Chapter: 02. Understanding Changes
Understanding Changes
This document will help you learn about different kinds of changes that happen around us.
What You Will Learn
How neighbourhoods change over time. How our lifestyle, food, work, clothes, houses, and traditions evolve. The importance of getting used to changes. The different ways schools have changed and continue to change. Key Terms
Here are some important words you’ll learn about in this chapter:
Neighbours: The people who live near your house. Neighbourhood: The area around or near your house. It includes places like parks, schools, hospitals, post offices, and markets. Development: The process of growth or making things better and more advanced. Change: To become different, or to make something different. Growing up: The process of becoming older and more mature. Adaptability: The ability to adjust to new conditions. Tradition: A custom or belief that has existed for a long time. Facilities: Buildings, services, or things that are provided for a particular purpose. Adjust: To change slightly to make something more suitable or to get used to a new situation.
Changing Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods are always changing! If you look around your neighbourhood, you’ll see it’s likely very different from how it looked even a few years ago, let alone thirty years ago.
Old neighbours might move away, and new neighbours might move in. Roads can be widened to improve travel. New buildings are constructed for homes or businesses. Trees might be cut down for construction or safety, while new plants are grown in other areas. New shops are set up, offering different goods and services. Let’s look at an example through Raman’s story:
Raman was born in a small village in West Bengal. The village was rural with thatched-roof huts and houses, surrounded by green fields. Farmers worked in fields, and people walked along dirt paths. There was a well and a body of water. As Raman grew up, his village transformed into a small town. It now has many new buildings, factories, shopping malls, restaurants, and movie theatres. The landscape includes modern structures, roads with painted lines, and cars. Green Earth: Changes in neighbourhoods can include environmental changes like the planting or removal of trees. It’s interesting to see if trees planted long ago are still there.
Growth and Development
Changes are a natural part of life and cannot be avoided. They can be both good and bad, but they are often necessary for progress. As society develops, many aspects of our lives change:
People’s way of life evolves over time. Food habits change with new ingredients and cooking methods. Clothing styles and materials transform. Houses are built with new designs and technologies. Traditions adapt or new ones emerge. Schools: Schools today are very different from those your parents or guardians attended. They grow to have more facilities. They become bigger to accommodate more students. Markets: The way we shop has changed dramatically. In the past, people shopped at smaller, individual stores. Today, we have large shopping malls where you can buy almost everything under one roof. During your grandparents’ time, there were no computers or mobile phones for playing games. Modern technology has introduced many new ways to spend free time. Communication: Means of communication have changed significantly from your grandparents’ time to today, with the advent of phones, internet, and social media.
Changes in School
As you grow up, moving from one class to another each year brings many changes in school life. These changes are a crucial part of growing up and help you become adaptable to different situations.
Annual Changes in School: You have different teachers for new subjects. You learn many new subjects and topics. These changes are a normal part of life. Changes in Learning Methods: The way we learn has changed significantly over time. Past: Teachers taught using traditional methods. Today: Many schools now use new teaching and learning aids like: See picture: (Depicts a modern school environment) Adjusting to New Schools: Sometimes children have to move to other cities or join new schools within the same city. It is important for all students to help new children settle down by making them feel comfortable in their new environment. FactPedia: In ancient India, education was often imparted in residential schools called gurukuls. Pupils lived with their guru (teacher), often in the same house, and only returned home after their entire education was complete. A famous example is Shantiniketan, which was started by Rabindranath Tagore with only a few students and has now grown into a world-famous university.
Overall Summary
The area around your house is called your neighbourhood. Change is a constant and necessary part of life; it cannot be avoided. The way we learn has changed significantly over time. Today, technology like computers and smartboards is widely used for both teaching and learning in schools.
Self Study
