STEM News
Dear fellow Scientists,
The STEM Team would like to welcome everyone back to Term 3! We are excited for another term filled with engaging activities, hands-on investigations, and exciting experiments. We look forward to exploring, creating, and discovering together throughout the term.
Students in Prep are beginning their journey as young scientists by exploring how different objects move. Through hands-on investigations, they will observe a variety of everyday objects and discover whether they roll or slide. Students will learn how to work safely with the materials, make careful observations, and record their findings. These engaging activities help develop scientific thinking, observation skills, and vocabulary while encouraging curiosity about the world around them.
Grade 1 students are becoming young scientists as they explore the fascinating world of forces. Through hands-on investigations, they will discover how pushes and pulls can make objects start moving, stop moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction. Students will make predictions, test a variety of objects, record their observations, and share their discoveries using scientific language. These exciting activities will help build their curiosity, problem-solving skills, and understanding of how forces are part of our everyday lives.
Students in grade 2 are becoming young scientists as they explore the patterns of night and day and investigate how the movement of the Earth and the Sun affects what we see in the sky. Through discussions, observations, and creating labelled diagrams, students will develop their understanding of how different parts of our world work together to create day and night.
Grade 3 students are learning how to identify the difference between living, once living and non-living things. Students will explore how to recognise living things by looking for signs of life, such as growth, needing food and water, and responding to their environment. We will also investigate things that were once alive, such as wood and paper, and compare them with non-living things like rocks and toys. Watch this video on SciShow kid what makes something "alive"? | Biology for Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy60BqCnTG4&t=60s
Students in grade 4 are becoming young scientists as they explore food chains and investigate how living things are connected within an ecosystem. Students will learn how energy moves from one organism to another and discover the important roles that different living things play in a food chain. Through diagrams, discussions, and activities, students will identify the parts of a food chain and build their understanding of how plants and animals rely on each other for survival. Watch this video about what is a food chain from The Dr. Binocs Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuO4WB4SwCg
Grade 5 students are becoming young engineers as they begin their design project for this term. Students will investigate how different materials can be used to solve real-world problems, focusing on the important question: Which materials are best for creating a waterproof box? Through hands-on testing, students will explore the properties of different materials, safely conduct investigations, collect results, and use evidence to make informed design choices. They will apply their scientific knowledge to select suitable materials for their final design. Students can watch this video to learn how waterproof jackets are tested and see how scientists and designers investigate materials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWACyC3uuk
Students in grade 6 are taking on the role of designers and engineers as they begin their design project for this term. Students will explore the importance of energy efficiency by comparing different types of lighting and investigating how design choices can impact energy use. They will use their knowledge to help create a cardboard house design that includes energy-efficient LED lighting. Through planning, problem-solving, and hands-on construction, students will identify a design problem, organise their ideas, and develop a plan for creating their project. Students are encouraged to have a go at making a cardboard house at home to practise their design and construction skills. Watch the following video for inspiration and ideas: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8k6y4m
In other news Science Week Competitions
As part of our Science Week celebrations (Monday 17 August, 3:15–4:15 pm), students are invited to participate in a range of exciting science competitions to do at home. These competitions provide a wonderful opportunity for students to explore their creativity, curiosity, and scientific thinking while having fun. Details about the competition categories, entry requirements, and due dates will be shared with students at school.
We encourage all students to get involved and showcase their science skills. We look forward to seeing their fantastic entries! Make sure you add your name, grade, and upload your work. See attached the details for the competition.
