CBSE Class 6 Syllabus for Science

1. Food
Sources of food What are the various
sources of our food?
What do other animals
eat?

Components of food
What is our food made
up of? Why do we eat a variety of food?

Cleaning food
How do we separate the grains after harvesting the
wheat /rice crop?

Plant parts and animal
products as sources of
food; herbivores,
carnivores, omnivores.

Carbohydrates, fats,
proteins, vitamins,
minerals, fibres, their
sources and significance
for human health;
balanced diet; diseases and disabilities due to food deficiencies.

Threshing, winnowing,
hand picking,
sedimentation, filtration.

Examples of food from
different parts of plants
and of food from animals
sources.

Mid Day Meal; Charts,
pictures/films of children
suffering from food
deficiencies and disabilities.

Talking to some elders
about practices after
harvesting the crop; kit
materials.

(Periods - 20)
Germination of seeds
such as mung, chick pea etc.; preparing a chart on food habits of animals and food culture of different regions of India.

Studying the variety of food in different regions in India; preparing a menu of balanced diet in the context of the diversity of foods eaten in different parts of the country.
Classifying foods according to food components; test for starch, sugars, proteins
and fats.

Discussion on threshing,
winnowing, handpicking;
experiments on
sedimentation, filtration.
Separating mixture of salt and sand.

2. Materials
Materials of daily use
What are our clothes made of? How did
people manage when there
were no clothes?

Are some of our clothes made of materials
obtained from plants?
In what kinds of places
do these plants grow?
Which parts of the plants
are used for making clothes?

Different kinds of materials
What kinds of things do we see around us?

How things change/
react with one another
In what ways do things
change on being heated?
Do they change back on
being cooled? Why does
a burning candle get
shorter?

How much salt can be
dissolved in a cup of
water?

Different types of cloth materials – cotton, wool,
silk and synthetics.
Development of clothing
materials.

Plant fibre, especially
cotton and jute;
production of cotton, jute
and other locally available
plant fibres; types of soil
required for the growth of
different fibrous plants.

Grouping things on the
basis of common
properties.

Some changes can be
reversed and others
cannot be reversed.

Solubility, saturated
solutions.
Amount of substance
dissolving varies with
temperature.
At the same temperature
amounts of different
substances that dissolve
varies.

Sharing of prior knowledge with parents
and community.
Archaeological and
historical accounts.

Sharing of prior
knowledge with parents
and community.

Materials, kit items.

Prior knowledge, kit items.

Salt, sugar and other
common substances, kit
items.

Whole class discussion.

Simple activities to
distinguish among
different types of cloth.

Whole class discussion.
Field survey/ collecting
information on locally
available plant fibres
(coconut, silk cotton, etc.)

Collecting and grouping
things on the basis of
gross properties e.g.
roughness, lustre,
transparency, solubility,
sinking/floating using
prior knowledge, through
experiments.

Experiments involving
heating of air, wax, paper,
metal, water to highlight
effects like burning,
expansion/compression,
change of state.
Discussion on other
changes which cannot be
reversed – growing up,
opening of a bud,

Experiments for testing
the solubility of
commonly available
substances. Experiments
on the effect of heating
and cooling on solubility.
Comparison of
solubilities of different
substances using nonstandard
units (eg. spoon,
paper cone).

3. The World of the Living
Things around us
Are all things around us
living? What is the
difference between living
and non-living? Are all
living things similar? Do all
living things move?
Where do plants and
animals live? Can we
grow plants in the dark?

The habitat of the living
How does habitat affect
plants and animals? How do fish live in water?

Plants – form and
function
What is the structure and
function of various parts
of the plants - stem, leaf
and roots? How do
different flowers differ
from one another? How
does one study flowers?

Animals – form and
function What is inside our bodies?
How do animals move?
Do all animals have bones in their bodies? How do fishes move? And birds fly? What about snakes,snails, earthworms?

L i v i n g / n o n - l i v i n g
characteristics; habitat;
biotic, abiotic (light,
temperature, water, air,
soil, fire)

Habitat varies – aquatic,
deserts, mountains etc. –

plants and animals show
adaptation; other plant
part modifications like
tendrils, thorns etc.
Animals in deserts and
water.

Morphological structure
and function of root,
stem and leaves. Structure
of the flower, differences

Structure and functions of
the animal body; Human
skeletal system, some
other animals e.g. fish,
bird, cockroach, snail.

Recollection of diversity
of living organisms and
the habitat where they live.

Potted plants or seeds,
pots, etc; thermometer,any water plants, any
xerophytic plants,
Information on desert and
aquatic plants and animals

Plants, flowers, blade,
hand lens

Observation of nature;
model of skeleton, X-rays
of arms or legs, chest,
hips, jaws, vertebral
column (could be given in
the textbook).

