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STUDENT EDITION

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020

WEB EDITION

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IN ENVIRONMENT

Climate change willcause more extremewet, dry seasons: Study

The world can expect more rainfall asthe climate changes. It can also expectmore water to evaporate, complicating

efforts to manage reservoirs and irrigatecrops in a growing world, warns a new study.Examining the magnitude and variability ofprecipitation and evaporation and how muchwater will be available during the wettest anddriest months of the year, researchers foundthat dry seasons will become drier and wetseasons will become wetter.

YOU’D RATHER GET ACORONAVIRUS VACCINETHROUGH YOUR NOSE

O f the 150-plus coronavirus vaccinesin development around the world,the lion’s share will rely on a nee-

dle prick to make their way into the body.Most vaccines throughout history have

been jabbed into the upper arm, often togreat success. But when protecting peopleagainst pathogens that invade the airway,like the coronavirus, an intra-muscularshot isn’t necessarily the best strategy,some experts say.

SONU SOOD TO WRITE A BOOK ON HISEXPERIENCES WITH THE MIGRANTS

MUKESH AMBANI IS THE 6THRICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD

Mukesh Ambani,Chairman and ManagingDirector of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL),became the world’s sixth-richest person—

surpassing Alphabet co-founder Larry Page—af-ter his real-time net worth rose by $2.17 billion to$72.4 billion. Apart from being the richest Indianand Asian, Ambani, 63, is now all set to join theexclusive club of the world's top fiverichest people.

MEGHAN URGES GIRLS TO DROWN OUTONLINE 'NOISE' WITH POSITIVITY

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,has urged girls and women fromaround the world to drown out

"painfully loud" negative online chatterwith positivity. Addressing 40,000 teen girlsand young women via video at the UN Foun-dation's 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit,Meghan said that the generation she wasspeaking to, grew up with digital technol-ogy and knew online media better thananyone. “You understand that our onlineworld has the power to affirm and supportas much as it does to harm,” she said.

A ctor Sonu Soodis all set to comeup with a book

recounting his experi-ence of help-ing the mi-grant workers reachtheir hometowns duringthe Covid lockdown.The book will be pub-lished by Penguin India.

The past three and half months have been akind of a life-changing experience for me,

living with the migrants for 16 to 18 hours a day andsharing their pain. When I go to see them off asthey begin their journey back home, my heart isfilled with joy and relief. Seeing the smiles on theirfaces, the tears of happiness in their eyes has beenthe most special experience of my life, and Ipledged that I'll keep on working to send them backto their homes until the last migrant reacheshis village, to his loved ones

➥ Many microbes, including the coron-avirus, enter the body through themucosa — wet, squishy tissues that linethe nose, mouth, lungs and digestive tract— triggering a unique immune responsefrom cells and molecules there. Intra-mus-cular vaccines generally do a poor job ofeliciting this mucosal response, and mustinstead rely on immune cells mobilisedfrom elsewhere in the body flocking to thesite of infection.➥ Given the rapid spread of the coron-avirus, some say, it makes sense to devel-op vaccines for the airway

HOW IT WORKS

CLICK HERE: WWW.TOISTUDENT.COM

I RECOMMEND

SITES FOR HANDS-ON SCIENCE

EXPERIMENTS

1 Check out the MMaakkiinngg SScciieenncceeMMaakkee SSeennssee website. This web-site has downloadable experi-

ments, along with a fun-filledactivity book, which will keep youentertained for hours.

2 The PPBBSS KKiiddss site has a sec-tion called Zoomsci. In thissection, there are experi-

ments that are broken into differ-ent categories. Check out The FiveSenses section, packed withexperiments, all about smell,sight, touch, taste and hearing.

3 The Discovery Channel’sDDiissccoovveerryy KKiiddss is anothersite to bookmark and fea-

tures science games, books andactivities . Two activities perfectfor summer, include growing yourown fungus garden and becominga bug detective!

4 BBiillll NNyyee is one crazy science guy! His website has experiments ranging

from Life, Physical, Planetary and Space Science.

5 The EExxpplloorraattoorriiuumm is notonly a great place to visitwith the kids, but the web-

site provides a lot of ideas youcan do at home. A few activitiesinclude, glue-stick sunset, laserjello, ice balloons & much more!

