Jingchu Network (Hubei Daily) News (Reporter Tang Tianqi Correspondent Wan Jieyun) Recently, Ink Lake Primary School in Hanyang District, Wuhan City, launched a unique STEAM project chemistry Xi activity - "'Ink' Blossoms". The project is based on the school-based curriculum of Ink Lake Primary School, "Ink Rhyme and Color", and encourages students to find problems from life and solve problems in the research process.
It is reported that the school-based curriculum of "Ink Rhyme Flow" has been independently developed by the team of teachers of Ink Primary School since 2017, and it has been deeply loved by students since its launch. The course starts with a bit of ink, presents a complete sequence of learning Xi, breaks the boundaries of subject knowledge, takes students' spatio-temporal cognition as the longitude and latitude, and rises layer by layer along the three stages of "objects, instruments, and Tao", so that students can explore the source of Chinese culture in the course learning Xi.
"Ink Rhyme" class. Photo courtesy of the correspondent
This semester, in the process of learning and Xi "Ink Rhyme and Color", the students put forward a series of new thoughts: is there any way to give new life to fallen flowers and leaves? Can we use natural plants, vegetables and fruits to make environmentally friendly colored ink? In order to answer these questions, the team of teachers of Ink Primary School has set up a research and development project team, covering science, art, information technology and mathematics, and invited sixth grade students to join the research.
Under the guidance of art teacher Gao Li Jiahua, the students started their first experiment. They used fruits and vegetables such as oranges, spinach, and carrots, which are commonly found in their homes, and tried to extract the juice to make ink. But in the actual production process, they also encountered many problems, such as the fluidity of the juice is too strong, the color is too light, etc. In the process, they also understood that colored liquid is not the same as colored ink.
Students draw with homemade colored ink. Photo courtesy of the correspondent
In order to solve these problems, under the leadership of Vice Principal Wang Tao, the school organized research activities and led the students of Moji Primary School to the ink factory for practical exploration. The staff of the factory led the students to visit the research center, explained the extraction process and application of pigments, and answered the students' questions in detail. The students studied carefully and remembered in detail. Everyone sighed: "It turns out that the practical range of ink is so wide!"
Visit the Ink Factory. Photo courtesy of the correspondent
After returning to the university, the research teams made detailed and exquisite research notes and knowledge tabloids based on what they had learned. Through repeated experiments and research, the students continued to solve problems and break through difficulties, and finally succeeded in developing a pure natural color ink. This achievement not only amazed the students at the ever-changing nature of ink, but also gave them the joy and sense of accomplishment of research.
Student-developed all-natural color ink. Photo courtesy of the correspondent
Students also actively consulted teachers in various subjects to learn how to Xi photography, make presentations and write manuscripts. In the report and presentation session, the group members worked together, expressed themselves confidently, and gave passionate speeches, presenting the entire research process completely. There was ample evaluation and encouragement among the groups.
A student-produced Xi tabloid. Photo courtesy of the correspondent
Wan Jing, principal of Ink Lake Primary School, said: "The STEAM project chemistry Xi research has taught students to find problems in life and solve problems in the research process. The implementation of the curriculum is both humanistic and scientific. In the next step, the school will continue to explore more possibilities of "Ink Rhyme" and add more colors to the school's "ink" culture. ”