STEM in the Junior School Curriculum – Semester 1 Wrap Up
It has been a busy and productive semester in STEM in the Junior School. Our students have engaged in various exciting projects that have fostered curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a key part of our Junior School curriculum, inspiring and challenging students with hands-on experiences to enrich their theoretical knowledge. Our STEM program integrates seamlessly into the classroom through Collaborative Learning Projects (CLP), covering Science and Technology, History, and Geography. These units follow an inquiry-based learning model, engaging students in collaborative learning and promoting engineering-design principles.
Pre-Kindergarten explored the five senses: touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. By focusing on each sense individually, they learned how each sense provided them with information about their world and affected the way they interacted with it. Additionally, students investigated the world around them through experiments that helped them understand the how and why of everyday phenomena. These investigations included topics such as why it rains, where plants come from, and how volcanoes work.
Kindergarten investigated the properties and purposes of various materials. They explored how different materials could be used and how their properties affected their functionality. Through hands-on experiments, students observed and identified the characteristics of materials they encountered at home or in the classroom. Building on this knowledge, students used the engineering design cycle (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) to design and construct a house for ‘he fourth little pig that could withstand an attack from the big bad wolf.
Year 1 began the year with a series of digital technology upskilling lessons. These lessons on how best to use hardware and software help lay the foundation for their educational journey as masters of technology rather than simply consumers. Year 1 students learned how to take high quality photos, present visual information in graphics, and developed their block coding skills by using Blue-Bot robots and the companion app.
Year 2 will have two exciting terms of STEM next semester so stay tuned to find out what they will be investigating exploring and creating soon!
Year 3 enjoyed a semester full of STEM projects and experiments, beginning with the development of their block coding skills using the Code Agent in Minecraft Education. They built on their understanding of algorithms and the process of computational thinking, with an introduction to nested loops and ‘if, then’ commands.
For Term 2, they used STEM lessons to enrich their CLP investigations into states of matter, properties of materials, and forms of energy. With thermometers and pipettes in hand, Year 3 students stretched, dripped, and measured their way through experiments that tested material properties such as elasticity, absorbency, and thermal conductivity and insulation.
Year 4 investigated the effect of contact and non-contact forces on the behaviour of objects with several hands-on investigations. Before diving into their engineering design task, students had to conduct some ‘arduous’ research at the local arcade to understand the forces at play. Armed with this knowledge, they worked collaboratively to apply their understanding of forces using the Engineering-Design Process (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) to design and create a cardboard arcade machine. They considered resources, investigated materials, components, tools, and techniques, developed criteria for success, and evaluated their design ideas and solutions.
Year 5 entered a new dimension in STEM lessons, learning how to 3D model using the Makers Empire app. After upskilling on the fundamentals of 3D modelling, they brought their learning on sun safety from their PDHPE lessons into a cross-curricula collaboration in STEM lessons. They utilised the Engineering-Design Process (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) in small groups to design a sun-safe playground for a section of the MLC Junior School playground. Members in each group took charge of a portion of their on-paper design to convert into a 3D depiction. The basic components of these models will be 3D-printed early in Term 3 and the students will embellish the prints with handcrafted elements to complete a scale representation of their proposed playground.
Year 6 Students extended their CLP investigations into animal adaptation through hands-on activities and robotics engineering using Spike Prime LEGO robotics kits. They used block-based coding to explore how animals survive and thrive in challenging environments and created animatronic robots to mimic these unique adaptations.
Additionally, students learned about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its responsible use. They considered the risks and benefits of generative AI. With the assistance of Microsoft CoPilot and carefully crafted prompts, students planned, conducted, and critically evaluated AI-generated scientific investigations.
– Marie Cassar and Bede Schofield
Junior School STEM Teachers
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