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As Data scientists, our focus is on both the quality and quantity of data which can improve the model results. With different sources of data, we can leverage the information to drive good business understanding. Whether you are working on a personal project, learning the concepts, or working with datasets for your company, the primary focus is a data acquisition and data understanding. Your data should possess the maximum available information to perform meaningful analysis. In this article, we will look at 31 different places to find free datasets for data science projects. We will discuss the different types of datasets in data science which cover disciplines like data visualization, data processing, machine learning, data cleaning, exploratory data analysis, natural language processing, and computer vision. If you are looking to explore the field of data science and learn how to turn your data into insights, check out one of the Best Data Science certifications online that will help you sharpen your skills with data science training from more than 650 expert trainers.

What is a Data Science Dataset?

A dataset is a collection of organized or unorganized data points consisting of related information. The common format for datasets found is tabular data, represented as rows and columns and found in CSV file formats most often. For Computer Vision applications, we have a collection of images that make our dataset. The datasets belong to a sample and are assumed to be drawn from a population. It is also assumed to be a good representative of unbiased information about this population. For example, the sales figure of a company is a dataset. Your image collection in Google Photos, the reviews found on e-commerce platforms, etc., are also examples of datasets. These datasets can be used in the field of data science to analyze and gain information.

Types of Datasets

Datasets can be public or private, depending on their source. The use of public datasets contributes significantly to research and development.

In addition, datasets can be classified by the type of information they contain:

Multivariate: Data containing multiple variables.

Categorical: It depicts a wide range of people.

Numerical: These datasets measure data in terms of numbers, such as age, height, etc.

Correlation: Here, data points are interrelated.

File Based: In this case, datasets are stored in files.

Bivariate: A dataset with two variables and a relationship between them.

Web Dataset: A collection of data from one or more similar internet portals.

Database: Such datasets store data in tables, columns, and rows.

Data Science Data Sets for Public Data Sources

Public data sources can be in various forms. We have worldwide data sets provided by international bodies like finance-related datasets provided by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and The World Bank, health-related datasets provided by World Health Organization (WHO), government datasets made available by the respective countries, or even datasets collected by other institutions or individuals. We can use these datasets for our learning and building solutions for non-commercial purposes. Below are some of the public datasets for data science.

1. US Government Dataset

Vivek Kundra, the Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States, unveiled the Data.gov website at the end of May 2009. Improved public access to valuable, machine-readable datasets produced by the federal government's executive branch is the goal of Data.gov. It is an open data site of nearly 3,00,000 datasets managed by the US Technology Transformation Service and General Services Administration.

Link to Dataset

2. Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India

The National Informatics Centre (NIC), a leading ICT entity of the Government of India operating under the direction of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, created, produced, and hosts the Open Government Data (OGD) Portal. The goal of the Open Government Data Platform India is to make it easier for people to access publicly available, shareable government data and information proactively, encouraging more people to use publicly available data and maximizing its potential for national development. It contains datasets from multiple sectors like Health, Sports, Judiciary, Biotechnology, Travel, etc.

Link to Dataset

3. The World Bank Open Data

The World Bank Group, a distinctive international alliance addressing poverty worldwide with sustainable solutions, has 189 member nations. For the aim of pursuing capital projects, the governments of low- and middle-income countries can apply for loans and grants from the World Bank, which acts as an international financial institution. The World Bank Open Data provides free and direct access to global development data such as governance indicators, food price inflation estimates by country, child mortality, women in education, access to electricity, climate change, extreme poverty, etc.

Link to Dataset

4. Data.world

Data.world is developed on the idea that if we could bring together people with different perspectives and skills to collaborate on datasets from around the world, we can make considerable progress in making data of all kinds available at any time. Data.world has built a social network for data people. We can easily find the data we need or add new data and share it with the community using the platform. Their community can help clean the data, add annotations, scripts, and visualizations or just upvote and discuss it.

Link to Dataset

Data Science Data Sets for Data Visualization Projects

Information and data are graphically represented in data visualization. Data visualization tools offer a simple approach to spot and comprehending trends, outliers, and patterns in data by utilizing visual components like charts, graphs, and maps. In this section, we will cover some of the places where you can find the datasets for data science beginners as well as intermediate and advanced levels for creating data visualization projects.

1. BFI - Industry Data and Insights

The British Film Institute (BFI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and preservation of British film and television. One of the most significant film and television collections in the world is housed in the BFI National Archive. In the UK film industry and other screen industries, one can read free research information and market intelligence. They conduct official statistics and specialized research all year long, in addition to publishing the BFI Statistical Yearbook every year. You can use this data like weekend box office figures, and the UK film economy, to create some insightful dashboards or visualizations.

Link to Dataset

2. The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)

To coordinate the worldwide emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises, the General Assembly of the United Nations established the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in December 1991. The organization provides a Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) portal to find, share and use humanitarian data. You can get a hold of 19,848 datasets from 254 locations combined from 1818 sources as of writing this article. One can use this vast dataset store as free datasets for data science projects involving data visualization.

Link to Dataset

3. Data at World Health Organization (WHO)

The United Nations has a dedicated agency for worldwide public health called the World Health Organization. A collection of datasets for global health data is provided by the WHO's World Health Data Hub. It offers complete solutions to gather, store, analyze, and exchange fast, accurate, and useful data. Data related to the pandemic, mortality data, global health estimates, immunization data, clinical trials, etc. can be found as part of their database.

Link to Dataset

4. FBI's Crime Data Explorer

The FBI's Crime Data Explorer (CDE) intends to increase awareness of the sharing of criminal and noncriminal law enforcement data, increase transparency around it, improve law enforcement's accountability, and lay the groundwork for public policy that will make the country safer. Using the CDE, you can either view these datasets through visualizations or download them for creating your custom visualizations.

Link to Dataset

Data Science Data Sets for Data Processing Projects

Data processing is the manipulation of data by carrying out operations such as retrieval of information or transformation of data points. A machine is not capable of understanding the data in raw formats or even text representations. It becomes important to transform this data into a machine-readable format so that the AI or ML models can be trained on the transformed data. Below are some sources where one can find data science sample datasets to perform data processing operations.

1. AWS Open Data Registry

To make it easier for users to find and share datasets made available through AWS resources, the AWS Open Data registry was created. It consists of plenty of datasets collected from various sources, along with some usage examples for the datasets. It also encourages users to add a dataset or example of how to use a dataset in the registry.

American website FiveThirtyEight specializes in opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging in the country. Statistician Nate Silver founded FiveThirtyEight. Using algorithms and statistical models, Silver and other analysts make forecasts about politics, sports, the economy, and other topics. The site hosts historical datasets related to all these events which anyone can use to work on their data processing projects.

