Winning formula for the sciences

Junior Cycle students may be in a position to read on in their textbooks to the end of the chapter. Complete the questions at the end of the chapter. Begin to revise some of the work from earlier in the year, and don’t forget to revise experiments. Second-year students may be doing their CBA – use this time wisely to research your chosen investigation. You can set up an online team if you are working in a group, and you can share your ideas on how best to approach your experiment.

As is the case in many subjects, most of the course will be completed at this stage, so the next two weeks can be spent on revision. In science, it is important to remember to revise practical work and experiments as these are a significant part of the examination. Use your exam papers to answer questions and marking schemes to check your answers. Concentrate on more ‘ theory’-based questions instead of calculations – it can be difficult to see where you may have made a mistake in a calculation.

Agricultural Science students can use this time to work on their project and portfolio. Make sure that your experiment copy is up-to-date and neatly presented. Farmers are still working everyday and, while it may not be appropriate for you to visit the farm, you might be able to phone them to get information. As spring approaches, many of the plants that you need to identify for your plant portfolio have germinated – go and investigate your hedgerow or ditch and use an app to identify the plant (PlantSnap/ Picture This).

Science: Stephanie Leonard