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Level 8

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Science

Science Level Description

In Levels 7 and 8, the curriculum focus is on explaining phenomena involving science and its applications. Students explain the role of classification in ordering and organising information about living and non-living things. They classify the diversity of life on Earth into major taxonomic groups and consider how the classification of renewable and non-renewable resources depends on the timescale...

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Science Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Science as a human endeavour
  1. Scientific knowledge and understanding of the world changes as new evidence becomes available; science knowledge can develop through collaboration and connecting ideas across the disciplines and practice of science (VCSSU089)
  2. 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 (VCSSU090)
Biological sciences
  1. There are differences within and between groups of organisms; classification helps organise this diversity (VCSSU091)
  2. Cells are the basic units of living things and have specialised structures and functions (VCSSU092)
  3. Interactions between organisms can be described in terms of food chains and food webs and can be affected by human activity (VCSSU093)
  4. Multicellular organisms contain systems of organs that carry out specialised functions that enable them to survive and reproduce (VCSSU094)
Chemical sciences
  1. Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of techniques (VCSSU095)
  2. The properties of the different states of matter can be explained in terms of the motion and arrangement of particles (VCSSU096)
  3. Differences between elements, compounds and mixtures can be described by using a particle model (VCSSU097)
  4. Chemical change involves substances reacting to form new substances (VCSSU098)
Earth and space sciences
  1. Predictable phenomena on Earth, including seasons and eclipses, are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and the Moon (VCSSU099)
  2. Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, but others are non-renewable (VCSSU100)
  3. Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment (VCSSU101)
  4. Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks contain minerals and are formed by processes that occur within Earth over a variety of timescales (VCSSU102)
Physical sciences
  1. Change to an object’s motion is caused by unbalanced forces acting on the object; Earth’s gravity pulls objects towards the centre of Earth (VCSSU103)
  2. Energy appears in different forms including movement (kinetic energy), heat, light, chemical energy and potential energy; devices can change energy from one form to another (VCSSU104)
  3. Light can form images using the reflective feature of curved mirrors and the refractive feature of lenses, and can disperse to produce a spectrum which is part of a larger spectrum of radiation (VCSSU105)
  4. The properties of sound can be explained by a wave model (VCSSU106)

Science Inquiry Skills

Questioning and predicting
  1. Identify questions, problems and claims that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on scientific knowledge (VCSIS107)
Planning and conducting
  1. Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types, including fieldwork and experiments, ensuring safety and ethical guidelines are followed (VCSIS108)
  2. In fair tests, measure and control variables, and select equipment to collect data with accuracy appropriate to the task (VCSIS109)
Recording and processing
  1. Construct and use a range of representations including graphs, keys and models to record and summarise data from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and to represent and analyse patterns and relationships (VCSIS110)
Analysing and evaluating
  1. Use scientific knowledge and findings from investigations to identify relationships, evaluate claims and draw conclusions (VCSIS111)
  2. Reflect on the method used to investigate a question or solve a problem, including evaluating the quality of the data collected, and identify improvements to the method (VCSIS112)
Communicating
  1. Communicate ideas, findings and solutions to problems including identifying impacts and limitations of conclusions and using appropriate scientific language and representations (VCSIS113)

Science Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 8, students explain how evidence has led to an improved understanding of a scientific idea. They discuss how science knowledge can be applied to generate solutions to contemporary problems and explain how these solutions may impact on society. They investigate different forms of energy and explain how energy transfers and transformations cause change in simple systems. They use examples to illustrate how light forms images. They use a wave model to explain the properties of sound. They use the particle model to predict, compare and explain the physical and chemical properties and behaviours of substances. They describe and apply techniques to separate pure substances from mixtures. They provide evidence for observed chemical changes in terms of colour change, heat change, gas production and precipitate formation. They analyse the relationship between structure and function at cell, organ and body system levels. They identify and classify living things. They explain how living organisms can be classified into major taxonomic groups based on observable similarities and differences. They predict the effect of environmental changes on feeding relationships between...

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