Link to Dataset

3. IMDb Datasets

Users can access subsets of the IMDb data for non-commercial purposes. Every day, the data is updated by IMDb. It contains datasets providing information for titles, episodes, ratings, cast, etc.

Link to Dataset

Data Science Sets for Machine Learning Projects

Machine Learning is a subset of Data Science that deals with building predictive models for supervised or unsupervised tasks covering regression, classification, and clustering problems. Most of us look for open datasets for data science to work on machine learning projects. There are tons of resources out there where you can find these datasets to work with. In this section, we have mentioned the five best places where you can find datasets for your machine-learning applications.

Every data science beginner or practitioner must be aware of Kaggle. It is one of those platforms which is popular for finding datasets for a variety of data science applications. One can also upload a dataset on the platform.

It has a vast community that uses this dataset for data processing, cleaning, and model-building purposes and saves its work publicly on the platform in the form of Jupyter Notebooks. Others can view their work and get inspiration.

A configurable, no-setup Jupyter Notebooks environment is available on Kaggle. Access GPUs at no cost to you, together with a sizable collection of publicly available community data & code. It also has a provision to initiate discussions among community members.

Kaggle regularly hosts competitions, and the community members with the best solution are also rewarded if their work is found to be the best among all. All the code and data you need to complete your data science work are available inside Kaggle.

To quickly complete any analysis, use over 50,000 accessible datasets and 400,000 public notebooks. With all these features, Kaggle is the first choice for machine learning enthusiasts to find datasets for their research, learning, or implementation.

Link to Dataset

2. UCI Machine Learning Repository

The machine learning community uses the UCI Machine Learning Repository as a collection of databases, domain theories, and data generators for the exploratory study of machine learning algorithms. David Aha and other graduate students from the University of California, Irvine started the archive in 1987 as an FTP archive. It has been widely used as a key source of machine learning data sets by students, instructors, and researchers across the world. One of the top 100 most cited "papers" in all of computer science, with over 1000 citations, serves as a measure of the archive's influence.

Link to Dataset

3. Google Dataset Search

Google Dataset Search is a Google search engine that assists users in finding data science datasets that are openly accessible for use. On September 5, 2018, the business introduced the service, claiming that it was intended for data scientists and data journalists. Users can find data sets housed in thousands of repositories on the internet by performing a quick keyword search.

Link to Dataset

4. Nasdaq Data Link

The Nasdaq Stock Market, an American stock exchange with headquarters in New York City, is the first electronic exchange in the world and an online global marketplace for buying and trading stocks. When you are working on time-series modelling, stock data can be a good place to start with. Nasdaq has the data repositories for all the core financial data from across regions including global economic indicators. One can try to predict the next inflation or a multi-bagger stock using the enormous financial data on the platform.

Link to Dataset

5. Recommender Systems and Personalization Datasets

A recommender system is a type of information filtering system that suggests products or content based on what the user will find most useful. Nowadays, recommender systems are in use everywhere. E-commerce websites are using it to provide relevant suggestions to the users to increase their sales, social media platforms are using it to suggest relevant content to the users, and advertisements firms are using it to target the right ads to the users. One can leverage this platform to find datasets for learning the data science sub-field that consists of recommendation systems.

Link to Dataset

To learn more about how to use these datasets to create predictive models for your application, you can explore Data Science Online Bootcamp, which helps you wrangle massive data sets. With more than 100 guided hands-on exercises and more than 10 intensive case studies, you will build analytical and programming skills to become a confident data scientist with expert guidance.

Data Science Sets for Data Cleaning Projects

The practice of correcting or deleting inaccurate, damaged, improperly formatted, duplicate, or incomplete data from a dataset is known as data cleaning. Almost all the data science dataset needs to go through the data cleaning stage. Therefore, it becomes important that you practice data cleaning steps before any data analysis is done on the dataset. To learn an efficient way of cleaning data, one needs to work on a dataset that has lots of issues when it comes to the right data format. The following are some of the places where you can try your hands at cleaning the datasets.

1. Reddit - Datasets

The datasets community of Reddit consists of more than 164,000 subscribers. It is a place to share, find, and discuss datasets. You can find all kinds of different datasets on this platform. You can even request a dataset type in the community forum or even ask questions to the other members of the community.

2. Open Data Network by Socrata

Thousands of datasets from hundreds of open data catalogs can be searched using the Open Data Network, a global search engine from Socrata. The software analyzes datasets and consistently classifies them across catalogs using machine learning.

Link to Dataset

3. Making Noise and Hearing Things by Rachael Tatman

The dataset collection provided by Rachael Tatman in Making Noise and Hearing Things is a curated list of data science practice data sets for data cleaning. Each of these datasets needs to be cleaned and processed before it can be used for further analysis.

Link to Dataset

Data Science Datasets for Exploratory Data Analysis

Exploratory data analysis is the process of examining datasets through preliminary analyzes on data to find patterns, identify anomalies, and test hypotheses. If you are looking for datasets for learning data science, then the following resources will prove useful.

1. Climate Data Online by NOAA

In addition to station history data, Climate Data Online (CDO) offers free access to the NCDC's database of historical worldwide weather and climate data. These data include radar data, 30-year Climate Normals , and quality-controlled daily, monthly, seasonal, and yearly measures of temperature, precipitation, wind, and degree days. The climate data online is a repository of global marine data, local climatological data, weather, precipitation, regional snowfall information, etc. You can use these datasets to investigate the data points and summarize the results using exploratory data analysis.

All the major cloud service providers have established open data repositories for the data science community. Like Google and AWS, Azure also has an open data repository where publicly available datasets can be used to perform data cleaning, exploratory data analysis, and machine learning. Since all machine learning tasks go through the EDA process, this repository might be a good place to start with.

Link to Dataset

3. IEEE Data Port

IEEE is a non-profit technical professional organization that has approximately 426,000 members across more than 160 nations. The biggest technical professional association in the world works to advance technology for the benefit of all. The portal contains datasets from various categories, namely, artificial intelligence, astronomy, biomedical, cloud computing, finance, image processing, machine learning, security, signal processing, and many more. You can use these data sets for data science applications involving a good amount of exploratory data analysis.

Link to Dataset

Data Science Datasets for Natural Language Processing

A branch of linguistics, computer science, and artificial intelligence called "natural language processing" studies how computers and human language interact, with a focus on how to design computers to process and analyze massive amounts of natural language data. Today's world is using voice assistants like Siri, Google Voice, and Alexa to make their day-to-day tasks easier and save time. While it is complicated to achieve human-level interaction with these voice assistants but we can see how they have grown over the years. In this section, we will discuss data science datasets examples that can help you to analyze a large amount of text data.

1. Wikipedia: Database

When we are talking about text data, we cannot ignore the enormous text data present on Wikipedia. The best part is that Wikipedia offers free copies of all the available data content to interested users. The complete data dump can be found in the link below.

Link to Dataset

2. BuzzFeed News

The American news website BuzzFeed News is run by BuzzFeed. It is a leading provider of digital media and has released several high-profile scoops. You can find a list of all the datasets made available by BuzzFeed News on the GitHub link mentioned below.

Link to Dataset

3. Academic Torrents

Academic Torrents is a distributed system for sharing sizable datasets. You can also publish your public data globally for free to ensure it is available forever. The platform is used by some of the top academic research institutes around the world. You can make use of publicly available research papers to analyze the text contents in them.

Link to Dataset

4. Yelp Open Dataset

The Yelp dataset is a subset of businesses, reviews, and user information for use in private, academic, and educational contexts. The primary aim of these datasets is to teach students about databases and to learn NLP. With over 150,000 businesses and around 70,00,000 reviews, this might be the perfect dataset to start your NLP journey or even enhance your existing knowledge in the domain.

Link to Dataset

5. The NLP Index by Quantum Stat

After providing the community resources NLP Model Forge and The Big Bad NLP Database, the NLP Index compiles many facets of NLP research papers, code, and discovery into a single repository. You can use these repositories to understand the various NLP model built by different authors. The NLP Index is not just about the data but also about pre-trained NLP models.

Link to Dataset

Data Science Datasets for Computer Vision

Computer vision studies how advanced knowledge may be extracted by computers from digital images or films. From an engineering standpoint, it aims to comprehend and automate operations that the human visual system can perform. The section covers some of the places where you can find images and video-related content for your computer vision applications.

1. Computer Vision Online

Computer Vision Online is an online platform that hosts several computer vision datasets that can be used publicly. It enables data science enthusiasts to access the datasets, exchange ideas and information within the community, and build computer vision systems from scratch or enhance a pre-trained model.

Link to Dataset

2. Visual Data Discovery

The website describes itself as the best place to find and share computer vision datasets. The website is home to computer vision datasets that include images, video, and 3D datasets.

Link to Dataset

3. Roboflow Public Datasets

Roboflow is a popular platform to look for computer vision datasets. It hosts these datasets in many popular formats. Their public datasets database contains more than 66 million images, 90 thousand datasets and even 7000 pre-trained models. Searching for your computer vision dataset requirements on Roboflow is an easy decision.

Link to Dataset

4. Datasets - Computer Vision Group, TUM

The Computer Vision Group of the Technical University of Munich has a team of researchers that work on topics in Computer Vision and Image Processing. They have made their research datasets available to others. This list of datasets can be found on their official website.
Link to Dataset
How are Data Science Datasets Created?

Nowadays, institutions and organizations are striving to collect more and more data. The data collection is done in several different ways, either directly or indirectly. The datasets are created using surveys, polls, votes, forms, observation, social media monitoring, online tracking, etc. and then made either publicly available or used for in-house purposes. In this article, we will cover the places where these datasets are publicly available and free to use.

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Conclusion

In this article, we have seen 31 different places to find the datasets for our data science projects based on which data science task we are working on. You can head over to the respective links based on your area of work or choose platforms such as Kaggle, AWS Open Data Registry, Google Dataset Search, etc., which host datasets for a variety of data science tasks. The purpose of making these datasets publicly available is to enhance the knowledge of individuals by making the resources readily available to them. The use of these datasets is intended to be for either learning purposes or non-commercial usage. To explore more possibilities with these datasets, you can check out KnowledgeHut's Best Data Science Certification Online, which helps you master the tools, technologies, and trends driving the Data Science revolution. You will acquire the latest data analysis and visualization skills by working on real-world datasets under the guidance of trained experts.

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30+ Free Datasets for Your Data Science Projects in 2024

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Check out the 30+ different places to find free datasets for data science projects. Also, find the types of datasets in data science which cover disciplines like data visualization, data processing etc.

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Guide to Student's Research Report and Portfolio

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Guide to Student's Research Report and Portfolio

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Science Extension | NSW Education Standards

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The syllabus, assessment and reporting information and other support materials for the Science Extension course.

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https://padlet.com/STANSW/teaching-resources-ktf7x8qxclbo/wish/2959489847

Paraphrasing

https://www.bio.davidson.edu/dept/plagiarism.html

Steps of the Scientific Method

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/steps-of-the-scientific-method

How to Write a Conclusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIwqPtpcnZg

https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/imrad/imrad-reports-conclusions

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The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions.

The interactive diagram below may help you understand the scientific method and how it is applied to an experiment. You can click on parts of the diagram to learn more. Use the "return to top" button to return to the diagram for more exploration.

1. Ask a Question

The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

For a science fair project some teachers require that the question be something you can measure, preferably with a number.

For detailed help with this step, use these resources:

2. Do Background Research

Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and ensure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.

For detailed help with this step, use these resources:

3. Construct a Hypothesis

A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested. A good hypothesis allows you to then make a prediction:
"If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."

State both your hypothesis and the resulting prediction you will be testing. Predictions must be easy to measure.

For detailed help with this step, use these resources:

4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment

Your experiment tests whether your prediction is accurate and thus your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident.

For detailed help with this step, use these resources:

5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion

Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.

Scientists often find that their predictions were not accurate and their hypothesis was not supported, and in such cases they will communicate the results of their experiment and then go back and construct a new hypothesis and prediction based on the information they learned during their experiment. This starts much of the process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis was supported, they may want to test it again in a new way.

For detailed help with this step, use these resources:

6. Communicate Your Results

To complete your science fair project you will communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional scientists do almost exactly the same thing by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster or during a talk at a scientific meeting. In a science fair, judges are interested in your findings regardless of whether or not they support your original hypothesis.

For detailed help with this step, use these resources:

The six steps of the scientific method include: 1) asking a question about something you observe, 2) doing background research to learn what is already known about the topic, 3) constructing a hypothesis, 4) experimenting to test the hypothesis, 5) analyzing the data from the experiment and drawing conclusions, and 6) communicating the results to others.

A simple example of the scientific method is:

Ask a Question: Why does Greenland look so large on a map?

Background Research: Learn that Greenland is a quarter the size of the United States in land mass. Also learn that Mercator projection maps are made by transferring the images from a sphere to a sheet of paper wrapped around the sphere in a cylinder.

Hypothesis: If I make a Mercator projection map, then the items in the middle of the map will look their true size and the items at the poles will look larger than they really are.

