Curiosity

Textbook of Science for Grade 6

0 Prelims.indd 1 10-07-2024 18:12:40

 0677 – Curiosity ISBN 978-93-5292-972-6
Textbook of Science for Grade 6

First Edition ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

July 2024 Jyeshtha 1946  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise
without the prior permission of the publisher.
PD 700T BS  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by
way of trade, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed
of without the publisher’s consent, in any form of binding or
© National Council of Educational cover other than that in which it is published.
Research and Training, 2024  The correct price of this publication is the price printed on
this page, Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or
by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should
be unacceptable.

OFFICES OF THE PUBLICATION

Division, NCERT

NCERT Campus
Sri Aurobindo Marg
New Delhi 110 016 Phone : 011-26562708
108, 100 Feet Road
Hosdakere Halli Extension
Banashankari III Stage
Bengaluru 560 085 Phone : 080-26725740
Navjivan Trust Building
P.O. Navjivan
Ahmedabad 380 014 Phone : 079-27541446
CWC Campus
Opp. Dhankal Bus Stop
Panihati
Kolkata 700 114 Phone : 033-25530454
65.00
CWC Complex
Maligaon
Guwahati 781 021 Phone : 0361-2674869

Publication Team
Head, Publication : Anup Kumar Rajput
Division

Chief Production Officer : Arun Chitkara

Chief Editor (In charge) : Bijnan Sutar

Chief Business Manager : Amitabh Kumar

Printed on 80 GSM paper with NCERT
Editor : Shilpa Mohan
watermark
Production Officer : Jahan Lal
Published at the Publication Division
by the Secretary, National Council of Cover and Layout
Educational Research and Training, The Banyan Tree
Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110016
Illustrations
and printed at S.K. Offset (P) Ltd., 10,
Sports Complex Enclave, Delhi Road, Fajruddin
Meerut 250 002 Junaid Digital Arts

0 Prelims.indd 2 15-07-2024 14:51:19

 Foreword
The National Education Policy 2020, envisages a system of
education in the country that is rooted in Indian ethos and its
civilisational accomplishments in all domains of human endeavour
and knowledge while at the same time preparing the students to
constructively engage with the prospects and challenges of the
twenty-first century. The basis for this aspirational vision has been
well laid out by the National Curriculum Framework for School
Education (NCF-SE) 2023 across curricular areas at all stages. Having
nurtured the students’ inherent abilities touching upon all the five
planes of human existence, the pañchakośhas, in the Foundational
and the Preparatory Stages have paved the way for the progression
of their learning further at the Middle Stage. Thus, the Middle Stage
acts as a bridge between the Preparatory and the Secondary Stages,
spanning three years from Grades 6 to 8.
This framework, at the Middle Stage, aims to equip students
with the skills that are needed to grow, as they advance in their
lives. It endeavours to enhance their analytical, descriptive, and
narrative capabilities, and to prepare them for the challenges and
opportunities that await them. A diverse curriculum, covering
nine subjects ranging from three languages—including at least two
languages native to India—to Science, Mathematics, Social Sciences,
Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational
Education promotes their holistic development.
Such a transformative learning culture requires certain essential
conditions. One of them is to have appropriate textbooks in
different curricular areas as these textbooks will play a central role
in mediating between content and pedagogy—a role that will strike
a judicious balance between direct instruction and opportunities
for exploration and inquiry. Among the other conditions, classroom
arrangement and teacher preparation are crucial to establish
conceptual connections both within and across curricular areas.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training, on
its part, is committed to providing students with such high-quality
textbooks. Various Curricular Area Groups, which have been
constituted for this purpose, comprising notable subject-experts,
pedagogues, and practising teachers as their members, have made

