Tag Archives: Science

Quiz Time!

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In P4/5/6, we have been learning how to build electrical circuits as part of our topic work.  We have also looked at which materials act as conductors of electricity and which materials are insulators.

We found out that metal is a conductor, so we used tin foil to help us build an electrical quiz board for the younger pupils in our school.

We thought carefully about  the focus for our quizzes and tried to keep in mind how to make the questions suitable for younger pupils.

It was amazing to see how many social skills were developed during this process:  turn taking, co-operation, talking and listening, compromising and providing support and encouragement to each other.  Of course, there were opportunities to develop ICT skills too.  It was lovely to see so many pupils eager to pass on their ICT knowledge!  What a team!

To play our games, you need to use an electrical circuit.  Instead of completing the circuit, the  wires at each end connect to our quiz board – one wire to a question and the other wire to the answer.  If the question and answer match, the bulb will light up!  This means that we have completed the circuit!

We can’t wait to show you the finished quiz boards soon and test them out on the P1/2 and P2/3/4 classes!

 

 

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Wind Turbine Challenge!

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As part of our topic work, we have been learning about Renewable and Non Renewable energy sources.  We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these and which ones would work best in Shetland.

Last week, we worked in teams to design and create a wind turbine using a selection of materials.  The turbine had to turn when  we used a hair dryer on it and it also had to lift a plastic cup!  Lots of things to consider in their designs!

It was lovely to watch everyone interacting and taking turns to contribute.  Everyone showed consideration towards the ideas shared and compromises were made as to what the design would look like and how it would work.

It was important to try little tests now and again, to check if any changes needed to be made.  Some groups found that when the hair dryer was switched on, the blades of their turbine were not strong enough and required further reinforcement.  Some found that there blades were the wrong size or shape and some discovered that they needed to attach their cup differently so that it would lift without getting tangled in the turbine blades.  Lots of learning going on!

We tested all the designs and everyone had the chance to add their thoughts on what they thought had worked well and what could be done to improve their designs further.  I was impressed with how the children were able to make suggestions in a such a positive, caring and considerate way.  Look out world…some future engineers here!

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Blackout!

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Today Mrs Douglas did a science experiment with the class to find out which material would work best to black out our windows during an air raid in World War 2.

We had 4 materials to choose from.  We made a hypothesis, writing down which materials would be most effective or which materials would be least effective.

Then we attached the materials to the windows and went outside to test them.  From inside the classroom , Mrs Henderson shone a torch behind each material and we had to see if any light could be seen on the other side of the window.

The red cellophane was the least effective and we were surprised to find that the light was blocked by the white paper!

Last Day Of Term

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What a busy two weeks we’ve had … but it’s been great! The planned activities have really helped the children settle and reconnect. Today, we finally were able to present our learning about life cycles. We started this piece of work during our biodiversity topic and were due to share our work when we started term 3. Sadly, this had to wait! The children worked in groups or individually, to research the life cycle of a living thing. They then had to display this information in an eye catching way. They worked very hard on this project, with great team work and cooperation. Although it was started a long time ago, I know they’d be keen for you to see their work!  Happy Easter and we look forward to seeing you all again in the new term!

The Fairy Wasp’s life cycle only lasts for a few days! Eveline shared so much information about this tiny insect.
She did a great job sharing her findings!
Fiona and Conor’s oak tree display was very eye catching and made good use of resources from outside too!
They told us that a fully grown oak tree can be 45m tall and as wide too!
This display was about the panda. It was simple but very effective!
Kayla and Roma had some difficult words to read and explain about the early stages of life for the panda. Well done!
This bright display was all about the flamingo.
Isla and Kathryn worked well as a team. Did you know a baby flamingo’s feathers are grey at the start of life?
Esther and Aiden worked on the life cycle of a cheetah. We heard how hard life can be for an adult cheetah so its life span is usually quite short.
Esther presented this on her own today and coped brilliantly.
Hannah and George found out about the pine tree. There are 126 species of pine tree with more being discovered all the time.
Here she is showing off her display.
Ethan’s was about the salmon. He wrote about 6 different stages in the cycle!
Leighton, Anders and Magnus found out about the life cycle of an eel. We realised there were a lot of similarities to the life cycle of a salmon.
Here they are presenting to the class. We liked how they made it look like the eel was emerging from the stones!
This display is about the life of an alligator. Did you know a baby alligator has a special egg tooth to help it escape from inside the egg?
This group did well to present their findings first!
Freya and Fearne confidently told us about their seahorse findings.
A newborn seahorse can be as small as 2mm in size! Ava helped this group when she was here too.

Group Presentations

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P5/6 have spent many weeks researching an area from our Biodiversity topic and have been preparing a PowerPoint presentation to share their learning.  It was wonderful to finally see their presentations this week and give each other feedback as to what we thought went well and what could be done to make it even better.  Each group looked at the importance of plants and how they benefit society in different ways.

Well done P5/6!

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Leaves all around us

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As part of our Biodiversity topic we have been classifying living things, including ourselves!  We made classfication keys about our class members and more recently looked at a range of different types of leaves from our nature garden and Mrs Henderson’s garden!  We sorted them into groups according to texture, size, scent, number of leaves, edges etc,  Then we tried to see if we could identify the tree they came from, just by their leaves.  Some were very obvious, but some were quite tricky to identify.

 

Biodiversity Bingo

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We had a super afternoon exploring our school grounds, searching for a variety of living things.  Everyone had a bingo board with a range of living things to find.  It was great fun taking a closer look for signs of life in the trees, under stones, pieces of wood and in the long grass.

After our bingo game, we had time for a quick game of hide and seek in the “forest”!  The trees are growing so well that it was very hard to find people!!

We ended our session with a visit to the nature garden and pond.  We patiently sat and waited to see if there were any frogs and we were not disappointed!  It was very exciting to see them hopping about in the heather.

Biosecurity

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On Wednesday 5th February we enjoyed an afternoon of Biosecurity activities. Biosecurity is the protection of a species from other non-native invasive species.

We learned about the Storm Petrels on Mousa and the importance of keeping the island clear of any predators who would be a threat to them.

Afra Skene, a Biosecurity Officer in Shetland, provided lots of games and activities to get us thinking more about Biosecurity and how to spread the word to others in our community.

The children were asked to think of the ways in which they enjoyed learning and to invent activities, songs, games and challenges to try and teach others about Biosecurity. Hopefully some of our ideas will appear in a teaching resource being produced for schools in Scotland!

 

 

Electricity

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Today we looked at the next aspect of our topic  – electricity.  It was great fun exploring the electricity boxes and trying to make an electrical circuit to light the bulbs!  Lots of exciting discoveries were made  and I’m sure the hilarity could be heard throughout the school as we tried to create a complete circuit with our bodies!

 

STEM – final challenge!

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Today was our last STEM session with Emma Chittick this year. The children were asked to use all of the knowledge and skills gained over the past couple of weeks to build something that would generate electricity. Everyone was raring to get started and it didn’t take long for their designs to take shape!

Some made wind turbines, some used solar cells, while some used both in the same structure. It was great to see the children interacting and problem solving together to try and achieve success. I was very proud to see everyone working so well as a team and providing support for each other. Well done P5/6!