Science Term 2 Newsletter

Welcome to Term 2

We're blasting off into an exciting new term in science as we dive into our Earth and Space unit! Students will explore the fascinating features of our planet and the wider Solar System. Through hands-on explorations and interactive activities, students will be encouraged to ask big questions and think like scientists. 

Foundation:

This term, students will become weather detectives! We're exploring the world around us through daily weather observations and learning how to describe and understand the weather using our senses and simple scientific language. In term 2, students will learn about changes in weather, temperature and different seasons. Students learn about weather symbols and discuss what to wear in different weather conditions. They will explore how food, plants and animal behaviour change in different seasons. Students will continue to use their senses to investigate different temperatures and track weather patterns, identify seasons, and connect them to activities. They will also explore seasonal fruits and vegetables and learn about animals' migration and hibernation. Students are learning to follow safe procedures by investigating scientific questions. We will engage in weather investigations to explore snow, and changes to plants and trees in different seasons. 

Year 1-2:

This term, we are exploring the wonders of the sky and discovering the natural patterns that shape our days and nights. Students will learn about Earth as one of the eight planets in the Solar System, and how Earth's rotation can create different patterns in day and night sky. Through hands-on activities, they will explore Earth's rotation around the Sun, observe the Sun's position throughout the day and how sunrise and sunset times can change as the Earth spins. Students will use a torch, a globe and other equipment to model the movement and position of different objects in space. We will also examine the features of the night sky such as stars, how they make their own light, and planets and moons that reflect the light. Students will explore constellations by creating constellation models. 

Year 3-4

This term, students are exploring the journey of a water drop. Students will explore the scientific theories of where Earth's water may have come from and investigate how water constantly moves through the environment via evaporation, condensation and precipitation. They will explore the theories about the origin of water through comets, asteroids and within the Earth's rocks. Students will continue to explore physical models in science, by making a model of a comet, and how it is used to help us understand its structure and movement. Students continue to safely use equipment to test their predictions as they investigate the water cycle. 

Year 5-6:

This term, our budding astronomers are on a mission to explore our solar system! We're learning about planets, dwarf planets, moons, stars, nebulas and other fascinating objects in space, while learning how they move and interact. They will identify and describe the features of the rocky planets, and use playdoh to model the landscape found on the four rocky planets. Students will also learn about the gas giants and their structure. Using scaled models, students will bring the solar system to life while developing their scientific understanding of space exploration. Students will extend their understanding of physical scientific models by making different models of the solar system and identify limitations. Students will also explore how telescopes and spacecrafts help us explore space. 

Communication

If you have any queries along the way, please feel free to contact me using my email 

Nahal Atashkadeh (Nahal.Atashkadeh@education.vic.gov.au) or using Class Dojo.