Plants and Animals Live Together — Class 3 EVS (CBSE)
From the current NCERT Our Wondrous World Grade 3 book, Unit 2: Life Around Us, Chapter 5. Wherever there are plants, there are also many animals — they live together and depend on each other.
1. Why this chapter matters
Nature is a web of life. Learning how plants and animals depend on each other helps children see that everything in nature is linked, and that we must protect plants and animals to keep this balance.
2. Key ideas
- Where there are plants, there are usually many animals living on, around, and under them.
- Animals depend on plants for food and shelter:
- Frogs rest on leaves; caterpillars eat leaves.
- Squirrels rest in tree hollows; birds build nests in trees.
- Monkeys eat fruits; camels eat plant leaves.
- The soil is full of life too — ants, termites, and earthworms live in it and keep it healthy.
- Plants and animals are closely linked — they help one another and keep nature in balance.
3. Let's understand
Stand near a single tree and look closely. Birds build nests in its branches, squirrels rest in its hollows, insects crawl on its bark, and monkeys may swing by for its fruit. The tree gives all of them food, shelter, and a safe place to raise their families.
Even the soil below is alive. Earthworms, ants, and termites move through it, making it loose and healthy so that plants can grow well. In return, plants hold the soil and give shade.
This shows that everything in nature is linked. Plants and animals depend on each other, so caring for one means caring for the other.
4. New words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| shelter | a safe place to live or rest |
| depend | to need someone or something for help |
| hollow | an empty space inside a tree trunk |
| nest | a home that birds build to lay eggs and raise young |
| earthworm | a small soil animal that keeps the soil healthy |
5. Activity corner
Observe one tree or plant for a few minutes. Write:
- Two animals or insects you see on or near it
- What each one might get from the plant (food or shelter)
- One way the plant is helped in return
6. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Thinking animals do not need plants. Fix: Animals depend on plants for food and shelter.
- Mistake: Thinking the soil is lifeless. Fix: Soil is full of life — ants, termites, and earthworms keep it healthy.
- Mistake: Seeing plants and animals as separate. Fix: They are closely linked and depend on each other.
7. Let Us Think
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Give two ways animals use plants. For food (eating leaves or fruit) and for shelter (nests, hollows, resting on leaves).
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Name two animals that live in the soil. Earthworms and ants (also termites).
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How do earthworms help plants? They move through the soil and keep it loose and healthy, so plants grow well.
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Where do birds build their nests, and why? In trees, to lay eggs and raise their young safely.
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Why should we protect plants and animals? Because everything in nature is linked; protecting one helps the other and keeps the balance.
8. Answer key
- For food and for shelter.
- Earthworms and ants (or termites).
- By keeping the soil loose and healthy.
- In trees, to raise their young safely.
- Because plants and animals depend on each other.
9. Quick revision
- Wherever there are plants, there are many animals.
- Animals use plants for food (leaves, fruit) and shelter (nests, hollows).
- Soil is alive — ants, termites, and earthworms keep it healthy.
- Plants and animals are closely linked and depend on each other.
- Protecting nature keeps this balance.
Unit 2: Life Around Us
This chapter is part of Unit 2: Life Around Us. The three chapters in this unit are:
- Chapter 4: Getting to Know Plants
- Chapter 5: Plants and Animals Live Together
- Chapter 6: Living in Harmony
