I am a Primary Science teacher in Perth Australia. I enjoy developing resources for my students that encourage hands on inquiry and investigation. I would like to see my students develop a life long passion for Science and to become active advocates at conserving and protecting the Earth's precious resources.
I am a Primary Science teacher in Perth Australia. I enjoy developing resources for my students that encourage hands on inquiry and investigation. I would like to see my students develop a life long passion for Science and to become active advocates at conserving and protecting the Earth's precious resources.
This is a detailed powerpoint on how to guide your students to make a ‘circuit’ bug. A circuit bug is an electronic/craft project using LED lights, a 3V disc battery, a peg, copper wire and pipe cleaners. Once the students have created their circuit they can work creatively to make a bug/minibeast. The possibilities are endless. The final slide in the powerpoint is a a set of review questions for the students to evaluate their learning experience.
The students work in teams of two to investigate
’How many times can the bottle be lifted to shoulder height in 30 seconds?’ This powerpoint explains how to set up the investigation.
The final slide in the powerpoint includes discussion questions.
The “Catch a falling ruler” powerpoint explains to students how to conduct an investigation with a partner to explore their ‘reaction time’ when a 1 metre ruler is held at their eye level and then dropped. The student must grasp the ruler and record their results for 5 trials.
This product also includes review questions to evaluate the investigation.
There is a final slide to explain ‘reaction time’.
The results could be graphed in a line graph.
This is a powerpoint to guide students through an individual investigation where they explore their nervous system. To conduct the investigation the students will need
one pin
1 paper clip
ice
a polystyrene cup
hot water
a fine tipped black texta
a piece of 1cm grid paper
The students will use a black pen to draw and 1cm grid on the back of their hand. In this grid they will use different materials to test out their sense responses. The students will make a duplicate grid on a piece of 1cm graph or grid paper. On this piece of paper they will record their responses using codes.
The final slide in this resource includes discussion questions.
TIn this package you will find - a worksheet and an assessment rubric. To conduct this investigation you will need to collect several metal coat hangers and tie string to two ends of the coat hanger. Place students into teams of two. Each team has a set of materials to test using their coat hanger. The strings on the coat hanger are ‘draped’ around the students ears. This is how the student will pick up and sense the vibration. The student use the worksheet to record their findings. Each student will ‘tap’ a selection of materials onto the wire of the coat hanger and the other student will indicate if they sense the vibration.
The students investigate how many how metal objects it would take to change the temperature of a cup of water. The students work in their cooperative teams to make a prediction and set up a fair test investigation by measuring the temperature of the water before and after placing hot metals objects into the cup. The students evaluate the investigation by concluding whether the hot metal pieces are heat producers or heated by something else. To conduct this investigation the students will need a thermometer, tongs to pick up the hot bolts, a timer, a polystyrene cup and several hot bolts from a hardware store. The bolts need to be placed in the sun to heat up prior to the lesson. This resource includes a PowerPoint presentation explaining how to conduct the investigation, an accompanying worksheet to record findings and an assessment rubric.
This is a powerpoint, youtube clip and worksheet that explains to students how to set up a fair test to investigate coral bleaching. Students will take two marine shells, weigh each shell then place one shell in a bowl of tap water and the other shell in a bowl of vinegar. Over the next week the students make observations and record the changes to each shell. There is also a worksheet to accompany this powerpoint. The worksheet is called ‘Investigating Coral Bleaching student worksheet’ . The students will make their own conclusions about the effect of Carbon Emissions on our coral reef ecosystems. The worksheet can be adjusted so that the investigation runs over a sorter period eg, one week.
This is an interactive investigation where the students are taken to a bushland setting in Perth Western Australia or have access to a bushland area on their school site. The students use the worksheet to guide their investigation about the Nyoongar season of
Kambarang which occurs in October/November
Djeran which occurs in March/April
Makuru which occurs in June/July
Djilba which occurs in August/September
There are several Nyoongar Six Season posters that can be purchased or found online. I purchased mine from SERCUL in Beckenham.
I do not have a worksheet for Birak. This season is over the Jaunary/December period and Australian students are on their summer holidays at this time.
This activity template could be used for research on any Australian animal. It is a digital learning activity. The file was shared with each student via Google Drive but could be shared using whatever other digital learning platform that you use at your school. The students had to choose one of the informational sites from this my own website designed by Crickcrick herself!
http://thescienceworkshop.weebly.com/bandicoot.html
They then had to sort the information into the four text boxes on their digital learning file. The students had to describe a bandicoot, list possible threats, describe a bandicoot habitat and list the foods that a bandicoot eats.
the students had the choice to upload their own photo of a bandicoot or use the one on the file.
Students were shown different materials buried in a ‘see-through compost container’. The materials in the container were - a banana skin, plastic knife and paper egg carton. Students then engaged in a discussion about how long it would take the different materials to rot. The students then conducted their own investigation. Students chose one material either; fruit or vegetable scrap, plastic, paper or Chux cloth. Students placed their material in the bottom of a round take away container then covered the material with potting mix. A few weeks later the students uncovered their material and recorded their findings on the worksheet.
