Merry Christmas

It's that time of the year when everybody is busy decorating Christmas trees, packing for holidays or shopping for delicious foods and gifts.

We've made our own Chemistree at school this week.

first step: fix on a stand all types of glassware: beakers, conical flasks, rounded bottom flasks, test tubes, boiling tubes, measuring cylinders, pear shaped flasks

 next, fill them with indicators

and add a touch of colour by adding various acids and alkalis

and voila

I wish you all a Merry Christmas 

and a Scientifically Happy New Year!

Revision time

This week we have focused on revision. How do you revise for the end of unit tests?

I recommended a couple of options during the lessons:

1. Taking your own revision notes helps a lot, because while you do that, you access the information on several channels (you read it, you process the info and try to rephrase it in your own words or reorganise it so it makes more sense for yourself and then you write it/draw it).
2. Using revision sheets I provided you with - this is not as effective as making your own materials, because you take a more passive role - you just read the information
3. Using flash cards - either make your own, or use the Memrise courses I created. This is particularly helpful if you are struggling with key terms
4. Answering questions from the textbook or from question banks - this is a great way to check your understanding. Try to answer the questions and then compare your answer to the one from the marking scheme
5. Don't forget about using your creativity - anything goes, from writing a song about the structure of a cell to drawing the map of an island powered by various energy resources or a story about a working day of a genetics specialist. Feel free to use your imagination and make a material that suits your needs!

Below is an example of such a revision material. Maya prepared it for the Energy resources topic. She included several methods - writing her own revision notes, making flashcards, spider diagrams and even prepared a quiz. Well done Maya! You received 300xp for this.

Flashcards + spider diagram = :)

Maya went the extra mile - we did not cover much about nuclear power in class, so she did her own research about it :)

Pollution caused by various fuels is indeed a serious issue

loved the Simpsons reference :)

y9 challenges for the week 5-12 dec

Keep in mind the end of term test is upon us - we will have the test on the 13th of December. For this reason, most of the challenges for this week will be related to revising for the test :)

1. Make sure you know the symbols for the most commonly used elements. You can use use the Memrise for it as well.

2. Revise, revise, revise - make your own revision materials (spider diagrams, presentations, posters etc.) 

3. This Friday is the deadline for the dog breeds project. You need to prepare a poster/presentation about a dog breed of your choice - include as many details as possible about the characteristics the dogs were bred for and try to relate it to the genetic aspects

You could use tools/sites like this one for selecting the breed: http://animal.discovery.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html

y8 challenges for the week 4 - 11 dec

Keep in mind the end of term test is upon us - we will have the test on the 12th of December. For this reason, most of the challenges for this week will be related to revising for the test :)

1. Practice the key words using Memrise:

• heating and cooling
• microbes and disease

2. Make sure you know the symbols for the most commonly used elements. You can use use the Memrise for it as well.

3. Revise, revise, revise - make your own revision materials (spider diagrams, presentations, posters etc.) and use also the materials I've handed to you before. By this Friday, you should finish preparing the materials for the first two units we have covered this year: Heating and cooling and Microbes and disease.

4. You cans still make your own sentences/words using the symbols from the Periodic Table. I already got some really good examples from some of you :)  

y7 challenges for the week 4 - 11 dec

Keep in mind the end of term test is upon us - we will have the test on the 13th of December. For this reason, most of the challenges for this week will be related to revising for the test :)


1. Practice the key words using Memrise:

• energy resources
• particle theory
• solutions

2. Make your own revision materials - be it spider diagrams, newsletter articles, presentations - you can choose the format

3. Make a geode in an egg shell. Geodes are rocks that can be plain on the outside, but have beautiful crystals on the inside. You can easily make geode like structures in egg shells using your knowledge about solutions and evaporation. Here is a tutorial about it:

If you want to take it to the next level, you could try to make an edible geode out of sugar and chocolate:

Super saturated solutions

A super saturated solution is very unstable - even a small shock can trigger the crystallisation of the dissolved substance (as you've already seen during the lesson). This is an example of a super saturated sodium acetate solution.

Growing Silver Crystals

Ever wondered how growing silver crystals would look like under the microscope?

Here is a sample - an animated gif made from photos taken this week during the Science lessons:

Y8 Challenges for week 18-25 nov

You'll have a couple of challenges for this week - all of them will award you xp!

