Today WiSTEM visited Knightswood Primary School, and I spent the day with the P7b class taking part in each workshop that we delivered.
First up for P7b was the life sciences workshop where we talked about DNA and genes and how they dictate who we are and what we look like. After an overview of genetic material and how bases (T-A and G-C) pair up, the kids were tasked with figuring out the phenotype that matched the genetic codes on their skeleton worksheets. This helped the kids develop a basic understanding of how genes control how we look from hair type to eye colour, once this understanding was reached the children were able to figure out their genetic code by matching their phenotypic characteristics to the coding key.
Next up 7B had a technology workshop, which got the class very excited (robots are cool apparently). Using scratch technology and Edison robots the class were able to create code that moved the robot through a masking tape maze, helping the class to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the code they wrote and the physical output of the robot’s movement. Technology and coding have become such an integral part of everyday life and by letting kids explore the coding universe and learn how to operate the equipment the next generation of technology scientists are being inspired.
After their playtime break, 7B completed the engineering workshop, where they were tasked with constructing bridges between their tables made of paper and tape. Initially, the class took part in a quiz where they had to figure out what the role of a civil engineer is and what projects they work on. The class were then divided into teams of four who worked on constructing bridges between their tables with the aim of them being strong enough to hold up bags of rice. The record bridge that was legendary according to its makers held 6kg worth of rice – not bad for paper and tape.
The fourth workshop of the day P7B was a maths workshop, where they learnt the rules of divisibility and filled in their maths wheels on how we can easily tell if a number is divisible by specific factors by remembering simple rules. They all got to personalise their maths wheels and decorate them in their favourite colours whilst adding the information they’d find most useful to remember.
After lunchtime, the class had their final workshop of the day where they learnt about physical sciences. The focus of the session was astrophysics, specifically the stages of the moon cycle and the planets. Using two plastic cups and yellow and black card the class were able to replicate the stages of the moon cycle and show how the amount of the moon we can see at night depends on where the earth and moon are positioned in relation to each other and the sun.
Once the final workshop was over, class P7B got the opportunity to ask our amazing outreach convenors, vice president, engineering convenor and volunteers some questions about university life, how they chose what area they wanted to study and what life is like as a STEM student. This was the perfect consolidation task for a very exciting day and all of us at WiSTEM want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Knightswood Primary school for making the day so successful!
Women in STEM University of Glasgow 