Search results

Video

Understanding the National Earthquake Alerts Centre

This video introduces the National Earthquake Alerts Centre. The video explains that earthquakes are detected by a network of seismometers; each station sends seismic information for analysis and checking by seismologists on duty. The video describes the types of wave forms in earthquakes and the sequence of events in ...

Downloadable

Make your own microbit seismometer instructions and classroom activities

This 12 page guide explains how to set up a micro:bit as a mini seismometer that will detect shaking, and how to collect and display the data. The guide also includes classroom-ready activities on how to introduce and explore vibrations and earthquake monitoring.

Text

Geography: Landscapes and Landforms

Join Shona from Geoscience Australia and explore the formation of Australia's coastal, desert and mountain landforms and landscapes.

Text

Cranky Contraptions

This activity invites students to make Cranky Contraptions, kinetic sculptures that animate a character or scene when a handle is turned. These automata are powered by a simple crank slider mechanism which provides the basic motion. Everyday materials around can be repurposed into these contraptions. The activity includes ...

Video

Introduction to fossils

This video demonstrates different types of fossils, explains how fossils form and discusses why fossils why fossils are so useful for learning about life on Earth.

Video

Liquefaction In Action

This short video examines the process of liquefaction and its impact on buildings and other structures. The video encourages students to investigate some of the ways engineers lessen the impact of earthquakes on buildings and to make their own liquefaction demonstration and extend it into an inquiry activity.

Video

AERO Ochre Science Year 9 Unit 1 - Light and sound

This sequence of 15 lessons describes the properties of light and sound, and how they interact with the world around us.

Text

Naked Egg

This activity invites students to use a giant cell (a de-shelled chicken egg) to explore the comings and goings of cellular substances. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions for further activities.

Text

Cardboard Automata

This activity invites students to explore simple mechanical elements such as cams, levers, and linkages, while creating a moving sculpture. This activity is simple to start but may become more and more complex as students become familiar with possible motions and imagine ways to artistically decorate their contraption. ...

Video

Identifying Minerals - Determining Density

This short video demonstrates how to determine the density of a mineral sample. The video explains how to calculate density, then shows students how accurately measure the mass and volume of a mineral sample.

Downloadable

How my water travels

In this lesson sequence, students explore what happens as water soaks into or runs over the ground. They gain an understanding of a catchment from a sandpit model that show how water moves across the landscape. Students then trace the journey that their water takes every day, from catchment or aquifer to tap.

Text

Melting Ice and Rising Seas

This activity invites students to investigate how melting ice is a factor contributing to sea level rise. They explore whether the location of melting ice on Earth affects the way sea level rise occurs by making a model of seas, ice and continents. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, what to do ...

Text

Bubbles

This activity invites students to explore the phenomena of bubbles and investigate the question, 'What happens when you blow a lot of bubbles?' Students blow dome-shaped bubbles on a flat surface to investigate the properties of bubbles and combinations of bubbles. The activity is designed for use at home or in a classroom ...

Text

Organ Pipe

This activity invites students to make a model organ pipe and explore how to amplify a tuning fork by holding it over the pipe and changing the length of the pipe. They investigate how at certain pipe lengths, the pitch made by the tuning fork sounds very loud as it resonates with the air column in the pipe. The activity ...

Video

Fossil Shell Stories

This video presents examples of shell fossils that help us to understand where oceans were located in Australia millions of years ago. The shells lived in shallow marine environments before they died and became part of the rocks formed from sand and silt at the bottom of the water. Brachiopods from Woolshed Creek in Canberra ...

Video

Stellar scintillation

This resource explores a concept belonging to the Meriam (Mer) people of the Torres Strait who have long understood the importance of stellar scintillation to their lives. and the ways it can prove useful in understanding our environment. This activity involves watching a video of an elder playing a Meriam star song and ...

Downloadable

Sustainable water sources

In this lesson, students research alternative water sources such as desalination, recycled water, stormwater, rainwater and greywater. They use this information to design a water and energy saving solution to a water supply problem.

Downloadable

What can water do?

In this lesson, students participate in four tasks to develop an understanding of the properties of water, specifically how water changes when warmed or cooled.

Video

AERO Ochre Science Year 10 Unit 1 - Genetics

In this sequence of 15 lessons students will learn about how genetics and DNA are inherited from parents in fertilisation, as well as how DNA replicates itself.

Text

Ice Balloons

This activity invites students to experiment with a frozen water balloon and learn about water chemistry, phase changes, and density. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions for further activities.