Environmental Studies · Class 1

Active learning ideas

People Who Work at School

Active learning helps children see that their school is part of a larger community where every person’s work matters. By engaging with real-life examples and collaborative tasks, students connect classroom learning to the world around them in a meaningful way.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE: My School - Class 1

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Building a Paper Neighbourhood

In small groups, students are assigned a 'landmark' (e.g., a bank or a park) to draw and cut out. They then work together to place these on a large chart paper 'map' of a town, deciding where the roads and trees should go.

Name three people who work at your school and tell us what each one does.

Facilitation Tip

For the Paper Neighbourhood activity, provide pre-cut shapes so students focus on placement and service connections rather than cutting precision.

What to look for

Show pictures of different school staff members (teacher, principal, cleaner, gardener). Ask students to point to each person and say one thing they do at school. For example, 'This is the teacher. The teacher helps us learn.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Places of Worship

Display pictures of different places of worship found in Indian neighbourhoods. Students walk around in pairs, identifying features like a dome, a spire, or a flag. They discuss which of these they have seen near their own homes.

Tell me how the teacher helps you learn every day.

Facilitation Tip

Display photographs of different places of worship at child height during the Gallery Walk to encourage close observation and comparison.

What to look for

Ask students: 'If our school cleaner took a holiday for a week, what changes might we notice in our school? How would that affect our daily routine?' Listen for their understanding of the cleaner's role.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: My Favourite Spot

Students think of one place in their neighbourhood they love to visit (like the ice cream shop or the park). They tell a partner why they like it and what they do there. The pair then finds one thing their favourite places have in common.

What do you think would happen if there were no helpers at our school?

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share, assign pairs strategically so students with varied experiences can learn from one another.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one person who works at school and write one sentence about what that person does. For instance, 'I drew the principal. The principal looks after the school.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic by starting with what children already know—their school—and gradually expanding outward. Avoid overwhelming students with too many new places at once. Research shows that role-play and mapping activities build stronger spatial and social awareness than passive discussions. Keep language simple and relatable, using local examples like the neighbourhood rickshaw stand or the nearby temple.

Successful learning looks like students confidently naming essential neighbourhood places and the roles people play in them. They should articulate how these services support community life and show respect for diverse places of worship.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Building a Paper Neighbourhood, watch for students who only include houses and roads.

  Guide them to add at least three service-based places like the school canteen, the park cleaner’s booth, and the nearby temple, and discuss how these serve the community.

• During Gallery Walk: Places of Worship, watch for students who generalize all places of worship as similar.

  Ask them to point out architectural differences and explain why each place is special to its community, using the photos provided.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share