1 The Land of Sand

Lesson Plan
For additional content see the DVD and the App.

lesson OBJECTIVES
The students
 can locate and identify the
important deserts on a world map
 learn about Saudi Arabia as a land
of sand.
 can discuss the various aspects
of this land – location, land,
climate, vegetation, wildlife,
economic resources, life of the
people and cities.
 can understand how the climate
and natural surroundings affect
the lifestyle of the people.
 can understand the variations
in lifestyles of people across the
world and value it.
 can define terms such as
peninsula, barren, wilderness,
oasis, wadis, sandstorms,
desalination, Bedouins, nomads.

Teaching aids
Companion – a complete resource for teachers

map of the Earth showing Heat Zones, picture/s of deserts and of oases, small video clips of

Bedouins travelling along with their flocks and camels

in the class
 The teacher shall remind the class about the landform deserts that they have learnt in
Semester 1 and start the GET STARTED! as a quiz.
 The teacher shall show the class picture/s of deserts with only sand in sight and of oases and

begin the lesson.

l Deserts are dry lands with very little rainfall.
 l Deserts are of two types – hot deserts and cold deserts. The teacher shall get the class to
discuss the similarities and differences between hot and cold deserts.
l Hot deserts lie usually on the western side of continents.
l The teacher shall ask the class to learn the names of the deserts from Map 1.1.
l The teacher shall then introduce Saudi Arabia as a country covered with desert and is
called the Land of Sand.
l Saudi Arabia is the fifth-largest country in Asia.
 The teacher will explain the location, land, climate, vegetation and economic activities of
the country.
Location
 It is located in the Arabian Peninsula, in the south-west of Asia and occupies most of the

peninsula.
 It is surrounded by eight countries – Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman and Yemen.

 The Red sea is on its west and the Persian Gulf to the east.

Land
 The land is rocky plateau covered with a vast desert.

 Half of the country is a barren desert. There are mountains on the western side near the

Red Sea.
 The inner part of the country is covered with sand. The Rub al-Khali in the south and An Nafud

in the north are continuous bodies of sand. There are numerous sand dunes in the deserts.
 There are no lakes or permanent rivers here.

 Water flows through streams or wadis for a short while after rainfall.

 The country has an acute shortage of water.

Climate
 The climate is extremely hot and dry.

 There is very little or no rainfall for years.

 Summer season is from May to September. The days are very hot and dry and nights are

relatively cooler.
 Winter season is from October to April. The days are warm and nights are very cold

in the winter.
 Temperatures are mild in the coastal areas.

 Sandstorms are common in all seasons.

Companion – a complete resource for teachers

Vegetation
 Most plants that grow in this region have very long roots. The teacher can explain why the

plants in deserts are long roots. Their roots and stems are soft and fleshy to store water.
 Sedge, tamarisk and date palm trees are some of the trees that grow here.

Wildlife
 Different types of insects, snakes and scorpions live in the desert.

 Falcons, eagles, vultures, mice and wild goats are commonly found.

 Camel is the most useful animal in any desert. Camel is also called the ‘ship of the desert’. It

has feet that are adapted to walk on hot sand. It can also survive without food and water for
many days making it a suitable animal for the climate.
 Economic activities
 The teacher will explain why a very small part of Saudi Arabia is suitable to grow crops.

There she/he will say the main agricultural products are wheat, rice, alfalfa, dates and
vegetables.
 How do the people here get water? Sea water is desalinated to meet domestic and irrigation

needs.
 In a desert there are areas or places where the underground water comes to surface.

It is called an oasis. Such an area supports some vegetation and usually date palm trees
are found in such areas. Most permanent human settlements are also found near oases.
 Then the leaders will say that Saudi Arabia is one of the largest producers of petroleum

in the world.
 Almost the entire income of the country is from the exports of petroleum. Most industries

are also around petroleum like petrochemicals, petroleum refining etc.

 The government of the country is also developing industries like power generation

and telecom.
 These industries employ a large number of people.

activity
A. The teacher will now ask the students to do the activity under checkpoint.
Life of the people
 Now, the teacher will discuss life of the people in the class.

l Petroleum industry has changed the lives of the people in a major way. The industry

has provided employment to a lot of people who have moved from villages to towns
and cities. People who led nomadic lifestyle are settling down. The export of petroleum
has brought in money which is being used for development.
l People in villages still lead traditional lifestyle and rear sheep, goats and camels.

l Some people still lead a nomadic life and travel in search of pasture and water.

l Arab men wear loose, long-sleeved, one-piece dress that covers the whole body.