6 Looking for sciencefair/project ideas? SScciieenncceeBBoobb can be a great resource

providing resources to get yourchild thinking of what they’d liketo create

HRD normsR

eleasing the“Pragyata” guide-lines for onlineclasses, the Union

HRD ministry has recom-mended a cap on daily ses-sions and their durations fordifferent levels of school stu-dents. The ministry framedthe guidelines, following

concerns raised by theparents on schools con-ducting online classes,like regular schools,

thereby increasing chil-dren’s exposure to digitalscreens manifold, since the

closure of schools fromMarch 16, 2020, after theCovid-19 outbreak.The guide-lines highlighted that “it isimportant to have presenta-tions, which are easily read-

able, slides must follow cer-tain rules, like not more thanfive bullet points, maximiseuse of infographics, graphs,charts and avoid tables asmuch as possible”.

CAP ONLINECLASSES AT2-3 HRS:

➥ According to the guidelines, theduration for online classes for pre-primary students should not bemore than 30 minutes; for classes Ito VIII, two online sessions of up to45 minutes each are suggested;for classes IX to XII, three shouldbe four sessions of 30-45 minutes durations

➥ It has also made specific recom-mendations based on the accessibilityof digital resources across house-holds — right from those with access

to 4G connections with laptop, smartphone and TV to those with nodigital device

➥ The HRD ministry has recom-mended eight steps of online ordigital learning — plan, review,arrange, guide, talk, assign, trackand appreciate. These steps guidethe planning and implementation of digital education step by stepwith examples

➥ The guidelines also talk of the

need of assessment, concerns whileplanning online and digital education,like duration, screen time, inclusive-ness, balanced online and offlineactivities, level-wise modalities ofintervention, including resource cura-tion, level-wise delivery; physical,mental health and well-being duringdigital education

➥ The guidelines also urge par-ents, teachers and schools to takeprecautions on cyber safety andethical practices

T H E G U I D E L I N E S

EDUCATION

NASA's most advanced Marsrover Perseverance will belaunched from Earth onJuly 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 sixmonths.

INTO THE FUTURE

Three countries — UnitedStates, China and theUnited Arab Emirates — aresending unmanned space-craft to the Red planet inquick succession, in themost sweeping effort toseek signs of ancientmicroscopic life, whilescouting out the place forfuture astronauts

TIME TO TEST YOURKNOWLEDGE ON MARS

1 Which is the only country on theplanet to have successfully land-

ed robots on Mars?a) USA b) Russia c) China

2 Which rover confirmed the thepresence of complex organic

molecules on the Red planet?a) Pathfinder b) Curiosity c) Spirit

3 On which crater of Mars willPerseverance land on February18 2021?

a) Jezero Crater b) Aniak c) Yuty

Answer: 1A; 2 B; 3A

➤ Should the SUV-sized vehicle touchdown unscathed, it will start collectingand storing rock and soil samples, to beretrieved by a future mission andbrought back to Earth in 2031➤ Perseverance follows in the tracksof four rovers before it, which wasfirst launched in the late 1990s➤ Together with satellite and surfaceprobes, they have transformed ourunderstanding of Mars, showing thatthe Red Planet wasn't always a coldand barren place ➤ Instead, it hadthe ingredients for life as we know it:water, organic compounds and afavourable climate

MAKE GRATITUDE A HABIT TO BECOME MENTALLY STRONG

1START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL: SonjaLyubomirsky, author of ‘The How ofHappiness’ suggests that journaling is

more effective, if you first make the consciousdecision to become happier and more grateful.So make a decision, then write a gratitude jour-nal, in which you log in the things/people youare thankful for.

2Send small tokens, thank you notes or let-ters of gratitude to the people, who areimportant in your life; tell them why they

are special to you

3CREATE A COLLAGE: Morin suggests thatlooking at pictures of people/things thatyou are thankful for, will serve as a great

visual reminder of the good things in your life

4CREATE A RITUAL WITH YOUR FAMILY:Creating a unique ritual with your familycan help you ensure that you practise it

daily, feels Morin

5Just say a heartfelt ‘thanks’ to expressyour appreciation to avoid expressing onlyin your head. Appreciate the people

around you, and thank them

nitya.shukla@timesgroup.com

In a recent article, AmyMorin, a psychotherapist,TEDx speaker and authorof ‘13 Things Mentally

Strong People Don't Do’, haswritten that practising grati-tude is the ‘simplest andfastest way to build mentalstrength.’ In fact, according towww.positivepsycology.com,when we express (and receive)gratitude, our brain releasesdopamine and serotonin, thetwo crucial neurotransmittersresponsible for our emotions,and they make us feel 'good'.They enhance our mood im-mediately, making us feel hap-py from inside.

