Middle School News

UNE Science Discovery Day

On Thursday 18 September the UNE Discovery Team visited our school. Middle School students in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 participated in two sessions on solving crimes and creative chemistry. 

Ever wonder how detectives solve crimes? It’s not that different from how scientists find answers to questions about the universe: piecing together clues to find the bigger picture. The Crime Scene Investigation activity gave students mysteries for them to solve, using clues, tools, and critical thinking. This activity introduced students to a range of different techniques that detectives and forensic scientists use. These include matching fingerprints and footprints, identifying different chemicals using their unique properties, pollen analysis, blood typing, as well as some good old logic and reasoning. Whether students are figuring out the fate of Kassie the Koala, or identifying who paint-bombed the school, these activities had a range of exciting and hands on experiments for students to work through while solving the mystery. 

Ever wanted to tap in to your inner chemist? In Creative Chemistry, students wore lab coats, glasses, gloves and mixed unknown substances into bubbling concoctions and colour changing creations. Students investigated the outcomes of different chemical reactions, and how they relate to our every-day lives. Using their understanding of chemistry built within the lesson, students seek to identify unknown substances, and experiment to explore chemical and physical interactions.