What a busy and exciting term it has been in Year 8 Science! Our students have been exploring the worlds of energy and geology, with plenty of hands-on investigations (and a few tasty ones too!).
We began the term by looking at different forms of energy and how energy can be stored and transferred. One of the highlights was investigating the chemical potential energy stored in food. Students were fascinated to discover just how much energy our everyday snacks contain as we burned various foods and observed the energy being released as heat. It certainly gave everyone a new appreciation for their lunchbox contents!
Next, students put their engineering skills to the test by designing and building rotocopters (paper helicopters). Through trial and error, they explored gravitational potential energy and how different designs affected the way their rotocopters fell through the air. There were plenty of competitive spirits on display as students tried to create the slowest descent and the most successful design.
More recently, we have turned our attention beneath our feet and begun studying the Earth’s crust and tectonic plates. Learning about the movement of continents and the forces that shape our planet has been brought to life through a range of activities. One clear favourite was using Oreos to model different types of plate boundaries. Students demonstrated convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries by twisting, pulling apart, and sliding their biscuit “plates.” While the scientific modelling was excellent, it is fair to say many students were equally enthusiastic about the opportunity to eat their models at the conclusion of the lesson!
It has been wonderful to see Year 8 students embracing opportunities to investigate, question, design, and experiment throughout the term. We look forward to continuing our geological adventures and uncovering more of the secrets hidden beneath the Earth’s surface.