➥ According to Laurie Santos, a cognitive scientist, gratitude affects our interpersonalrelationships. Multiple studies suggest that if you express gratitude to the people you care about, you can end up boosting those relationships.

➥ That’s not all! Harvard Health Publicationsreports that “gratitude is strongly and consis-tently associated with greater happiness. In fact,the simple act of writing down things that youare grateful has a range of benefits, includingbetter sleep, suggests Greater Good ScienceCenter of UC Berkeley

B E N E F I T S HOW TO PRACTISE GRATITUDE THROUGH SIMPLE WAYS

Show gratitude towards your parents, peers, elders and every other living being. Don'tforget to share your experiences at toiniei175@gmail.com/timesmailnie175@gmail.com

➤ Most of the Eastern US, including all ofSouth Carolina, has high precipitation thatis well distributed throughout the year,researchers found. The region and otherslike it can expect greater precipitation andevaporation 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 getslammed with rain during wet seasons andstruggle with drought during dry seasons.They include, much of India and its neigh-bours— Bangladesh and Myanmar, alongwith an inland swath of Brazil, Africa, andnorthern Australia

CORONA UPDATE

BOOKIN THE NEWS

CELEBTALK

A mbani's net worth of $72.4billion is higher than the

combined net worth ofIndia's next five billion-aires—Azim Premji ($16.9bn), Shiv Nadar ($15.8bn), Gautam Adani ($12.6bn), RadhakishanDamani ($11.8 bn) andCyrus Poonawala ($11.8bn). Of late, Ambani, whoowns 42% of RIL, has bene-fited from a flurry of invest-ment into Jio Platforms Ltd

There will always be negativevoices, and sometimes thosevoices can appear to be out-sized; sometimes they canappear to be painfully loud.Your gut will tell you what'sright and what's wrong, Thehardest part is to chase yourconvictions with action

Perseverance rover tosearch for life on Mars

Photo: Getty images

Photo: Getty images

Warriors of

2020

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.”GÉRARD DE NERVAL, FRENCH WRITER AND POET FAMILY TIME02

THE BATCH THAT WAS SUMMONED BY A VOODOO DOLL!

Batch of 2020 is thetalk of the town!Everybody from kids

to elders show sympathyfor us as we didn’t cele-brate our last moments ofschool life. It is indeed aritual to celebrate the last

year of school but COVID-19had other plans. Our journey

of 14 years endedunnoticeably. It hap-pened so quickly thatmany of us have notyet come to the reali-

sation that our school lives have ended. Also, we thestudents of batch 2020, are facing the biggest identi-ty crisis of our lives – not knowing if we are stillschool students or pass outs!

2020 - MOST PROACTIVE ANDRESILIENT BATCH, EVER!

The Batch of 2020 hasbeen through whatseems like a roller-

coaster ride. From exampatterns being changed tonot being able to complete even the board exams.But when you look at the larger picture, it has taughtus one thing that this generation greatly needs –

resilience. It has shown us students that no matterhow tough the going gets, one must adapt to be

able to survive. Along with all the damagethat this pandemic has done to the world, ithas become a boon too.

UNEXPECTED... BUTTURNED OUT FINE

The events of my senior yearhave definitely been unex-pected and different than

what I thought it would be. But inthe end, ALL IS WELL!

2020 GOT THIS BATCH TOGETHER!

The class 12 batch of 2019-20 were attempting theBoards when the pandemichit the world and all hell

broke loose. Did we com-plain? No. We waited for ourgovernment to take tough

decisions and we welcomed what came our way. Thisbatch will surely be remembered for the grace and

humility we have all shown in accepting our gradesand performance. And I speak for all students across

the globe who passed out from school this year. We are going to make the most of it and alwaysbe that batch which proved to the world that

when calamity strikes, the brave get stronger.

S NIVETHITHA RAJALAKSHMI,Stanes Anglo Indian Higher

Secondary School,Coimbatore

SHAMONA KOSHYPSBBLLA, Bengaluru

SEEJAL PADHI, Academy ofHealth and Medical Sciences,

New Jersey, US

SHEETAL PADHIBridgewater Raritan High School,

New Jersey, US

KALYANI SREEJITH, KVPangode, Thiruvananthapuram

BATCH THAT LEARNT THE WORTHOF FREEDOM AND SANITATION

The batch of 2020 seems tobe the most unlucky. Wewere deprived of the

fun that comes with theend of our schooling years.We were also desperatelywaiting for the holidaysbetween our last exam andresult day, but all went downthe drain. Some students didnot even get the chanceto take their last examand prove their truepotential. Yet 2020 hashad its share of excite-ment. We got to spend time with our families whichwe couldn’t have in the usual scenario. We also got toknow the worth of freedom and sanitation – twoextremely important things that make our life.

