National Science Week
Science Week was a great success, with this year’s theme, Species Survival– More than just sustainability, bringing attention to the role of Science in helping species thrive in a rapidly changing world. This week aimed to foster students’ curiosity and enhance their inquiry skills through hands-on activities.
Each lunchtime, students participated in engaging experiments and games in the science labs. Activities included:
- Testing “whale snot”
- Building ecosystems in a jar
- Testing reaction speeds
- Extracting DNA from strawberries
- Making slime
- and more!
These sessions sparked a passion for science by making complex topics approachable and fun. By exploring how species adapt and survive, students gained insight into the real-world impact of scientific innovation.
Science Week also highlighted the vast array of career possibilities in fields such as biology, environmental science, and biotechnology. Through active exploration, students were encouraged to think critically and develop problem-solving skills.
It was a wonderful opportunity to ignite interest in the next generation of scientists, conservationists, and innovators. Also a big thank you to the Science Faculty and especially Ms Jessica Smith (Science Domain Support) for organising and running these practical sessions!
Helping your child succeed in Science
To help your child succeed in science, one effective strategy is to encourage the use of the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework when writing responses. This framework helps students construct clear, logical answers based on scientific observations.
- Claim is a statement or conclusion that answers a question
- Evidence includes the scientific data that supports the claim
- Reasoning explains how the evidence justifies the claim by connecting it to scientific principles that were taught in class.
Example:
Jessica Beach
Science Learning Specialist