In this term, we covered chemistry. I personally enjoyed chemistry lessons as there were many experiments and lab sessions and not just lessons after lessons in class. And through these science practicals, I was able to understand the science concept better. One example would be the topic on acids, bases and salts. I was able to understand the different substances formed when the acids, alkali, or carbonate were reacted together as I remembered the substances formed due to the experiences I had in the science laboratory.
I feel that I have grown a lot through these experiments and learnt many different science concepts, which were very fun and interesting. However, I feel that I can be more participative in class and ask more questions to clarify my doubts. My performance in the science test was fairly well, as the assessment test was rather easy this term. However, I feel that I could have reduced the number of careless mistakes which caused me some precious marks.
One science concept that made an impact on me this term is the concept of acids, bases and salts. These concepts allowed me to understand why ENO can relief indigestions, how farmers use hydroxides to reduce acidity in soil for their crops to grow better, and even how some substances can neutralize a bee sting. These science concepts were largely applicable in our daily life and were very interesting.
Class Test 1
I felt rather pleased when I got my results back. I got 39.6/45, and this was considered rather average in the class as this test is quite easy according to Mr Yap. However, I felt that there is still room for improvement as I made careless mistakes and did not know some of the concepts well. Some of the questions in the test Are quite tricky and as the options they gave were all very close and seem related to the correct answer. For example I did not understand the difference between transition metals and metalloids. This caused me to makes my mistakes in section A, which were the multiple choice questions. Things were relatively better in section B as only dropped half a mark when drawing the dot and cross diagram. This test WS also the first time I got to experience the critical thinking questions which were set in lieu of the QMCT classes we had. All in all I felt that I could have been more careful in the test and I shall continue to improve and do my best in the future :)
Term 2
In this term, we covered physics. Physics is the study of matter and energy and how they each actually relate to each other. I also enjoy physics lessons as it allows me to understand how things work and understand natural phenomenon. We learnt about light and optics and also learnt more about lenses. We also did occasional science experiments which allowed us to grasp the physics concepts better, since it is no use learning physics if we do not know how it occurs in our daily life. One example would be light. Our world is filled with light from the sun, and we can thus observe how light reflects and refracts just by looking around us. Lenses are also all around us and without the most common lenses – spectacles, we would not even be able to see right now.
I have read up on the various physics topics beforehand and was thus able to grasp hold of the concepts more easily. However, I feel that I should read up more about the various topics so that I can further my knowledge of physics topic, beyond what is taught in the classroom. Again, I did quite okay for my science assessment test, but I feel that there is still room for improvement. I feel that I should have elaborated more instead of merely stating the facts, so that I will be able to cover all the points needed for each question.
One science concept that had made a great impact on me is the concept on lenses. Lenses is a very important object in our lives, as we use it almost in everything, from telescopes, to our spectacles, and in photography. Without lenses, I woudol not be able to see, we would not even be able to know about our solar system, and there would never be technological advancements like the photocopier and camera, and everything can only be seen from our naked eye. Hence, I feel that lenses is a very important topic, and it has made a great impact on me.
Class Test 2
I got 36.5/44 for this
test, which was considered average. This test was much harder than the previous
one and the topics covered were much broader and need a deeper understanding of
the concepts to apply them to the questions. Again, I made many mistakes in the
MCQ section and this cost me many precious marks. Although there were some
tricky questions, I felt that I could have read up more about the applications
of acids and bases, instead of merely learning the concepts. For example, there
was one question on what household substance will neutralize a bee sting. I did
not know nature of some of the substance such as vinegar as well as bicarbonate
of soda solution, and was thus unable to answer the question. Section B wasn’t
much better as I had only memorized the basic concepts and thus did not know
how to apply these concepts. For example, I only knew how to recognize
hydrochloric acid and did not know that hydrogen chloride was the molecule
present in hydrochloric acid. I have since learnt how to understand the science
concepts taught instead of merely memorizing them, as this could cost me many
precious marks. I aim to get at least a 85% in my next test and I will
definitely learn from the various mistakes that I have made in this test so
that I will not repeat them in the future.
In this term, we covered one of the harder aspects of science – biology. Biology, is the study of science of life and of living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. Although biology requires memorization of various terms like the various parts of the flower and their respective uses, I felt that it is rather interesting as biology is important and essential in our daily life, as it is simply put, the study of life, be it in plants, humans, or organisms. And although it might be rather boring at times, I felt that the topics covered this term were rather interesting, as practicals like the nature trails were organized for us to go around the school compounds to find out how we can see the parts of the flower in nature itself, instead of only seeing in various textbooks.
As for this term’s test, I did okay as the biology topics tested were not a lot, which means that I did not have to memorise so many things. Hence, I just took note of the various key terms and tried to understand them and how the various parts of the flower allows the plant adapt to the environment around it. We also had to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of cross and self pollination respectively. And instead of memorizing it word for word, I managed to condense the both as some of the advantages of self pollination were indirectly the disadvantages of cross pollination. In this way, I had a much easier time remembering all these facts, and thus managed to do fairly well in the test.
One of the concepts that struck me most in biology is the topic on reproduction of flowering plants. In primary school, we only learnt about the basic parts of a flower but now, we went more in-depth and learnt more about other parts of the flower, including the calyx and the receptacle. Also, instead of simply knowing about how fertilization is the fusion of the male cell in the pollen grain and the egg cell in the ovule, we now learnt about how this occurs and the fact that most plants actually go through double fertilization. Through all these, I managed to know more about plants and how to appreciate nature in the future.
Class Test 3
This test was of a different format than other tests as it was split into two tests, one for the main one while the other for the add in text which was put in place due to the wrong calculation of the total marks. I got 33.5/38 for the main test and 7/7 for the add on test. I was very pleased when I got back my tests results as i manager to learn from my mistakes in the previous tests and did not make many careless mistakes this time round. Most of the marks lost were due to the wrong understanding of science concepts. This test covered topics mainly related to biology as well as lenses and the colours of light. There were much more things to memorize compared to the previous tests. For example we had to know about the advantages if self and cross pollination as well as the features favouring these two types of pollination. This was also the first test under our new science teacher who took over Mr two after he had left the school. I felt that the things he tested were extremely relevant as most of them were applications of the science concept we had learnt. For example there was one question in the add on test where it studied on the cross section of the eye as well as the causes of short and long sightedness. Through these types of questions we were able to have a deeper understanding of the various science concepts and how they can be applied in their daily life. The critical thinking questions were also very relevant as it was on how genetically modified flowers can smell like anything. There were also questions on the ethics of this and the consequences of what will happen if this comes through. All in all, I felt that I have done quite well for this test and will strive for even better results in the end of year exams.
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