Year 8 Science and Guts
The Science faculty was a hive of activity during the recent Science Week celebrations. Year 8 science are studying a topic called When Things Go Wrong. This is a unit of work that studies the biology of the human body. During Science Week, the Science 8.1 girls took over the TAS woodwork room and set up a makerspace.
Francesca and Amelia negotiating the structure of the small intestine
Makerspaces are a recent phenomenon (or an old one renamed?) that are becoming popular in schools and the broader community. Edutopia.org defines these as spaces to provide hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they deeply engage in science, engineering and tinkering.
In our Science classroom, we established a makerspace for students to build a model of the human gut. Models are very important learning tools for scientists of all ages. They allow us to see things that are normally difficult or impossible to see. Our Year 8 girls had an opportunity to think about the internal organs associated with human digestion while developing their inquiry and collaboration skills as they immersed themselves in the model building process.
Debra Bourne - Year 8 Science Teacher
