Changes around us: slow, fast and repeating
Two friends meet after a year. One is taller and has a new haircut, a tree has new leaves and the school has a new garden. Everything changes!
Changes happen all the time. Some take years, such as growing taller; some take days or minutes, such as a sky changing colour. Some changes repeat again and again, such as leaves falling and growing back, flowers blooming and drying, day turning into night. Repeating changes form a rhythm. Keeping a journal helps us notice them.
In the figure: Some changes take years, some minutes, and some come back again and again.
Key point 1: Kinds of changes
- Easy : Slow: you growing taller over years.
- Medium : Quick: the colour of the sky at sunset.
- Exam-type : Repeating: leaves falling and growing again every year.
Key point 2: Watching change
- Easy : A journal lets us record what we observe.
- Medium : Noticing patterns helps us predict what comes next.
- Exam-type : Local signs, such as a koel singing before rain, help farmers.
A repeating change that follows a pattern is a rhythm.
Thinking nothing changes if we cannot see it quickly.
Change: Slow, Fast, Repeating. Memory clue: "SFR".
Spot the difference
| Type | Example | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | growing taller | years |
| Quick | sunset colours | minutes |
| Repeating | leaf fall | every year |
Practice questions
- 1Give an example of a slow change.
- 2Give an example of a quick change.
- 3What is a repeating change?
- 4Why keep a journal?
- 5Name one change that repeats every day.
- 6What do we call a repeating pattern in nature?
- 7Who may notice the koel's song as a sign?
- 8Name one change you saw in your school this year.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A child growing taller.
- 2Sky changing colour.
- 3A change that happens again and again.
- 4To record observations.
- 5Day and night.
- 6A rhythm.
- 7Farmers.
- 8Any change, e.g. new plants in the school garden.
Day and night: Earth's rotation
The Sun seems to rise in the east, cross the sky and set in the west. Is the Sun really moving?
The Sun stays in one place; it is the Earth that rotates, completing one turn in a day. The side of the Earth facing the Sun has day, and the opposite side has night. A globe is a ball-shaped model of the Earth; with a torch as the Sun you can see how rotation makes day and night. About three-fourths of the globe is blue, showing seas and oceans.
In the figure: Earth turns, so each place gets day and night.
Day and night: Earth's rotation
In the app you can move this figure with your finger.
Open in the appKey point 1: Why day and night
- Easy : The Sun appears to move, but the Earth is rotating.
- Medium : The half facing the Sun has day; the other half has night.
- Exam-type : One full rotation takes about one day.
Key point 2: Using a globe
- Easy : A torch acts as the Sun and a globe as the Earth.
- Medium : Rotate the globe slowly to see places entering light and dark.
- Exam-type : Blue on a globe is water; about three-fourths of the Earth is water.
When it is day in India, it is night in countries on the opposite side.
Believing the Sun moves around the Earth every day.
Earth rotates: Facing Sun = Day, Away = Night. Memory clue: "Face = Day".
Spot the difference
| Side of Earth | Facing the Sun? | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Near side | yes | day |
| Far side | no | night |
| Rotation | one turn | one day |
Practice questions
- 1What really moves to cause day and night?
- 2What is a globe?
- 3Which side of Earth has day?
- 4Which side has night?
- 5What does the blue colour on a globe show?
- 6Why does the Sun appear to rise and set?
- 7In the torch activity, what is the torch?
- 8Why do some countries have night when India has day?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The Earth rotates.
- 2A ball-shaped model of the Earth.
- 3The side facing the Sun.
- 4The side away from the Sun.
- 5Seas and oceans.
- 6Because the Earth turns.
- 7The Sun.
- 8They face away from the Sun at that time.
Seasons: the yearly rhythm
Weather warms up, becomes hot, then rain arrives, then it cools and warms again. The same pattern returns every year.
A repeating yearly pattern of weather is called seasons. India has six: Vasanta (spring), Grishma (summer), Varsha (monsoon), Sharad (autumn), Hemant (pre-winter) and Shishir (winter). Seasons vary by place: winter in Kerala differs from winter in Kashmir. A seasons chart and journal help us record plants, animals, air, heat, light and water through the year.
In the figure: Seasons come around in a yearly cycle.
Seasons: the yearly rhythm
In the app you can move this figure with your finger.
Open in the appKey point 1: Six seasons
- Easy : Vasanta, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad, Hemant, Shishir.
- Medium : Each lasts about two months and has its own weather.
- Exam-type : Seasons repeat every year.
Key point 2: Local differences and signs
- Easy : Weather differs by region; monsoon in Assam is different from that in Rajasthan.
- Medium : Ants carrying eggs to higher ground may signal coming rain.
- Exam-type : Record observations in a chart with themes like plants, animals, water and people.
Seasons are a natural rhythm, not a one-time change.
Thinking every place has exactly the same weather in a season.
6 seasons: Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Pre-winter, Winter. Memory clue: "SSMAPW".
Spot the difference
| Season | Sanskrit name | Typical feel |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Vasanta | flowers bloom |
| Summer | Grishma | hot |
| Monsoon | Varsha | rainy |
Practice questions
- 1What are seasons?
- 2Name the six seasons of India.
- 3Which season is called Varsha?
- 4Which season is called Shishir?
- 5Why is winter in Kerala different from Kashmir?
- 6What can ants carrying eggs to higher ground signal?
- 7Why make a seasons chart?
- 8Name your local word for monsoon.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A yearly repeating pattern of weather.
- 2Spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, pre-winter, winter.
- 3Monsoon.
- 4Winter.
- 5Different places have different climates.
- 6Rain is coming.
- 7To record and compare changes through the year.
- 8Any local word, e.g. pavsala.
How seasons shape our lives
Why do we eat mangoes in summer, wear woollens in winter and celebrate harvest festivals when fields are full?
Seasons shape what we eat, wear and do. Farmers grow different crops in different seasons: some need winter, some summer heat, and some need the monsoon rain. Many festivals are linked to seasons, such as harvest and new-year festivals. Songs also celebrate seasons. Seasons teach us that change is natural and life moves in cycles.
In the figure: Seasons guide farming, festivals and daily living.
Key point 1: Seasons and farming
- Easy : Different crops suit different seasons.
- Medium : Monsoon crops need plenty of water.
- Exam-type : Winter and summer crops grow in suitable weather.
Key point 2: Seasons and culture
- Easy : Many festivals are linked to seasons and harvests.
- Medium : Songs and customs celebrate each season.
- Exam-type : Food and clothes change with the weather.
Understanding seasons helps us plan farming, clothing and festivals.
Thinking festivals have no link with seasons.
Season → Crop → Festival → Food. Memory clue: "Season-Sow-Celebrate".
Spot the difference
| Season | Clothes | Food idea |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | light cotton | cool drinks |
| Monsoon | raincoat | hot snacks |
| Winter | woollens | warm meals |
Practice questions
- 1Why do farmers grow different crops in different seasons?
- 2Name a festival linked to harvest.
- 3What clothes suit winter?
- 4Why do we eat different foods in different seasons?
- 5What do seasons teach us about change?
- 6Name a monsoon activity.
- 7Give one summer crop or fruit.
- 8Why do many festivals relate to seasons?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Crops need different weather and water.
- 2Pongal or Baisakhi (any).
- 3Woollen clothes.
- 4Weather and what is available change.
- 5Change is natural and cyclical.
- 6Sowing paddy or enjoying rain.
- 7Mango or watermelon (any).
- 8Farming and weather shape celebrations.