Should humans leave Earth?

By J Townson11th April 2019

This is the guiding question E25 students will be pondering for the next 14 weeks as we embark on our new STEAM expedition, Escape Earth.

We are just coming to the end of our immersion activities, which included:

  • a visit to the Diamond Building at the University of Sheffield, boasting cutting edge physics facilities, as well as giving us the opportunity to take part in higher education access workshops and a tour of the university campus;
  • a Notice and Wonder Gallery Walk activity in a circle around a large cardboard geodesic dome (hinting at part of the final product!);
  • watching our Anchor Text DVD: The 11th Hour, which documents the impact humans are having on the earth’s climate and the changes we need to make if we are to save the human race from extinction;
  • an expert visit from astrophotographer Chris Peace, who took us on a journey through space and time, showcasing his spectacular images of deep space objects.

Our first case study, Our Place in the Universe, is just the beginning.  Make sure to ask one of our students what they think so far!

Please do check out our expedition website and watch it grow and develop as we move through the expedition.

X Block Nutrition: reminder for students to bring ingredients for sessions next week

By J Townson5th April 2019

This term, E25 are learning about nutrition in one of their three X Block sessions each week.  We have looked at what constitutes a balanced diet, discussed the components of the Eatwell Guide and the nutrients present in different foods.

Image result for eatwell guide

This week, students have been working in pairs or groups of three to plan how they will cook a plate of food which meets requirements of their choosing; for example, a vegetarian starter, a healthy dessert or a free-from main course.  

Each group have a meal planner document which will be signed off by me on Google Docs before they can cook.  These MUST be completed before the session, otherwise they will not be able to cook.

The meals will be cooked in their normal X Block session with me on either Monday or Thursday morning.  

Your child will have been allocated responsibility within their group to provide certain ingredients of their choosing.  Please could you support them in ensuring that these are purchased in good time so they can bring them into school on either Monday or Thursday for their X Block session (they know which groups they are in and which day they are cooking on).

If you would like to contact me to discuss arrangements for your son or daughter, please contact me at school by phone or by email on [email protected]

Thanks in advance for your support.

E25 Presentations of Learning were exceptional!

By J Townson31st March 2019

Wow!  Well done E25! 

The STEAM Human Machine Presentations of Learning last week were a huge success and all students should be congratulated for the part they played, which began right back in January at the beginning of the expedition.  We want to take this opportunity to thank Jon Kelly at Sine FM for working with us closely on the Final Product, Emma Parke from Diabetes UK for being an expert in the Final Product process and Mark Green for his microbiology expertise in Case Study 1.

The learning journey our students have been on for the last three months resulted not only in two varied and exciting Presentations of Learning but also in two very polished products.  The Final Product brief was to produce an animation aimed at young people recently diagnosed with either diabetes (7 Explorer) or asthma (7 Pioneer).  Check them out below:

Explorer’s Final Product:

Pioneer’s Final Product:

I am so proud of all that our students have achieved in this expedition and encourage you to ask them more about it; they are a credit to themselves, the school and their families!

Reminder: E25 STEAM Presentations of Learning this week

By J Townson26th March 2019

A reminder for families that E25 students would like to invite you to join in with a series of activities to present their learning on the following dates:

7 Explorer: Wednesday 27th March, 5:30-6:30pm

7 Pioneer: Thursday 28th March, 5:30-6:30pm

For a taster of what we have been studying, visit our expedition website.

We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your continued support.

E25 Fieldwork next Wednesday 3rd April 2019

By J Townson25th March 2019

As we are starting a new STEAM expedition next week, Y7 students will be on immersion fieldwork on Wednesday 3rd April 2019 (please note the corrected date as the original post incorrectly said Wednesday 4th April)  The arrangements are as follows:

  • All students to arrive at school at the normal time as we will be departing from school at 9:15am after Crew.
  • Students will need to bring a packed lunch and bottle of water (no glass bottles or fizzy drinks or sweets.)
  • Please bring any prescribed medication required, clearly labelled in a plastic bag or envelope with your child’s name and required dosage.
  • Sensible clothing, coat and shoes need to be worn (we will be outside for part of the day)
  • Lunch will not be provided (with the exception of students who are eligible for Free School Meals).
  • Students will return to school at approximately 3pm – although we will post updates on the website and social media.
  • If any parents need to know the destination of our fieldwork, please contact me at [email protected]

We look forward to beginning our new expedition!

Year 7 (E25) STEAM Presentations of Learning: Human Machine

By J Townson11th March 2019

Since January, Year 7 have been learning about the human body in their Human Machine STEAM expedition.  They have been studying cells at the ‘microscopic machine’ level as well as the organs of the digestive and respiratory systems at the ‘macroscopic machine’ level, in order to answer the guiding question “Why is my body like a machine?”

They are now ready to share their findings with you, and would like to invite you to join in with a series of activities to present their learning on the following dates:

7 Explorer: Wednesday 27th March, 5:30-6:30pm

7 Pioneer: Thursday 28th March, 5:30-6:30pm

For a taster of what we have been studying, visit our expedition website.

We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your continued support.

Reminder for E25 STEAM: Revision for extended study

By J Townson11th March 2019

All E25 students have been sent an email reminding them to revise their Case Study 2 content of the Human Machine expedition.  We will use some of our class time after the holiday to revise Case Study 1, but they are free to work on this on their own over the holiday too.

We will have a written assessment on this (as well as Case Study 1) on Friday 22nd March.

There are many resources to support them in their revision, including the expedition website, which itself contains many helpful links, videos, learning target rubrics, quizlets and lesson resources.  Some students chose to take their class books home with them and all students were given a paper copy of the revision grid for Case Study 2 to start them off.

Please continue to encourage your child to talk about their learning at home and to share their revision progress with you.

Many thanks,

Mrs Townson

E25 STEAM Extended Study Task, due on Wednesday 13th February

By J Townson8th February 2019

E25 have an Extended Study Task which has been emailed to them, posted on the Expedition Google Site and on Google Classroom.  This is due on Wednesday 13th February in our Science lesson.

If they are unable to access it due to permissions on the doc, they should try logging in through their Google account on the XP East website first.

Many thanks,

Mrs Townson

Reminder: E25 STEAM pre-learning task due tomorrow

By J Townson4th February 2019

Just a reminder to all E25 students that the pre-learning for tomorrow’s Science lesson involves watching this video and completing this form to demonstrate your understanding of the key points. The aim of this task is to give you a head-start on the content we will be tackling, so please do not panic if you find it a challenge initially!

Thank you to the majority of students who have completed this already and to those who have emailed me with questions or requests for support with this task.

I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Mrs Townson

E25 Human Machine

By J Townson22nd January 2019

E25 have really thrown themselves into their first Case Study, Microscopic Machines, in the new STEAM expedition called Human Machine.  We have been looking at our first learning target: I can explain how different cells are adapted for their function.

Caiden is shown below using a video tutorial to build his knowledge of how to use a microscope, whilst Zach M, Zach H and Nikodem were Getting Smart by choosing to spend extra time at breaks looking at their cheek cell slides and onion cell slides.  Cerys, Aaron, Zach, Dylan and Shanna are pictured here giving kind specific and helpful feedback in purple pen, whilst Harvey added labels to his animal and plant cell comparison diagram.