Science

Overview

The Science experience of a Yuhualite has been crafted using a repertoire of pedagogy that develops the student’s knowledge and skills with respect to the subject of Science. Students are constantly encouraged to apply their learning to make sense of the world through inquiry, as well as to make informed decisions that will positively impact their lives, society and the environment.

Through Meaningful, Experiential and Enriched experiences, the school aims to provide students with:

Knowledge, skills and character to achieve academic success in Science
A life-long passion for the subject and a desire to seek understanding through inquiry and apply their learning to their lives.

Programmes

The school Science Programmes are guided by the MOE Science Curriculum Framework. Central to the Framework is the conduct of Inquiry, founded on three integral domains of (a) Knowledge, Understanding and Application, (b) Skills & Processes and (c) Ethics & Attitudes. The curriculum design seeks to enable students to view the pursuit of science as meaningful and useful. Inquiry is thus grounded in knowledge, issues and questions that relate to the roles played by Science in daily life, society and the environment. Programmes and lessons are thus planned, in conjunction with the Elements of Thought, to develop the hearts and minds of our students with respect to the topic of Science.

The MOE Science curriculum Framework; The Elements of Thought (EOT) for lesson planning and EOT Periodic table for Science

Meaningful Experiences (Experiences that are relevant and build on students’ knowledge. They enable connections to be made between knowledge, understanding and application)

P1/P2 Science Exposure Programme: Basic Science concepts and process skills are woven into P1/P2 curricula to expose pupils to the learning of Science. Students learn about the world of plants, animals and materials through hands-on activities and experiential learning.
Customized Resources: Students are provided with resources that are produced by the teachers to aid them in the understanding and application of concepts through exam-type questions.
Experimental Activities: Students have the opportunities to perform investigation and collection of results through experiments in the School Science Rooms, based on the theme/topics they learn in class.

Experiential Experiences (Experiences that provide hands-on opportunities in and out of the classrooms)

P3 Science Activities@Yuhua: A customised package of activities created in-house for our students. Includes a collection of hands-on activities which are conducted during Science lessons and are Inquiry based in nature. It focuses on a progressive development of Science Process Skills, as well as the acquisition of Science concepts. These activities also include components that provide opportunities for Self-Directed Learning (SDL). Such as research tasks where students are challenged to seek out solutions to real-world situations using tools like online search engines.
Project based activities: To make learning fun and meaningful, students learn to apply Science concepts through projects assigned to them by their Science Teachers. Projects have been crafted to cater for Life and Physical Science topics, and to provide students opportunities to take ownership of their learning. Examples of projects are:
- P3 Gardening Program: Opportunities crafted for P3 students to experience the joys of planting and caring for plants. Related Science and real-life issues, such as Environmental, Composting and Food Safety and Sustainability, are brought to life when students go through this hands-on experience.
- Our school pledge to do our part and try our best in achieving a circular economy with our P3 Gardening Programme. Our P3 students used their food compost return to the ground as fertilizer for their garden plots.

Food compost returning to the ground as fertiliser

Students participating in the harvesting of heir ‘Lady Finger’ crops

Life Kits: P4 students are provided with live specimens (eg: caterpillars, mealworms, plant seeds) to care for whilst learning about life cycles.

P4 Lantern Making

P6 Toy Exploration Project

From Amazing Toy Car to Amazing Toys. Look at how our P6 Final Year Project has evolved. With the same objective in mind where students learn about how toys work and upcycle unwanted materials at the same time!

Students with the creations after the final race

Enriched Experiences (Experiences that leverage on ICT and expand students’ viewpoints for Science)

ICT adding value to learning experiences: Various ICT platforms are utilised to aid and enrich the teaching and learning of Science. These include hardware tools such as Data-Loggers (An electronic device with multiple sensors for the recording of experimental data) and software such as web-based resources and online lesson platforms such as Nearpod and SLS. (Student Learning Space). These platforms facilitate collaboration and communication in and out of the classroom, and connect Science with existing technologies.

Nearpod lesson in class

Science Centre Lessons: Lessons are scheduled for students at the Science Centre termly. Providing an alternative classroom where familiar, and not-so-familiar, Science topics are taught.

ScienceBuzz Lectures: A series of lectures aimed at promoting interest and awareness in Science for every Yuhualite. Conducted by Science Teachers in the school, lecture topics in the past have covered a wide range of topics outside of the normal Science syllabus. Armed with the objective to “Intrigue and Inform”, teachers have lectured on topics such as the intriguing Newtonian fluid ‘OObleck’, the science involved in ‘Pokemon Go’ and even the science involved in Cooking.

ScienceBuzz lecture topics over the years

Termly Showcase Events: A series of showcases held termly to bring Science concepts to life. Collaborating with Parent Volunteers (PVs), students get to experience and learn about Science related phenomenon beyond what they may encounter in the classroom. Past showcases include activities related to optical illusions and lava-lamps.

Pupils participating in recess Showcases

Green areas @Yuhua: The school grounds have been designed to support biodiversity and to promote an appreciation of nature in its pupils. Urban green solutions such as vertical greenery (Green Walls) and Planting plots serve to bring nature closer to the students and educate them in environmental and sustainability issues.
In 2019: The school was awarded the highest award category “Vanda Miss Joaquim” for the School Green Awards (SGA) organised by the Singapore Environment Council & Starhub.

Green areas around the school: The Butterfly Garden, Green Wall and School Garden

Collaboration with Parents: The department engages parents yearly with workshops designed to give them an insight to Science lessons in the school. These workshops also serve to empower parents with practical strategies to engage their children at home with Science related activities.

Parents participating in the annual Science workshop