NCERT EVS Class 4 Chapter 13 – A River’s Tale
Class 4 EVS Chapter 13 A River’s Tale deals with a serious topic—water pollution. It compels the kids to understand how the water bodies are getting dirty, thereby affecting the living world. It also talks about purifying water before using it to avoid various diseases. CBSE Class 4 EVS Chapter 13 also introduces the concepts of soluble and insoluble substances.
Download the NCERT Solutions for A River’s Tale in PDF
A River’s Tale
Look carefully at the picture of the river. Read the words given below. Boat, flowing water, blue, fish, water-plants, river, foul smell, big ship, oil, river banks, factories, washing clothes, animals, other work, change, city.
In the last part of the picture the river flows into the sea. Have you ever seen the sea? Where? In a movie, or somewhere else?
Yes, I have seen the sea in Puri, where I went with my family during the summer vacation.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Which of the places shown in the picture would you like to live in? Why?
I would like to live in the area from where the river started because that part of the river is clean, crystal clear with no pollution.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Would you like to change any of the things that you see in the picture? Why and how?
Yes, I would like to change the present condition of the river. The river is quite polluted at certain places due to garbage disposal and pollutants. I would like to clean those areas, but I need volunteers and the support of the local municipality.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Have you seen people throwing different things into rivers or water bodies?
Yes, I have seen people throwing plastic cups, polythene bags, and other waste materials into rivers and other water bodies.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
What could be done to keep rivers clean? Discuss.
We should educate people about keeping rivers and water bodies clean by not throwing any sort of litter into them. We can distribute pamphlets and put-up posters describing the different ways by which we can keep our water bodies clean.
If you wanted to drink some water, from which part of the river would you like to drink? Why?
If I would like to drink water, I would travel to that part from where the river started because the water is clean and pure there.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Use these words to make a story. Give a title to your story also.
A River’s Journey
Today I am going to tell the story of a beautiful river. The river originated from the mountains, and the water of the river was blue and clear like glass. Many kinds of fishes lived in the river. Different animals came to drink its water. There was a small village on the left bank of the river. The villagers got abundant water from it. However, they did not value what they got from the river. They used to throw garbage into the river, wash clothes with its water, and make it dirty. The water quality of the river started to degrade. There was also a city on the right bank of the river. The industrialists living in the city constructed many factories. Foul-smelling wastes emitted from these industries were thrown directly into the river. Big ships carrying oil tanks moved through this river. Sometimes, oil used to leak from the tanks into the river water. Hence, the river became unfit for use due to the pollution caused by human activities.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
What is the colour of the river where it begins?
The colour of the river is light blue or transparent where it begins.
At some places, there are many fish in the river, at others there are only a few and at some places there are dead fish. What could be the reason for this? Discuss.
(a) Places where there are many fish indicates the river water is clean.
(b) Places where there are only a few fish means that the river water is quite polluted.
(c) Places, where there are dead fish, indicates that the river water has become poisonous.
What can be seen in the river before it reaches the village?
Before reaching the village, the water of the river appears clean, and many fish are visible as well.
At which places did the colour of the water in the river change? Why did this happen? Discuss.
The colour of the river changed near villages, towns, and cities because the river water got polluted with domestic and industrial wastes generated by the people living in the city.
River
Do you think that there would be changes taking place in a river, pond or stream at different times of the year? What kind of changes would these be? Discuss.
Yes, I think that, changes occur in a river, pond or stream at different times of the year. In the summers, the water level decreases in rivers and ponds. In the rainy season, water level increases in these waterbodies. When the water level crosses the standard limit, floods occur.
Have you ever been near a river or sea? When?
Yes, I have been at both. Once I was going to visit my ancestral village. To reach there, we had to cross a massive river. I spent a couple of minutes near the river, and I clicked some pictures of the beautiful scenery.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Will there be the same amount of water in the ponds or rivers during the rainy season and in summer?
There will not be the same amount of water in the ponds and rivers during the rainy season and in summer. In the rainy season, amount of water will be more.
Is there a pond, river or lake near your town or city?
