Teaching kids about Chandrayan-2
Dear all,
Chandrayan-2 can be a
superb inquiry session with children aged 4 and above, depending on the age of
the children in your class, use the below facts developmentally appropriately.
·
Start
by making the children sit in a group or a circle and probe about what they
know about Chandrayan and vikram.
·
Then
add the following facts as and when required. Ensure that the session is not
all about ‘giving gyaan’ but is more about having a discussion and hearing what
children have to say and extending their knowledge.
·
Also
ensure that you use the right photos and pictures from the ISRO website and not
what you have received on whatsapp forwards.
·
Please
understand that this will be a science topic to develop scientific thinking in
children so avoid making the objects ‘talk’ as it confuses children and does
not build scientific connections. I always say that in a classroom a teacher
must know when to teach with stories and puppets and when to teach facts. (For
example when children watch TV programs they know that what they watch on
cartoon network is fiction and what they watch on national geographic is real,
a good teacher must know this distinction)
·
You
can start the session with songs and rhymes about the moon in various
languages, but when talking about the facts of the mission talk scientifically.
·
You
can use either STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) approach
or Multiple Intelligences (musical rhythmic, visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic,
logical- mathematical, bodily kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and
naturalistic.
So link facts to these
from the ones given below, don’t forget to do point no.
Some facts about
Chandrayan-2 mission of India-
1.America, Russia and China
have explored the moon.
2. But all have explored
the north pole on the moon.
3.What is ISRO- Indian
space research organisation- it is based in Bangalore (show CORRECT map of
India, see if they know where it is)
4.You can also show them
website of ISRO if required- www.isro.gov.in
here it is important to teach children that when we receive some news on
whatsapp we should double check with the ISRO website to know the real facts.
(This is called seeking evidence, this will be our way of laying the foundation
of teaching children about fake news.)
5.Point to picture of Dr.
Shiven ISRO head and hundred’s of scientists worked on Chandrayan-1 and 2
missions.
6. Here many children may
talk about how our PM was consoling/hugging Dr. Shiven. Good opportunity to
talk about emotions. That it is ok to feel sad and be upset when we fail or
think we are not going to be successful or get what we wanted and the best way
to cope with such emotions is to cry or talk to someone and that is what you
see happening. It is ok for everyone to cry. (In many areas you may get
children who may say that it is sissy to cry or boys don’t cry, so use this
opportunity to teach that crying is a way of showing your emotion just like you
smile or laugh when happy, similarly you cry when upset, nothing wrong and
everyone can cry, even boys and men)
7. Why is the Indian
mission named Chandrayan? It means “Moon Craft” in Sanskrit language.
(Ancient-oldest language of India)
8.Just like you have an
aircraft this is a moon craft. It was the size of a refrigerator
9. What was chandrayan-1?
It was the first orbiter sent to the moon and orbited around the moon from a
distance (100kms to 200 kms)
10.India launched
Chandrayan-1 in 2008 and it brought back pictures of water on the moon- slabs
of water ice buried in the craters.
11. So India launched
Chandrayan -2
12.That is why Chandrayan
-2 mission has a rover to physically land on the moon to explore this evidence
of water.
13.India wanted to explore
the south pole by doing a soft landing of its robot- vikram lander
14.What is chandrayan-2
mission? Chandrayan- 2 is India’s moon mission to explore the southern side of
the moon
15. It was launched from
Satish Dhawan Space center- Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on July 22 (show
CORRECT map of India, see if they know where it is)
16. Chandrayan-2 has an
orbiter, lander and rover to explore the unexplored south pole of moon
17.So the chandrayan-2
orbiter has already reached the moon and is orbiting around it
18.The orbiter has a
camera and it is like the camera on a mobile phone but much better with very
high resolution
19.It will work on solar
power
20.The chandrayan-2 also had a lander with an rover
21.The lander is named
vikram and the rover is named Pragyan
22.Vikram lander was to
make a soft landing on the moon and release Pragyan rover who would then be
active for 14 days exploring the physical moon surface.
23. On September 7th
at 1.53 am the vikram lander came very close to the moon but a little away from
landing it lost communication with ISRO
24.So presently we don’t
know what is the situation of vikram lander and pragyan rover. It could have
landed we don’t know as we have lost
communication with it.
25.Here it is very
important that you don’t say anything that is not a fact, don’t say it is
destroyed or crashed etc. give facts that are evidence based only.
26.How was ISRO
communicating with Chandrayan-2? With a high velocity signal there was
communication through data. So its not like they were connected with a mobile
phone or TV. It would send messages in codes to ISRO that the scientists would
then decode.
27.The orbiter that is
presently around the moon will keep sending signals and images to ISRO and will
be orbiting for the next 7 years.
28.Also the Vikram lander can be connected to for 14 days, so ISRO will
keep trying to communicate with it
29.What was the difference
between chandrayan-1 and chandrayan-2? Chandrayan 1 was an orbiter that orbited
around the moon and took pictures from a distance (100- 200 kms) whereas
Chandrayan -2 has an Orbiter and a rover. So the orbiter to orbit around the
moon and take photos and the rover to land on the moon and explore
30. What would have
happened if Vikram lander had landed on the moon?
When vikram would have
landed on the moon, Pragyan rover attached to Vikram’s door would be exposed to
the sun after the door opens. Soon after getting solar energy the rover’s
battery would be activated. The rover has 6 wheels with our tricolour and an
ISRO logo embossed on it. It would move at a speed of 1 cm per second and use
navigation cameras to scan its surroundings. The scanned data would be sent to
Vikram to send to ISRO, as Pragyan does not have its own signalling system.
During its lifespan of 14 days Pragyan would cover 500 metres on the moon.
31.Your art links can be
stamping or embossing the Asoka emblem, singing songs and rhymes, making the
models of the Chandrayan, Vikram and Pragyan etc. And helping children express
by drawing (don’t forge to document their drawings).
All the best, lets make
children aware about Chandrayan-2 and use it to teach ‘academic skills’ the
inquiry way.
If you use this do send
me your photos etc. on 9819121384.
Dr. Swati Popat Vats.
