Is it alive?
LEARNING OUTCOME
- Living things have a number of requirements
- Fair testing requires an understanding of variables and constants
LESSION activities
- Discussing Living things and their requirements
- Observing a demonstration on yeast growth
- Brainstorming fair testing
- Experimenting with yeast samples and sugar
- Observing and recording results
SCIENCE EDUCATOR demonstrations
- Discussion on the requirements of living things. What makes something alive?
- All living things require food
- Demonstrate that a balloon on a bottle containing yeast will inflate if the yeast is given food.
- Describe this process to the students
STUDENT experiments
- Observe bakers yeast through a magnifying glass
- With guidance students plan a series of experiments to discover if yeast is a living thing
- Students brainstorm fair testing principles
- Predict and observe results
- Use stop watches to accurately time the experiment
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE AND SCIENCE INQUIRY SKILLS
Australian curriculum
Yr 3-4 Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment (ACSSU
Victorian curriculum
Yr 3-4 Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from non-living things (VCSSU057)
Different living things have different life cycles and depend on each other and the environment to survive (VCSSU058)
Suggest ways to plan and conduct investigations to find answers to questions including consideration of the elements of fair test (VCSIS066)
Safely use appropriate materials, tools, equipment and technologies (VCSIS067)
Yr 5-6 Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment VCSSU074
The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment (VCSSU075)
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be based on previous experiences or general rules (VCSIS082)
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation types to answer questions or solve problems and use equipment, technologies and materials safely, identifying potential risks (VCSIS083)
