At Scienceworks from December 2008 to April 2009
Education kit
Acknowledgements
Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Developed by Questacon — The National Science and Technology Centre Canberra.
This education kit contains materials developed by Priscilla Gaff and Angela Muscat,
education officers at Scienceworks.
© Museum Victoria 2008
Teachers may copy the material in this education kit for classroom use.
Scienceworks
2 Booker Street Spotswood, Victoria, 3015
http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/
http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/education/
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Contents
Teacher notes
3
Essential preparation
4
Curriculum links
5
Level 3
5
Level 4
6
Level 5
7
Exhibits
8
Exhibition floor plan
10
Internet resources
11
School based activities
12
Activity 1: Post box activity
12
Activity 2: Earthquakes
14
Activity 3: Convection currents
15
Activity 4: Slowmation: Moving continents
17
Activity 5: Volcanoes!
21
Activity 6: Lava flows
22
Activity 7: Ideas from Questacon
23
Activity 8: Our Sun
24
Activity 9: Reasons for the seasons on Earth
28
Activity 10: A model showing the path of the Sun
30
Activity 11: Some days are really longer than others
32
Activity 12: Order of the planets
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http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/education/
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Teacher notes
Earth Quest – Outer Space to Inner Earth covers a wide range of topics, and with more
than 30 interactive exhibits, there’s something for everyone. From astronomy, geology,
geography, environmental science to biology, this exhibition will allow visitors to learn
more about our fascinating planet.
Earth Quest is suitable for students from Year 3 to Year 10.
These education materials provide teachers with resources to plan a successful class
visit to the exhibition at Scienceworks.
Please note:
Earth Quest is at Scienceworks from 6 December 2008 until 19 April 2009.
The museum is open from 10.00am until 4.30pm daily.
School groups will be booked into the Earth Quest exhibition for 60 minutes,
and will also spend 30 minutes in Experiment Zone.
Bookings are essential: telephone 03 9392 4819.
For details of other education programs and resources, visit our website:
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
MVteachers – the only way for teachers to get in free!
We recommend that teachers familiarise themselves with Scienceworks and the
exhibition prior to the excursion. Teachers who subscribe to MVteachers receive free
general entry to Scienceworks for purposes of excursion planning.
For full details of benefits and conditions, or to join online visit :
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Education/MVteachers/
http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/education/
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Essential preparation
Creating interest in the subject of an exhibition is vital to a successful and enjoyable
museum experience.
Research has shown that setting clear objectives for a museum visit and discussing
them with students is extremely important. It makes the purpose of the visit clear and
assists students to focus and work together during the visit.
Prior to your visit to Scienceworks, take some time in class to discuss your excursion
and to assess your students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject. The
information in this kit should be used as a basis for discussing the exhibits in Earth
Quest.
Before your excursion
Photocopy the Scienceworks site map on your confirmation letter and discuss with your
students what they will be doing on their visit. Get them to locate toilets and the
amphitheatre (lunch space), as well as the exhibition galleries that they are booked into.
Photocopy the Earth Quest exhibition floor plan in this kit and discuss the exhibits with
your students. Refer to the ‘Exhibits’ section of this kit for details.
Review the ‘School based activities’ section of this kit and choose several activities that
are suitable for your students. You may like to do several activities with the class before
the excursion and several more in the days after your visit. Feel free to review and adapt
these to ensure that they are appropriate for your students.
Divide your class into groups before you arrive at Scienceworks. Ideally, groups of 3-4
students will be best to avoid crowding around the exhibits in Earth Quest. Discuss with
your students in advance how they will move through the exhibition and what they might
see.
On the day of the excursion, encourage students to bring their digital cameras so they
can document their experience and use the images to review and reflect on their time in
the exhibition.
Please check your confirmation letter to ensure that the details of your excursion are
correct. If there is a problem with your booking, please telephone Scienceworks Booking
Office 03 9392 4819.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/education/
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Curriculum links
The exhibits and themes of the Earth Quest exhibition are closely related to the
standards and learning focuses of Levels 3-5 of the Victorian Essential Learning
Standards (VELS).
Physical, Personal &
Social Learning
Level 3
Domain
Dimension & Standard
Interpersonal
Development
Working in teams
cooperate with others in teams for agreed purposes, taking roles and following
guidelines established within the task.
describe and evaluate their own contribution and the team’s progress towards the
achievement of agreed goals.
Personal
Learning
Discipline-based Learning
Science
Science knowledge and understanding
• use appropriate scientific vocabulary to describe and explain their observations
and investigations.
• describe natural physical and biological conditions, and human influences in the
environment, which affect the survival of living things.
• describe the relationship between day and night and the rotation of the Earth.
• explain how features of the landscape are altered by processes of weathering
and erosion.
Science at work
• select and use simple measuring equipment, use a range of appropriate
methods to record observations, and comment on trends.
• explain how scientific knowledge is used, or could be used, to solve a social
issue or problem. Describe aspects of the work of scientists and how this has
contributed to science knowledge.
Humanities
Geography
ICT
Interdisciplinary Learning
Managing personal learning
students set short-term, achievable goals in relation to specific tasks.
complete short tasks by planning and allocating appropriate time and resources.
demonstrate a positive attitude towards their learning.
Thinking
Humanities knowledge and understandings
describe how aspects of places in their local area have changed over time.
from direct observations, they describe the physical characteristics of their local
area, and Victoria.
ICT for communicating
students initiate and compose email messages to known and unknown audiences
and, where appropriate, send replies.
locate information on an intranet, and locate information from websites.
Reflection, evaluation and metacognition
students identify strategies they use to organise their ideas, and use appropriate
language to explain their thinking.
identify and provide reasons for their point of view, and justify changes in their
thinking.
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
collect information from a range of sources.
question the validity of sources when appropriate.
apply thinking strategies to organise information and concepts in a variety of
contexts, including problem solving activities.
provide reasons for their conclusions.
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Level 4
Physical, Personal and
Social Learning
Domain
Interpersonal
Development
Personal
Learning
Discipline-based Learning
Science
Humanities
Geography
Interdisciplinary
Learning
ICT
Thinking
Dimension & Standard
Working in teams
work effectively in different teams and take on a variety of roles to complete tasks
of varying length and complexity.
work cooperatively to allocate tasks and develop timelines.
accept responsibility for their role and tasks.
Managing personal learning
undertake some set tasks independently, identifying stages for completion.
describe task progress and achievements, suggesting how outcomes may have
been improved.
seek and use learning support when needed from peers, teachers and other
adults.
demonstrate a positive attitude to learning within and outside the classroom.
Science knowledge and understanding
use everyday examples to illustrate the transforming and transferring of energy.
apply the terms relationships, models and systems appropriately as ways of
representing complex structures.
describe the composition of layers within the Earth.
explain the function of the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Science at work
analyse a range of science-related local issues and describe the relevance of
science to their own and other people’s lives.
design and build simple models and write an account of the science that is central
to explanation of the model.
approach data collection systematically, and analyse data qualitatively in terms of
errors of measurement.
use the terms relationships and cause and effect when discussing and drawing
conclusions from the data they collect.
Geographic knowledge and understanding
use geographic language to identify and describe the human and physical
characteristics of local and global environments depicted by different kinds of
maps, diagrams, photographs and satellite images.
Geospatial skills
identify features from maps, satellite images, and oblique photographs.
ICT for communicating
use email, websites and ‘frequently asked questions’ facilities to acquire from, or
share information with, peers and known and unknown experts.
successfully upload their work to a protected public online space.
evaluate the integrity of the located information based on its accuracy and the
reliability of the web host.
Reflection, evaluation & metacognition
articulate their thinking processes.
document changes in their ideas and beliefs over time.
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
use the information they collect to develop concepts, solve problems or inform
decision making.
develop reasoned arguments using supporting evidence.
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Level 5
Physical, Personal and
Social Learning
Domain
Interpersonal
Development
Personal
Learning
Discipline-based Learning
Science
Working in teams
•
accept responsibility as a team member and support other members to share
information, explore the ideas of others, and work cooperatively to achieve a
shared purpose within a realistic timeframe.
•
reflect on individual and team outcomes and act to improve their own and the
team’s performance.
Managing personal learning
•
complete short, extended and group tasks within set timeframes, prioritising
their available time, utilising appropriate resources and demonstrating
motivation.
•
demonstrate a positive and structured approach to learning, identifying and
using effective strategies that assist with study, both at school and at home.
Science knowledge and understanding
•
explain the relationships, past and present, in living and non-living systems,
and human impact on these systems.
•
use time scales to explain the changing Earth and its place in space.
•
use physical and theoretical models to investigate geological processes.
Science at work
•
make systematic observations and interpret recorded data appropriately,
according to the aims of the study.
•
make and use models and images from computer software to interpret and
explain observations.
•
identify, analyse and ask their own questions in relation to scientific ideas or
issues of interest.
Humanities
Geography
ICT
Interdisciplinary
Learning
Dimension & Standard
Thinking
Geographic knowledge and understanding
•
identify and describe Australia’s significant natural processes.
•
use geographic language to identify and describe the human and physical
characteristics of local and global environments depicted by different kinds of
maps, diagrams, photographs and satellite images.
Geospatial skills
•
analysis of information from a range of geographic data to form a conclusion.
ICT for communicating
•
use complex search strategies to refine their searches.
•
judge the integrity of the located information.
•
share their ideas through their blog, website or other public forums, which are
correctly formatted, comply with ICT conventions and demonstrate an
awareness of the characteristics that contribute to products meeting their
purpose.
Reflection, evaluation & metacognition
•
modify and evaluate their thinking strategies.
•
describe and explain changes that may occur in their ideas and beliefs over
time.
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
•
use a range of question types, and locate and select relevant information from
varied sources when undertaking investigations.
