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Ekya / December 03, 2017 Posted by : administrator

In this feature of Stars of Ekya, we speak to Arnav Nama Manoj of Grade IV from Ekya JP Nagar, who won a Triathlon competition, held in Goa conducted by Pioneering Ventures and Enduro Sports. Participating in the Under-11 Category, the triathlon tested Arnav across the three events – 150 metres swimming, 2.2 kilometres of bicycling and 1.2 kilometres of running. Arnav bagged first place, finishing with an impressive time of 17 minutes and 52 seconds. The Editorial team of Ekya JP Nagar sat down with the champion to discuss his experience with the event and what it felt lifting the trophy.


Owing his interest in the event to his father, who frequents at triathlons across the country, Arnav’s participation in the competition came with great encouragement and support. “My father is my inspiration to have started with such competitions. I trained with him and participated in my first triathlon in 2016 where I stood third”

The hunger and desire to beat his previous finish, got Arnav to train well for this year’s Triathlon, as he adds, “I had just four weeks of practice running up to my 2016 event. This year, I ensured I started early. I have been training since June and the event was in November.”

For an event that includes three styles of sports, swimming plays favourite for Arnav who enjoys his time in the pool. It was a close finish in Goa, as he recalls it, “When I finished swimming, I thought I wouldn’t make it to the finish. There were five participants ahead of me. Eventually, I took the lead during the cycling event. There was no looking back. I was confident that I had first place in the bag. And I did!”

While admitting that he had the pre-event jitters, Arnav maintains that he was really excited to be back to the competition and looks forward to participating again next year, this time with the goal to better his time. When quizzed on his training regime, Arnav’s face beamed as he spoke at length about his routine, “During the first month, the training was focused on one sport or exercise – core exercise, cycling practice for 2.8 km, swimming for 2 km and running for 2 km. To prepare for the event, I would train in the morning before school. Now, my routine is in the evening. I train with my father who advises me on how to go about with each course.”

Don’t do everything quickly. You need to work on endurance and stamina. You might do extremely well in one of the sport, but you can have others catch up and beat you in the other events. So you need to maintain your speed and pace for all three – swimming, cycling and running.

– Arnav’s advice for anyone looking to participate in a triathlon

With his sights set on next year’s competition, Arnav looks to get better at running and cycling, with the self-imposed challenge of beating his own time. We wish Arnav the best!

 

 

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Ekya / May 08, 2024

15 English Language Mistakes That You Should Avoid

Although English is a funny language, it has become a global language. It is one of the highest-speaking languages in the world. And to effectively communicate in English is crucial in today’s time. For students, parents, and professionals alike, speaking English confidently and correctly is a necessary skill.  However, speaking in English can be tough, especially for beginners. It takes confidence and knowledge to put sentences together and express your ideas in a language that might not feel comfortable yet. Even as you get better, there are still some common errors in the English language that can sneak into your speech. Most of them aren't a big deal, but sometimes they can cause misunderstandings.  As one of the best CBSE Schools in Bangalore, we’ve identified fifteen common English language mistakes and give you tips on how to fix them, so your next conversation can go more smoothly. 

Not Speaking Enough

One common mistake is not speaking English enough. Many students feel shy to speak English at first, but speaking is one of the best ways to improve your command over the language. Imagine a cricket player who only watches others play but never picks up a bat themselves. They would never get better. The same goes for English. So, don't be afraid to use your voice. Talk with friends, ask questions to teachers in English, or even practice speaking to yourself. The more you speak, the better you'll get. 

Translating from Your Native Language

A common error in the English language many students make is trying to directly translate their thoughts from their native language into English. This is a problem because translations are rarely exact and it takes longer for your brain to do the work. Even if your English is basic, don't worry. Use the expressions and phrases you have learned. Practice using new expressions so they become a part of your regular vocabulary.. 

