Year 5’s Science at
Sanders!
Before
Christmas, Year 5’s science lesson took place in the laboratories at Sanders
Secondary School! Mrs Leppard at Sanders was kind enough to teach 5PM.
Our topic in
Science lessons in the Autumn half-term was materials and their properties, and
when we got to the lab, we discovered that we would be learning about
reversible and irreversible changes.
The very
first thing we discussed was safety; it is vital to be safe in a science
laboratory, and we immediately put on safety goggles. Next, Mrs Leppard
demonstrated what happens when you burn magnesium – it burns with an extremely
bright flame!
Next, we had
a safety talk; we made sure we knew how to use our equipment safely and
sensibly, and what our tasks were going to be. We were going to be observing
the effects of heating and burning materials.
First, we
heated ice, and the result was that it melted! Eventually, after the ice turned
to water, it evaporated as steam. This a reversible
change, as you can always cool water vapour down again and make it water,
and in turn you can cool it even further to turn it into ice.
Next, we
burned a wooden splint, which turned into gas and charcoal; this is an irreversible change, as you can’t turn
the charcoal and gas back into wood!
Finally, we
melted chocolate. This was another reversible
change, as heated chocolate becomes liquid, but you can cool it down and
make it a solid again.
We had a
really exciting time working in a real laboratory, and are very much looking to
returning!