Using Practices of Scientists and Engineers in the Science Classroom
Science, engineering, and technology control nearly every aspect of modern life, and they hold the key to solving many current and future challenges. Children who grow up in an increasingly technologically and scientifically advanced world need to be scientifically literate to succeed. At Ekya and CMR National Public School, we believe in teaching students how to think, learn, problem solve, and make informed decisions.
So how is Science learning different in Ekya and CMR Schools?
The Science curriculum at Ekya Schools and CMR National Public School is designed to equip students with key skills – Thinking Scientifically and Design & Making. The curriculum inculcates the habit of thinking scientifically right from Grade 1. The first unit, “Skills in Science” for primary and middle school, equips students to think and work like a scientist through scientific inquiry. The unit inculcates important scientific skills such as observations, curiosity, asking questions, creating a hypothesis, and designing experiments through tactile activities, videos, worksheets, and laboratory activities.
1.Making Observations | 2.Asking Questions | 3.Formulating Hypothesis |
4. Testing Hypothesis | 5. Analyzing Results | 6. Iterate where required |
Designing & making involves looking for practical solutions to problems and then using this information to plan, design, make, and evaluate scientific models. Engineering Process Design is part of Design & Making that encourages open-ended problem solving and helps students to learn from failures. The curriculum facilitates engineering design challenges across all grades – Whether it is creating a house for a pet dog and testing the best material for the roof in grade 2 or designing a catapult in grade 6 or testing different materials for conduction of heat to keep a beaker of water warm in grade 7, students work through the steps of the engineering design process that is used by engineers in the real world. The creation of the prototype becomes a solution-finding crusade armed with scientific knowledge! When students invent, they take ownership over an idea, then face real-world problems en route to making their idea come to life. They act, think and work as real scientists and inventors.
Engineering design projects are done by students at Ekya/CMR NPS!
Grade 5 students create solutions to solve the problem of a banging door in the classroom. | |
Students of Grade 4 created solutions using their learning about properties of magnets: Magnetic holder for keys grade grade | |
Grade 7 students used their learning about making materials stronger, creating solutions to make the flexible paper strong: a table made of newspaper to hold books. |
Solving real problems as part of the curriculum provides students with opportunities to identify issues that matter, diagnose, defend an argument with evidence, give and receive feedback, and utilize and critique internet resources.
Students use hands-on activities to construct explanations of concepts
Grade 7: using Gems and Skittles to understand Lewis Dot Diagrams | |
Grade 5: Understanding states of matter using lentils. | |
Grade 2: Understanding air has mass through a hands-on activity. |
To ensure students learn what is important, rather than allowing textbooks to dictate the learning in a classroom, we use resources that support concepts. The focus is to deepen the level of student understanding beyond traditional teaching methods. At Ekya and CMR National Public School, we stay true to this quote- “Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think”, Albert Einstein.
Aarthi V B
Instructional Designer
Science Curriculum
Ekya Learning Centre
Special Assembly - Empathy
I still remember that day, when our class teacher, Bhawna ma’am, announced that our assembly will happen soon and our topic is empathy. We were all thrilled as we usually look forward to class assemblies every year. As ma’am explained what was to be done, Anvitha efficiently divided the roles, considering everyone’s opinion. There was a skit team, choir team, banner team, and speech team. All worked together harmoniously to create an entertaining, informative assembly.
I thoroughly enjoyed the process of writing the script and playing the role of narrator in the skit. Poorvi, Tamanna, Srinidhi, Madhav Surya, and Aishani as actors, and Shashank, Gaurika, Jalaja, Shalini, Saanvi, Shourya Sharma, Mounish, and Amrutha as voice-overs showed great cooperation to make this skit a success.
The choir team aligned a melodious song and prayer, along with Surya, who played the guitar. The long days of practice paid off to create an amazing performance. The singers were Gaurika, Devananda, Juhipriya, Aishani, and Aadya.
Beautiful manners were made by Jai Adith, Dhruv, and Saanvi. Their creativity sparkled on the stage.
Anvitha worked hard to bring the class together. Her catchy narrating and pleasant smile carried our assembly. Shashank shared the most meaningful thought- “The nature of Humanity, its essence, is to feel another's pain as one’s own, and to act to take that pain away. There is nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness” which was extremely apt.
Adnan gave the news to update us on the world's happenings. Then, a truly enlightening student talk was prepared by Aadya on empathy. Unfortunately, she fell sick on the day of the assembly and was unable to give her talk. But, the efforts she put behind it were tremendous. An
An amazing, informative, and inspiring teachers’ talk was given by our class teacher, Bhawna ma’am, who supported us throughout the journey.
Finally, the credits were given by Mahathi, to show the efforts put by our backstage roles, actors, singers, and narrators.
Thanks to the opportunity and support from our co-ordinators and teacher, the effort and cooperation of our class, this assembly was an enjoyable experience and an amazing performance.
Devananda Kapil
7A
Travel Diary "Field Trip to Kidztopiaa"
We, the teachers along with the second graders, departed to Kidztopiaa, Bangalore Children’s Museum. The students commenced to travel by 8:30 am and reached the campus within 2:00 pm.
The students explored different places in the museum. I would like to mention a couple of them. The laser room, frozen shadow, dodging, and laser music, well all these were integrated into the laser. Students got to examine a part of science in this domain.
The students got an opportunity to examine distinctive specimens like moths, butterflies, grasshoppers, and beetles as well !!
Students engrossed themselves in glass paintings, trampoline, zipline, and building blocks. The fun didn't end here, there were other activities too which they were entranced.
The students got to delve into noteworthy role plays, some of them were stupendous like the post office, radio station, hospital, police station, fire station, pottery, supermarket, and whatnot. The foremost part was that the students got to characterize themselves in role plays, where they were able to assimilate them too.
The environment was friendly and clutter free indeed.
I would like to mention that the kids were ecstatic about the trip and they would also enforce the same in their academics and co-curricular activities.
This was certainly an awe-striking educational field trip. Envisioning more such trips.
-Agnes Priya.R
(Class teacher of 2B)
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