0 Prelims.indd 3 10-07-2024 18:12:41

 all possible efforts to develop such textbooks. Curiosity, Textbook
of Science for Grade 6, is one of these. It has been developed in
consonance with the recommendations of NEP 2020 and the
NCF-SE 2023 to take students on a journey of experiential learning
by citing examples from the world of the learners. The content
stimulates curiosity, a sense of exploration, questioning, and critical
thinking. The content seamlessly weaves together concepts from
physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science, along with cross-cutting
themes like environmental education, value education, inclusive
education, and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). The textbook aims
to engage learners through an integrated approach by including
multiple activities and thoughtful use of technology. The textbook
offers ample opportunities for reflection and group discussions.
To encourage creativity and innovation, it is feasible to regard
students as active participants in the learning process, rather than
mere recipients of a predetermined set of knowledge. This can
only be achieved if the necessary number of hours are dedicated to
science teaching–learning annually as outlined in NCF-SE 2023. The
pedagogical approach of the textbook also considers how important
it is for students to think critically, reason well and make decisions.
It also provides students with numerous opportunities to learn from
each other, making the learning experience more engaging for both
teachers and students.
However, in addition to this textbook, students at this stage
should also be encouraged to explore various other learning
resources. School libraries play a crucial role in making such
resources available. Besides, the role of parents and teachers will
also be invaluable in guiding and encouraging students to do so.
With this, I express my gratitude to all those who have been
involved in the development of this textbook and hope that it
will meet the expectations of all stakeholders. At the same time, I
also invite suggestions and feedback from all its users for further
improvement in the coming years.

Dinesh Prasad Saklani

Director
New Delhi National Council of Educational
30 June 2024 Research and Training

iv

0 Prelims.indd 4 10-07-2024 18:12:42

 About the Book
Curiosity, Textbook of Science for Grade 6 learners has been crafted
in alignment with the recommendations of the National Education
Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for
School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. The policy advocates a radical shift
from a content-based education to a competency-based education,
particularly in the realm of science. Therefore, the formulation of
curricular goals for Science, subsequent competencies and learning
outcomes are tailored towards competency-based learning. These
curricular goals encompass various scientific concepts, including
matter, the physical and living world, health, hygiene, and the
exploration of the interface between science, society and technology.
Additionally, the goals focus on the nature of science, its processes,
historical and contemporary aspects of the development of science
and science communication. While these goals are explicitly
articulated, they are interdependent and collectively contribute
to a better understanding of the world around us. Accordingly, the
chapters of this textbook are structured around creative activities,
reflective questions, processes and illustrations. The integration of
the concepts from biology, chemistry, physics and earth science, and
cross-cutting themes, such as value education, inclusive education,
Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and environmental education
have been interwoven in the content. Thus, the textbook aims to
provide experience-based learning, rather than simply reading and
memorising the concepts.
In the Middle Stage, science teaching–learning adopts
an integrated approach. This integrated approach develops
fundamental capacities across biology, chemistry, physics and
earth science. The use of an integrated approach helps the learners
to appreciate the interrelations between subjects and make sense
of their observations and experiences.
Curiosity, Textbook of Science for Grade 6, comprises twelve
chapters. As the name of the textbook suggests, there are numerous
opportunities for the learners to explore the world of science and
its nature. Through the chapters, learners will embark on a journey
that will connect them to the world around and spark curiosity for
further exploration. The hands-on activities embedded within each
chapter engages the learners and provide them an opportunity to

0 Prelims.indd 5 10-07-2024 18:12:42

 reflect on learning. These activities are inclusive in nature. Some
activities require both the teacher and learners to prepare in
advance.
Chapter 1, titled ‘The Wonderful World of Science’, provides a
holistic view of the new topic of Science introduced in the Middle
Stage. It showcases, through examples, the essence of Science—a
way of thinking, observing, and finding out by doing, and by asking
questions. This chapter weaves together the concepts covered in
the rest of the book, and aims to excite the readers as they start
their adventures into the world of science. There are no assessment
exercises in this chapter and is designed to be non-evaluative.
Also, every chapter in the book begins with an introduction that
makes the learners curious and tries to show different ways with
which the goals of the curriculum can be achieved effectively.
The chapters begin with the stories related to real-life situations,
these are meant to capture learners’ interest and connect them
with what is already known. The various activities given are based
on scientific processes, designed to provide hands and minds-on
experiences. Following each activity, there are questions to help
learners understand and assess how well they have grasped the
information. Questions are significant in the learning process. They
help learners to explore and reinforce their understanding. One will
also find many thought-provoking questions designed to encourage
deep thinking, self-awareness and critical analysis. These questions
prompt learners to ponder and delve deeper into their thoughts.
In order to sustain the interest of the readers, some of the
challenging ideas, additional information, poems, stories, strange
facts and other interesting materials are also presented as add on
non-evaluative content in the boxes labelled ‘Do you know?’, ‘More
to know!’, ‘Think it over!’ and ‘More to do!’. The thrill of scientific
inquiry comes from pursuing the unknown, giving learners the
opportunity to think and explore beyond the syllabus. Some chapters
also include a section called ‘Know a scientist’, which presents the
contributions of Indian scientists related to that concept. All these box
items, including brief biographies of scientists, are non-evaluative.
The important ideas and steps in understanding a given concept
of science are included as ‘Keywords’ at the end of each chapter.
These ‘Keywords’ will help learners to acknowledge various

