Curriculum

John Monash Science School

Last Wednesday we had another group of Grade 6 students take part in the John Monash Science School - 'Little Scientists Program'. Grace, Cleo, Silla and Ethan investigated  Biology with the essential question being, what is a cell and how does is function? The students had the opportunity to investigate Frogs and plants and how they change depending on their environment. They also used a variety of  microscopes to identify the different layers of an onion and different plant materials. The group finished their investigation with creating their own moveable 'robotic' hand.

Grace, Cleo, Silla and Ethan will participate in another 3 sessions at Monash University to then have the opportunity to present their inquiry investigation at the annual science fair later in term 4. 

Tournament of the Minds

A group of Grade 3 & 4 students recently expressed their interest to participate in a series of Tournament of the Minds problem solving questions. Tournament of the Minds is a problem solving program aimed to enhance the potential of our students by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment.

Students will be exposed to solve demanding, open-ended challenges in the following disciplines:

• The Arts
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
• Language Literature
• Social Sciences

Students were firstly challenged by completing 'The Incredible Invention'. They formed groups to be part of a team of young inventors who had been tasked with creating a new invention to solve a common problem. They only had 15 minutes to brainstorm and design their ideas to be ready to present to their peers.

It was great to see the students delve into their inventions whilst working collaboratively toward a common goal. Some inventions included, a mechanical bed which would lift you out of your bed in the morning (forcing you to start your day), a prioritised daily organiser which would help work out what you need to get done for the day and many more!

The Grade 3 and 4 students will have the opportunity to participate in this experience fortnightly and a big thank you to Anne Hostein for her involvement in the trials. We cannot wait to see how the students continue to work together and problem solve a range of different topics.

Science Week

Last week the students have been celebrating Science Week with a range of activities and learning tasks related to Species Survival – More Than Just Sustainability. 

Students have had an amazing variety of topics to investigate, and be able to dive into issues of particular interest to them: disease-causing organisms, life-saving chemicals, clean water, photosynthesis, genetic screening, physics of building structures, artificial intelligence, and microplastics.