Year 7 Science

Semester 1 Overview

The two strands of the Victorian Curriculum Science, Science Understanding and Science Inquiry Skills are taught in an integrated way. In semester 1, the Science Understanding strand includes recognising that matter can exist as a pure substance or as mixture of different substances. It also includes learning that these mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of techniques. It includes being aware that the properties of different states of matter can be explained in terms of the motion and arrangement of particles. It also includes being aware that science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues. The Science Inquiry Skills strand includes being able to work safely with appropriate equipment in the classroom and identify equipment that will allow data to be collected with accuracy appropriate to the task. Critical and creative thinking is also assessed in Science. The curriculum focuses on students developing the knowledge, skills and understanding to analyse their own thinking and selecting and applying of a range of techniques to support more effective thinking.

Science Understanding

Students will learn to:

Recognise the differences between pure substances and mixtures and identifying examples of each
Identify the solvent and solute in solutions
Investigate and use a range of physical separation techniques such as filtration, decantation, evaporation, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation
Compare separation methods used in the home
Model the arrangement of particles in solids, liquids and gases
Use the particle model to distinguish between the properties of liquid water, ice and steam
Model the arrangement of particles in elements and compounds
Consider decisions made in relation to the recycling of water.

Science Inquiry Skills

Students will be able to:

Consider whether an investigation using available resources is possible when identifying questions or problems to investigate
Take into consideration all aspects of fair testing, available equipment, safe investigation and ethical considerations when planning investigations
Use specialised equipment to increase the accuracy of measurement within an investigation
Identify variables that will affect the outcome of an investigation.

Critical and Creative Thinking

Students will learn to:

Identify different ways to represent data and justify a preferred way based on what will support purposeful thinking
Identify reasons for possible scepticism about cause and effect such as a sample size that is too small or an exaggerated claim, for example, a marketing claim that someone’s relationship success is due to one particular product
Consider how problems can be segmented into discrete stages, new knowledge synthesised during problem-solving and criteria used to assess emerging ideas and proposals

Semester 2 Overview

The two strands of the Victorian Curriculum Science, Science Understanding and Science Inquiry Skills are taught in an integrated way. In semester 2, the Science Understanding strand includes recognising that there are differences within and between organisms and that classification can be used to help organise this diversity. It also includes recognising that energy appears in different forms, including kinetic, heat, light, chemical and potential energy and that devices can change energy from one form to another. It also includes recognising that changes to an object`s motion is caused by unbalanced forces. It includes recognising that predictable phenomena on Earth, including the seasons, are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon.

Science understanding

Students will learn to:

Group a variety of organisms based on similarities and differences in particular features
Classify organisms using hierarchical systems, for example, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
Investigate the effects of applying different forces to familiar objects
Investigate the energy transformations in devices
Recognise that kinetic energy is the energy possessed by moving bodies
Recognise that potential energy is stored energy, for example, gravitational, chemical and elastic energy
Use flow diagrams to illustrate changes between different forms of energy
Explain how gravity affects objects on the surface of Earth
Compare times for the rotation of Earth, Sun and Moon, and comparing the times for the orbits of Earth and the Moon
Model the relative movements of the Earth, Sun and Moon and how natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses and phases of the Moon occur Explain why different regions of Earth experience different seasonal conditions

Science Inquiry Skills

Students will be able to:

Use simulations and identify their strengths and limitations
Understand different types of diagrammatic, graphical and physical representations and consider their strengths and limitations
Discuss investigation methods with others to share ideas about the quality of the inquiry processes used
Suggest improvements to investigation methods that would improve the accuracy of the data recorded
Investigate how advances in telescopes and space probes have provided new evidence about space