Strand: Materials
Strand Unit: Materials and Change
Scientific skills: observation and inference
Our focus in science over the last few weeks has been on our skills of observation and inference. We have been examining photographs of everyday items under a microscope, making observations about them and then using these observations as clues to make inferences about the photographs. We also linked this to the very important issue of hand-washing. To investigate how important it is to wash our hands properly we got 3 slices of bread. After lunch one day we all passed the first slice of bread around. We then quickly rinsed our hands with water (no soap) and passed another slice of bread around. And finally, after using the proper hand-washing technique we passed the third slice of bread around.
After a few days we made observations about the changes that had occurred to each slice of bread:
Observations: there were patches of blue on each slice, much more on the slices that were held without washing our hands properly.
Inferences: We inferred that the blue-mould on some of the bread was greater because there were more germs on our hands that weren’t washed properly. We also inferred that soap is very powerful in hygiene practices.
This was an interesting experiment and really showed us the effects of good hand-washing techniques!
Investigation: How can a seat-belt save a life?
Strand: Energy and Forces
Strand Unit: Forces
5th Class investigated inertia and the importance of wearing seat belts in cars. To test and prove this we made ‘Eggmobiles’ and playdough dummies. To make sure it was a fair test the ‘Eggmobiles’ were all the same size and the dummies were the same weight. The variable that we changed was the seat belt worn. The eggmobile was ‘driven’ into a wall and the results were recorded. We tested it three times; no seat belt, one seat belt and finally a seat belt on one of the dummies. Our predictions were accurate. When the dummies had a seat belt on they were protected while the other dummies were ‘injured’.
Strand: Materials Strand Unit: Materials and Change
We had to differentiate between wet and dry. We then discussed what the word waterproof meant. In groups, we were given a variety of materials e.g. tinfoil, cardboard and we had to predict which of the materials were waterproof before we started our investigation. We had lots of fun testing each one!
Challenge: Design and build Santa’s Sleigh
Strand: Design and Make
We were given the task to design and make a sleigh for Santa that would carry toys. The criteria was that our sleigh had to include a seat for Santa and the base of the sleigh must be propped up on sleigh rails. First we examined the materials that each group had to work with. We planned and sketched our design and then built our sleighs. We tested each design. The most successful sleigh was the strongest one that could carry the most ‘toys’ (weights).
