Science / Year 8 / Science as a Human Endeavour / Use and influence of science

Curriculum content descriptions

Solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science and technology, may impact on other areas of society and may involve ethical considerations (ACSHE135)

Elaborations
  • investigating requirements and the design of systems for collecting and recycling household waste
  • investigating strategies implemented to maintain part of the local environment, such as bushland, a beach, a lake, a desert or a shoreline
  • investigating how energy efficiency can reduce energy consumption
  • investigating the development of vehicles over time, including the application of science to contemporary designs of solar-powered vehicles
  • discussing ethical issues that arise from organ transplantation
General capabilities
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Environmental management,  Technology,  Ethics,  Energy resources,  Farming systems,  Medicine,  Social influence

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Creating a worm farm

Food and gardening scraps thrown into household bins becomes landfill. When food waste breaks down in landfill, it emits greenhouse gases including methane gas which traps heat in our atmosphere. Diverting this organic waste from landfill and into a worm farm or composting system is great for your garden and for our planet. ...

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Breeding a sustainable future

This is a unit of work that focuses on improvements in livestock and crop production brought about by agricultural practice, scientific research and technology. The unit is organised around six learning experiences that include investigating how agricultural products have developed over time; identifying the role of technology ...

Interactive

Thermal comfort – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This thermal comfort learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Interactive

Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This biodiversity learning resource guides students through an extended school based investigation. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Interactive

Catchment Detox

Students play the game and make decisions about the development of a catchment with competing economic and environmental demands. Students receive feedback on how sustainably their catchment has been managed.

Interactive

Macrobiotica – science @ the lakes

In this resource students work as scientists while exploring their local environment in the real world of scientific endeavour. Games and animations are used to model the real experience of investigating a freshwater lake. This version of the Macrobiotica resource has been modified for Internet use by removing Teaching ...

Interactive

Science Talk 2007: Glenn Porter

A master class and tour of the University of Western Sydney (UWS) Crime Scene House with Glenn Porter, a forensic scientist. Students talk to Glenn and PhD students to see what all the fuss is about with forensic science.

Audio

Solar thermal electricity

This program gives an update on research into solar thermal electricity. Liddell Power Station in the Hunter Valley, NSW is a hybrid power station using solar energy to pre-heat water and so reduce the use of coal and the production of carbon dioxide. Some scientists claim that harnessing the solar heat in an area 50km ...

Video

Water recycling

This 11 minute video segment from Catalyst provides an excellent explanation of the processes involved in recycling sewage for an urban water supply. It also provides a range of opinions and concerns in an excellent debate on the topic.

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The price of peak fuel

This ABC In Depth feature article discusses the projections of how long will our energy resources will last given that our need for fossil fuels is insatiable, but coal, oil, gas and uranium reserves are finite and some may even be in decline. This article is comprehensive, but it is dated at 2008.

Video

Cloud seeding

This nine and a half minute video segment from Catalyst describes how researchers from Monash University have hard evidence that cloud seeding can produce good amounts of extra rainfall. Data collected over a long period of time has give hope to scientists and environmentalists who are trying to reduce the impacts of droughts ...

Interactive

Science Talk 2007: Martina Doblin

An interview and lab tour with Dr Martina Doblin, a phytoplankton ecologist at UTS. Martina talks to students and their teacher from Concord High School about her work studying microscopic organisms such as the toxic algae that make up harmful algal blooms.

Interactive

Science Talk 2008

An online resource with interviews and master classes with many of Australia's prominent scientists. Interviews with eight scientists in areas of astronomy, marine biology, bio-chemistry related to medical research, chemistry related to materials science, astro-imaging, palaeontology, climate change science and psychology ...

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Trees and chairs as carbon sinks

This ABC is in Q&A format and simply explains the answer to the question 'Could we really plant our way out of climate change?'

Interactive

Why are dogs such top smellers?

This engaging article outlines the science behind the sense of smell. It explains what makes dogs' noses and their sense of smell so powerful. It also describes how understanding the science has had implications for the potential development of new technologies.

Video

Catalyst: Supercapacitors: new battery technology

Discover how nanotechnology is contributing to the creation of new, improved batteries that may soon be used in all our mobile phones and portable music devices - even in cars and trams. Catalyst's Tanya Ha looks at how traditional batteries produce electricity and how their efficiency may be increased by tiny devices known ...

Interactive

Science under the microscope

A student-focused mobile web application that tests students? knowledge of the NSW Science curriculum. It will reuse videos and other components of 2010 Murder under the Microscope (Shockwave on the Shoreline) to provide a series of clues that unfold as the student answers science questions correctly. After receiving all ...

Interactive

Aim to Sustain

Students identify and explore ways in which human activity can threaten biodiversity and the health of our planet. Students are encouraged to take positive action to promote sustainability. The four resources: Get the message, Help a habitat, Alien invaders and A world of difference include videos, SMART notebooks, worksheets ...

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Creating a beneficial garden: investigation

Biodiversity has been perfected by nature over millions of years where invertebrates have played an important role in maintaining a balanced, biodiverse ecosystem. Invertebrates provide services to food crops including pollination and protection from pests. This learning activity is the second part of a sequence of 3 individual ...

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Growing your own pizza

In this hypothetical exercise, young learners will explore what they would need to establish if they were to grow their very own pizza. The OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for children to: investigate where and how food is produced; appreciate the complexities of food manufacturing; expand their knowledge of food ...