They cover their head with a cloth held in place by a ring woven from camel hair.
The women wear loose black cloaks over their clothes and also cover their faces.
l People in the cities also wear western clothes.

l Bedouins are the nomadic people of this region. They live by breeding camels,

sheep and horses. They get milk from the animals and with their hair make clothes,
tents and rugs.
Companion – a complete resource for teachers

l Bedouins lead a very hard life travelling through the desert. During the summer they camp

near an oasis and in winter follow the routes through the desert where there is water.
activities
B. The teacher shall ask the class to Exercise D from the Read and Answer section in
the class.
C. The teacher may show the class small video clips of Bedouins travelling along with
their flocks and camels. The teacher shall ask the class why do the Bedouins travel in
the winter season and not in the summer. The teacher shall also tell the class that the
Bedouins travel in early morning hours or late evenings and have the moon and the stars
as their guide.
  The Bedouins exchange animals, wool, carpets, camels, etc. for dates, foodgrains and other
items of necessity.
 The Bedouin lifestyle is now changing with more of them giving up the nomadic life and

settling down in urban areas.

Cities
 Lastly, the teacher will tell about the cities of Saudi Arabia.

l Saudi Arabia has many old and new cities. New cities have all modern facilities.

l Riyadh is the capital and is a modern city.

l Jeddah is a commercial city and a busy port.

l Mecca and Medina are cities of religious significance. They attract many pilgrims.

activities
D. Exercises A and B from the Read and Answer section shall be done in the class.
E. Exercise C from the Read and Answer section and Exercises E and F from the Do and
Learn section shall be given as homework.
F. The animals in the desert have certain special abilities that help them survive in the
desert. The teacher shall help the class find out what those abilities are. Then the teacher
can ask them to divide in groups of four or five and do Exercise G in the class.
G. The teacher shall remind the class that water is essential for life. There is acute shortage
of water in the deserts. Even other places in the world face water crisis. Impressing this
upon the class the teacher shall discuss Value in the class.
H. The teacher shall suggest that the class may learn more about the culture and heritage
of Saudi Arabia by doing Exercise H of Do and Learn section.

more to learn

 The teacher may ask the class to do a project on cold desert and how life in
cold desert is different from that in hot desert.
 How is the life in a desert different from that in a polar region, since in both

places nothing grows and the climate is very harsh?

 Name the continent that does not have any deserts. Also name the continent

that has the most number of deserts. Can you guess the reasons?
Companion – a complete resource for teachers
 2 The Treeless Grasslands
Lesson Plan
For additional content see the DVD and the App.

lesson OBJECTIVES
The students
 can locate and identify the
grasslands on the world map.
 can label the temperate zone
where the grasslands are found.
the people.
 relate how the climate and
natural surroundings affect the
lifestyle of the people.
 recall and define terms such as

 recall and discuss the various grasslands, homesteads, silos,

aspects of grasslands – location, ranch, dairy, ploughing, sowing,
land, climate, vegetation, wildlife, weeding, harvesting, threshing
economic resources, and life of and winnowing.

Teaching aids
Companion – a complete resource for teachers
textbook, map of the world showing Heat Zones, pictures of Prairies, wildlife

in the class
 The teacher will ask the students to do the GET STARTED! activity in the class as a quiz.
 The teacher shall show the map of the world showing heat zones and ask the class about the

three heat zones. Which zones were covered in lessons 1 and 2? The teacher shall tell the
class that they shall be learning about the Temperate Zone and the treeless grasslands which
are found in this zone.
 The teacher shall ask the class to observe the map 2.1 and point out the Temperate Zone.

 She/He will then say, that all the temperate grasslands lie between the Tropic of Cancer and
 the Arctic Circle in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle in the
south. These areas experience a moderate climate.
 The grasslands are large plains of grass. They are found in warm and dry climate where
the rainfall is too little for dense forests to grow but enough to prevent the land from
becoming a desert.
 Grasslands are known by different names in different continents.
 The teacher may ask the class to memorize the names of the different grasslands along
with the continent they are found in by looking at Map 2.1.
 The teacher shall tell the class that they will be learning about the grasslands located in
North America. These are called Prairies.
 Prairies are a vast stretch of gently sloping temperate grasslands in North America. Prairie is
a French word which means grassland.
 The teacher will then tell the class about the locations land, climate of the Prairies the
vegetation and wildlife found here. Lastly, she will tell about the economic activities.
Location
 Extend from Canada in the north to Mexico in the south. Covers the whole of

central USA.
Land
 The Prairies used to be covered with thick, tall grasses. The land has been cleared for

farming, and being fertile, is one of the biggest farming regions of the world.
 The Mississippi and the Missouri are two big rivers that flow through this region.

