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Raman Award
Raman Awards Bootcamp
Bootcamp Schedule
Innovation Week
Science Literacy Week
| Scientific Literacy Week | Junior | Intermediate | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 20: Session link | https://bit.ly/3MLf8wq | https://bit.ly/3zDlZFD | https://bit.ly/3mF2xQZ |
| Assignment link | https://bit.ly/3QfN47u | https://bit.ly/3mDz6i3 | https://bit.ly/3zypRaA |
| Tuesday, June 21: Session link | https://bit.ly/3NJzJCF | https://bit.ly/3mCQmUX | https://bit.ly/3zyCjHF |
| Assignment link | https://bit.ly/3Hd3Obv | https://bit.ly/3zuwmve | https://bit.ly/3zwnHZ4 |
| Wednesday, June 22: Session link | https://bit.ly/3MJauPC | https://bit.ly/3NRre8Y | https://bit.ly/3zxDAOY |
| Assignment link | No assignment | https://bit.ly/39ebXjd | https://bit.ly/3zyk7xU |
| Thursday, June 23: Session link | https://bit.ly/3HfObzW | https://bit.ly/3zxZfqb | https://bit.ly/3zyfm7q |
| Assignment link | No assignment | No assignment | No assignment |
| Friday, June 24: Live recap session link | https://bit.ly/3O4HHGi
Meeting ID: 829 1806 6849 Time: 3:00PM to 4:30PM |
https://bit.ly/3O9ZGLD Meeting ID: 899 1174 6487 Passcode: 456120 Time: 10:30AM to 12:00PM |
https://bit.ly/3zFIsl4
Meeting ID: 827 6706 9433 Time: 1:00PM to 2:30PM |
Bootcamp registrations are now closed, you may watch the recordings of sessions above.
Introduction
Mankind has witnessed 6 technological revolutions during the last ~700 years, out of which the latest two occurred during the last ~80 years. Most technological revolutions have ripple effects on societal setups, economic processes as well as political relations between countries. The information technology revolution (sometimes referred to as the Digital Revolution) has had some significant socio-economic impacts. Along with the products of the industrial revolution, it also provides a perfect platform for future technological revolutions. These clubbed with the changes to nature’s ecological balance, promise uniquely challenging times for the coming generation. It will not be sufficient to equip children with the same knowledge and competencies, which the current education system (especially in India and some other countries) has been providing. The knowledge and competencies required to lead life during this century are often referred to as the 21st century skills. The literacies required in the 21st century include not only the traditional literacy skills like reading, writing and arithmetic but also include new literacy skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking and scientific literacy.
ThinkTac and Innovation and Science Promotion Foundation are offering two free programmes to introduce children to two critical 21st Century skills, which also help them get started on an exploration path:
- Scientific Literacy and
- Creativity and Innovation
Programme Overview
Each of the above programmes can be delivered at School or to children in their homes, with online support. Due to the fun and engaging nature of the programme, it is best delivered during the summer holidays. This can also be seen as a great bootcamp for the Raman Awards, which has launched its 2022 edition, starting with Science Challenge nominations till 30th April and Stage 1 from 1st May.
A summary of the programmes are below:
- 3 age groups (III & IV, V – VII, VIII – X).
- Activities, using simple, household materials (cost < ₹ 100 per programme).
- 12 Hours (6 hours for each programme) Live at school, community centre or online.
- 6 hours homework, observing & exploring.
- Teacher empowerment, training & resources to conduct programme.
- Continuous engagement and participation in Raman Awards.
