Science / Year 8 / Science inquiry / Processing, modelling and analysing

Curriculum content descriptions

analyse data and information to describe patterns, trends and relationships and identify anomalies (AC9S8I05)

Elaborations
  • identifying correlational relationships in data such as: ‘Dropping a mass from a greater height produces a larger indentation’ and analysing this relationship for causality
  • describing measures of central tendency such as mean, mode and median and identifying outliers for quantitative data
  • using spreadsheets to analyse second-hand data such as daily power output of solar panels and examining anomalies such as periods of reduced output
  • analysing changes in battery energy output following recharging over many cycles and relating to available chemical potential energy
  • comparing temperature differences obtained by reacting different proportions of the same chemicals to determine if there is a relationship
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
ScOT terms

Data representation,  Data analysis

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Keeping cool

In this set of learning activities, students explore the question 'How can a community reduce the heating effect of the Sun?' 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 template, ...

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Mobile Minerals

In this resource, students investigate the raw materials that are used to make smartphones. Students participate in two activities: My Smartphone is Made of What?! and The Problem with Smartphones. In My Smartphone is Made of What?!, students investigate the minerals and elements that are used to make an average smartphone. ...

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Edible Igneous Rocks

In this activity, students explore how igneous rocks are formed by creating delicious igneous rock lollies, and identify how the properties of rocks determine how they are used. This resource is part of a suite of activities from Queensland Museum focused on plate tectonics and volcanoes.

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Living world

This collection of resources focus on biology concepts in year ten. The resource includes a learning sequence that allows students to investigate the requirements for plant growth using an inquiry-based learning activity. There are also links to external resources that focus on meiosis and body systems.

Downloadable

Analysis of earthquakes using real map and data sets

This teacher guide provides information about earthquakes and online portals to download real world earthquake data, as well as two student inquiry activities. Each activity includes instructions on how to access and use the relevant portal as well as questions that prompt students to find, record, and interpret the data. ...

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Work sample Year 8 Science: Bouncing ball

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 8 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 ...

Video

Stellar scintillation

This resource explores a concept belonging to the Meriam (Mer) people of the Torres Strait who have long understood the importance of stellar scintillation to their lives. and the ways it can prove useful in understanding our environment. This activity involves watching a video of an elder playing a Meriam star song and ...

Interactive

Let's make slime!

This resource explains how to make slime using cornflour to produce something called a non-Newtonian fluid. A non-Newtonian fluid is a substance which has properties of a liquid and a solid. This means it can flow like a liquid, but also can have a set shape. It all depends on the amount of force you apply to it. In this ...

Interactive

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

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.

Interactive

experiMENTALS: Spooky slime

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students about the process of making spooky slime with cornflour to produce a substance that is a little like a liquid and a little like a solid.

Interactive

DIY pH Indicator

This resource contains lessons plans containing instructions and teachers 'notes for an activity based on the natural pH indicator present in red cabbage leaves. It can be extracted following these explicit and clear directions included for this activity. This indicator solution changes colour from purple to bright pink ...

Interactive

experiMENTALS: Keys on a shoelace

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students to show that keys on a shoelace can do some unexpected things.

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Ibis Invasion

This ABC In Depth feature article describes research on Australian white ibis - or 'tip turkeys' as many call them. They are regarded as a nuisance in cities, especially in the spring breeding season. But scientists fear they may become extinct as more pressure is put on the wetlands that are their native and adopted environments. ...

Interactive

experiMENTALS: ink chromatography

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students about the process of separating ink mixtures using paper chromatography.

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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

DIY Lava Lamp

This resource contains lessons plans containing instructions and teachers' notes for an activity based on a chemical reaction that occurs when a soluble aspirin tablet dissolves and the fact that oil and water do not mix are used to create a model of a lava lamp. Students have fun while they learn about density of fluids. ...

Interactive

experiMENTALS: Relightable candle

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students about the process of relighting a candle. This activity is most likely to be done as a teacher demonstration for safety and classroom management reasons, particularly at primary school level. Do this experiment to learn how a candle ...

Video

Catalyst: Heat transfer: is it hot or cold?

If you picked up a paper book and a metal box do you think one would feel colder to the touch or would they feel the same? Watch this clip to see if people's predictions about the temperature of objects match their observations. You may be as surprised as they are!

Interactive

Science under the microscope

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 ...

Interactive

Give me a brake

Investigate braking efficiency of cars and trucks by testing stopping distances under controlled conditions. Test effects of vehicle type, tyres, road surface and weather conditions. Choose driving speed, then apply brakes and compare stopping distances. Estimate distances from target markers. Answer questions about antilock ...