Experiment: Use a sphere with 1-inch by 1-inch squares at each pole and the equator to make a Mercator projection map. Measure the squares on the Mercator projection map.

Analyze Data and Make Conclusions: The middle-of-the-map squares average 1 inch per side while the squares at the poles average 3 inches per side. In conclusion, the projection process used to make Mercator projection maps creates distortion at the poles, but not at the equator. This is why Greenland, which is close to the North Pole, looks larger than it is.

Communicate: Make a video, write a report, or give a presentation to educate others about the experiment.

Who invented the scientific method?

The scientific method was not invented by any one person, but is the outcome of centuries of debate about how best to find out how the natural world works. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was among the first known people to promote that observation and reasoning must be applied to figure out how nature works. The Arab Muslim mathematician and scientist Hasan Ibn al-Haytham (known in the western world as Alhazen) is often cited as the first person to write about the importance of experimentation. Since then, a large number of scientists have written about how science should ideally be conducted and contributed to our modern understanding of the scientific method. Those scientists include Roger Bacon, Thomas Aquinas, Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, John Hume, and John Stuart Mill. Scientists today continue to evolve and refine the scientific method as they explore new techniques and new areas of science.

Scientists do use the scientific method, but not always exactly as laid out in the organized steps taught in the classroom. Just like a chef might make a few changes to a recipe because of the ingredients at hand, a scientist may modify the scientific method by skipping steps, jumping back and forth between steps, or repeating a subset of the steps because he or she is dealing with imperfect real-world conditions. But scientists always strive to keep to the core principles of the scientific method by using observations, experiments, and data to support or reject explanations of how a phenomenon works. While experimenting is considered the best way to test explanations, there are areas of science, like astronomy, where this is not always possible.

Video:

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This project guide provides a detailed introduction to the steps of the scientific method.

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Statistical Terms and Concepts

https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/understanding-statistics/statistical-terms-and-concepts#Sample

What's the Difference Between Data and Evidence

https://vigornotrigor.wordpress.com/2014/07/01/data-vs-evidence/

Introduction to Descriptive Statistics

https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Math-in-Science/62/Introduction-to-Descriptive-Statistics/218

Sampling error, bias, accuracy, precision, & sample size

http://conflict.lshtm.ac.uk/page_39.htm

Statistics Tuition Kit

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6dr8H5Lx2hVE7dcCoTJUk_UL9p-7B5NV

Inferential Statistics

https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Math-in-Science/62/Introduction-to-Inferential-Statistics/224

Degrees of Freedom

https://blog.minitab.com/en/statistics-and-quality-data-analysis/what-are-degrees-of-freedom-in-statistics

Student's t-test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTmLQvMM-1M

Dependent Samples t-test

http://www.statisticslectures.com/topics/dependentsamplest/#google_vignette

ANOVA/F-test

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/hypothesis-testing/anova/

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/f-statistic-value-test/#google_vignette

https://www.statisticshowto.com/tables/f-table/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITf4vHhyGpc

What is a Population?

https://www.statisticshowto.com/what-is-a-population/

Sampling

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4938277/

What is a Null Hypothesis?

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/null-hypothesis/

What does it mean to reject or support the null hypothesis?

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/hypothesis-testing/support-or-reject-null-hypothesis/

What is a Critical Value?

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/find-critical-values/

Left or Right-Tailed Test

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/hypothesis-testing/how-to-decide-if-a-hypothesis-test-is-a-left-tailed-test-or-a-right-tailed-test/

Correlation Coefficient

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/correlation-coefficient-formula/

Pearson Correlation

https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/regression-analysis/find-a-linear-regression-equation/

https://www.statisticshowto.com/dependent-variable-definition/

https://www.statisticshowto.com/independent-variable-definition/

Correlation vs Causation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B271L3NtAw&t=356s

http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMUQSMFGBDo

https://s4be.cochrane.org/blog/2017/02/22/correlation-causation-simple-guide/

Collective vs Individual Decision Making

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.170193

Statistical Significance

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00857-9

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Be the most impressive, well-informed professional around

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Critical Evaluation of Research Articles

https://www.library.qut.edu.au/transcripts/craaptest.jsp

Measurements and Error Analysis

https://www.webassign.net/question_assets/unccolphysmechl1/measurements/manual.html

Accuracy vs Precision/Random vs Systematic Errors

https://www.quia.com/quiz/5112927.html

https://www.matrix.edu.au/the-beginners-guide-to-physics-practical-skills/physics-practical-skills-part-3-systematic-vs-random-errors/

Large Hadron Collider

The ATLAS Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

Information about the ATLAS experiment.​

The ATLAS experiment datasets

https://home.cern/news/news/accelerators/cern-makes-public-first-data-lhc-experiments

http://opendata.cern.ch

https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider

ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb

Kepler Telescope

Kepler Mission design, realized photometric performance, and early science

Kepler Mission (Harvard) ​

Kepler Mission (NASA)​

The Kepler Mission datasets

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moore-s-law-keeps-going-defying-expectations/

Human Genome Project

https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/human-genome-project

The Sequence of the Human Genome​

New Goals for the U.S. Human Genome Project: 1998-2003​

Information on the human genome sequence

National Center for Biotechnology Information ​

Genome Reference Consortium Human Build

Publicly Available Data Sets

https://www.universetoday.com/17162/sloan-digital-sky-survey-changing-how-scientists-and-the-public-do-astronomy/

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/zookeeper/galaxy-zoo/

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/shannon-/solar-stormwatch-ii

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Although every person on our planet is built from the same blueprint, no two people are exactly the same. While we are similar enough to readily distinguish ourselves from other living creatures we also celebrate our individual uniqueness. So what is it that makes us all human, yet unique? Our DNA.

The stuff that makes us who we are

Our DNA ( Deoxyribo Nucleic A cid) is found in the nucleus of every cell in our body (apart from red blood cells, which don't have a nucleus). DNA is a long molecule, made up of lots of smaller units. To make a DNA molecule you need:

nitrogenous bases-there are four of these: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), guanine (C)

carbon sugar molecules

phosphate molecules

Adenine

Thymine

Guanine

Cytosine

Carbon sugar molecules

Phosphate molecules

If you take one of the four nitrogenous bases, and put it together with a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule, you get a nucleotide base. The sugar and phosphate molecules connect the nucleotide bases together to form a single strand of DNA.

Two of these strands then wind around each other, making the twisted ladder shape of the DNA double helix. The nucleotide bases pair up to make rungs of the ladder, and the sugar and phosphate molecules make the sides. The bases pair up together in specific combinations: A always pairs with T, and C always pairs with G to make base pairs.

Put three billion of these base pairs together in the right order, and you have a complete set of human DNA-the human genome. This amounts to a DNA molecule about a metre long.

