In Year 3, the students have been working hard as scientists this term. The children started the year learning about rocks and more recently have moved on to a biology focus studying animals including humans. The first lesson taught the children that humans are not plants because we cannot make our own food! The children were then fascinated to learn that humans are animals that eat plants and other animals.
The children learned about the importance of a balanced diet using the food pyramid. They were exposed to a range of technical vocabulary such as:
- vitamins, minerals and fibre
- fats
- carbohydrates
- proteins
The students looked at the effect that different food groups had on our bodies. Did you know that blood, muscles and organs need water to work?
Next, the children got up close and personal with our skeleton models. They started learning about skeletons and what they do. As part of their learning they were introduced to technical vocabulary:
- vertebrates (animals with backbones)
- invertebrates (animals without backbones)
The children found it amazing that bones are alive and really enjoyed comparing animal skeletons. They are very good at making connections across their learning and were able to use the mathematical model of a Venn diagram to compare.
Finally, the children started learning about muscles. During this lesson, the students had the chance to become PE teachers. They really enjoyed this role play opportunity and directed each other to perform movements using the key vocabulary ‘contract’ and ‘relax’.
By the end of this module, we had classes full of budding doctors and PE teachers and we hope to keep inspiring the children as the year goes on. The students cannot wait for their next scientific exploration which will be around the subject of physics in the context of light.
Lauren Ebsworth
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching