Take, shape and create
View Sequence overviewStudents will:
- be guided through the design thinking process to select and change materials to build a 3D sculpture/model.
Students will represent their understanding as they:
- create an annotated diagram to explain the materials used in their design and how they were changed.
- communicate their design choices to a selected audience.
In this lesson, assessment is summative.
Students working at the achievement standard should have:
- demonstrated an understanding that materials can be changed, and how they might be changed, and that, despite being changed they remain the same material.
- Evidence might include materials identified in their sculpture design, appropriateness of the changes made to it, appropriateness of the materials selected for a specific change, and in identifying the base material of each component of their sculpture.
- applied their learning when selecting materials to design and build their sculpture.
- Evidence should be found in students’ sculptures/models.
Refer to the Australian Curriculum content links on the Our design decisions tab for further information.
Whole class
Class science journal (digital or hard-copy)
A gallery of images of different sculptures made from recycled/reused materials, as used in the Launch phase
Each student
Individual science journals (digital or hard-copy)
Various everyday materials to design and build a 3D sculpture/model, including materials that have been examined and investigated throughout the sequence, and classroom art and craft supplies
Lesson
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkRe-orient
Re-examine the data and ideas collected in the class science journal over the course of the teaching sequence.
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkScience education consists of a series of key ideas and core concepts that can explain objects, events and phenomena and link them to the experiences encountered by students in their lives. The purpose of the Anchor routine is to identify and link students’ learning to these ideas and concepts in a way that builds and deepens their understanding.
When designing the Act phase of a teaching sequence, consider the core concepts and key ideas that are relevant. The Anchor routine provides an opportunity to collate and revise the key knowledge and skills students have learned, in a way that emphasises the importance of science as a human endeavour.
What have we learned?
Discuss what conclusions students have drawn about materials and how their size, shape, colour etc. can be physically changed, whilst the material itself remains the same.
- What materials are malleable/elastic/flexible/strong.
- What kinds of materials can be easily physically changed?
- What kinds of materials are harder to change?
- Can all materials be changed in the same ways?
- What does it mean when we ‘physically change’ a material?
- How is the material made different?
- How does it stay the same?
- What materials might be readily available for our sculptures?
- What environmental considerations should we make?
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkEach student comes to the classroom with experiences made up from science-related knowledge, attitudes, experiences and resources in their life. The Connect routine is designed to tap into these experiences, and that of their wider community. It is also an opportunity to yarn with community leaders (where appropriate) to gain an understanding of the student’s lives, languages and interests. In the Act phase, this routine reconnects with the science capital of students so students can appreciate the relevance of their learning and the agency to make decisions and take action.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the everyday occurrences, phenomena and experiences that might relate to the science that they have learned. How could students show agency in these areas?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkSculpture gallery
Refer to the image gallery of sculptures from the Launch phase. Discuss again the materials used and how those materials were changed. Challenge students to think more deeply about what they are observing in the sculptures.
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkWhen students use their knowledge and skills in new ways, they also have an opportunity to develop and use their creative and critical thinking skills. With scaffolded support, they can become more confident to work in a team and develop a stronger sense of autonomy. This results in stronger student outcomes, attitudes and sense of empowerment.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider what activity would allow students to showcase their knowledge and skills. Consider the current abilities of your students. What are they capable of explaining? What props could they design or build that would support their explanations? How much information would they need in their design brief to support their thinking? How does this connect with their lives and interests?
Designing and building a sculpture
Using the steps of the design thinking process, students use their understanding of materials and how they can be physically changed to design a 3D sculpture or model. You might present students with a design brief to outline what you would like them to do. Consider if you will add some parameters around the design (for example, it needs to contain materials that have been bent, folded and stretched). Consider if the sculpture created should adhere to a specific theme related to your school or community context.
Define
Outline the problem in a simple manner such as:
How can we … (use and physically change everyday materials) ... to ... (design a sculpture/model)…for…(a sculpture walk/garden/display)?
