This site is maintained by Henry Welman, former provincial co-ordinator (2017-2022) for physical and technical sciences in the Free State, South Africa. Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of the posts.
It is important to get closure from a difficult year such as 2020. However, do not see it as a bad phenomenon only. It was all part of God's plan for us and the universe. As physical and technical science teachers we understand a little bit of the enigmas and treasures of science, and we know there is a plan for everything. Thank you to each teacher who has worked under very difficult conditions this year, especially our grade 12 teachers. You have surpassed yourself under these challenging conditions. We should also pause a moment and mourn the loss of dear colleagues due to Covid-19. May we all have a bright New Year ahead of us. Put 2020 behind you, look up and aim high for 2021.
Carpe Diem! / Seize the day!
Edith Lovejoy Pierce (1904-1983) said: “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
A once in a lifetime experience is about to happen. Remember to look at it on 21 December 2020 shortly after sunset.
(C) NASA / Bill Ingalls
The previous time Jupiter and Saturn were so close was in 1623, only 14 years after Galileo built his first telescope. In the Southern Hemisphere, the 21st of December is also the shortest night.
Here is a link to an interesting article about the phenomenon (Click here) as well as links to interesting videos about this. Video 1 Video 2 Video 3
The Department of Basic Education released these documents middle December 2020. They are available on the Covid-19 page. Click here to go there. Teachers may want to familiarise themselves with the documents. They will be discussed and explained during the first series of start-up meetings in 2021.
From 2021 teachers and learners will have the extra responsibility to catch up on crucial grade 10 and 11 topics that were not taught in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Circular S11 from DBE deals with this. Click here to download the circular and familiarise yourself with it. There is something for the Senior Phase as well. It is also important that all teachers start thinking about creative ways to catch up on untaught topics that are crucial for the next grade.
From the side of the FSDoE, we will also collect information on outstanding grade 10 and 11 topics. In due course, look out for links to complete online forms concerning this.
With today's question papers, the grade 12 learners of 2020 have completed their Physical and Technical Sciences. We hope you have enjoyed the journey through a small part of Physics and Chemistry.
Use the Table of Contents BELOW the picture to jump to the part you are interested in.
*** New info ***
20 Nov: The YouTube links for all the Grade 12 exam prep broadcasts are available, as well as the lessons for Grade 11 on electrostatics and electric circuits. Dr Angela Stott uploaded more videos; check out her YouTube channel as well. All of these will assist you in your preparations for Monday's papers.
17 Nov: Examination anxiety and depression: Here is help!
16 Nov: Remember to listen to the Lesedi FM exam prep broadcast for grade 12 today.
13 Nov: Very good videos and other resources from Dr Angela Stott. See the new updates!
2 Nov: Nine sets of new question papers are available.
South Africa's grade 12 learners have started with their final school examinations. 2020 will be known as the Covid 19-year; it was not at all easy, but in a way also special.
Best wishes to all learners. Your teachers have spent countless hours to help you, but when you sit for the examinations, it will be only you. Your effort! Your input! Therefore, it is worth the while to prepare as best as possible. Remember that your best is enough. Don't get too worked up because of the examinations.
Many internet sites and books give good advice about healthy habits during such times. It is good to follow those, but don't change your lifestyle drastically at this stage (except for studying more if necessary). Carry on as normal as possible, but study, study, ...
The second round of exam preparation broadcasts for grade 12 are in November. The YouTube links for paper one, and the broadcast slots for paper two are given below: Technical Sciences Paper 1: Click here Physical Sciences Paper 1 Part 1: Click here Physical Sciences Paper 1 Part 2: Click here
Developmental/Revision lessons for grade 11 are in November. The YouTube links for electrostatics and the broadcast slots for electric circuits are given below: Electrostatics Part 1: Click here
The first round of grade 12 exam preparation broadcasts took place in October. They can be accessed with the following YouTube links: Physical Sciences Paper 1 Part 1: Click here
Physical Sciences Paper 1 Part 2: Click here Physical Sciences Paper 2: Click here Technical Sciences Paper 1: Click here Technical Sciences Paper 2: Click here
Matric exams: Class of 2020 to be examined on full curriculum Click here for the News24 article.
Working through previous question papers is a powerful technique to prepare yourself for the examination. Colleagues from other provinces were so kind to share their papers with the Free State. Click here to go to the question papers. As new ones are obtained, they will be loaded. So keep track of what you download, and sort them alphabetically to make it easy to see new ones.
It is very, VERY important that you seek help if you are overcome with examination anxiety and depression. People want to help you. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group gives contact numbers and other details about support groups, etc. One number to keep in mind is the Suicide Crisis Line which is 0800 567 567.
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated new ways through which teachers can engage in professional development. Due to this, SACE has amended the CPTD point scheme to accommodate professional development activities via virtual meetings, engaging in electronic media, online activities, etc. Click here for circular LTA 5 of 2020 for more information.
The annual Physical Science Convention could not take place this year due to the Covid-19 situation.
However, we are planning to go ahead full steam to have our usual Physical Science Olympiads for grades 11 and 12 learners in 2021, from which the learners and teachers will be chosen to attend the convention at the North West University.
