Take 3 - Investigating Ocean Connections

Australian curriculum content descriptions: 

Depending on the activities you choose, you may meet the following content descriptions:

Year 7 Geography:

• The way that flows of water connects places as it moves through the environment and the way this affects places (ACHGK038)
• Evaluate sources for their reliability and usefulness and select, collect and record relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS048)

Year 8 Geography

• Spiritual, aesthetic and cultural value of landscapes and landforms for people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACHGK049)
• Human causes and effects of landscape degradation (ACHGK051)
• Evaluate sources for their reliability and usefulness and select, collect and record relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS056)

Year 9 Geography:

• Challenges to food production, including land and water degradation, shortage of fresh water, competing land uses, and climate change, for Australia and other areas of the world (ACHGK063)
• The perceptions people have of place, and how these influence their connections to different places (ACHGK065)
• Evaluate sources for their reliability, bias and usefulness and select, collect, record and organise relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from a range of appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS064)

Year 10 Geography:

• Human-induced environmental changes that challenge sustainability (ACHGK070)
• Evaluate sources for their reliability, bias and usefulness and select, collect, record and organise relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from a range of appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS073)

Year 7 Science:

• Interactions between organisms, including the effects of human activities can be represented by food chains and food webs (ACSSU112)
• Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, including water that cycles through the environment, but others are non-renewable (ACSSU116)
• Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types, including fieldwork and experiments, ensuring safety and ethical guidelines are followed (ACSIS125)
• Communicate ideas, findings and evidence based solutions to problems using scientific language, and representations, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS133)

Year 8 Science:

• Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types, including fieldwork and experiments, ensuring safety and ethical guidelines are followed (ACSIS140)
• Communicate ideas, findings and evidence-based solutions to problems using scientific language, and representations, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS148)

Year 9 Science

• Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (ACSSU176)
• Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including fieldwork and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS165)
• Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations (ACSIS174)

Year 10 Science:

• Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere (ACSSU189)
• Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including fieldwork and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS199)
• Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations (ACSIS208)

Syllabus outcomes: GE4-1, GE4-2, GE4-3, GE4-4, GE4-5, GE4-6, GE4-7, GE5-2, GE5-3, GE5-5, GE5-7, SC4-5WS, SC4-6WS, SC4-9WS, SC4-12ES, SC4-15LW, SC5-5WS, SC5-6WS, SC5-9WS, SC5-12ES, SC5-14L

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability

Relevant parts of Year 7 Geography achievement standards: Students explain interconnections between people and places and environments and describe how these interconnections change places and environments. They evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources to locate useful information and data.

Relevant parts of Year 8 Geography achievement standards: Students explain interconnections within environments and between people and places and explain how they change places and environments. They evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources to locate useful and reliable information and data.

Relevant parts of Year 9 Geography achievement standards: Students analyse interconnections between people, places and environments and explain how these interconnections influence people, and change places and environments. They evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources to select and collect relevant and reliable geographical information and data.

Relevant parts of Year 10 Geography achievement standards: Students identify, analyse and explain significant interconnections between people, places and environments and explain changes that result from these interconnections and their consequences. They critically evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources to select and collect relevant, reliable and unbiased geographical information and data.

Relevant parts of Year 7 Science achievement standards: Students analyse how the sustainable use of resources depends on the way they are formed and cycle through Earth systems. They predict the effect of human and environmental changes on interactions between organisms. They plan fair experimental methods, identifying variables to be changed and measured. They communicate their ideas, methods and findings using scientific language and appropriate representations.

Relevant parts of Year 8 Science achievement standards: Students consider safety and ethics when planning investigations, including designing field or experimental methods. They use appropriate language and representations to communicate science ideas, methods and findings in a range of text types.

Relevant parts of Year 9 Science achievement standards: Students analyse how biological systems function and respond to external changes with reference to interdependencies, energy transfers and flows of matter. They design methods that include the control and accurate measurement of variables and systematic collection of data and describe how they considered ethics and safety. They evaluate others’ methods and explanations from a scientific perspective and use appropriate language and representations when communicating their findings and ideas to specific audiences.

Relevant parts of Year 10 Science achievement standards: Students describe and analyse interactions and cycles within and between Earth’s spheres. They explain how they have considered reliability, safety, fairness and ethical actions in their methods and identify where digital technologies can be used to enhance the quality of data. They construct evidence-based arguments and select appropriate representations and text types to communicate science ideas for specific purposes.

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work Take 3 For The Sea – Project-based Learning – Years 7 to 10

Time required: 60+ mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium to high – will depend on activities chosen. These could include leading class discussions, overseeing activities, and conducting experiments and demonstrations.

• Background To The Water Cycle
• Device capable of presenting a website and video to the class
• Food Chains And Food Webs Factsheet
• Interview Tips
• Microplastics Factsheet
• Microplastics Science Experiment Instructions
• Oxygen And Plants Experiments
• Plastic Waste Breakdown Experiment
• Science Communication Piece Assessment Rubric
• Survey Tips
• Thinking Hats Worksheet

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• Communication
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking

Take 3 is an Australian charity removing rubbish from the environment through education programs, international campaigns and clean-ups. Take 3’s call to action is simple: Take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere and you have made a difference.