Science

Welcome back to Term 2! 

It was wonderful to see the students so eager and enthusiastic to continue their discovery of learning and exploration, and we look forward to another exciting term in Science.

Below is a brief summary of the units being taught this term.

Foundation - Movement

Years 1 & 2 - Sound

Years 3 & 4 - Night and Day

Years 5 & 6 - Physical and Chemical Changes

Foundation - Movement

In Term 1, Foundation students had the opportunity to become ‘scientists’, exploring and observing the world around them. They learnt that we regularly use more than one sense when making our observations, and were able to explain them and how they made them.

This term, students will focus on movement, and learn how movement can be voluntary and involuntary. Through hands-on experiments, they will explore the different forces that affect movement, such as push and pull, and how some objects can be subject to both forces. Students will also discover that friction is a force that makes objects stop. They will experiment with different surfaces and materials to see how this works.

Years 1 & 2 - Sound

Last Term, students explored the features and properties of water as a compound, using experimentation and careful observation. They also made links to the features of water to water in the natural environment, including the water cycle, and their place within it.

In Term 2, students will explore sound, initially focusing on where it comes from, how we hear and the role vibrations play. They will learn about the different parts of the ear and their functions. They will create visible sound waves by seeing their effect on various materials, and observe their change in strength over distance, and when passing through materials. Students will make create different pitches based on manipulating instruments or materials.

Years 3 & 4 - Night and Day

In the previous term, students learnt how the brain and eye interacted to create optical illusions. Through experimentation, they recorded their experience of a variety of illusions and explained why they occurred. Students also use this knowledge to create their own optical illusions.

In Term 2, students will analyse the cause of day and night in relation to the movement of the Earth and the moon in relation to the sun and each other. They will explore 2D and 3D models to observe and explain how these movements impact this. Through the use of models, students will also observe how solar and lunar eclipses are created by the positioning of the sun, Earth and moon.

Years 5 & 6 - Physical and Chemical Changes

In Term 1, students focused through experimentation on the differences between physical and chemical changes, with a focus on how a chemical change can occur. They also focused on the concept of a ‘fair test’ when analysing their results. 

This term, students will delve deeper into chemical changes, whilst still adhering to the ‘fair test’ concept when conducting experiments. They will experiment with chromatography by attempting to separate the pigments of various textas, and link to how it is used in the real world. Students will test similar looking powders against a list of variables to determine the change that occurred and what each powder may be. They will also use a variety of commercial and home made products to determine whether an item is an acid or a base.