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• VCSSU118

  An animal’s response to a stimulus is coordinated by its central nervous system (brain and spinal cord); neurons transmit electrical impulses and are connected by synapses

  Elaborations

  • identifying functions for different areas of the brain
  • modelling the 'knee jerk' reaction and explaining why it is a reflex action
  • identifying responses involving the nervous and endocrine systems
  • researching the causes and effects of spinal cord damage

  VCSSU118 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU059

  A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat

  Elaborations

  • investigating how liquids and solids respond to changes in temperature, for example water changing to ice, or melting chocolate
  • exploring how changes from solid to liquid and liquid to solid can help us recycle materials

  VCSSU059 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU031

  Science is about exploring the world around me

  Elaborations

  • recognising that structured investigations help us understand objects and the world around us
  • exploring and observing using different senses
  • working with others to observe and manipulate objects used in everyday life

  VCSSU031 | Science | Level D | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• 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

• VCSSU046

  Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape; daily and seasonal changes affect everyday life

  Elaborations

  • recording short and longer term patterns of events that occur on Earth and in the sky, for example, the appearance of the moon and stars at night, the weather and the seasons
  • linking changes in the daily weather to the way we modify our behaviour and dress for different conditions, including examples from different cultures
  • investigating how changes in the weather might affect animals such as pets, animals that hibernate, or migratory animals

  VCSSU046 | Science | Foundation to Level 2 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU043

  Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves

  Elaborations

  • representing personal growth and changes from birth
  • exploring the different characteristics of the life stages in animals, for example, butterflies or frogs

  VCSSU043 | Science | Foundation to Level 2 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU034

  The weather and time of day affect events and clothing choices

  Elaborations

  • linking the time of day with routine events and objects
  • using images of different clothes to put together a ‘summer’ and a ‘winter’ outfit

  VCSSU034 | Science | Level D | Science Understanding | Earth and space 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

• VCSSU077

  Changes to materials can be reversible, including melting, freezing, evaporating, or irreversible, including burning and rusting

  Elaborations

  • investigating the three changes of state in water
  • investigating irreversible changes, for example, rusting, burning and cooking
  • exploring how reversible changes can be used to recycle materials

  VCSSU077 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU045

  Everyday materials can be physically changed or combined with other materials in a variety of ways for particular purposes

  Elaborations

  • predicting and comparing how the shapes of objects made from different materials can be physically changed through different actions, for example, bending, stretching and twisting
  • investigating how food can be mixed to form different products, for example, jelly, ice cream or cake
  • suggesting why different parts of everyday objects such as toys and clothes are made from different materials
  • identifying materials that can be changed and remade or recycled into new products, for example, paper and plastic

  VCSSU045 | Science | Foundation to Level 2 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU106

  The properties of sound can be explained by a wave model

  Elaborations

  • describing how sounds are produced by different musical instruments
  • measuring the speed of sound
  • using a wave model to describe the measured properties of sound, wavelength and frequency

  VCSSU106 | Science | Levels 7 and 8 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU002

  Living things are part of the world around us

  Elaborations

  • experiencing a variety of living things in a range of situations such as pets at school, plants in a garden, animals on a farm or in the school grounds
  • responding to the characteristics of different things, for example, texture of their covering, softness, size, sounds they make

  VCSSU002 | Science | Level A | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU025

  Objects can move in different ways

  Elaborations

  • developing a basic understanding of how things move, for example, push and pull, drop or throw, battery power
  • using words that describe simple forces, for example, ‘fast’, ‘slow’, ‘push’, ‘pull’

  VCSSU025 | Science | Level C | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU093

  Interactions between organisms can be described in terms of food chains and food webs and can be affected by human activity

  Elaborations

  • constructing and interpreting food chains and food webs to show relationships between organisms in an environment
  • recognising the role of microorganisms within food chains and food webs
  • researching examples of human impacts on specific ecosystems, for example, the use of fire by traditional Aboriginal people, the effects of palm oil harvesting, deforestation, agricultural practices or the introduction of new species

  VCSSU093 | Science | Levels 7 and 8 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU128

  Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere

  Elaborations

  • modelling a nutrient cycle within the biosphere, for example, the carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus cycle
  • investigating how human activity affects global systems
  • distinguishing between 'natural' and 'enhanced' greenhouse effects
  • investigating the effect of climate change on sea levels and biodiversity

  VCSSU128 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU126

  Chemical reactions, including combustion and the reactions of acids, are important in both non-living and living systems and involve energy transfer

  Elaborations

  • investigating a range of different reactions to classify them as exothermic or endothermic
  • comparing respiration and photosynthesis and their role in biological processes
  • investigating reactions of acids with metals, bases, and carbonates

  VCSSU126 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU080

  Light from a source forms shadows and can be absorbed, reflected and refracted

  Elaborations

  • classifying materials as transparent, opaque or translucent based on the extent to which light passes through them or is absorbed
  • exploring the use of mirrors to demonstrate the reflection of light
  • recognising the refraction of light at the surfaces of different transparent materials, for example, when light travels from air to water or air to glass
  • recognising that the colour of an object depends on the properties of the object and the colour of the light source

  VCSSU080 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU074

  Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment

  Elaborations

  • explaining how particular adaptations aid survival, for example, nocturnal behaviour, silvery coloured leaves of dune plants
  • describing and listing adaptations of living things suited for particular Australian environments

  VCSSU074 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU014

  The weather and time of day can change

  Elaborations

  • identifying the characteristics of day and night, for example, morning, evening, sun, moon, stars, sunrise, sunset
  • answering with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to questions related to changes in the weather, for example, ‘Is the weather today different from yesterday?’, ‘Do you think the weather will change after lunch?’

  VCSSU014 | Science | Level B | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• 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