Earth and space year 10: UNDERSTANDING OUR UNIVERSE AND ITS ORIGIN
Year 10
The universe is so large that no words could really describe it. The following video gives you an idea of the scale of the universe.
How has scientific understanding affected how we view the universe?
ES1: Scientific understanding, including models and theories, are contestable and are refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community.
General information and revsion websites
- Science web Australia teaching units and resources for students
- Australian Academy of Science about Space and time
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
- Australian Space agency
Outline some of the major features contained in the universe, including galaxies, stars, solar systems and nebulae.
- “Life cycle of a star” information and worksheet summary questions PDF
- Youtube video about the relaive sizes of stars.
- Black holes, truth,myth and mysteries from the Australian Academy of sciences.
- video( youtube) on black holes answering many common questions and clearing misconceptions.
Describe, using examples, some technological developments that have advanced scientific understanding about the universe
Image from NASA weblink to the James Webb telescope due to be launched in 2021
- Infomation from NASA on the tools used to learn about Astronomy from NASA.
- Clickview video on measuring the universe.
Use appropriate scales to describe differences in sizes of and distances between structures making up the universe
- Youtube video on the powers of ten. This video shows the universe in a scale of powers of 10 to gain a perspective of the size of the universe.
- The image above is the distance in km from the Sun to Earth.This is also 1 Astronomical unit. Astronomical units can only go so far so there are various ways to measure distances in space; including Astronomical units, Light years and Parsecs.
- Youtube video on scales used in the universe and further information made by NASA.
- Parallax and measuring how far stars are in space.
The image below shows distances in Light years- the time taken for light travelling at its maximum speed( about 300,000 km/s) for a year.
Identify that all objects exert a force of gravity on all other objects in the universe.
- Undertstanding gravity by the Australian Academy of Science .
- Gravity visualised (you tube). A video demostrating the effect of gravity on stellar objects like planets using an analogy of a large fabric with masses added in the centre and the effects of revolving objects areound these masses. The image below comes from this video.
Use scientific evidence to outline how the Big Bang theory can be used to explain the origin of the universe and its age.
- Clickview video “Big Bang: The Theory and the Origin of the Universe” In this film, we explore the background of the Big Bang theory.
- Red shift ( you tube) as evidence for an expanding universe and a demostration of the doppler effect ( you tube)that simulated the original experiment conducted by doppler with musicians.
- Cosmic background radiation ( you tube) explained and how it supports the Big bang theory.
Outline how scientific thinking about the origin of the universe is refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community.
- Clickview video called “Exploring Space Giant Leaps Forward”looks at the future of the universe and human space exploration, looking at the continued and accelerating expansion of the universe, new space technologies and the potential start of a new ‘space race’.
- History of the universe timeline PDF from the open university.An interactive timeline from NASA
Practical activities/ideas
- NASA jet propulsion lab space-themed STEM activities and support resources
- Creating refracting telescopes using lenses
- Launching air/water rockets and testing variables
- Using gas tubes to observe emmsiion spectr with a spectroscope.
- Fizzics education practical activities.
- Science buddies website investigations.
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge and understanding in Stage 4.
Additional content can be found in the links above.
- Relate colours of stars to their age, size and distance from the Earth
- describe evidence used to support estimates of time in the universe
- describe some recent contributions made by Australian scientists in the exploration and study of the universe
- outline examples where advances in science and emerging science and technologies significantly affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities in areas such as astrophysics, geophysics, space science and vulcanology
Earth and space year 10:
EARTHS GEOLOGY AND ITS LANDSCAPES
Year 10
How does plate tectonics theory contribute to our understanding of the Earth’s physical structure?
ES2: The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and continental movement.
Outline how the theory of plate tectonics changed ideas about the structure of the Earth and continental movement over geological time
- Structure of the earth interactive In the early part of the 20th century, geologists studied the vibrations (seismic waves) generated by earthquakes to learn more about the structure of the earth’s interior. They discovered that it is made up of these distinct layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
- summary of the theory of plate tectonics from Live Science including videoes and animations regarding changes on earth brought about by moving continents.
