This month, our Secondary students have been able to enjoy a very exciting Science Week. This has been adapted to suit all subjects and levels, a trully fun experience, full of enjoyment and discovery, which has helped our children to learn and reinforce their knowledge and experience in the subjects which they are studying.
Our Key Stage 3 students started the week looking for information required to solve a puzzle, where they first had to solve a riddle and find a specific place, to then go onto discover the name of a famous scientist, hidden there. It was a frantic search to be able to finish the questions and win the prize. During the tutorial classes, they also played “Science Pictionary”, a scientific version of Pictionary in which they had to draw key words from their Science syllabus, trying to convey the meaning of what these words meant to them. It was very competitive and so much so, that none of the teams wanted to stop playing, even when the classes had finished.
In their year groups, each class focussed on specific areas. The students in Y7, in the Science classes, were experimenting with new techniques combining Art and Science (STEAM not STEM this week!). They tried marbling, they made rainbow film with nail varnish and artistic leaf skeletons. On their part, the students in Y 8 concentrated on fireworks: they analysed the different chemical reactions, made different coloured flares and researched everything that you need to know, to make real fireworks. In Y9, the focus was on electricity. The students made conductive and non-conductive materials, experimented with LED´s and different kinds of flexible circuit boards. They were able to consolidate and develop their ideas around the flow of electricity.
In KS4 and KS5, they started the week with a picture competition related to innovation and discovery, which has been the theme of this British Science Week 2018. During the tutorials, the Families in KS4 played “Science Articulate”, a game, which is not only great fun but also a great way o revise some of the material they have been studying. Students had to explain key Science words and concepts in English. The game was a total success, and there were even some students who wanted to get hold of a copy of the game, to continue revising the content of their subjects.
In conclusion, this was a very scientific kind of week, full of fun and learning.