1. Chapter at a Glance

Aasha and Mohit love their school and want to make it a green school, one that manages waste, saves water, uses electricity carefully and plants trees. With their teacher, the class forms “School Explorer Teams” like Water Watchers, Electricity Savers, Waste Warriors, Green Guardians and Traffic Trackers to study the school.

The children learn to separate wet and dry waste, give useful items to recyclers and respect sanitation workers. They find that white roofs, trees and windows keep rooms cool. A dripping tap wastes a lot of water, and rainwater can be collected. Trees give shade, clean air and homes for birds.

The chapter also teaches road safety, traffic signs and fire safety drills. Finally, it shows that kind and respectful behaviour, like waiting for our turn and keeping places clean, makes school a happy place for everyone.

2. Word Meanings

3. Important Topics

A. Green School

• A green school manages waste, saves water, uses electricity carefully and plants trees.
• Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya (Clean India Clean Schools) aims for clean toilets, safe drinking water, waste management and hygiene in every school.
• Mawlynnong in Meghalaya is known as Asia’s Cleanest Village.

B. School Explorer Teams

C. Waste Management

• Reduce waste by using only what we need and reusing things.
• Separate waste into wet and dry. In the game, the green box is for wet waste and the blue box for dry waste.
• Newspapers, bottles and metal are given to traditional recyclers.
• Wet waste can be turned into compost.
• We should respect sanitation workers and recyclers and make their work easier and safer.

D. Keeping Cool

• Trees give shade and cool the air.
• Windows let in breeze and natural light.
• A white roof reflects the Sun’s heat, while a black surface absorbs it.
• Clay pots (matkas) cool water without electricity.

E. Saving Water

• Even a small dripping tap wastes many glasses of water every day.
• Fix leaks, turn off taps and collect rainwater.
• The Jal Shakti Abhiyan encourages people to save water, catch rainwater and plant trees.
• In Ladakh, students make ice stupas that melt in summer to water gardens.

F. Greenery Around Us

• Trees keep the air clean, give shade, and provide food and homes for birds and insects.
• Water kept under a tree stays cooler than water in the Sun.
• Schools can grow butterfly gardens with plants that attract birds and butterflies.

G. Road Safety

• Many accidents happen because people don’t follow traffic rules.
• Use pedestrian crossings, walk on footpaths, and look both ways before crossing.
• Signboards at the school gate help keep children safe.

H. Fire Safety

1. Move calmly to the nearest exit. Don’t panic or run.
2. Crawl low under smoke with your mouth covered.
3. Don’t hide in closets or bathrooms.
4. Help others if it is safe, but never go back into the building.
5. Go to the assembly point and stay with your group.
6. Tell teachers at once if anyone is missing or hurt.

I. What We Do Matters

• Respect and kindness mean waiting for our turn, using kind words, helping others and keeping places clean.
• We should stop and report wrong behaviour, like pushing in line, teasing or littering.

4. Question-Answers

Very Short Answer Questions

1. What is a green school?
A school that manages waste, saves water, uses electricity carefully and plants trees.

2. What does Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya mean?
Clean India Clean Schools.

3. Which village is called Asia’s Cleanest Village?
Mawlynnong in Meghalaya.

4. Give two examples of wet waste.
Fruit peels and leftover food.

5. Give two examples of dry waste.
Plastic bottles and paper.

6. Which colour surface reflects the Sun’s heat?
White.

7. What are ice stupas?
Tall towers of ice in Ladakh that melt in summer to water gardens.

8. Where should you go during a fire?
To the assembly point, using the nearest exit.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why should we separate wet and dry waste?
Separating waste makes it easier to recycle dry waste and turn wet waste into compost. It keeps our surroundings clean and makes sanitation workers’ jobs easier and safer.

2. How can we keep our classrooms cool without electricity?
By planting shady trees, keeping windows open for breeze, painting roofs white and keeping drinking water in clay pots.

3. How much water can a dripping tap waste?
Even a small drip can fill many glasses in a day. Over weeks and months, it wastes a large amount of water.

4. Why are trees important in a school campus?
They give shade, keep the air clean and cool, and provide food and homes for birds, insects and butterflies.

5. What should you do if there is a fire or smoke?
Stay calm, move to the nearest exit, crawl low under smoke with your mouth covered, never go back inside, and go to the assembly point.

Long Answer Questions

1. How can we make our school a green school?
We can make our school green by separating wet and dry waste, making a compost pit and giving useful items to recyclers. We can save water by fixing leaking taps and collecting rainwater. We can save electricity by switching off fans and lights and using sunlight. We can plant and care for trees, make a butterfly garden and keep the campus clean. Students can form explorer teams to check and improve these areas.

2. How can our behaviour make school a happy place?
Our behaviour affects everyone around us. Waiting for our turn, using kind words, helping others, including shy classmates and keeping classrooms clean make everyone feel safe and happy. Pushing, teasing, littering and damaging property make school unpleasant. When we see wrong behaviour, we should stop it politely or tell a teacher.

Textbook Exercise Answers

Write three traffic rules.

• Cross the road only at a zebra crossing.
• Stop at a red light and go only at green.
• Always wear a helmet on a two-wheeler and a seat belt in a car.

What would happen if you painted your school roof white?
The white roof would reflect the Sun’s heat, so the rooms below would stay cooler in summer.

How can you collect and use rainwater at school or home?
Collect rainwater from the roof through pipes into a tank or pit. Use it for watering plants, cleaning or recharging groundwater.

What happens if we don’t separate our waste?
Waste can’t be recycled or composted properly. It piles up, smells and spreads disease, and sanitation workers face more danger and difficulty.

As principal for a day, what three changes would you make?
Sample:

• Put separate bins for wet and dry waste in every class.
• Start a “plant one tree per class” drive.
• Hold a weekly kindness award for helpful students.

Write a one-minute speech on “My Dream School”.
Sample: Good morning, everyone. My dream school is clean, green and full of kindness. It has shady trees, a butterfly garden and a compost pit. No tap drips and no fan runs in an empty room. Everyone waits for their turn, helps each other and respects all workers, from teachers to sanitation staff. My dream school can be our school if every student does a small part: keep it clean, save water and electricity, and be kind. Thank you.