Listing of things around
us, listing of characteristics
after making observations
say on size, colour, shape etc., categorisation;
observations on habitat;
observing germination of seeds, also observing
under dark conditions;
growth and development
of domestic animals,
hatching of birds’ eggs
etc., developing drawing
skills.

Listing the diverse set of
living organisms around

us; prepare herbarium
specimens of different
leaves, plants; studying
modifications in plants and animals; observing how different environmental
factors (water availability,
temperature) affect living
organisms;

Studying plant parts –
types of stems, roots,
leaves, seeds; experiment
to show conduction by
stem, activity to show
anchorage by roots,
absorption by roots.
Study of any flower,
counting number of parts,
names of parts, cutting
sections of ovary to
observe ovules.

Activities to study X-rays,
find out the direction in
which joints bend, feel the
ribs, backbone etc.
Observation/ discussion
on movement and skeletal
system in other animals.

5. How things work
Electric current and
circuits
How does a torch work?

Do all materials allow
current to flow through
them?

Magnets
What is a magnet?

Where on a magnet do
things stick?
How is a magnet used to find direction?

How do two magnets
behave when brought
close to each other?

Electric current: Electric
circuit (current flows only
when a cell and other
components are
connected in an unbroken
loop)

Conductor, Insulator.

Magnet.
Poles of a magnet.
A freely suspended
magnet always aligns in a particular direction. North
and South poles.

Like poles repel and
unlike poles attract each
other.

Torch: cell, bulb or led, wires, key.

Mica, paper, rubber,
plastic, wood, glass metal
clip, water, pencil
(graphite), etc.

Magnet, iron pieces.
Magnet, iron pieces, iron
filings, paper.
Bar magnet, stand, thread,
compass.
Two bar magnets, thread,
stand.

Activity using a bulb, cell and
key and connecting wire to
show flow of current and
identify closed and open
circuits. Making a switch.
Opening up a dry cell.

Experiment to show that
some objects (conductors)
allow current to flow and
others (insulators) do not.

Demonstrating how
things are attracted by a
magnet. Classification of
objects into magnetic/
non-magnetic classes.
Activity to locate poles of
a magnet; activity with iron
filings and paper.
Activities with suspended
bar magnet and with
compass needle.
Activities to show that like
poles repel and unlike
poles attract.

6. Natural Phenomena
Rain, thunder and
lightning
Where does rain come
from? How do clouds
form?
Light
Which are the things we
can see through?

When are shadows
formed? Do you get a
shadow at night – when
there is no light in the
room, no moonlight or
other source of light?
What colour is a shadow?
On what kinds of surfaces
can we see images?

Evaporation and
condensation, water in
different states. Water
cycle.
Classification of various
materials in terms of
transparent, translucent
and opaque.

A shadow is formed only
when there is a source of
light and an opaque material
obstructs a source it.
A shadow is black
irrespective of the colour
of the object.
Reflecting surfaces;
images are different from
shadows.

Previous experience,
candle/torch/lamp, white
paper, cardboard box,
black paper.

Child’s own experience,
candle/torch/lamp, white
paper, black paper,
coloured objects.
Experience, objects with
polished surfaces, mirror
etc.
 

(Periods - 26)
Discussion, observation;
looking across different
materials at a source of
light.

Discussion; observing
shadow formation of
various objects of
different shapes, and of
same shape and different
colours; playing and
forming shadows with
the hands in sunlight, in
candle light, and in a well lit region during daytime;
making a pinhole camera
and observing static and
moving objects.

Observing differences
between the image and
the shadow of the same
object.

7. Natural Resources
Importance of water
What will happen to soil,
people, domestic animals,
rivers, ponds and plants
and animals if it does not
rain this year?
What will happen to soil,
people, domestic animals,
plants and animals living
in rivers and ponds, if it
rains heavily?

Importance of air
Why do earthworms
come out of the soil when
it rains?

Waste
Do you throw away fruit
and vegetable peels and
cuttings? Can these be reused?
If we dump them
anywhere, will it harm the
surroundings? What if we
throw them in plastic
bags?

Importance of water,
dependence of the living
on water.
Droughts and floods.

Some animals and plants live in water; some live on land and some live in respire.
Waste; recycling of waste products; things that rot and things that don’t.
Rotting is supported by
animals/animal and plant products.

Experience,newspaper
reports.

Experience.

upper layers of soil; but
all need air to breath/to
respire.

Estimation of water used by a family in one day, one month, one year.
Difference between need and availability.
Discussion.
Activity: plant growth in
normal, deficient and
excess water conditions.

Discussion.

Survey of solid waste
generation by households;
estimation of waste
accumulated (by a house/
village/colony etc.) in a
day, in a year; discussion
on ‘what is waste’; Activity
to show that materials rot
in soil, this is affected by
wrapping in plastics.