The Class 5 environmental studies book Looking Around is NCERT’s official EVS textbook for Class 5 — 22 chapters across 204 printed pages — and every chapter’s official PDF is on this page. Published by NCERT and served free from ncert.nic.in, the links below are the same files schools and teachers use.
This page also tells you what is inside the book. Each chapter below is profiled by how long it runs, which activities it sets and what it actually teaches, so you can find the chapter that answers the question you were asked — where digestion is explained, which chapter deals with malaria, or how the book closes.
Class 5 Environmental Studies Book Looking Around: official chapter PDFs
| Ch. | Chapter | Pages | Official PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Super Senses | 14 | |
| 2 | A Snake Charmer's Story | 7 | |
| 3 | From Tasting to Digesting | 13 | |
| 4 | Mangoes Round the Year | 7 | |
| 5 | Seeds and Seeds | 9 | |
| 6 | Every Drop Counts | 9 | |
| 7 | Experiments with Water | 7 | |
| 8 | A Treat for Mosquitoes | 9 | |
| 9 | Up You Go! | 11 | |
| 10 | Walls Tell Stories | 12 | |
| 11 | Sunita in Space | 11 | |
| 12 | What if it Finishes…? | 10 | |
| 13 | A Shelter so High! | 11 | |
| 14 | When the Earth Shook! | 8 | |
| 15 | Blow Hot, Blow Cold | 8 | |
| 16 | Who will do this Work? | 7 | |
| 17 | Across the Wall | 11 | |
| 18 | No Place for Us? | 9 | |
| 19 | A Seed Tells a Farmer’s Story | 8 | |
| 20 | Whose Forests? | 10 | |
| 21 | Like Father, Like Daughter | 8 | |
| 22 | On the Move Again | 5 |
Every file in the table above is NCERT’s own PDF, hosted on ncert.nic.in — one official file per chapter, together covering the whole book from page 1 to page 204. The links are the source schools and teachers use; nothing here is a third-party copy.
Chapter 1’s official file, eeap101.pdf on ncert.nic.in, covers Super Senses (pp. 1-14) — open it to see how the book opens its tour of the senses straight from NCERT’s own site.
At a glance: 22 chapters, 204 printed pages, 18 activities
- 22 chapters run from Super Senses to On the Move Again.
- 204 printed pages across the whole book, closing at page 204.
- 18 hands-on activities are spread through the chapters — the book’s main way of teaching.
- Official NCERT PDFs for all 22 chapters, linked in the table above.
- Chapter study-page states for each chapter appear in the chapter pages section below.
Looking Around is built around prompt headings rather than numbered sections — ‘Think and tell’, ‘Find out’ and ‘Discuss and write’ carry the learning inside each chapter, and every chapter closes with a ‘What we have learnt’ recap instead of a question bank.
What each chapter covers, with page ranges and activities
| Ch. | Chapter | Sections | Activities | Figures | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Super Senses | — | 1 | — | — |
| 2 | A Snake Charmer's Story | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | From Tasting to Digesting | — | 1 | — | — |
| 4 | Mangoes Round the Year | — | 1 | — | — |
| 5 | Seeds and Seeds | — | 2 | — | — |
| 6 | Every Drop Counts | — | 1 | — | — |
| 7 | Experiments with Water | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | A Treat for Mosquitoes | — | 3 | — | — |
| 9 | Up You Go! | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Walls Tell Stories | — | 1 | — | — |
| 11 | Sunita in Space | — | 1 | — | — |
| 12 | What if it Finishes…? | — | 1 | — | — |
| 13 | A Shelter so High! | — | 3 | — | — |
| 14 | When the Earth Shook! | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Blow Hot, Blow Cold | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Who will do this Work? | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Across the Wall | — | 1 | — | — |
| 18 | No Place for Us? | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | A Seed Tells a Farmer’s Story | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Whose Forests? | — | 1 | — | — |
| 21 | Like Father, Like Daughter | — | 1 | — | — |
| 22 | On the Move Again | — | — | — | — |
The columns in the table above count three standard things. A ‘section’ would be one of NCERT’s own numbered headings — this book prints none, because its chapters run on activity prompts. A ‘figure’ would be a numbered figure with a printed caption — this book’s illustrations carry no numbers or captions, so no figure index appears.
