Science Made Simple Show      

We were delighted to welcome back Science Made Simple, to deliver one of their unique science shows. This was the ninth year that they have returned to the college, and as always, they did not disappoint. The Music to Your Ears show was watched by all of Year 7 and Year 8 over the course of the morning, and living up to their well renowned formula, lots of audience participation was enjoyed by all.  Having so many students enjoying the show was a great way to mark the day, and as always the students were superb which is always recognised and appreciated by the presenters. 

PE Power It,

The PE Department completed a day of physical activity to see what power output they could create.  Four activities on a rotation system were completed, ranging from circuits to relays.  The students then worked out using a conversion chart, from the Science team, what this would mean in terms of electrical devices they could power.  It was a really interesting day and the students worked extremely hard.  The PE staff really engaged with the concept and all found it very interesting.  A fun and active science day was had by all.      

Coastal Defence and Protection

Year 9 attended a very informative presentation by Dr Tim Poate, from Plymouth University.  He is an expert on Wave Mechanics and Coastal Studies and explained how his research focuses on wave transformation, storm impacts and morphodynamics within the larger context of coastal processes.  During his academic career he has been directly involved with three major research projects with international partners and provided research expertise to further international collaborations involving field work and large scale flume experiments. 

Fish Sculpture Workshop  

A sculpture workshop was organised by Mr Cole and Mr Gregory to explore the theme of sustainability with students across all Key Stages.   Throughout the day, students embraced the challenge of creating art from recycled materials with a series of collaborative drawing activities; wire fish sculptures; and a large metal fish installation, combining recycled plastic bottles and crushed tin cans.  All students explored the environmental issues with plastics and were introduced to artists who transform ocean waste into inspiring artworks.  Staff and students embraced the opportunity to get creative and raise awareness of plastic waste and the effects on our oceans.

Performance Nutrition Experts

A presentation was given to Sports Academy students by nutrition expert, Matt Lawson and  Simon Bradeley, Tanita UK Manager.  Matt has worked with the England Ladies Football Team and a number of professional clubs over the years as well as being a Registered Dietician.  Tanita are world leaders in body composition technology, and Simon explained how elite athletes use their systems.  
Students were given the opportunity to look at their muscle mass, body fat mass, hydration and testing of different areas throughout the body. The day generated a lot of interest especially when discussing the type of diet needed for sports people to achieve maximum results.  They were also educated around preparation and recovery from training as well as tips to reduce injury.
The day finished in an assembly with Year 11 with a talk by Matt Lawson to students who are due to take their exams in May.  He emphasized the importance of exercise, nutrition and sleep during the exam period and ways that good nutrition and exercise can improve brain function and concentration.     

Quorn Workshop

Liz Straw, from Quorn, provided an excellent cookery demonstration and taster session for various Quorn products, to much acclaim from the students.  Quorn is a sustainable mycoprotein product which is used by the College’s caterers, Devon Norse.        

RealWrap Company

Dan Penfold from RealWrap Company spoke to Year 7 and Year 8 students about the type of packaging used in their products, which are sold in our College canteen. He explained the decisions and processes behind deciding on why certain types of packaging materials are used.

Human Smoothie

The team from Devon Norse provided the Smoothie Bike and a huge amount of fresh fruit, which was prepared by the excellent Ivybridge Community College Science technician team.  Along with          Mr Lyall, Mrs Berry and Mr Guy, the Devon Norse staff showed just how fruitful human power can be.  All smoothies were served in cups made from compostable plant-based material and all food waste was compostable, so this was a zero waste activity.  Students and members of staff were encouraged to take part and over 250 smoothies were given away with many coming back for seconds.

Science Project Competition                                                                                          

Science week saw twenty-six keen Year 7 scientists presenting their projects in the Science competition. They had been working all term on researching, experimenting, building and preparation, and this was the spectacular grand finale.  The standard was incredibly high and chosen topics fascinating.  Sixth Form students and staff judged presentations about topics as diverse as ‘Big Cats’ to the ‘Periodic Table’, from ‘How Life Started’ to ‘How the Universe May End’.  ‘Evolution in Technology’ was the winning presentation.  In all twelve students won places on the MET Office Science Camp later in the year.

Sustainability Themed Curriculum Lessons      

Geography - Year 9 students studied  resource management, involving looking at the sustainable use of various resources such as water and the sustainability of our food production.  Year 7 and 8 students looked at ‘Why is the UK’s energy use unsustainable?’  This provided a good introduction for Year 7 who will soon be looking at resource management and sustainability.

History – Year 7 students made links between the Black Death and the lack of scientific knowledge in the Middle Ages.  They looked at theories that were around at the time such as The Theory of the Four Humours, and compared to the modern day understanding of the causes of the Black Death.  Year 8 students considered the theme of sustainability within the context of the Second World War.  For instance they considered why Britain had to plan carefully and be sustainable during the Blitz with a focus on rationing and Make Do and Mend.  Year 9 students were shown a TED talk about the life cycle of a plastic bottle which they then discussed.  Students then read further about how society has become more dependent on plastic over time and the implications this has had on the planet.  We discussed how life in the Middle Ages was potentially kinder to the planet then now. 

English - teachers started their lessons with poems on the sustainability theme.  Key Stage 3 and 4 students engaged in some healthy debate about climate change with the stimulus of poetry and media coverage; students wrote articles in response. A level students explored issues surrounding sustainability though science fiction texts and an article by famous Sci-Fi author, Margaret Atwood.  Staff and students alike embraced the opportunity to do something a bit different.

Media Studies - Year 9 students started their lessons by applying media technical codes to extracts of programmes on science and nature like Planet Earth.  They then explored how these programmes are made and how the impact of climate change is captured on camera.  Students really became involved and gained an appreciation of the time and effort that crews make to capture these remarkable events and how they influence us as an audience.

Modern Foreign Language - students worked on the vocabulary of sustainability and useful structures to give advice about protecting the environment in all three languages.  It is a theme studied at GCSE so all will come in very useful.  Every student wrote their recommendation in their chosen language on a leaf which is now displayed on the ‘Green’ board in the B3.00 corridor.  This was a fantastic 'live' update activity introducing students to key GCSE concepts on sustainability in a foreign language.  Students thoroughly enjoyed operative learning games and creating their sentences and display work.