Scientific investigations
Stage 6 Investigating science - Module 5
Students engage in an authentic opportunity to design and conduct investigations in a local ecosystem. The day begins with students exploring the ecosystem to generate ideas for inquiry. Students then design and conduct two investigations, one examining the distribution of species and one factors that influence an abiotic factor. Throughout the day, students make observations, write hypotheses, and design and conduct investigations.
The rock platform ecosystem is most popular for this excursion, offering a rich and dynamic ecosystem that naturally sparks student curiosity, however excursions can be conducted at multiple locations.
Excursions can be tailored to suit specific school programs or depth study requirements.
Site options include
Rock platform
Rock platform
- Explore the environment to spark curiosity and brainstorm relationships and patterns to investigate
- Design and conduct an investigation into the distribution of species
- Design and conduct an investigation into an abiotic factor, e.g., salinity of rock pools
Stage 6 Investigating Science (2017)
- develops and evaluates questions and hypotheses for scientific investigation INS11/12-1
- designs and evaluates investigations in order to obtain primary and secondary data and information INS11/12-2
- conducts investigations to collect valid and reliable primary and secondary data and information INS11/12-3
- develops and evaluates the process of undertaking scientific investigations INS12-12
"The students keep telling me it was the best excursion they have ever gone on and I am so happy that they have absorbed and applied so many of the syllabus outcomes."