Resource also includes an assessment rubric.
This is powerpoint explains how a 2 stroke engine operates. It explains the difference between a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke engine. There are definitions explaining the parts of a 2 stroke engine - spark plug, air filter, carburettor, crank shaft and piston.
This activity is about the frogs in the area where you live.
The students choose one frog commonly found where they live.
In their journals or a piece of paper they divide their page into quarters like shown on the powerpoint. The students read through the text for their chosen frog and then sort the information into habitat, description, noise and food by recording the information into each box.
This is a Frog Quiz to be used at the end of a unit or topic on frogs. All the images are of frogs in the Perth region. Perth in Western Australia. However, the quiz could be used to review frogs in any part of the world. Students work in teams to write their answers.
This is an activity that is part of a unit on Our Five Senses. To set up the activity gather together up to 17 small film canisters or similar small jars. Place a cotton ball in each container. Use an eye dropper to add a few drops of the following food essences or aromatherapy oils to the containers - peppermint, lemon, orange, vanilla and rose. Mix up a small amount of coffee and pour a ew drops into one of the containers and to the final container add a few drops of vinegar. Place an adhesive dot on each container and then number them. Make a list of the scents and their matching number. This comes in handy for remembering what each scent is. Conduct a discussion with the students about our sense of smell. Invite them to the table that you have set up with the Scent Pots. The students use the worksheet to identify the smells that they recognise and place the correct number next to the scent. Place a cross through any scents that they did not identify.
To conduct this activity you will need to purchase about 10-12 Hexbug Nanos. I recommend fishpond.com. Explain to the students that Hexbug Nanos are robotic toys that move and react with sensors.
Explain to the students that they will be working in teams of three to construct and create their own maze. Firstly get the students to draw a maze design that they will be able to build. Give each team the lid from a box of A4 photocopy paper. Cut an entry and exit opening for the students. Get them to make a mark where they want the opening to be cut. Pre cut several strips of hard cardboard with a guillotine (this will make it easier and quicker for the students to commence construction). Students construct their mazes using the strips of cardboard and masking tape. When their maze is complete they can test it out with their Hexbug Nano. On the worksheet the students can measure and record the distance travelled by their Hexbug. Then the students are ready to conduct their trials. For each trial the students place their Hexbug at the entry point and using a timer record how long it takes for the Hexbug to travel through the maze and out through the exit. If the Hexbug gets ‘stuck’ they re to record at which point it gets stuck and then make improvements to the maze. The goal is to continually improve the maze so that the Hexbug improves it’s travel time with each trial. The worksheet includes further questions on evaluating their investigation.
The students make their own Scribblebots in teams of three.
Once the students have completed their Scribblebot’s conduct a brainstorm with the students and record their ideas on how they could test out their Scribblebot’s performance. Give each team very large piece of paper. Use the worksheet to plan the investigation and record data. At the conclusion of the activity each team presents their findings to the class and gives a demonstration on how they conducted their challenge.
This is an activity investigating friction using remote control cars. For this lesson I purchased three different remote control vehicles from K Mart - a four wheel drive, a sports car and a jeep/buggy. Use the powerpoint to guide the students through the learning activities which include writing a prediction, conducting a fair test and recording their findings. The powerpoint also includes a procedure explaining how to set up the investigation on your school grounds. Accompanying the powerpoint is a worksheet for these students to record details of their investigation and to record their findings and data on a table.
The students were placed in teams to view Robots in Industry from this website (cut and paste this address) . This website has been crated and designed by Crickcrick which is me an author and seller on TES
http://thescienceworkshop.weebly.com/year-6-robots-in-industry.html
Each team viewed a set of youtube clips about a type of robot or drone. Some examples are - car manufacturing, drones, marine robots, surgical robots, autonomous vehicles, NASA robots and robots for manufacturing. After viewing the video clips students work in their teams to discuss the questions on the worksheet about the role and task of robots and the positives and negatives of robots in our society and for the future.
This is a great activity to follow on and consolidate my other resource ‘Jump for robots’. Students carefully examine the pictures and ONLY colour in those pictures that they think are a robot. Put an X on the pictures that are not a robot and circle the pictures that may be a robot.
Students will learn that everyday tasks that seem easy to us are difficult for a mechanical robot to perform. Students will investigate this by using a robotic toy hand. As a class we will discuss the limitations and challenges that robots face in grasping tools and manipulating them. To conduct this lesson you will need to purchase up to 12 or 14 robotic toy hands. This can be purchased at Toys R Us for about $7(Australian dollars) each. There are plenty of youtube clips that you can show the students prior to the investigation that cover the use of robotic arms in industry and on the ISS. Once you have your equipment then you can use the powerpoint to guide the students through two investigations. Part 2 and Part 3 of this package is the worksheet to accompany the investigations.