| I. Matter - Nature and Behaviour | Definition of matter; solid, liquid and gas; characteristics - shape, volume, density; change of state-melting (absorption of heat), freezing, evaporation (cooling by evaporation), condensation, sublimation.Nature of matter: Elements, compounds and mixtures; heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures, colloids and suspensions; solutions, concentration of solutions; separation of components of a mixture.Particle nature, basic units: Atoms and molecules, law of constant proportions, atomic and molecular masses; mole concept: relationship of mole to mass of the particles and numbers.Structure of atoms: Electrons, protons and neutrons; valency, chemical formula of common compounds; isotopes and Isobars. |
| II. Chemical Substances - Nature and Behaviour | Chemical reactions: Chemical equation, balanced chemical equation, implications of a balanced chemical equation; types of chemical reactions: combination, decomposition, displacement, double displacement, precipitation, neutralization, oxidation and reduction.Acids, bases and salts: Their definitions in terms of furnishing of H+ and OH– ions; general properties, examples and uses, concept of pH scale, importance of pH in everyday life; preparation and uses of sodium hydroxide, bleaching powder, baking soda, washing soda and Plaster of Paris.Metals and nonmetals: Properties of metals and non-metals; reactivity series; formation and properties of ionic compounds; basic metallurgical processes; corrosion and its prevention.Carbon compounds: Covalent bonding in carbon compounds; versatile nature of carbon; homologous series; nomenclature of carbon compounds containing functional groups (halogens, alcohol, ketones, aldehydes, alkanes and alkynes), difference between saturated hydrocarbons and unsaturated hydrocarbons; chemical properties of carbon compounds (combustion, oxidation, addition and substitution reaction), ethanol and ethanoic acid (only properties and uses), soaps and detergents.Periodic classification of elements: Need for classification, early attempts at classification of elements (Dobereiner’s Triads, Newland’s Law of Octaves, Mendeleev’s Periodic Table), modern periodic table, gradation in properties, valency, atomic number, metallic and non-metallic properties. |
| III. Organization in the Living World | Cell - Basic Unit of life: Cell as a basic unit of life; prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms; cell membrane and cell wall, cell organelles and cell inclusions; chloroplast, mitochondria, vacuoles, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus; nucleus, chromosomes - basic structure, number.Tissues, Organs, Organ System, Organism: Structure and functions of animal and plant tissues.Biological Diversity: Diversity of plants and animals-basic issues in scientific naming, basis of classification. Hierarchy of categories / groups, Major groups of plants (salient features) (Bacteria, Thallophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms). Major groups of animals (salient features) (Non-chordates upto phyla and chordates upto classes).Health and Diseases: Health and its failure; infectious and non-infectious diseases, their causes and manifestation; diseases caused by microbes (virus, bacteria and protozoans) and their prevention; principles of treatment and prevention; Pulse Polio programmes. |
| IV. Life Processes | Basic concept of nutrition, respiration, transport and excretion in plants and animals.Control and coordination in animals and plants: Tropic movements in plants; introduction of plant hormones; control and coordination in animals: nervous system; voluntary, involuntary and reflex action; chemical coordination: animal hormones.Reproduction: Reproduction in animals and plants (asexual and sexual) reproductive health-need and methods of family planning; safe sex vs HIV/AIDS; child bearing and women’s health.Heredity and Evolution: Heredity; Mendel’s contribution: Laws for inheritance of traits: sex determination: brief introduction; basic concepts of evolution. |
| V. Motion, Force and Work | Motion: Distance and displacement, velocity; uniform and non-uniform motion along a straight line; acceleration, distance-time and velocity-time graphs for uniform motion and uniformly accelerated motion, derivation of equations of motion by graphical method; elementary idea of uniform circular motion.Force and Newton’s laws : Force and motion, Newton’s laws of motion, action and reaction forces, inertia of a body, inertia and mass, momentum, force and acceleration. elementary idea of conservation of momentum.Gravitation: Gravitation; Universal law of gravitation, force of gravitation of the earth (gravity), acceleration due to gravity; mass and Weight; free fall.Floatation: Thrust and pressure. Archimedes’ principle; buoyancy; elementary idea of relative density.Work, energy and power: Work done by a force, energy, power; kinetic and potential energy; law of conservation of energy.Sound: Nature of sound and its propagation in various media, speed of sound, range of hearing in humans; ultrasound; reflection of sound; echo and SONAR. Structure of the human ear (auditory aspect only). |
| VI. Effects of Current | Electric current, potential difference and electric current. Ohm’s law; resistance, resistivity, factors on which the resistance of a conductor depends.Series combination of resistors, parallel combination of resistors and its applications in daily life.Heating effect of electric current and its applications in daily life.Electric power, interrelation between P, V, I and R.Magnetic effects of current: Magnetic field, field lines, field due to a current carrying conductor, field due to current carrying coil or solenoid; force on current carrying conductor, Fleming’s left hand rule, electric motor.Electromagnetic induction: induced potential difference, induced current. Fleming’s right hand rule, electric generator; direct current; alternating current: frequency of AC. Advantage of AC over DC. Domestic electric circuits. |
| VII. Light | Reflection of light by curved surfaces; images formed by spherical mirrors, centre of curvature, principal axis, principal focus, focal length, mirror formula (derivation not required), magnification.Refraction; laws of refraction, refractive index; Refraction of light by spherical lens; image formed by spherical lenses; lens formula (derivation not required); magnification, power of a lens.Functioning of a lens in the human eye, defects of vision and their corrections, applications of spherical mirrors and lenses.Refraction of light through a prism, dispersion of light, scattering of light, applications in daily life. |
| VIII. Our Environment | Physical resources: Air, water, soil. Air for respiration, for combustion, for moderating temperatures; movements of air and its role in bringing rains across India.Air, water and soil pollution (brief introduction). Holes in ozone layer and the probable damages.Biogeochemical cycles in nature: Water, Oxygen, Carbon and Nitrogen. |
| IX. Natural Resources | Sources of energy: Different forms of energy, conventional and non-conventional sources of energy: fossil fuels, solar energy; biogas; wind, water and tidal energy; nuclear energy. Renewable versus non-renewable sources of Energy.Our environment: Eco-system, environmental problems, ozone depletion, waste production and their solutions. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances.Management of natural resources: Conservation and judicious use of natural resources. Forest and wildlife; Coal and Petroleum conservation. Examples of people’s participation for conservation of natural resources. Big dams: advantages and limitations; alternatives, if any; water harvesting; sustainability of natural resources. |
| X. Food Production | Plant and animal breeding and selection for quality improvement and management; use of fertilizers and manures; protection from pests and diseases; organic farming. |
