Plate Movement Presentations
Today we looked at the three ways plates move: divergent, convergent and transform. Students were able to model this using playdough. Have a look at the presentations below!
Science Holiday Homework
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The Science of Yeast
There are many types of baking yeast available. These include fresh yeast, active dry yeast, quick-rise yeast, and instant yeast. For this lesson, students focused on the active dry yeast which is available in most supermarkets. The aim was to find out which conditions made yeast most active: warm or cold water? adding sugar or plain?
The scientific name for the active dry yeast is called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, also known as “sugar-eating fungus.” This is a strong variety of yeast and it is responsible for fermentation. Fermentation is the step when the yeast makes carbon dioxide (bubbles of gas) in the bread making process.
Yeast gets energy from its favorite source of food in the form of sugar. Today, we used raw sugar.
The yeast love to be able to eat their favorite sugar in a warm, moist environment. As the yeast munch away on their sugar, chemical reactions take place where alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced. The carbon dioxide gas is trapped in the rising bread, which is what causes the bread dough to rise, leaving behind a large amount of air pockets in the dough. The yeast eventually dies off, from the heat when baking, and any remaining alcohol evaporates (completely vanishes).
It was clear as crystal that a WARM environment and adding SUGAR were optimal environmental conditions yeast to be active and for the most reaction! Students were able to observe the many bubbles that formed over a 30 min period in the 'warm water-sugar' Ziploc bag.
Below are some pictures of students at work in the class. I can safely say that the results were AMAZING and the entire class enjoyed watching and comparing each others samples.
The scientific name for the active dry yeast is called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, also known as “sugar-eating fungus.” This is a strong variety of yeast and it is responsible for fermentation. Fermentation is the step when the yeast makes carbon dioxide (bubbles of gas) in the bread making process.
Yeast gets energy from its favorite source of food in the form of sugar. Today, we used raw sugar.
The yeast love to be able to eat their favorite sugar in a warm, moist environment. As the yeast munch away on their sugar, chemical reactions take place where alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced. The carbon dioxide gas is trapped in the rising bread, which is what causes the bread dough to rise, leaving behind a large amount of air pockets in the dough. The yeast eventually dies off, from the heat when baking, and any remaining alcohol evaporates (completely vanishes).
It was clear as crystal that a WARM environment and adding SUGAR were optimal environmental conditions yeast to be active and for the most reaction! Students were able to observe the many bubbles that formed over a 30 min period in the 'warm water-sugar' Ziploc bag.
Below are some pictures of students at work in the class. I can safely say that the results were AMAZING and the entire class enjoyed watching and comparing each others samples.
Controlling the Spread of Infection!!
To date, grade 5/6b have been investigating three main types of micro-organisms: fungi (including yeasts and moulds), bacteria and viruses. We have learnt that even though we cannot see microbes with the naked eye, they are in fact everywhere!! Yes, I did say EVERYWHERE!! And they are such amazing, teeny tiny living things.
We looked at the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys', understanding that microbes that live in and on us are not so harmful. In fact, they help to protect us from possible infection and disease.
Recently we have been focusing on the spread of infection, through 'dirty' hands and even coughs or sneezes. This is where we had the most fun!
The boys were involved in two experiments, both of which helped the students visualise how we can help control the spread of infection, especially in a school environment, which is a haven for these nasty microbes!
In the first experiment, leader students were selected and asked to coat the palms of their hands with cooking oil (representing the natural oils on our skin) and cover it with glitter (representing the unseen microbes). The leader then student shook hands with the next person, then that person shook hands with the next, and so on. This hand-shaking exercise was a great way to see how microbes spread from person to person through physical contact (direct touching). We then performed a number of hand-washing techniques (cold water, warm water, warm water and soap) and followed the same process. Students then compared the level of spread with each hand-washing technique.
We looked at the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys', understanding that microbes that live in and on us are not so harmful. In fact, they help to protect us from possible infection and disease.
Recently we have been focusing on the spread of infection, through 'dirty' hands and even coughs or sneezes. This is where we had the most fun!
The boys were involved in two experiments, both of which helped the students visualise how we can help control the spread of infection, especially in a school environment, which is a haven for these nasty microbes!
In the first experiment, leader students were selected and asked to coat the palms of their hands with cooking oil (representing the natural oils on our skin) and cover it with glitter (representing the unseen microbes). The leader then student shook hands with the next person, then that person shook hands with the next, and so on. This hand-shaking exercise was a great way to see how microbes spread from person to person through physical contact (direct touching). We then performed a number of hand-washing techniques (cold water, warm water, warm water and soap) and followed the same process. Students then compared the level of spread with each hand-washing technique.
Today, the boys looked at how far viruses can travel from an infected person just from a single sneeze and also how best to control the spread of infection (covering mouth with your hand or covering mouth with a tissue).
Below are some pictures of students while performing the experiment.
Below are some pictures of students while performing the experiment.