TaL L

“Do you know, an egg will stand on its end on the 20th March this year!” We heard an excited student talk to his friend in the school corridor. “Why?” asked a visibly perplexed child. “Because it is spring equinox on the 20th March”, said the first boy.

Is he right? Is he wrong?

He is both!

Yes, on the 20th March Spring equinox will take place this year. Equinox is the day of the year when the Sun is exactly above the equator. Such a situation (equinox) occurs twice every year –around

March 20 or 21 and September 22 or 23. Equinox literally means “equal night," since the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world during the equinoxes. This year (2019), the vernal equinox (vernal means fresh or new like the spring) will take place on 20st March. The Vernal (Spring) Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. But, will the egg stand on its end on this date? Well, to know if it will or will not, read this article in its entirety.

People have celebrated the vernal equinox for centuries. For ancient cultures, the vernal equinox signaled that their food supplies would soon return. Early Egyptians even built the

Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox. In Christianity, the vernal equinox is significant, because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. "Navroz Mubarak!" The precise moment of the vernal equinox marks the first day of the first month on the Iranian solar calendar. It's also the start of Nowruz, an awesome 13-day celebration sometimes called the Persian New Year. But who were the earliest people to know about these celestial phenomena like solstices and equinoxes? We don’t know that. What we do know, however, is that the earliest example of the ancient structure showing the knowledge of these phenomena are the southern temple at Mnajdra, the Megaliths of Malta, dating back to 3600 BCE. Here the temple is oriented astronomically, aligned with the rising sun during solstices and equinoxes. Take a look at this marvel of human feat at the links below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vtHllp9umyLuu2GAdFZ4fqlbCydXolt-/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RVTAHjunW3QX-Oi_QVWvx6Za1XaRks7U/view To know more fascinating things about Equinox and sun temples, click the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19z51xyYO3Tc49DVIIcZFLlwnsOvC99-G/view?usp=sharing

Teaching as

Lifelong LearningTeaching as

Lifelong Learning

A Geneo Class edu-resource e-newsletter

March, 2019

Vol. 2, Number 3

STORY OF THE MONTH On the Equinox day, egg will stand on its end. Will it?

1. CBSE announces the launching of the Shagun portal. This will have a repository of evidence-based practices from different schools as success stories that need to be replicated and scaled-up.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14exJGwiG5TQYA8KztrZpadz4tkVueouq/view?usp=sharing

2. CBSE to begin Annual Pre-Exam Psychological Counselling for student and parent populations over the entire school network.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1guI6pKPB0pDW_pyS0VuXehnlxlLThvPk/view?usp=sharing

3. CBSE issues a letter to all students appearing in the X and XII board examinations, explaining the real meaning of examinations in the light of the fear and anxiety they generate amongst students. It also discusses the unique capacity of each student and wishes them the best for these examinations.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YALXTHBO0LMq70QAF36oX8nLe1XEfAKM/view?usp=sharing

Khabar-e-Nama

The IIT-Professor Assisted Learning (PAL) video lectures for Class XI and Class XII are easily accessible on YouTube. Prof. Ravi Soni from the Dept. of Physics, IIT Delhi is the national coordinator. The entire effort is funded by MHRD. The initiative is mainly headed by IIT-Delhi, but is partnered with IITs of Mumbai, Kanpur, Chennai, Kharagpur and Guwahati. Over 600 hours of lectures in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology are available for students.

Look at the YouTube Channel numbers for the corresponding subjects in the links below:

Physics: Channel 22

www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNr8peMxn8-Nc2V_RZsRvg/videos

Chemistry: Channel 20

www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Zv0XxBjYlWMjbMv8ODE8Q/videos

Mathematics: Channel 21

www.youtube.com/channel/UCfz4W0rG8HoyyrrK6qNc1rA/videos

Biology: Channel 19

www.youtube.com/channel/UCqiFTyCxFFMAN_lhAzIkdpA/videos

These contents can also be accessed through the National Testing Agency (NTA) site, hosted at:

https://www.nta.ac.in/LecturesContent

And also through Swayam Prabha, a free DTH channel for education provided by MHRD.

Through Swayam Prabha, students can go through the lectures on various subjects. To get the list of subjects and topics along with the allocation of respective channels and timings, visit the following link:

www.swayamprabha.gov.in/index.php/ch_allocation

Swayam app can also be installed on Smartphones / Tablets from Apple Store / Google Play Store.

e-Auzaar IIT-Professor Assisted Learning (PAL)

This is a school where students are active in running the school. As karyakartaas children have a Swashaasan (literally self-rule) meeting with the teachers to discuss the issues related to their departments like mess, newspaper, shiksha, guests, T.V. and so on, which are run by the children themselves. Also, in a general meeting all children participate and share problems they are facing. In the Saturday Baal Sabhas, conducted by different groups in turn, students share their learnings of the week, show their talents, plan to celebrate anniversaries or important days and in the process, learn the art of leadership and boldness. The weekly newspaper is another forum for the children where they write about their differences or tussles with the teachers, problems in the mess, teacher- teacher fights, village news etc.

Welcome to the unique democratic Adharshila – the Trikon Khidki Wala school where children live and learn.

:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXohjGP8byA&feature=youtu.be

Situated on a hill in Sakad, a tribal village in the Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, this school strives to build a strong foundation for the intellectual and physical development of the child. Its alternative learning- teaching methods aims to give students wings to dream

big and go after realizing them. Laying the foundation for 'self-motivated individuals whose actions are guided by their inner calling and conscience, rather than by what others say or do', Trikon Khidki Wala School is a unique experiment in education.

Read further to get a peep into this amazing space of learning…..

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V9CTpMgGFR-5TtPWrz2ZiXuNDzXT1Nfu/view?usp=sharing

Learning becomes interesting and more involved if we have lived experiences associated with it. Practically trying out things to have direct experiences for meaning-making of concepts, theories, abstractions, etc. provides deeper understanding and life-long learning. Students often say that practical sessions or exams are sometimes tough and uninteresting. We always talk about the application of theoretical concepts in real life as the take away of practical sessions. But our students don't see any real application of theories and concepts in laboratories.

As teachers, do you think they really enjoy their practical experiments? What if we tweak the practical sessions in a way where we build something in real life? This way, it not only becomes a practical session, but the 'construction' also encourages implementation of ideas, application of theories, design principles, understanding of mechanisms of operation and functioning, tweaking for errors and creating engaged, creative and independent thinkers in our students. Creating a Google Cardboard is one such kind of practical session which allows learnings that resonate with the above.

This is an excerpt from the diary of our teacher friend, Abhi Shanker, taking us through a detailed DIY of a Virtual Reality (VR) apparatus that can be used to illustrate real-life application of a myriad science concepts and theories in physics and biology.

For a further reading, visit the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gzhCIVWCPHyH-r_uDxFUjPl2qJTdyqlA/view?usp=sharing

Teacher's Diary DIY - How to make a VR cardboard ?

Popularly known as Paani Mata ("Water Mother"), Amla Ashok Ruia is a Mumbai-based social activist known for her work in the area of water harvesting. By using traditional water harvesting techniques and building check dams, she has transformed many lives in over 100 villages in Rajasthan. Inspired by the severe droughts in the years 1999/2000 and 2003 and with a view towards creating a sustainable and permanent solution for conserving water in drought hit regions of Rajasthan, Amla founded the Aakar Charitable Trust. By the end of 2017, Aakar Charitable Trust has built more than 200 check dams in more than 115 villages in Rajasthan, impacting the lives of over 2 lakh people and with flow-on effects to almost 200 other villages. Villagers have been able to

grow up to three crops per year and keep livestock helping them earn a combined income of Rs. 300 crore every year. Girls have been able to attend school, as they no longer need to help their mothers carry water from long distances and students can continue their education. Ruia and her team have extended their efforts in other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and the Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh. Awarded with the National Leadership Award in the category of Community Service and Social Upliftment in 2011 and the India Eye International Human Rights Observer Achievement Award in 2018, Amla has plans to expand her work in the states of Bihar, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.

https://www.thebetterindia.com/21899/amla-ruia-check-dams-rajasthan-aakar-charitable-trust/

Rubaroo AMLA RUIA – The Water Mother

Rahiman Paani Raakhiye… The Bioscope

"Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink."

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Samuel Coleridge wrote this extraordinary piece at the dawn of the eighteenth century (1798). After over two hundred years, these lines still echo. A geography teacher tells that, though 72% of the earth is covered in water, 97% of it is saline and unfit for drinking. So the fresh drinking water becomes a very precious resource. Are we using it judiciously enough, then? An inspired teacher asked this question in her class. In answering this question, students came up with a water charter - the do's and don'ts of using water prudently.

This charter was made into beautiful posters and pasted in the school and the students' own localities. With the rise in population, there is also a rise in the demand for consumable water. According to the Indian Government, the per capita availability of water has come down to 1,545 cubic meters by 2011, from 1,816 cubic meters in 2001. Come 21st March and the most colourful festival of Holi will be celebrated, as is every year. Tons of gallons of water will be wasted again in It is estimated that around 20 Holi.million litres of water is wasted in a small city; leave the quantum of water loss in big cities. Our friend teacher is planning to ask her students to think together on a series of questions.

Do we really need water to celebrate Holi? How can we minimise the wastage of water during this festival? She is also planning to discuss how to celebrate dry Holi with organic colours made from fragrant flowers, dry leaves, fruits, stem, etc. Our friend again gave students an exciting opportunity to It was make organic colour by themselves.a healthy practice for health, environment and also saving water.

Eminent scholar, environmentalist and author, Anupam Mishra spent his life finding about the water wisdom of Indian people. Advocating the conservation of traditional water structures of India, Anupam Mishra has been leading a silent but permanent revolution in the areas of water conservation and water management. He has authored landmark works in the field of water conservation, which includes Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talaab (Ponds Are Still Relevant, 1993) and Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boondein (Radiant Raindrops of Rajasthan, 1995). Take a look at this amazingly simple and inspiring Ted talk by him on the same subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJCTAXb_BWs&t=34s

Anupam Mishra found out that there were more than six hundred big or small water bodies in Delhi around the mid nineteenth century. Most of them have disappeared as they were encroached upon in the name of development and deliberately filled with construction waste. What are left are just names like Tal Katora (a pond like a bowl), Dhoula Kuan (corrupt form of Dhawal Kuan meaning a well which has sparkling water) or Lal Kuan, etc. Well known historian, academician and filmmaker, Suhail Hashmi also points out the worsening condition of water sources. He says that over the last one hundred and thirty years, all the tributaries of Yamuna that carried fresh water once have now become its largest pollutants.

For reference, see the link: https://thewire.in/urban/is-the-yamuna-river-really-delhis-dying-lifeline

An inspiring teacher can lead students to take up some interesting projects for exploring the state of water bodies in their locality. For this, students can take up heritage walks, conduct interviews with elders, do some internet research, document the present state by taking pictures and chalk out plan of action or prepare a memorandum to be submitted to the concerned department.

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Tel. : (0120) 2459200 / (0120) 2459201

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Editorial Team : Vagish Jha, Shraddha GhumreSupport : Abhishek Kumar, Abhi Shanker, Komal Mahajan, Partha Ghosh

Design : Shahid IqbalSend your feedback at: kclassacademic@gedu.demo.ilfseducation.com

Reader's Response

TALL is an excellent resource for all of us educators. I have looked at it briefly and will not only read it thoroughly but will pass it on to the teachers and students of our school.

The team that is imbibing critical thinking and creativity is commendable. Congratulations!

How do I receive TALL regularly? When can you and your team visit us?

Sudha Mahajan, Principal Cambridge International School, Mohal, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

The best part of the newsletter is in its innovativeness of providing more information and the latest CBSE circulars on academics on your fingertips by just clicking on the links.

Inspiring stories in education like of the 'The Tamarind Tree School' are lessons in learning. The information about the tools and apps that teachers can use to make their classroom interesting and responsive for students is amazing. I have just read about using rhymes for critical thinking and am going to use it immediately.

Shyma Vinod, Principal Bloom Public School, New Delhi

I often save and store my Interactive Board contents into the User Library. If I already have a folder having various images in my pen drive or a hard disk, can I put that external folder into the User Library at once so that I can use it later? - a query by a Govt. school teacher, Golegaon, Pune.

Visit the following link to get the solution: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yfwfl8Kpbgi64ewkpUt3bV9j4HfZrBCW/view?usp=sharing

K Class SolutionX How to use an external folder in the User-Library of the Interactive Board?