shared by many people. Example: A school in the village will allow many rural children to get an education. Understanding Given that public facilities are so important, someone must carry the responsibility of providing these to the people. This ‘someone’ is the local government body. One of the most important functions of the local government body is to ensure that these public facilities are made available to everyone and are well maintained. If the public facilities are damaged, they have to be replaced or repaired. Some of the public facilities taken care by the local government body in your city are listed below: If you stay in an urban area, the Nagarpalikas are the urban local body responsible for the public facilities. However, if you stay in a rural area, the Panchayati Raj is responsible for the public facilities. Public Facilities 51 SST_Class 4_Book.indb 51 1/30/2018 5:50:13 PM
Water supply Roads and bridges Cleaning of garbage Fire fighting services Hospitals Community facilities such as parks, gardens and playgrounds Street lighting Bus stands 52 1/30/2018 5:50:15 PM SST_Class 4_Book.indb 52
Application Public property is everyone’s property. If public property is destroyed, then each of us loses. We must use public facilities only as much as we need. We should also see that they are not damaged or spoiled. We get services in the form of street lights, water pipelines, roads, hospitals and so on. They are maintained by the government using our money. We pay the money to the government in the form of different taxes. They are meant to serve us. We need to protect them • We should keep public places clean and beautiful. • We should not damage public facilities like public parks, buses and so on. • We should prevent water from being wasted. • We must be careful that books in the public library are not damaged while using them. Let us look at another type of property called private property. We already learned that public property is owned by the government. However, private property is owned by an individual or a private institution. For example, a family home and the land on which it is built are private property. No one outside the family has a right to occupy or use them. Higher Order Thinking Skills (H.O.T.S.) You have read about public facilities. Read the two situations and discuss with your classmates what steps you would take to care for public facilities. 1) You see a public tap on the road near your house. The tap is broken and the water is being wasted. 2) You are on your way to the school and you noticed that the street lights on your lane are still lit. Amazing Facts Chongqing in China has the world’s largest public bathroom. It has 1000 toilets in a four storey building and is spread over 32,290 square feet. That is the size of around 15 tennis courts! New Words 1) urban – of or having to do with a city or town 2) rural – of or having to do with a village Public Facilities 53 SST_Class 4_Book.indb 53 1/30/2018 5:50:15 PM
LESSON 12 The Lesson Laws, Constitution Rights and 8 of India Duties Let Us Learn About 8.1 R d efinitions of 'constitution' and 'national symbols'. U fundamental rights and duties. A the people who wrote the Indian Constitution. h the rules of games and sports. Concept 8.1: The Indian Constitution Think Rashi and Meher decide that both of them would make the rules of their games together. But Rashi has some questions about making rules. So she asks her aunt, Priya, who is a professor. Rashi: Priya Aunty, tell me something, we have learnt that in earlier times the kings would make laws and rules for the people. Who does that now? Dr B R Ambedkar Priya: The Indian Constitution lays down all the rules and laws about how India should be governed. Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and his team wrote it after working on it for around three years. Q. Is the Indian Constitution a written document? (A) yes (B) no 54 1/30/2018 5:50:17 PM SST_Class 4_Book.indb 54
Remembering Just as our parents and teachers make rules for us, the government too makes rules for the country. These rules need to be followed by everyone living in the country, including the government itself. THE CONSTITUTION A constitution is a document that contains a set of rules for the government and the citizens. The constitution of India is the supreme law of India. The Indian Constitution is the longest, written constitution in the world. It is written in both Hindi and English. What does a constitution tell us? • rights and duties of the citizens • the way the government should work • roles to be played by the courts and the police How was the constitution written? Our constitution was written by Dr B R Ambedkar and a team of 300 very educated leaders of India. They took about three years to write the constitution. The constitution came into force on 26th January, 1950. This is the day our country became a republic. So, we celebrate Republic Day on 26th January every year. NATIONAL SYMBOLS National symbols are symbols that represent India. On 24th January 1950, just two days before India became a republic, the Constituent Assembly adopted 'Jana gana mana' as the national anthem of India. The national anthem is one of our national symbols. national animal national bird national river national flower (tiger) (peacock) (Ganga) (lotus) jn gx mn national song national anthem currency symbol SST_Class 4_Book.indb 55 Laws, Rights and Duties 55 1/30/2018 5:50:24 PM
Understanding Let us understand more about the Indian Constitution. PREAMBLE The Constitution of India begins by setting out its goals and aims. This is called the ‘Preamble’. The Preamble says what we want our country to stand for. Example: The Preamble says that everybody is equal. the preamble People are free to express their thoughts and follow any religion they want. FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS ...to ...to The Indian Constitution guarantees some basic rights. Some of these FREEDOM CONSTITUTIONAL are: OF RELIGION Right to equality REMEDY We are all equal, whatever our religion, gender or place of birth is. Right to freedom ...to ...to FREEDOM EQUALITY CULTURAL ...against AND EXPLOITATION EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS We are free to share our ideas and thoughts fundamental rights with anyone. We can also live anywhere in the country and practise any occupation. Right to freedom of religion We are free to follow any religion. Also, the freedom of religion government will not favour any religion. Right to education All children up to 14 years of age have a right to receive free and compulsory education. Right to information We have a right to find out about the way any government office works. FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES While the Constitution guarantees our basic rights, it also expects us to perform certain tasks or duties. Some of these are: 1) Follow the Constitution and respect it. right to education 56 SST_Class 4_Book.indb 56 1/30/2018 5:50:28 PM
2) Protect public property and never damage it. 3) Protect and improve our forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife. 4) Preserve our heritage such as museums and monuments. fundamental duties Application About 300 people created the Indian Constitution. They discussed and debated every point before deciding anything. This is why it took more than two years to complete writing the constitution. 15 members were women. No women had been a part of writing a constitution in any other country before this. The group of people who wrote the constitution were from different communities in India. This made sure that the constitution was fair to all communities. Higher Order Thinking Skills (H.O.T.S.) 1) Choose a game you like. Discuss with your friends the rules that need to be followed while playing the game. What do you think will happen if the rules are not followed? Amazing Facts Did you know that the UK does not have a written document called the constitution? They instead have an unwritten one which is a sum of all their laws and principles. New Words 1) comes into force – to start following something 2) republic – a country where people choose their government Laws, Rights and Duties 57 SST_Class 4_Book.indb 57 1/30/2018 5:50:30 PM
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