Search results

Listed under:  Science  >  Scientific inquiry  >  Evaluation
Text

Journeys to Australia

This unit presents a learning sequence for Year 6 students to develop their historical inquiry skills by investigating the key immigration policies and programs Australia has implemented, identifying a range of reasons for migration, highlighting key events from post Federation to present day.

Text

The Australian Colonies: Gold

This inquiry-based unit presents students with a range of visual primary sources to spark curiosity about life in the 1800s. Each activity introduces a new concept related to the Australian Gold Rushes.

Video

Catalyst: Climate and bushfires in Australia

What can science tell us about the major cause of bushfires in Australia's past? How can it help us predict future bushfires? Two scientists discuss evidence related to bushfire regimes (bushfire patterns, types and intensity). Please note that this clip contains recent images of homes destroyed by fire that may disturb ...

Video

Four Corners: Fire management strategies

What role do fire-behaviour specialists and ecologists have in fire management? Watch this clip to find out about issues relating to fire management in Australia, in particular prescribed burning.

Video

For the Juniors: How does rice get to the supermarket?

Do you like brown rice or white rice? Do you know why they look different? This clip shows how rice grains from the farm are cleaned, milled and packed into bags. Discover how many different foods can be made from rice.

Video

Catalyst: Accelerating glaciers in Antarctica

Discover a white world in which glaciers are racing toward the sea at seven times their normal speed. This is what is happening in Antarctica now and the consequences will eventually be felt at your nearest beach. Travel with scientist Dr Paul Williams to see some stunning images of what is occurring around the fringes ...

Video

Catalyst: Heat transfer: is it hot or cold?

If you picked up a paper book and a metal box do you think one would feel colder to the touch or would they feel the same? Watch this clip to see if people's predictions about the temperature of objects match their observations. You may be as surprised as they are!

Video

Four Corners: Increasing threat of megafires

Many scientists believe we are already experiencing megafires and that they will continue to increase in the future. In this clip you will hear from Australian scientists at the forefront of fire research. Discover what they have to say about the causes, projections, and consequences of an increased megafire threat.

Video

Catalyst: Thinning ice sheet

Discover that that the massive ice sheet in East Antarctica has been losing mass since 2006 instead of growing, as was previously thought. Watch animations to see how scientists from NASA and Australia are using satellite technology and aerial monitoring to investigate the thickness of East Antarctica's ice sheet. Find ...

Video

Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguisher

Different types of chemical reactions are used in many everyday products. Watch this clip to see how two common household substances can be combined to create an 'Invisible Candle Extinguisher'.

Video

Experimentals: The secret chamber of the Anti-Bubble

Bubble-hunters Doctor Ruby and Bunsen Bernie have to solve just one more challenging bubble test before they can enter the Chamber of the Anti-Bubble. They have to make a cubic bubble! This is part two of a two-part episode.

Video

Atoms of Fire: Vitalism disproved through evidence

Discover how the scientific theory of vitalism, championed by the Swedish chemist Jöns Berzelius, was disproved by his former student Friedrich Wöhler. Find out the way chemists study how the different atoms in organic compounds combine in set ratios depending on the 'valence' of those atoms.

Video

Dam threatens ancient lungfish

Explore the issues around the construction of the Traveston Dam in Queensland with Professor Jean Joss and former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie. In this 2006 news report they outline arguments for and against the construction of the dam and how it would affect one of the few remaining homes of a 150-million- year-old ...

Video

Atoms of Fire: Building models of organic molecules

Have you seen the model of long-chain carbon molecules first developed by Friedrich August Kekulé? This model enabled chemists to make a great leap forward in their understanding of the structure of organic molecules. See how to represent the structure of methane, ethane, propane, butane and octane. Find out how to rearrange ...

Video

Tough zirconium - but what's its secret side?

The element zirconium is often used for its tough, abrasive properties. It also has a secret side. View this clip (developed by students for the 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science Schools Prize competition), which highlights the properties and uses of zirconium in a highly visual and fun way.

Video

Pet Superstars: Guide dog puppy in training

Meet Ella and the puppy she is helping to train as a guide dog. Find out what it takes to teach Dusty what he needs to know for a very important job.

Video

Daisies describe an ecosystem

Ecosystems are affected by many factors including increasing temperatures, which many scientists believe threaten natural systems on Earth today. This creative clip uses a theoretical world of black and white daisies to show how changes to the natural reflectivity of a planet's surface impacts temperatures and populations. ...

Video

Landline: Water footprints in food manufacturing

How much water does it take to produce a large packet of M&Ms? Watch as the 'water footprint' of some household products is presented and hear the concerns expressed about the methods used to calculate these footprints. Discover how an examination of the water used by the components of some manufactured foods has led to ...

Video

Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Friction between paper experiment

Are you strong enough to pull two sheets of paper apart? What about two books with the pages intertwined? Watch this experiment performed by Ruben Meerman, the Surfing Scientist, and find out how he tests the presence of friction between pieces of paper.

Video

Ramping it up, Egyptian pyramid style

How did the ancient Egyptians move and lift huge stones during construction of the pyramids? Secondary student Angus Atkinson designed an experiment to find out how the lives of pyramid workers could have been made easier. See how as you watch this video, which he entered in the 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science Schools Prize.