ASSETScope August 2015

The Monthly Newsletter

Issue 117 | August, 2015 | www.ei-india.com

MISCONCEPTION Series

?

Civic Lesson

ASSET

ASSET Talent Scholars - Inspiring Students Student’s Zone

COVER Story DaanUtsav - 2015 We bring you DaanUtsav, towns and cities participate in To inculcate the giving habits earlier called the Joy of Giving the festival every year, among students, we invite Week (JGW) from October-8. volunteering millions of hours DaanUtsav is India’s largest festival of giving. The aim of the JGW is to inspire one and all to give in whatever way they choose and to celebrate.

The Giving festival was launched in 2009 across India, which has brought together people from all walks of life. Venkat Krishnan, one of the three directors of Educational Initiatives, is an active volunteer in this effort.

The campaign has grown phenomenally since its launch.

From auto drivers in Chennai, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar to Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh and donating crores in cash Bachchan, over 4 million and kind. people from more than 100

your school to be a part of the largest giving festival of the

country. You can set up a DaanUtsav booth to collect grains, toys, stationery, books, uniforms and toiletries in your school, or engage children in a wide range of activities including making and distributing sandwiches, running cleanliness drives or participating in the Gift Compassion, the Rice Bucket Challenge and other such initiatives.

For more ideas and details: visit http://www.daanutsav.org.

You can also email to DaanUtsav volunteers at info@daanutsav.org

Civic Lesson in A Heritage Site Social Studies or Science is learning about the dynamics of human societies. There are problems, issues and success stories. One important aspect related to human society is how they manage and respond to their surrounding, including heritage sites.

Students in groups visited the site and were sensitized. They interacted with the villagers about their problems and asked why they keep the heritage site dirty. It was indeed an experiential learning in civics and heritage education.

As a part of the heritage revival project at the heritage site of Viramgam in Gujarat, the students of 8th standard of Rachana School in Ahmedabad recently got an exposure to these problems and issues. For many it was the first time.

Students visited Munser Talav, a historic water body created in the 12th century AD by Queen Minaldevi of Gujarat. It was created with an objective to meet the water needs of the people in the semi-arid region. However, the heritage site is not kept clean. People use it for open defecation. They bathe their buffalos and the area is full of garbage and filth.

The local communities living around it are underprivileged and are at the bottom of the Indian caste ridden society. They do not have any awareness about its importance.

By Jitu Mishra, Member of ASSET Test development team

MISCONCEPTION Series States of Matter

Q

Class 4: Science

Which of these is/are examples of EVAPORATION? 1. water changing to water vapour from oceans and rivers.

2. water changing to water vapour from a puddle on the roadside.

3. water changing to water vapour from a glass kept inside the house.

P D. 16.9% C. 10.2%

A

only 1

B

only 1 and 2

C

only 2 Only 16.9% answered correctly

Students need to internalize that the conversion of water from the liquid state to a gaseous state is known as evaporation- whether it be steam from boiling or hot water, drying up of water indoors or outdoors, or the water cycle. This level of understanding is sufficient at this level- students need not have a detailed understanding of evaporation at this stage.

1 Why was the question asked in ASSET test?

This question was designed to test whether students understand that evaporation of water occurs in many situations, or have the notion that it is limited to large bodies of water normally depicted as part of the water cycle.

What did students answer?

17% of students answered this correctly, whereas 51% chose the wrong answer, A. Possible reason for choosing A: Students have probably heard of the term 'evaporation' only in the context of the water cycle and thus think that it can only occur in the water cycle. Some students in fact think the 'water cycle' itself is called evaporation.

Possible reason for choosing B: Students probably believe that evaporation can take place only outdoors, in the presence of sunlight.

Possible reason for choosing C: Students are probably making a random guess.

3

A. 51.3%

B. 19.3%

D 1, 2 and 3 P

2

No. of students 9992

4

How do we handle this?

In class, take two bowls with equal amounts of water and keep one bowl outdoors in the sunshine and one indoors. Leave them undisturbed for the next 3 days and ask students to observe the level of water in both the bowls, twice a day, for 3 days. They will see that the level of water in both the bowls has gone down after 3 days, although there will probably be more water left in the bowl kept indoors.

Students need to understand that water evaporates whenever it is kept open and there is enough air around it, and also that the water need NOT be hot for it to occur.

• Put a drop of water on a smooth, non-absorbent surface, like glass. Spread the water to form a thin film.

• Ask students to think about what happens to the water when it 'dries up'. Discuss these responses.

Learnings Students across the country were interviewed on this concept and it appears that they are confused about evaporation and where it can occur. They seem to have strongly associated the water cycle with evaporation and consider both to be the same.

• Explain to them that water turns into a gas and is taken away by the air slowly till there is no water left on the surface – students need to understand that the process of 'drying' is the same as evaporation.

Students may find it difficult to understand the abstract concept of evaporation as they can't visualize it or see it happening at a microlevel. The understanding of evaporation relies heavily on students imagining the right model of how water passes from the liquid state to the gaseous state. It might be confusing for students to understand that evaporation can occur at room temperature as they have seen 'steam' rising from hot water / liquid.

Repeat the procedure while fanning the surface. Ask them to see whether the water dries up faster. Tell the students to think about what is happening to the air when you're fanning it. Discuss their reasons.

Also some students think that 'drying' and evaporation are two different phenomena and that evaporation can only occur if the water is 'heated' up.

Now, ask students for examples in which evaporation occurs. If students still appear confused, then discuss their responses and guide them towards understanding that the process of evaporation is essentially the conversion of water from a liquid to gas (at any temperature) and is not always directly visible.

For more information about ASSET, write to us at info@ei-india.com

STUDENT’s Zone ASSET Talent Scholar – Interview The students who perform in the top 5%, in the Duke Tip ASSET talent search in any one of the subjects like English, Maths or Science overall is awarded the title of ‘ASSET Talent Scholar’.

These students receive certificate and medal from ASSET. To know more about ASSET talent Search write to us at talentsearch@ei-india.com

Interview of an ASSET Talent Scholar Q1. Apart from having a thirst for knowledge, what else excites your mind?

Apart from having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, there is nothing I enjoy more than a good book, a friendly debate and interacting with new people from diverse cultures. I constantly push myself to try new and exciting things which have led to my having varied interests and a constant drive to explore new realms. I achieve much of this through my travels both within India and overseas.

Q2. If you were a time machine, what period in history would you go back to?

And why?

I would like to travel back to the Mughal Era. Due to the fact that India had immense riches in olden times, it attracted the attention of ambitious rulers who wanted to either plunder its riches or conquer the magnificent empire. India has been invaded numerous times and I believe that it is these invasions that have shaped the truly diverse and exquisite culture of our country. Each invader brought with him earlier unknown customs, spices, artifacts, traditions, architectural styles, etc. However, the Mughals have played the largest part in influencing our culture. They built famous monuments such as The Taj Mahal for which India is famous; introduced new dishes such as biryani, kulfi and the much loved chaats; designed new clothing such as anarkalis; influenced the architectural style of our country and led to the evolution of Indo-Islamic architecture. The ways in which they affected our culture is astonishing and the part they played in shaping it is massive. I would like to be present during this period to watch for myself the way in which these two extremely different cultures merged.

Q3. Do you idolize anyone? If yes, then who and why?

I want to be a successful woman entrepreneur when I grow up and hope to bust the age old myth that women cannot soar to great heights in their professional fields while simultaneously having a stable personal life. Hence, I idolize women who are already doing so, such as Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Moreover, I want to be an inspiration to all ambitious women who long to shatter the glass ceiling.

Q4. What is your favourite book? Give reasons why?

I believe that a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. Hence, I spend a majority of my time reading books by different authors across various genres. Despite the fact that I like a large number of books and appreciate the versatility of the writing styles of numerous authors, the books I associate with best are the ones written by the young adult’s novelist, John Green.

He has written award winning books such as, The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Abundance of Katherines, etc. The reason I like his books is because I believe that he captures mundane human emotions beautifully as well as throws light upon more serious matters such as cancer, loss of loved ones and the thin line that

AVANTIKA KHANNA The Shri Ram School, Aravali

differentiates between life and death. Most teenagers relate well to his books as we all go through similar situations in our lives and reading about how the characters in his books deal with such matters, for example illness, somehow makes us ponder over important questions and makes us reflect. His writing style is realistic as well as very original. His stories allow us to share the feelings and experiences of real people in real situations. John Green's writing contains very deep messages, intellectual language and concepts, humour and compassion and is wrapped up in a way that makes it accessible and enjoyable for teenage readers. One of my favourite books written by him is The Fault in Our Stars. John Green is my favourite author and the stories written by him and what I learnt from them is something I will keep with me forever.

Q5. What other talents do you possess?

I am extremely passionate about music. Since the age of four, I have been pursuing my passion by taking formal classes in Hindustani Classical Music. I have also performed in front of large audiences on various occasions. Apart from singing, I enjoy painting. I like capturing beautiful sceneries and sights with my brush on canvas. I have experimented with various painting styles such as oil on canvas, charcoal paintings, sketches and acrylic paintings.

Q6. If you could be someone else for a day, who would that be?

I would not want to be anyone but myself.

Q7. If you could make one rule for everyone in the world to follow, what would that be?

Our environment is highly polluted and global warming is increasing. The impact of our careless actions such as something as simple as leaving the light on after we have left the room have a disastrous impact on the environment. We are sooner or later going to have to bear the brunt of our actions. The earth is our home and by polluting it we are doing a disservice to ourselves and generations to come. Hence, if I was to be given an opportunity to make a rule for everyone to follow, it would be that everyone tries to reduce their carbon footprints and contributes to saving the earth.

Also people should educate those around them about the impact their actions have on the environment. In this way we can all together save our earth for a better tomorrow!

Q8. What do you aspire to be, when you grow up?

I aspire to be a successful entrepreneur when I grow up. However, I would like to first intern at a leading multinational organization for a few years, in order to learn the nuances before I start an enterprise of my own. I would like to contribute to a social cause, alongside pursuing my professional goals.

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