Climate
 Winters are cold and summers are hot.

 Rainfall is moderate, about 52-70 cm and occurs mostly in the summer season.

Vegetation
 Wide variety of plants. Trees are rare except along the rivers.

 Grass grows quickly in the spring season and turns to hay in autumn.

 The teacher will show pictures so that the students understand how a grassland looks like.

Wildlife
 The animals have adapted to the semi-arid climate and can survive very hot summers as well

as freezing cold winters.

Companion – a complete resource for teachers

 Some common animals are – bison, coyote, prairie dog and prairie chicken.

 The teacher will show pictures of animals found in the Prairies.

Economic activities
 Prairies are intensively cultivated. Corn is cultivated in the eastern parts and wheat in the

central part.
 Cattle is reared in the western part of the Prairies.

 Wheat production is very high here. The Prairies produce enough for the whole country

as well as for export. Prairies are the ‘Wheat Basket of the World’.
 Other crops grown are barley, rye, oats, lentils, mustard, peas and beans.

 Many meat-packing factories, dairy farms and flour mills are also located here.
 activity
A. The teacher may take up the Exercise D of Read and Answer as class discussion. After the
discussion the students may write down four reasons.
 Minerals like lignite coal, mineral oil and natural gas are mined in large quantities in this

region. Other minerals found are gold, silver, potash.

 This has led to the development of ore-crushing factories and oil refineries.

 Extensive network of roads, railways and canals in the region along with many industries

have made the Prairies one of the most industrialized regions in the world.
activity
B. The teacher shall take up the checkpoint activity in the class to revise the lesson taught
so far.
Life of the people
 The teacher will now discuss the life of the people.

l European settlers converted the grasslands into farmlands.

l Average size of farms here is over thousands of hectares.

l Farmers live on the farms along with their families in homesteads. Some workers or

helpers live in the homesteads.

l Machines are used to do all the farm work like ploughing, sowing, harvesting, threshing,

winnowing and storage of foodgrains.

l Foodgrains are stored in silos which are tall cylindrical buildings specially made for

storing grains.
l With the help of machines few people can cultivate huge areas.

l The open land in the west is hilly with coarse and less fertile soil. This land supports the

raising of cattle on large open areas called ranches.

l Cattle is mainly reared for milk and meat. Meat produced is locally consumed and exported.

l There are many dairy farms in the area. They too use modern facilities for processing milk

in the dairy farms. Most dairy farms are located near cities.
activities
C. Exercises A and B from the Read and Answer section shall be done in the class.
D. Exercise C from the Read and Answer section and Exercises F and Life Skill from Do
and Learn shall be given as homework.
E. The teacher shall take up the Exercise E in the class. The teacher shall explain the meanings
of the different activities involved in farming and then ask the class to number them.
F. The teacher shall suggest the class to know more about the Prairies through the weblink
Companion – a complete resource for teachers
given under G of Do and Learn section.

more to learn

How is the farming work done in the Prairies is different from that in your area?


 Which continent does not have any grasslands and why?

 The class can be given an assignment (or it may be taken up as a class discussion)

to compare the lifestyles of the four climatic regions studied so far.

 Ask the class to write how or in which way technology has helped people.

Has it harmed the people in any way?

 3 Governing Ourselves
Lesson Plan
For additional content see the DVD and the App.

lesson OBJECTIVES
The students
 identify and explain governance
of the country at the Central and
State levels.
 learn the process of forming
the government.
 can understand terms like Union
Government, Parliament, Lok
Sabha, Rajya Sabha, constitution,
Constituencies, President, Prime
Minister, cabinet, Governor,
Legislative Assembly, Chief
Minister, Judiciary, High Court,
Supreme Court, Chief Justice.

Teaching aids
textbook, chart representing the central government (Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, the Prime

Minister and Union Cabinet and the President); chart representing the state government
Companion – a complete resource for teachers

(State Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister and the Governor); chart representing the Judiciary
system of India

in the class
 The teacher shall take up the GET STARTED! in the class as a quiz.
 The teacher shall remind the class about the freedom struggle in India which they studied

in Term 2. The teacher shall tell the class that the freedom fighters were fighting for
complete independence. She/He will then ask, did it mean to have complete freedom or
independence?’ Accept all possible answers.
 The teacher shall then explain that after independence the country would not have any
 foreigners rule over India nor would go back to kings ruling over the people but rather have
a system where people of India would rule themselves. In this lesson they will be learning
about how we govern ourselves.
 The teacher shall tell the class that India is divided into 28 states and eight Union Territories.

