Science

This Term we move into the area of CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 

In simple terms, chemical science is all about understanding how things are made, how they can change, and how they interact with each other.

In Foundation, our unit of work is called ‘That’s My Hat’ and looks at what materials are suitable for making a party hat? 

We look at different materials and their characteristics, and why they would or would not be suitable for their purpose. 

Imagine if our clothes were made of glass, our houses were made of cotton wool and our cars were made out of paper. 

We are surrounded by thousands of objects made out of many different materials. 

So why then are our clothes made out of fabric and not glass? And why are our houses made out of bricks and wood and not cotton wool? 

It is the properties of the materials that make the difference. 

When we design objects we make choices based on those properties to suit the users. No-one would want a hat lined with sandpaper! 

Last week a note went home with each child asking for resources to be brought into school that we could use later in the term to make our hats. There is a box in each Foundation classroom for these to go in and be shared between the class when we make our hats.

Grade 1/2 are working on a unit called “All Mixed Up!” 

We are surrounded by mixtures — the air we breathe, the food we eat and drink, and our personal grooming products. 

Chefs try mixing ingredients in different ways to make tasty combinations and interesting textures. 

Through inquiry, scientists have developed mixtures that are useful for all kinds of purposes, such as alloys, amalgams and paints, to name but a few. 

Indeed, it can be surprising just how many things that we take for granted every day are the result of inquiry into mixtures. 

For example, how different our lives would be without the myriad of inks, glues and detergents at our disposal. 

So this term we are investigating mixtures, how they are made and what they are for. 

Last week, each student received a small homework task to complete and return for science this week - to look around at home and find three different ‘mixtures’ recording what they are, what they are made up of and what they are used for. 

Grade 3/4’s unit is called ‘Package it Better” 

Packaging has become a huge industry in the modern world. 

Everything from food to furniture can come in a package which might be made from materials such as metal foil or plastic film – materials that didn’t exist even a few decades ago. 

Packages need to protect and preserve contents while being economical, attractive for marketing purposes and preferably having minimal environmental impact. 

Little wonder that they are often the product of imaginative design and rigorous testing. This term we will be investigating the characteristics of different packaging, nd the students have been given a Design Brief  - to design a package according to specific criteria to send a friend a fragile gift.

We might even test some by sending ourselves some ANZAC biscuits later in the term using different designs and see which was the most successful in protecting the biscuits!

Our Grade 5/6 students are working on a unit of work called ‘Change Detectives’ where they consider what makes things change and what affects how fast they change? 

Why do some things burn more fiercely, rust more quickly or smell more strongly? 

The whole world is made up of particles that are constantly moving and reacting with one another in fascinating ways. 

The Change detectives unit provides opportunities for students to explore melting, evaporating, dissolving, reacting and burning. 

Students' understanding of the factors that influence the rate of change will be developed through hands-on activities and student-planned investigations. 

Students become detectives who identify and explain physical and chemical changes in everyday materials, and have the opportunity for some fizz and reactions as they learn!