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Science Trips & Events

Year 5 Balloon Monorail

Year 5 have been studying the properties of gases. They made balloon monorails to test air under pressure. Look at the wonderful results that they got!  Initially, the balloon needs a push to get it started. What force is acting on it?

Click HERE to view short video clips

Year 6 Science Fair - Scientific research at Town Close 

Over the last half term, children in Year 6 have been participating in the Norfolk Schools’ Science Fair. They have been working together to carry out their own piece of scientific research which was judged, first of all in school and then at an inter-schools event.

Each group thought of a question they would like to explore (with a little guidance – one group had to be persuaded that trying to split the atom was not really practical!) and then went about planning how they would carry out their investigation. In their Science lessons they focused on background research into their topic, working out how to proceed, what equipment they would need and predicting what they thought would happen. They were then able to carry out their experiments and collate the results. The children worked independently and enthusiastically on a wide range of topics. For example, one team wanted to see how efficient Diet Coke was as a rocket fuel while another was finding out which brand of battery was the best value. There were quite a few projects involving food, ranging from which fruit produced the strongest electric current to how long it took different types of bread to go mouldy. There were twenty-one projects in all.

Once the practical stages were complete each team then had to write up their work and present it as a poster display. This involved making sure that they had documented all the steps involved and included diagrams, graphs and photos where necessary. These posters were scrutinised by two local scientists; Katie Abley, a research student studying plant development at the John Innes Centre, and James Piercey, one of the presenters of the educational Science shows ‘Science Made Simple’, kindly accepted our invitation to judge the competition. The judges talked to each team about their work and then scored them according to how well they had carried out their research, how well it was presented and how original their idea had been. Marks had also been given during lessons for teamwork and effort. The posters were displayed on the balcony in the Sports Hall and parents were able to come and view the work.

The three ‘Best Overall Project’ winners were then invited to take their work to Gresham’s to compete against five other schools. Here a total of eighteen posters were on view, and a similar judging procedure took place. Three new judges, from the Institute of Food Research, the Teacher Scientist Network and the John Innes Centre, interviewed each team and discussed their work with them.

At the end of a long afternoon we were thrilled when one of our teams (Team Huntonia – Max Jermy, Jorgyella Thorpe and Tom Williams) were declared runners-up in the Best Overall Project category. Their very original idea, investigating whether looking at different types of pictures could affect your mood and your response in different situations, had not been easy to test, but they had shown very methodical planning, and had carefully considered how they could measure and record their observations. During their interview, the judges had been very impressed with their arguments and evaluation. Well done Team Huntonia!

All the teams gained a great deal from this experience. They could see the whole process of a scientific enquiry and it made them realise why each stage was essential. Development of these important skills will prove invaluable in their future Science studies.

Mrs J Marchant

Top Class in Top Class Science!

The children of 6W are very proud to be proclaimed Top Class Champions! The Top Class competition, held as part of the Norwich Science Olympiad, began in March, during National Science and Engineering Week. The first stages of the contest involved teams from schools all over Norfolk competing against each other in a series of head-to-head on-line quizzes. The key to success, (apart from getting the answers correct!) was to be quicker at answering than the opposing team, and this skill eventually proved to be crucial. 6W worked their way through the preliminary rounds steadily building expertise and confidence and when it came to the semi-final against Trowse Primary they were clear winners.

The final, against Falcon Junior School, took place at the Drama Theatre at the University of East Anglia on 29th June. Many of the children had been to the Royal Norfolk Show during the day but arrived excited and nervous for the evening event. The format for the final was very different. The two schools were divided into teams of three children and each team took part in a round of questions. There were ten rounds, each of which required the children to demonstrate their practical skills and scientific knowledge. At first it was very close and the two schools were neck and neck. The deciding moment came in the eighth round – quick-fire questions and fingers on the buzzer! This was where the Town Close team were in their element and they quickly began to build a substantial lead over the opposition. This lead became unassailable and by the end of the competition Town Close had established a winning total of eighty points. What had impressed me was the confidence shown by the children under stressful conditions; I had found the whole evening most nerve-wracking!
There were big celebrations as the children were awarded their gold medals and a trophy. There was also a chocolate cake to share!

