Revision Notes

Class – 4 Environmental Studies

Chapter 1 – Going to school

Summary of Going to school

 The chapter Going to school talks about how children in different states use
different ways to travel to school.
 The children are using the bamboo ridge, trolley, cement bridge, vallam,
camel-cart, bullock-cart, and bicycle, across the jungle, moving on snow and
through rocky paths to reach the school.
 They end up making it to school regardless of whether they are passing
through a dense forest, farmland, mountains, or snow.

Different ways used to go to school

1. Bamboo bridge
 Children in Assam reside in a place where there are frequent rainfalls and
there is water till knee height. There are days when it never rains.
 But children are not worried about these problems and never stop going to
school.
 They used to carry books and bamboo in either hand. They swiftly cross the
bamboo and rope the bridge to get to school.

Image: Bamboo bridge

2. The trolley
 Children in Ladakh have to go across the river to reach school.

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  Since the river is large and deep, a heavy iron rope will be held across the
river tightly bound to either strong trees or rocks.
 Using the trolley which can accommodate five to six people, children used to
reach school which is present on the other side of the river.

Image: Trolley

3. Cement bridge
 Children frequently need to traverse water bodies, so they exploit bridges.
Cement, bricks, and iron rods are used to construct these erections.
 Steps may be present on the bridge.

Image: Cement bridge

4. Vallam
 Children in Kerala employ a vallam (tiny wooden boat) to get to school

Image: Vallam

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5. Camel–cart
 Children in Rajasthan reside in the middle of the desert. There is sand
throughout. It is really hot during the day.
 To get to school, children over there take a camel cart.

Image: Camel cart

6. Bullock-cart
 Children who used to live in plain villages, travel to school through bullock-
carts.
 They travel gently through the green grounds in the bullock cart. They use
umbrellas if it is awfully hot or rainy.

Image: Bullock cart

7. Bicycle ride
 Children living mostly in developed towns or cities travel to school using
bicycles.
 On the long route to school, kids ride their bicycles. Girls in this locality used
to avoid going to school because they would be too far away. Nevertheless,
groups of 7-8 girls can now effortlessly ride even with the most challenging
roads.

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Image: Bicycle ride

8. Children cross the jungle

 Children located in the forest areas have to cross the jungle to get to school.
 To get to school, children have to walk through a forested area. It’s so deep in
some areas that even sunlight can’t get through.
 It’s also completely quiet there, with only the noises of various birds and other
creatures to be heard.

Image: Jungle

9. Moving on the snow

 Children in the Northern hills had to walk heaps to go to school due to snow.
 They keep their hands to one another and move slowly.
 Their feet may sink into the snow if it is too soft. They even slip and tumble
if the snow is solid.

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Image: Walking on the snow

10. Rocky paths

 The Himalayan natural environment is well-known in Uttarakhand. Children
there reside in a mountainous area.
 The terrain is rough and uneven. It will be tough for youngsters who live on
the plains to walk on them.
 They can, however, quickly race vertically and horizontally to reach the
school.

Image: Rocky paths

The Theme of the Chapter:

This chapter educates us about the following topics:

 Different ways are available for children to reach school.
 How do the ways work?

Practice Questions

Q 1. Is there any kind of punishment at your school? What kind?

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Ans: Yes, in our school there are some punishments like doing rounds in the
playground and standing outside the corridor for the whole period.

Q 2. Do you believe that this type of punishment should be implemented in

schools?
Ans: No, there should be no punishments in the schools.

Q 3. Is punishment the only solution to misdeeds? Make some rules for school
to prevent misdeeds.
Ans: No, punishments are not the only solution to misdeeds. Rather than giving
punishments, they should be taught good manners and should be recognized even
for their small good deeds.

Solved examples

Q 1. Collect some bricks. Lay them on the ground in a line as shown in the
picture. Try walking on them. Was it easy?
Ans: Yes, it was very easy to walk on them and I did not feel any difficulty.

Q 2. Make a small bridge by tying 4 or 5 bamboo poles together. Ask your

teacher to help you. Now walk on your bridge. How did you feel? Did you fall
down? If you walk like this a few times, you will start finding it easy.
Ans: It was very hard to walk on the bamboo poles since it was brittle and was like
breaking and I felt scared. But I was able to manage and did not fall.

Bamboo Bridge

Q 1. Do you think it would be easier to walk on this bridge barefoot or with

shoes or slippers? Why?
Ans: Instead of walking with shoes or slippers, it will be easier to walk barefoot on
the bridge since slippers can lose grip (balance) and we may fall.

Let us do

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Q 1. Observe pictures 1 and 2. In the pictures, children are pulling the buckets
from the well. Can you tell the difference in both the pictures? Which would be
easier – using the pulley or not using it to lift things?
Ans: In picture 1, a boy is not using a pulley to lift the bucket from the well.
However, in picture 2, a boy is using a pulley to lift the bucket from the well.
Certainly, the means of a pulley to lift the bucket from the well make it easy since
without a pulley, there will be a heavyweight.