VANI DEV PHARASI, DoonInternational School,

Dalanwala

NO PROM! IMAGINE THAT...

There has been no prom, no gradua-tion ceremony, virtual classes andall the clubs and organisations have

been cancelled. However, it has beenvery relaxing with the lack of work and Ihave more leisure time.

BATCH FROM HELLAND BACK...

Our batch has seenmany hardships:switching to the old

boards system from CCE andour Math paper leaking in the10th; and the pandemic in the 12th.Could you ask for more?

The pandemic is unfortunateand most of us saw a dip inour percentage. In thatregard the year was a curse.But in view of the worldaround us in murky water, wecan only consider ourselvesfortunate to have been

spared from the riskybusiness of papers.

AS A BATCH GLOBALLY WE WOULD HAVEMASTERED MANY TRADES... I HAVE!

For us, the batch of 2020, it is the year that was supposed todecide the course of our lives where we would step out fromthe comfort zone of our school and graduate to college. We

were nervous yet excited. Suddenly life seems to have come toa halt. I strongly feel that my worries and appre-hensions are insignificant in front of such a hugeglobal challenge. And on the brighter side, I have

had all time in the world, what with my entrance examspostponed, the pressure has evaporated. I have played innumer-able card games, quibbled with my brothers over board gamesand even tried to learn cooking – a feat I had previouslydeemed impossible.Celebrating birthdaysonline is fun too.

WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS YEARWITH MIXED FEELINGS

For a class 12 student, 2020 was sup-posed to be a transition year afteryears of hard work and patience.

Ideally by July 2020, we had envi-sioned ourselves in our dream col-lege, but instead we were left hang-ing with an indefinite status. On thebrighter side, students preparing forentrance exams have got more time torevise intensive portions. Batch of 2020has mixed feelings about the

situation. But nothing wecannot manage.

LESSON FOR OUR BATCH - HEALTHBEFORE REPORT CARD

Iwas disappointed after hearing that Iwill not be able to appear for twoboard exams. But as days went by, I

realised my health and safety is ofgreater importance. Even though thereality is not honey-sweet, I am notheartbroken with the marking schemethat CBSE chose. The 2020 batch did

learn a great lesson — your healthcomes before your report card.

BATCH OF 2020... MADE US ALL BRAVE WARRIORS

We are united globally. I see this year as a boon. The batchwhere all students embraced the unprecedented time with inno-vative measures. This year was and still is full of

challenges blended with our adaptation and the zeal to survive. Thisbatch of students, with great rigour, energy and ambition faced thechallenge and did a good job too. As Generation Y, we have tackledthe untoward situation in a valiant way keeping health and safety asour first priority. After all, ‘jaan hai toh jahan hai’. This yearhas helped us to learn and understand how to copewith difficult situations. As brave warriors, we stu-dents have withstood whatever came our way. But wedid not let adversity deter usfrom learning a lot about how tosustain and manage ourselves.

PAVIT SOHAL, St John’s High School,Chandigarh

VEDIKA GUPTA, Jayshree PeriwalHigh School, Jaipur

BHAVYA SOOD, AGDAV, ModelTown, New Delhi

MAITREYI ARWARI, B K BirlaPublic School, Kalyan, Mumbai

SRIJITA CHAKRABORTY, BDMInternational

The Batch of 2020 will be recognised as a cohortthat has had to face unique challenges, with

unparalleled resilience and grace. As they go ontheir next adventure, we know they will provide

some inspiration to make the world a betterplace... Times NIE spoke with students from India

and the US to know more...

GRADES DON’T NECESSARILY REFLECT WORK

A bad grade doesn’t necessarily mean your childisn’t working hard, and a good grade doesn’tmean your child is working harder. If your childworks diligently on his/her homework and stud-ies consistently, but doesn’t test well, that information isn’t reflected in bad grades. Ad-

ditionally, getting A’s because material is too easy puts yourchild at an academic disadvantage. Communicate with yourchild and instructor to find out the story behind the grades,and how to make sure your child is better prepared.

