Connections to ACARA Curriculum: Science – Foundation to Year 12
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum_1/learning_areas/science.htm
Year Level
Earth and Space Science:
Curriculum Content
Description
Foundation/
Reception
Daily and seasonal changes in our
environment, including the
weather, affect everyday life
(ACSSU004)
Elaboration
 linking the changes in the daily
weather to the way we modify
our behaviour and dress for
different conditions, including
examples from different cultures
 investigating how changes in the
weather might affect animals
such as pets, animals that
hibernate, or migratory animals
SkyWatch “MirrorDome”
Programme/s
Other Activities
(examples)
Ideas and Questions
 Planetarium programme
showing earth’s orbit, changes in
apparent position of the sun,
shadows, reasons for day and
night, etc.
 Point-source of light and model
sun and earth
 Multimedia presentation:
“Earth’s Wild Ride”
 Shadow sticks (or own
shadow); length and
direction of shadow
throughout the day
 Time and position of sunrise,
sunset
 Telescope and binocular
viewing night
Our closest star (the sun) gives us
light and warmth.
The sun dries up puddles, makes
clouds and rain.
Why don’t we see other stars in the
daytime?
Light and darkness. Games with
shadows.
What’s in the day sky?
What’s in the night sky?
Dot-to-dot pictures with stars
(constellations).
For every star picture there is an
ancient story.
Star myths and stories: various
cultures.
As above
As above
As above
 Multimedia presentation:
“Earth’s Wild Ride”
 Planetarium programme,
 Sundial models** and
shadow sticks to show
“motion” of sun
Planet Earth: our ball-shaped space
ship!
Our Space Ship is spinning. How
 learning how Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander concepts of
time and weather patterns
explain how things happen in the
world around them
Year 1
Observable changes occur in the
sky and landscape (ACSSU019)
 exploring the local environment
to identify and describe natural,
managed and constructed
features
 recording short and longer term
patterns of events that occur on
Earth and in the sky, such as the
appearance of the moon and stars
at night, the weather and the
seasons
Year 2
Earth’s resources, including
water, are used in a variety of
ways (ACSSU032)
Year 3
Earth’s rotation on its axis causes
regular changes, including night
and day (ACSSU048)
 recognising the sun as a source
of light
 constructing sundials and
Connections to ACARA Curriculum: Science – Foundation to Year 12
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum_1/learning_areas/science.htm
investigating how they work
 describing timescales for the
rotation of the Earth
 modelling the relative sizes and
movement of the sun, Earth and
moon
Year 4
Earth’s surface changes over time
as a result of natural processes
and human activity (ACSSU075)
Year 5
The Earth is part of a system of
planets orbiting around a star (the
sun) (ACSSU078)
including constellations and intro
to Indigenous astronomy
 “Solar System”: an interactive
orrery model of the solar system
showing orbits and relationships
of the planets and the sun
 Point-source of light and
sun/earth/moon models
 Powerpoint show- solar
system objects
 Telescope and binocular
viewing night
 Day-time viewing of planets,
moon
 Solar viewing: projected
image
quickly?
Night and day.
Space “mirrors”: why we can see
the moon and planets.
Why do we see different shapes of
the moon?
Every star is a sun. What are stars
made out of?
Why do very big stars look smaller
than the sun?
Constellations and planets in
tonight’s sky.
Volcanism, erosion.
 identifying the planets of the
solar system and comparing how
long they take to orbit the sun
 modelling the relative size of and
distance between Earth, other
planets in the solar system and
the sun
 recognising the role of the sun as
a provider of energy for the Earth
 Multimedia presentation:
“Earth’s Wild Ride”
 Planetarium programme,
including constellations and intro
to Indigenous astronomy
 “Solar System”: an interactive
orrery model of the solar system
showing orbits and relationships
of the planets and the sun
 Point-source of light and
sun/earth/moon models
 As above but at age
appropriate levels
 Telescope and binocular
viewing night
 Construction of basic
telescopes
 Use of star charts to find
planets and constellations
 Solar system modelling
 Activity sheets for
information on planets and
Solar System bodies,
tracking moon and planets
Planet Earth: our ball-shaped space
ship!
Our Space Ship is spinning. How
quickly?
Night and day.
Space “mirrors”: why we can see
the moon and planets.
Why do we see different shapes of
the moon?
Every star is a sun. What are stars
made out of?
Why do very big stars look smaller
than the sun?
Constellations and planets in
tonight’s sky.
Star myths and stories: various
cultures.
The hourly movement of the Sun
and stars.
Comparable sizes.
Effects of gravity. How much
would I weigh on different planets?
On the Moon?
Connections to ACARA Curriculum: Science – Foundation to Year 12
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum_1/learning_areas/science.htm
Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
The Moon’s orbit around the Earth.
Eclipses.
The Poles, the Equator, Earth’s
axis.
Seasonal stars and constellations.
Constellations, planets and
tonight’s sky.
The other planets: orbits and time
for a “year”.
What are the planets made of?
Could I land on Jupiter?
How many “years” old would I be
if I lived on other planets? How
long would it take to travel there?
Why are some bodies covered in
craters? Why not the Earth?
The Southern Cross as a compass,
and a clock.
Characteristics of the planets and
other solar system bodies (moons,
asteroids, comets…)
Why is Pluto now called a “dwarf
planet”?
The Ecliptic and Zodiac
constellations.
