Below are some of the ebooks Year 7 students have created in Science this year.
Year 11 Prize Winners
Year 11 Prize Winners
Year 11 Prize Winners
Year 11 Prize Winners
Year 11 Prize Winners
Year 9 Class Photos
Year 9 Class Photos
English Language Learners
Integrated Learning
All Year 9 and 10 students study Integrated Learning with other members of their house in a blended curriculum.
These courses bring together different learning areas of the school in a way that enables students to develop a deeper and meaningful understanding of what can be complex ideas and skills. It also models the way we experience the real world - in an interdisciplinary fashion. Whiria te tāngata. This year the Year 9 cohort explored the subjects of NZ Pre-colonisation, Forensic Investigation, Medieval Warfare and French Cooking. The Year 10 students explored Genetics, Energy and Sustainability, Space and Places, and Health and Statistics.
The Integrated Year 10 Genetics class learned about DNA coding and ethics in a unit that linked how people engage with science—using text and discussion.
Students looked at Stan Walker's journey with stomach cancer to investigate how traits are inherited. In further learning, the school borrowed the Gel Electrophoresis kit from the University of Canterbury and students ran a gel to separate DNA fragments and analyse the results. They then discussed how this technology can be used in society.
LCŌ's Integrated Learning Programme Features in NZASE Article
The NZASE (New Zealand Association of Science Educators) recently interviewed teachers taking part in our Year 9 and 10 Integrated Learning. The following is an excerpt from Mike Stone's article.
Whiria te tāngata - Weave the people together Whakatauki for Linwood’s integrated programme.
Helen Mora is the Science HoLA at Linwood College. She gathered a group of teachers together to talk with us about their school’s integrated program.
At Linwood, Year 9 and 10 students participate in integrated units, taught by pairs of teachers covering different areas of the curriculum - English, Maths, Science and Social Studies as well as PE, Māori and Technology.
Classes are organised into the school’s four houses, and each pair teaches the prepared unit to a class from a different house each term, fine-tuning as they go.
This is the second year of Integrated Learning, starting with Year 9 in 2019, introducing Year 10 this year and planning for integrated courses in Year 11 in 2021.
Angela Johnson (Science) and Nick Colville (English) taught a genetics ethics unit this year. They used the The Gene Seekers booklet to set the context. They plan together and each specialist teaches to their strength, with the other teacher assisting in the classroom. This blends as the year progresses.
Lessons often start with a pertinent reading, which may be science-based or not. Progress during the unit is measured using ARB tasks for 'Do nows' or end-of-lesson checks. The summative assessment is still being planned.
Miriam Bulger (Technology) and Olivia Silvester (Maths) taught a unit making, adapting and testing catapults, and used them to destroy a castle wall at the end of the unit. Students saw a real application for their maths, the technology process and underpinning science concepts, although some struggled with the calculations. The teachers enjoy the delight when a student finds the factor that makes the difference between a 60 cm shot and a 3 m shot.
One of the positive outcomes of an integrated course was observed in a unit on Forensics (taught by Science and English) last year. In this unit students learnt simple science skills - finger printing, chromatography and fibre examination. Their learning was brought together in the assessment when they had to present their evidence in a court case, using four suspects from the school community. Helen said, “By doing it with English we ended up with a result science could never have got by itself. The court session took three weeks, and gave the whole unit a different focus and made for rich learning. We loved it, and the kids loved it.”
There are many benefits for teachers. Nick Colville says, ”When we work with a teacher of another subject we learn about that subject. And it’s great to work with another adult, sharing ideas, helping each other, creating lesson plans. It’s fun and the students enjoy the banter between us.” Angela Johnson says, “I can google the answer to a student's question while the other teacher is leading the lesson.” “Students find it hard at the start,” says Miriam, “getting used to this new way of doing things. But by the end of the year this integrated class is my favourite – the students are more mature and ‘integration-trained’. Students can’t tell the difference between the learning areas. But they do see the purpose of maths better.”
This group of Linwood College teachers suggests that those trying integration “need someone you can work with, time, and an ability to brainstorm ideas”.
Māori Migration and Exploration
Whaea Manu and Miss Munro created a unit about Māori migration and exploration for Integrated Learning.
Students worked in teams to build models of pā which they had to design, work together to create, and justify their choice of features. We had some great innovative thinking, with some students choosing to use "Sketchup" to make a digital pā or where.
Year 9 Catapults
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Students worked on making their catapults in Education Minecraft after making a real-life popsicle stick and rubber band version.
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Posters created in groups using Canva to summarise the results of the term. Students aimed to destroy a foam wall with their popsicle stick catapult. The pie graph is the percentage of blocks knocked down and the percentage still left.
