Understanding Battery Safety and Sustainability

These resources are part of the Visy Battery Safety Education Project, created in collaboration with Visy.

This cross-curricular suite of battery education lessons, designed for primary and secondary students across Science, Design and Technologies, and Humanities and Social Sciences, has been developed to build understanding of how batteries work, how they are used in everyday life, and how they can be managed safely and sustainably.

Across the five standalone lessons, students explore the science of energy storage, the role of community and industry systems, and the importance of responsible decision-making when using and disposing of batteries. Each lesson can be taught independently, allowing teachers to select the most relevant content for their students, context and curriculum focus.

These lessons have been designed to:

• investigate how batteries store and release energy, and how this energy can be transferred and transformed in everyday devices

• explore how different types of batteries are used for different purposes, and the risks associated with energy storage

• examine how local government and industry services manage battery disposal to protect people and the environment

• analyse how material properties and system design influence the safety, sustainability and usability of battery management solutions

• apply scientific and design thinking to develop practical solutions and communication tools that promote safe battery use and disposal.

Through scientific inquiry, systems thinking and real-world application, students develop the knowledge and skills to make informed choices about battery use. They are supported to understand their role in keeping themselves, others and the environment safe, and to take meaningful action within their homes, schools and communities.

Scroll down to explore each lesson or click the download button on the right-hand side of this unit to download the entire unit at once. ✨