The last few weeks of Term One have seen students from Stage Four working in the new science laboratory at IFS. For myself it was fantastic to be in a familiar environment. After spending so much time in rundown labs at university and other colleges, coming into a new science lab was like a breath of fresh air.
For the majority of Stage Four students it was their first opportunity to work in a laboratory environment. Laboratories can seem overwhelming initially; there are components that students are familiar with, such as taps and storage cupboards, and others that are not so familiar, such as eye- wash stations and fume cupboards. Students were nevertheless excited and eager to test things out – exactly what you want as a teacher keen to engage students.
The focus for Stage Four was on the basics of the scientific process. This included briefings on how to conduct oneself safely in a laboratory environment and a Safety Contract to ensure student understanding of laboratory standards.
As for the science we did some pretty cool things with magnets and used static electricity to bend streams of water!
Here is a photo of our Year Seven students using negative electrons to attract to positive protons in water!
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