Science

Science

Welcome back to Term 3! 

After such a busy and exciting first semester of learning, we look forward to another exciting semester ahead in Science!

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

Foundation - Bubbles

Years 1 & 2 - Living Things

Years 3 & 4 - Water

Years 5 & 6 - Gravity and Flight

Foundation: Bubbles

During Term 2, Foundation students worked on movement and had the opportunity to make observations of movement in their world. They tested the way that things moved based on how we apply forces such as push and pull. We also looked at how things rolled or slid downhill and how different materials affect the movement of things. 

In Term 3, the focus is on bubbles as our core theme for Science. Students will be making bubbles using a variety of mediums. They will be introduced to the ‘fair test’ concept by experimenting with different wands and materials to make bubbles. They will also observe how different bubble mixtures affect the bubbles produced. Towards the end of the term we also will be looking at how to manipulate bubbles to create different effects.

Years 1 & 2: Living Things

In Term 2, students learnt about the effects of the Sun on the Earth through a range of hands-on experiments. They gained an understanding of the impact of the Earth’s orbit, rotation and tilt to cause day and night. Students also observed the effects of solar and lunar eclipses and the role of the sun, moon and the earth in creating them. The unit culminated with the students building a lunar module that had to land safely when dropped from a height. Students had to consider the shape, materials and structure of the lander.

This term we will be looking at living things as our focus for Science. Students will be learning about the classification of animals as well as learning about what plants and animals need to survive. They will also be growing their own plants in the classroom and will be learning about insects, including our own leaf insects that live in the science room. Students will have the opportunity to design and build a fictional insect based on the classification criteria.

Years 3 & 4: Water

In Term 3, students discovered how different designs and shapes affect the durability and strength of different structures, with a strong focus on towers and bridges. They experimented with different techniques, and then partook in various group challenges to achieve the set design brief. Teamwork skills in collaboration, cooperation, communication and compromise were developed, as well as the ability to justify and explain their choices and results.

This Term we will be looking at water, its properties, the water cycle and its place in our world. Students will be starting by learning about the water cycle and experimenting to make small scale simulations of the natural cycle in our science classroom. We will then be looking at how water interacts with various materials while it is in various states such as how salt and ice interact with each other. We will also be looking at water in its different forms in nature and how this has an effect on its surroundings. 

Years 5 & 6: Gravity and Flight

In the previous term we looked at light and colour, what made it and how to manipulate it. Students experimented with mirrors, prisms and spinners to create various effects such as splitting white light into a spectrum, as well as combining different light colours to do the opposite and create white light. In addition, they experimented with optical illusions and created several illusions in the science classroom such as thaumatropes and illusions using water. 

This Term, students will be introduced to gravity, and how the concept evolved over time. They observed how gravity pulls on objects and how the size and mass of an object on Earth doesn’t have an impact, however, shape through air resistance can. Students observed how an object’s weight on Earth can change on other planets due to each planet's gravitational pull. Students will also be learning about flight. They will be learning about the effects of pressure and how that contributes to the flight of rockets. Students will also experiment with other factors to obtain optimal results. We will review Newton’s third law, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction. They will also explore the four stages of flight: lift, gravity, thrust and drag, and how they contribute to keeping an aeroplane in the air. Students will experiment with different designs and modifications to test their hypotheses.