iServi News | 15 May 2020 | Term 2, Week 3
In preparation for life in lockdown, Science Learning Area staff challenged ourselves to create inquiry-based learning opportunities for our students to complete at home. We wanted to ensure that students were challenged to make links between the real world and their practical and theoretical knowledge.
Using our Servite Way Learning Framework and our Philosophy of Learning, we brainstormed how to ensure our curriculum continued to provide engaging learning experiences during our remote learning mode. The inquiry process we adopted required our students to pose real questions, find resources, interpret information and report their findings in response to a particular scenario.
Year 9
In Year 9, students were presented with ‘Australia: A Lucky Country’. In Part 1 of this WebQuest, students were challenged to investigate the structure of the Earth, plate tectonics, and continental drift theory. Following the research stage of the task, students were asked to present their knowledge by producing an informative model/video of one of the concepts they had studied. The results have been amazing and delicious!
Year 11
Prior to the closure of the school, Year 11 Integrated Science students had been studying adaptation and evolution. As part of their remote learning package, students were asked to examine ways in which different organisms are adapted to move, communicate, find and eat food, and protect themselves and their young. The climax of this project was the design and creation of a fictitious creature.
Our Year 11 ATAR Chemistry classes explored atoms and different forms of bonding. Students were asked to produce a model that exhibited the key differences between covalent molecular, covalent networks, metallic, and ionic bonding, as well as representing the difference in their properties. The results were amazing and showcased some of the exceptional collaborative, creative, and critical thinking skills of our students.
Mr Simon Jones
Head of Learning Area – Science