Work samples

Science

Year 7

Above satisfactory

Designing a toy

Summary of task

As part of their teaching and learning unit on physical sciences, students had investigated different types of forces and simple machines. Students had been explicitly taught how to draw force diagrams and how to scientifically communicate designs that incorporate simple machines.

Students were asked to design and build a toy that incorporated at least one moving part and identify the forces and simple machines present. During each lesson, students were asked to reflect on their planning and design process and record their thoughts about the design choices they had made in a journal, using a given template. As final assessment, students were asked to create a presentation to explain the forces and simple machines present within their design. They were encouraged to incorporate mathematical and scientific language within their presentation and journal. Students were asked to reference all sources they had used during their research.

Students worked individually in class and at home over a period of three weeks.

Achievement standard

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.

Similar samples

Related samples