A ‘question’ would be an end-of-chapter exercise — this book sets none, because its questions sit inside the text. The column that carries this book’s design is ‘activities’ — 18 in all.
The activity load is concentrated. Chapter 8 (A Treat for Mosquitoes) and Chapter 13 (A Shelter so High!) each carry 3 activities — the most in the book — while Chapter 5 (Seeds and Seeds) carries 2. Every other chapter runs 0-1, and nine chapters (2, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22) print no formal activities at all.
Grouped by theme, the chapters form six revision bands:
| Revision band | Chapters | What links them | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| The senses, body and health | 1, 3, 8, 15, 21 | How the body senses, digests, fights disease, breathes and inherits | 1-14, 22-34, 67-75, 139-146, 192-199 |
| Food, seeds and farmers | 4, 5, 19 | Where food comes from: spoilage, sprouting, the farmer’s year | 35-41, 42-50, 174-181 |
| Water | 6, 7 | Where water comes from and what it does in experiments | 51-59, 60-66 |
| Far places, buildings and travel | 9, 10, 11, 13 | Mountains, forts, space and high-altitude shelters | 76-86, 87-98, 99-109, 120-130 |
| Earth’s resources, disasters and forests | 12, 14, 20 | Fuels from the earth, earthquakes and floods, forest rights | 110-119, 131-138, 182-191 |
| People, work and society | 2, 16, 17, 18, 22 | Livelihoods, dignity of work, gender, migration, seasonal movement | 15-21, 147-153, 154-164, 165-173, 200-204 |
This grouping is a revision aid, not the book’s own order — the textbook runs chapter 1 to chapter 22, and its final chapter expects you to remember the earlier ones.
Chapter 1: Super Senses (pp. 1-14)
Chapter 1 opens the book with the senses — looking with one or both eyes, a sharp ear catching faint sounds, and how sounds send messages — and asks why singers sometimes cover an ear while singing; it carries 1 activity, a gentle start for a new Class 5 reader.
Chapter 2: A Snake Charmer’s Story (pp. 15-21)
Chapter 2 follows snake charmer Aryanath and his dadaji’s memories to explore a snake charmer’s livelihood, the law protecting snakes from being caught and kept, and a survey of people who keep animals; it prints no activities.
Chapter 3: From Tasting to Digesting (pp. 22-34)
Chapter 3 tracks food from different tastes to the stomach’s work of digestion, using the story of a stomach with a window, a glucose drip discussion and good food for good health; it carries 1 activity.
Chapter 4: Mangoes Round the Year (pp. 35-41)
Chapter 4 explains food spoilage and sun-drying as preservation — pickles packed into sun-dried jars and mamidi tandra as a summer treat — with 1 activity to try at home.
Chapter 5: Seeds and Seeds (pp. 42-50)
Chapter 5 is the book’s growing chapter: a seed-sprouting project, seeds that wander to travel, and plants which hunt insects; its 2 activities are the second-heaviest load in the book.
Chapter 6: Every Drop Counts (pp. 51-59)
Chapter 6 follows water from long ago and Al-Biruni’s eyes to today’s water bills, takes in customs related to water, and ends with a poster on saving water; it sets 1 activity.
Chapter 7: Experiments with Water (pp. 60-66)
Chapter 7 is a run of small experiments on sinking and floating, the Dead Sea that holds swimmers up, racing drops and the Dandi March connection; no activities are printed, so keep a bowl of water and paper ready while you read.
Chapter 8: A Treat for Mosquitoes (pp. 67-75)
Chapter 8 follows a blood test to explain malaria, mosquito breeding and anaemia, ending with how to stop mosquitoes breeding; its 3 activities — a poster, a survey report and a check — tie with Chapter 13 for the most in the book.
