Balsam Academy Curriculum is more than a promise to every child, parent, and teacher—a commitment to nurture the mind, build compassion, empower individuals to act with purpose and sense of responsibility.
Our academic approach builds a strong foundation, merging rigorous learning with real-world applications that inspire critical thinking and confidence. Every subject, project, and activity is crafted to support intellectual growth while fostering curiosity and problem-solving.
The curriculum encompasses the points listed below to ensure that students are enabled to go beyond mere accumulation of knowledge.
We have adopted the Competency-based education as recommended by the CBSE and in alignment with NEP and NCF.
Measures have been taken to frame learning objectives for each chapter/ concept in all subjects to map the learning objectives with the learning outcomes prepared by NCERT.
Learning Outcomes (LOs) are statements linked to pedagogical process that indicate what a student is able to accomplish after learning a topic/ concept. These include developing significant knowledge and skills along with defining cognitive achievement, values, life skills and attitudes students would demonstrate at the end of a unit.
The LOs provide an opportunity for teachers to reflect on the curriculum, context of learning, content, application and assessment to be designed. Teachers use LOs as a tool for improving educational process.
Pedagogical processes are child centric and inclusive in nature as the focus is on individual achievement. The idea is to support student's ability to become an independent /self-reliant and lifelong learner by using a variety of interactive methods.
Interdisciplinary Instruction addresses scholastic and co-scholastic areas such as Arts, Sports, Work Education and SEWA. The main teaching- learning processes are Collaborative Learning, Cooperative Learning, Reciprocal Teaching, Discussions, Group Projects, Blended learning with integration of ICT (Flipped Classrooms), Experiential Learning, Problem Based Learning, Case Studies, Portfolios, Presentations, and Projects.
Criterion referenced assessments as proposed by Competency Based Education (CBE) has been adopted. Assessments test the application of knowledge and skills to real world problems and demand decision making, match with the Learning Outcomes, are based on critical and creative thinking and assess ability to integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Assessments involves Objective as well as Performance Assessments that is skill and application oriented. Rubrics shall be set to help students understand what and how to learn. The assessments shall demonstrate the required level of competency.
A balance between assessment ‘for’, ‘as’ and ‘of’ learning will be maintained for optimum results and minimum stress on students. Multiple methods of assessment like portfolios, presentations, group projects, open ended questions, MCQs, short answer and long answer problems, reflective assignments involving measurement of capacity to analyse and evaluate experience in the light of theories and research evidence, shall be used.
An integrated curriculum approach at Balsam Academy provides continuum of concepts with skills -based learning, and provides opportunities to students to enhance artistic skills, pursue physically active and healthy lifestyle and build life skills. The integrated approach helps to build the strongest possible foundation for children from the elementary years onwards.
Art Education is a part of the curriculum at all levels from class 1 to 10. Two periods in a week for each section of each class is allocated to involve students in the activities as specified in the CBSE Manual. Students explore different media and techniques and their use for creative and productive expression for common use. Opportunities are provided for development of awareness about folk arts, local specific arts, and other cultural components leading to an appreciation of national heritage. Locally available material is used to make different products. Visual Arts, Performing Arts and Language Arts (creative drama, puppetry, poetry) are some of the media of creative arts that are facilitated.
Art Integrated Learning is a creative and constructivist teaching-learning approach through which students demonstrate their understanding of a concept through various art forms. It signifies exploration of academic content (ideas, concepts, prior knowledge) and skills sets to be acquired by a student through the various forms of Art.
Art Integrated Project work for classes 1 to 10 is designed to make teaching-learning competency-based joyful. As part of this, at least one Art Integrated Project in each subject will be taken up by all students of classes 9 and 10 from the academic session, and students of classes 1 to 8 are also encouraged to take at least one Art Integrated Project (trans-disciplinary project) in a given academic year.
Art Integrated Project are conducted as per the following guidelines:
Health and Physical Education includes mental and emotional health of the learners apart from physical health. Health is often a state of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
A comprehensive view of Health and Physical Education includes and encompasses the three areas of Health Education, Physical Education and Yoga as integral to achieving holistic health (physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual). Given the interdisciplinary nature of this subject, it is transacted in innovative ways across the curriculum.
STRAND 1 GAMES/SPORTS – At least one of following:
STRAND 2 Health and Fitness
(Also, students’ Health and Fitness Records are maintained.)
STRAND 3 SEWA
SEWA aims to develop a whole person in their intellectual, personal, social, emotional and social growth. Learners engaged in this program are expected to be life-long learners and through experiential learning develop as active citizens, caring and compassionate humans. Students of classes 6 to 10 take on projects that help them to connect to their surroundings, develop responsibility towards a cause and also inculcate DIY confidence.
STRAND 4 Health & Activity Card (for record)
Health and activity card has general instructions such as Aadhaar card number, name of parents, vision of the students, basic body information, fitness components, fitness parameters, skill components, posture evaluation and record of sporting activities such as games, health and fitness. The students from class 9 to 10 are eligible to get cards.
The newly renovated and upgraded library has over 12000 volumes which include books, videos, DVDs, and CDs. Subscription to periodicals is added continually. The library also provides students and teachers with a range of reference books, encyclopaedia, journals, newspapers, and internet facilities to enrich their classroom learning and knowledge.
To further enhance the literary and language skills selected literary works including stories, poems, videos, articles, biographies, comics etc. are shared with students. Literary weeks are conducted in collaboration with Language departments.
Our comprehensive selection of ICT resources draws on wider computing areas from ICT literacy and competency skills to choosing careers in IT. Students are encouraged to explore the theory of ICT, while taking a practical approach to graphs, charts, data manipulation and authoring. Our ICT infrastructure is well equipped and utilised effectively. Provisions are made for periodical upgrading. Students have access to computer systems and the student computer ratio is 1:1. Classrooms are equipped with facilities for computer mediated learning. Digital lessons attribute to integrated and multi-disciplinary collaborative learning. The e- learning from home is integrated in the curriculum. ICT training and professional development programs are organised on a continuous basis.