Stem

This Term seems to be flying by so fast! It's been packed full of learning in our STEM room! This Term the focus has been on Biological Science as each year level learns more about living things and how they grow.

The Preps have made a great start to their education so far in STEM and have been busy learning the rules of the space. These rules help us to maintain safety in the space as well as help ensure that we are upholding optimal conditions for learning. They have been enjoying learning all about habitats and animals for their Science Unit this Term. We have spent time sorting and classifying animals, looking at the needs of animals within their habitats as well as studying some of the plant life in each environment. The highlight of our learning so far is when we created our own habitat and added animals where we thought they would be found.  The Preps have all made wonderful strides in their progress so far! 

The Grades 1 and 2 students have been learning all about plants and living things. They have spent time looking at plants and plant growth over time and made predictions about what happens to plants when they do not have their needs met. We conducted experiments to observe the changes in plants when we remove sunlight and water. The children had many insightful ideas and questions throughout their learning, and this has led to many meaningful conversations. The students have learnt the needs of plants in their environment and also have focussed on the function of each part of the plant. A new word they have been introduced to is photosynthesis where the leaves of a plant makes food by using the energy from the sun. 

This Term in Grades 3 and 4 we have been learning all about Ecosystems, Life Cycles and Food Chains.  The students have completed a series of lessons looking at different animals and their habitats and have spent time classifying various species in a variety of ways. We have studied the effects of how changes to a food chain can drastically alter the animals and plants within the entire ecosystem. 

In Grades 5 and 6 the students have been learning all about the 5 kingdoms of living things. All living things fall into one of the 5 categories being Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protista and Monera. First, we had to define what makes an organism a living thing. We concluded that living things have a variety of characteristics that are displayed to different degrees: they take up energy, grow and change, respond to stimuli, reproduce and be made of cells.  To learn more about microorganisms the students enjoyed making bread and looking at the role of yeast. We also conducted a guided fair-test looking at mould growth on bread over time at different moisture levels.