Chapter 9: Up You Go! (pp. 76-86)
Chapter 9 turns a mountaineering camp into lessons in teamwork, rock climbing and preparation for a climb, with a special guest at the close; it sets no activities.
Chapter 10: Walls Tell Stories (pp. 87-98)
Chapter 10 reads history from buildings at Golconda fort and the Sultan’s palace, including clever arrangements for water, and argues why old things belong in a museum; it carries 1 activity.
Chapter 11: Sunita in Space (pp. 99-109)
Chapter 11 uses Sunita’s experiences of living in space to explore gravity and why astronauts float, turning the classroom into a spaceship; its 1 activity makes the idea concrete.
Chapter 12: What if it Finishes…? (pp. 110-119)
Chapter 12 follows a bus journey to the petrol pump and into the earth, treating fuels as a treasure that can run out, with firewood for the chulha as a village fuel; it sets 1 activity and closes by asking you to design a new vehicle.
Chapter 13: A Shelter so High! (pp. 120-130)
Chapter 13 travels through Jammu and Kashmir’s shelters — on high mountains, on water, with beautiful designs — and introduces the Changpa herders and world-famous pashmina; its 3 activities tie with Chapter 8 for the most in the book.
Chapter 14: When the Earth Shook! (pp. 131-138)
Chapter 14 moves from a bad dream of an earthquake to help arriving, asks what people face in floods, and pictures a school after a disaster; no activities are set.
Chapter 15: Blow Hot, Blow Cold (pp. 139-146)
Chapter 15 is built from small blowing experiments — a paper whistle, blowing in different ways and a snake that shows the flow of air — to explain why breath can feel hot or cold; no activities are printed.
Chapter 16: Who will do this Work? (pp. 147-153)
Chapter 16 uses a childhood story and a conversation in school to ask who does cleaning work and what dignity of labour means, closing on Gandhiji’s belief that everyone should do every kind of work; it sets no activities.
Chapter 17: Across the Wall (pp. 154-164)
Chapter 17 meets a girls’ football team from a 2007 news story to ask whether games for boys and girls should be different and what makes a team work; its 1 activity is a think-and-write.
Chapter 18: No Place for Us? (pp. 165-173)
Chapter 18 follows Jatrya’s family across the river to a new place in a big city, exploring why thousands of families migrate and what city life offers them; no activities are set.
Chapter 19: A Seed Tells a Farmer’s Story (pp. 174-181)
Chapter 19 lets a small seed tell the crop cycle through a farmer’s expenses and Bhaskarbhai’s farm in Dehri village, Gujarat; it sets no activities.
Chapter 20: Whose Forests? (pp. 182-191)
Chapter 20 follows Suryamani’s journey in the forest, the Right to Forest Act 2007 and jhoom farming in Mizoram, and compares forest farming with Bhaskarbhai’s way; its 1 activity is a map and writing task.
Chapter 21: Like Father, Like Daughter (pp. 192-199)
Chapter 21 separates what you get from the family — inherited features — from what the environment shapes, using a fill-in table on family resemblance; it carries 1 activity.
Chapter 22: On the Move Again (pp. 200-204)
Chapter 22 follows Dhanu’s family moving after Dussehra — seasonal migration — and its closing table asks you to recall every farmer met in earlier lessons, making it the book’s built-in revision test; it sets no activities.
Chapter study pages for Looking Around
The table below shows which chapters of Looking Around have a dedicated study page on this site.