Emphasizing The Wrong Syllable

Another tricky English language error is emphasizing the wrong syllable. It's like singing a song out of tune. For example, "import" is pronounced as "im-PORT" not "IM-port." Another one is "address" which is pronounced as "a-DRESS" not "AD-dress." These little changes in emphasis can change the meaning of words and make it hard for others to understand.  To improve this, listen carefully to your teachers and make note of how they say the word. The best ICSE schools in Bangalore prioritize proper syllable emphasis in spoken and written English, incorporating it into the grammar lessons. Additionally, you can watch English movies, sitcoms, or cartoons to mimic how they emphasize the syllable. 

Pronouncing Sounds That Aren’t There

Pronouncing sounds that aren't there is a common mistake in English. It happens when we add extra sounds to words. For example, saying "aks" instead of "ask". To avoid this, we need to pronounce words correctly and not add any extra or unnecessary sounds.

Overuse of “Will” for Future

This is one of the most common English grammar mistakes. A lot of students rely too much on the word “will” when composing future sentences. While it may seem like the easiest option, using the more versatile structure of "going to + base form" is actually more appropriate in many situations.  "Will" is best suited for promises, spontaneous decisions, predictions, and future actions beyond the speaker's control. However, when discussing plans for the future, it is more accurate to use "going to". For instance, instead of saying "Tomorrow I will go to the bank," it is correct to say "Tomorrow I am going to the bank."

Adding Unnecessary Words and Missing Necessary Words

Another common English Grammar mistakes that students often make are adding unnecessary words or leaving out necessary ones. These errors can make sentences sound confusing or change their meaning completely. For example, saying "I am agree with you" is incorrect because the verb "agree" doesn't need the helping verb "am" before it.  On the other hand, forgetting a necessary word can also lead to problems. For instance, saying "I looking for a bus to the city center" is incorrect because the word "am" is missing. When talking about something happening right now, we use the Present Continuous tense by adding "am," "is," or "are" before the verb, along with the suffix "-ing." So, a correct version of the sentence would be "I am looking for a bus to the city center." Remember, it's important to use the correct words and structure so that your meaning is clear. 

Saying Incorrect Negative Sentences

Students often make mistakes when forming negative sentences. For instance, saying “I no like pizza" instead of "I don't like pizza." In the Present Simple, to create a negative sentence, we need to use "don't" or "doesn't" before the verb.  It's also important to remember that after "he," "she," or "it," we should use "doesn't" and remove the "-s" ending from the verb. For example, instead of saying "He's not wanting to go," the correct phrasing is "He doesn't want to go." 
  • Using the Wrong Word Order in Questions 
Using the incorrect word order in questions is another common English language mistake. For instance, asking "What you are doing now?" instead of the correct form, "What are you doing now?".  Remember word order is crucial in the English language. In questions, following this pattern is necessary: question word (what) + auxiliary verb (are) + subject (you) + verb (doing) + complement, time, place (now).  Top schools in Bangalore, like Ekya Schools, emphasize the importance of students asking questions in English and providing corrections when necessary. 

Not Using Adverbs

Many beginners don’t use adverbs in their speech. Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They add more details to a sentence and make it more interesting. For example, instead of saying "he ran fast," we can say "he ran quickly." Adverbs help us paint a clearer picture of what is happening. So don't forget to use adverbs in your speech to make it livelier and more descriptive.

 Missing Comma in a Compound Sentence

Not using commas or pauses in a sentence while talking or writing can lead to confusion. It becomes difficult to distinguish between different thoughts or ideas, making the overall communication less clear. A compound sentence is made up of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction like "and" or "but."  For example, instead of saying "I went to the store and I bought some apples," we should say "I went to the store, and bought some apples." By using a comma, we can indicate the pause between the two independent clauses. This helps our listeners understand our thoughts and ideas more effectively. So, don't forget to include commas in compound sentences when you're speaking or even writing. 

