science update vol 4 issue 3
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VOL 4 ISSUE 3 Informing and supporting teachers
Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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This publication is designed to inform and support 7-12 teachers in the area of Science.
Science Update is also available online at http://issuu.com/DEC_science, including all past issues.
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All correspondence regarding Science Update should be sent to [email protected]
Non-DoE products and events listed in this publication are to be used at readers’ discretion. The inclusion of product and event
information is not an endorsement by the DoE. Teachers use resources published at their own discretion.
Validation of Assessment 4 Learning and
Individual Development
UPDATED Information for schools with secondary students
The Learning, High Performance and
Accountability Directorate is
introducing Validation of Assessment
4 Learning and Individual
Development. VALID will replace the
Essential Secondary Science
Assessment (ESSA) and, in 2015, will
deliver two end-of-stage online tests
for secondary students; VALID
Science VALID Science 10. The
structure and delivery of these tests
will be similar to ESSAonline.
VALID Science 8
Like ESSAonline8, VALID Science 8
will be mandatory and all student
responses will be centrally marked.
VALID Science 10
Schools can elect to participate in
VALID Science 10. Schools who
register 10 will also undertake
to complete in-school marking of
student responses after completing
the associated online training
package.
What will VALID provide?
High quality syllabus-based
assessment frameworks that
describe levels of achievement
against standards. These can be
used by teachers to inform school-
based assessment practices.
Online multimedia assessment
tools that provide diagnostic data
and time efficient reports. These
can directly inform planning,
programming and assessment
across a range of curriculum areas
and stages of
learning.
Cohort level affective domain data
that is derived from interest and
engagement survey questions in the
online assessments.
BOSTES registered professional
learning that reinforces staff
capability in making consistent
judgements against syllabus
standards.
Systems and processes to monitor
student achievement of syllabus
outcomes and content across
stages.
External student assessment data
that can be used in combination with
school-based assessments to
inform whole school planning
processes.
Implementation in 2015
VALID Science 8
Test window: 9 – 17 November.
The test will be centrally
marked.
VALID Science 10
Test window: 7 – 11 September
Marker training and in-school
marking window: 14 September – 9
October.
In-school marking of extended
response tasks for Year 10
For VALID Science 10, teachers at
registered schools mark the extended
responses for the students in their
school.
Prior to marking, teachers undertake
professional learning in differentiating
the quality of student responses.
This professional learning will be
provided online and will be
available during the marking
window.
School based marking provides
insights for teachers into the level of
understanding and skills that their
students are demonstrating. This
informs ongoing planning for teaching
and learning.
Registration:
Unless already provided, schools with
Year 8 students need to provide
contact details for a VALID Science 8
test administrator by completing the
form located at:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/2015validscience.
Schools wishing to register their intent
to participate in VALID Science 10 can
also do this using the link above.
Car Safety is designed to assist high school teachers (Years 9 and 10) to engage and involve their students in the physics, health and essential maths of road safety. It looks at car safety features and their capacity to reduce injury via content links to the Years 9 and 10 Science curriculums. It also covers improved safety features of new cars compared to older cars as well as ecological issues such as fuel emissions and hybrid vehicles. General capabilities addressed include literacy, numeracy, ethics and creative thinking.
Driver Safety is designed to assist high school teachers (Years 11-12) to engage and involve their students in the physics, health and essential maths of road safety. The resource covers learner driver limits and the science behind the regulations for learner drivers , as well as driver behaviour psychology and teenage risk. It also covers the laws relevant to P1 and P2 drivers and the science behind them, and contains information for lounge drivers about car safety and the reason for car crashes.
Ausgrid in conjunction with the Department of Education has developed an inquiry based resource for Stage 4 and Stage 5 science teachers. The lessons align with Stage 4 & 5 outcomes of the NSW Board of Studies Science Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum and are set out using an inquiry based approach by incorporating the 5es - engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. The lesson uses a thermoelectric generator (TEG), which converts heat energy to electrical energy, to explore energy efficiency. Teachers are free to explore how TEGs work and students can come up with innovative ideas to convert waste heat energy and relate them to everyday devices or new solutions. http://learnelectricity.ausgrid.com.au/Common/For-teachers/Energy-efficiency-lessons.aspx
ULTIMATE GUIDES
Ultimate Science Guide
Ultimate Engineering Guide
Careers with Code
These guides are FREE and teachers can order additional copies at the RiAus website. Guides can be used by career advisors as well as science teachers to inform students about current careers in science. Students can research current scientists and engineers working in the field and make connections to real world careers.
The Mars Lab is a curriculum-linked
project based learning unit for Year 9
using The Mars Lab, available from the
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.
Aligned to the Australian Curriculum
Science.
http://www.engquest.org.au/
Scientists and Mathematicians in
Schools is a national program that
creates and supports long-term
partnerships between primary or
secondary school teachers and
scientists or mathematicians.
