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Social Sciences: Class 4 — Chapter 1: Living Together

Unit 1: Our Community

We all depend on each other in some way or another. We live in our communities, sharing space and resources. Regular interactions and celebrations enrich our bonds, creating a sense of belongingness. Communities thrive on cooperation, communication, and mutual respect in their social and natural surroundings.

Key Learning Objectives

  • Explore community institutes around them including schools, hospitals, banks, and markets.
  • Understand the role of people, tools used, and their contribution to the development of a more inclusive and sustainable society.
  • Familiarise with how transportation and communication help in the movement of people and goods and improve connectivity.
  • Develop a sense of direction and ability to locate various places through landmarks by drawing, sketching, identifying, and reading maps.
Chapter 1: Living Together

1.1 A Tour Around My Village

Chandan introduces his beautiful village, which features a big playground near his house where children play kabaddi and a big banyan tree where elders gather to talk.

1.2 Community Connections

People and places are interconnected in a community. Key community roles and places include:

  • Shopkeeper: Sells goods like food items, clothes, and products for daily needs, including local products.
  • Road: Connects people living in different areas and allows easy movement of goods and services.
  • Health Centre: Provides treatment for illness.
  • Police: Provides safety and security.
  • School: Facilitates learning and education.

1.3 Van Mahotsav: A Festival for Planting Trees

Van Mahotsav (Tree Planting Festival) is celebrated every year in India during the rainy season, from 1 July to 7 July. People plant trees to protect the environment and make the earth greener.

During the festival, community members collaborate to clean parks, plant saplings, and repair public spaces:

  • Sameer: Fixed benches using wood and nails.
  • Babita: Repaired the street light next to the park.
  • Noor: Provided saplings from a plant nursery.

1.4 Community Cooperation Examples

  • Community Bridge Across a River: In Kanker, Chhattisgarh, the Chinar river often overflows during the rainy season, blocking access to schools and hospitals. In 2024, the entire community came together and built a simple yet strong bridge in just two days using bamboo, stones, and other materials.
  • Ant and Bee Colonies: An ant colony is like a big community where everyone has a special job (collecting food, protecting the home, taking care of babies). Bees also function as a community with specific roles like gathering food, protecting young ones, and building hives.
  • Sharing a Meal: A community feast where villagers bring vegetables and cereals to celebrate hard work together. Banana leaves used for serving are buried in a pit to become manure, which improves soil quality.
  • Uruka (Magh Bihu): Celebrated on the 14th of January in Assam. People come together to build a temporary hut using bamboo and hay called Bhela Ghar, ending with a big feast, cooking, eating, and dancing together.
  • Khetala (Sikkim): In Sikkim, when it is time to harvest crops, community members who are specialists in agriculture, called Khetala, come together to help each other, strengthening community bonds.