Faulty sentence structure

Faulty sentence structure is a common English language error that arises when a sentence is not properly constructed. This can make the sentence difficult to read and understand. An example of this error is using too many commas, which can make a sentence disjointed and confusing. Another example is failing to use proper subject-verb agreement, which can make a sentence grammatically incorrect. To avoid this error, it's important to practice constructing sentences with clarity and precision. 

Lack of pronoun

A common error in English is forgetting to use pronouns. Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition. For example, instead of saying "John went to the store," just say "He went to the store." Remember to use pronouns like he, she, it, they, we, etc. 

Unnecessary Shift in Verb Tense

It occurs when there is an inconsistent change in verb tense within a sentence, paragraph, or passage. This can confuse the reader and disrupt the flow of the writing. To avoid this error, you should ensure that you maintain a consistent verb tense, making sure that all verbs match in past, present, or future tense. 

nnecessary or Missing Apostrophe 

An unnecessary or Missing Apostrophe is another common error. For example, "it's" is a contraction of "it is" and should not be used to show possession. Instead, "its" without an apostrophe indicates possession. Missing apostrophes result in incorrect pluralization, such as "apple's" instead of "apples".  

Poorly Integrated Quotation

Lastly, poorly Integrated Quotation is a common English grammar mistake. It happens when a quote is not smoothly integrated into a sentence.  For example, "She said, 'I like pizza.' instead of 'She said that she likes pizza.' To fix it, we need to integrate the quote correctly into the sentence. 

It is okay to make mistakes while learning. However, the key is to learn from those mistakes and continuously improve. Learning English may be challenging, but the rewards it brings are immeasurable. By being mindful of grammar mistakes and actively working to avoid them, you can enhance your fluency and communication skills.  So, embrace the learning journey, avoid common English language mistakes, and watch yourself grow more confident and fluent in English.  For exceptional mastery over English , consider Ekya Schools, one the best CBSE schools in Bangalore. Call 080-49609096 for more information about admissions.     

Ekya / May 07, 2024

What Is IGCSE And Is It the Right Choice for My Child?

Every parent wants their child to have the best education, you are no different. However, when finding the right school for your child, you are often presented with a plethora of options. One such option that has grown in popularity in recent years is the IGCSE Schools in Bangalore. It is a globally recognized board and its curriculum is designed to foster holistic growth among students.  As one of the top IGCSE schools in Bangalore, we will explain what IGCSE is and help you decide if IGCSE schools are suitable for your child.

What is IGCSE?

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an internationally recognized board created by the University of Cambridge in England. It caters to 14–16 year olds (usually grades 9-10) and prepares them for further university studies worldwide. IGCSE courses offer a rich curriculum that tailors to individual strengths and nurtures the skills and competencies of students. Here are some of the benefits of IGCSE schools for your child.

Student-Centric Approach

The IGCSE curriculum is student-centric and fosters creativity. Teachers and students contribute equally to the class, making it an enriching experience. Learning is practical, allowing students to understand concepts better through real-life applications. IGCSE schools encourage students to ask questions, share ideas, and learn collaboratively with their peers. This approach nurtures logical and creative thinking skills in students. 

Preparing for the Universities

One of the major advantages of joining IGCSE schools is that the students here are well-prepared for further studies. This is made possible by the extensive knowledge and benefits that come from a globally standardized education. The students are encouraged to become independent thinkers and learners which is crucial for university studies. IGCSE schools focus on understanding and grasping the concepts rather than just memorizing. These are the traits most universities look for in a student. 

A Community Worldwide

The IGCSE program brings together students from all over the world in a global community. Children learn how to be inclusive and empathetic towards different people and cultures. This helps them develop a broad perspective. The program also allows each child to become a part of a diverse and comprehensive global community.

Inquiry-Based Learning

IGCSE courses foster curiosity in students by emphasizing real-life experiences, exploration, and expression. This encourages children to ask questions and research answers, helping them gain a better understanding of their communities and the world around them.

