AC9S9I03 Year 9 Science

AC9S9I03 – Year 9 Science: Planning and conducting

Strand

Science inquiry

Substrand

Planning and conducting

This Content Descriptor from Year 9 Science provides the specific knowledge and skills students should learn. Use it to plan lessons, create learning sequences, and design assessments that align with the Australian Curriculum v9.

Content Descriptor

select and use equipment to generate and record data with precision to obtain useful sample sizes and replicable data, using digital tools as appropriate

Elaborations

• using an electronic balance that measures within the parameters of the required mass, and recording data to the correct number of significant figures using correct units
• using data loggers and choosing correct scale and appropriate output representation
• examining the degree of accuracy that different instruments provide, such as a measuring cylinder compared with a pipette, and recording data values to the correct degree of precision using appropriate scientific notation
• considering the replicability of data collected using different instruments, including the inaccuracies that may be introduced when taking measurements
• discussing the amount of data needed to produce a useful sample size and why sample size is important
• considering an appropriate sample size for the investigation, and how the use of digital tools might enable more-efficient data collection for larger sample sizes

Achievement Standard This Supports

This Content Descriptor contributes to the following Achievement Standard:

Year 9 ASSCIY9

Year 9 Science Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 9 students explain how body systems provide a coordinated response to stimuli. They describe how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the species. They explain how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle. They analyse energy conservation in simple systems and apply wave and particle models to describe energy transfer. They explain observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic rearrangement and mass. Students explain the role of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge and explain the relationship between science, technologies and engineering. They analyse the different ways in which science and society are interconnected. Students plan and conduct safe, reproducible investigations to test or identify relationships and models. They describe how they have addressed any ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data. They select and use equipment to generate and record replicable data with precision. They select and construct appropriate representations to organise, process and summarise data and information. They analyse and connect data and information to identify and explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies. They analyse the impact of assumptions and sources of error in methods and evaluate the validity of conclusions and claims. They construct logical arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims. They select and use content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to specific audiences.