After a two year hiatus the much loved Technology Tournament, organised by Rotary, is back. A team from Fyling Hall has won every year since the tournament began fourteen years ago. The secret to our success? Read on… On the 17th March we sent six teams to take part, two in each category (that doubles our chances). It was a tough job to pick the teams. I chose those that attend my Technology Society on […]
Adapting our teaching to work online with different groups with different needs has been tough, there’s no doubt. But occasionally there’s a clear advantage of this way of working. Over the past few weeks I’ve been teaching Year 7 about genetics, adaptations and environmental effects on organisms. I wanted to collect some class data on various attributes that the students had for us to discuss. Because these data are in effect personal biological facts about […]
This week in science, Fyling Hall’s Y5 and Y6s have been learning about reflecting light by making periscopes. No easy task without the small safety mirrors which we would use in school! Well done to Dylan, Penny and Ciara for successfully making periscopes that work!
At the end of last term Fyling Hall’s Year 7 accompanied our Year 9 solar boat builders to the Yorkshire Aircraft Museum. Pupils took part in the museum’s “Inspirations” STEM Challenge & Showcase. This huge event sees some 600 pupils enter their GCSE or extra curriculum projects in the core Science, Engineering Maths and Technology disciplines also incorporating sustainability, textiles and resistant materials. Although our boat didn’t win, but it worked . . . and […]
Mr Instone recently led a special session on how computers work for Fyling Hall’s Junior School’s Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. The session also included the history of computing and why we need to be creators not simply users of technology. Pupils used Mr Instone’s collection of 37 year old Commodore VIC20s . . . on the very day that he found out they are going back into production for education purposes such as […]
Who knew that finding out who stole the secret formula could be so much fun? Over the course of the day students from Fylingdaless CofE VE, Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre CofE VE and Fyling Hall Primary Schools worked together utilising and developing their STEM skills to identify the culprit. And who was it I hear you ask? None other than Fyling Hall’s Headmaster, Mr. Allen!! Thank you to all of the students for taking part . . . […]
Who stole the Secret Formula? Only one science teacher is guilty but has tried to conceal their identity by tampering with evidence. On Science Detection Day the challenge is to complete all five tasks which will offer clues, if completed correctly. Only with all pieces of the puzzle worked out will the identity of the villain be revealed. Who will solve the mystery? Pupils from Fylingdales CofE VE and Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre CofE VE Primary Schools will […]
If you take aspirin, you’ve got a pain reliever, heart attack preventer and possible cancer preventer rolled into one tablet. It is a modern day wonder drug. However, its beneficial effects have been known for many years. The word “aspirin” is derived from Spiraea, a biological genus of shrubs that includes natural sources of the drug’s key ingredient: salicylic acid. The Greek physician, Hippocrates (460 to 377 B.C.), wrote that willow leaves and bark relieved […]
In James May’s series ‘ James May Q&A (BBC Head Squeeze). He poses the question “Is glass really made from sand? Year 9 have been exploring this question in their topic on materials. The answer turns out to be, yes – mainly, plus one or two other chemicals to help the process along. Although, we didn’t use the exact same procedure, we were still proud of the samples of glass we produced.
Plastic from potatoes? So went up the cry at the start of a Year 9 chemistry lesson. Our topic was polymers; the joining together of small monomer molecules to form longer chain polymers. Polymers may be synthetic (man made), or naturally occurring, eg. starch. In starch, the monomer is glucose and is the reason why many starchy foods taste sweet on eating – try chewing a piece of bread for 3-5 minutes, the enzyme amylase, in […]
Who knew that Mr. Coates is also a member of the Science Department? Ok, most of you! But did you know that he is leading Year 8 pupils in investigating how the human body is able to breathe? Check out this experiment where pupils saw the effects smoking can have upon the lungs, using the experiment with cigarettes, a milk carton and empty squash carton. Meanwhile, over is Y11 Sports Studies they are busy […]
Inspired by the North York Moors National Park’s Dark Skies Festival, we are delighted to host our very own Stargazing Party! It has been a few years since we hosted our last stargazing event, but with the kind help of Mark Dawson from the Whitby & District Astronomical Society we thought it was time to revisit the sky with his expert help. Our boarding students will also be enlisted to help out with a scaled […]
