Class 5 EVS · Chapter 9

9. Rhythms of Nature

Answers to all Write, Discuss, Find out, Activity and Let us reflect questions. NCERT Our Wondrous World, Class 5 EVS (CBSE) · Unit 5: Our Amazing Planet.

Write

Think and write about the changes you have noticed in yourself, your school and your environment since Grades 3 and 4.

	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5
Yourself and your friends	We were small and learnt cursive writing.	We grew taller and learnt to ride a cycle.	We read storybooks and help younger children.
School	Old building and a small garden.	A new library was opened.	New trees were planted near the gate.
Surrounding area	Open fields near the school.	A new road was built.	New houses and shops came up.

Write your own changes. These are examples.

1Can you think of something that takes a really long time to change, maybe over years?

A small plant growing into a big tree. A child growing into an adult.

2What about something that changes within just a few years?

A puppy growing into a dog. A new building being built.

3Are there changes that happen every year, again and again?

Yes. Seasons change, trees shed leaves and get new ones, and mango trees flower every year.

4Can you name something that changes in just a few minutes or even seconds?

Ice melting, lightning flashing, clouds moving and the colour of the sky at sunset.

Day and Night

Is the Sun moving?

No. The Sun only seems to move. Actually, the Earth rotates (spins), so we see the Sun rise in the east and set in the west.

Find out: When it is day time in India, which countries will have night?

Countries on the other side of the globe will have night. For example, the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Seasons’ Chart

Make a seasons’ chart for your classroom from your journal observations.

Theme	April – June	July – September	October – December	January – March
Plant life	Mango and gulmohar flower	Everything turns green	Crops are harvested	Leaves fall; new buds come
Birds and animals	Animals rest in shade	Frogs croak; insects increase	Birds build nests	Migratory birds arrive
Air, heat and light	Very hot; hot winds	Cloudy and humid	Pleasant; clear sky	Cold mornings; fog
Water and water bodies	Ponds dry up	Rivers and ponds fill up	Water is clear	Water level goes down
Human activities	Cotton clothes; summer holidays	Umbrellas; sowing crops	Diwali; harvesting	Woollens; sowing wheat

This is a sample chart. Fill it from your own journal observations.

What are the seasons called in your region?

Summer, monsoon (rainy season) and winter.

Six Seasons of India

Fill in the months of the year for each season (for your region).

Season	Months of the Year
Vasanta (Spring)	March – April
Grishma (Summer)	May – June
Varsha (Monsoon)	July – August
Sharad (Autumn)	September – October
Hemant (Pre-winter)	November – December
Shishir (Winter)	January – February

The months are approximate. They may differ a little in your region.

Write

How do you feel when the season changes? Would you prefer one season to continue throughout the year?

I feel happy and excited when the season changes. I would not want one season all year. Rain fills our rivers and wells, and winter brings wheat and fresh vegetables. Each season is needed.

Discuss

Winter in Kerala is different from winter in Kashmir valley. Monsoon in Assam is different from Rajasthan. Why?

Kerala is in the south and near the sea, so its winter is mild. Kashmir is in the north among high mountains, so it is very cold and snowy.

Assam gets very heavy rain from moist winds and hills. Rajasthan is a desert and gets very little rain.

Celebrating Seasons

Do you know any songs associated with seasons?

Kajri is sung in the monsoon. Chaiti is sung in spring. Bihu songs are sung in Assam, and Phag songs are sung at Holi.

Name the crops that grow in summer and winter in your region.

Summer Crops	Winter Crops
Rice	Wheat
Maize	Gram
Cotton	Mustard
Jowar and groundnut	Peas

Match the festivals to the season they are celebrated in.

Festival	Season
1. Pongal, Makar Sankranti	(d) Winter
2. Holi	(a) Spring — when flowers bloom
3. Diwali	(b) Autumn — after crops are harvested
4. Baisakhi, Gudi Padwa, Vishu, Rongali Bihu	(c) New year and harvest festival

Let us reflect

1Narrate your experiences about the season changes.

In summer, it is very hot and we drink lots of water and eat mangoes. When the monsoon comes, the first rain smells lovely and everything turns green. In winter, we wear sweaters and enjoy warm food and sunny afternoons.

2Ask your family members about seasons. Do you find any differences in the patterns? What could be the reasons?

Elders say summers are hotter now and the rain often comes late. Winters are shorter than before.

Reasons may be cutting of trees, pollution, more vehicles and changes in the climate.

3Find out what these seasons are called in your region and local language.

In Hindi:

(a) Spring: Basant
(b) Summer: Garmi (Grishma)
(c) Monsoon: Barsaat (Varsha)
(d) Autumn: Sharad
(e) Pre-winter: Hemant
(f) Winter: Sardi (Shishir)

4Fill the table based on your observations and experiences.

Season	Food You Eat	Clothes You Wear	Festivals	Nature Around You
Spring	Fresh peas, fruits	Light cotton	Holi, Basant Panchami	Flowers bloom, new leaves
Summer	Mango, watermelon, buttermilk	Loose cotton, cap	Baisakhi, Buddha Purnima	Very hot; ponds dry up
Monsoon	Roasted corn, pakoras	Raincoat, umbrella	Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi	Rain, greenery, frogs
Autumn	New rice, sweets	Cotton clothes	Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali	Clear sky, harvest time
Pre-winter	Sugarcane, groundnuts	Light woollens	Guru Nanak Jayanti, Christmas	Cool mornings, dew
Winter	Til laddoo, bajra roti, oranges	Sweaters, shawls	Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal	Cold, fog, leaves fall

5Share your experience of seasons’ journaling.

I enjoyed watching the same neem tree all year. I saw it shed leaves, get new ones and flower. I learnt that nature changes in a fixed pattern every year.

6Make a comparative drawing of the three major seasons.

Draw the same place in summer (dry, bright Sun), monsoon (rain, green) and winter (fog, people in sweaters).

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