It's the order in which the base pairs are arranged-their sequence-in our DNA that provides the blueprint for all living things and makes us what we are. The DNA sequence of the base pairs in a fish's DNA is different to those in a monkey.

The base pair sequence of all people is nearly identical-that's what makes us all humans. However, there are small differences in the order of the three billion base pairs in everyone's DNA that cause the variations we see in hair colour, eye colour, nose shape etc. No two people have exactly the same DNA sequence (except for identical twins, because they came from a single egg that split into two, forming two copies of the same DNA).

We get our DNA from our parents. The DNA of the human genome is broken up into 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 in total). We receive 23 from our mother and 23 from our father. Egg and sperm cells have only one copy of each chromosome so that when they come together to form a baby, the baby has the normal 2 copies.

Three billion is a lot of cats to herd

Three billion is a lot of base pairs, and together they contain an enormous amount of information. If they were all written out as a list, they would fill around 10,000 epic fantasy-novel-sized (think Game of Thrones thickness) books. They aren't just random lists of information though. Rather, within this long string, there are distinct sections of DNA that affect a particular characteristic or condition. These stretches of DNA are known as genes. Their base pair sequence is used to create the amino acids that join together to make a protein. Some genes are small, only around 300 base pairs, and others contain over one million.

Genes make up only around 1.5 per cent of our DNA-the rest is extra that initially didn't appear to have any specific purpose, and was dubbed 'junk DNA'. Turns out, though, that at least some of this 'junk' is actually pretty useful-it's used to define where some genes start and finish, and to regulate how the genes behave. While most of the junk DNA comes from copies of virus genomes that invaded our distant ancestors, new studies suggest much of this DNA may have also gained functions during our evolution.

Genes contain information to make proteins

Within a gene, the base pairs are read in sets of three and those sets are called codons. These are triplets of base pairs that provide a 'code' for the production of a particular amino acid. Amino acids then combine together to build proteins. Proteins build all living structures as well as acting as catalysts (enzymes) that control biochemical reactions. Proteins build tissues, and tissues build the organs that make up our body. The genes that determine that you will have brown eyes contain instructions for the cells in the iris of your eye to make a brown-coloured protein. A different sequence of bases would spell a different message, making different proteins and give blue eyes-rather like spelling out a different sentence using the same letters of the alphabet.

Genes can be switched on or off

So if every cell in our body contains the same DNA, how do we end up with the complex arrangement of different cells that is the human (or any other creature's, for that matter) body?

The secret is that although every cell contains the same sequence of genes, not every gene is 'switched on' or expressed in every cell. The cells that make pigment in the eye also contain the genes for making tooth enamel or liver cell proteins, but fortunately don't do so because those genes are inactive in the eye cells. There are stretches of DNA that do not code for proteins, but rather act as the 'punctuation' within the genome that controls the functioning of genes and other processes.

It's all of this-the genes plus the 'punctuation' plus the 'junk'-that makes up our genome.

Why study our genome?

Working out the sequence of the base pairs in all our genes enables us to understand the code that makes us who we are. This knowledge can then give us clues on how we develop as embryos, why humans have more brainpower than other animals and plants, and what happens in the body to cause cancer. But establishing the sequence of three billion base pairs is a BIG task. The great and ambitious research program that sought to do this was called the Human Genome Project.

The idea of the Human Genome Project was born in the 1970s, when scientists learned how to 'clone' small bits of DNA, around the size of a gene. To clone DNA, scientists cut out a fragment of human DNA from the long strand and then incorporate it into the genome of a bacteria, or a bacterial virus. The fragment is then is replicated within the bacterial cell many times and every time the bacterial cell divides, the new cells also contain the introduced DNA fragment. Bacterial cells reproduce prolifically, and so this process ends up making millions of cells that all contain the introduced DNA fragment, enough that researchers can study it in detail and figure out the sequence of the base pairs.

With time, researchers have been able to study an ever greater number of different DNA fragments, that is, different genes. It became clear that certain variant DNA sequences were associated with particular conditions: diseases such as cystic fibrosis or breast cancer, or normal, non-harmful variants like red hair.

There was initially a lot of opposition to the Human Genome Project, even from some scientists. Considering only around 1.5 per cent of our genome is actual genes that code for proteins, it was thought that much of the $3 billion cost to sequence the entire human genome would be wasted on the 'junk' DNA that scientists thought didn't get used. The important role the 'junk' DNA plays in gene regulation wasn't yet appreciated.

Research groups in many countries, including Australia, began to sequence different genes, providing the beginnings of a total human gene map. In 1989, the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) was founded by leading scientists to coordinate the massive international effort involved in collecting sequence data to unravel the secrets of our genes.

The Human Genome Project

So complex that at first it seemed unachievable

The Human Genome Project aimed to map the entire genome, including the position of every human gene along the DNA strand, and then to determine the sequence of each gene's base pairs. At the time, sequencing even a small gene could take months, so this was seen as a stupendous and very costly undertaking. Fortunately, biotechnology was advancing rapidly, and by the time the project was finishing it was possible to sequence the DNA of a gene in a few hours. Even so, the project took ten years to complete; the first draft of the human genome was announced in June 2000.

Humans surprisingly simple?

In February 2001, the publicly funded Human Genome Project and the private company Celera both announced that they had mapped virtually all of the human genome, and had begun the task of working out the functions of the many new genes that were identified. Scientists were surprised to find that humans only have around 25,000 genes, not much more than the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, and fewer than a tiny water crustacean called Daphnia, which has around 30,000. However, genome sequencing was making it clear that an organism's complexity is not necessarily related to its number f genes.

Also, while we might have a surprisingly small number of genes, they are often expressed in multiple and complex ways. Numerous genes have as many as a dozen different functions and may be translated into several different versions active in different tissues. We also have a lot of extra DNA that doesn't make up specific genes. So even though the puffer fish Tetraodon nigroviridis has more genes than we do-nearly 28,000-the size of its entire genome is actually only around one tenth of ours as it has much less of the non-coding DNA.

In April 2003, the 50th anniversary of the publication of the structure of DNA, the complete final map of the Human Genome was announced. The DNA from a large number of donors, women and men from different nations and of different races, contributed to this 'typical' Human Genome Sequence.

It's all about me

It's all very nice to make a map of these three billion pairs and figure out how they all fit together in order to understand the fundamental essence of a human being. But how much significance does this have for our everyday lives?

