Over Years 7 to 10, students develop their understanding of microscopic and atomic structures; how systems at a range of scales are shaped by flows of energy and matter and interactions due to forces and develop the ability to quantify changes and relative amounts.

In Year 7, students explore the diversity of life on Earth and continue to develop their understanding of the role of classification in ordering and organising information. They use and develop models such as food chains, food webs and the water cycle to represent and analyse the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems and explore the impact of changing components within these systems. They consider the interaction between multiple forces when explaining changes in an object’s motion. They explore the notion of renewable and non-renewable resources and consider how this classification depends on the timescale considered. They investigate relationships in the Earth-sun-moon system and use models to predict and explain events. Students make accurate measurements and control variables to analyse relationships between system components. They explore and explain these relationships through appropriate representations and consider the role of science in decision making processes.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES:

Classification helps organise the diverse group of organisms (ACSSU111)

• investigating classification systems used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and how they differ with respect to approach and purpose from those used by contemporary science
• considering the reasons for classifying such as identification and communication
• considering how biological classifications have changed over time
• classifying using hierarchical systems such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
• classifying using hierarchical systems such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
• using provided keys to identify organisms surveyed in a local habitat

Interactions between organisms, including the effects of human activities can be represented by food chains and food webs (ACSSU112)

• investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ responses to the disruptive interactions of invasive species and their effect on important food webs that many communities are a part of, and depend on, for produce and medicine
• using food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat
• constructing and interpreting food webs to show relationships between organisms in an environment
• classifying organisms of an environment according to their position in a food chain
• recognising the role of microorganisms within food chains and food webs
• investigating the effect of human activity on local habitats, such as deforestation, agriculture or the introduction of new species
• exploring how living things can cause changes to their environment and impact other living things, such as the effect of cane toads
• researching specific examples of human activity, such as the effects of palm oil production in Sumatra and Borneo

CHEMICAL SCIENCES

Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of techniques (ACSSU113)

• investigating separation techniques used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, such as hand picking, sieving, winnowing, yandying, filtering, cold-pressing and steam distilling
• recognising the differences between pure substances and mixtures and identifying examples of each
• identifying the solvent and solute in solutions
• investigating and using a range of physical separation techniques such as filtration, decantation, evaporation, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation
• exploring and comparing separation methods used in the home

EARTH & SPACE SCIENCES

Predictable phenomena on Earth, including seasons and eclipses, are caused by the relative positions of the sun, Earth and the moon (ACSSU115)

• researching knowledges held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples regarding the phases of the moon and the connection between the lunar cycle and ocean tides 
• researching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ oral traditions and cultural recordings of solar and lunar eclipses and investigating similarities and differences with contemporary understandings of such phenomena
• Investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ calendars and how they are used to predict seasonal changes
• investigating natural phenomena such as lunar and solar eclipses, seasons and phases of the moon
• comparing times for the rotation of Earth, the sun and moon, and comparing the times for the orbits of Earth and the moon
• modelling the relative movements of the Earth, sun and moon and how natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses and phases of the moon occur
• explaining why different regions of the Earth experience different seasonal conditions

Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, including water that cycles through the environment, but others are non-renewable (ACSSU116)

• exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ connections with, and valuing of, water and water resource management 
• considering what is meant by the term ‘renewable’ in relation to the Earth’s resources
• considering timescales for regeneration of resources
• comparing renewable and non-renewable energy sources, including how they are used in a range of situations
• considering the water cycle in terms of changes of state of water
• investigating factors that influence the water cycle in nature
• exploring how human management of water impacts on the water cycle

PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Change to an object’s motion is caused by unbalanced forces, including Earth’s gravitational attraction, acting on the object (ACSSU117) 

• investigating the effects of applying different forces to familiar objects
• investigating common situations where forces are balanced, such as stationary objects, and unbalanced, such as falling objects
• investigating a simple machine such as lever or pulley system
• exploring how gravity affects objects on the surface of Earth
• considering how gravity keeps planets in orbit around the sun
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SCIENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOUR

Nature and development of science

Scientific knowledge has changed peoples’ understanding of the world and is refined as new evidence becomes available (ACSHE119)

• investigating how advances in telescopes and space probes have provided new evidence about space
• researching different ideas used in the development of models of the solar system developed by scientists such as Copernicus, Khayyám and Galileo
• researching developments in the understanding of astronomy, such as the predictions of eclipses and the calculation of the length of the solar year by Al‑Battani in the tenth century

Science knowledge can develop through collaboration across the disciplines of science and the contributions of people from a range of cultures (ACSHE223)

• considering how water use and management relies on knowledge from different areas of science, and involves the application of technology
• identifying the contributions of Australian scientists to the study of human impact on environments and to local environmental management projects
• investigating how land management practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can help inform sustainable management of the environment
• studying transnational collaborative research in the Antarctic
• recognising that traditional and Western scientific knowledge can be used in combination to care for Country/Place

Use and Influence of Science

Solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science and technology, may impact on other areas of society and may involve ethical considerations (ACSHE120)

• relating regulations about wearing seatbelts or safety helmets to knowledge of forces and motion
• considering issues relating to the use and management of water within a community
• considering decisions made in relation to the recycling of greywater and blackwater
• considering how human activity in the community can have positive and negative effects on the sustainability of ecosystems
• investigating ways to control the spread of the cane toad

People use science understanding and skills in their occupations and these have influenced the development of practices in areas of human activity (ACSHE121)

• investigating everyday applications of physical separation techniques such as filtering, sorting waste materials, reducing pollution, extracting products from plants, separating blood products and cleaning up oil spills
• investigating how advances in science and technology have been applied to the treatment of water in industrial and household systems
• investigating how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge is being used to inform scientific decisions, for example care of waterways
• researching the different scientific responses to the rabbit plagues in Australian agricultural areas
• recognising that water management plays a role in areas such as farming, land management and gardening
• investigating how separation techniques are used in the food and wine industries
• considering how seasonal changes affect people in a variety of activities such as farming
• considering how sports scientists apply knowledge of forces to improve performance
• By the end of Year 7, students describe techniques to separate pure substances from mixtures. They represent and predict the effects of unbalanced forces, including Earth’s gravity, on motion. They explain how the relative positions of Earth, the sun and moon affect phenomena on Earth. They 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 and classify and organise diverse organisms based on observable differences. Students describe situations where scientific knowledge from different science disciplines and diverse cultures has been used to solve a real-world problem. They explain possible implications of the solution for different groups in society.
• Students identify questions that can be investigated scientifically. They plan fair experimental methods, identifying variables to be changed and measured. They select equipment that improves fairness and accuracy and describe how they considered safety. Students draw on evidence to support their conclusions. They summarise data from different sources, describe trends and refer to the quality of their data when suggesting improvements to their methods. They communicate their ideas, methods and findings using scientific language and appropriate representations.