Dig deep
View Sequence overviewStudents will:
- review and discuss what they have learned about soil, rocks and minerals.
- design and make a sustainable creation that uses or reuses a material that exists because of soil, rocks or minerals.
- share their sustainable creation with others.
Students will represent their understanding as they:
- discuss what conclusions they have drawn about soil, rocks and minerals.
- add extra information about soil, rocks and minerals to the class geology quest map.
- communicate their knowledge gained by sharing their sustainable creation in an appropriate way.
Students working at the achievement standard (Science understanding) should:
- be able to recognise that soil, rocks and minerals are valuable and important Earth resources.
- applied their learning by creating and sharing their sustainable creation.
There is also potential for assessment of the achievement standard related to Science as a human endeavour, depending upon the focus of the Act task selected. Consider if this is possible and how and what you might assess.
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)
Geology quest map from Lesson 1
Each student
Individual science journals (digital or hard-copy)
Materials to make a sustainable creation (see Selecting the prompt for the Act phase on the Preparing for this sequence tab in the Sequence overview for further details)
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 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 soil, rocks and minerals.
- What is in soil?
- Why is soil important?
- What is a rock made of?
- How might one rock be different to another rock?
- Why are rocks and minerals important?
Add any further questions that the students pose to the class science journal, to honour their interest and curiosity.
Anchor to the core science concept and key ideas by discussing with students how all the investigations in this teaching sequence have been about:
- observing, comparing, sorting and classifying soil, rocks and minerals according to similarities and differences.
- soil, rocks and minerals as an important part of Earth that change over time.
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 FrameworkGeology quest
Refer to the geology quest map of the school from Lesson 1 and discuss:
- any changes students would like to make to the map.
- any extra information they can add to the map, for example, where they would find minerals.
- any changes they could make to the playground that involve soil, rocks or minerals, for example building a veggie garden, a worm farm, or creating an area for mud pie making.
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?
Sustainable creation
Using the steps of the design thinking process, students apply their knowledge gained throughout the sequence to contribute to the sustainability of Earth’s resources by using/reusing a material that was dependent on soil, rocks, or minerals.
You might present students with a design brief to outline their goals. Examples include making seed bombs/balls or clay pots (soil focus), microhabitats with rocks and tiles (rock focus), or planning a new recycling system for aluminum cans and glass (mineral focus). See Selecting the prompt for the Act phase in Preparing for this sequence for further advice.
If you have determined that you will add some parameters around the design, for example relating to materials available, design and construction time limits, introduce those here. Consider if the creation should adhere to a specific theme related to your school or community context (such as recycling, biodiversity, resident native animal etc.).
Define
Outline the problem in a simple manner such as:
How can we…(contribute to the sustainability of Earth’s resources)…by…(using/reusing a material)…for…(our school/community/backyard/home)?
Ideate
Brainstorm ideas related to the sustainable creation.
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/reuse?
- How is/was that material reliant on soil, rocks or minerals?
- How does this improve sustainability of the Earth’s resources?
- Reusing materials reduces waste, natural materials can be composted later, growing more trees helps the environment etc.
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...is?
- Who will use your design? What do they need?
- How will we know if the design is a success?
- How could we test the design?
Prototype
Students draw a design of their sustainable creation. Their design should include clear labels stating the materials used.
If appropriate, assign pairs or collaborative teams for construction.
Optional: Students are provided with an opportunity to share their designs with their team and receive feedback. Teams then discuss, decide upon and draw one final prototype.
Allow sufficient time for the sustainable creation to be completed.
Optional: Students test their creation and make changes to improve it.
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 creations
Students share their creation(s) with an appropriate audience, describing:
- the materials used/reused.
- how the sustainable creation is dependent on soil, rocks or minerals, and/or is made from materials dependent on rocks, soils and minerals.
- the purpose of their creation.
- how the creation contributes to the sustainability of the Earth’s resources.
The type of creation will guide how students share their creations. For example, you might:
- invite another class or local community members to view the creation(s).
- take photographs of each creation for students to annotate then publish in a class booklet, school newsletter, local newspaper etc.
- record a short video to share with others.
- send home the creation with an explanation of the sustainable creation.
Reflect on the 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, and discuss why they might not have been addressed and potential investigations that might support students to answer them.
- consider what students have learnt about the properties of soil, rocks and minerals, and their importance in our everyday lives. Ask students to represent this learning in words, symbols and pictures.
- discuss why it’s important to have a good understanding of soil, rocks, minerals and sustainability. What kinds of jobs would require you to understand this? What about in your everyday life?