25 Jun 2018
As part of an exciting collaboration between Forestville Public School and Killarney Heights High School, our Year 5 students have begun visiting the high school science laboratories to experience learning activities and practical investigations using specialised equipment. These visits will occur twice this term and again in terms 3 and 4. During these visits, a group of Year 9 students who show particular aptitude and enthusiasm in Science will mentor our primary school students as they conduct experiments and investigations associated to their current science unit of work ‘Desert Survivors’.
During the first visit, our Year 5 students were assisted and guided by the Year 9 students to conduct investigations observing the stomata on the leaves of eucalyptus trees under microscopes. Each group created their own microscope slide, viewed the stomata under different magnifications and then drew a scientific diagram of what they observed. Below is a brief recount from William in 5C about his experience.
"Year 5 have recently been going to Killarney Heights High School for our new Science learning experiences. In our first session, we got to look through a real microscope at the different parts of a leaf. The KHHS teacher gave instructions and then she gave us some Year 9 mentors to work with us in our groups. We learnt how to make a glass slide, focus the lenses on the microscope and we were very excited to see all the little patterns on the leaf that you normally wouldn’t see with your naked eye. I think Year 5 all agree that visiting Killarney Heights High School was a great experience and we are very excited to go back again soon.”
Overall, the Year 5 students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed visiting the high school science labs and using the equipment. We sincerely thank the Killarney Heights High School Science Department and their Year 9 students who did a wonderful job guiding our students through this initial scientific investigation and demonstrating how to manage and focus the microscopes. We look forward to continuing this collaboration into the future.