What an amazing term of science it has been at BPS! We started the term with assessments in which 80% of children in Years 4-6 achieved significantly above the national average. From here, they put their learning skills into action all the while developing their abilities as young scientists. Year 3 investigated the functions of skeletons and muscles with children designing their own exercises for specific muscles. Light and shadows was a favourite topic for many year 3 children. Oliver said., “It was really cool learning about the light rays and how they travel.” While Shay stated, “I found out that when something blocks the light it makes a shadow.”
States of matter were expertly explored by Year 4 and using candles to melt a range of materials including wax and chocolate was especially exciting. Maths skills were applied too as they learnt how to use thermometers and measure in degrees Celsius. Later in the term, the children studied digestion and used their creative skills to model plasticine digestive system. They wrote fantastic diaries as pieces of food too with Archie the apple and Peppy the pizza journeying through the twists and turns of the oesophagus, stomach and small intestine.
The forces of gravity and air resistance captured the attention of Year 5. A balcony in our main school provided an excellent launch site for parachute with children having made predictions on drop speed based on initial experiments earlier that week. Our challenging curriculum ensures children understand how hypotheses are created and then tested, with further investigations often being suggested by them. Earlier this week, they experimented with objects falling through a range of liquids including honey -a very sticky experience! Euan said, “I enjoyed dropping the marble in different liquids because we could see which had the most viscosity.” Year 5 went on to research the problems of plastics – just counting the plastic items in pencil cases brought home the impact of this material.
The mysteries of electricity were made clear by the collaborative endeavours of Year 6 with some impressive work on series and parallel circuits. Alyssa and Jessica said, “It was difficult at first to see how the circuits worked but then Mrs Clark explained how the parallel circuits connected differently. Then we could put them together easily.” They finished the term by putting their knowledge to good use with some Christmas themed LED greetings cards. Rohan’s was particularly impressive with 2 bulbs perfectly connected.
The children’s enthusiasm for and pride in their work has been infectious – roll on Spring term!
