Summary: Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to conserving and managing sustainable ecosystems.
Food Chains and Webs
“construct and interpret food chains and food webs, including examples from Australian ecosystems”
“describe interactions between organisms in food chains and food webs, including producers, consumers and decomposers”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Literacy] Read and Construct | Students are provided a description of a local ecosystem (e.g. Lake Macquarie). Using this, students construct a food chain/web diagram. |
| [Practical] Modelling Activity | Details and accompanying resources for this activity can be found on stem.org.uk (requires login) Summary: the class models an ecosystem using animal cards (that students hold) and string (between cards) |
Micro-organisms
“describe examples of beneficial and harmful effects that micro-organisms can have on living things and the environment”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
Human Impact
“predict how human activities can affect interactions in food chains and food webs, including examples from Australian land or marine ecosystems”
“explain, using examples, how scientific evidence and/or technological developments contribute to developing solutions to manage the impact of natural events on Australian ecosystems”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Discussion] No Trees | Discuss as a class what would happen if there were no longer trees in the world Responses may range from simple to complex/very significant (e.g. no wood for paper or furniture, less habitats, less exchanging of carbon dioxide for oxygen, Earth getting hot) |
| [Literacy] Poster | As a follow up to the above activity, students can work independently/in groups to design a ‘Stop Deforestation’ poster (providing arguments for why) Students should also research/consider why deforestation occurs, and what/who deforestation affects, positively or negatively |
Agriculture and Horticulture
“describe how scientific knowledge has influenced the development of practices in agriculture, eg animal husbandry or crop cultivation to improve yields and sustainability, or the effect of plant-cloning techniques in horticulture”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
*Will continue adding/refining ideas here over time.
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