Rigorous Assessments

Top IGCSE schools in Bangalore such as Ekya Schools offer a rich experience for students with thought-provoking assessments. These include a variety of modes such as oral, written, coursework, and practical assessments. These assessments offer questions of different difficulty levels, enabling students to challenge themselves and discover their strengths and weaknesses. By instilling confidence and boosting morale, the IGCSE curriculum empowers students to plan their future educational journeys. 

Choice of Subjects that Cater to Different Abilities

The IGCSE subjects are designed to meet the needs of different students. With over 70 subjects to choose from, including 30 languages, schools can offer a combination that suits each student. Students must select at least 5 subjects, which include: 
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Science
  • Languages
  • Creative, Technical, and Vocational Subjects Students also have a wide range of 30 languages to choose from, including their mother tongue.

Recognized by Universities Across the World

The IGCSE is the most recognized examination qualification across the world. Students with these qualifications are accepted into several countries like the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. Many universities acknowledge and accept the IGCSE curriculum as part of their entrance criteria. The IGCSE opens up opportunities for further vocational education and serves as a strong foundation for employment. Students with IGCSE backgrounds have the necessary abilities that employers value in potential employees.

In conclusion, choosing the best school for your child can be a daunting task considering the number of options today. However, if you think a strong syllabus and robust curriculum are best for your child, IGCSE schools are the way to go. To find the best IGCSE schools near Bannerghatta Road, look no further than Ekya Schools in JP Nagar. Our goal is to give students a well-rounded education that nurtures critical thinking, and creativity along with academic excellence.Join us and allow your child to delve into the stimulating realm of IGCSE subjects, nurturing their personal growth and development along the way.. We're here to shape future leaders with an inclusive and inspiring learning environment.      

Ekya / May 06, 2024

Common Mistakes When Making A Class Presentation

A successful school presentation demands a lot more than just good content. Presentations are more about expressing and explaining things in a creative manner which involves two important parts- the content in an understandable form and its way of presenting it. The second involves speaking skills, presentation skills, voice modulation, and more. Many aspects of class presentation should be taken into consideration. However, there are a few common mistakes that are often committed during its preparation: 

Not Doing Your Research

Whatever topic you choose to present, you need to have a good knowledge about it. Well, that will only come with good research skills. You can do that by getting help from your teacher, the school library, or the Internet. Research not only helps you with better presentation but will also prepare you to answer the questions asked during the question hour.  

Not Making a Proper Introduction

 Whether the presentation is in front of a small group or you are representing your school, a small introduction about yourself along with the topic’s introduction is a must. This not only gives you a great start but also gives the audience an idea of what the presentation is about. To make your introduction a bit more interesting, you can start the presentation with a quote or some statistics to grab attention. 

Lack of preparation for the presentation

Not preparing well before the presentation day may put you in a difficult spot. It is possible that you will present well but you are internally not satisfied with your performance. Well, one of the best ways to prepare is to at least go through the content twice. Practice in front of the mirror or ask your parents to be the audience during the preparations. This way, you will get to know your weak areas and work more on them. You will be fully prepared to capture the attention of the audience with your confidence and speaking skills. 

Confident Body Language

Confidence is the key to a good presentation. It is not something that will develop overnight, we need to work on it. As per a study, poor body language affects your confidence. You need to understand that your language speaks a lot about your personality. With good content and strong body language, confidence reflects automatically. For class presentations, you can practise hand movements and voice modulation. Another important point that should not be ignored is maintaining eye contact with the audience. Before the final presentation day, it is advisable to practice in front of a mirror.

Not Being Engaging

 If you want your audience to understand the presentation well, then keep it engaging. A presentation full of text will make it boring so, to keep a balance between the infographics and text to make it more interesting and engaging. If possible, minutes of video related to your topic. This will keep your audience entertained. Remember whenever on stage  it is your responsibility to keep your audience engaged sensibly without going off-track. 

