Beautiful Work – Science

Project Overview

This half term, our class had a fantastic time conducting lots of different science experiments! We looked at all of the different scientific enquiry types and all the different things we could do to explore them. We especially enjoyed creating the best container to drop an egg in! Some of our eggs smashed but some managed to survive the drop!

We also looked at how water ‘walks’ up a tree by conducting an experiment which looked at capillary action. It was so interesting to see the water move along the paper towels and transform the colours of them! 

We’ve had a fantastic last half term together as a year 4 class and are so proud of all of our hard work, not just this half term but this year. We have thoroughly enjoyed science, and are all so excited to see the topics next year will bring!

Project Overview

Science - Materials

In science this half term, we have been learning all about everyday materials and their properties. We began the topic by collecting a range of materials, and discussed as a class, what they looked like, felt like, and some of their properties. We then developed our scientific knowledge further by discussing the difference between an object and a material. We went on a hunt around the school to find different objects, and talked about which was the most common material. Our findings showed that lots of the objects throughout school are made out of plastic and metal! We think that this is because they are strong, so they won't break easily, and they'll last a long time. 

We have conducted a number of teacher and child led experiments throughout the half term, including a test to see which material would be the best for an umbrella and which material is the most flexible. Our favourite experiment, though, was an observation over time. We buried different materials deep in our allotments, and made a prediction as to what we thought was going to happen to the materials after being left in the soil for a week. Some of our predictions really impressed Miss Naughton, and some of them were even correct! 

Project Overview

Year 5 science

The children have been busy this half term learning about the properties of materials in science. We have discovered what a property and a material is and have been investigating how different materials change. The children have identified the difference between a mixture and a solution had a go at separating solutions and mixtures using sieves, filters and by boiling hot water. We have also been experimenting with reversible and irreversible changes. We have discovered that materials can change and then be changed back, such as ice melting back to water. During this investigation we made lava lamps using oil, water and alka seltzers, which demonstrated how other changes are irreversible, meaning the materials cannot be easily changed back.

Through discussion and investigations that the children have carried out themselves, they have developed their scientific vocabulary and their skills and impressed us with their ideas and explanations.

Project Overview

This half term in science we have been learning about keeping our bodies healthy. The children have explored the importance of exercise, eating the right foods and being hygienic.

To begin our topic, the children carried out an investigation into the effect of exercise on our bodies. The children did different exercises and were asked to think about what was happening to their bodies. They had to think about how different exercises made their bodies feel. After a lot of running and ball skills, it was fair to say that a lot of the children felt exhausted!

During this topic, we have also had the opportunity to think about what we eat and how we can eat the right things. While learning about the different food groups, the children designed their own lunch boxes and made sure they filled them with lots of healthy snacks. We even tasted foods from the different food groups such as apples, bread, sausages and cheese. The children were fantastic at recognising which foods belonged to each food group and deciding which foods we should put in our lunch boxes.

The children also enjoyed doing an experiment to find out more about our hygiene. We learnt about how important it is to wash our hands properly and what might happen if we don't. As part of the experiment, the children put three slices of bread in bags with gloves, clean hands and dirty hands. Over the next few weeks, we will be observing what happens to the different slices of breads

Project Overview

Earth and Space

Space: the final frontier!

Year 5 have been enthusiastically learning about space and earth this half-term. The children have learning plenty of new vocabulary and understood how Earth orbits the Sun and how our moon orbits Earth. They have become experts at knowing the planets’ names by remembering their own mnemonic! During the lesson, we took our learning outside and thought carefully about the sizes of each planet and related them to a piece of fruit and then put our fruit planets in correct order using their mnemonic. We also places the planets in a (very) scaled down version distances away from the Sun  to get some perspective of the size of our solar system.

After learning the waxing and waning moon phases, the children produced a great poster for our science display made from Oreo cookies – carefully carving the cream away to consolidate their learning of the different appearances of the moon. They particularly enjoyed eating the leftovers once the lesson had finished!

Finally, we investigated how night and day occurs on Earth. Children had to prove/disprove if the Sun moves around the Earth to get night and day. To do this, they worked in groups with a torch and globe and had some great conversations and thoughts about how night and day happens and discovered how and why the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. We now know that the Earth rotates on an invisible axis (anti-clockwise), whilst revolving (orbitting) around the Sun (which stays in the same place!).

Project Overview

Year 2 - Living Things and Their Habitats

This half term, the children have been introduced to the idea that all living things have certain characteristics that are essential for keeping them alive and healthy. They started by identifying what a living thing is. Once they knew this, the children learned about habitats and microhabitats and discussed where living things can be found in the local area as well as further afield. They thought about how animals have adapted to their environment and how food chains dictate where their habitats are. In a workshop, as part of science week, they sorted animals based on whether they have a back bone as well as the structure and position of their skeletons.

The children worked scientifically by sorting and classifying things according to whether they are living, dead or were never alive, questioning their own and others ideas and they also recording their findings using tally charts. 

Project Overview

Animals including Humans

This term in Year 3, we are going to be identifying that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat. We are also going to be identifying that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.

This week in science we have been learning about animal classifications- Omnivores, Carnivores and Herbivores. We used a Venn diagram to classify different animals, after discussing what food they eat. 

What would happen if we had no skeleton?