Secondary Science

Year 7 Science

In science, the Year 7s have been looking at the physics of forces and simple machines. The role of simple machines is to make jobs easier. The students used simple machines to create a Rube Goldberg machine, which performs a task in an overly complicated way (the opposite of a simple machine). The students used inclined planes, pulleys and levers to complete their task. Whilst they didn’t all achieve the objective of getting a marble into the cup, they learnt a lot about testing and designing machines and created unique machines that applied their knowledge of forces and simple machines. 

Year 8 Science

The Year 8s have been studying biology and looking at cells and organ systems. As part of the unit, they created a three-dimensional model of a cell, labelling the different organelles present in the cell. The students used a range of media to complete their models demonstrating their knowledge and their artistic skill with detailed construction of endoplasmic reticulum and golgi bodies. 

Think Science! Competition

Earlier in the year, the Year 8s designed, completed and prepared a video to communicate an experiment involving an energy transfer system. The best videos were submitted to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Think Science! Competition.

Additionally, a group of four Year 9s and 10s took up the opportunity to design an experiment and take part in the competition during their lunchtimes. 

Congratulations to all the students involved and a special congratulations to the following students who achieved awards in the Year 7 – 10 category:

• Heidi Burford, Selina Chan, Zoie Chuo and Abigail Lee received a Highly Commended for their Insulating Heat Experiment; and
• Hannah Abbott, Teresa Anthony, Sarah Simko and Hannah Thomson received 3rd place for their experiment assessing “How can aloe vera be used for a fungicide on potatoes?” This prize included $400 to spend on purchasing science equipment. The video of their experiment is available to view at https://www.ansto.gov.au/2024-think-science-competition-summary-and-results.

Lisa Thomson

Science Teacher