Year 10 Scienceworks Excursion

On Monday the 24th of June, the entire Year 10 level made their way to Spotswood to go to Scienceworks on a cold winter morning. When we got there, we ate our morning tea and then the level was split into two. The group that we were in went to the Lightning Room as our first event. In this one hour session, we learnt about how electricity is generated. The presenter also showed us how electricity is used in our everyday lives through many interesting demonstrations. In the end of the session, the presenter made lightning behind the huge Faraday’s cage, and told us the safest ways to protect ourselves if we ever get caught in a lightning storm. After we had lunch, our group went into the cool Planetarium. We got to sit in chairs that leaned back and the presenter showed us Earth from the time life began through different periods such as the ice age and when lava was running throughout all of Earth. He then “took ”us to different planets such as the Moon, Mars and Venus, and told us why no life exists up there. He also showed us how Melbourne’s night sky would look like on that night with and without light pollution. We have never seen so many stars in our sky before!

Before we made our way back to school, we visited the Sports World area, with all different types of activities, such as hand eye coordination, skiing and racing Olympic athletes etc. Overall the day was very interesting and the programs summarised what we learnt in Science at school. The Planetarium was particularly fantastic and a great experience for many of us!

Sarah Bose and Adriana D’Agruma, Year 10 St Michael

VCE Biology Excursion

On Tuesday, June 25th all the Unit 1 Biology students went to the Melbourne Zoological Gardens to complete fieldwork to consider the inter-dependencies which exist between species and their habitat and ecosystem, as well as what happens when these are thrown out of balance. After the workshop about the Southern Corroboree Frog and the Philippine’s crocodile, the students took part in a discussion about the process of artificial insemination in the Zoo’s international captive breeding program for the Asian Elephant. Over the day students learnt:

how to apply what they’re learning in class to a real-world context
the scope of skills needed to protect an endangered species and the role of zoos in preserving species biodiversity both in zoos and in their natural environment
about the global amphibian crisis, from the cellular level through to the flow on effect on ecosystems

The students had an enjoyable day as they wandered the zoo checking out the range of animals on display. It was great to see the young lions out basking in the sunshine, the streamlined penguins gliding through the water, the elegant giraffes strolling their enclosure and the giant tortoise slowly munching on grass. Most girls found the animal they had selected to observe. They will present a short presentation about their chosen animal, its habitat and distribution, its adaptations and the impact of humans on the species to their peers back at school.

Some Student Reflections:

Kelly: I learnt the difference between an Asian Elephant and African Elephant – Asian elephants are smaller, lighter in colour, have smaller ears and only the males have tusks. I also thought the elephants were pretty.

Cindy: The experience was educational as the zoo teachers explained the threats and dangers to many of the animals as a result of human actions.

Julia: The butterfly room was fun and really warm and comfortable.

Killester College Newsletter

Issue 4 · 28 Jun 2019

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