This page presents materials that either have been developed with teaching as a primary purpose, or include datasets capable of being utilised for student projects in years 11 and 12 science.
The Queensland science syllabuses
The 2019 roll-out of the new Queensland senior secondary syllabuses (available online here from QCAA, or summarised here) created a demand for original teaching materials, especially materials suitable for assessment of data analysis techniques relevant to Queensland localities. The Queensland Science Network in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) has launched a project to draw upon datasets held by member societies, including the scientific journals and citizen science reports, and to package these rich sources into a format that teachers can use readily. This Curriculum-linked Resources section presents Queensland-relevant educational resources validated by experienced educators and classified according to locality, year level and curriculum headline.
Geological scientist Mike Turnbull B.App.Sc. QUT, M.App.Sc. CQU has made available to QSN a series of annual reports that he has compiled of the earthquakes, major and minor, in Queensland. […] The Queensland STEM Education Network (QSEN ) was a consortium of Queensland universities working to develop a range of high-quality programs and initiatives designed to build capacity in science, technology, […] The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia’s program collaboration taking the social sciences into schools is now live. The project, the first under a new partnership with the Museum […] A website about some of the local birds of South-East Queensland www.ourlocalbirds.com lets us look into some of their amazing lives via a unique and exciting range of video and […] The Queensland Science Network is pleased to present otherwise not-easily-accessible reports of seismological activity. Seismology database There are three files. An introduction to the database. The database of Queensland seismic […] The Australian Greenhouse Calculator helps explore how a person’s lifestyle contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. We all enjoy the benefits of modern technology such as heating and lighting, but we […] The past two centuries of history and loss of shellfish reefs in South-east Queensland have been chronicled in a scientific paper co-authored by Dr Ben Diggles, a member of The […] A downloadable Data Test – Oysters based on experiments aimed at restoring shellfish reefs has been prepared for use in classes in biology and marine science under Queensland’s 2019 senior […] Arising from a brainstorming session held in July 2015, the Royal Society advocated for the development of a web portal to offer access to a range of authoritative materials and […] The Queensland Department of Education and the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) have been keen to increase the broaden the range of materials available to teachers relevant to the […]
Queensland earthquakes data – CQU seismology observatories
Queensland STEM Education Network revived
Social Sciences in Schools
Birds of South-east Queensland – Educational website
Queensland earthquakes database – Uni of Qld seismology observatories
Australian Greenhouse Calculator
Charting two centuries of transformation in a coastal social-ecological system
Oyster recruitment – Marine Science Syllabus
STAR Portal
QSN Educational Project 2019
Citizen science school teacher resources
The Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist has published a list of curriculum-linked resources with a citizen-science component. By mid-May 2022, some 33 programs had been listed. The site includes definitions of citizen science and other context-setting materials.
Earthwatch’s curriculum-linked materials
Earthwatch has developed free STEM-related curriculum resources (mapped to the Australian Curriculum via Cool Australia); https://www.earthwatch.org.au/teacher-resources. Earthwatch has a number of other teacher resources here: https://www.earthwatch.org.au/Pages/Category/teachers
Field recording sheets for school groups
The free ClimateWatch app allows indicator species sightings and photos to be submitted while anywhere in Australia. Records can also be submitted through the ClimateWatch website where photos can be manually uploaded. For those without smart-devices, survey sheets are available on the website. Some things to remember:
- Familiarise yourself with species content via climatewatch.org.au/species .
- ClimateWatch trails have their own recording sheets you may wish to use instead of the app or survey sheets.
- A computer session can be scheduled after the field activity to enter the data into the ClimateWatch website.
ClimateWatch is a citizen-science experience that can be incorporated into secondary and tertiary school subjects, backyard or school ground explorations, field excursions or camps. Taking part in citizen science that monitors and records plant and animal behaviour is naturally aligned to the Science stream of the national curriculum. ClimateWatch is also a great way to build student capacity in critical and creative thinking, numeracy and ITC skills.