STEM – Class of 2015

P7 investigate decomposition

Energy sources & Sustainability:

Decomposition rates game. P7a & d had a great morning, in the sunshine, classifying waste materials into categories. They then sorted them according to how long they predicted it would take to decompose. They ordered the materials from quickest to slowest decomposition rate. Then they matched the rates of decomposition to each item from a list. To conclude, they discussed and evaluated the findings in their groups and as a class.

Another fantastic investigation boys and girls, well done 🙂

Miss Gavin & MrMcKay

P7a and P7d continue their energy investigation outdoors!

This term, P7 are investigating renewable and non-renewable sources of energy. This week they have been learning how energy can be harnessed by the flow of water over their own homemade water wheels. To follow up their solar power experiment, today they have explored hydropower as a form of renewable energy.

Well done everyone! With a little convincing to keep a positive “I can do” attitude, you got there and really enjoyed seeing the result of this experiment. Keep up the good work.

Miss Gavin & Mr McKay

P7a and P7d experiment outdoors!

Primary 7 have been building on their knowledge of energy sources by observing the effect of the sun’s heat on three different variables.

We recorded the temperature of water in three cups before they were exposed to sunlight. Then we placed one cup on white paper, one cup on black paper and covered one cup with cling film.

We left the cups in direct sunlight for 30 minutes and predicted what effect we thought the sun’s energy would have on each cup of water.

“I thought the water on the black paper would be the hottest because the black attracts the sun.”

“I thought it would be the cling film because it was trapping the heat inside the cup.”

“Just before we recorded the temperature for the second time, I could see condensation forming underneath the cling film lid.”

Well done P7; a fantastic experiment using our STEM skills outdoors today.

Poetree

Primary 5A enjoyed using their Technology and Literacy skills to create poems about trees. We looked for inspiration using all of our senses and worked as a group to record them with chalk, mud ink or by spontaneous performance!

Chemistry

Another exciting day for primary four with a visit from chemistry teacher Mrs Harkess. We carried out an experiment to test which chemicals were soluable and which were insoluable.

STEM WEEK

Today primary 4a welcomed two engineers into their class to talk about their jobs. The class learned lots of new information, confidently asked questions and even took part in some experiments. Some of primary four are now even considering jobs in engineering.

STEM Workshop

P4b loved hearing about Joe’s job as a Civil Engineer with Network Rail. We were excited to hear that the Harry Potter bridge to Hogwarts is in Scotland and to try on some of the safety gear!

We were challenged to work in teams to build a bridge using Lego; some of us were more successful than others!

Data Handling

Primary 4a have been developing their maths skills in STEM this week. They have been discussing inheritance and comparing generations of families. They collected data on a fictional family and presented it neatly into a tally chart. They then used the data to create a bar chart and extended themselves even further by learning to create bar charts using excel! Well done P4a!

Here are some pictures of them collecting data for a survey of their own choice which they will use to create written and electronic bar charts independently.

STEM: CIRCUITS

Primary 4a are learning that an electrical circuit is a continuous loop of conducting materials. The worked in small groups to follow a diagram to create their own circuit using simple components.