The staff at NWU are passionate about their research and subject matter. Hence, follow the links below to get information about the faculties normally involved in the convention. The NWU is serious about the development of young people. Feel free to share this information with learners to encourage their interest in the fields. It will also empower them to make an informed decision about their studies and a satisfying career in the Natural Sciences.
Click below for more information about the following faculties at NWU: Engineering
Some time ago we have distributed TWO important documents; circular S7 and a document dealing with high road, middle road and low road scenarios in schools. The latter document is available for each of Physical and Technical Sciences.
A video is also available to explain the circular and the different scenarios to help teachers cope with the rest of 2020 in so far assessment, etc. is concerned.
Lately, we got a substantial number of questions about issues already dealt with in the video. So, please download the documents and the video, and work through them to have insight in the scope and arguments. Explanatory notes were added to the circular as well. After you have downloaded the video, turn up the playback speed to 1,5 or 2. It is a nice way to go through it quickly.
This material is available under the Covid-19 documents under "Pages". The picture below shows what you must look out for.
You can also click on the picture to go to the documents and the video.
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing away of Mr Kingsley Ramosena.
Mr Ramosena was previously a Physical Science teacher and lately a circuit manager in the Motheo District. Our sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Ramosena.
A broadcast schedule from Ligbron Academy of Technology for grade 11 Physical Sciences and Mathematics content was recently circulated. The lessons will start on Tuesday, 11 August. Click here for the timetable and more information on how to access the material. Click here to read more about Ligbron Academy of Technology. We thank the staff of Ligbron Academy of Technology for this initiative and service to the learners of South Africa.
It is with great sadness that we have learned today of the passing away of Mr Amos Mbhele, one of our Physical and Technical Sciences teachers in the Free State.
Mr Mbhele was a staff member at Oziel Selele Comprehensive Secondary School in Bothaville/Khotsong. We will certainly remember Mr Mbhele for his kind and helpful personality. Our sincere condolences to Mrs Mbhele and family!
The amended September examination dates for grade 12 are available. Please note that Technical Sciences in grade 12 write on the same dates as Physical Sciences in grade 12. The dates are available on this website's calendar. Go to the "Dates for teachers" link under "Pages". Click here to access the official circular.
From Monday, 27 July, South African public schools are in lockdown again. We hope that all learners will one day have the ability to participate in online teaching, but in the meantime teachers can work on their skills to use it.
In March, The Conversation published an article with 14 easy tips for online teaching. It is perhaps a good idea to explore this again in view of the new lockdown. Here they are:
Record your lectures – don’t stream them
Show your face
Keep videos short
Test out slides
Use existing resources … and make sure they’re open access
People normally ask for the original MSWord document from which a pdf document, which they have, has been made. However, the MSWord document is not always available.
Various conversion apps/programmes are available; some free and some at a price. Online conversion services are also available. I have tried a few of the conversion services but I have neither found a free one nor an online one that does the job perfectly. There are always a few things that do not convert perfectly, but that is understandable if the nature of a pdf file is taken into consideration. Paid versions might do it better.
On the online side, I have had rather good success with https://pdf2docx.com/, but sometimes one does not want to entrust your files to the internet.
So, what to do? Answer: Just use your own MSWord programme on your computer. I am currently using the subscription service of Microsoft Office 365, and converting a pdf file to an MSWord can be done with it. I think since MSWord 2013 can be used as well. Certain things in the files still need to be manually corrected/formatted as is the case with other services.
The steps (on my machine) are as follows:
1. If MSWord is already open.
1.1 Click on File. This is what I then see.
1.2 Click on Open. 1.3 An "Open" window will show up. Browse to find the folder where your pdf file is. Select the pdf file you want to convert. In the Open window, ensure that you change the type of files you see (bottom right-hand corner of the window). 1.4 Click OK and there you go!
2. When MSWord is not open. 2.1 Launch/open MSWord. This is what I then see on my machine.
Important information to take note of in addition to the mediation that was done before. Applicable on all grade 10 to 12 teachers. The Covid-19 National Revised Annual Teaching Plans (ATPs) for grades 10 to 12 were modified to be in line with the latest school calendar (see this page for the dates).
In the case of grades 11 and 10, provincial modifications to the ATPs were also affected. Therefore, amended Assessment Frameworks and a document with fundamental topics are also available now.
All these latest documents, plus media files to explain the recent changes, are available on the Covid-19 page. Click here to go there and follow further instructions to access and download.
The amended school calendar in view of Covid-19 is available. It was published in the Government Gazette, volume 660, number 43431. Go to "Pages" and click on "Dates for teachers 2020" to see the new dates.
Since the arrival of Covid-19 everybody says: "Wash your hands!" What is soap? Where does it come from? How is it made? Here is a very interesting article about soap, and its history by Professor Judith Ridner, Professor of History at the Mississippi State University. The article was first published in The Conversation. Physical science teachers have the responsibility to widen the worlds of their learners, and here is a good opportunity. Apart from teaching the prescribed content, it does make a difference in their lives to talk "other issues". Use the links in the article to go to other interesting reading material as well. I have also prepared a pdf file of this article. You can download it here. Enjoy!!
