Expanding Curriculum: (Children at Home)

Expanding the scope of current curriculum can be an option. Instead of sending reviews and homework for the unexplained work, it’ll be better to send resource links for independent research on the same. Generally students are not left with sufficient time during the school routine, but these days they have ample time. Independent research and analysis not just leads to better understanding of the concepts, but also makes it more relatable.

A few lessons that I have facilitated my own children in research these few days are from documentaries on Netflix, Google Earth, Khan Academy, Urdu literacy enhancement through Naunehal digest etc. These are all general topics but help in expanding school curriculum.

Sample Plans:

1. Dream Big-first 20 mins (Netflix)

Questions discussed + assignments:

Q.1. According to the video, what do you think is the biggest concern in building a skyscraper?

Q.2. Which country was shown to have faced a number of earthquakes?

Q.3. Which technique had been used in building the Shanghai Tower to let it sustain heavy winds?

Q.4. What secret ingredient was used in the mortar while building the Great Wall of China?

Q.5. Why do you think building a suspension bridge is important/ necessary?

Q.6. Find Haiti in google maps, and try to identify different suspension bridges.

Q.7. Build towers or bridges using LEGO bricks and take notes if these sustain the air from the fan.

Q. 8. What do you understand by these terms?

• Liquefaction

• Vertical city

• Sky scrappers

• Suspension bridge

• Lidar

2. Our Planet (episode: Frozen World- South Pole)

Discussed

• Climate change

• Algae under the snow

• Krill

• Gento penguins

• Humpback whales

• King penguins

• Ocra killer whales

• Leopard seals

• Elephant seals

• Albatross (South Georgia)

• Kelp

Project (Poster): Information on any one animal from the South Pole.

3. Exploring Our Solar System by FreeSchool (YouTube)

After watching the video researched about size, distance, climate, composition, rings, moons and dwarf planets. Presentation of the same.

4. Expanding a sentence to make it funny, tasty or scary.

Sentence: It was raining.

Scary: It was raining cats and dogs on a dark and stormy night in the deserted valley among the dark mountains where it is said that the spirits of the Rosewood family lived as they were never buried and had become zombies. (By grade 7 student)

Tasty: At midnight,it was raining soft as jellies while marshmallow twisters stood shivering as they were the only ones who didn’t sleep on chocolate nights and today was a chocolate night in Candyland. (By grade 5 student)

Funny: It was raining beautifully while people were taking photos on Snapchat in Dubai, and Lahore, and Karachi, and Pakistan while wearing wedding clothes as a mad scientist was making things funny instead of making things mad. (By grade 3 student)

Reflections of a Teacher

What happens when a student is not able to concentrate, not being able to focus on what is being done in the class? Just a guess but because I have felt that almost all the students are genius, I feel that they are busy contemplating over something that they were exposed to earlier; it could be a new concept, idea, a friend, a game etc. I mostly indicate towards what they want to do and not what they are expected to do, although the latter is often more important. The essential question is whether we should allow/encourage them to continue into contemplation or help them into focusing on the benchmark assigned for their age group. I must add that I refuse to accept these kids to be slow or behind the others. Sometimes I feel that may be if we only direct them towards the necessary or worthwhile objectives is better than to force them into learning. Allowing them to think and evaluate on their own with assistance can yield better results( not in terms of grades and marks but real learning)

The important thing is to expose the children to appropriate material, in what they watch, listen, play with, talk with; but too much control is neither possible and nor will it yield the desired results. It is imperative that the children be allowed to analyze the possibilities related to their dreams or aspirations(not in just becoming someone, but creating, inventing, exploring and discovering things)