 The Constitution of the country provides for a government at the centre and one in each

state to govern the country better.

 The Constitution clearly defines the powers and responsibilities of both the central and state

government. For example defence from other countries is the responsibility of the Central
Government and law and order situation within a state lies with the State Government.
 The Central Government also helps the states in times of need like if there is a natural disaster.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
 The teacher shall use the chart to explain about the central government.

 It is also called the Union Government. It makes laws for the whole nation.

 The law-making body is called the Parliament.

 The parliament consists of the President of India and two houses – Lok Sabha (Lower house

or the House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Upper House).

LOK SABHA
l It is the highest law-making body in the country.

l It has 550 members who are elected directly by the people.

l The whole country is divided into a number of small areas called constituencies.

Any Indian citizen 18 years of age or more can vote in the election choose representatives.
l The candidate who gets the maximum number of votes wins the election from that

constituency. He becomes a Member of Parliament. The members of the Lok Sabha are
elected for a term of five years.
l The members elected to the Lok Sabha then choose a Speaker who guides the proceedings

of the House.
RAJYA SABHA
l The members of the Rajya Sabha are not elected directly. The members of the State

Legislative Assemblies and the Union Territories elect the members of the Rajya Sabha.
l 238 members are elected by the above members and 12 members are nominated by

the President.
l The members of Rajya Sabha are elected for a term of six years. One-third of the members

COMPANION – a complete resource for teachers

retire every two years and are replaced by new members.
l The Vice President of the country is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

PRESIDENT
l The President of India is the head of the country.

l He is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state legislative

assemblies, for a term of five years.

FORMING THE GOVERNMENT
 The teacher will explain how the government is formed at the centre.

 India has many political parties.

 In national elections different parties and even independent candidates contest elections from
 different constituencies. The party with maximum number of members elected to the
Lok Sabha forms the government at the Centre.
 The leader of the party with majority seats is appointed as the Prime Minister.

 The Prime Minister forms the Union Cabinet that consists of the Council of Ministers.

 The ministers in the union cabinet can be from either of the houses.

activity
A. The teacher ask the class to do activity under Checkpoint.
State Government
 The teacher will explain the formation of the state government.

 Every state has a Legislative Assembly.

 The teacher shall use the chart to explain about the State Government.

 The Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected directly by people. Any citizen

of India 18 years old or more, residing in that particular state, can vote in the elections
conducted. The members are elected for a term of five years.
 The party with the maximum number of elected representatives in the Legislative Assembly

forms the government in the state and the leader of that party is appointed as the
Chief Minister of the state.
 The head of the state, the Governor, is appointed by the President for a term of five years.

Judiciary
 The teacher will tell the class about the judicial system of our country.

 The Supreme Court in New Delhi is the highest judiciary body in India. There can be a

maximum of 34 judges in Supreme Court. The highest position in the judicial system is that
of the Chief Justice. All the judges are appointed by the President of India.
 The Supreme Court gives the final judgment in any legal case.

 The highest judicial body in a state is the High Court.

 The districts in a state also have a court. The teacher shall use the chart to explain about the

judiciary at district and state level headed by the Supreme Court.

activities
B. Exercises A and B from the Read and Answer section shall be done in the class.
C. Exercise C from the Read and Answer section and Exercises E and G from the
Do and Learn section shall be given as homework.
D. Exercise D shall be taken up as class discussion.
Companion – a complete resource for teachers

E. The teacher shall help the class learn how elections are conducted and carry out
Exercise F in the class. The teacher may lay out some basic rules guiding the election.
F. The teacher may suggest to the class to take the quiz on the government of India
given in Exercise H of Do and Learn.
G. The teacher shall assign Value as homework.

more to learn

The teacher shall divide the class into two groups and have a class debate
on ‘it is better to be ruled by kings than by people elected by us’.
 4 The United Nations
Lesson Plan
For additional content see the DVD and the App.

lesson OBJECTIVES
The students
 can understand the circumstances
leading to the formation of the
United Nations.
 understand the objectives of
the UN.
 come to know about the different
organs of the UN.
 learn about the various agencies
of the UN and their functioning.
Companion – a complete resource for teachers
 know the achievements of the UN.
 know about the involvement of
India in the UN.
 understand the working of the
General Assembly, Security
Council, Economic and Social
Council, Trusteeship Council,
Secretariat, International Court
of Justice, disarmament, UNESCO,
UNICEF, WHO, FAO, ILO.

