Earth The Living Planet – Class 3

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Objective of the chapter: Earth The Living Planet - Class 3

You will learn about:

  • the earth and its shape
  • the horizon, the coast and the sky

Earth - The Living Planet

Our planet earth is home to all the living things. It is the only planet in our solar system that has life. There is no other place in the universe where life exists. The earth has air, water and soil that are needed by plants and animals to survive. Due to presence of life, our earth is called a unique planet.

The Earth

All living things on earth need air, water and right amount of warmth to live. It is at the right distance from the sun which makes it neither too hot nor too cold.

The things that are found on Earth are:

  • The earth gets heat and light from the sun.
  • A layer of air, called the atmosphere, surrounds the earth.
  • The surface of earth is made up of land and water. About three-fourths of the Earth is covered with water and one-fourths by land.

The Shape of the Earth

If you stand on an open field or on a sea beach, you may observe that the earth appears flat. Due to this reason, people long ago were afraid to travel far. They fear that they would fall off the edge of the earth.

Is the Earth really flat?

About 500 years ago, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese sailor, set out with a fleet of ships on a long voyage from Spain.

He kept sailing in one direction. After three years, his ships reached the same place from where they had started. The sailors had really sailed around the earth.

Magellan proved that the earth is round like a ball, not flat, as people believed earlier.

Planet Earth from Space

Planet Earth from Space

The astronauts further proved this. Astronauts are people who have been trained to travel in space in rockets and spaceships. When the astronauts looked at the earth from outer space, they found that the earth looked like a huge ball.

Astronaut in deep space

Astronaut in deep space.

The Horizon

If you look from a distance, the land and sky seem to meet. But in reality they do not meet. The place at which the land and sky appear to meet is called the horizon.

Horizon

Horizon

You may further observe that as you move closer to the horizon, it will seem to move further away from you.

The Coast

The land and sea meet at the coast. If you stand on the coast and face the sea, it will seem as if the water and the sky are meeting at distance. This does not happen in reality.

Coast

Coast

The Sky

Above the earth is the sky. It looks blue though it is really not so. It is just a vast space surrounding the earth. The sun, the stars and the moon are heavenly bodies in this space.

Earth – The Living Planet

For Class 3

A. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS.

  1. Why do we say that the planet Earth is unique?

    As far as we know, except planet Earth, there is no other place in the universe where there is life. That is why planet Earth is called unique.
  2. Who was Ferdinand Magellan?

    Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese sailor. He proved that the shape of the earth is round like a ball.
  3. What is the shape of the Earth? Give two ways to prove this.

    The shape of the Earth is round.
    1. About 500 years ago, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese sailor sett out with a fleet of ships on a long voyage from Spain. He kept sailing in one direction and after three years he reached the same place from where they had started. This proves that the shape of the Earth is round.
    2. When astronauts travelled to space in rockets and spaceships they found that from outer space the planet Earth looked like a huge ball.
  4. What is the horizon?

    The place at which the land and sky appear to meet is called the horizon.
  5. Describe the sky.

    Above the planet Earth is the sky. It looks blue but it is really not so. It is just a vast space surrounding the Earth. The sun, the other planets, the stars and the moon are heavenly bodies in this space.

 

B. TRUE OR FALSE.

  1. An astronaut is a person who travels around the world.
  2. The Earth is a huge ball of burning gases.
  3. Magellan sailed in one direction and finally, his ship reached the place from where it had started.
  4. There is more land on the surface of the Earth than water.
  5. The sky is a vast space in the universe.
  1. False. An astronaut travels in space.
  2. False. Sun is a huge ball of burning gases.
  3. True
  4. False. There is more water than land on the surface of the earth.
  5. True

 

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