Background
As the population on Earth continues to grow, the demand and pressure on resources will increase. Whether it be energy, water, food or shelter, as a society we need to move to a more sustainable approach of the use of these resources.
In this program students will explore two aspects of sustainable living namely sustainable house design and the current and future use of plastics.
In the first session, students will undertake a series of activities to gain an understanding of the basic principles of house design that help to reduce the overall energy profile of a home.
In the second session, students will investigate plastics, how they are produced, how they are utilized by society, how they are recycled and finally what alternatives there are to current plastics derived from non-sustainable resources.
Prior Knowledge
No prior knowledge required.
Learning Intentions
In this activity students will:
- Be able to explain basic principles of efficient house design
- Examine ways in which we utilize materials, how they are recycled and how plastics can be repurposed for use in the future
- Investigate future options such as bioplastics
Activities
Students will:
- Construct sustainable house models and test their energy efficiency
- Through data logging they will assess the performance of different aspects of their design
- Investigate the origins, formation and disposal of plastics and the impact this has on the environment
- Produce bioplastic in the laboratory
Victorian Curriculum
- Advances in scientific understanding often rely on developments in technology and technological advances are often linked to scientific discoveries (VCSSU115 [1])
- The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (VCSSU116 [2])
- Different types of chemical reactions are used to produce a range of products and can occur at different rates; chemical reactions may be represented by balanced chemical equations (VCSSU125 [3])
- Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically, including identification of independent, dependent and controlled variables (VCSIS134 [4])
- Select and use appropriate equipment and technologies to systematically collect and record accurate and reliable data, and use repeat trials to improve accuracy, precision and reliability (VCSIS136 [5])
- Construct and use a range of representations, including graphs, keys, models and formulas, to record and summarise data from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, to represent qualitative and quantitative patterns or relationships, and distinguish between discrete and continuous data (VCSIS137 [6])
- Analyse patterns and trends in data, including describing relationships between variables, identifying inconsistencies in data and sources of uncertainty, and drawing conclusions that are consistent with evidence (VCSIS138 [7])
- Use knowledge of scientific concepts to evaluate investigation conclusions, including assessing the approaches used to solve problems, critically analysing the validity of information obtained from primary and secondary sources, suggesting possible alternative explanations and describing specific ways to improve the quality of data (VCSIS139 [8]).
