STEM News

This semester in STEM, students hav been continuing to build their creativity, curiosity and problem-solving skills through hands-on investigations, design challenges and scientific exploration.

Foundation students explored the basic needs of living things through play, building and model-making. They created habitat dioramas and model flowers while learning about food, water and shelter. This term, students will explore movement through pushes, pulls and activities using ramps, games and different materials.

Year 1/2 students investigated life cycles and how living things grow and change over time. Students planted sunflower seeds, observed their growth and designed habitat dioramas to show what plants and animals need to survive. This term, students will investigate how sound is made through vibrations and explore pitch, volume and how different materials can change sound. Students will apply their learning by creating sound effects for a short video using Scratch Junior.

Year 3/4 students have explired life cycles, adaptations and metamorphosis. They designed their own unique insect species, created a triarama showing its metamorphic life cycle and built a model to demonstrate how their insect grows and changes. This term, students will investigate forces such as friction, gravity and magnetism, and explore how forces affect movement in everyday life. They will use their understanding to design a solution that improves accessibility in a real-world environment.

Year 5/6 students investigated structural and behavioural adaptations and how living things survive in different habitats. Students designed a new organism with specialised adaptations and created both a triarama and 3D model to show how it survives within its environment. This term, students will learn about electrical energy and circuits by building and testing electrical systems, exploring conductors and insulators, and designing solutions to help people during a blackout.

Celebrating scientists in the real world, David Attenborough turned 100 on May 8th! We celebrate his lifelong contribution to science, nature and environmental education. If you are looking for something to watch on a rainy afternoon, he has created many fascinating documentaries about the natural world, including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Our Planet.

Bec Meade

STEM Teacher