Up, Up and Away!

This week we explored the definition of flight! We looked into which objects can fly and how. 

We first explored this by creating different paper planes that are made to do different things. Our planes either glided, went really fast, or spun! We introduced fair testing by identifying who made the best plane for its purpose. We thought about what defined 'best' and how can we measure that? We also created objects that required wings and tested the best shape for creating lift. 

Fireworks Science!

From 'fireworks' in a test tube to changing the colour of a candle flame, room 12 loved the the exciting activities we did this week! We had the opportunity to predict, observe and explain natural phenomena, in the context of fire. What is the fire triangle? What are the different zones in a candle flame and what is happening in each zone? What creates the colours in fireworks? We explored these questions but in a safe an engaging way. 

Check out the pictures of our experiments below!

Genius Hour

 Genius Hour

Where passions come alive!

Genius hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. Room 9 was given a set time each week where they have a choice in what they learn.

The first thing we had to establish was a driving question, which we couldn't find the answer to on google. We had to research, plan and create our projects with only 1 hour per week to do so. We then reflected after each session on how our projects were going and whether we were sticking to our driving question. We thought about what was working, what isn't, what challenges we are facing and how can we overcome them. 

At the end of our 8 weeks of genius hour we presented our passions. Everyone in room 9 presented amazing projects and were able to reflect on the process. Our genius hour has inspired us to be life long learners and we will continue to ask questions, wonder and reflect on our everyday learning.

Sharing our Science Learning!

In term 2 we have been learning about the scientific perspective of how our world was created and how species have changed over time. This is called Evolution.

First, we did experiments, research and activities which provided us with knowledge about many different topics within Evolution. Examples of topics were; Extinction, Adaptation (Natural selection), Human evolution, The big bang theory,  Timeline of Earth, Humans adapting to live in space, and so much more.
We then were able to choose the topic that we found interesting and therefore wanted to further explore and research about.
Next, we gathered and interpreted data and became experts on our chosen topics. We then had to come up with a creative and interesting way of presenting our information. We had to think about what was going to be interesting to our audience and then think about the best way of presenting the information in order for our audience to learn. We decided that making our projects interactive was a great way to capture our audiences attention and would be something they are more likely to remember. 
All of our finished projects were fantastic and we were given great feedback from our Kauri team friends saying they were exciting and interactive. Each group or individual had so many positive things to reflect on and also something they could work on next time. The great thing about doing these projects is that it is the perfect opportunity to make mistakes, and learn from them. 

In term 3, we will have the opportunity to make our own Genius Hour projects where we will have more freedom, and be able to choose a topic about ANYTHING! Genius hour is a movement that allows us to explore our own passions and gives us a set time to learn about what we want to learn. We will then share our finished products with our whanau and reflect on our experience.

Leave a comment below about what you like about our Evolution projects! Did you see them in real life? What did you enjoy? What else would you like to know about Evolution?

Room Nine's Evolution Projects!

Pūtaiao - Water Surface Tension Science Experiment!

Pūtaiao - Science

We have been experimenting with water surface tension. The properties of the water and the cinnamon do not work well together, and therefore these two substances are not easily mixed. So when you put your finger in the glass, the cinnamon will form a layer between you and the water and you will not get wet. On top of the water, there is something called surface tension. It is a force that can be compared to a thin barrel of the water. That is why some insects can walk on the water surface. When you dip the liquid soap into the water, the surface tension is destroyed and the cinnamon moves away.

Watch the video below for an example;

We then tried the same experiment using pepper. We noticed that the pepper repelled faster than the cinnamon. The cinnamon would clump together quickly if we left it for longer than 10 seconds. This made the cinnamon bigger and therefore slower to repel the soapy finger.

We also noticed that sometimes the cinnamon would split into different shapes! We wonder why and how this happens?