Class 7 Electricity and Magnetism Main Lesson

Class 7 are entering the final week of their last physics Main Lesson for the year, Electricity and Magnetism. Class 7 marks the birth of the intellect with the need to experiment and explore the world. The thirteen-year-old young person needs to question authority, pushing the boundaries of what is known or allowed (that might sound familiar to you at home!). Powers of reasoning are being exercised and judgments about the world are formed. They are developing the capacity to stand back from their own unique feelings and with this distance can come perspective, and the beginnings of objectivity.

So far, we have discovered that electricity can be generated by various means. We found that by rubbing two substances together, we could create static electricity, which was first documented way back in 600 BCE by Thales of Greece, when he rubbed silk against amber (elektron).  In the classroom, we had a great deal of fun rubbing balloons against hair, and watching the hair stand up as it was attracted to the balloon.  We tried the old trick of rubbing the soles of shoes back and forth and trying to generate a spark from our fingers with which to shock our neighbour.  Perhaps the carpets and our soles were not a good match, for it did not work.  That, in itself, is so much a part of scientific investigation: why didn't it work, what could we change next time? Then we generated electricity with chemical reactions, making batteries from electrolyte solution, which was just salt water, and then from a string of lemons. It was fun to guess how many more volts would be produced if we added another beaker full of saline, with a zinc and copper strip (single Galvanic cell), into the circuit, or another lemon.  We found that electricity could also be stored (in the form of a capacitor). After the Voltaic Pile Experiment last week, we will move to exploring magnetism and its connection to electricity.

  

As always, the students have enjoyed traversing the history of these discoveries, through the centuries, although possibly not hearing about Galvani's experiments on frog legs.  We heard that initially electricity was not thought to be able to harness enough power to do 'work,' but was, rather, the party trick of an intellectual elite, to be trotted out in the salons of an evening, for entertainment. In that context, sometimes dolls were animated by the jerky, static shocks. I think all the students appreciated Benjamin Franklin's courage, or perhaps, craziness, in venturing out into a tremendous thunderstorm with a key tied to the end of his kite. Lucky for him, the kite wasn't directly struck by lightning but the electricity in the atmosphere was enough to generate a shock to hurt the back of his hand. Hearing of the discoveries of courageous individuals who dared to dream beyond the known world, is so wonderful for this age, and in particular in our modern world, where we can sometimes feel that all is known, and perhaps sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the volume of information around us. These discoveries give young people the feeling that their feelings, thoughts, actions and dreams are all important and needed by the world.

Katie Southall

Class 7 Teacher

Class 8 ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ Main Lesson

While in Class 7, the Class 8 students learnt about the Indigenous Societies of the Central Kimberley region in Western Australia, where they explored the intricate relationships between language, culture, and identity, discovering aspects of the culture including how the Kinship system and Totem animal responsibility contributes to the connectedness of Aboriginal people to their country and the natural world. The Class 8’s are currently navigating a close study of the Western Australian memoir, ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ by Nugi Garimara (Doris Pilkington), for which the Class 7 Indigenous Societies Main Lesson has stood them in good stead in providing them with an initial understanding of the rich culture of Australia’s Aboriginal community. ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ is a beautifully crafted and harrowing memoir of Doris Pilkington’s mother, Molly’s, astounding 1600km journey on foot from the Native Settlement at Moore River, north of Perth where she had been taken under Western Australia’s invidious removal policy of the 1930s, all the way back to Jigalong on the edge of the Little Sandy Desert.

This Main Lesson explores a myriad of important historical issues, from the early encounters between the white settlers and the Aboriginal people in Western Australia and the ensuing decades, which saw a steady decline of Aboriginal society from what it had been, until Molly’s story begins with the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

Throughout the Main Lesson, students have been sensitive and respectful when discussing the issues raised in the book, issues that are so important for us to discuss and learn about. They engaged in some great class discussions around the issues explored in the book, demonstrating that they are well on their way to developing a strong moral compass. They have carried out a range of research, written and creative activities, as well as personal responses in relation to the issues raised in the memoir.

Ethna Brave

English and Humanities Teacher

Music Night

The hills were alive with the sound of music on Friday, 3rd of November at the Parkerville Steiner College campus for our inaugural Music Night. Students from Class Seven and Eight shared their performances from Band lessons and audience members were also treated to items from soloists, duets and trios. The students spent every spare second at recess and lunchtimes in the weeks leading up to the evening, jamming, rehearsing and preparing for the night. Audience members enjoyed the peaceful ambience, food from a local food van and a visit from the local neighbourhood kangaroos. Well done to all involved.  

Kirsten Greenshaw

Music Teacher

Class 7 and 8 German

Both Class 7 and 8 students have continued their German language studies throughout Semester 2 with students gradually growing in confidence as their vocabulary and language abilities increase. Students enjoy the often-humorous literal translations of words, for example Handschuh which literally translates to ‘a hand shoe’, which in English we call a ‘glove’, and German idioms, which are so inherently unique to each language and culture.

Class 7

German idiom: Er spielt die beleidigte Leberwurst.  (He’s playing the insulted sausage.)

Throughout Semester 2, Class 7 have learnt vocabulary associated with the family, learning how to talk about their family and answer simple questions on the topic. The students enjoyed learning the many clothing items in German and they created their own memory game in order to revise the new vocabulary. As they head into Class 8 next year, they will have a wider vocabulary basis, which will assist them as we begin to tackle more grammar and written activities.

Class 8

German Idiom: Sie hat einen Vogel.  (She has a bird.)

Class 8 have been carrying out more and more listening activities, reading comprehension activities, and translations in German lessons. There is often lots of laughter in class as students grapple to first literally translate words and sentences and then put them into English so that it makes sense. Their growing vocabulary and grammar and syntax knowledge means that they can create increasingly complex sentences and translate ever lengthier pieces of German text. In addition to They are developing a good cultural understanding of Germans through examining areas such as German fashion and clothing trends, and traditional and regional dishes and mealtimes.