A blog by Ellie Sillitoe

ME

(You don’t need to read this if you don’t want to)

I am going to be blogging about Warren Road Extension Science class of which I am member of. So HELLO reader and prepare to be amazed! Firstly, I want to thank Miss Fletcher for teaching us the wonderful facts that I will sometimes I don’t understand or like it but after I have been to Level 6 science club, I look at Science in a totally new way. Even after one about Cells I always remember parts that I didn’t even know existed!

The first one that is stored in my brain is Mitochondria which is Aerobic Respiration or in other words it releases energy. This not only has increased my knowledge, it makes me feel proud that I can remember the name and meaning which is what Level 6 science club is all about.

Can I also add that this is not pressurising in any way because your goals are totally in your capability and I have already achieved one of my personal goals-to remember a certain part of a cell and its meaning. Science club telling you should get Level 6.

As you probably know I am going to a secondarygrammar school and after I passed all the 11+ tests I wanted a break from exams. Also I am nervous about going to my new grammar school and what their expectations are. My science group prepares you for the next big stage, whatever school you’re going to. It has made me feel more comfortable and calm about going to secondary school as Miss Fletcher says it’s not about being the first one to get Level 6, it’s about doing your best and trying. But enough about me…FACTS!

8TH JANURAY THURSDAY 2015

HI! I have had amazing day let me tell you what happened! Firstly, we introduced ourselves and Miss Fletcher explained what the sessions were going to be about and why we were chosen. As we already knew everyone, (well, we had been with them for 6.5 years-including reception) we got straight to it. We grabbed a folder with a diagram of cells in and started after a quick 5 minute intro! The first fun lesson had begun…

We put together a 3D huge version of an animal cell and plant cell. This was created for every pair with care by Miss Fletcher. In my pair I assembled the two cells then we attached names for all of them… I can clearly remember three of a few of my favourite parts in a cell: the cell membrane, which decides what goes in and out of the cell and whether it is good or bad, also it is on the edge of the cell, I recall the nucleus which is on the side of the cell and it is basically the brain of the cell, it controls eating, waste, reproducing and more, just like our brain! Also the last one which is cycloplasm it is the base of the cell and holds every part together!

After that we attached meanings and talked about cells. Oh and I forgot, you get a huge bonus if you come early, you get extra activities! My favourite was when I got to use a microscope to look at weirdthings: Butterfly legs, bee wings, moth antennae… they might sound horrid but it’s so interesting, just one of the many things for you to enjoy at Science club!

Then we discussed the many upcoming lessons that will happen and the many laughs, jokes and enjoyment that will happen and have happened. My first lesson might not seem like a lot but it has been an amazing experience already. For me this new group has not just motivated me to be a scientist and opened my eyes but it has motivated me to get out of bed every day and listen intently to every word the teachers says so I have loads of opportunities that I can always do if I want to.Also it has generally made me feel so much happier that I can spend more time with the deputy head that is more like a friend than a teacher. (No kidding).

15TH JANUARY THURSDAY 2015

Good EVENING today was great; let me tell you about what happened this morning! ...We extended our knowledge on cells (what goes in and what goes out- oxygen goes in, carbon dioxide goes out and many more).After, we learnt about diffusion, using a tea bag per pair, we had two containers, one with hot water and one with cold. The tea bag was placed at one side and we watched the process named diffusion… Soon we saw the brown leaves of the tea bag spreading across the container.

The hot water made the diffusion happen much quicker and after only 5 minutes it looks like tea but the cold water looked like extremely light, milky, creamy and faintly coffee. As the process carried on Miss Fletcher explained that diffusion was made because all the particles want to be evenly spaced, it’s an urge like when you know an answer you need to put your hand up!

Then Miss Fletcher explained that if you were in a room, having a party with let’s say 3 people and the door slams shut, blocking all oxygen. After they have used up all the oxygen by breathing and there is no oxygen when the door opens, the process called diffusion starts; oxygen will come in, diffusing as the tea did and the person at the back will be the last one to breathe again.

BACK TO THE TEA! By the time Miss Fletcher had told us this story (with upmost enthusiasm and entertaining voices and actions), the water looked like the tea in my mum’s cup after work: brown and tasty, so we concluded with a smile and a laugh that diffusion is useful, common and in places I never thought of! See you later!

29th JANUARY THURSDAY 2015

Hi again! It’s me….ELLIE! I am telling you about a science session that happened this morning at exactly 8:30am and was full of slurps, yucks and crazy learning experience. Today I’ve learntmoreabout the human body (which I have already learnt the basics of in year 5), and have got awesome facts! Firstly, I started off with naming the cells on the muscle, stem, nerves and root hair. Now I know that a group of cells make a tissue, a group of tissues make an organ and a group of organs make an organ system.

Also we learnt about the biceps and the triceps as Miss Fletcher refreshed our memory on them. When the bicep flexes, the tricep relaxes and when the tricep flexes, the bicep relaxes and so on. Later on, I joint to make a trio with my two besties and we made a huge diagram (about a 1m or so) of the human digestive system (of which I will go over later) and I will expand on it right…. NOW!

Firstly we had to make the basic structure by arranging all the different organs; the mouth-is the start of the basic organ system, oesophagus-the muscular tube joins the mouth to the stomach, the stomach-breaks down food and churns it using fluids created in your stomach lining, the pancreas-it joins with the stomach and is found behind the stomach and it helps to break down the food, the large intestine-it absorbs water, leaving waste products (poo), the small intestine is the final stage of breaking food down as it churns the food leaving watery liquid (wee) then finally it flushes down the loo and you wash your hands!

We did even more next! We learnt all about diluting your eyes. Firstly, you must close your eyes and cover them with your hands. After two minutes or so you can take a few relaxing breaths, open your eyes and drop your hands… It will look black, then with black spots or squares, then misty, then focused…If you are staring at this person you will see their iris expanding and their pupil (a hole) will look huge. Your eye does this because when the hole is bigger, more light is able to get in and in inky blackness; you need every spot of light you can get!

I hope you aren’t bored because I certainly find it interesting and if you do then I’m sorry but I suggest you don’t carry on reading as there are more facts (that I find CRAZY) to come! I know that I have mentioned Miss Fletcher a lot but I really can’t believe how much time she spends on making each and every individual lesson possible. Also I will add that Miss Fletcher made the human body diagram, cutting, drawing, carefully making it so that they all fit together…Miss Fletcher is amazing in the way that she can always add entertainment to anything. See you next week and I can’t wait to tell you more about my sessions!

5th FEBUARY THURSDAY 2015