Partnerships are flexible to allow for a
style and level of involvement that
suits each participant.
http://www.scientistsinschools.edu.au/
EngQuest, an initiative of Engineers Australia, provides an exciting, non-competitive way for students to participate in free, fun and educational engineering activities involving science, technology and mathematics.
The website offers curriculum-appropriate classroom engineering projects that include instructions, background information, lesson and activity ideas and student activity sheets. There are projects for lower primary, primary and middle years students.
http://www.engquest.org.au/
The Drum Series is an award winning
series for teens. Atmospheric teaching
students about climate change through
narrative and argument. The education
resource booklet supplements the non
-fiction book written by Carole
Wilkinson and is aligned to the
Australian Curriculum.
http://classroom.walkerbooks.com.au/home/
wp-content/uploads/2015/07...
Cool Australia provides learning activities
that make teaching and understanding
real world scenarios as easy as possible.
All material is aligned to the Australian
Curriculum.
http://www.coolaustralia.org/curriculum-
materials/
Big History is 13.8 billion years of
history told through engaging videos,
animations, articles, and classroom
activities targeting middle- and high-
school students
Big History Project can be accessed by teachers, students and lifelong learners. Big History can be taught as discrete lessons or as a course. Teaching guides suggest course pedagogy, outline course planning, resources and activities. https://school.bighistoryproject.com/
The Australian Schools Innovation in
Science, Technology (ASISTM) project is
part of the Australian Government's
Boosting Innovation, Science, Technology
and Mathematics Teaching (BISTMT)
Programme which funds innovative projects
that focus on improving teaching and
learning in schools in the areas of science,
technology and mathematics. These
resources have been developed by cluster
schools in Orange and Wollongong as part
of the ASISTM project. Resources are
made for teacher and student use to assist
with the implementation of the Science
Years 7-10 and Stage 6 Earth and
Environmental/Senior Science syllabuses.
http://
www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.
au/secondary/science/minerals/index.htm
smart consumers 4 a smart future teaches students about being responsible consumers using a range of real life issues around sustainability.
Activities are focused on Years 9 and 10 Mathematics, English and Science and provide a range of tasks that can be used in isolation or part of a larger unit of work.
Students engage with a range of learning opportunities that include:
designing a debate developing a pitch for a TV show planning a meal within a set budget investigating the energy efficiency of
household appliances Each topic uses a scenario to highlight an issue or problem that needs to be solved. Activities can be teacher-directed, used by individual students, pairs or small groups on computers or tablets. All units align with the Australian Curriculum and the National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework and are supported by teacher notes and assessment rubrics.
https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/teaching/teaching-resources/digital-activity-smart-consumers-4-a-smart-future
Past ESSA resources including marking manuals, curriculum links and teaching strategies can be accessed at www.essaonline.nsw.edu.au, by using the details below.
Username: preview
Password: radiation61
Alternatively, you can visit https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/high-performance/essa/essa-test-materials on the intranet.
iSeismometer
(iOS, Android & web)
iSeismometer is a virtual
seismometer. While real
seismometers serve to
measure tectonic shifts,
iSeismometer is mostly
for fun, but can be used to delve into
concepts in Earth and Space and Physical
World.
You can use it to observe how vibrations
register on the device and observe
vibrations from surfaces.
Human Body (iOS)
This app allows students
to go on an exploration
of what humans are
made of and how our
insides work.
The app shows different body systems and
can be used with Stage 4 classes.
The app provides a simplistic diagrammatic
view of each system. Students can even
follow the journey of food from mouth to
bottom end. Organs are interactive - sound
vibrations can be sent through the ear canal.
Geology Sample
Collector (Android)
This ad-supported app is
designed for geologists,
and transforms your
device into a geology
notebook.
Geology Sample Collector lets you record
everything about your rocky finds, offering
support for voice recordings, videos, photos,
temperature readings, time stamps, note and
GPS data which you can display on Google
Apps.
Let us know what app you are using in class to make science more engaging,
and we’ll post a review in the next issue of Science Update.
Sound Uncovered App
(iOS)
Sound Uncovered is
one of two
Exploratorium apps
available on the iPad.
Students can explore
sound through auditory illusions, acoustic
phenomena, and other things that go bump,
beep, boom and vroom.
Sound Uncovered can be used as an inquiry
-based approach to allow students to further
explore sound.
Mitosis (iOS - iPhone)
Mitosis is a good tool to use when learning mitosis. Mitosis is an effective
study tool for Stage 6 Biology students when learning the stages of mitosis.
Students can download the app and interact with each stage of mitosis. The
application also provides good information on each stage and can be used as
a formative assessment tool.
scientia
noun | sci·en·tia
knowledge