Term 1 of LEX@R has flown past! We began with a trip to Fremantle to look at the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and C. Y. O’Connor, and have been exploring some of the things that the Renaissance men did – art and science, observation and hypothesis, defence and development of towns, and revisiting older ideas to reinvent or rediscover them! Following in their footsteps, we have attempted some of the experiments that Galileo and da Vinci did with pendulums, lines of perspective (the first 3D paintings), levers, technical diagrams, and finally looking at lenses to discover the theory behind telescopes. Many of their achievements are things we take for granted now, but were startling at the time.
Practicing observation skills on da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper threw up some interesting theological questions which were debated by some class members with vigour! Another debate arose as to who was more important to history – Galileo or da Vinci – the results were inconclusive but those on the side of Galileo managed to convince a few da Vinci followers to defect!
Students have been working on their own observations of the moon, some even meeting up at the annual Astrofest at Curtin University where our moon, Jupiter and its moons, nebulae and many Star Wars characters were in fine display. Rumour has it there was also a Tardis, but it may have just been a blue police box! Rumour also has it that one can make a model of the phases of the moon using Oreo biscuits! This was one hypothesis that could be tested, evidence supplied!
This Term, LEX@R will be exploring some of the cosmos, looking at our own galaxy and beyond, delving into some of the observations and hypothesis in the field of astronomy. This will also involve examining some of the theories of the origins of the world in the light of the Bible.
Mrs R Dalais
LEX@R TEACHER
