Teaching EVS in the primary grades is aimed at introducing concepts and ways of thinking that will help students interpret their experience of the world around them. The exercises that are employed to teach EVS should involve the use of basic skills related to design and engineering, language, and quantitative thinking.
The theme of house provides opportunities to use certain basic skills while teaching. In grade 3, the theme deals with the following topics: houses that are seen around us; houses that are built in different parts of the country; how houses of different regions are different.
Some activities that can be used in the classroom are listed below.
Make a nest: Students can be asked to observe a bird’s nest (A picture of the same also can be used). They are asked to list down the materials that the bird would have used to build its nest. After listing them down, the students can be asked to collect those materials from their surroundings and recreate the bird’s nest that they observed. The students could be asked to share their experience of recreating the bird’s nest.
What is your home made of: The students can be asked to observe different parts of their house. They will have to note down the different materials that have been used to build their house. The table given alongside can be used to fill the data.
A discussion can be conducted as to why a particular material was used, where such materials are brought from, etc.
What are the different part of your house used for: The different parts of a house have different uses. The students can fill in the table after reading the clue. New clues can also be created through classroom discussion.
Creating a map of your house: This activity will help the students project their own house into a two-dimensional image. The teacher will have to help them with the orientation and the direction in which the image of the house is drawn.
Image courtesy- The Black Board book
Where do different people live in your locality: This activity involves collecting data from the locality of the school. The teacher will need to support the students with words that are to be filled. A small walk in the nearby area can be organized to conduct this activity.
Other attachments
Making house models: Houses are made using a variety of materials that are found around us. This activity will be interesting and engaging for the students. A note is attached in the attachment.
Puzzles and word scrambles: The students will have been introduced to many new terms by now. These sheets would help the students to find out the words that they have learned.
