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

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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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20 direct matches to ACSHE135

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Creating a worm farm

  • TLF-IDA002844

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

  • TLF-IDM020816

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 ...

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Interactive

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

  • TLF-IDM020885

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.

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Interactive

Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

  • TLF-IDM020880

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.

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The price of peak fuel

  • TLF-IDM016491

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.

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Trees and chairs as carbon sinks

  • TLF-IDM016250

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?'

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Interactive

Why are dogs such top smellers?

  • TLF-IDM016119

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.

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Video

Catalyst: Supercapacitors: new battery technology

  • TLF-IDM015531

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 ...

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Interactive

Science under the microscope

  • TLF-IDM015339

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 ...

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Interactive

Aim to Sustain

  • TLF-IDM015322

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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Caring for our coasts: beach clean-up

  • TLF-IDA002842

Pollution and rubbish get washed into our rivers and waterways with stormwater runoff and end up on our coasts and oceans. Over 75% of this rubbish is plastic. Plastics in the environment can take hundreds of years to break down, thereby impacting marine species for generations. OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for ...

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Catchment management: where the river meets the sea

  • TLF-IDA002839

Eighty-five percent of Australians live within 50km of the coast. This activity looks at the waste that washes downstream in our catchments, the impacts it has on our estuaries, wetlands and coastal areas where the rivers meets the sea. Students will: understand the different journey water takes through a catchment; learn ...

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Catchment management: what’s in a drop?

  • TLF-IDA002838

Water is a precious resource, yet water is also wasted every day. This activity investigates water consumption and how you can reduce the amount of water wasted. OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for students to: understand the urban water cycle; learn different ways to reduce water usage; discover how much water is ...

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Creating a wildlife habitat: vision

  • TLF-IDA002816

This learning activity is the second part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on creating a wildlife habitat. The order of these learning activities are: research, vision, design, planting and monitoring and care. OUTCOMES for this learning activity are for children to: create a vision of what their ...

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Creating a wildlife habitat: design

  • TLF-IDA002815

Creating a wildlife habitat can provide a home for a variety of local wildlife from the smallest insects and spiders to birds, reptiles, mammals and frogs. These habitats can provide a sanctuary for species that have been displaced through urbanisation, as built structures replace natural areas. The Vision activity determined ...

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Creating a bee hotel: construction

  • TLF-IDA002811

As we clear land for urban development, and for broadacre farming, we remove the spaces where bees nest and find their food. With no food, and nowhere to produce their young, native bee populations are under threat of local extinction. In this activity, we will look at providing nesting spaces for native bees which mimic ...

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Creating a beneficial garden: investigation

  • TLF-IDA002809

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

  • TLF-IDA002801

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 ...

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Text

Creating a food garden: harvesting

  • TLF-IDA002796

This learning activity is part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on creating a food garden. The order of these learning activities are: vision, site assessment, installing a no dig garden bed, planting and harvesting. OUTCOMES of the activity are for children to: understand the steps in successful ...

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Creating a food garden: planting

  • TLF-IDA002795

Planting a food garden is an exciting and fulfilling task. This learning activity is part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on creating a food garden. The order of these learning activities are: vision, site assessment, installing a no dig garden bed, planting and harvesting. OUTCOMES of this activity ...

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