Science

In the Science Room

What a busy few weeks we have had in the science room! Students of all levels have been participating in biology showcase project projects, demonstrating what they have learned and sharing what excites them about science.

Level 5/6 students have been learning how to collect and display data from their inquiry experiments. Many students had very visible results as two weeks had passed since setting them. Those without any visible results were also able to report on their experiments as no change is still a form of data! This was a very successful inquiry as so many students chose different materials and variables. Watching the experiments grow and change has been exciting and fascinating with many students asking to do it again soon.

Level 3/4 students have had an exciting week as they used all those donated bottles to make a terrarium. Students chose a bottle and added large and small rocks for good drainage. They then added soil, their choice of seeds, and topped them off with some more soil. after adding their names and some water their terrarium was complete. Students will keep their terrariums here at school so they can observe and record the changes. They will come home by the end of the term so save them a sunny place for them at home!

Level 2 students have been learning how to create stop motion videos on the iPad. Students were able to communicate what they have learned this term about animal life cycles by producing a stop motion video with a partner. These have been uploaded to their snapper profiles and can be viewed using the child's unique QR code in their portfolios.

Level 1 students have used recycled materials to create a craft version of a chosen minibeast. Students paid special attention to the details of their minibeast and included features such as wings, antennae, claws, stingers, tails, eyes, and legs. Students then carefully crafted the environment that their minibeast would live in. The was highly engaging for students and everyone was able to create something to bring home.

Prep students created 'grassheads' and have watched them grow over the past week. Like humans, some grassheads had grown a lush head of 'hair' and others had none at all! This provided our classes with the opportunity to see 'failure' in science as a chance to be curious and ask more questions. We talked about what living things need to survive while checking that the grassheads had everything it needed to grow. We found out that nearly every hairless experiment was super dry, highlighting the importance of water for living things. Students then recorded their grassheads for the first time using Snapper. 

Snapper is an app which is used in specialist's classes which allows students to document their learning journey using pictures and videos during lessons. These are then shared with families at the end of each term through each students unique code within their portfolio. These photos are for observation only and not for online use or redistribution. 

Garden Club

This week in garden club students planted many of the seedlings they had created two weeks ago. These included Dill, Chives, and Oregano. Most of the cabbage and cauliflower seedling we planted previously have survived with only two succumbing to the local snail gang. 

Aquascape

Speaking of snails, our aquascape has had some fresh water snails added to it three or so weeks ago. The students have had a lot of fun spotting their round shells slowly moving around the tank. Many students were surprised to learn that fresh water snails existed as previously they only heared of sea snails. Furthermore, this week we even spotted snail eggs! These were hiding on the underside of the broad leaves of the water cress. This tells us the snails love where they live. 

Until next time, remember to act like a proton and stay positive!

Mrs Taylor