I would like to offer my thanks to all the parents and staff who came to support us on the night.

Mrs J Marchant

Superlatives in Science Week

National Science and Engineering Week 2011 once again gave the children plenty of opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge in various scientific activities. Here, in the briefest of summaries, are some of the superlatives we came across.

Mr Smith introduced some of the challenges with his thoughtful assembly on solving problems with simple but effective ideas. Year 6 then attempted to make the coldest ‘fridge’ using flowerpots and sand. They were inspired by a young student who had developed a fridge for keeping vaccines cool while helping people in rural Africa. We learnt a lot about evaporative cooling!

Year 5 had a noisy week. Their challenge was to make the loudest ‘chicken’ noise using just a disposable drinking cup and piece of string. They learnt how vibrations make sounds and how these sounds can be made louder by amplification. The volume was measured using the data-logging equipment.

The children in Year 7 became detectives for the week and learnt some of the skills of Forensic Scientists. They practised finding the clearest fingerprints, matching the smallest fibres and used chromatography to identify the inks in the blackest felt-tip pens.

Year 8 took part in a fascinating session on DNA and genetics led by Katie Abley, a PhD student based at the John Innes Centre. Katie will be working with the Science Department on a regular basis as part of a partnership scheme organised by the Teacher Scientist Network. She introduced them to the functioning of genes, some of the tiniest parts of the nucleus in a cell and showed what happens if these genes are absent or not working for some reason.

The highlight of the week for many was the visit of ‘Science Made Simple’. Children in Year 2 joined the Prep Department and were treated to an enthralling insight into the Science of Sport – how an understanding of Science has helped to develop the quickest, the highest, the bounciest and the safest in a range of disciplines. The older children also learnt about the physics of spinning and balance – both of which had been demonstrated so exquisitely during the gymnastics competition earlier in the week. A further presentation to Years 5-8 demonstrated the development of the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car which will be attempting to become the fastest vehicle ever to travel on dry land.

Other highlights include the Science and Maths shop, with the longest queues for the most popular toys; the year group Maths quizzes testing the quickest and cleverest teams and the ever-popular bridge-building developing the strongest design.

The oldest and heaviest visitor to Town Close House for this special week was also probably the most persistent. The ‘Evolution Tortoise’ sat in the foyer of the Dearnley Building and took us through the history of life on earth whenever he was prompted; over and over and over again!

Another successful week of events? Simply the best!

Planetarium experience “out of this world”.

The Science department was fortunate enough to secure the hire of a portable planetarium from the East of England Science Learning Centre. For a week at the end of November the Read Hall was taken over by a large inflatable igloo-like structure housing sophisticated equipment which projected an image of the night sky onto the roof of its dome.

Visits to the planetarium provided an inspirational way for children in Years 4, 5 and Year 7 to begin their studies of the Earth, solar system and beyond, while Year 6 and Year 8 were able to extend their learning from previous years.

When first entering the dome it took a while to adjust to the total darkness but gradually the stars began to appear as our eyes became accustomed to the ‘night’. Our first surprise was that the stars appeared to be constantly moving! We then imagined life before maps and satnavs when travellers had to use the stars to find their way. We found the Great Bear constellation (the Plough) and used this to find Polaris and hence due North. We then started to look at other patterns and spotted Orion the hunter being followed by his dog Canis Major. We discussed how the constellations were first identified and named and we learned about the myths and legends of ancient civilisations. Further searching found us Andromeda and Cassiopeia, the Swan and the square of Pegasus. The nature of the equipment allowed us to change the image so that we could ‘travel’ south and we realised how lost the explorers of the Southern Hemisphere must have felt to find that the heavens were so unfamiliar. We were able to pick out the Southern Cross, but Orion looked completely different upside down!

Reactions from the children, and indeed several adults, to the planetarium have included many superlatives. It takes some thought even to begin to understand the scale of the universe around us, the numbers and distances involved and the complicated physical processes which are constantly taking place. This experience has allowed us the opportunity to wonder, reflect and inspire or renew an interest in exploring the night sky; an interest which, I hope, will last for many years.

Mrs J Marchant