vi

0 Prelims.indd 6 10-07-2024 18:12:42

 ideas and encourage them to think more deeply about the content.
The keywords related to scientific processes depict the steps or
procedure involved in the scientific activities. These words guide
learners on how scientific knowledge is generated, tested and
applied. ‘Summary’ offers an overview of the chapter’s main points,
reinforcing the key ideas discussed. It serves to outline the content
presented in the chapter. A non-evaluative interesting element that
has been incorporated in some of the chapters is the introduction of
certain verses from various Indian texts to promote rootedness in
the learners as envisaged in NEP 2020.
The primary aim of Curiosity is to prepare the children for
becoming the responsible members of the society, and therefore
efforts have been made to raise awareness about various issues, such
as gender, region, environment, health and hygiene, water scarcity
and energy conservation. Activities given in the book endeavour to
promote peer-learning and group activities.
The assessment exercises, ‘Let us enhance our learning’, play
a vital role in the learning process. They help to reinforce the
understanding and identify areas for improvement, making them
essential components of effective teaching and learning. Assessment
consists of various exercises, from pictorial questions to creating
puzzles and multiple-choice questions, to create a challenging
and interesting experience for the learners. These questions also
facilitate the evaluation of various competencies expected to be
developed through a particular chapter. Peer and group activities
to explore answers to the questions are also encouraged.
A significant feature of the book is what we termed as ‘Learning
further’. In this section, some projects and activities are designed to
increase learners’ interaction with experts, teachers, parents and
the wider community. Learners are encouraged to gather diverse
information and draw their own conclusions.
The textbook is just one way to learn. Learners should enhance
their knowledge by exploring and observing their surroundings.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can also be a
valuable tool for learners’ learning and development, when used
appropriately. Learners can explore ICT with the help of Quick
Response (QR) codes provided in the textbook. QR codes make the
reading experiences more interactive and enjoyable. These QR

vii

0 Prelims.indd 7 10-07-2024 18:12:44

 codes that have additional resources can be accessed by the learners
at their own convenience and pace. These additional resources
include videos, puzzles, games, quizzes, audio, documentaries and
additional content on some topics.
At the end of this book, learners will find a page titled ‘It is not the
end, my friend!’. This includes words of encouragement, motivating
learners to continue their educational journey and ignite their
curiosity for further learning. It is meant to be non-evaluative.
May the journey of every learner be filled with joy and continue
the curiosity in the higher grades as well!
We express our gratitude to all the members of the textbook
development committee for their contributions in shaping this
textbook. We look forward to the feedback of the readers.

Anjni Koul
Professor, Academic Convener
Department of Education in
Science and Mathematics
NCERT

viii

0 Prelims.indd 8 10-07-2024 18:12:44

 National Syllabus and Teaching Learning
Material Committee (NSTC)
1. M.C. Pant, Chancellor, National Institute of Educational
Planning and Administration (NIEPA), (Chairperson)
2. Manjul Bhargava, Professor, Princeton University
(Co-Chairperson)
3. Sudha Murty, Acclaimed Writer and Educationist
4. Bibek Debroy, Chairperson, Economic Advisory Council–Prime
Minister (EAC–PM)
5. Shekhar Mande, Former Director General, CSIR, Distinguished
Professor, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
6. Sujatha Ramdorai, Professor, University of British Columbia,
Canada
7. Shankar Mahadevan, Music Maestro, Mumbai
8. U. Vimal Kumar, Director, Prakash Padukone Badminton
Academy, Bengaluru
9. Michel Danino, Visiting Professor, IIT–Gandhinagar
10. Surina Rajan, IAS (Retd.), Haryana, Former Director General,
HIPA
11. Chamu Krishna Shastri, Chairperson, Bhasha Samiti, Ministry
of Education
12. Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council–Prime
Minister (EAC–PM)
13. M.D. Srinivas, Chairperson, Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai
14. Gajanan Londhe, Head, Programme Office, NSTC
15. Rabin Chhetri, Director, SCERT, Sikkim
16. Pratyusha Kumar Mandal, Professor, Department of Education
in Social Science, NCERT, New Delhi
17. Dinesh Kumar, Professor and Head, Planning and Monitoring
Division, NCERT, New Delhi
18. Kirti Kapur, Professor, Department of Education in Languages,
NCERT, New Delhi
19. Ranjana Arora, Professor and Head, Department of Curriculum
Studies and Development, NCERT (Member-Secretary)

