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• VCSSU125

  Different types of chemical reactions are used to produce a range of products and can occur at different rates; chemical reactions may be represented by balanced chemical equations

  Elaborations

  • investigating how chemical reactions result in the production of a range of useful substances, for example, fuels, metals and pharmaceuticals
  • using word or symbol equations to represent chemical reactions
  • investigating the effect of a range of factors, for example, temperature and catalysts, on the rate of chemical reactions

  VCSSU125 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU081

  Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity; electric circuits enable this energy to be transferred to another place and then to be transformed into another form of energy

  Elaborations

  • recognising the need for a complete circuit to allow the flow of electricity
  • exploring circuit features, for example, wires and switches, and electrical devices, for example, light globes, LEDs and motors
  • investigating different electrical conductors and insulators
  • investigating how moving air and water can turn turbines to generate electricity
  • investigating how solar panels can generate electricity

  VCSSU081 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU076

  Solids, liquids and gases behave in different ways and have observable properties that help to classify them

  Elaborations

  • exploring the way solids, liquids and gases change under different situations, for example, heating and cooling
  • observing that gases have mass and take up space, demonstrated by using balloons or bubbles
  • recognising that not all substances can be easily classified as solids, liquids or gases on the basis of their observable properties

  VCSSU076 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU047

  Earth’s resources are used in a variety of ways

  Elaborations

  • identifying Earth’s resources, including water, soil and minerals, and describing how they are used at school and in the home
  • considering what might happen to humans if there were a change in a familiar available resource, for example, water
  • identifying actions at school that can conserve resources, for example, turning off dripping taps

  VCSSU047 | Science | Foundation to Level 2 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU042

  Living things have a variety of external features and live in different places where their basic needs, including food, water and shelter, are met

  Elaborations

  • recognising common features of animals, for example, head, legs and wings
  • describing the use of animal body parts for particular purposes, for example, moving and feeding
  • identifying common features of plants, for example, leaves and roots
  • recognising that different living things live in different places, for example, land and water
  • exploring what happens when habitats change and some living things can no longer have their needs met

  VCSSU042 | Science | Foundation to Level 2 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU115

  Advances in scientific understanding often rely on developments in technology and technological advances are often linked to scientific discoveries

  Elaborations

  • considering how the properties of electromagnetic radiation relate to its uses, for example, radar, medical diagnosis and treatment, mobile phone communications and microwave cooking
  • considering how information technology can be applied to different areas of science, for example, bioinformatics, the Square Kilometre Array, DNA sequencing and the analysis of radio astronomy signals
  • considering how computer modelling and imaging technologies has improved knowledge and predictability of phenomena, for example, climate change, atmospheric pollution, plate tectonic movement, and body system functions and interactions

  VCSSU115 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSIS028

  Use pictures and words to describe observations and findings and begin to categorise objects

  Elaborations

  • using pictures, photos, symbols and concrete objects to record observations about the weather
  • beginning to categorise some familiar substances with similar properties related to a sense, for example, hard or soft, rough or smooth

  VCSIS028 | Science | Level C | Science Inquiry Skills | Recording and processing

• VCSSU099

  Predictable phenomena on Earth, including seasons and eclipses, are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and the Moon

  Elaborations

  • comparing times for the rotation of Earth, Sun and Moon, and comparing the times for the orbits of Earth and the Moon
  • modelling the relative movements of the Earth, Sun and Moon and how natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses and phases of the Moon occur
  • explaining why different regions of Earth experience different seasonal conditions

  VCSSU099 | Science | Levels 7 and 8 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSIS087

  Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem

  Elaborations

  • working collaboratively to identify where testing was not fair and suggesting how fairness could be improved
  • identifying improvements to investigation methods, and discussing how these improvements would affect the quality of the data obtained

  VCSIS087 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Inquiry Skills | Analysing and evaluating

• VCSIS051

  Participate in guided investigations, including making observations using the senses, to explore and answer questions

  Elaborations

  • safely using sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell so that students can gather information about the world around them
  • manipulating objects and materials and making observations of the results
  • exploring how musical instruments can be used to produce different sounds

  VCSIS051 | Science | Foundation to Level 2 | Science Inquiry Skills | Planning and conducting

• VCSIS010

  Communicate by initiating and refining their responses and using accept-or-reject gestures or actions

  Elaborations

  • intentionally responding to an activity, change, object with accept-or-reject gestures or actions
  • gaining the attention of familiar adults and intentionally communicating with vocal sounds, eye gaze, facial expression

  VCSIS010 | Science | Level A | Science Inquiry Skills | Communicating

• VCSSU101

  Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment

  Elaborations

  • considering the water cycle in terms of changes of state of water
  • investigating factors that influence the water cycle in nature
  • exploring how human management of water impacts on the water cycle

  VCSSU101 | Science | Levels 7 and 8 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSIS136

  Select and use appropriate equipment and technologies to systematically collect and record accurate and reliable data, and use repeat trials to improve accuracy, precision and reliability

  Elaborations

  • applying specific skills in the use of scientific instruments
  • selecting and using probes and data loggers to record information
  • identifying how human error can influence the reliability of data

  VCSIS136 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Inquiry Skills | Planning and conducting

• VCSSU124

  Chemical reactions involve rearranging atoms to form new substances; during a chemical reaction mass is not created or destroyed

  Elaborations

  • modelling chemical reactions in terms of rearrangement of atoms
  • considering the role of energy in chemical reactions
  • recognising that the conservation of mass in a chemical reaction can be demonstrated by simple chemical equations

  VCSSU124 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSIS139

  Use knowledge of scientific concepts to evaluate investigation conclusions, including assessing the approaches used to solve problems, critically analysing the validity of information obtained from primary and secondary sources, suggesting possible alternative explanations and describing specific...

  Elaborations

  • discussing what is meant by 'validity' and how we can evaluate the validity of information in secondary sources
  • judging the validity of science-related media reports and how these reports might be interpreted by the public
  • using primary or secondary scientific evidence to support or refute a conclusion or claim
  • suggesting more than one possible explanation of the data presented

  VCSIS139 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Inquiry Skills | Analysing and evaluating

• VCSIS082

  With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be based on previous experiences or general rules

  Elaborations

  • exploring a range of questions that can be asked about a problem or phenomena and, with guidance, identifying those questions that could be investigated by students
  • refining questions to enable scientific investigation
  • applying experience from previous investigations to predict the outcomes of investigations in new contexts

  VCSIS082 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Inquiry Skills | Questioning and predicting

• VCSIS135

  Independently plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including fieldwork and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data, assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these investigation types

  Elaborations

  • explaining the choice of variables to be controlled, changed and measured in an investigation
  • identifying and managing potential hazards of chemicals or biological materials used in experimental investigations or fieldwork
  • deciding how much data are needed to obtain reliable measurements
  • using modelling and simulations, including using digital technologies, to investigate situations and events
  • using the internet to facilitate collaboration in joint projects and discussions

  VCSIS135 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Inquiry Skills | Planning and conducting

• VCSSU120

  The theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of living things and is supported by a range of scientific evidence

  Elaborations

  • describing biodiversity as a function of evolution
  • outlining processes involved in natural selection including variation, isolation and selection
  • investigating changes caused by natural selection in a particular population as a result of a specified selection pressure, for example, artificial selection in breeding for desired characteristics
  • evaluating and interpreting evidence for evolution, including the fossil record, chemical and anatomical similarities, and the geographical distribution of species

  VCSSU120 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU114

  Scientific understanding, including models and theories, are contestable and are refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community

  Elaborations

  • considering how ideas about disease transmission have changed from medieval time to the present as knowledge has developed
  • investigating the historical development of models of the structure of the atom
  • investigating how the theory of plate tectonics developed, based on evidence from seafloor spreading and occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic activity
  • recognising the contribution of Australian scientists, for example, Brian Schmidt and Penny Sackett, in the exploration and study of the Universe

  VCSSU114 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU119

  The transmission of heritable characteristics from one generation to the next involves DNA and genes

  Elaborations

  • using models and diagrams to represent the relationship between DNA, genes and chromosomes
  • describing mutations as changes in DNA or chromosomes and outlining the factors that contribute to causing mutations
  • recognising that genetic information passed on to offspring is from both parents and involves the processes of fertilisation and meiosis
  • representing patterns of inheritance of a simple dominant/recessive characteristic through generations of a family

  VCSSU119 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences