The CBSE has curated alternate science experiments that learners can do at their homes using simple, readily available household materials. These hands-on activities have been designed to have similar learning outcomes for all the lab experiments required for the 2021-22 academic year for Class 9 and Class 10, the board said.
The COVID-19 lockdown and the subsequent closure of school have reduced the amount of time available for face-to-face instruction and hands-on teacher-guided Science practical work, the board said. To address this, in September last year, the board guided schools on the conduct of practical work during the lockdown, where the schools were advised to use the platform of OLabsto to facilitate a virtual experience of CBSE curriculum-aligned experiments activities for classes 9 to 12, it added.
A list of additional activities from the NCERT lab manual for Class 9 and Class 10 has also been provided to schools, the board said.
“These hands-on activities are accompanied by step-by-step guides, videos, and worksheets for students to record observations. A list of material needed for each experiment, together with alternatives have also been included in the content package to facilitate the learners,” the board said regarding the alternate activities.
The content of the activities has been provided by ThinkTac. It is also available on the Diksha portal, the CBSE said.
“While the activities and materials have been chosen to be safe for learners to do on their own, teachers are required to review these before assigning them and advise parents if supervision is required for any specific activity,” the board said.
“CBSE would be providing an online training on the usage of these activities, details of which will be intimated separately. The list of the class 9 and 10 lab experiments and the links to access hands-on activities that can be used as an alternative is detailed as Annexure to this circular,” it added.