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Science / Year 7 / Science Inquiry Skills / Planning and conducting

Curriculum content descriptions

Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types, including fieldwork and experiments, ensuring safety and ethical guidelines are followed (ACSIS125)

Elaborations
  • working collaboratively to decide how to approach an investigation
  • learning and applying specific skills and rules relating to the safe use of scientific equipment
  • identifying whether the use of their own observations and experiments or the use of other research materials is appropriate for their investigation
  • developing strategies and techniques for effective research using secondary sources, including use of the internet
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Experiments,  Data collection,  Instrumentation (Technology),  Ethics,  Safety

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Industrial design challenge – separating materials lesson

is lesson provides a great introduction to the idea of separating mixtures and enables students to consider separation as a process that operates on macroscopic levels. Students also learn about waste management and recycling processes in Australia. The lesson provides students with an opportunity to engage in hands-on ...

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Seahorses

This six and a half minute video segment from Catalyst shows one of the most beautiful and bizarre creatures under the sea, the seahorse. Their highly unusual reproduction has not been sufficient to overcome the impacts of habitat destruction and human predation.

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Electromagnetic Simulation (sk-Intel)

In this resource students explore how an electromagnet works in real life. They can then apply their learning in an electromagnetism game by changing the magnetism of a scrap lifter in a scrap yard and removing various amounts of scrap. The resource demonstrates the connection between the power applied, the number of coils ...

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Stomp Rocket Design Challenge

This resource provides a scaffold for students to complete a design challenge. The design challenge requires students to create a stomp rocket that can travel to a chosen planet in the solar system. The design challenge can also be used to investigate forces and energy. It can be delivered over a number of lessons, or it ...

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Work sample Year 7 Science: Water purification

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 7 Science. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

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Carbon is energy

We all use energy every day. Energy is available to us in many different forms - food, heat, electricity, petrol. But where does it all come from? This unit investigates the science of energy, renewable and non-renewable energy sources and how they can be sustained into the future. The unit includes PDF resources and video ...

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BTN: New Zealand's earthquakes

Damaged buildings, flooded roads, and crashed cars! No, it's not a bad dream; it's actually the aftermath of an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2011. Find out about what causes earthquakes, the damage they cause, and why Christchurch was rocked by two quakes within six months. This clip includes footage of earthquake ...

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Spark: A better way to predict the spread of bushfires

In recent years, new technologies have helped us respond to natural disasters more quickly by providing up-to-date information as it becomes available. What if we could take this one step further with new technologies that can also predict disasters? Learn how Spark, which uses our existing knowledge of bushfire behaviours ...

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Catalyst: Coorong salinity

Imagine the mighty Murray River as it flows through South Australia and reaches the sea. Explore the consequences of drought and human activity while listening to Graham Phillips describe the effects of the Coorong's increasing salinity and the the associated threat to Adelaide's supply of fresh water.

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BTN: Curbing the carp population

Find out why European carp fish are called 'river rabbits' in Australia. Listen to how they came to Australia and what makes them such a pest now.Discover how a local entrepreneur is exploiting the new resource while scientists are doing their best to cap the carp population explosion.

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BTN: Volcanoes and people

Imagine living in the shadow of a volcano? Well, millions of people do in Naples, Italy, where a massive volcano called Vesuvius exists. This clip explores the dangers posed by volcanoes and investigates some recent and ancient eruptions. Find out some misconceptions about volcanoes and discover how science is helping prevent ...

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Catalyst: Underground coal gasification

How are scientists using technology to get energy out of coal without having to dig it up? Find out how underground coal gasification (UCG) burns and converts the coal to gas underground. Visit UCG trial sites in Queensland and hear how UCG avoids some of the environmental effects of traditional coal mining, but may have ...

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Catalyst: How will fire change the climate?

Considering the impact of a changing climate on the severity and frequency of fires is one thing, but how about the impact of fires on climate? Why does Professor David Bowman describe this scenario as a 'fire spiral'? What are the consequences of a world with fewer forests? As Professor Craig Allen explains, drought and ...

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Stateline: Saving the northern hairy-nosed wombat

Just what is going on with the northern hairy-nosed wombat? Find out why scientists are working hard to understand more about this elusive Australian mammal. Watch this clip to find out about the ecology of this wombat species and to view some field and laboratory research aimed at saving it. You will also see some footage ...

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Catalyst: Snapshots of top Australian scientists

Australia has produced many of the world's top scientists. Watch this clip to discover who some of them are. Explore the scientific discoveries that made them famous, and how they changed our understanding of the world.

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BTN: Storing data in a 'cloud'

Explore how you can access all of your personal files from any electronic device, anytime. See how cloud computing makes it no longer necessary to have separate copies of your photos, music and documents on every device you use. Watch this clip to find out more about cloud technology and the future of data storage and retrieval.

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Can We Help?: Effects of g-force on the human body

Peter Rowsthorn visits the Australian International Air Show to answer the question, 'What effect does g-force have on the human body?' Join Pete in the cockpit of a light plane for some aerobatics with pilot David Pilkington. G-force expert Dr David Newman explains the science as Pete endures up to 6 g in the aircraft.

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Quantum: Tidal power

Journey to Bathurst Island where strong tidal currents can be found in the Apsley Strait. Observe how the Nguiu community is investigating the use of tidal power to provide their electricity needs instead of using non-renewable and expensive fossil fuels.

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Catalyst: Advances in nuclear power technology

Imagine our world if nuclear power generation could be made safer. Discover how Chinese scientists have developed a new nuclear reactor that reduces the chances of the reactor overheating to the point of meltdown. To do this the pebble bed reactor uses advances in technology to replace the traditional water-cooled system. ...

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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.