Inconsistent Slides

 Presenting slides in a good way demands a perfect framework that involves a lot of things and often focusing on one aspect might lead to ignoring others. Here are a few common slide mistakes made during the presentation. 
  1. Overcrowding the slides: It is one of the most common presentation mistakes often committed by students. You need to understand that for presentation “less is more” fits perfectly. Instead of too much text, visuals should be used. Instead of paragraphs, pointers should be used. Using different colours also makes the presentation interesting.
  2. Reading directly from the slides: Reading directly from the slides only projects you as underconfident and unprepared. Although it might seem a little tempting and an easier option, the best is to make small pointers of important topics on which you want to talk.
  3. Complicated data: Data should be presented in a way that the written content becomes more understandable. For this Pie charts or bar graphs in different colours can be used. 
  4. Not maintaining the hierarchy: Arranging the slides haphazardly
  5.  only confuses the students. It will distract them as there will be less clarity regarding the points. 

Going Off-Topic

Many times you might go off-topic to make your point more clear during the presentation. But as a presenter, you need to understand that class presentations and question sessions should be done within a time limit. For this students need to maintain the flow as per the hierarchy and should have an idea about which points need more explanation than the others. This will only come with a few practice sessions before your final day. 

Not being prepared for feedback and questions

 Once you finish your presentation, allow your audience to put their doubts in front of you. This way not only will your audience get a chance to clarify their doubts but you will also learn to tackle difficult questions. Sometimes, if you have no answer or are in doubt about the question, it is ok to accept and consider returning with better research next time.  As a presenter, you need to keep the flow of your presentation in a positive direction and end it on a positive note. It leaves a good impression on the audience. Keeping a way forward slide at the end is a good way to end. You can also present an idea about a drive you want to start in your school related to some global concern. But make sure everything is related to your topic of presentation. Nothing should go off-track.

If you are searching the internet with terms like- the best schools in Bengaluru or ICSE schools in Bangalore, CBSE syllabus schools consider Ekya Schools. We are among the leading schools in Bangalore, offering the best quality education. Our Understanding by Design (UbD) framework curriculum is designed in a way that caters not just to the academic requirements of a student but simultaneously builds the overall personality of the student.  We encourage students to actively participate in co-curricular and other group activities like presentations. This helps in building confidence and developing skills like speaking skills, presentation skills, tackling questions, and more. We have expert faculty that prepares our students for holistic development. At Ekya, different school clubs also help students develop different skills such as music, dance, coding, debating, and more.  Hopefully, the above information will be helpful.      
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Open Day at Ekya ITPL – Stories from Our Schools

At Ekya ITPL, we strongly believe in our motto, "Live the Lesson" and on 25th November 2017, we lived, breathed and cherished the lesson. As we know, Rome wasn't built in a day; Grades VI to XI worked very hard over several days to make the Ekya ITPL Open Day a remarkable and truly eye-opening event.

Countdown to the Open Day

A week before the Open Day, ideas were flying around, with brainstorming sessions to collect thoughts and with the help of teachers and coordinators, our students came up with a round of brilliant concepts. As the days went by, preparations picked up pace, with all sections of the Ekya ITPL campus reverberating to the sound of music, announcements and hectic activity.

The Event

The Amphitheatre was abuzz with students and their scripts, enacting beautiful street plays and skits. The Audio-Visual room made full justice to its name with instrumental music and wonderful structures from all over India represented through a mesmerizing 'Sound and Light' show and Shadow dances. Young aspiring scientists and doctors were busy with working models of various ideas that occupied their mind and programmers worked their software wizardry. An entire poll booth had been set up at the Assembly area, with EVM machines created by the students to conduct a mock election: candidates, campaigns, manifestos et al.