| Ch. | Chapter page |
|---|---|
| 1 | Super Senses (coming soon) |
| 2 | A Snake Charmer's Story (coming soon) |
| 3 | From Tasting to Digesting (coming soon) |
| 4 | Mangoes Round the Year (coming soon) |
| 5 | Seeds and Seeds (coming soon) |
| 6 | Every Drop Counts (coming soon) |
| 7 | Experiments with Water (coming soon) |
| 8 | A Treat for Mosquitoes (coming soon) |
| 9 | Up You Go! (coming soon) |
| 10 | Walls Tell Stories (coming soon) |
| 11 | Sunita in Space (coming soon) |
| 12 | What if it Finishes…? (coming soon) |
| 13 | A Shelter so High! (coming soon) |
| 14 | When the Earth Shook! (coming soon) |
| 15 | Blow Hot, Blow Cold (coming soon) |
| 16 | Who will do this Work? (coming soon) |
| 17 | Across the Wall (coming soon) |
| 18 | No Place for Us? (coming soon) |
| 19 | A Seed Tells a Farmer’s Story (coming soon) |
| 20 | Whose Forests? (coming soon) |
| 21 | Like Father, Like Daughter (coming soon) |
| 22 | On the Move Again (coming soon) |
How to study the Class 5 EVS book in order
- Read chapter by chapter, 1 to 22. The book is designed as a sequence: Chapter 20 compares jhoom farming with Bhaskarbhai’s way of farming, introduced in Chapter 19, and Chapter 22 asks you to remember the farmers from earlier lessons.
- Keep a notebook for the prompts. The chapters teach through ‘Think and tell’, ‘Find out’ and ‘Discuss and write’ headings, and the book sets 18 activities in all — a running record beats rereading.
- Have materials ready for the hands-on chapters. Plant seeds for Chapter 5, keep a bowl of water for Chapter 7, and have paper ready for the Chapter 15 whistle.
- Use Chapter 22 as a self-test. If you can fill its closing table of farmers met across the book, you have covered the ground.
- Give each ‘What we have learnt’ recap two minutes. These recaps are the revision anchors, since chapters have no question bank at the end.
Textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical — check the current official CBSE syllabus for what is actually examinable.
Related NCERT pages
Class 5 hub: for the full set of books in this class, start at the Class 5 NCERT hub, which lists every Class 5 textbook this site indexes — including the Mathematics book Math-Magic that sits alongside Looking Around.
All NCERT books: the NCERT books root page covers every class and subject, so it is the place to jump between books when a topic spans two subjects.
Official source: the chapter PDFs in the table above all come from NCERT’s own site; to verify or bookmark one directly, open the Super Senses file, eeap101.pdf, on ncert.nic.in — the first of the 22 official chapter files.
Sources and data verification
This listing is maintained for the 2026-27 academic session using the NCERT textbook information available to us. NCERT remains the authority for confirming the latest edition.
Reference: NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbook Looking Around, official edition on ncert.nic.in. Section titles quoted from the textbook; page references are to the official PDF.
- This page describes the official NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbook Looking Around, chapters as hosted on ncert.nic.in.
- The page covers this one book’s 22 chapters; it does not cover other Class 5 subjects or the full CBSE scheme.
- The listing is maintained for the current academic session using the NCERT information available to us.
- NCERT settles textbook editions and PDFs; CBSE settles curriculum, syllabus and examinations — textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical, so check the current official CBSE syllabus.
Frequently asked questions about the Class 5 EVS book
How many chapters are in the Class 5 environmental studies book Looking Around?
There are 22 chapters across 204 printed pages. The download table above lists every chapter with its page range, and the book closes at page 204.
Is the Looking Around PDF official and free?
Yes. Every PDF link on this page is NCERT’s own file hosted on ncert.nic.in — the same files schools and teachers use, free to open.
Which chapter covers the human body and digestion?
Chapter 3, From Tasting to Digesting (pp. 22-34), covers taste and digestion. It also includes the story of a stomach with a window and a glucose-drip discussion.
Which chapter explains malaria and mosquito-borne diseases?
Chapter 8, A Treat for Mosquitoes (pp. 67-75), covers mosquito breeding, malaria, blood tests and anaemia. It carries 3 activities — the joint-heaviest load in the book.
Do the chapters of Looking Around end with exercise questions?
No. No chapter ends with a question bank; each closes with a ‘What we have learnt’ recap. Learning happens through ‘Think and tell’, ‘Find out’ and ‘Discuss and write’ prompts inside every chapter.