Students investigate energy transfer by colliding marbles, explaining their observations, and what happens to the energy of the moving marble on impact.
Students are given an experimental setup of heating water with a burning peanut and are asked how they could change this in three ways to get a greater temperature increase. Students are also asked to give two important experimental conditions that should remain the same if the experiment was repeated.
Task: Predict, observe, and explain where a piece of wood floats in a container of water and oil. Assessment focus: flotation related to density; explaining predictions.
For this task students select two kinds of activity from those labelled on a diagram of an erupting volcano. Students write a description and the problems or dangers associated with each activity.
Task: Predict which of three balls dropped from different heights will squash most, explain why, and design an investigation to test prediction. Assessment focus: acceleration and fair testing.
This practical task requires students to follow an experimental design that investigates various forms of insulation. They are required to gather results, make a conclusion, and identify the variables.
For this practical task students write a plan to find out if a microwave has a 'hot spot'. Students carry out their plan, collect, and interpret results.
This practical task requires students to record temperatures of various areas in the school and to suggest reasons why some areas are warmer or cooler than others.
Describe methods for speeding up and slowing down melting of an ice cube using one of three provided objects, and explain why the methods would work. Assessment focus: planning an investigation.
This practical requires students to place four photographs of kākāpo at different times in their life cycle in order from youngest to oldest. Students describe how the kākāpo changes from each part of the life cycle to the next. NOTE: This resource is intended to be used in colour.
For this practical students make observations about dissolving, and plan and carry out an investigation to find out what makes sugar dissolve more quickly.
For this practical task, students join 'dominos'. They match an animal feature on the initial 'domino' with the appropriate animal picture on the next 'domino'.
For this practical task students make a prediction about which lot of ice will melt first. Then students record their observations and explain why one lot of ice melted faster than the other.
Task: Explain how to use the magnet to remove a drawing pin out of a glass of water without putting the magnet in the glass, touching the glass with hands, or spilling the water. Assessment focus: using knowledge of magnetism to solve a problem.
Task: Match insects to their adaptations for protection against enemies, and infer two ways stick insects are adapted for their protection against predators. Assessment focus: using observations to make suggestions about survival methods.