Mbed Science Ass1 Media Ideas

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Media Items outline chart Media item

SACSA band

SACSA strand

Mrs Millar’s Frogs

Early years

Life Systems

Key Idea Children investigate the features and behaviours of plants and animals through direct and virtual experience. They explain, and share with others, their understandings of the connections between living things, and between themselves and natural environments.

Outcomes 1.5 Investigates the features and needs of living things, and demonstrates an understanding of their interdependence with each other and the physical world.

Author – Annette Millar Men’s Individual Time Trial-Beijing Olympics

Primary Years

ABC Science- Catchment Detox online game

Middle Years

Youtube clips- instantly freezing water

Middle Years

Energy Systems Students analyse and chart sequences of energy transfer through items such as toys, home appliances and personal transport.

Earth and Space Students investigate, through fieldwork and research, the central importance of the earth’s role in sustaining life and how changes impact on life; and understand the interaction of the atmosphere, the oceans and the earth’s surface

Matter

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030

Students pose questions to investigate ways in which physical and chemical processes can be altered in order to achieve desirable outcomes, such as food preservation.

2.4 Identifies, observes and describes energy transfer, such as light, sound, heat or movement, through common objects

3.1 Describes the characteristics that sustain life on the earth and changes to these characteristics and their impact over time.

3.8 Uses the changes in properties and uses of materials in product life cycles.

4 Mrs Millar’s Frogs-Annette Millar The first media item I have chosen is a book called Mrs Millar’s Frogs that was given to my daughter by a friend who lived in Broome for a year. The book was written by Annette Millar, a local Broome primary school teacher, about the frogs that live with her and her family in her home. In the book she describes to readers the physical features of the frogs as well as relating some of their amusing antics amongst her family and pets. Page examples are included in the appendix. I think it would be a great way to engage children in Science because it is a well written and illustrated book that children in grades Reception to Two would enjoy having read to them in class, as well as reading themselves. The book ties in very well to the SACSA Early Years Life Systems key idea that states: Children investigate the features and behaviours of plants and animals through direct and virtual experience. They explain, and share with others, their understandings of the connections between living things, and between themselves and natural environments (DECS, 2004, p. 16). Following this key idea, I wouldn’t be using the book to teach about frogs, though it would be a useful resource. What I would ask the children to do is to investigate animals that they can relate to in their lives as either pets or wildlife. I think the ideal format to present their findings is as a picture book that they can create themselves. Using this book has a number of cross curricular links, mainly with English when the students create their own picture book. Also, with the book having relatively large print, and being written in a rhyming prose style it would be ideal for shared reading to the class. Other links could involve ICTs for the students’ research or production of the storybook. Another consideration is that if younger students struggle with the written aspects of their storybook it could be an ideal buddy class activity.

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030

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Mens’ Individual Time Trial-Beijing Olympics. The second media item I have chosen is footage of the Mens’ Individual Time Trial raced on August 13th 2008 at the Beijing Olympics. As a cycling buff I often have tapes from the Tour de France or downloaded DVDs of big European races and will most likely end up boring my students with bike related links to curriculum when I am a teacher. However with the Olympics being such a current event that most children would be interested in, some may have even watched the race live on television, and it would add to the relevance of the learning for them. (Of course I realise this argument collapses in anything other than an Olympic month, but as I mentioned, I do have lots of race footage.) Also children in years 4 and 5 are at an age where many ride their own bicycles more, and would find the topic something they can relate personally to. The race is an ideal way to develop a unit for the Energy Systems strand in the Primary Years band. The first key idea states that: Students analyse and chart sequences of energy transfer through items such as toys, home appliances and personal transport (DECS, 2004, p. 24). With the bicycle being personal transport the race footage clearly falls within the criteria. Students can trace the energy transfers through a bicycle in order for it to move forward and produce a list of them. Probably the most obvious examples are from the riders legs to the pedals to the chain to the wheel to the road, but the students could also gain greater understanding through questioning, such as why does the chain move in a straight line but the wheels spin around, highlighting a need to understand the actual point where the energy is transferred, which in this case is between the roller of the chain and the tooth on the sprocket on the wheel. Though such an explanation is quite in depth, it can easily be demonstrated in class with the aid of a bicycle, surely an easy resource to find in a school. Another energy transfer that some children may recognise is how food provides the athletes with energy to ride the bike. A particular reason why I chose the time trial and not a road race is that there are more aerodynamic considerations that may interest the students as well with questions about why are they using different handlebars and helmets in this race, part of the answer being to save energy, or use it most efficiently. A number of cross curricular links could be included in this unit such as the Olympics in general or China. In Design and Technology students could compare these race bikes to their own bikes highlighting why there are differences due to the bikes’ intended uses. Health and Physical Education has obvious connections as well.

