As we advance through the year and the topics, there have been ample possibilities for labs and demos, providing an opportunity for students to learn through inquiry.
Grade 12 Chemistry students have focused on titration methods and are finishing the topic on acids and alkali. Grade 12 Biology students have finished the circulatory system and experienced performing and electrocardiogram. We are still waiting for hearts to be available at the market to perform a dissection. We have finished as well talking about immunology and infectious diseases.
Grade 11 Chemistry students are finishing with Stoichiometry and they have performed their first titration, produced standard solutions, experimentally calculated the molar volume of a gas and attempted to experimentally calculate Avogadro’s number (although this very temperamental lab did not work at the end). As soon as we finish practicing all the different types of problems we will have our first test. Grade 11 Biology students continued studying cell structure and particularly membrane structure and transport. They have experimentally calculated the osmolarity of potato tubers and are currently working on their first full investigation, including some statistical calculations they will need in future investigations. We have experimentally observed the effect of temperature in the facilitated diffusion of anthocyanin in beetroot using a colorimeter and will proceed with origin of life and cell division to finish the first unit.
Grade 7 Science students have started investigating motion and spent some time learning about graphs. They did an experiment to see the effect of the angle of a ramp in the speed of a ball and will be startling with forces soon next week.
This year is going so fast and there is so much to do!
