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U.P. Board: Learning intricacies of science with everyday items

Teachers will be trained based on this newly prepared module from the new academic session starting from April 1

Published on: Feb 28, 2024, 17:25:17 IST
By , PRAYAGRAJ
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More than 55 lakh students of Classes 9 and 10, studying in more than 27,000 schools affiliated to UP Board, will soon be taught and explained the intricacies of science with eco-friendly items like turmeric and hibiscus petals.

Chemistry lab experiments (HT File Photo)
Chemistry lab experiments (HT File Photo)

For the first time, experts of the State Institute Science Education (SISE)- Prayagraj, a unit of State Council of Educational Research and Training, Uttar Pradesh (SCERT UP), have prepared a training module for science and mathematics teachers, in which they will be taught to use eco-friendly items besides regular chemicals to teach students during practical lessons, officials of the state secondary education department said.

Teachers will be trained based on this newly prepared module from the new academic session starting from April 1, 2024, they added.

In the module, the cell’s structure has been explained by making temporary slides of petals of hibiscus and mustard flowers. In chemistry, acids and bases have been identified by experimenting with various items used in daily life like lemon, amla, jamun, orange, curd, seasonal fruits and turmeric solution etc using blue and red litmus paper, said director of SISE-Prayagraj, Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi.

Likewise in physics, the help of graph paper has been taken to explain the principle of motion, he added.

“The training module has been prepared for the first time on the instructions of the director-general of school education. With its help, teachers will be given training in the new session,” explained Chaturvedi.

The help of magic will be taken too, to explain science to children in a simple way. Any message like ‘Happy Birthday’ is written on white paper with baking soda solution (base). It is not visible on the paper but when it is rubbed with beetroot juice (indicator), the message becomes visible, explained Manjusha Gupta and Mamta Dubey, experts and science coordinators at the SISE-Prayagraj, citing an example from the module suggested for teaching identification of acids and bases in a fun way.

Similarly, the process of identifying metals like zinc, magnesium, aluminum, iron and copper etc will be done with hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, they added.

SISE-Prayagraj’s mathematics coordinator Arvind Kumar Gautam said that the new training module spells out the way to teach concepts of cube-cuboid shapes etc with the help of cardboard boxes.

  • K Sandeep Kumar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    K Sandeep Kumar

    K. Sandeep Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor and Bureau Head of Hindustan Times in Prayagraj, where he leads the newspaper's editorial coverage across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, he has built a reputation for credible, in-depth and impact-driven reporting on Uttar Pradesh's governance, politics, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence, infrastructure and development. Over the course of his career, Sandeep has consistently broken and tracked stories that have shaped public discourse, with a particular focus on policy, public institutions and issues that directly affect people's lives. His reporting combines rigorous fieldwork with data-backed analysis, making complex subjects accessible to a wide readership. He has also written extensively on human-interest stories that spotlight resilience, innovation and social change across urban and rural Uttar Pradesh. As Prayagraj Bureau Head, he mentors reporters, drives editorial planning and ensures comprehensive coverage of one of India's most politically and culturally significant regions. His work is marked by accuracy, balance and context, reflecting a commitment to public-interest journalism and high editorial standards. Through his reporting, Sandeep continues to chronicle the evolving social, economic and political landscape of Uttar Pradesh while delivering insightful and reliable journalism for Hindustan Times readers.Read More