Science / Year 6 / Science Inquiry Skills / Planning and conducting

Curriculum content descriptions

Decide variables to be changed and measured in fair tests, and observe measure and record data with accuracy using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS104)

Elaborations
  • using familiar units such as grams, seconds and metres and developing the use of standard multipliers such as kilometres and millimetres
  • using the idea of an independent variable (note: this terminology does not need to be used at this stage) as something that is being investigated by changing it and measuring the effect of this change
  • using digital technologies to make accurate measurements and to record data
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Data collection,  Instrumentation (Technology),  Independence (Experiments),  Scientific control

Interactive

Fair test

Run experiments in a plant research laboratory. Investigate the effects of different variables on the growth of lettuces, peas and tomatoes. Research the answers to questions about how to achieve optimum hydroponic growth conditions. Examine the effect of key variables on growth: nitrogen, temperature, light intensity and ...

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Our animal neighbours

This lesson invites students to learn about a local animal species, the places it lives and how this has changed over time. The lesson includes a downloadable lesson plan, links to supporting websites, videos, and an assessment rubric.

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Living off-grid

This set of learning activities challenges students to create simple, environmentally sustainable solutions that generate energy and produce clean drinking water for living off-grid. Students design and build their solutions as examples of ways to provide these essential services in a developing country, in a developed ...

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The farming environment

In this resource, students learn about the impact of extreme weather (drought) and use a scientific investigation to understand the importance of maintaining groundcover on farms to prevent soil erosion. This lesson is part of a sequence of lessons that can be used with this age-group of students. Topics include All about ...

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From the paddock to the plate

This resource is a cross curriculum unit, focused on Design and Technologies, Maths, and some other areas of the curriculum. Sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority is also emphasised. Topics include All about adaptations; From paddock to plate; Safety, sustainability and technology; The farming environment; Safe ...

Downloadable

Water is special

In this lesson sequence, students explore what water is and how it behaves as it changes from ice to liquid water to water vapour. The purpose of this lesson sequence is to give students a mental picture of water molecules. Learning about how these molecules behave when water is heated and cooled can help them to understand ...

Interactive

Stellarium Web

Stellarium provides a web-based version of a planetarium that allows users to explore what's visible in the sky from any location in the world. It calculates the positions of the Sun and Moon, planets and stars, and draws how the sky would look to an observer depending on their location and the time. It can also draw the ...

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Caring for country

In this set of learning activities, students explore how to restore native vegetation disturbed by natural events or human activity. The module includes a comprehensive teacher guide, curriculum links, materials lists, design process guides and printable student resource sheets. The resource also provides an editable module ...

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Teaching with videogames: Geography and Environmental Science with TerraNil

In this lesson, students restore environments and ecosystems in a future, desolate planet earth, using existing and imagined technologies with Terra Nil.

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Acidic oceans | Questacon

In this activity, students test the effect of an acid on eggshells and consider how this relates to the shells of marine animals and ocean acidification. The activity includes a list of what is required, suggestions of what to do and notice, questions to ask, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe ...

Interactive

Circuit Construction Kit: DC

This interactive simulation challenges students to build a DC circuit. In the first simulation, students explore building a series or parallel DC circuit with wires, batteries and various components. Students can change the values of resistance and voltage in their circuits to explore the relationship between voltage, current ...

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Cussen Park: Hear and there soundwalk

This resource provides information and teaching and learning activities about Victorian wetlands environments. The resource is designed to accompany students on a visit to Cussen Park and to provide a guide to interacting with its interpretative Soundwalk and signage. The activities also provide general information on the ...

Interactive

Invictus Games Sydney 2018 – Stage 3 – Adaptivity and Invictus

This Stage 3 unit explores the idea of ‘adaptivity’ and identity across a number of KLAs. Students will answer the question ‘What is adaptivity?’ and will develop an understanding of how adaptivity serves inclusivity, especially in relation to adaptive sport. Students will explore the history and future of prosthetics. ...

Video

Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub: Australian disasters

This is a curated collection of articles, photographs and internet links related to natural, technological and human-caused events including bushfires, cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, shipwrecks, urban fires, chemical and industrial events in Australia. Events included have posed a serious threat to a community or property ...

Interactive

Kitchen gardens – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on kitchen gardens using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and ...

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Ant safari

This ABC In Depth feature article includes some good advice for exploring local ant populations as well as an excellent information report on Australian ants: the different types and their roles.

Interactive

Aim to sustain: Get the message

This resource is a subset of the larger resource, Aim to Sustain. As such it includes the culminating activity in which students study and make artworks that communicate an environmental message about single use and disposable plastics. The resource includes links to video, a slideshow, worksheets and links to further interactive ...

Interactive

Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

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

Waste and materials – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on waste and materials using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Video

Testing the 5-second rule

When it comes to dropping food, have you heard of the 5-second rule? Or the 3-second rule? Watch this video to learn what really happens when you drop food. In order to cause disease, what must bacteria do? What circumstances allow bacteria and viruses to contaminate food more successfully?