Issues+in+teaching+and+learning+Science

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Issue 1: Lab rules of safety and apparatus

Summary: I have learned about the safety rules in the laboratory and also the apparatus needed to conduct an experiment like the Bunsen burner, flasks, tubes, and others. Why do we need those apparatus to conduct an experiment? Some chemicals contain hazardous substances which might harm the containers. Therefore we should use the apparatus specially designed to withstand heat and corrosive substances to conduct an experiment. And why should we learn the safety rules? So that we won't get harmed, of course!

Reflections: I think that it's important to learn about the safety rules so that we wouldn't get hurt. It's also important to learn about the apparatus in the lab needed to conduct an experiment, and know how to use it.

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Issue 2: Chemistry (Separation Techniques, Elements, Mixtures and Compounds)

Summary: I have learned about how to separate a mixture, which includes solid-and-solid, solid-and-liquid and liquid-and-liquid. A mixture can be separated through filtration, evaporation to dryness, distillation, crystallisation and paper chromatography. Mixture is formed by mixing two or more substances and can be separated through these methods because different molecules in the mixture do not bond together to form one molecule. Compound, on the other hand, is formed by bonding two or more elements together to form a new type of substance. It is usually formed through heating two elements together. Some elements may give off thermal or light energy through this process. Unlike mixture, a compound does not have the characteristics of its constituent elements. i.e. Iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4), cannot be attracted to magnet even though iron can. Until now, I've learned some of the many elements on Earth, Magnesium(Mg), Oxygen(O), Hydrogen(H), Helium(He), Copper(Cu), Sulfur(S), Carbon(C), Iodine(I), Gold(Au), Iron(Fe), Silver(Ag), Lead(Pb), Mercury(Hg), Zinc(Zn), Aluminium(Al) and Nitrogen(N). I also seen the periodic table. Says Mrs. Chu, my science teacher, that elements in a column is called a group while in a row it's period. Elements in a group have same chemical properties, whilst elements in a period changes from metallic to non-metallic from left to right.

Reflections: It is interesting to learn elements on Earth, and how can they be combined and separated through certain methods. It is also interested to learn how chemicals react and change in energy. These knowledge is also quite useful in our future life.

=//__Term 3__//=

Issue 3: Chemistry (Separation Techniques, Elements, Mixtures and Compounds)

Summary: I have learned about how to separate a mixture, which includes solid-and-solid, solid-and-liquid and liquid-and-liquid. A mixture can be separated through filtration, evaporation to dryness, distillation, crystallisation and paper chromatography. Mixture is formed by mixing two or more substances and can be separated through these methods because different molecules in the mixture do not bond together to form one molecule. Compound, on the other hand, is formed by bonding two or more elements together to form a new type of substance. It is usually formed through heating

Reflections

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Issue 4

Summary

Reflections