Year 6
Sudden geological changes or
extreme weather conditions can
affect Earth’s surface
(ACSSU096)
Year 7
Predictable phenomena on Earth,
including seasons and eclipses,
are caused by the relative
positions of the sun, Earth and the
moon (ACSSU115)
Earth’s gravity pulls objects
 investigating natural phenomena
such as lunar and solar eclipses,
seasons and phases of the moon
 comparing times for the rotation
of Earth, the sun and moon, and
comparing the times for the
orbits of Earth and the moon
 Multimedia presentation/s:
applicable 20 minute
programmes include “Earth’s
Wild Ride”, “Oasis in Space”
(includes “Big Bang” model, and
star formation and life-cycle),
and “Ring World”: the story of
the Cassini mission to Saturn
 As above
 Solar viewing: projected
image, narrow-band filters,
etc
 PowerPoint presentation:
solar system and “deep
space” objects, including
nebulas, star clusters and
The Ecliptic and Zodiac
constellations.
Distances and sizes: light years and
giant stars.
How are distances to stars worked
out? Parallax.
Exo-planets and other solar
systems.
Connections to ACARA Curriculum: Science – Foundation to Year 12
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum_1/learning_areas/science.htm
towards the centre of the Earth
(ACSSU118)
 modelling 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
 explaining why different regions
of the Earth experience different
seasonal conditions
 exploring how gravity affects
objects on the surface of Earth
 considering how gravity keeps
planets in orbit around the sun
Year 8
Sedimentary, igneous and
metamorphic rocks contain
minerals and are formed by
processes that occur within Earth
over a variety of timescales
(ACSSU153)
Year 9
The theory of plate tectonics
explains global patterns of
geological activity and
continental movement
(ACSSU180)
Energy transfer through different
mediums can be explained using
wave and particle models
(ACSSU182)
 Planetarium programme,
including constellations and
Indigenous astronomy, planets,
solar system objects and orbits.
Apparent movement of the stars
throughout the night and seasons
 “Solar System”: an interactive
orrery model of the solar system
showing orbits and relationships
of the planets and the sun
 Point-source of light and
sun/earth/moon models: reasons
for the seasons and lunar phases
galaxies
 Activity sheets for viewing
and mapping position of
major constellations
 Construction of analemma
(to show position of the sun
at different times of the year)
 Construction of solar system
model to scale
 Direction to and use of
appropriate Internet sites
 “Hands-on” introduction to
different telescope types
Galaxies and “deep-space” objects.
Star-birth, nebulas, star clusters.
Recent discoveries by satellites and
space probes.
Origins of the Zodiac.
The use of stars and constellations
as seasonal calendars.
Tides.
Summer and winter solstice,
equinox.
Eclipses: solar; partial, total and
lunar; umbral, penumbral.
Seasonal considerations for
architecture: elevation and angles of
the sun throughout the year.
Geological phenomena on other
planets, moons.
How can we study the Universe?
Information we can obtain from
understanding light and radiation.
The electromagnetic spectrum.
Connections to ACARA Curriculum: Science – Foundation to Year 12
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum_1/learning_areas/science.htm
Year 10
The universe contains features
including galaxies, stars and solar
systems and the Big Bang theory
can be used to explain the origin
of the universe (ACSSU188)
 identifying the evidence
supporting the Big Bang theory,
such as Edwin Hubble’s
observations and the detection of
microwave radiation
The motion of objects can be
described and predicted using the
laws of physics (ACSSU229)
 recognising that the age of the
universe can be derived using
knowledge of the Big Bang
theory
 describing how the evolution of
the universe, including the
formation of galaxies and stars,
has continued since the Big Bang
 gathering data to analyse
everyday motions produced by
forces, such as measurements of
distance and time, speed, force,
mass and acceleration
 recognising that a stationary
object, or a moving object with
constant motion, has balanced
forces acting on it
 using Newton’s Second Law to
predict how a force affects the
movement of an object
 recognising and applying
Newton’s Third Law to describe
the effect of interactions between
two objects
 Multimedia presentation/s:
applicable 20 minute
programmes include “Earth’s
Wild Ride”, “Oasis in Space”
(includes “Big Bang” model, and
star formation and life-cycle),
and “Ring World”: the story of
the Cassini mission to Saturn
 Planetarium programme,
“Stellarium” showing solar
system objects and their orbits
and relationships, star patterns
and deep-space objects such as
galaxies, nebulas, star clusters,
etc
 “Solar System”: an interactive
orrery model of the solar system
showing orbits and relationships
of the planets and the sun
 “Celestia” programme,
including virtual tours of solar
system and deep space objects
 short simulations of formation of
structure in the Universe, galaxy
formation and merger, and an
accretion disk
 As for above
 Viewing night, including use
of a variety of telescopes
(including manually operated
and computer controlled) and
binoculars
 Use of internet resources and
star charts to identify manmade satellites and their
orbits
 “Hubble Space Telescope”
video and/or PowerPoint
presentations of Hubble
findings
 Activity sheets for estimating
solar system and interstellar
distances and sizes and
effects of gravity
 Construction of different
types of sundials and
analemmas
 Exploration of models of star
formation, including activity
sheets for photographic
investigation of colours of
stars: star trails
 Use of
spectrometer/spectroscope
 Doppler effect and red-shift
of galaxies
 Universe expansion model
(“balloon”), “supernova”
model
 Hertzprung/Russell diagram
Measuring the sky: degrees,
minutes and seconds, Right
Ascension (RA) and Declination
Astronomical “hoaxes”: Did
astronauts get to the moon? The
“Face on Mars”.
The “non-science” of astrology.
Theories of Universe formation and
age of the Universe: “Big Bang”,
“Steady State”, “Creation”
Life-cycle of stars: how do they
work? How are elements
“manufactured” in stars?
Galaxy formation and macro
structures in the universe.
Keplers’ Laws: understanding how
gravity holds planets to the sun,
stars to galaxies, etc.