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• VCSSU056

  Science knowledge helps people to understand the effects of their actions

  Elaborations

  • considering how the use of materials including solids and liquids can affect the environment in different ways, for example, fertilisers and food and drink containers
  • exploring how science has contributed to understanding and resolving issues related to the effects of human activities, for example, clearing of bushland to build housing and roads and management of waste
  • investigating how people can use science to select appropriate materials for their work, for example, builders, clothing designers, engineers, gardeners and chefs

  VCSSU056 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU032

  Living things can be plants or animals

  Elaborations

  • observing the life cycles of living things
  • displaying an understanding of the requirements of living things by caring for them, for example, watering plants and feeding pets

  VCSSU032 | Science | Level D | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU001

  There are objects in the world around us

  Elaborations

  • directing attention towards objects in the world around them
  • responding to preferred objects by reaching towards or holding an object for a short time

  VCSSU001 | Science | Level A | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU058

  Different living things have different life cycles and depend on each other and the environment to survive

  Elaborations

  • making and recording observations of living things as they develop through their life cycles, for example, insects, birds, frogs and flowering plants
  • recognising that environmental factors can affect life cycles, for example, fire and seed germination
  • investigating the roles of living things in a habitat, for example, producers, consumers or decomposers
  • predicting the effects when living things in feeding relationships are removed or die out in an area

  VCSSU058 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU133

  The description and explanation of the motion of objects involves the interaction of forces and the exchange of energy and can be described and predicted using the laws of physics

  Elaborations

  • recognising that a stationary object, or a moving object with constant motion, has balanced forces acting on it
  • gathering data to analyse everyday motion produced by forces, for example, measurements of distance and time, velocity, mass, acceleration and force
  • investigating the effects of applying different forces, including Earth's gravitational force, to familiar objects

  VCSSU133 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU075

  The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment

  Elaborations

  • observing the growth of fungi, for example, yeast and bread mould in different temperature conditions
  • investigating how changing the physical conditions for plants impacts on their growth and survival, for example, changing salt water concentrations, using fertilisers or transferring to a different soil type
  • researching organisms that live in extreme environments, for example, Antarctica, a desert or deep sea

  VCSSU075 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU011

  Objects and the world around us can be explored

  Elaborations

  • manipulating a variety of materials to explore their characteristics, for example, sensory tubs filled with pasta, feathers, water, pebbles
  • observing what happens when materials are mixed, manipulated, moved and changed

  VCSSU011 | Science | Level B | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU023

  Objects have different names and properties, and some can be manipulated and changed

  Elaborations

  • identifying and naming a variety of natural materials in the environment, for example, ‘rock’, ‘grass’, ‘water’, ‘sand’, ‘tree’
  • combining substances and observing them change during mixing, for example, salt and sugar dissolving in water, making jelly

  VCSSU023 | Science | Level C | Science Understanding | Chemical 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

• VCSSU003

  Objects are part of the world around us

  Elaborations

  • experiencing everyday objects around them and their properties, for example, colour, size, texture, smell
  • identifying some familiar objects, for example, by seeking, reaching or directing attention towards a preferred object

  VCSSU003 | Science | Level A | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU035

  The shape of objects will affect how they move

  Elaborations

  • investigating how the shape of an object affects how well it can roll or slide
  • investigating how the shape of a helicopter blade affects how long a model paper helicopter can stay in the air

  VCSSU035 | Science | Level D | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU060

  Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties; these properties can influence their use

  Elaborations

  • describing a range of common materials, such as metals or plastics, and their uses
  • investigating a particular property across a range of materials
  • selecting materials for a specified use based on their properties

  VCSSU060 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU090

  Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues; these solutions may impact on other areas of society and involve ethical considerations

  Elaborations

  • considering decisions made in relation to the recycling of greywater and blackwater
  • investigating strategies implemented to maintain part of the local environment, such as bushland, a beach, a lake, a desert or a shoreline
  • investigating the development of vehicles over time, including the application of science and technology to the designs of solar-powered or electric vehicles
  • relating regulations about wearing seatbelts or safety helmets to knowledge of forces and motion
  • discussing ethical issues that arise from organ transplantation

  VCSSU090 | Science | Levels 7 and 8 | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU127

  The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and continental movement

  Elaborations

  • recognising the major plates on a world map
  • considering the role of heat energy and convection currents in the movement of tectonic plates
  • modelling sea-floor spreading
  • relating the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic activity to constructive and destructive plate boundaries
  • relating the extreme age and stability of a large part of the Australian continent to its plate tectonic history

  VCSSU127 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU073

  Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to inform personal and community decisions and to solve problems that directly affect people’s lives

  Elaborations

  • exploring objects and devices that include parts that involve the reflection, absorption or refraction of light, for example, mirrors, sunglasses and prisms
  • considering how electricity and electrical appliances have changed the way some people live
  • considering how decisions are made to grow particular plants and crops depending on environmental conditions
  • considering how guidelines help to ensure the safe use of electrical devices
  • comparing the benefits of using solid, liquid or gaseous fuels to heat a home
  • designing shelters for living things that are exposed to changed or harsh environments, for example, as a result of bushfire or displacement

  VCSSU073 | Science | Levels 5 and 6 | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU129

  The Universe contains features including galaxies, stars and solar systems; the Big Bang theory can be used to explain the origin of the Universe

  Elaborations

  • identifying the evidence supporting the Big Bang theory, for example, Edwin Hubble’s observations and the detection of microwave radiation
  • recognising that the age of the Universe can be derived by applying knowledge of the Big Bang theory
  • describing how the evolution of the Universe, including the formation of galaxies and stars, has continued since the Big Bang

  VCSSU129 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU095

  Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of techniques

  Elaborations

  • recognising the differences between pure substances and mixtures and identifying examples of each
  • identifying the solvent and solute in solutions
  • investigating and using a range of physical separation techniques such as filtration, decantation, evaporation, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation
  • exploring and comparing separation methods used in the home

  VCSSU095 | Science | Levels 7 and 8 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU013

  Objects can be the same or different and can look and feel different

  Elaborations

  • mixing and playing with various materials, for example, using sand and water to build sandcastles, or pouring water onto a sandy footpath to make a water track
  • exploring and manipulating variety of materials in structured and unstructured activities

  VCSSU013 | Science | Level B | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU132

  Energy flow in Earth’s atmosphere can be explained by the processes of heat transfer

  Elaborations

  • recognising that the Law of Conservation of Energy explains that total energy is maintained in energy transfers and transformations
  • recognising that in energy transfers and transformations, a number of steps can occur and the system is not 100% efficient so that usable energy is reduced
  • comparing energy changes in physical events, for example, car crashes, the motion of pendulums, lifting and dropping

  VCSSU132 | Science | Levels 9 and 10 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• 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