Science

Grade 1

Students in Grade 1 have been busily testing different objects and materials to investigate if and how they can be changed. We began by testing paper – can it be Scrunched? Twisted? Bent? Or Stretched? By cutting a piece of paper in a particular way we were even able to stretch it over one of the children’s heads!

Students were then provided with the opportunity to explore hands-on, shared experiences of how the ability to physically change an object through bending or folding depends on the material it is made of and its initial shape. They identified objects made from different materials that can be bent or folded, discussed how different materials and/or shapes affect whether an object can be bent or folded and will this week investigate how many times sheets of different types of paper can be folded.

Grade 2

Grade 2 Students have been exploring how some foods change when heated. Students have been supported to represent and explain their understanding of how heating and cooling affect everyday materials, and to introduce current scientific views about how the properties of foods change when they are cooked. We have explored how chocolate melts and becomes a liquid, how small hard corn kernels pop and turn into popcorn and discussed the properties of eggs and how they can be changed. Students then identified problems in pictures about changing eggs and how these changed occurred.

Grade 3

Students in grade 3 are currently half way through an investigation to explore how long it takes for some substances to melt, and do they all melt in the same timeframe? The temperature of a substance can be changed by adding or removing heat. Adding heat to a substance increases its temperature. If the temperature of a substance is increased enough, this can lead to a change of state. But do all solids take the same amount of time to melt?

Grade 4

Grade 4 students are exploring what they already know about the effects of cooling different substances. When a substance changes from the liquid state to the solid state it is called ‘freezing’. For each material there is a specific temperature at which this change of state occurs. This is called the ‘melting point’ or ‘freezing point’ of the material depending on which way the state of matter is changing. The temperature of the freezing and melting point for a pure substance is identical. For water it is 0°C (at sea level atmospheric pressure). We therefore associate ‘freezing’ with low temperatures since this is the most common change of state that we observe in our everyday lives. Students have tested and recorded what cordial, oil, hand sanitiser and honey look and feel like in liquid form, before and after heating, and then made predictions about what state of matter they will be in after cooling and freezing. This week we will test these and observe if our predictions are correct.

Grade 5

Students in Grade 5 have been consolidating their knowledge of all things Matter and the different states of matter – Solids, Liquids and Gases. After taking notes while watching a power point presentation and brief video, we decided to test one of the investigations shown in the video – do gases have mass? We used a meter ruler and suspended this from a frame, so it was equally balanced. We then taped a deflated balloon to each end and waited for the ruler to stabilize. Again, both ends of the ruler appeared equally balanced. We then removed one balloon and taped an inflated balloon to one end. After waiting for the ruler to stabilize, the inflated balloon was in fact slightly heavier than the deflated one, proving that in this case – air has mass. Students then had the opportunity to test this in their table groups using balloons, a ruler and string.

Grade 6 

Students in Grade 6 have been testing the viscosity of different liquids. Viscosity - The viscosity of a liquid is a measure of its resistance to flowing. A liquid with a high viscosity, for example, cold honey will flow slowly. A liquid with low viscosity, for example, cooking oil will flow quickly and easily. How easily a liquid flows is related to its chemical structure, including the size and shape of the atoms or molecules and the strength of the bonds between them. The viscosity of a liquid is also affected by the temperature. Most liquids will flow more easily at higher temperatures than lower temperatures. Students poured different liquids into a cup with a hole in the bottom and recorded how quickly it ran through and measured how far it spread. The liquids included oil, honey and water.