Ideate
Brainstorm ideas related to the design of the sculpture. At this stage, to support creative thinking, every idea offered by students should be recorded in the class science journal. No idea is discounted, as the practicality/possibility of each idea will be considered later.
As students offer ideas, ask probing questions (Why do you think … or How do you know that…) to draw out the reasoning and evidence behind the idea.
- What materials could we use?
- What materials could represent other things?
- For example, scrunched and cut blue paper to represent the sea and waves, or twisted plastic to represent sea foam.
- How might they be changed?
- How could we join the materials together?
Once all ideas are listed discuss which ones might be easy to include in a design and which ones might not be.
Introduce the criteria for which the designs will be assessed. Invite students to add to these criteria if appropriate.
- Does it matter how tall or wide the sculpture is?
- Does the sculpture need to be colourful?
- Will the scuplture need to be moved? How will this affect your design?
Prototype
Students draw a design of their sculpture. Their design should include clear labels stating the materials used and how they will be changed.
Once students have drawn a design, they should build using their materials. Encourage students to use a variety of methods to connect different materials together, including sticky tape, glue, toothpicks etc.
Optional: Students are provided opportunities to share their ideas so they might receive peer feedback.
Design briefs
A design brief is an outline of the project, who benefits, and why they need help.
A design brief is an outline of the project, who benefits, and why they need help. This can be done through a simple ‘How can…so that…’ statement. As students move through the design cycle, they will develop a set of criteria to appraise their proposed solution/design.
A design brief is an outline of the project, who benefits, and why they need help. This can be done through a simple ‘How can…so that…’ statement. As students move through the design cycle, they will develop a set of criteria to appraise their proposed solution/design.
The Act phase empowers students to use the Core concepts and key ideas of science they have learned during the Inquire phase. It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility as members of society—to act rather than be acted upon. It provides students with the opportunity to positively influence their own life and that of the world around them. For this to occur, students need to build foundational skills in an interactive mutually supportive environment with their community.
When designing the Act phase, consider ways that students could use their scientific knowledge and skills. Consider their interests and lifestyles that may intersect with the core concepts and key ideas. What context or problem would provide students with a way to use science to synthesise a design? How (and to whom) will students communicate their understanding?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkA key part of Science Inquiry, the Communicate routine provides students with an opportunity to communicate their ideas effectively to others. It allows students a chance to show their learning to members of their community and provides a sense of belonging. It also encourages students to have a sense of responsibility to share their understanding of science and to use this to provide a positive influence in the community.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider who might be connected to the students that have an interest in science. Who in their lives could share their learning? What forum could be used to build an enthusiasm for science. Are there members of the community (parents, teachers, peers or wider community) who would provide a link to future science careers?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkSharing our designs
Test and share
Students share their designs with an appropriate audience, describing the materials used and how they were changed. You might do this by organising a class or community art show, by recording video of students displaying and discussing their artwork, or taking photographs of each artwork for students to annotate.
Consider how students might communicate their ideas about their sculpture/model with their audience. They might record a short video that can be watched as their sculpture/model is viewed, write a description to appear with their sculpture/model, stand alongside it and answer questions from the audience directly, or any combination of these.
Reflect on this sequence
You might:
- refer back to the list of student questions asked in the Launch phase. Determine which questions have been answered over the course of the learning sequence, what the ‘answers’ to the questions are, and the evidence that supports these claims. Address questions that have not been answered during the learning sequence, discuss why they might not have been addressed and potential investigations that might support students to answer them.
- consider what students have learnt about how materials can be changed, the factors that might determine how easy it is to make these changes, and how, despite these changes the materials remains the same. Ask students to represent this learning in words, symbols and pictures.
- discuss why it’s important to have a good understanding of materials and how they can be changed. What kinds of jobs would require you to understand this? What about in your everyday life?
