MAKING SENSE OF THE NATURE OF SCIENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO TECHNOLOGY: LEVEL 4

ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES

Students can

plan and carry out a 'fair test' and make decisions about whether the conclusions drawn from an investigation are soundly based;
investigate examples of simple technology to clarify some scientific ideas, e.g., a Māori planting calendar and the Earth's relationship with the Sun and Moon, hair driers and evaporation, use of yeast in food and drink production;
investigate ways in which developments in science and technology have changed the lives of older members of the community or made life easier for people with specific physical difficulties.

Students could be learning by:

working in teams to plan a long-term investigation on effects of naturally produced fabric dyes (M 4.2);
drawing conclusions from data gathered on the variability of seed numbers per pod in kówhai species (L 4.3);
investigating the effect of different wheels on the speed of a skateboard (P 4.4);
investigating, designing, and constructing an Archimedes' screw to illustrate the principle of its use in water irrigation (P 4.4);
investigating the science involved in using a photo-electric door opener (P 4.4);
constructing a paper crinkler from a construction kit and explaining how it works, and why we use it (P 4.4);
interviewing an older person about their childhood memories of housework (P 3.4);
carrying out a 'fair test' on the reliability of weather reports (E 4.1).

ASSESSMENT EXAMPLES

Teachers and students could assess the students':

ability to perform appropriate measurements, when the students evaluate the water resistance of different fabrics;
ability to recognise whether or not a conclusion is soundly based, when the students reflect on three conclusions provided in a report of a 'fair test' to determine the best stain remover;
knowledge of levers, when the students explain the use of levers in cutting instruments;
ability to plan an interview, when the students list the questions they would like to ask an older person, or a person with a specific physical difficulty, about the way new inventions have changed their lives;
ability to carry out an investigation, when the students compare the cooking of food in a conventional oven and a microwave oven.