1. Memrise - use it to learn the element symbols!
2. You should start working on an element card - this will be your skills assessment (due next Friday - 29th of November) - the Element card should include basic information about an element of your choice - the symbol, where is it located in the Periodic Table, what are its properties, where do we get it from, how is it used and so on - anything you find interesting about that element!
3. Try to make your own sentence/message using only symbols from the periodic table. Here are some examples:

Science Vocab - using Sulphur, Carbon, Iodine, Neon (upside down), 

Cerium, Vanadium, Oxygen, Calcium, Boron

Y7 Challenges for week 20-27 nov

These are the challenges for the current week:

1. Memrise - The Particle Theory
2. Memrise - Solutions
3. Write a newsletter article for the particle theory topic (or any other revision material: spider diagram, poster etc.)
4. Write a newsletter article for the solutions topic (or any other revision material: spider diagram, poster etc.)

The best articles/revision materials will be used to make a newsletter for the blog and the Facebook page!

This is how genetics works :)

Creative project about electricity and safety

Last year Cathy surprised me with a very creative project about Electricity and Safety - the Electricity "handbag". Below you can see some photos of the project:

it even has its own handles

and don't forget recycling is important!

half-opened hand bag

fully opened handbag

Never thought of combining electricity with handbags - but then again this is what I like the most about my students - they show tremendous creativity when working on their projects.

Well done Cathy!

Why do we study Chemistry at school?

Do you think Chemistry is important? Just look around you and you will see loads of things that would not be there without Chemistry - from the paint on the wall of your room, to the soft drinks and snacks you grab on your evening out; from the fuels our cars use to the medicine that treats diseases; from the LCD to your phone, tablet or computer - all have parts that involve at least one chemical process in their production. The list could go on forever - but instead of compiling a long list, I'll let you watch a short video about it:

Fireworks night and Chemistry

Did you enjoy the fireworks night?

What is the connection between fireworks and Chemistry? Simply put, there would be no fireworks without Chemistry :)

The colours are given by different metal compounds added to the fireworks:

• green - barium or copper
• yellow - sodium
• pink - lithium
• red - strontium
• orange - calcium

As for the sparks, powdered aluminium works great!

Chemical Volcano 1

What about a self made volcano to keep you warm for the coming winter?

y7 Challenges for the week 4-8 nov

These are the challenges for this week (due next week on Friday):

1. Make your own layered ”density tower" using any materials you have around the house. Here is an example:

How do you explain the fact that the liquids form separate layers?

Take some photos or make a video with your own density tower.

Here's a short video with some instructions on how to make your own tower.

2. The Memrise course will shortly be up - remember you get xp depending on how many points you have on the site! 

y8 - Microbes and Disease on Memrise

I just created a course on Memrise for the Microbes and Disease unit. You can use it to revise for the end of unit test.

http://www.memrise.com/course/171530/y8-microbes-and-disease/

The Human Genome Project

Did you ever wonder how we get out characteristics? How are they coded in our DNA?

Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute. 3D animation by Bill Baker, 

Bakedmedia and Mike Fisher.

A longer documentary about the Human Genome Project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgq-XoyorWY

y9 challenges for week 4-8 nov

In groups of 2 or 3 students, prepare a research project on one of the following topics:

1. The Human Genome Project - history, advances, uses, moral issues etc.

2. Fingerprints and DNA - can we rely on fingerprints to keep our data secure?

3. Genetic diseases - you can choose any genetic disease and present the causes, the effects, long term implications etc

4. Inbreeding - what are the problems that arise from inbreeding?

5. Hybrids - how do we get them and what is the difference between hybrids and normal species?

You can choose any suitable form of presenting your findings: research report, powerpoint presentation, prezi, poster, video etc.

y8 Challenges for week 4-8 Nov

As we have been talking about microbes and disease this unit, your challenges for this week will be related to this topic:

1. Prepare a newsletter article on the topic Microbes

2. Draw a comic strip showing how your immune system fights against infections. Here is an example:

A new 3D virus model explains why we do not have a cure for the common cold yet

Ever wondered why we do not have a cure for the common cold?

more info:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268053.php

Timmy the Oozing Pumpkin teaser

Nothing like a good old Oozing pumpkin to explain the particle theory. More to come soon :)

Welcome to my blog. This is the place where you'll find updates about our Science lessons, our Gamification project, samples of students work and challenges/homework for my students.

Enjoy your time!