Understanding theReport Card: FiveTips for Parents

1GRADES ARE ABOUT PERSONAL

RESPONSIBILITY

REACH BEYOND THAT A+

When discussing grades, it’s important for kidsto remember grades are theirs. No one givesthem a good or bad grade, they are earned.Part of setting high aca- demic ex-pectations is expecting childrento take responsibility

for their grades. This doesn’t meanyour child is in this alone, but it doesmean that he or she needs to takeownership to seek that support fromyou and their teacher when extrahelp is needed.

2

Parents love to see A’s on theirchild’s report card. In order tomake sure that those straight Astudents achieve their highestpotential, it’s important to makesure they are being challenged.

If children aren’t challenged appropriately, t h e ymay become disengaged from academic achieve-ments and can become underachievers. Ad- ditionally,if your child gets straight A’s with little work or effort,later in life he or she might be unprepared to accom-plish tasks that actually do challenge their intellect.

3

PARTNER WITH THE TEACHER TOHELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED

Bad grades are a big deal, but not the end of theworld. Remember grades are very stressful forkids. Overreacting can cause them to be evenmore anxious about school, and less able to open-ly communicate and engage with you. If yourchild does receive a bad grade, talk to them to

find out where things went wrong. From there, work withyour child’s teacher to form a strategy for success. For ex-ample, if the class is simply too difficult, arrange for a stu-dent tutor or extra help from the teacher. If assignmentsaren’t getting turned in, set aside time for homework eachnight and ensure your child sticks to the agreed time.

4

NO SURPRISES

Report cards are an accrual of your child’s academic performance through an entire semester. If you’re staying engaged with yourchild’s education, there should be no surpriseswhen report cards are issued – especially if youhad set aside time for your child to do home-

work and consistently discussed assignment and grades to-gether.

5

In Robert Southey’s ‘AfterBlenheim’, an elderly narratordescribes the consequences ofan early 18th century conflict.Complete each of these state-ments on the poem (from‘Treasure Trove’) by choosingcorrectly from the fouroptions.

1 What object does Peterkinfind while out playing?

A. Skull B. Spade C. Sandal

D. Statue

2 How are Peterkin andWilhelmine related to

each other?A. Father and daughter B. Son and mother C. Brother and sister D. Husband and wife

3 What do we gather fromthe poem about Kaspar’s

occupation?

A. CobblerB. Farmer C. Carpenter D. Fisherman

4 Which of Kaspar’s familymembers fled during

the battle?A. Son B. Uncle C. Father D. Grandfather

5 Who among these stately personages won the Battle

of Blenheim?A. Earl B. PrinceC. King D. Duke

ANSWERS: 1) A. Skull 2) C. Brother and sister 3) B. Farmer 4) C. Father 5) D. Duke

ACTIVITY FOR THE DAYQUIZ TIME

HISTORY

KHIRKI MOSQUE, Delhi

1It is a mosque built by Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah, the prime min-ister of Feroz Shah Tughlaq(1351–1388) of the Tughlaq Dynasty.

The word ‘Khirki’ is an Urdu word, mean-ing ‘window’ and is also called ‘TheMosque of Windows’. Khan-i-Jahan Ju-naan Telangani and Feroz Shah Tugh-laq together planned and built several

sites. Telangani in particular, was creditedwith building seven monuments with unique designs.

Can you name one city found by Feroz Shah Tughlaq?Answer: Firozabad

RAMA YANTRAJantar Mantar, Delhi

2Jantar Mantar is located in New Delhi. Itconsists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The site was built by MaharajaJai Singh II of Jaipur.

Rama Yantra: Twolarge cylindricalstructures withopen top, used tomeasure the alti-tude of starsbased on the lati-tude and the lon-gitude on theearth. It con-sists of a pair ofcylindrical structures, opento the sky, each with a pillar or pole at thecentre. The pillar/post and walls are of equalheight, which is also equal to the radius of thestructure.Can you name the Yantra that is basically a Sundial at Jantar Mantar? Answer: Samrat Yantra

MYSTERY

Content and pics by ‘History Diaries’. Co-founded by IIT-Delhi alumni, it is an initiative to make history interesting, engaging and relevant, transforming the wayit is being taught in schools

BYGONEBATTLE

SURYAKUMARI DENNISON, Teacher, Aavishkar Academy, Bengaluru

Source: Expect More Arizona

Photo: Himanshu Rewar