Science

The students have been fascinated with Physics in Term 3. STEAM night was full of interesting Science experiments like shadow sculptures, straw rockets, design a marble maze, spaghetti marshmallow towers, icy pole stick structures and balloon rockets. It was wonderful to see so many students engaged in the activities and using their creativity to build things.

The preps have been learning about movement. They have made predictions about the outcome of investigations and then tested these predictions. The students have drawn labelled diagrams to represent their understanding, such as labelling the ‘wheels’ or ‘springs’ of a toy that allow it to move. The preps have tested the way different shaped objects roll, which helped them make conclusions about the best shape for rolling. They will continue observing how objects move and which surfaces they can move best on.

In grade 1/2 students have been exploring sound and light. They have carried out experiments to demonstrate high and low pitch sounds such as making a straw flute and using unusual instruments. The students have developed an understanding of sound vibrations and how they travel through experiments such as balloon talking, string telephones and the ‘dancing salt’ demonstration. In the coming weeks the grade 1/2 students will be focusing on how light travels, how shadows are formed and which materials do and don’t create shadows.

The grade 3/4 students have been studying forces such as friction, gravity and magnetism. They compared the amount of heat that can be produced through friction by rubbing wood, plastic and metal with a towel. They also explored whether common household items are magnetic by using rulers to measure how close they could get to a magnet. The students made predictions and recorded their observations scientifically. Many students were surprised that soft drink cans are not attracted to magnets. The grade 3/4’s will continue exploring magnets for the rest of the Term to develop an understanding of magnetic forces and how they work.

The grade 5/6 students have been learning about different types of energy such as light, sound, elastic potential, heat and electrical energy. They made an electrical circuit last week using a battery and a small light globe. Without being shown, the students predicted the best way to connect the circuit and tried out their ideas. The students made fantastic catapults using rubber bands, spoons and icy pole sticks which transformed elastic potential energy into movement. They also did an experiment called ‘chicken in a cup’ which makes a humorous sound (cluck cluck), demonstrating the change from movement energy to sound energy. In the coming weeks the grade 5/6 students will be exploring light energy, light illusions and sustainable energy sources.

Truganina South Primary School took part in two sustainability excursions this week. On Wednesday 6th September, students from the Green Team went to Carranballac P-9 College to present a workshop on “Upcycling and recycling.” The students developed a script, props, an animation, a quiz and magnificent objects they made from items in the recycling bin. The audience were thrilled to learn how to weave a bookmark out of plastic bags and even got to take this home. Our students did a fantastic job and their passion for sustainability was evident. On Thursday 7th September, a small group of grade 5/6 students took part in the Werribee Zoo “Love Your Locals” excursion to research one of our local endangered animals, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. Well done to every community at TSPS for helping to raise $77 in 5 cent pieces, which is enough to sponsor a Bandicoot for 5 months! We named our 1 year old female Bandicoot “Trugaluna,” which is a hybrid of our school name and the word Luna which means moon. The Eastern Barred bandicoot is a nocturnal animal so this name felt very fitting, thanks to all the students who made name suggestions, they were all fantastic ideas.

Aditional Messages