Relate movements of the Earth’s plates to mantle convection currents and gravitational forces
- The Pangea Pop-up. The supercontinent Pangaea, with its connected South America and Africa, broke apart 200 million years ago. But the continents haven’t stopped shifting — the tectonic plates beneath our feet (in Earth’s two top layers, the lithosphere and the asthenosphere) are still traveling at about the rate your fingernails grow. Michael Molina discusses the catalysts and consequences of continental drift. A TEDEd video.
- A TEDEd video on plate tectonics explained Watch the video, and discuss some of the vocabularies that might be confusing you. Rewatch and make sure you are catching the key terms. tectonic plate, subduction, mantle, converging, diverging.
- The engine that drives the Earth. Peering into the mantle to reveal the inner working of our planet from the magazine Oceanis
Outline how the theory of plate tectonics explains earthquakes, volcanic activity and formation of new landforms
- Waves: seismic Images and Techtonics a video by Clickview. The programme then looks at how different waves behave depending on the nature of the material they are passing through. It shows how seismic survey teams make use of these differences in velocity, absorption, refraction and reflection to find out about underlying rock structures.
Describe how some technological developments have increased scientific understanding of global patterns in geological activity, including in the Asia-Pacific region
See links above that have many examples.
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge, and understanding in Stage 5.
- discuss technological developments that have extended the ability of scientists to collect information about, and monitor events in, the natural world
- outline examples where advances in science and emerging science and technologies significantly affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities in areas such as astrophysics, geophysics, space science and vulcanology.
Earth and space year 9: EARTHS GLOBAL SYSTEMS AND CLIMATE PATTERNS
Year 9
How do the global systems on Earth interact to affect climate?
ES3: People use scientific knowledge to evaluate claims, explanations or predictions in relation to interactions involving the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere
Global systems and spheres
Outline how global systems rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, including the carbon cycle
- a webpage dedicated to the different spheres on earth and links about each.
- Earth system science an introduction from NASA showing many relationships between the spheres.
- Carbon cycle summary from click view
- Activity: Build a terrarium to observe what is needed in an ecosystem.
- Gardening for lazy people- the longest living terrarium
- The atmosphere a summary of its parts and its uses. This video is by click view
- The biophysical environment video from click view. This video shows nteractions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere.
- The biogeochemical cycles on earth a click view video. Our planet has four spheres – the lithosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. This clip provides an overview of vital biogeochemical cycles that occur across the four spheres, including the nitrogen, phosphorous, water, and carbon cycles. It is an excellent resource for middle to upper-level students of biology and other natural sciences.
- ENSO is a webpage from the Bureau of meteorology that shows data relating to ocean currents, El Nino and La Nina as well as short tutorials describing the relationship between ocean currents and climate.
- Ocean acidification teacher resources and class activities
- This website also contains references to hurricanes and other global phenomena on the home page.
Impacts of natural events on the Earths spheres
Describe some impacts of natural events, including cyclones, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, on the Earth’s spheres
Cyclones
- The effects of cyclones on the environment
- Expect fewer cyclones, but the ones that form will pack a wallop. CYCLONE Debbie brings with it a scary prediction about the future destruction cyclones will wreak on Australian shores.
Volcanic eruptions
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How do volcanoes affect the climate? An article by the guardian
- volcanic hazards summary with definitions of key impacts.
- How do volcanic eruptions affect the environment and the climate? Carbon Brief has asked a number of experts what volcano eruptions mean for the climate, and whether or not we can expect this latest event to have global consequences.
Earthquakes
- Earthquake effects on the spheres
- Hazardous effects of earthquakes summary youtube video
- Earthquake effects Shaking, Landslides, Liquefaction, and Tsunamis
- Why do buildings fall down in an earthquake? An activity where students can use science journal app to design and test the effects on buildings using an earthquake simulator.
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge, and understanding in Stage 5.