Actually, quite a lot. As the cost of sequencing a genome plummets-the first human genome sequenced in 2003 cost somewhere in the order of US$2.7 billion, while it can now be done for less than US$1,000-doctors have a new and extremely powerful tool at their disposal. Identifying how our genes interact and which parts of our genome affect certain diseases and conditions has meant that doctors and scientists are able to better understand how these conditions work and how to treat them. Combine this with the exact knowledge of a particular person's genes and their mutations, and we are embarking on a new age of personalised medicine.

Doctors can tailor a patient's medical treatment to be an exact fit, the way a tailor adjusts a suit or a dress for each individual. Drug treatments can be developed that are based on specific genetic mutations, and doctors may be able to diagnose a disease in a patient who is not showing typical symptoms. Scientists anticipate that soon we will move from a "one drug fits all" style of treatment to a more effective, highly personalised, targeted approach. For example, based on a patient's genome, doctors may be able to predict if they will respond to certain cancer therapies. This can help avoid putting the patient through devastating chemotherapy treatments unnecessarily.

Mapping an individual's genome can also provide doctors with the ability to predict or anticipate any diseases that the individual may be predisposed to. These conditions could then be addressed with a preventative approach, before they take serious hold.

Ethical controversies

There is no doubt that information from the Human Genome Project provides huge benefits to human health in helping to understand and treat genetic diseases (such as breast cancer, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia). However, some people see ethical issues, and wonder if scientists are "playing God" with our genomes.

Could genetic information be misused; for example, through genetic discrimination by employers or insurance companies? Most people agree that gene testing can be used ethically to prevent serious diseases such as cancer, or during pregnancy to avoid the birth of someone with a severe handicap, but should we allow gene testing to choose a child who will be able to be better at sports, or more intelligent? What about sex selection, already a problem in some countries? And will it become possible to use genetic information to change genes in children or adults for the better? Do we really want to know if we run the risk of developing a particular disease that may or may not be treatable? What are the privacy issues regarding genome screening on a population scale?

All of these ethical, legal and social issues associated with genetic information are being considered worldwide by scientists and ethicists. The potential for medical advancement is immense, but as with so many other great scientific advances, new knowledge brings huge new responsibilities.

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The Human Genome Project-discovering the human blueprint

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The human genome is the complete set of instructions required to create a human being. Our DNA what makes us all human - yet different. Find out more.

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Philosophy Basics https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_epistemology.html

The Philosophy of Science

https://undsci.berkeley.edu/the-philosophy-of-science/

Induction/Deduction

https://www.slideshare.net/mollydwyer/inductiondeduction

Confirmation Bias

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-confirmation-bias-2795024

https://arstechnica.com/science/2010/07/confirmation-bias-how-to-avoid-it/

https://theconversation.com/confirmation-bias-a-psychological-phenomenon-that-helps-explain-why-pundits-got-it-wrong-68781

Theory Dependence of Observation

https://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/introbook2.1/x585.html

http://www.herinst.org/envcrisis/science/method/theory.html

Indigenous Ways of Knowing

https://audioboom.com/posts/5380644-why-western-science-urgently-needs-aboriginal-holistic-knowledge-to-tackle-21st-century-issues

The Nuremberg Code

https://history.nih.gov/display/history/Nuremberg+Code

Ethical Standards for Human Research

https://theconversation.com/even-without-written-codes-ethical-standards-for-human-research-existed-before-world-war-ii-41219

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/national-statement-ethical-conduct-human-research-2007-updated-2018

Ethical Standards for the care and use of Animals for Scientific Purposes

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-code-care-and-use-animals-scientific-purposes

https://theconversation.com/australia-will-finally-ban-cosmetic-testing-on-animals-78768

Establishment, Management and Governance of Biobanks

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/biobanks-information-paper

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3118708/

Use of Research Data

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/national-statement-ethical-conduct-human-research-2007-updated-2018

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-code-responsible-conduct-research-2007

Ethical Decision Making in Research

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis

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MyFitnessPal, Fooducate, and Epicurious are all popular mobile apps that serve different purposes related to food and nutrition. MyFitnessPal: It is a calorie tracking app that allows users to log their meals, track their exercise, and monitor their progress towards their fitness goals. The app has a database of over 11 million foods, making it easy for users to track their calorie intake and macronutrient ratios. MyFitnessPal is popular among people who want to lose weight or gain muscle mass, as it allows them to monitor their daily calorie intake and adjust their diet accordingly.           Fooducate: It is an app that helps users make healthier food choices by providing information on the nutritional value of various foods. Users can scan the barcode of a product, and the app will give it a rating based on its nutritional value. The app also provides information on the ingredients and nutritional content of the food, making it easy for users to make informed decisions about what they eat.               Epicurious: It is a recipe app that offers a large collection of recipes from various cuisines and cultures. Users can search for recipes by ingredients, dietary restrictions, and cooking time. The app also offers cooking tips and videos to help users improve their culinary skills.      

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MyFitnessPal, Fooducate, and Epicurious are all popular mobile apps that serve different purposes related to food and nutrition. MyFitnessPal: It is a calorie tracking app that allows users to log their meals, track their exercise, and monitor their progress towards their fitness goals. The app has a database of over 11 million foods, making it easy for users to track their calorie intake and macronutrient ratios. MyFitnessPal is popular among people who want to lose weight or gain muscle mass, as it allows them to monitor their daily calorie intake and adjust their diet accordingly.           Fooducate: It is an app that helps users make healthier food choices by providing information on the nutritional value of various foods. Users can scan the barcode of a product, and the app will give it a rating based on its nutritional value. The app also provides information on the ingredients and nutritional content of the food, making it easy for users to make informed decisions about what they eat.               Epicurious: It is a recipe app that offers a large collection of recipes from various cuisines and cultures. Users can search for recipes by ingredients, dietary restrictions, and cooking time. The app also offers cooking tips and videos to help users improve their culinary skills.      

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New for 2023! Get access to Edrolo's new EES resource now, contact Inge on inge@edrolo.com

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Explore our full HSC catalogue including Edrolo Standard now available for 21 subjects. Help your HSC students succeed with Edrolo.

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Edrolo is an Australian publisher already trusted by 1,100+ schools, and has helped 250,000+ Australian secondary school students succeed every year for almost 10 years. Edrolo offers a suite of HSC curriculum-aligned Science resources created in partnership with experienced educators, with video lessons, scaffolded content, exam-style questions, exemplar responses, and detailed data dashboards providing insights and analytics to inform teaching practice. Contact Inge on inge@edrolo.com for more information.

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Looking to have NSW schools Join the program

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Classroomscreen is a great dashboard to display when students enter the classroom. It can be useful for keeping students on task, giving them visual reminders of what they're meant to be doing, how long they have to complete a task, etc. The widgets are immediate and user-friendly. Bonus that it doesn't require a login. Lots of ways that I use this, so happy to discuss further.