Yes, there is a beautiful lake in our city. There is also a pond in our locality.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Is the water from the sea drinkable? Why?
No, water from the sea is not drinkable because it is very salty.
Find out–
What are the different kinds of water animals found there?
Different types of fish, cormorants, ducks, kingfishers, and other migratory birds are seen there.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
What are the kinds of birds that come there?
Various birds visit the lake like kingfisher, egret, hornbill, heron, etc.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Are there any changes in the water during summers, the rainy season and in winters?
Yes, I have seen the lake during summer. It dries up gradually. In the rainy season, the water level of the lake rises. During winter, the water level remains normal, and many migratory birds visit the lake.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
What kind of trees and plants grow around it?
There are small bushes near the lake. There are mango trees, jackfruit trees, neem trees, and coconut trees near the lake.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Have you ever seen or read about floods? Where?
Yes, I have seen floods on television. Floods occurred last year in many states like Kerala and Telangana.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
What happens when there is a flood?
A flood is a natural calamity. When a flood happens, it destroys human habitat and agricultural lands. Water overflows on the roads and enters into houses.
Have you seen dirty water in a river or pond? Where?
Yes, there is a pond in my locality which is very dirty.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
How would you know if the water is dirty? If the water looks clean, can you be sure that it is alright to drink that water? Discuss.
The pond looks very dirty, and it is full of scum. Nobody uses water from that pond.
We cannot say for sure if clean water is always drinkable.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
How does water become dirty?
Do you think that like the river in the picture your river or lake can also be affected?
Yes, I think that the river where I get my drinking water may be adversely affected.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
From where do you get your drinking water? A river or a lake?
We drink filtered water at home. The water is sourced from a river by the local municipality and stored in huge tanks. Later from that tank, the water is distributed to every household in my locality.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Try this
For this activity you will need to bring certain things from your home. You will find most of these in the kitchen.
(a) 5 or 6 glasses or bottles.
(b) Salt, sugar, cooking soda, haldi, flour and dal (about half a teaspoon each).
(c) Lemon Juice, soap water, sherbet, oil (one spoonful each).
What will you do? Fill about half of each bottle or glass with water. Make sure that all have the same amount of water. Now, one by one, put each of the things in the water. For example–haldi in the first glass, oil in the second glass, soda in the third glass until you have one thing in each glass. Mix each thing in the water and see what happens. Write your observations in the table.
Do all things dissolve in water?
No, all things do not get dissolved in water.
Does the colour of the water always change?
No, the colour of the water does not always change.
Did oil dissolve in water? How can you say whether it has dissolved or not?
No, oil is not soluble in water. If we add some oil in a glass full of water and stir it continuously with a spoon, we will see that the oil does not mix with water rather, it floats on the surface as tiny droplets.
Imagine how it would be if things like stones, chalk, plastic and garbage would dissolve in water!
If things like stones, chalk, plastic, and garbage would dissolve in water, these things would make water dirty, and it would be tough to separate these from the water.
How is drinking water cleaned in your house?
In my house, drinking water is cleaned through a water purifier.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Draw pictures showing any two ways of cleaning the water.
What did you observe? Put (tick) mark in the right places.
Colour of the water may not change even after some things are dissolved in it. Would you say that these are absent in water?
No, we cannot say that those are absent in water.
Imagine how it would be if things like sugar, salt, lemon juice, sherbet, etc., could not dissolve in water!
If things like sugar, salt, lemon juice, sherbet, etc., could not dissolve in water, cooking food or making tea, coffee, cold drinks, etc., would be difficult.
There are many things that dissolve easily in water. Some of these can be very harmful for our body. Hence, it is important that we clean water before drinking it. One of the best ways to do this is to boil the water.
If for some reason this cannot be done, can you think of some other ways to clean water?
If water cannot be boiled, we can strain the water and add a small amount of chlorine to purify it. Alum can also be added to water for purification.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Find out the many different ways of cleaning water at home.
The different ways of cleaning water at home are boiling, adding chlorine or alum, and using a water purifier.
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