- discuss technological developments that have extended the ability of scientists to collect information about, and monitor events in, the natural world
- examine the factors that drive deep ocean currents, their role in regulating climate and their effects on marine life
- research on how computer modelling has improved knowledge and predictability of phenomena, eg atmospheric pollution, ocean salinity and climate change
- outline examples where advances in science and emerging science and technologies significantly affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities in areas such as astrophysics, geophysics, space science and vulcanology
How does human activity affect global systems on Earth?
Evaluate scientific evidence of some current issues affecting society that are the result of human activity on global systems, eg the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, effect of climate change on sea levels, long-term effects of waste management and loss of biodiversity.
Background information, topics, interactives to help you with researching these effects.
Human-Caused Global Warming-The evidence and measurements behind this phenomena. It also includes links to data and lots of background explanations
Climate change facts booklet with questions and answers from the Australian Academy of Science
Greenhouse effect
- What is the greenhouse effect? An interactive that summarised the greenhouse effect. It also includes information about carbon and the feedback mechanisms in place that affects how carbon is cycled through the spheres.
- The Great Barrier Reef: Coral, Carbon and Climate Change a video from click view. The future of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s most significant marine environments, is under threat due to modern industry and agriculture. Featuring interviews with reef experts, including the director of the GBR Marine Park Authority, accredited reef divers and a Reef Guardians cane farmer, this programme presents an outstanding case study of environmental management for middle/senior secondary students.
Ozone layer
- Ozone Friend And Foe. A click view video investigates the chemistry, the causes of ozone and its effect of ozone on the environment.
- NASA ozone watch contains models of ozone and information about ozone
Sea level change
- Sea level rises and click view video that shows a catalyst resources about sea level rise as a response to human-caused global warming. Sea levels are rising and the consequences could be huge. By the end of this century, areas that currently flood once every hundred years could start to flood several times every year. The rising sea is the sleeping giant of climate change.
- Interactive sea level rise maps and another resource called Coastal risk Australia This BETA version of Coastal Risk Australia (CRA) has been opened for public consultation to show you what the Australian coast may look like in 2100. It is an interactive map tool designed to communicate coastal inundation associated with sea level rise to the year 2100. Using Google Earth Engine technology, CRA allows you to investigate the extent of coastal inundation using the latest 3D models of the Australian coastline. Data have been captured using airborne LiDAR technology to create detailed digital elevation models (DEMs), which are then combined with ‘bucket-fill’ inundation modelling to create the map-based visualisations.
- What sea level rise means for Australia an article from the Australian Academy of science.
Waste management
- A link to the series about the war on waste examples the causes and impacts of waste on our environment.
- Plastic pollution and its effect on the marine environment.
- electronic waste– Almost everything you know about e-waste is wrong and articles by the conversation Waste arises ubiquitously, but unevenly, throughout the lives of electronics, not only when users discard their devices. No amount of post-consumer recycling can recoup the waste generated before consumers purchase their devices.
- planet or plastic? A video resource from the Australian Academy of science.
biodiversity loss
- Water an biodiversity a click view video This introductory learning unit explains what biodiversity is, allowing students to understand how the availability of water determines the diversity of life on Earth and the different ways in which water relates to living beings.
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Climate Change Is Becoming a Top Threat to Biodiversity. Climate change will be the fastest-growing cause of species loss in the Americas by midcentury, according to a new set of reports from the leading global organization on ecosystems and biodiversity
Discuss the reasons different groups in society may use or weight criteria differently to evaluate claims, explanations or predictions in making decisions about contemporary issues involving interactions of the Earth’s spheres.
e.g. coal seam gas extraction
- Unconventional Gas: Coal Seam Gas Risks. This material is from the lock the gate alliance.
- What is coal seam gas fact sheet 1: From the NSW government
- Exploration and production fact sheet 2.From the NSW government.
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge, and understanding in Stage 5.
- discuss the development and implications of international agreements relating to biodiversity and climate change, eg the original 1987 Montreal Protocol, 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
