Fascinating forces

Who doesn’t like a fun tug-of-war game? This was our Entry Point for our new IPC-unit, Fascinating forces. During this IPC-unit, Upper Primary pupils have learnt a lot about different types of forces. They investigate different types of forces, they read about forces, they discuss forces and, of course, they experiment to see if the information they learn is trustworthy.

Now, they confidently talk about the difference between mass and weight. They talk about gravity and density. They talk about air resistance, water resistance, upthrust, buoyancy, drag, thrust etc. They know that there is less gravity on the Moon and more gravity on the Sun. They mention Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, the Wright brothers and Archimedes when they want to explain what they mean. They start up a new experiment with great enthusiasm, they first write a hypothesis and then they carry out the experiment and write down the result. It is fun to learn by doing!

We are now wrapping up this unit with a Technology task, testing Archimedes’ principle, designing boats and testing them. Lots of fun, but also tricky at times!

At the end of January, Primary pupils in year 3-6 had a chance to participate in the big MOVE2 concert at BOZAR in Brussels. It was a fun morning, with both beatboxing and classical music. It was a huge event to hear the National Orchestra of Belgium playing. Music is a shared interest in Upper Primary.

After the holidays, Upper Primary pupils will visit a Science Fair at a secondary school here in Ghent. That will be a great warm-up for the Battle of the Scientists here at ISG in March! Pupils are preparing for this big event in different ways. Lots of tasks will be shared amongst our Primary pupils and it will be a great chance to learn how to take responsibility for hosting a big event.

By looking at different types of interview questions, and by interviewing pupils in Year 4, Upper Primary pupils are preparing for their tasks as reporters during the Battle. They now know how to turn an interview into a newspaper article.

During the last day of school before the Mid-term holidays, ISG pupils come dressed in costumes. The school day ends with a Carnival party! This is a fun way to wrap up weeks of learning before the holidays. Enjoy the holidays and see you in one week’s time!