Great Ryrie Grapevine

Science News 

Chemical Science in Focus

 

As we wrap up another exciting few weeks of Science learning, I’m thrilled to share the progress each year group has made in exploring the fascinating world of Chemical Science! 

 

Over the past four weeks, the entire school has continued to explore how substances interact, react, and combine in various ways. Here’s a detailed look at the learning and discoveries:

Prep Class: "That’s My Hat!"

The young scientists in Prep have been busy investigating the properties of materials, particularly in relation to their ability to protect from the sun, rain, and heat. Their unit, That’s My Hat has been a fun and hands-on exploration of how different materials can be used for practical purposes like making hats.

Key Highlights of Learning:

  1. Testing Materials for Shade: The Preps tested different materials—such as fabrics, cardboard, and paper—to see how much shade they provide. This activity helped them understand how materials with different textures and thicknesses can block sunlight.
  2. Prototyping Hats for Sun and Shade: After exploring materials, the students tested prototype hats to evaluate their effectiveness in protecting them from the sun. They discussed how hat designs could affect comfort and sun protection.
  3. Planning and Creating Party Hats: The Preps are now designing and making their own party hats, choosing materials that will work best for either sunny or rainy weather. It’s a creative way to wrap up their unit with lots of fun and learning!

Year 1 & 2: "All Mixed Up"

Year 1 and 2 students have continued exploring mixtures in their All Mixed Up unit. Over the last four weeks, they’ve had some amazing hands-on experiences investigating what happens when different substances are mixed together.

Key Highlights of Learning:

  1. Making Oobleck: The children created Oobleck, a mixture of cornflour and water, and observed its interesting properties. They discovered that it behaves like a solid under pressure and a liquid when not disturbed, sparking discussions on non-Newtonian fluids and their unique behaviours.
  2. Mixing Detergent, Water, and Oil: The students explored what happens when detergent is mixed with water and oil. They observed how the detergent helps the water and oil combine, giving a real-life example of how emulsifiers work.
  3. Separating Mixtures: Continuing their exploration, the students tested how some mixtures can be separated. They worked with dry ingredients like icing sugar and coconut, and also experimented with separating black ink into its different colours. This gave them insights into the concepts of solubility and separation techniques.

Year 3 & 4: "Packaging Pioneers"

Year 3 and 4 students have been diving into their Packaging Pioneers unit, focusing on the properties of materials used in packaging. Over the past month, they’ve tested different materials for insulation, combined materials, and explored sustainable alternatives to plastic.

Key Highlights of Learning:

  1. Testing Insulation Properties: The students tested the insulating properties of various materials, learning how insulation helps maintain temperature. They explored how packaging materials like foam, fabric, and cardboard are used to protect items during transport.
  2. Creating Bio-Plastic: In a hands-on activity, the students created bio-plastic, a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic. This experiment allowed them to see first hand how materials can be designed to be more sustainable.
  3. Redesigning Packaging for Sustainability: We are now entering the final stage of the unit, where students are selecting an existing packaging item and redesigning it to be more environmentally friendly. They are using all the knowledge they’ve gained to think creatively about how packaging can be made more sustainable.

Year 5 & 6: "Communicating Matters"

Year 5 and 6 students have continued their exploration of Communicating Matters, a unit that looks at the properties of gases, solids, and liquids, as well as how particles behave in each state of matter. Over the past four weeks, they have taken a deeper dive into gas properties and particle models.

Key Highlights of Learning:

  1. Testing Gas Properties: The students tested the properties of gases, including comparing cold and hot gas. They explored how gases are less dense than solids and liquids and how they can expand to fill any space.
  2. Particle Models: Students built models to represent the arrangement and behaviour of particles in solids, liquids, and gases. This helped them understand the different states of matter and the motion of particles in each state.
  3. Stop Motion Projects: As a creative culmination of their learning, Year 5 and 6 students will soon be turning their particle models into Stop Motion animations. These videos will demonstrate how particles behave in solids, liquids, and gases, bringing their scientific understanding to life in a fun and visual way!

What’s Coming Up?

Looking ahead, students will continue building on these key principles and concepts. The Preps will complete their party hats project, while Year 1 and 2 students will explore more complex mixtures. The Year 3 and 4 students will refine their sustainable packaging designs, and Year 5 and 6 will finish their Stop Motion animations and further explore gases and particle behaviour.

I’m excited to see the finished projects and models and look forward to sharing more updates with you in the next newsletter!