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Digital Website Building Platforms for Depth Studies

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Digital Website Building Platforms for Depth Studies

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Options to use for Depth Studies for students to present their investigations on:
- https://sites.google.com/
- https://edublogs.org
- https://www.blogger.com

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A Modelling Task - The Cell Membrane

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Jamboard - a free online virtual whiteboard for collaborative use

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Jamboard - a free online virtual whiteboard for collaborative use

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Free course for developing teaching in a blended, self-paced, mastery-based classroom.

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Free course for developing teaching in a blended, self-paced, mastery-based classroom.

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Join over 40,000 educators worldwide and discover for yourself what Modern Classrooms are all about!

We built this course because we were tired of PD that wasn’t relevant, wasn’t actionable, and wasn’t meeting our or our students’ needs. So we took all the classroom-tested materials we’ve ever created - templates, exemplars, guides, and more - and put them online, for free, for you. You can take the course today and upgrade your classroom tomorrow.

Why enroll?

Expand your teaching toolkit with research-backed practices and actionable strategies.

Join a supportive community of Modern Classroom educators worldwide.

Access templates, exemplars, and other classroom-tested
materials.

“This was the best PD opportunity that my district has shared out in the last 4 years. I’m excited about putting some new strategies into practice in my own classroom in the future.

- Kathryn, Elementary Teacher

What You’ll Learn

We’ll share the theory and research behind our model, as well as tools you can use with your own students right away. By the end of the course, you’ll have everything you need to lead a Modern Classroom of your own!

“It was fun, productive, empowering, invigorating, and really got me excited about the coming school year. All PD’s should be like this!”

- Erin, English Teacher

Free Online Course FAQ

Like our teachers’ classrooms, this online course is self-paced. How long it takes you depends on your goals:

If you just want to get a feel for how the course works, and what it’s about -- a few minutes.

If you really want to understand how our blended, self-paced, mastery-based instructional model works -- a few hours.

If you want to put what you learn into practice in your own classroom, and create a Modern Classroom unit of your own -- a few weeks or months.

If you want to become an expert Modern Classroom teacher, and help us lead our movement -- a few years!

Whatever your goals, we believe this course can help you grow as an educator.

Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate stating that you have completed an estimated 5-10 hours of professional development. Due to the number of educators who are enrolled in this course, we are unable to review instructional materials or award any kind of graduate credit beyond that.

If you’re interested in earning graduate credits, continuing education units, or micro-credentials, consider enrolling in our Virtual Mentorship Program. A detailed description of all the credentials which these programs offer are available here.

Please do! We encourage you to share this course with anyone whom you think might be interested: colleagues, administrators, parents, friends, etc. Share and share often!

If you happen to be an administrator who is planning to share this course with your school or district, we encourage you to consult our Free Course Guide, or to contact us first. We can create custom courses with your educators in mind, and help you follow and support your educators’ progress through the course.

In addition to what’s in our Free Online Course, we encourage you to explore the Resources section of our site. There you’ll find lots of exemplar units, our podcast, and resources for starting a PLC of your own at your school.

If there’s another resource that you think would be helpful, please let us know! We’ll do our best to build it for you.

The best way to build a Modern Classroom of your own is to enroll in our Virtual Mentorship Program. You’ll be paired with an experienced Modern Classroom educator who teaches the same subject and grade level as you, and you’ll work together to design your first Modern Classroom unit. You’ll also have access to our network of innovative educators worldwide.

If you aren’t able to enroll, we encourage you to join our Facebook Group and ask questions there. The group is open to anyone, and it’s full of experienced educators who have lots of great ideas. Even if you don’t have a question, you are always welcome to join and follow along!

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Free Online Course — Modern Classrooms Project

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Take this free online professional development to learn new teaching strategies that will help you avoid burnout and start addressing students needs

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This resource has depth studies for Chemistry, Bio, Phys and EES

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The NSW Biology Teachers Facebook group has over 3000 members who regularly share tips and resources on how to teach HSC Biology. Please enter your school email address to be accepted into the group and ensure that you read the group rules :)

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NSW Biology Teachers is a place for those who teach Biology in secondary schools across New South Wales. The group is designed for teachers to share ideas for lesson plans and resources as we move...

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HHMI bio interactive site good for DNA modelling 

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HHMI bio interactive site good for DNA modelling 

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This animation shows how one molecule of double-stranded DNA is copied into two molecules of double-stranded DNA.

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A great resource for Stage 6 Physics students. Excellent scientific diagrams to support learning. Quizzes to assess understanding.

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Leading STEM Learning tools for Biology, Chemistry & Physics students and teachers IB, VCE, HSC & AP or other secondary education.

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Biobrain - Leading STEM Learning tools for Biology, Chemistry & Physics students and teachers IB, VCE, HSC & AP or other secondary education.

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BioBrain: STEM Learning for Biology, Chemistry and Physics students and their teachers. Designed by teachers and scientists.

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A great resource for Stage 6 Chemistry students. Excellent scientific diagrams to support learning. Quizzes to assess understanding.

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Leading STEM Learning tools for Biology, Chemistry & Physics students and teachers IB, VCE, HSC & AP or other secondary education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Biobrain - Leading STEM Learning tools for Biology, Chemistry & Physics students and teachers IB, VCE, HSC & AP or other secondary education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BioBrain: STEM Learning for Biology, Chemistry and Physics students and their teachers. Designed by teachers and scientists.

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Great resource for Stage 6 Science students. Lots of excellent case studies as well as excellent explanations and diagrams to support learning. Quizzes assess understanding at the end of each level

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Leading STEM Learning tools for Biology, Chemistry & Physics students and teachers IB, VCE, HSC & AP or other secondary education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Biobrain - Leading STEM Learning tools for Biology, Chemistry & Physics students and teachers IB, VCE, HSC & AP or other secondary education.

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BioBrain: STEM Learning for Biology, Chemistry and Physics students and their teachers. Designed by teachers and scientists.

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Twitter resources (UK focussed, but physics is physics and they are sharing a lot of practise worksheets etc!)

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Twitter resources (UK focussed, but physics is physics and they are sharing a lot of practise worksheets etc!)

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https://twitter.com/ChatPhysics

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https://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/classroom.html

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COPY of _Copy of TEACHERS Yr 12 Depth Study Calendar 2021-22

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Free public lectures -  available for free to teachers and students… 

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Free public lectures -  available for free to teachers and students… 

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http://www.barkerinstitute.com.au/Events/barker-college-science-extension-annual-public-lectures-term-4-2021

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Great Resource for science extension - or any data analysis and reasoning

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An overview of descriptive and inferential statistical tests used to analyse data related to the Titanic

A PowerPoint for teachers to use in class or online to support the learning of their students. This resource includes an overview of descriptive and inferential statistical tests used to analyse data. Hypothesis testing. Worked examples 20-30 min
Titanic -statistical analysis of research data PowerPoint (DOCX 7.MB)
‍

We are working on accessibility for all of our support materials. If you need any assistance, please get in touch with us at hsc-hub@det.nsw.edu.au.