Q 2. Look around you – where do you see the use of pulleys? List them.
Ans: I have witnessed the usage of pulleys at elevators, at construction spots, rock
climbers use the pulleys to climb, etc.

Cement Bridge

Q 1. How is this bridge different from a bamboo bridge?

Ans: Concrete bridges are a specific type of bridge made of concrete. The concrete
has high compressive strength but low tensile strength. Four or five bamboo sticks
are tied together to make a bamboo bridge. The bamboo bridge is a type of temporary
bridge.

Q 2. How many people do you think can cross the bridge at one time?
Ans: Numerous people can go across the cement bridge at a time contrasting a
bamboo bridge. But the precise count depends on the dimension and durability of
the bridge.

Q 3. If you had a chance, which bridge would you like to use? Why?
Ans: I love to use the cement bridge because it is safe and cannot be wrecked like a
bamboo bridge easily.

Q 4. Do you have to cross any bridge on the way to your school? If yes, what is
the bridge like? Draw a picture.
Ans: No, I did not have any situation like crossing the bridge on my way to school.

Vallam

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Q 1. Have you seen any other kinds of boats?
Ans: Yes, I have seen many kinds of boats. There are lifeboats, sailboats, bay boats,
utility boats, yachts, etc.

Q 2. Can you think of other ways by which we can travel on water?

Ans: We can travel on water using freight ships, cruises, rafts, steamers, etc.

Camel Cart

Q 1. Have you ever sat in a camel-cart or horse carriage (tonga)? Where? Did
you climb on it yourself, or did someone help you?
Ans: No, I did not have the chance to sit in a camel cart.

Q 2. How did you feel riding in the cart? Also, share your experience in the class
also.
Ans: Since I have not sat on the horse carriage, I never enjoyed the ride in a tonga.

Bullock-cart

Q 1. Do you have bullock carts where you live?

Ans: Yes, there are a few bullock carts in my locality.

Q 2. Does it have a roof?

Ans: No, the bullock carts in my locality do not have any roof.

Q 3. What kind of wheels do they have?

Ans: They just have wheels made of wood with iron circumferences.

Bicycle ride

Q 1. Can you ride a bicycle? If yes, who taught you to ride?

Ans: No, I do not know how to ride a bicycle.

Q 2. How many children come on bicycles to your school?

Ans: Nearly 250 students come on bicycles to my school.

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Jugad – What a Vehicle!

Q 1. Do you have such vehicles in your area?

Ans: No, my area does not have this type of vehicle. But there are some types of
jugaad vehicles in my locality.

Q 2. What do you call them in your area?

Ans: We used to call them share-auto or rickshaw.

Q 3. Would you like to ride in something like this? Why?

Ans: Yes, l like to ride in such vehicles since we can have entertainment during the
trip.

Q 4. Can you tell why it is called jugad?

Ans: Jugad refers to the garbage that has been turned into something valuable. It's
called Jugad because the front end of a motorcycle is joined to wooden planks used
to build a carriage in the back, which is also built of old jeep components. Its purpose
is to transport passengers from one location to another.

Children across the Jungle

Q 1. Have you ever been in a thick jungle or any such place?

Ans: Yes, I have been to a thick jungle when I visited the wildlife sanctuary.

Q 2. Write your experiences in your notebook.

Ans: We were surrounded by a semi-darkness as soon as we reached the jungle. The
thick trees' leaves allowed only a sliver of sunlight to pass through. The canopy of
leaves high above us almost totally obscured the sky. Thick greenery sprouted in
every direction at ground level. The air was wet and had an unusual odor.

Q 3. Can you recognize some birds by their sounds? Can you imitate the sounds
of some birds? Do it.
Ans: Yes, I can distinguish some birds like crow, sparrow, parrot, duck, and peacock
by their sounds. No, I can’t imitate the sounds of birds.

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Moving on the Snow

Q 1. Have you ever seen so much snow? Where? In films or somewhere else?
Ans: Yes, I have seen so much snow in a film.

Q 2. Do you think that such places have snow all the time? Why?
Ans: No, there isn't always snow in such regions. Due to the cold weather, these
areas are blanketed in snow during the winter. As the temperature rises throughout
the summer season, the snow melts.

Rocky Paths

Q 1. Do you face difficulties on the way to your school?

Ans: No, I never faced any difficulties on the way to my school.

Q 2. Which is the best month, in which do you like to go to school? Why?

Ans: December is my favorite month to go to school since the temperature is cold.
During this month, we also have several celebrations at our schools, such as
Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Besides, the month comes to a close with the start
of our winter vacation.

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