Programme Activities
The two programmes would provide an exposure to a process for innovation and scientific approach. The processes will also be applied during the live sessions and as assignments at home, as part of the programme. The children are expected to develop the relevant skills if these processes are practiced on a sustained basis after the programme. The table below summaries the activities involved in the programme and the approximate time needed by children for each:
| Sl. No | Level | Location | Time (in minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preparation
|
Home / School |
60 minutes |
| 2 | Make together | Online / School | 60 minutes |
| 3 | Observe / Hypothesise
|
Online / School | 80 minutes |
| 4 | Scientific Literacy OR Innovation OR exploration process | Online / School | 40 minutes |
| 5 | Exploration / Assignment
|
Online / School | 80 minutes |
| 6 | Consolidation / Wrap-up
|
Online | 40 minutes |
Activity Summary
A summary of the activities that are selected for the programmes with the materials needed:
| Group | Programme | Activity & Description | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| III & IV | Innovation | Water Spray The flow of any fluid occurs from a region of higher pressure to that of a lower pressure. In this TACtivity, we use a couple of pieces of straw to make a “pump” that not only draws water up but sprays it out in thrilling fashion as you blow through one of the straws! |
Plastic Straw OR Paper & transparent tape |
| Catapult Model The catapult is a simple machine used to hurl The catapult is a simple machine used to hurl things through the air. It was used in war during the ancient times to hurl stones, darts, arrows, etc., with great force. In this TACtivity, you will create a catapult, closely resembling a trebuchet, using ice cream sticks and a binder clip, to model the possible defences at a fort. |
Binder clip & Ice cream sticks | ||
| Scientific Literacy | Chromatography There are various methods to separate all kinds of mixtures. One of the most interesting and “colourful” methods of separation is one known as Chromatography, where different pigments interact with a specific material in different ways and so the pigments separate. Here, we use a few different coloured sketch pens to colour a small area on a filter paper. Water is then drawn up using a wick and the colours separate at different radii as they interact on the wet filter paper. |
Sketch pens and Filter paper OR Tissue paper | |
| Anaerobic Respiration Yeast can respire even in the absence of oxygen – breaking down sugar, releasing carbon dioxide and other by products. Here, yeast is allowed to act on sugar water in a bottle, the mouth of which is sealed with a balloon. Over time, as the yeast starts to digest the sugar, the balloon starts to inflate! This process is called anaerobic respiration and is also used to make alcohol commercially. |
Yeast and Sugar | ||
| V – VII | Innovation | Digestion – Starch The process of digestion begins in our mouth when we chew our food to reduce them to smaller food particles. The amylase enzyme present in our saliva helps in breaking down complex carbohydrates – such as starch present in wheat, potatoes, corn, rice and other grains – into simple sugars. Our body utilises these simple sugars to obtain the energy needed to do our daily activities. In this TACtivity, we will perform a test to demonstrate the breakdown of starch by Saliva. |
Cooked rice, potato, Iodine/Betadine and Saliva |
| Roly Poly A roly poly toy has a round bottom and aligns itself to the upright position when pushed. It explores the concept of how gravitational potential energy works on the centre of mass of an object. In this TACtivity, we make a roly poly toy using a plastic ball and wet sand. |
Plastic ball and Sand | ||
| Scientific Literacy | Motion – Periodic In this splendidly simple and iconic TACtivity, you will make a classic pendulum, with a string and weight, used to measure time for centuries and the very basis of our “grandfather” clocks! Moreover, the constant to-and-fro motion, also known as Oscillatory Motion or Simple Harmonic Motion, is a wonderful phenomenon to experience and make measurements on. |
Thread, Stopwatch and Protractor | |
| Respirometer Chemical reactions often create a change in colour. Here, we use turmeric as an acid-base indicator to make a simple “respirometer”, which can be used to estimate your metabolic rate as you blow into a solution of slaked lime. |
Turmeric, Lime powder (Chuna) and Plastic straw | ||
| VIII – X | Innovation | Water Spray Refer to the description above. |
|
| Pencil Spinner Vibrations of a material have many wonderful effects: vibrating membranes make a sound, vibrating strings make a wave and vibrating stars create gravitational waves! In this age-old TACtivity (called gee-haw whammy diddle by the Native Americans who invented it 200 years ago), we see the simple (yet not fully understood!) phenomenon of vibrations in a pencil causing perfect circular motion of a spinner! Can you change the direction of the spinner by saying “gee” or “haw”?? |
Pencil, Board pin and Paper cutter | ||
| Scientific Literacy | DIY Electrolysis Electrolysis is a chemical process, which uses electric current to separate chemical compounds. Electric current is passed through electrodes immersed in an aqueous solution, known as an electrolyte. Electrolysis has many applications, such as in the separation of metals from their ores. In this TACtivity, we will perform electrolysis of water using table salt (NaCl), connecting wires, an AA cell, iron nails and a waste plastic bottle. Do you see any bubbles? Does the solution change colour? |
AA cell, Iron nails, Wire and Common salt | |
| Nervous System – Reaction Time Reaction time is the time taken for a person to respond to a given stimulus. Sensory neurons of the nervous system detect a stimulus and the motor neurons convey commands/reactions, corresponding to the stimulus, to the muscles, organs and glands. In this TACtivity, we perform a simple experiment to find the reaction time taken by our body, involuntarily, for a visual, auditory and touch stimulus. We drop and catch a ruler and the point on the ruler where we catch it would help us calculate the reaction time. |
Meter ruler |
MOLE Pedagogy
The broad pedagogical approach used in the programmes is summarised below:
