Science / Foundation / Science as a human endeavour / Use and influence of science

Curriculum content descriptions

explore the ways people make and use observations and questions to learn about the natural world (AC9SFH01)

Elaborations
  • using their senses to make observations and exploring how scientists use their senses as well as equipment to make observations
  • viewing examples of observations such as rock paintings, bark drawings, age-appropriate written reports, labelled drawings or photographs to explore ways they can make and record observations
  • exploring how First Nations Australians gain knowledge about the land and its vital resources, such as water and food, through observation
  • interacting with stories or documentaries about scientists such as Dame Jane Goodall or Sir Joseph Banks and noticing the ways they make their observations such as through drawings, collections, sound recordings and photography and how they ask questions about what they think they will observe and find
  • watching an age-appropriate documentary; noticing how people including scientists, engineers, naturalists or citizen scientists ask questions; and posing their own questions
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
ScOT terms

Research questions,  Scientists,  Perception,  Observations (Data)

Assessment

Dr Karl's How Things Work: How scientists are helping save cacao crops

Climate change, pests and disease threaten to leave us in a world without chocolate. Dr Karl meets two scientists who are exploring ways to protect cacao plants into the future.

Course

Catalyst: Are we killing our koalas? - ABC Education

Curriculum matched clips from ABC TV Catalyst episode, Are We Killing Our Koalas? Join Professor Tim Flannery as he investigates why koala numbers are dropping and what we can do about it.

Text

Autumn leaf rubbing | Questacon

In this activity, students make rubbings from leaves in the local area and investigate the function of veins in leaves. 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 and suggestions for other related ...

Text

Seasons and jobs on the farm

In this resource, students learn about the features of seasons on farms and the jobs that occur because of the changing conditions. This lesson is part of a sequence of lessons that can be used with this age-group of students. Topics include Seasons and jobs on the farm; Who lives on the farm?; People on the farm; Past, ...

Text

Primary Connections: Finding features

In this sequence of 8 lessons, students use their senses to explore the external features of plants and animals, and learn how to group plants and animals with similar characteristics. They apply this knowledge to design and make a digital or physical scientific model of a plant or animal. Professional learning for teachers ...

Video

Chicken farming in the living world: Stage 1

Chickens are fascinating animals and provide students with an interesting subject matter to discuss the many aspects of our living world. This video for students explores the question 'How do humans use plants and animals?' and comprises a series of modules and supporting videos. Students will plan, design and create a ...

Interactive

Pushing and pulling

Move animals from a boat to their new home in a zoo. Put them on a cart, then use monkeys to push or pull them up a hill. Use the minimum amount of force needed to move each animal. For example, use a single monkey to push a pelican or use three monkeys to pull a zebra. This learning object is a combination of three objects ...

Video

For the Juniors: Using and storing water on a farm

Can you imagine a farm with no water? What might happen to the animals and crops? This clip explains how important a water supply is for farmers. You will see some ways that farmers store water, which is especially important when there is limited or no rain.

Downloadable

Unit for Reception to Year 2 Butterflies: Engaging with nature

This unit of work engages students in preparing butterfly gardens in their schoolgrounds. It explores the characteristics of living and non-living things, features of caterpillars and butterflies, the lifecycle of butterflies, survival requirements, and the characteristics of butterfly gardens. The unit includes worksheets, ...

Video

Why do we get hiccups?

Ever tried to stop hiccupping? It can be tricky to do! Brianna and Professor Emma Beckett chat about why we get the hiccups and if we can stop them.

Interactive

Environmental and Zoo Education Centres – primary school resources

A collection of digital resources for primary school teachers and students to support teaching and learning from home, with a particular focus on geography, science and history. The resources were developed by Department of Education teachers from 25 Environmental and Zoo Education Centres in NSW and include Google Sites, ...

Video

What is a meteor?

Brianna and Professor Jonti Horner look up into the night sky to find out more about shooting stars. What is a shooting star made of and why do they fall from the sky?

Video

For the Juniors: A poem about taste

Imagine what life would be like if you couldn't taste anything. This rhyming poem will help you think about the importance of our sense of taste.

Video

For the Juniors: How do you know when rain is coming?

How can you tell when rain is on the way? Some animals seem to know when wet weather is coming. This clip explains some different ways that people can tell it's going to rain.

Downloadable

The Manual: Butterfly Gardening in South Australia

This Manual assists teachers and students establish butterfly gardens in their schoolgrounds. It provides information about butterfly lifecycles, habitats, adaptations, and requirements to live. The manual also provides local Indigenous perspectives of butterflies, along with useful links to websites. The manual accompanies ...

Interactive

Make it go: energy change: assessment

Find out what you know about energy and how it changes. Complete a flow chart to show energy changes by identifying the energy source and the energy output of some machines. View and print a report on your work. This assessment object is one in a series of two objects.

Interactive

Light and shadows

Look at how a tree makes a shadow during a sunny day. Notice that objects always casts shadows that face away from the Sun. Examine how the shape and position of a shadow is related to the time of day and position of the Sun. Explore the shadows cast by different objects such as a bike, an umbrella and a child. Position ...

Text

Classify your toys | Questacon

In this activity, students collect and sort different toys based on the features they observe such as size, shape, colour and materials. 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 and suggestions ...

Text

Sorting seeds | Questacon

This activity invites students to collect different kinds of seeds, then compare and sort the seeds into groups based on the features they observe. The activity includes a list of what is required, things to do and notice, questions to ask, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions ...

Video

For the Juniors: How do apiarists farm their bees?

Have you ever wondered what a bee farm looks like? This clip shows how bee farmers (apiarists) look after their bees. Watch the bee hives being opened and see the honey being collected. View the machinery used to collect and bottle the honey.