•
complete activities focusing on problem solving and decision making which
involve an increasing number of variables and solutions.
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Exhibits
The 30 interactive exhibits in Earth Quest – Outer Space to Inner Earth cover a wide
range of topics in four broad areas: Astronomy, Atmosphere, Surface and Sub Surface.
These exhibition areas are marked on the exhibition floor plan in this kit.
The content of the exhibits is presented in a manner that will assist students and other
visitors to find answers to questions such as: Why do we have seasons? How do
mountains form? How have animals adapted to life in different environments? How can
fossils be used to date their surroundings?
As with all the best Scienceworks exhibitions, visitors will be encouraged to get handson, whether it’s piecing together tectonic plates, spinning the Earth while watching tidal
patterns, or acting as a palaeontologist as they dig for a dinosaur fossil.
Exhibit title
Exhibit message & description
Astronomy
1. Galaxy Gaze
2. Spinning Sun
3. The Solar System
4. Seasons in a Spin
5. Turn the Tides
6. Size of Planets
The location of our Sun and other features in the Milky
Way. Little is known about our Milky Way due to high
levels of dust blocking the view for astronomers.
As the Sun spins, it bulges slightly at its equator.
A model showing the order of planets in the Solar
System and the time they take to orbit the Sun.
How the Earth's tilted axis and orbit around the Sun
creates seasons on Earth by changing the angle of
sunlight hitting Earth.
Two low and two high tides occur on Earth every 24
hours. Tides are caused by the Moon orbiting the Earth.
A scaled comparison of the size of planets in our Solar
System.
Atmosphere
7. The Air Up There
8. Swirled World
9. What Weather?
10. Air Pressure
11. What’s in the Air?
12. Ozone
The layers of Earth’s atmosphere and the natural
features that can be found in each layer.
How the Earth's spin and landforms generate weather
patterns (Coriolis force).
Predicting the weather (and judging the best clothing to
wear) by observing clouds.
Air pressure changes as you reach different levels of the
Earth’s atmosphere.
Which gas is mostly commonly found in Earth’s
atmosphere—nitrogen or oxygen?
Explores facts and myths about the ozone ‘hole’, while
testing visitor’s knowledge.
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Exhibit title
Exhibit message & description
Surface
13. Making Mountains
14. Deep Sea Glow
15. Urban Jungle
16. Hidden Depths
17. Food Pyramids
18. Plants in Place
19. Living Cells
20. Evolution
21. Landscape
Journey
How movement of the Earth’s crust causes the formation
of mountains on the Earth’s surface.
Examples of deep-sea creatures that use
bioluminescence to attract prey.
Some animals have adapted to find homes in natural
and urban environments.
The highest mountains and deepest trenches are found
under the Earth's oceans.
Demonstrates how there are more animals at the
‘bottom’ of a food pyramid than at the ‘top’.
Plants have evolved features to cope with different
temperatures, light levels and water levels.
All living things are made from cells, from single celled
paramecium through to plants and animals with billions
of cells.
Different animals living in similar environments have
evolved similar limbs and body shapes to move through
their common environment. This is known as convergent
evolution.
As you travel around Australia, you pass through many
different ecosystems. These landscapes differ in their
temperature ranges, average rainfall and soil type.
Sub Surface
22. Earthquake
23.Volcanoes
24. Core Samples
25. Surface to Core
26.Tectonic Plates
27. Fossils
28. How Deep?
29. Exploring Earth
30. Dig a Hole
Earthquakes are caused by stresses of tectonic plates
moving against each other.
Erupting volcanoes create mountains by building up lava
deposits over many years.
Core samples allow scientists to study Earth’s history
and natural resources.
Displays Earth’s sub-surface layers from the inner core
to the crust.
The Earth's crust consists of tectonic plates, which fit
together like a puzzle (most ‘joins’ are on the ocean
floor).
Certain fossils can help scientists date layers of rock.
These fossils lived during a certain period of time and
are called index fossils.
How deep have humans ventured into the Earth
compared with other living things?
How do scientists know what is located at the centre of
the Earth, when they have never been deeper than the
crust?
Explore where you would come out if you dug a hole
through the centre of the Earth from different starting
points.
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Exhibition floor plan
http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/education/
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Earth Quest — Outer Space to Inner Earth
Teacher notes
Internet resources
Background information
Questacon:
http://earthquest.questacon.edu.au/
Earth sciences resources
Geoscience Australia:
http://www.ga.gov.au/
Look up recent Australian earth tremors
Seismology research centre, Australia:
http://www.seis.com.au/
Animation on how earthquakes happen:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/animations/earthquakes/index.html
BBC animations that explain earthquakes, volcanoes, faults and folds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4126809.stm
Earthquake activities for kids:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/kids//
Earthquakes video
National Geographic:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/environment-naturaldisasters/earthquakes/earthquake-101.html
Volcanoes video
National Geographic:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/environment-naturaldisasters/volcanoes/volcanoes-101.html
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