SCIENCE
Term 1, 2014 Report
Curriculum
Science Specialists Initiative (2014 – 2015)
This term Abbie Phillips and Luke Milgate began their role as science mentors. Abbie Phillips taught across the Year 3 classroom during their unit ‘Spinning in Space’. Luke Milgate taught the Year 1 students during ‘Sounds Sensational’, and also gave some support to Year 2 teachers for their unit ‘Waterworks’. Melissa Shipham has also been given time within the framework of the program, to take a group of Year 2 students out to work in the garden and have some exposure to issues around sustainability.
Class teachers were receptive and supportive of the program, and students were delighted to have two teachers to work with during science lessons. There certainly has been a ‘buzz’ in these classrooms regarding science.
Work outside the classroom has consisted of planning time, a stocktake of current resources, and the development of goals and timelines for the two year program. We have completed a review of the Science and Humanities curriculum, resulting in the commitment for Science to be taught in every classroom, every term.
There have also been monthly meetings with our partner schools Seaford North and Cheltenham East. The specialists from all three schools meet to discuss common strategies for the development of a stronger science program. The specialists have attended an additional five days of professional development this term, provided by the department.
CSIRO Scientists in Schools
Patterson Lakes Primary is privileged to be a part of the CSIRO Scientists in Schools program. Melissa Toifl has been visiting our school for the past six months. Melissa is an environmental scientist working for South East Water. This term she has visited the Year 2 classrooms on two occasions. In February she helped the classes look at the quality of water samples from different streams and ponds, looking for wrigglers and bugs as identifiers. Last week she helped students understand how and when our waterways become polluted with a humorous story and a model of the river system.
Elementaurs
One lunchtime each week, interested Year 4 students have been meeting in the library to play a game of Elementaurs. Elementaurs is a card based fantasy game, based upon the periodic table of elements. Through this game you can learn the basics of Chemistry, including chemical reactions and writing chemical equations.
Up to 24 students have attended each week, with consistent attendance from many students. Josh Abbott-Casperz and Mia Muir were the first two students to win our competitive rounds, giving them a chance to borrow a novel based upon the Elementaur characters.
Garden Club
Garden club has started again this term. Interested Year 3 students have been invited to join, while we also have a number of returning students from Year 4 . Kai Knighton and Andy Shen from Year 5 have been chosen as our Garden Mentors. Having attended consistently over the past two years, they now have the responsibility of teaching other students how to care for the garden as well as having watering duties on non-meeting days.
Spiny Leaf Insects
Special mention must be given to Katrina Bound in this edition. Katrina has successfully bred a new batch of spiny leaf insects for our students to observe and enjoy this year. Currently we have about 35 insects, which we plan to share around a number of classrooms as well as with neighbouring schools.
Coming up next term…
Science mentors begin working with Prep, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 teachers and students.
Preparation begins for our first entry into the STAV Drama awards
Parent helpers Bronwyn Christiansen and Tim Newman start helping out in classrooms
UNSW Science competition
Whole school science assessment tasks, developed by Deakin University
Science Report (Luke Milgate)
Term 2, 2014
Curriculum
Science Specialists Initiative (2014 – 2015)
This term Luke Milgate and Abbie Phillips continued their role as science mentors. Abbie Phillips taught across the Prep classrooms during their unit ‘On the Move’. Luke Milgate taught the Year 4 students during ‘Material World’, and also gave some support to Year 5 teachers for their unit ‘Light Shows’. Melissa Shipham continued to take a group of Year 2 students out to work in the garden and explore ideas and issues around sustainability.
As a part of the assessment requirements of the program, students from across the school participated in testing sessions, detailed below.
Science testing
Years Prep to 6 sat their SISAT tests this term (Science Enquiry Skills Assessment Tasks). These tests were developed by Deakin University and science teachers currently working in primary schools. They are not standard sit down exams. Instead, the tests often involve students participating in real experiments and investigations, posing questions, collecting data, graphing and reflecting on what they have produced. The tests will take place every six months to plot student progress across the school.
In addition to this, students in Years 3 to 6 have also completed a PAT Science test this term.
The Progressive Achievement Tests in Science (PAT Science) is a thoroughly researched and nationally normed test to assess student achievement in scientific understanding from Years 3 to 10. The test questions are designed to assess science knowledge, scientific literacy and understanding of scientific principles, as well as their application.
By using both SISATS and PAT Science across the school over the next couple of years, we hope to identify the strengths and weaknesses of students to inform teaching practice.
Little Thinkers Day (Wednesday 28th May)
Feedback from both students and teachers about Little Thinkers Day was extremely pleasing. As a result, it is planned to run the event every two years, giving students a chance to revisit the videos and songs they watched and learn about world famous scientists who helped shape our society.
Winners of the po ster competition will be announced by the end of this term. The seven winning entries will take home a ‘little thinker’ doll each, to visit their home for a fortnight. At the end of this time the dolls will be collected to create a display for our new science room, due to be completed later this year.
Big Green Schools Conference
Seven students from Years 5 and 6 attended this conference on Friday, 7th May at Carrum Primary School. “Carrum to Moorabbin” was the conference theme. Students worked collaboratively to learn the history of our local train stations and how community groups are working to beautify the train stations. There will be a second conference during Term 3, where students will brainstorm and give presentations on their ‘Big Green Ideas for a Train Station’.
Scientists in Schools program
Melissa Toifl of the CSIRO has continued to work in our classrooms as a part of the Scientists in Schools program. This term she has visited the Year 6 classrooms on two occasions, during the unit ‘Marvellous Microorganisms’. The students grew their own cultures on agar plates, swabbed from places around the classroom such as the carpet or the drinking taps.
The Year 6 students were also visited by Bronwyn Christiansen, a parent of our school and a senior scientist in anatomical pathology at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Bronwyn spoke to the students about her career as a scientist and showed them some of the equipment and methodology involved in her work.
Elementaurs
The Elementaurs club have been learning the basics of robotics this term. We have been meeting every Wednesday during lunchtime. It is hoped this group of students will maintain their interest and enter the Lego robotics competitions next year.
Garden Club
The big news from garden club this term was Melissa Shipham’s successful application for the South East Water Love Every Drop grant. The school was awarded a $3000 cheque which will be used to install a solar plant driven watering system in our greenhouse. Melissa has also entered the school in the Victorian Schools Garden Awards this term. We hope to gain some additional funding for the development of an orchard at the Coles entrance to the school.
Coming up next term…
- Science Week
- STAV Drama awards
- Garden stall at the fete
- More parent helpers involved in classrooms