Beacon Boys Collaborate With RMS Girls
26 May 2023
We were thrilled to have another successful STEM morning this week, with the Royal Masonic School girls once again, joining our Beacon boys here at The Beacon whilst another group of our boys headed off to join the girls in lessons at RMS.
In Science, the girls and boys investigated the effect of sodium chloride on the boiling point of water – this enabled the girls to qualify for their Bunsen burner licence too.
Break-time saw a competitive table tennis game between the girls and boys and on this occasion, the girls also stayed for lunch. It was lovely to see dining tables of girls and boys chatting over a delicious lunch, of which the girls were very impressed with – especially the choice available. Some of the girls even went back for seconds! Everyone who interacted with the girls complimented them on their manners and the positive effect they had on the boys!
In Maths, the RMS girls and Beacon boys looked closely at the structure of a sodium chloride (salt) crystal. They discussed in groups the cubic shape and how best to represent this as a 3D structure. It was fantastic to see how quickly they delegated jobs within their groups to successfully make five layers of sodium and chlorine atoms with bonding tubes. An amazing workshop to see how Maths and Science are integrated, especially when looking at chemical components. Some groups even moved on to demonstrate what sodium chloride looks like as a structure melting!
Later in the morning, the pupils used block coding to create an animated graph in order to display the results from their science experiment. They worked in mixed pairs as they explored using a series of Sprite costumes and timed motion to bring their work to life.
Meanwhile, The Beacon also took 22 boys to RMS for a morning of STEM activities and collaboration with the girls there. Having met before at the previous visit and at The Beacon Year 6 Disco, there was definitely a more confident air when interacting with each other to build calibrated Force Meters. The team-building continued after a short break when the boys were taken down to “The Lowers”, where our boys were very impressed with the beautifully maintained cricket pitches and assault course, or Trim Trail as the RMS girls call it. The pupils worked together to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles and had a lovely time enjoying the space that RMS is so fortunate to have. After a well deserved roast lunch with the girls, it was time to head back with the boys in an ebullient mood. It was lovely to hear from a number of RMS staff who commented on how polite, courteous and well-behaved our Beacon boys were.
Reported by Mr Horn
