Environmental Studies: Teachers' Guide (Class II)

Abstract

What is Environmental Studies? A child starts reacting to the environment immediately after his/her birth. The interaction leads to experiences, as a result of which learning takes place. As the child grows, the scope of learning increases, and by the time he or she comes to school, he/she already has knowledge of many things. The most important of these is the skill of communication. The child has also acquired elementary knowledge of many phenomena taking place around him/ her. However, the skills that he/she has developed and the knowledge that he/she has gained, have to be continuously enhanced,' enriched and systematised in the school to enable him/her to develop his/her personality. The process of interaction with the environment has also to be systematized to make the knowledge effective and meaningful. The subject of ‘Environmental Studies has been identified to meet this requirement, as an important area of curriculum at the primary stage.