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030

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Catchment Detox-ABC science online http://www.catchmentdetox.net.au/ An aspect of science that I feel is critical for students to understand is how the environment supports all life on earth, and that we all have a responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment. In the Earth and Space strand of the Middle Years band the first key idea states that: Students investigate, through fieldwork and research, the central importance of the earth’s role in sustaining life and how changes impact on life; and understand the interaction of the atmosphere, the oceans and the earth’s surface (DECS, 2004, p. 30). To help in the development of their understanding I have found an engaging yet informative and interesting game on the ABC Science website called Catchment Detox. It is designed to teach students, or anyone really, how water catchments behave as a whole system, and demonstrates the impact that we have on these catchments. The game provides a budget as well as a number of ways to develop the catchment area economically as well as environmentally. The game takes players through a fifty year simulation with rainfall playing a crucial role in the fortunes of the community situated within the catchment area. Screenshots of the game are included in the appendix. Despite being one of the most important environmental issues facing us today, studying water catchments gives us an opportunity to investigate actual local environmental occurrences that change over a relatively short time, and the Catchment Detox game provides a good introduction to the issues. It would also be a good link into studies of any environmental issue as to a large degree all these issues are fall under the umbrella of climate change. Examples of assessment could include posters explaining the water cycle, or even making a diorama of a water catchment. This unit of work would clearly link into Society and Environment if not combine the two learning areas completely, so complementary is the work from each area. Design and Technology could also be used to explore water saving measures that can be used on a school or home level as well as on a larger scale.

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030

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Instantly freezing water-youtube clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYyFpgvWjeA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_dnB-3YxLk&NR=1 Both of the above links open up youtube clips of a science trick that many people would know. A full bottle of water is placed in a freezer and reaches a temperature below zero degrees Celsius, but because the water cannot expand in the bottle, the pressure increases thus lowering the freezing point of the water. When the bottle is opened, the pressure regulates back to normal and the water ‘magically’ freezes within a few seconds. I chose these clips because they show this trick quite well. It would easily amaze students who saw it, although the immediate next step would be to give them an inclass demonstration as well. This experiment fits in well with the Matter strand of the Middle Years band which states: Students pose questions to investigate ways in which physical and chemical processes can be altered in order to achieve desirable outcomes, such as food preservation (DECS, 2004, p. 39). It can be a good introduction into basic physical and chemical processes than students can interact with themselves. Because it is such a visual and simple experiment it can really engage the students to try variations. Measurements with a thermometer could be used to reproduce the experiment, or the amount of water could be reduced to find the ‘tipping point’ where the freezing occurs. Even different liquids can be substituted for the water so the students can observe if there are any changes. It is also a way to get the students aware of many other simple physical and chemical processes that can occur in their homes that they can experiment with. Conlusion Using mass media examples to get students interested in science can be successful because it allows teachers to use ideas that the students can relate to better, rather than concepts spelled out in textbooks. Textbooks also of course have their place in learning, but if we can first really grab the attention of our students they will be more curious about science and will learn better. References The State of South Australia, Department of Education and Children’s Services, 2004, R–10 Science Teaching Resource, DECS Publishing, Hindmarsh, SA, pp. 2645.

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030

Appendix 8

Mrs Millar’s Frogs front cover (above) and examples of pages (below)

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030

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Screenshots of Catchment Detox online game

Brad Hoare Assignment 1 EDUC 2030