0 Prelims.indd 9 10-07-2024 18:12:44

0 Prelims.indd 10 10-07-2024 18:12:44
 Textbook Development Team

Chairperson, Curricular Area Group (Science)

Shekhar C. Mande, FNA, FASc, FNASc, Former Director General, CSIR,
Distinguished Professor, Bioinformatics Centre, Savitribai Phule Pune
University, Honorary Distinguished Scientist, National Centre for Cell
Science, Pune.
Contributors
Arnab Bhattacharya, Centre Director, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science
Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai,
Professor, Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material
Science, TIFR, Mumbai (Chairperson, Physics Sub-group)
Ashish Kumar Srivastava, Assistant Professor, Department of Education
in Science and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Gagan Gupta, Associate Professor, Department of Education in Science
and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Meher Wan, Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Science Communica-
tion and Policy Research, New Delhi
M. S. Sriram, Former Professor and Head, Department of Theoretical
Physics, University of Madras, Chennai and President, K. V. Sarma
Research Foundation, Chennai
Ritika Anand, Principal, St. Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School,
Meera Bagh, New Delhi
Sarita Vig, Professor, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
(IIST), Thiruvananthapuram
V. B. Bhatia, Former Professor, Department of Physics and Astrophysics,
University of Delhi, Delhi
Rachna Garg, Professor, Department of Education in Science and
Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi (Coordinator, Physics Sub-group)
R. Shankar, Adviser, International Geoscience Education Organisation,
Coordinator, International Earth Science Olympiad and Former
Professor, Mangalore University, Mangaluru (Chairperson, Earth
Science Sub-group)
Abhay Kumar, Assistant Professor, Central Institute of Educational
Technology, NCERT, New Delhi

0 Prelims.indd 11 10-07-2024 18:12:44

 H. L. Satheesh, Principal, Maharshi Public School, Mysuru
Poonam Katyal, Former TGT, Zeenat Mahal Sarvodaya Kanya
Vidyalaya, Jafrabad, Delhi
R. Srinivasan, Visiting Professor, Divecha Centre for Climate Change,
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
T. A. Viswanath, Former Associate Professor, Goa University, Goa
R. R. Koireng, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum Studies
and Development, NCERT, New Delhi (Coordinator, Earth Science
Sub-group)
Saroj Ghaskadbi, Former Senior Professor, Savitribai Phule Pune
University, Pune (Chairperson, Biology Sub-group)
C. V. Shimray, Associate Professor, Department of Education in Science
and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Dinesh Kumar, Professor and Head, Planning and Monitoring Division,
NCERT, New Delhi
Karthick Balsubramanian, Scientist F, Agharkar Research Institute,
Pune
K. V. Sridevi, Associate Professor, Regional Institute of Education,
NCERT, Ajmer
Pankaj Jain, Director, Academic and Operations, Seed2Sapling
Education Foundation, Bengaluru
Pooja Gokhle, Assistant Professor, Sri Venkateshwara College,
University of Delhi, New Delhi
Preeti Khanna, Rehabilitation Professional (Visual Impairement),
National Association for The Blind, New Delhi
Pushplata Verma, Associate Professor, Department of Education in
Science and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Sarita Kumar, Professor, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of
Delhi, Delhi
Somdutta Karak, Science Communications and Outreach Officer,
CSIR-Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, Hyderabad
Sujata Bhargava, Former Professor, Savitribai Phule Pune University,
Pune
Yukti Sharma, Professor, Department of Education (CIE), University of
Delhi, Delhi

xii

0 Prelims.indd 12 10-07-2024 18:12:44

 Sunita Farkya, Professor and Head, Department of Education in
Science and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi (Coordinator, Biology
Sub-group)
Uday Maitra, Honorary Professor and INSA Senior Scientist, Indian
Institute of Science, Bengaluru (Chairperson, Chemistry Sub-group)
Anand Arya, Associate Professor, Regional Institute of Education,
NCERT, Ajmer
Jaya P. Swaminathan, Teacher Developer, Royal Society of Chemistry,
Bengaluru
Padma Prabhu, Former TGT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and
Teacher Developer, Royal Society of Chemistry, Bengaluru
Pramila Tanwar, Associate Professor, Department of Education in
Science and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Ravindra Kumar Parashar, Professor, Department of Education in
Science and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Ravijot Sandhu, PGT (Chemistry), Navyug School, Laxmibai Nagar,
New Delhi
Ruchi Verma, Professor, Department of Education in Science and
Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Sandhiya Lakshmanan, Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Science
Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi
Sekar Venkatraman, Head of Department, Isha Home School,
Coimbatore
Sunita Malhotra, Professor, Indira Gandhi National Open University,
New Delhi
Tarun Choubisa, Director, Pedagogy and Innovation (Science),
Seed2Sapling Education Foundation, Bengaluru
Vijay Pal Singh, Professor, Department of Education in Science and
Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Reviewers
Aditi Murlidhar, Scientific Officer, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science
Education, TIFR, Mumbai
Ankush Gupta, Associate Professor, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science
Education, TIFR, Mumbai
Anurag Behar, CEO, Azim Premji Foundation, Member, National
Curriculum Framework Oversight Committee

xiii

0 Prelims.indd 13 10-07-2024 18:12:45

 B. K. Sharma, Former Professor, Department of Education in Science
and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi
Gajanan Londhe, Director, Samvit Research Foundation, Bengaluru
K. K. Arora, Former Professor, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University
of Delhi, Delhi
Manjul Bhargava, Professor, Princeton University & Co-Chairperson, NSTC
Manjushree Chaudhuri, Former PGT (Physics), Delhi Public School,
R.K. Puram, New Delhi, La Grande Boissière Campus of International
School, Geneva
Mridula Arora, Principal, Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar, New Delhi
Pushpa Tyagi, Former Head of Department (Physics), Sanskriti School,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi and Former PGT (Physics), Kendriya
Vidyalaya, Delhi
Ravi S. Nanjundiah, Professor, Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic
Sciences (CAOS), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Sanjay P. Sane, Professor, National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR,
Bengaluru
Savita Ladage, Professor, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education,
TIFR, Mumbai
Surendra Ghaskadbi, Former Scientist G, Agharkar Research Institute,
Pune
Vijay Sarda, Former Associate Professor, Zakir Hussain Dellhi College,
University of Delhi, Delhi
V. P. Srivastava, Former Professor, Department of Education in Science
and Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi

Member-convener, Curricular Area Group (Science)

Anjni Koul, Professor, Department of Education in Science and
Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi (Coordinator, Chemistry Sub-group)

xiv

0 Prelims.indd 14 10-07-2024 18:12:45

 Acknowledgements
The National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) acknowledges the guidance and support of the esteemed
Chairperson and members of the Curricular Area Group (CAG):
Science and other concerned CAGs for their guidelines on cross-cutting
themes in developing this textbook.
The Council is grateful to the members of the Textbook
Development Team, for their contribution in the development
of this textbook. The Council also gratefully acknowledges the
contribution of the participating members for giving inputs in
refining of the textbook—Ankita Dureja, TGT Science, DAV Public
School, Gurugram; Anupa Kumbhar, Assistant Professor, Savitribai
Phule Pune University, Pune; Ganti S. Murthy, Professor, IIT Indore;
Jatinder Mohan Mishra, Professor, DEL, NCERT, New Delhi; Lalmin
Kipgen, Assistant Professor, Division of Educational Kits, NCERT,
New Delhi; Mayuri Rege, Reader, HBCSE, TIFR, Mumbai; Meenakshi,
Assistant Professor, DEL, NCERT; Michel Danino, Visiting Professor,
IIT Gandhinagar, Gujarat; Neeraja Dashaputre, Assistant Professor,
IISER, Pune; Paresh Joshi, Professor, HBCSE, TIFR, Mumbai; Poonam
Bhadoria, Ph.D Scholar, IIT Varanasi; P. V. Raghavendra, Associate
Professor, DESM, NCERT, New Delhi; Rahul S. Chatterjee, Assistant
Lecturer (Physics), Boys’ Higher Secondary School, Shillong; Rama
P. Jayasundar, Head, Department of NMR, AIIMS, New Delhi; Saket
Bahuguna, Assistant Professor (Linguistics), Central Institute
of Hindi, Delhi Centre, Ministry of Education, Government of
India; Santosh Gharpure, Professor, IIT Bombay; Shirish Pathare,
Scientific Officer, HBCSE, TIFR, Mumbai; Sudesh Kumar, Associate
Professor, DESM, NCERT; Vijay Singh, Former Professor, IIT Kanpur,
Former Professor, HBCSE, TIFR, Mumbai, Visiting Professor, Centre
for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CEBS), Mumbai; V. P. Arya,
Assistant Professor, Regional Institute of Education, NCERT, Ajmer;
V. Ramanathan, Assistant Professor, IIT BHU, Varanasi.
The Council is thankful to Manoj Nair, Scientific Officer, HBCSE,
TIFR, Mumbai for making some of the illustrations for Chapter 7
‘Temperature and its Measurement.’ The Council is also thankful

