Here is a quick checklist...
By now your child should have:
Been working on their homework (creative challenges sheet OR they can do kiwikids news homework sheets WEEKLY)
Brought home a class newsletter for term 3
Brought home a swimming notice and returned it (or be ready to return it this week coming), and
Ensured they are ready to start each day with the proper equipment...
...several students are turning up without pens and not organising themselves BEFORE the 9:00 am bell.
Just a few REMINDERS:
If your child does not have correct uniform on, they must have a note with the explanation on it, and the start of each term is a good time to check that items are still clearly named.
Also, if your child is unwell, please keep them home until they are well... especially if they are coughing, have vomited within the last 24 hours and are too tired to do any work. Thank you for your help with keeping everyone healthy.
We have kicked off our discovery concept by learning a bit about the 5 science capabilities through some experiments. Students should be posting these on their blogs this coming week.
Capabilities are more than just skills - it's a bit like skills but with deep thinking involved. They are...
Gather & interpret data: Science knowledge is based on data from observations of the natural physical world and this often includes measuring something. An inference is an idea you have relating to your observations – the meaning you make from observations... which is different to what you actually see/observe. Understanding the difference is an important step towards thinking and describing things like a scientist (being scientifically literate). Asking great questions is a big part of this.
Use evidence: Science is a way of explaining the world. In science, explanations need to be supported by evidence that is based on observations and data/facts that can be measured.
Critique evidence: In order to evaluate the trustworthiness of data, students need to know quite a lot about the qualities of scientific tests. They need to work out what is a reliable method, a fair test, and they need to realise that not all questions can be answered by science (this includes understanding what a theory is and why they sometimes change).
Interpret representations Learners need to think about how data is presented and ask questions such as: What does this tell us? What is left out? How does this get the message across? Why is it presented in this particular way? Is this the best way to represent my results? They need to understand and use a lot of different types of graphs, diagrams, tables and models. They also need to be able to make sense of the information presented in these ways.
Engage with science: This capability requires students to use the other capabilities to engage with science in “real life” contexts. It includes participating, discussing and sometimes taking action.
So, there is a lot to learn and discover...