Feedback

Not only did this event enlighten parents on various topics, it also gave the students and teachers a chance to bring life to their thoughts and ideas and gave them a platform to showcase their talents. Parents, our guests for the day, were impressed by the efforts of the students and teachers, appreciating the exhibits put up by the students that were explained with great clarity. They also remarked upon the discipline maintained throughout the event.

A grand success, the event was made possible thanks to the well-coordinated efforts of our students and teachers, who put in weeks of hard work. We also take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to all our parents for making time to celebrate and encourage the work of our students.

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Hour Of Code at Ekya JP Nagar – Stories from Our Schools

What is it?

The Hour of Code is an attempt to teach people the basics of computer programming in 60 minutes in a fun, simple way. It is part of a campaign that Code.org, a non-profit organisation, launched in the US with the goal of introducing coding into the US curriculum and raising awareness around what coding is. It is now a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries.

Why are we doing it?

At Ekya, we believe in living the lesson. With Hour of Code, our parents get also a glimpse of how this is done. Across a week, the school hosts competitions for students as well as parents; our aim is to bust the myth of coding being difficult, by pairing parents with the students and helping them to program together. The pairs get one hour to finish the program with the help of our students. We also have students from Grades V to X  participating in exciting coding competitions.

Primary school

The opening week of the event saw students from Grade I to IV, paired with their parents, code on simple languages such as Scratch, MS logo, Python and Tynker. Our parents seemed to enjoy the hour-long session of coding, typing away their code with ease, including those who were unfamiliar with the concept behind it. Our team of students were efficiently able to help and guide parents on each step. We asked a few parents for feedback and to our delight, they were all encouraging and motivating!  
It was an exciting experience. I guess we all felt a bit nostalgic coming back to school and our computer labs. The students did an amazing job executing the entire event. Kudos to all of them.
~ Padmapriya Venkataraman, parent of Ashwat Venkataraman (IVC). On 4th December, we were joined by parents of our Grade III students, who joined their children to code using MS Logo. They ended their session with the motivation to learn more about programming while printing interesting designs they coded.
I got the chance to meet the next-gen Einsteins! Great job by the kids.
         ~Niraj Milak, parent of Reyansh Milak (IIIA). Meanwhile, parents of our Grade II students used easy coding blocks to guide dragons on the game 'Dragon Dash', using Tynker the new coding language.
I first coded during my engineering but now they (the Grade 2 students) are coding from such a young age which is brilliant. We had difficult languages like C and C++, I’m glad that easy coding is taught to the children. Great job to the team of students for navigating us throughout the session.
          ~Arunjet Taneja, parent of Anika Taneja (IIA). The students of Grade I also coded with their parents on Tynker. They had an energetic session played the game ‘Candy Quest’ in which they had to guide the hungry monster to the candy.   
I love coding even though I’m not from a tech background. Nowadays, kids only play games on the mobile phone. I’m happy that through Tynker they are learning the logic behind it. I’m thankful to the school for taking this initiative. 
           ~ Ashvini R, parent of Kshamya Pradeep (IB).

Middle school

Students of Grades V - VII participated in the coding competitions, programming in simple languages such as Scratch, Python and HTML. Everybody was ecstatic and excited about their events. Students were divided into pairs and only one pair in each class could emerge as the winner. They participated wholeheartedly and made it tough for the judges to announce a winner. Here are a few scenes from their competitions:  

High school

Our senior school students also had their share of coding competitions. Writing their programs in the languages of HTML and Java, they went through a preliminary round of coding, as students were paired roll number wise and each pair working on two programs. Being the fastest team was the qualifying criteria for the knockout stage, one which also decided the winner at the finals.

What’s in store?

We appreciate our kind parents for taking the time from their busy schedule to attend the first round of coding events. Now that the basic introduction to coding is done, we have some exciting events lined up on 9th December. We look forward to hosting our parents at the ‘Hour of Code’ finale which will be held on 9th, starting at 9 AM onwards. We have programs like skits and dance and quizzes and much more based on the central theme of coding, so don’t miss it!

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