0 Prelims.indd 15 10-07-2024 18:12:45

 to L. N. Aggarwal, Former Director, Geological Survey of India; R.
Shankar, Former Professor, Mangalore University; Ravi Korishettar,
Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advance Studies, Bengaluru;
Prabhakar Sangurmath, Former Executive Director, Hutti Gold Mines
Company Limited, Bengaluru for providing some photographs of
rocks and minerals for Chapter 11 ‘Nature’s Treasures.’ The Council
is also thankful to Dorje Angchuk, Engineer-in-charge, Indian
Astronomical Observatory (IIA), Hanle, Ladakh for providing the
photographs and to Pritesh Ranadive, Scientific Officer, HBCSE, TIFR,
Mumbai for providing some illustrations from Stellarium (a free
open-source planetarium) for Chapter 12 ‘Beyond Earth.’
Acknowledgements are due to Sridhar Srivastava, Joint Director,
NCERT; Amrendra P. Behera, Joint Director, CIET, NCERT; Ranjana
Arora, Professor and Head, DCS&D, NCERT; Sunita Farkya, Professor
and Head, DESM, NCERT, New Delhi for providing academic,
administrative and technical support.
The Council is thankful to Fanindra Sharma, Consultant,
Programme Office, NSTC, NCERT, New Delhi; M Pramod Kumar,
Senior Consultant, Programme Office, Assistant Professor, Amrita
Darshanam Centre, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore;
Suparna Diwakar, Educator and Development Sector Professional
and Chief Consultant, Programme Office, NSTC, NCERT, New Delhi.
The Council acknowledges the efforts of Annu Dahiya, Archana,
Neha Dhingra, Manish Joshi, Tanya Kaur, Senior Research Associates,
Nitika Rani, Course Administrator, and Neha Yadav, Junior Project
Fellow, DESM, NCERT, New Delhi; and the support provided by the
APC office and administrative staff of DESM.
Acknowledgements are due to Ankeeta Bezboruah, Freelance
Editor and Mathew John, Former Editor, NCERT, New Delhi, for their
valuable assistance in editing the manuscript of this textbook. The
Council acknowledges the contribution of Pawan Kumar Barriar,
In-charge, DTP Cell, Publication Division, NCERT; Vipan Kumar
Sharma, Manoj Kumar, Shiv Shankar Dubey, and Rajshree Saini,
DTP Operators (Contractual), Publication Division, NCERT for giving
this document a final shape.

0 Prelims.indd 16 10-07-2024 18:12:45

 Contents
Foreword iii
About the Book v
Chapter 1
The Wonderful World of Science 1
Chapter 2
Diversity in the Living World 9
Chapter 3
Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body 35
Chapter 4
Exploring Magnets 61
Chapter 5
Measurement of Length and Motion 79
Chapter 6
Materials Around Us 101
Chapter 7
Temperature and its Measurement 123
Chapter 8
A Journey through States of Water 143
Chapter 9
Methods of Separation in Everyday Life 163
Chapter 10
Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics 183
Chapter 11
Nature’s Treasures 207
Chapter 12
Beyond Earth 231

0 Prelims.indd 17 10-07-2024 18:12:45

0 Prelims.indd 18 10-07-2024 18:12:45