Grade 6: The integration of tools and technology

This week, Grade 6 students dived deeper into the chapter "Tools and Technology" with boundless curiosity, turning their classroom into a lively "science exploration workshop". Divided into groups of "little inventors", they embarked on a series of joyful experimental challenges centered on common tools like inclined planes, levers, and wheels.

When exploring inclined planes, the students built "slope runways" of different heights with building blocks and used small boxes filled with erasers as "transportation messengers", testing the scientific principle that "the gentler the slope, the less force is needed" with their own hands. Cheers erupted in the groups when they saw the boxes on gentle slopes slide smoothly with just a light push. During the lever experiments, they used rulers as "levers" and stationery boxes as "fulcrums", adding or removing pencils from both ends while chattering and recording data. The once abstract concept of "balance of forces" became clear through repeated hands-on attempts.

The highlight of the week was undoubtedly the "movable-type printing experience class". As sets of movable-type kits with Chinese characters were distributed, the classroom was immediately filled with curious discussions. Transforming into "ancient printers", the students followed the steps of "type selection, typesetting, inking, and printing" in an orderly manner. During type selection, some carefully compared the character cards with the poem "A Quiet Night Thought", like searching for hidden treasures.

When the ink-scented rice paper was gently lifted to reveal Li Bai's famous lines "Before my bed there is bright moonlight, I think it is frost on the ground", every student's face was beaming with a strong sense of accomplishment. What made it even more interesting was that the students also showed their artistic creativity: some printed small moon patterns around the verses, some used different colors of ink to distinguish the rhythm of the poem, and others arranged the movable types into a unique "artistic layout". The once uniform poem was transformed into a series of distinctive movable-type prints. These works, filled with ink fragrance and warmth, not only let the students feel the wisdom of ancient printing technology but also experience the fun of combining science and art in hands-on practice.

Grade 7 and Grade 8: Unlocking life's mysteries through questioning

Biology lessons have always been a space where questions and answers coexist in exploration. This week, pupils in Grade 7 and 8, driven by their curiosity about the living world, actively posed questions and conducted hands-on investigations across various biological themes. Through resolving their queries, they gained a tangible appreciation for the practicality and fascination of biological knowledge.

After finishing the unit on cell structure, Grade 7 students shifted their focus to the broader plant world—plant anatomy and classification. The classroom was filled with curious questions: "How do algae absorb nutrients without roots, stems or leaves?" "Both mosses and ferns reproduce by spores, so what’s the real difference between them?" With these questions in mind, they delved into the distinguishing features of algae, mosses, ferns and seed-bearing plants, and the once-blurred boundaries between different plant groups gradually became clear.

The most exciting part was the peanut dissection lab. "Is the hard shell of the peanut we usually eat a fruit or a seed coat?" "Besides the oil we know, does the peanut kernel contain starch?" With these doubts, students carefully peeled off the peanut pod with tweezers, separated the seed coat, endosperm and embryo, and carefully labeled the name of each structure. The organic substance detection session was even more interesting: when they saw orange spots on the peanut cotyledons after testing for oil with Sudan dye, they immediately cheered, "There really is oil!" When testing for starch with iodine, although they did not see the expected blue color, it sparked a new question: "Is the starch content in peanuts very low?" They took the initiative to ask the teacher about the scientific principle behind it.

Grade 8 students, on the other hand, found the close connection between biological knowledge and life in the theme of "Healthy Living". After finishing the study of infectious disease prevention and the dangers of narcotics, their questions all focused on “practical medical skills": "Can I take antipyretics and cold medicine together at home?" "What side effects will my grandfather have if he takes too much blood pressure medicine?” “When someone is drowning, should I drain the water first or perform artificial respiration first?" These life-derived questions made the classroom discussions extremely lively.

To answer these questions, the teacher not only explained medication safety knowledge with cases, but also led everyone to simulate emergency scenarios: groups practiced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) steps for cardiac arrest, learned hemostasis methods for bleeding in different parts, and even asked each other questions about "contraindications" while reading the instructions of commonly used home medicines. When the students accurately stated that "press to stop bleeding first before bandaging" and "chest compressions should be done first in CPR", their faces were filled with the pride of "mastering real skills", and they also better understood the meaning of "biological knowledge can protect themselves and their families".