Science (EVS K-5) · Class 1

Active learning ideas

Plants and Animals in Our Environment

Active learning works well for this topic because young children learn best by seeing, touching, and doing. When students observe plants and animals in their own surroundings, they connect classroom ideas to real life in meaningful ways that stick with them longer.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• NCERT Learning Outcomes at Elementary Stage, EVS-109: Practices healthy habits (related to personal and environmental hygiene).
• NCERT EVS Syllabus (Classes I-II), Theme: Shelter: Discusses the need for keeping our house and surroundings clean.
• CBSE Syllabus for EVS Class 1, Our Neighbourhood: Understands the importance of a clean neighbourhood.

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Whole Class

Nature Walk: Spot and Sketch

Take students on a 15-minute walk around the school garden or playground. Ask them to observe and sketch three plants and two animals, noting colours and shapes. Back in class, share sketches in a circle and discuss what each provides.

Explain how plants and animals depend on each other.

Facilitation Tip

During the Nature Walk: Spot and Sketch, carry magnifying glasses so students can examine small details like flower parts and insect legs that they might otherwise miss.

What to look for

Show students pictures of various plants and animals. Ask them to point to a plant that gives us food and an animal that helps flowers. Record their responses to gauge understanding of basic roles.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Small Groups

Sorting Game: Plants vs Animals

Prepare cards with pictures of local plants and animals. In small groups, students sort them into two piles and label with words like 'gives oxygen' for plants or 'helps pollinate' for animals. Groups present one example each.

Compare the types of plants found in a garden versus a forest.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Game: Plants vs Animals, prepare picture cards printed on thick paper so they last through many uses and help students focus on classification without distractions.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine all the trees in our schoolyard disappeared. What are two things that would change for the birds and insects?' Listen for predictions related to loss of shelter and food.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 35 min · Pairs

Dependency Chain: Build a Chain

Use string and picture cards to create simple food chains, such as sun-plant-grasshopper-bird. Pairs connect cards in sequence and predict what happens if one link is removed. Share chains with the class.

Predict what would happen if all the trees in our neighborhood were cut down.

Facilitation Tip

When building the Dependency Chain, use string to physically link cards so the connection between plants and animals becomes a tangible, visual chain for all students.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one plant and one animal they see near their home and write one word describing how they help each other.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Individual

Prediction Draw: No Trees

Show pictures of a green neighbourhood, then one without trees. Individually, students draw and label what changes for animals and people. Discuss predictions in pairs.

Explain how plants and animals depend on each other.

Facilitation Tip

In the Prediction Draw: No Trees, provide thick crayons so students can make bold illustrations that clearly show the difference between a bare schoolyard and one with trees.

What to look for

Show students pictures of various plants and animals. Ask them to point to a plant that gives us food and an animal that helps flowers. Record their responses to gauge understanding of basic roles.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by starting with what students already see around them, then using simple hands-on activities to build accurate concepts. Avoid giving abstract definitions first; instead, let students discover relationships through observation and discussion. Research shows that when children connect learning to their immediate environment, they retain ideas better and develop stronger observation skills.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying local plants and animals, explaining simple relationships between them, and using clear examples from their environment. They should also show curiosity about how living things depend on each other in daily life.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Sorting Game: Plants vs Animals, watch for students who group flowers or seeds with animals because they move or are colourful. Remind them that plants grow in one place and make their own food, while animals move and eat food made by others.

  During the Sorting Game: Plants vs Animals, bring real flower samples to the sorting table and ask students to feel the stems and petals. Ask them whether the flower can move from place to place like a bird can, guiding them to see that plants stay fixed while animals move.

• During the Nature Walk: Spot and Sketch, watch for students who think birds or squirrels only live in big trees far away. Redirect their attention to small plants and shrubs where these animals actually find food and shelter in school gardens.

  During the Nature Walk: Spot and Sketch, point out birds nesting in small bushes or squirrels running along low walls. Ask students to sketch these scenes and share their observations, helping them see that animals use all sizes of plants in familiar places.

• During the Dependency Chain: Build a Chain, watch for students who place animals at the start of the chain because they see animals moving first. Use the activity to show that plants come first as they make food from sunlight, which animals then eat.

  During the Dependency Chain: Build a Chain, start with the sun card and ask students to find the plant card that needs sunlight to grow. Then ask them to find the animal that eats that plant, demonstrating that the chain always begins with plants.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning