BE N N E T T, C OL E M A N & C O. LT D. | E S TA BLI S H E D 183 8 | T IM E S OF IN DI A .
C OM | N E W DE L HI
CAP ONLINE
CLASSES AT
2-3 HRS:
HRD norms
R
eleasing the concerns raised by the
“Pragyata” guide- parents on schools con-
lines for online ducting online classes,
classes, the Union like regular schools,
HRD ministry has recom-
mended a cap on daily ses-
sions and their durations for
EDUCATION
different levels of school stu- thereby increasing chil-
dents. The ministry framed dren’s exposure to digital
the guidelines, following screens manifold, since the
THE
➥ According to the guidelines, the
duration for online classes for pre-
primary students should not be
more than 30 minutes; for classes I
to VIII, two online sessions of up to ➥ The HRD ministry has recom-
mended eight steps of online or
45 minutes each are suggested;
for classes IX to XII, three should digital learning — plan, review,
arrange, guide, talk, assign, track
be four sessions of 30-45
minutes durations and appreciate. These steps guide
the planning and implementation
➥ It has also made specific recom- of digital education step by step
mendations based on the accessibility with examples
of digital resources across house-
holds — right from those with access ➥ The guidelines also talk of the
ENVIRONMENT
Climate change will
cause more extreme
wet, dry seasons: Study
T
he world can expect more rainfall as
the climate changes. It can also expect
more water to evaporate, complicating
efforts to manage reservoirs and irrigate
crops in a growing world, warns a new study.
Examining the magnitude and variability of
precipitation and evaporation and how much
water will be available during the wettest and
driest months of the year, researchers found
that dry seasons will become drier and wet
seasons will become wetter.
➤ Most of the Eastern US, including all of
South Carolina, has high precipitation that
is well distributed throughout the year,
researchers found. The region and others
like it can expect greater precipitation and
evaporation in both wet and dry seasons,
according to the study. ➤The greatest con-
cern for such regions will be more flooding.
The regions that will be hardest hit by cli-
mate change are the ones that already get
slammed with rain during wet seasons and
struggle with drought during dry seasons.
They include, much of India and its neigh-
bours— Bangladesh and Myanmar, along
with an inland swath of Brazil, Africa, and
northern Australia
MAKE GRATITUDE A HABIT TO BECOME MENTALLY STRONG
nitya.shukla@timesgroup.com
I
n a recent article, Amy
Morin, a psychotherapist,
TEDx speaker and author
of ‘13 Things Mentally
Strong People Don't Do’, has
written that practising grati-
tude is the ‘simplest and
fastest way to build mental
strength.’ In fact, according to
www.positivepsycology.com,
when we express (and receive)
gratitude, our brain releases
dopamine and serotonin, the
two crucial neurotransmitters
responsible for our emotions,
and they make us feel 'good'.
They enhance our mood im-
mediately, making us feel hap-
py from inside.
CLICK HERE: WWW.TOISTUDENT.COM STUDENT EDITION
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020
Newspaper in
Education
Photo: Getty images
Perseverance rover to WEB EDITION
search for life on Mars
I RECOMMEND
N
ASA's most advanced Mars
rover Perseverance will be INTO THE FUTURE SITES FOR
launched from Earth on
July 30, on a mission to
seek signs of ancient microbial life,
on what was once a river delta three-
and-a-half billion years ago. The in-
ter-planetary voyage will last six
months.
HANDS-ON
SCIENCE
Three countries — United
States, China and the
United Arab Emirates — are
EXPERIMENTS
1
sending unmanned space- Check out the Making Science
Make Sense website. This web-
craft to the Red planet in
quick succession, in the site has downloadable experi-
most sweeping effort to ments, along with a fun-filled
closure of schools from able, slides must follow cer- activity book, which will keep you
seek signs of ancient
March 16, 2020, after the
Covid-19 outbreak.The guide-
tain rules, like not more than
five bullet points, maximise microscopic life, while entertained for hours.
lines highlighted that “it is use of infographics, graphs, scouting out the place for
2
important to have presenta- charts and avoid tables as
future astronauts The PBS Kids site has a sec-
tions, which are easily read- much as possible”. tion called Zoomsci. In this
section, there are experi-
GUIDELINES ➤ Should the SUV-sized vehicle touch TIME TO TEST YOUR ments that are broken into differ-
to 4G connections with laptop, need of assessment, concerns while down unscathed, it will start collecting KNOWLEDGE ON MARS ent categories. Check out The Five
and storing rock and soil samples, to be Senses section, packed with
smartphone and TV to those with no
digital device
planning online and digital education,
like duration, screen time, inclusive- retrieved by a future mission and
brought back to Earth in 2031
1 Which is the only country on the
planet to have successfully land-
ed robots on Mars?
experiments, all about smell,
sight, touch, taste and hearing.
ness, balanced online and offline
activities, level-wise modalities of ➤ Perseverance follows in the tracks a) USA b) Russia c) China
intervention, including resource cura-
tion, level-wise delivery; physical,
of four rovers before it, which was
first launched in the late 1990s
➤ Together with satellite and surface
2 Which rover confirmed the the
presence of complex organic
molecules on the Red planet?
mental health and well-being during
digital education probes, they have transformed our a) Pathfinder b) Curiosity c) Spirit
➥ The guidelines also urge par-
ents, teachers and schools to take
understanding of Mars, showing that
the Red Planet wasn't always a cold
and barren place ➤ Instead, it had
3 On which crater of Mars will
Perseverance land on February
18 2021?
precautions on cyber safety and the ingredients for life as we know it: a) Jezero Crater
ethical practices water, organic compounds and a b) Aniak c) Yuty
3
The Discovery Channel’s
favourable climate Answer: 1A; 2 B; 3A Discovery Kids is another
site to bookmark and fea-
CORONA UPDATE tures science games, books and
NEWS
BRIEF
CLICK
HERE FOR MUKESH AMBANI IS THE 6TH activities . Two activities perfect
YOU’D RATHER GET A IN MORE
RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD for summer, include growing your
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE own fungus garden and becoming
M
ukesh Ambani,Chairman and Managing a bug detective!
THROUGH YOUR NOSE SONU SOOD TO WRITE A BOOK ON HIS Director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL),
O EXPERIENCES WITH THE MIGRANTS
f the 150-plus coronavirus vaccines became the world’s sixth-richest person—
4
in development around the world, surpassing Alphabet co-founder Larry Page—af- Bill Nye is one crazy
science guy! His website
A
the lion’s share will rely on a nee- ctor Sonu Sood ter his real-time net worth rose by $2.17 billion to
dle prick to make their way into the body. is all set to come $72.4 billion. Apart from being the richest Indian has experiments ranging
Most vaccines throughout history have up with a book and Asian, Ambani, 63, is now all set to join the
been jabbed into the upper arm, often to recounting his experi- exclusive club of the world's top five
from Life, Physical, Planetary
great success. But when protecting people ence of help- richest people. and Space Science.
against pathogens that invade the airway, ing the mi- BOOK
like the coronavirus, an intra-muscular grant workers reach IN THE NEWS
5
The Exploratorium is not
shot isn’t necessarily the best strategy, their hometowns during mbani's net worth of $72.4
some experts say. the Covid lockdown.
The book will be pub-
A billion is higher than the
combined net worth of
only a great place to visit
with the kids, but the web-
lished by Penguin India. site provides a lot of ideas you
India's next five billion- can do at home. A few activities
The past three and half months have been a
kind of a life-changing experience for me, aires—Azim Premji ($16.9 include, glue-stick sunset, laser
living with the migrants for 16 to 18 hours a day and bn), Shiv Nadar ($15.8 jello, ice balloons & much more!
sharing their pain. When I go to see them off as bn), Gautam Adani ($12.6
bn), Radhakishan
6
they begin their journey back home, my heart is Looking for science
filled with joy and relief. Seeing the smiles on their Damani ($11.8 bn) and fair/project ideas? Science
faces, the tears of happiness in their eyes has been Cyrus Poonawala ($11.8 Bob can be a great resource
the most special experience of my life, and I bn). Of late, Ambani, who providing resources to get your
pledged that I'll keep on working to send them back owns 42% of RIL, has bene- child thinking of what they’d like
to their homes until the last migrant reaches fited from a flurry of invest- to create
HOW IT WORKS his village, to his loved ones ment into Jio Platforms Ltd
➥ Many microbes, including the coron-
avirus, enter the body through the
mucosa — wet, squishy tissues that line MEGHAN URGES GIRLS TO DROWN OUT CELEB
the nose, mouth, lungs and digestive tract ONLINE 'NOISE' WITH POSITIVITY TALK
— triggering a unique immune response
M
eghan, the Duchess of Sussex,
from cells and molecules there. Intra-mus- has urged girls and women from There will always be negative
cular vaccines generally do a poor job of around the world to drown out voices, and sometimes those
eliciting this mucosal response, and must "painfully loud" negative online chatter
with positivity. Addressing 40,000 teen girls
voices can appear to be out-
instead rely on immune cells mobilised and young women via video at the UN Foun- sized; sometimes they can
from elsewhere in the body flocking to the dation's 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit, appear to be painfully loud.
site of infection. Meghan said that the generation she was Your gut will tell you what's
➥ Given the rapid spread of the coron- speaking to, grew up with digital technol-
ogy and knew online media better than
right and what's wrong, The
avirus, some say, it makes sense to devel- hardest part is to chase your
anyone. “You understand that our online
op vaccines for the airway world has the power to affirm and support convictions with action
as much as it does to harm,” she said.
B E N E F I T S HOW TO PRACTISE GRATITUDE THROUGH SIMPLE WAYS
1 3
START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL: Sonja CREATE A COLLAGE: Morin suggests that
➥ According to Laurie Santos, a cognitive
Lyubomirsky, author of ‘The How of looking at pictures of people/things that
scientist, gratitude affects our interpersonal
relationships. Multiple studies suggest that Happiness’ suggests that journaling is you are thankful for, will serve as a great
more effective, if you first make the conscious visual reminder of the good things in your life
if you express gratitude to the people you
4
care about, you can end up boosting decision to become happier and more grateful. CREATE A RITUAL WITH YOUR FAMILY:
those relationships. So make a decision, then write a gratitude jour- Creating a unique ritual with your family
nal, in which you log in the things/people you can help you ensure that you practise it
➥ That’s not all! Harvard Health Publications
are thankful for. daily, feels Morin
reports that “gratitude is strongly and consis-
2 5
Send small tokens, thank you notes or let- Just say a heartfelt ‘thanks’ to express
tently associated with greater happiness. In fact,
the simple act of writing down things that you ters of gratitude to the people, who are your appreciation to avoid expressing only
important in your life; tell them why they in your head. Appreciate the people
are grateful has a range of benefits, including
better sleep, suggests Greater Good Science are special to you around you, and thank them
Center of UC Berkeley Show gratitude towards your parents, peers, elders and every other living being. Don't
Photo: Getty images forget to share your experiences at toiniei175@gmail.com/timesmailnie175@gmail.com
 02 It’s not just a place where you get to learn Einstein’s Theory of
Relativity. It’s also a place where you can think beyond the class-
room. Hence we say, SCHOOL IS COOL!

TALES OF SUCCESS
Merit comes with determination, courage and persistence, all are qualities that need to be developed with practice

Name: Tulika Padhi Name: Samyuktaa Sivakumar Name: Mithali Bhosale Name: Vanditha Pradeep Name: Aryan Shrivastava
Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE
School: DAV School: Ryan School: MNR School: School: DPS,
Public School, International School of Greenfingers Panvel
Nerul School, Kandivali Excellence, Global School, Percent: 98.2
Percent: 99 East Kamothe, Navi Kharghar The secret which I
Stay motivated, Percent: 98.8 Mumbai Percent: 98.7 follow, to reach
focussed and Continuous practice Percent: 98.80 I express my respect, love and gratitude excellence, is to
confident. Clear all your doubts and in depth Prepare a timetable, follow it zealously. to my parents and teachers for their sup- maintain perseverance and devotion
beforehand and make sure that you understanding of the concepts along Trust your teachers and parents. Study port and encouragement throughout my
read the textbooks regularly, follow this with a good balance between study towards any element of life! One must
regularly throughout the year. Keep academic year. All of them deserve much
and you'll surely ace the examinations. and play will keep stress at bay. concentrate on one’s goal.
your motivation levels at their highest. more deep gratitude and love.

Name: Pratiksha Kapoor Name: Tec Narayan Brahmachari Name: Sanchari Majumdar Name: Shreya Singh Name: Siddhi Modi
Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE
School: Don School: Sheth School: Apeejay School: Apeejay School: Apeejay
Bosco Senior Vidya Mandir School, Nerul, School, Khargar School, Khargar
Secondary English High Navi Mumbai Percent: 97.20 Percent: 97.20
School, Vasai It's good to have Plan ahead, work
School, Nerul Percent: 97.2 hard, never give in to
Percent: 97.6 ambitions but
Percent: 98 It is essential to
To reach your goals, lethargy. Set high but
Hard work alone studying on a regular basis with sheer expectations are
come out of your comfort zone and achievable goals, work towards them
can bring success. Listen to your perseverance and focus is essential; toxic. Work towards your goal without
strive hard to score well, hard work as throughout the year. Follow your parents
teachers and parents, concentrate on managing your time efficiently is the any incentive of results. I express my and teachers totally. I am thankful to
well as smart work is necessary to ace
key to achieve your dreams. gratitude to my school teachers and Principal Ma'am.
what you want to achieve. all the examinations.
Principal Ma'am.

Name: Neeraj Radhakrishnan Name: Prapti Vithalani Name: Rimjhim Tiwari Name: S.D. Vidhula Name: Ankesh Gupta
Pillai Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE Board: CBSE
Board: CBSE School: Sri Ma School: Jaipuriar School: Tree School: Kendriya
School: Omkar Vidyalaya, Thane School, House High Vidalaya, Panvel
English Medium Percent: 96.4 Sanpada,Navi School, Virar Percent: 96.2
School, Dombivli Success is always a Mumbai
result of relentless
Percent: 96.2 Set your daily goals
Percent: 96.4 Percent: 96.20 and try to complete
effort — the pursuit of The more you'll want
To acquire a Developing a habit of
satisfactory score it excellence is the key. to do, the higher them anyhow by the end of the day.
study is a must, no matter how many
is important to have a good balance Follow everything that your teachers tell you'll reach. So as long as you have the We should always keep short-term and
hours you put in. Consistent hard-
between sports, academics, good you, obey your parents and you will see hunger for success, you will always have long-term goals. Work hard and be
work and mock tests help you ace the
behaviour, and most importantly self- an amazing performance. race! the power within you to achieve it. strong willed.
study.

Reporting by Priyangshi Chakraborti and Abhijeet Krishnan

BATCH THAT LEARNT THE WORTH OF FREE- 2020 GOT THIS BATCH TOGETHER! LESSON FOR OUR BATCH - HEALTH
DOM AND SANITATION BEFORE REPORT CARD
T
he class 12 batch of 2019-20 were attempting the
Boards when the pandemic hit the world and all

T
he batch of 2020 seems to be the most unlucky.

I
was disappointed after hearing
We were deprived of the fun that comes with the hell broke loose. Did we complain? No. We waited
that I will not be able to appear
end of our schooling years. We were also desper- for our government to take tough decisions and we
for two board exams. But as
ately waiting for the holidays between our last exam welcomed what came our way. This batch will surely
days went by, I realised my health
and result day, but all went down the drain. Some be remembered for the grace and humility we have
and safety is of greater impor-
students did not even get the chance to take their all shown in accepting our grades and performance.

Warriors of
tance. Even though the reality is
last exam and prove their true potential. Yet 2020 And I speak for all students across the globe who
not honey-sweet, I am not heart-
has had its share of excitement. We got to spend time passed out from school this year.
broken with the marking scheme
with our families which we couldn’t have in the usual We are going to make the most of it and always be
that CBSE chose. The 2020 batch did
scenario. We also got to know the worth that batch which proved to the world that when

2020
VANI DEV PHARASI, Doon learn a great lesson —
of freedom and sanitation – two extremely calamity strikes, the SRIJITA CHAKRABORTY,
International School, Dalanwala KALYANI SREEJITH, KV your health comes before
important things that make our life. brave get stronger. BDM International
Pangode, Thiruvananthapuram your report card.

THE BATCH THAT WAS WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS 2020 - MOST PROACTIVE AND RESILIENT
SUMMONED BY A VOODOO DOLL! YEAR WITH MIXED FEELINGS BATCH, EVER!

T
he Batch of 2020 has been

B
atch of 2020 is the talk of

The Batch of 2020 will be recognised as a cohort that the town! Everybody from
has had to face unique challenges, with unparalleled kids to elders show sympathy
resilience and grace. As they go on their next for us as we didn’t celebrate our
adventure, we know they will provide some inspiration last moments of school life. It is
to make the world a better place... Times NIE spoke with indeed a ritual to celebrate the
last year of school but COVID-19
students from across India to know more...
had other plans. Our journey of 14
years ended unnoticeably. It hap-
pened so quickly that many
of us have not yet come to
S NIVETHITHA RAJALAKSHMI,
Stanes Anglo Indian Higher the realisation that our school
Secondary School, lives have ended. Also, we the
Coimbatore students of batch 2020, are
facing the biggest identity
crisis of our lives – not knowing if we are still school stu-
dents or pass outs!
F
or a class 12 student, 2020
through what seems like a
was supposed to be a
rollercoaster ride. From exam
transition year after
patterns being changed to not
years of hard work and
being able to complete even the
patience. Ideally by July
board exams. But when you look at
2020, we had envisioned
the larger picture, it has taught us
ourselves in our dream
one thing that this generation great-
college, but instead we
ly needs – resilience. It has shown us
were left hanging with an
students that no matter how tough the
indefinite status. On the
going gets, one must adapt to be SHAMONA KOSHY
brighter side, students
able to survive. Along with all the PSBBLLA, Bengaluru
preparing for entrance MAITREYI ARWARI, B K Birla
damage that this pandemic has
exams have got more time Public School, Kalyan,
done to the world, it has become a boon too.
to revise intensive por- Mumbai
tions. Batch of 2020 has
mixed feelings about the situation. But nothing we AS A BATCH GLOBALLY WE WOULD HAVE
cannot manage. MASTERED MANY TRADES... I HAVE!

BATCH FROM The pandemic is unfortunate
and most of us saw a dip in
HELL AND BACK... our percentage. In that
BATCH OF 2020... MADE US challenge and did a good job too. As
Generation Y, we have tackled the untoward
ALL BRAVE WARRIORS situation in a valiant way keeping health and
F
or us, the batch of 2020, it is the year that was supposed to
decide the course of our lives where we would step out from the
comfort zone of our school and graduate to college. We were
nervous yet excited. Suddenly life seems to have come to a halt. I

O
ur batch has seen regard the year was a curse. e are united globally. I see this year as safety as our first priority. After all, ‘jaan hai

W
strongly feel that my worries and apprehensions are insignificant in
many hardships: But in view of the world toh jahan hai’. This year has helped us to learn
a boon. The batch where all students front of such a huge global challenge. And on the brighter side, I have
switching to the old around us in murky water, we embraced the unprecedented time and understand how to cope with difficult situ- had all time in the world, what with my entrance exams postponed, the
boards system from CCE and can only consider ourselves with innovative measures. This year was and ations. As brave warriors, we students have pressure has evaporated. I have played innumerable card games, quib-
our Math paper leaking in fortunate to have been still is full of challenges blended with our withstood whatever came our way. But we did bled with my brothers over board games and even tried to learn cook-
the 10th; and the spared from the risky
PAVIT SOHAL, St John’s High School, adaptation and the zeal to survive. This batch not let adversity deter us from learning a lot ing – a feat I had previously
pandemic in the 12th. business of papers. VEDIKA GUPTA, Jayshree Periwal
Chandigarh of students, with great rigour, about how to sustain and deemed impossible. Celebrating
Could you ask for more? BHAVYA SOOD, AGDAV, Model High School, Jaipur
energy and ambition faced the Town, New Delhi manage ourselves. birthdays online is fun too.