It’s common-sense advice. The surfactants found in soap lift germs from the skin, and water then washes them away. Soap is inexpensive and ubiquitous; it’s a consumer product found in every household across the country.
Yet few people know the long and dirty history of making soap, the product we all rely on to clean our skin. I’m a historian who focuses on material culture in much of my research. As I started digging into what’s known about soap’s use in the past, I was surprised to discover its messy origins.
Ancient Mesopotamians were first to produce a kind of soap by cooking fatty acids – like the fat rendered from a slaughtered cow, sheep or goat – together with water and an alkaline like lye, a caustic substance derived from wood ashes. The result was a greasy and smelly goop that lifted away dirt.
An early mention of soap comes in Roman scholar Pliny the Elder’s book “Naturalis Historia” from A.D. 77. He described soap as a pomade made of tallow – typically derived from beef fat – and ashes that the Gauls, particularly the men, applied to their hair to give it “a reddish tint.”
Ancient people used these early soaps to clean wool or cotton fibers before weaving them into cloth, rather than for human hygiene. Not even the Greeks and Romans, who pioneered running water and public baths, used soap to clean their bodies. Instead, men and women immersed themselves in water baths and then smeared their bodies with scented olive oils. They used a metal or reed scraper called a strigil to remove any remaining oil or grime.
By the Middle Ages, new vegetable-oil-based soaps, which were hailed for their mildness and purity and smelled good, had come into use as luxury items among Europe’s most privileged classes. The first of these, Aleppo soap, a green, olive-oil-based bar soap infused with aromatic laurel oil, was produced in Syria and brought to Europe by Christian crusaders and traders.
French, Italian, Spanish and eventually English versions soon followed. Of these, Jabon de Castilla, or Castile soap, named for the region of central Spain where it was produced, was the best known. The white, olive-oil-based bar soap was a wildly popular toiletry item among European royals. Castile soap became a generic term for any hard soap of this type.
The settlement of the American colonies coincided with an age (1500s-1700s) when most Europeans, whether privileged or poor, had turned away from regular bathing out of fear that water actually spread disease. Colonists used soap primarily for domestic cleaning, and soap-making was part of the seasonal domestic routine overseen by women.
Companies began to develop and market a variety of new products to consumers. In 1879, P&G introduced Ivory soap, one of the first perfumed toilet soaps in the U.S. B.J. Johnson Soap Company of Milwaukee followed with their own palm-and-olive-oil-based Palmolive soap in 1898. It was the world’s best-selling soap by the early 1900s.
Soap chemistry also began to change, paving the way for the modern era. At P&G, decades of laboratory experiments with imported coconut and palm oil, and then with domestically produced cottonseed oil, led to the discovery of hydrogenated fats in 1909. These solid, vegetable-based fats revolutionized soap by making its manufacture less dependent on animal byproducts. Shortages of fats and oils for soap during World Wars I and II also led to the discovery of synthetic detergents as a “superior” substitute for fat-based laundry soaps, household cleaners and shampoos.
Today’s commercially manufactured soaps are highly specialized, lab-engineered products. Synthesized animal fats and plant-based oils and bases are combined with chemical additives, including moisturizers, conditioners, lathering agents, colors and scents, to make soaps more appealing to the senses. But they cannot fully mask its mostly foul ingredients, including shower gels’ petroleum-based contents.
Best wishes to our grade 12 learners who return to school today! It was a long stretch since 18 March when schools closed for the lockdown. We wish you all success!
A tree is known for its fruit and a physical/technical science teacher by his mask! A very enthusiastic Mr Johan Herbst of HTS Welkom decided to convey some visible scientific inspiration to his learners. For that, he borrowed some "atoms" from Einstein and the periodic table from Dmitri Mendeleev. And together, they will take the Covid-19 grade 12s to higher heights.
Mr Herbst has also made masks for his matrics, but this is only obtainable if they perform in the pre-set term two competitions. Grade 12s, here is a hint! Learn and work hard!!! This exclusive mask can be part of your school uniform.
Mr Herbst - thanks for this initiative. A dedicated teacher is pure aurum (Au)! If anybody is interested in having such masks, contact Mr Herbst at HTS Welkom (leave a message at 057 352 3255). He will gladly assist you!
A distance learning toolkit for parents is now available. It is aimed at giving parents an overview of the various educational platforms that will support the creation of a conducive learning environment at home, help with developing at-home digital learning skills, empower communication between parents and teachers and guide parents on ensuring family cyber wellness. This self-paced learning toolkit is divided into five toolboxes to guide your exploration of at-home learning. With self-paced learning, parents are able to navigate through the content resources to help to make learning conducive at home.
Toolbox 1: Parental Involvement Toolbox 2: Creating and Managing Learning environments Toolbox 3: Enable Communication Toolbox 4: Enable Learning Toolbox 5: Cyber Wellness Explore the website by using this link: https://fsdoeelearning.wixsite.com/parent-toolkit Refer to this post about the website for teachers.