Teaching aids
textbook, chart representing the UN, its members, its organs and agencies

in the class
The teacher may conduct the GET STARTED! activity as a quiz.


 The teacher shall remind the class about the formation of the League of Nations after the
First World War, and its failure. The teacher shall then ask the class the name of a similar
organization that was formed after the Second World War. With the class answering correctly
the teacher shall tell that they will be learning about the United Nations Organization.
 The teacher shall tell the class that the primary purpose or the reason for the formation of
 the United Nations was to maintain peace in the world.
 The name ‘United Nations’ was first used by Franklin D Roosevelt the then President of the
United States of America.
Formation of the UN
 The teacher will tell the class how the UN was formed after the Second World War.

 On 24 October 1945 representatives of 51 countries met in San Francisco, USA and signed a

Charter creating a new international organization, the United Nations Organization.

24 October is celebrated as the United Nations Day.
 India was one of the 51 countries that signed the charter. The organization now has

193 members.
 The headquarters of the UN are in New York, USA.

 The Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer of the UN.

activity
A. Have a class discussion on ‘Why is world peace important?’ The teacher shall explain the
objectives in the class.
Objectives of the UN
 The teacher will tell the class about the objectives of the UN and write them on the

blackboard. She/He will further say that a member country must be committed to peace and
accept the goals of the UN.
Organs of the UN
There are six main organs of the UN. The teacher will explain the working of each organ of the UN.

General Assembly
l Main organ of the UN. Similar to the Parliament of our country.

l Meets every year in September to discuss and debate issues of peace and security.

l Each member state has one vote in the General Assembly.

Security Council
l Responsible for maintaining international peace.

l 15 members, five permanent – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United

States of America. The other ten are non-permanent members and are elected for two years.
Economic and Social Council
l Coordinates the network of agencies that work for the people of the world.

l Important issues dealt – human rights, equality of women, regulation of trade.

Trusteeship Council Companion – a complete resource for teachers

l Established to supervise the administration of the trust territories that were not

independent then. This council is no longer functional now.

Secretariat
l Takes care of the day-to-day working of the UN.

l Looks after the policies and programmes laid down by the other organs of the UN.

l Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat.

International Court of Justice

l Principal judicial organ of the UN, headquarters at Hague, Netherlands.

l Settles disputes between countries and advises member states on matters of international law.

l Has 15 judges who are elected for a term of nine years.

 activities
B. The Checkpoint activity shall be done in the class to revise the points learnt thus far.
C. The teacher shall tell the class about the various Secretaries-General of the UN. She will
ask the class the name of the current Secretary-General.
Agencies of the UN
 UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

 UNICEF – the United Nations Children’s Fund

 WHO – the World Health Organization

 FAO – the Food and Agriculture Organization

 ILO – the International Labour Organization

The teacher shall discuss about these agencies in the class.

Achievements of the UN
The teacher shall tell the class about the achievements of the UN. Also in context of the present

world she/he will say how UN is striving to achieve its objectives. She/He will then talk about
India’s role.
India and the UN
 From the beginning India is actively involved with the UN and its various efforts.

 Indian peacekeeping forces serve in various parts of the world.

 India also actively participates in the relief operations of the UN agencies.

activities
D. Exercises A and B from the Read and Answer section shall be done in the class.
E. Exercise C and Exercise D from the Read and Answer section shall be given as homework.
F. The teacher shall take up Exercise E from the Do and Learn section in the class. The
teacher may have a class discussion on ‘how the historical monuments are being ruined
by people and what should be done to protect our heritage’.
G. The Exercise F from the Do and Learn section shall be given as homework. The charts
prepared by the students shall be displayed and discussed in the class.
H. The teacher shall suggest the class to take up the quiz on the UN by clicking the weblink
given in Exercise G of Do and Learn.
I. Life Skill shall be given as homework.
Companion – a complete resource for teachers

more to learn

 The teacher shall ask the class to prepare a peace charter. All the students of
the class should sign it and commit to maintaining peace. All the students
should abide by the charter and discuss issues and find solutions. The teacher
shall be the Secretary-General or ask the class to elect one.
 Like every country the UN and its agencies also have flags with special monograms.

The class should make a chart with the flags of the UN and its agencies. The teacher
shall ask the class to observe the monograms and the colours used.