1. Ask students to define stormwater. Record their ideas in the Class Science journal or on the whiteboard. 2. Show students a video clip explaining what is stormwater. This youtube clips called 'Freddie the Fish teaches about stormwater' is a highly recommended. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjPfLhJbdc0 Discuss the need to keep our waterways free from pollution. 3. Take students on a tour around the school to identify drains, gutter, downpipes and grates etc. 4. Use the powerpoint to guide students through their written responses.

A guide to setting up hydroponics using a 2 litre bottle. Materials e.g. cocopeat or clay balls, pH digital monitor and nutrient mix to be purchased at a hydroponics store. This is the first part in a series of three files. This as part of a unit of work looking at how humans will be providing food for the future. Students considered implications of growing our own food on Mars as in 2025 the first human settlement is planned for Mars through the Mars One project. Students can learn more about this by exploring the Mars One website. The first file explains the method involved in setting up a hydroponics system. The second file is a daily recording sheet to monitor water levels and pH. The third file is to conclude the activity after the students have been nurturing their plant for several weeks and it is a journal to record their findings. I referred to the Epic Gardener website for many of the ideas and found it most helpful.

This erosion investigation can be carried out in the school sand pit to investigate the effects of water on sand. Students can investigate what happens to a sandcastle when they pour differing amounts of water onto it. The powerpoint details the steps required for students to conduct their investigation. Students use the 'investigation planner' to determine variables and record their measurements and findings.

Students will examine images about Uluru to see how it has been affected by weathering, erosion and human activity. Students will carefully examine 6 images and describe the possible causes for the shape of the landform. Which type of weathering or erosion has caused the landform to change? Students record their ideas on the worksheet. Students draw a diagram predicting how the landform of Uluru might look 100 years into the future. At completion of the written task gather the students together to share their findings. This activity could be used as an assessment task to conclude a unit of work on erosion and weathering.

This is a lesson plan, powerpoint and an accompanying worksheet about water pressure. The first investigation is with the teacher demonstrating how water stops flowing out of a plastic cup that has holes in it when it is dropped from a height. In the second investigation the students conduct their own trial by allowing water to be released from a hole in the bottle one at a time and measuring how far the water comes out at. There is also a challenge activity for the students to discuss on youtube.

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.

Heat producers or heated by something else?? This lesson package includes 1. A powerpoint presentation to identify and discuss with students when an object producers it's own heat or is heated by something else. 2. A hands on team investigation to identify various heat sources set up around the classroom using objects sourced in the classroom or brought in by the students or class teacher. 3. This task is the assessment component. Students need to identify images that produce their own heat and images that are heated by something else and sort them onto their T chart. 4. An assessment rubric to accompany the worksheet component.

Students set up a bug zapper in the evening at their own home to conduct their own 'fair test'. All the information you need is explained on the word document - investigation question, materials, procedure, analysing and explaining the results and extension ideas.

This powerpoint guide prepares students for a design task. Discuss with students what they have read or observed about robots helping to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, or for use in medicine or in hospitals. The task is to design a robot that can help someone. Students label each of the robot’s parts or features and then write a paragraph on how their design could have a positive impact on the quality of a human’s life. Students include a comment predicting whether humans will accept or reject the new robot and why.

This is a 15 slide powerpoint that takes students step by step through an investigation into lava viscosity. Students will work in teams to mix different viscosities of flour and water then pour their mixture onto a paper plate to investigate flow. This investigation leads into a discussion on how different volcanoes take their shape dependent on lava flow. The powerpoint concludes with a focus on the possibility of past volcanic activity in Australia.

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.

This activity was introduced to start off a new unit on birds and to generate discussion and ideas about the student's prior knowledge on birds. Students were placed in teams of two to work collaboratively. Some of the question triggers - what animals fly, have beaks, make nests

I teach a small group of students once a week and they work independently in teams of two to plan and conduct their own Science Inquiry question. to conclude the parents are invited to a presentation morning. The students prepare their own powerpoint presentations about their project. This powerpoint is a gude to setting up their presentations so that all components to their project are covered in the final presentation.

Take students on a walk around the school to investigate what objects are made of and whether they are HOT or not when in the Sun

The students work in teams with a torch to investigate if light penetrates through different materials such as bubble wrap, cardboard, clear plastic, coloured cellophane. Students record their findings on the worksheet. There is also a rubric to accompany the activity.

A rubric for assessing science presentations.

Assessing students prior knowledge and reflecting on what the students have learnt

An award card for team investigations. Teams are encouraged to work collaboratively and follow their team roles in order to receive this award.

This is a rare sight - Uluru or Ayers Rock in the rain. The students viewed this powerpoint as part of a unit on desert biomes and how rain in the desert is a very rare event.

The students were taken on a discovery tour through or school woodland. Each pair of students were given the worksheet and a clipboard. The students were to look for evidence that the animals featured on the worksheet may inhabit the woodland. We returned to class to discuss their findings.