Science / Year 6 / Science as a human endeavour / Use and influence of science

Curriculum content descriptions

investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions (AC9S6H02)

Elaborations
  • exploring how communities consider the impact of aquatic noise pollution when designing guidelines for water sports
  • investigating how people use knowledge of conditions that reduce mould or bacterial growth when considering food packaging and storage
  • considering how people use electrical device guidelines to help ensure safety of children
  • investigating why underground power cables were developed and how local government authorities use scientific knowledge about power safety when considering converting to underground power
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and social capability Personal and Social capability
ScOT terms

Action projects,  Community development,  Problem solving,  Decision making,  Scientific inquiry

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A Pain in the Guts: Analysing Gut Contents

In this activity, students investigate the impact of plastics on living things as they explore and analyse the replicated gut contents of five animals.

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Travel choices

This set of learning activities engages students in using data to make informed choices about travel to and from school. Students gather and analyse data on travel options in their local area, investigate what issues arise currently in travelling to and from school, use their data to help inform possible solutions, then ...

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Electricity Brings Prosperity

In this activity, students use visual and written stimulus to imagine what life was like at the turn of the 20th century, when electricity was introduced into our lives for the first time. Students firstly consider and reflect on an electrical advertisement from the early 20th century. They then develop an understanding ...

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Cameras in Disguise: Design Challenge

In this activity, students design a camouflaged camera that can be used to record footage of a native Australian animal. Students must consider both the behaviour of the animal and the conditions of the environment in which the animal lives to make their designed solution.

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Exploring Cyclones

In this series of activities students explore the effect of cyclones on habitats. They investigate how cyclones can affect humans, living things and the landscape, identify how natural environmental changes may impact living things, with a focus on coral reefs. They then use data to predict future trends in cyclone activity.

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Making Connections: Object and Article Analysis

In this activity, students explore how humans impact the marine ecosystem. They complete an object analysis, where the object is related to or drawn from the marine environment. They then read a media article related to the objects analysed. During their analysis, students are encouraged to identify how the article connects ...

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Osprey ranking threats

In this lesson, students acquire data related to key threats to the survival of osprey. Students work in small groups to rank a list of key threats and collate the data in a class spreadsheet. They sort the data to identify the overall class ranking of threats. Students create a pie chart of the threats commonly ranked ...

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Water quality

This lesson explores the concept that the way humans use land and water can cause water quality degradation. Students investigate the factors that influence water quality, the effects of poor water quality and management options for some water quality issues.

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Flight of the osprey infographic

In this lesson, students use data acquired during their learning about the osprey and information sourced online to design and create an infographic. This lesson is the final lesson in a series of six lessons that connect the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability, Statistics and the Science learning area: Science ...

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Osprey bird dimensions

In this lesson, students investigate measurement data related to the osprey. Students represent and interpret data related to wingspan and body length. They investigate patterns in data to describe any relationships. This lesson is the third in a series of six lessons that connect the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability, ...

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Osprey position and location

In this lesson, students acquire data related to the migration of the osprey. Students describe location and position on a Cartesian plane using paired coordinates. They explore the way latitude and longitude is used to pinpoint a location on Earth. This lesson is the fourth in a series of six lessons that connect the cross-curriculum ...

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Osprey migration data

In this lesson, students acquire data related to the migration of the osprey. Students represent and interpret the data, discussing and reporting on the data distribution. They compare two types of charts to decide which type is best to display the dataset. This lesson is the second in a series of six lessons that connect ...

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FLEET schools: Conductors, insulators and electricity

This collection of learning activities explores the nature of electricity; how we managed to harness this power; how it changed human society and paved the way to the digital age we live in today. There are links to critical thinking activities and experiments that cover the concepts of conductors, insulators, resistance ...

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Primary Connections: Circuit breakers

In this sequence of 7 lessons, students learn about the role of the components in an electrical circuit and how they affect the transfer and transformation of energy. Using the context of blackouts, students explore how switches work and prototype backup electrical circuits. Professional learning for teachers is integrated ...

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Work sample Year 6 Science: Mouldy bread

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 6 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 ...

Online

Creating a yarning circle: background

This activity introduces children to the idea of a yarning circle and its importance in First Nations Culture. It is part of a sequence of 8 individual learning activities designed to support the meaningful use of yarning circles in learning environments. OUTCOMES of this learning activity are for children to: understand ...

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Travel Times

Life would be very different today if we did not have modern transport. In this activity, students calculate the time it would take for humans to travel long distances through different modes of transport. They then analyse the impact of these technological developments.

Downloadable

Moving a town

This is an illustrated retelling of the engineering decisions made to relocate a town from low to high ground following a dangerous flooding event. Based on a real-life event, the story shows the creativity, innovation and collaboration required to manage the process and focuses on the value engineers brings to the local ...

Downloadable

Fighting floodwaters

This is an illustrated story retelling the real-life engineering decisions made to mitigate flood damage to a Queensland town that experiences frequent, dangerous flooding. It focuses on the value of being an engineer and how It benefits local communities. The downloadable PDF includes classroom activities.

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 ...