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Titanic -statistical analysis of research data

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An overview of descriptive and inferential statistical tests used to analyse data related to the Titanic A PowerPoint for teachers to use in class or online to support the learning of their students. This resource includes an overview of descriptive and inferential statistical tests used to analyse data. Hypothesis testing.

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What skills does it take to become a researcher? What skills do you gain after researching (e.g. undergraduate research experience to PhD)? What are the attributes of successful researchers? I'm not claiming to know all the answers, but articulating these skills is important in enabling you to

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Australian Council for Educational Research - ACER

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The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment measuring student performance in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy.

Worldwide PISA 2018 results were released by the OECD on 3 December 2019, and ACER published a report on Australian student achievement simultaneously. A second report looking at Australian student and school characteristics was released by ACER on 18 September 2020.

Publications and data

Australian PISA reports and data files are publicly available here.

Data files are valuable to those who would like to undertake their own analyses and exploration of PISA data. They include student achievement data and the student and school questionnaire data in SPSS and SAS format.

Prior to undertaking any analyses, it is highly recommended data users become familiar with the methodology and technical manuals. Please take the time to review the Technical reports and the PISA data analysis manual.

PISA 2018

National PISA reports 2018

National PISA data 2018

PISA 2018 Australia school questionnaire data - SPSS - SAS

PISA 2018 Australia student and achievement data - SPSS - SAS

PISA 2018: Reporting Australia's Results data tables - Excel

PISA 2018: Reporting Australia's Results. Volume I Student Performance: Data tables - Excel

PISA 2018: Reporting Australia's Results. Volume II Student and School Characteristics: Data tables - Excel

PISA 2015

National PISA reports 2015

National PISA data 2015

PISA 2015 Australia school questionnaire data - SPSS - SAS

PISA 2015 Australia student and achievement data - SPSS - SAS

PISA 2015 A first look at Australia's results data tables - Excel

PISA 2015 Reporting Australia's results data tables - Excel

PISA 2012

National PISA reports 2012

National PISA data 2012

PISA 2009

National PISA reports 2009

National PISA data 2009

PISA 2006

National PISA reports 2006

National PISA data 2006

PISA 2003

National PISA reports 2003

National PISA data 2003

PISA 2000

National PISA reports 2000

National PISA data 2000

Skip to content

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The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment measuring student performance in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. Worldwide PISA 2018 results were released by the OECD on 3 December 2019, and ACER published a report on Australian student achievement simultaneously.

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For those of us who can't stand the thought of creepy crawlies or who jump at the sight of a shadow in the ocean, summer in Australia can be a challenging time.

Deadly snakes, sharks and spiders - you name it, we've got it.

But just how deadly are these creatures and how disproportionate is our fear of them? To find out we compiled a list of deaths commonly associated with summer.

Number of Deaths in Australia between 2007-2016(ABC News )

So how much do cold, hard facts change that rush of adrenaline at the sight of, say, a spider? There have been no confirmed deaths from spider bites in Australia since 1979, while falling out of bed (a sub-category of falling deaths shown in the chart) killed 523 people between 2007 and 2016. Does knowing this mean you'll now be more afraid of beds than spiders?

Probably not. Most people with irrational fears are well aware that the object of their terror isn't likely to kill them. In fact, awareness that the fear is "out of proportion" to the actual threat or danger posed is one of the criteria for diagnosing phobias, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

So if we know they're irrational, why do we cling to these fears?

Where fear comes from

We learn fear, an emotion critical to survival, both directly and indirectly. "Vicarious" fear learning happens when we see people around us reacting fearfully (like being afraid of wasps because you see other people running away from wasps). "Instructive" fear acquisition includes when we're exposed to negative information about something (such as being afraid of the basement because your older brother told you there was a monster living there).

We also learn fear directly, through association with intense negative experiences. In the infamous and unethical "Little Albert" experiments, researchers taught an infant to fear a white rat by startling him with a loud noise every time he saw the rat. Eventually, Little Albert would cry and try to crawl away whenever he saw the rat, whether or not it was accompanied by a loud noise.

It goes further: we can be afraid of things that resemble things we fear. The researchers discovered Little Albert was afraid of a fur coat and cotton wool, for example, even though he'd had no negative experiences of these things.

On the other hand, other studies that tested babies' reactions to images of creepy crawlies suggest fear of "ancestral threats" such as snakes and spiders might be innate, since these images triggered stress reactions long before the babies could have learned them.
We asked you to share your irrational fears in the comments.
Poor risk calculation

But understanding where irrational fear comes from doesn't explain the converse: why we're often disproportionately unafraid of things that are far more dangerous by comparison.

Fear is a risk calculation - a lightning-fast one that floods the body with adrenaline. But we're notoriously bad at mitigating risks that don't have immediate consequences. Take sunbaking, for example. We know it greatly increases the risk of skin cancer but we experience sunshine every day without serious injury.

So while the rational brain might understand the long-term consequences, it's hard to actually feel afraid of sunbaking. And ultimately, risk assessment and emotion are intimately connected.

Emotion enhances memory, which is useful for helping us avoid things that have caused pain or hurt in the past, like bee stings or that cheating boyfriend.

But emotion can also undermine our ability to calculate the odds, leading us to overestimate the risk of events that are horrible but uncommon, and underestimate the risk of the familiar or ordinary.

Driving, for example, is far more risky than flying but after September 11, more than a million Americans chose to drive instead of fly, causing up to 2,300 more road deaths than would be statistically expected, according to studies.

The control factor

For many, that decision probably tapped into another element of fear: lack of control. You can control how safely you drive; you can't control a plane or a terrorist attack.

Some researchers believe that the urge to control the ultimate fear of death may also underpin phobias, which focus on smaller, more manageable "threats", such as spiders.

Control also plays into heightened fear of the unknown, the unfamiliar and the unexpected.

For example, researchers found both people and mice became "hyper-vigilant" when exposed to a harmless tone sounded at unpredictable intervals. The unexpected undermines our ability to assess threats, and predict or control outcomes.

It's not stupidity that leads to irrational fear. Silly as they may seem, irrational fears do have a rational basis.
Notes about this story Credits

Reporting: Inga Ting and Mark Doman

Development: Nathanael Scott and Ri Liu

Design: Alex Palmer

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How your biggest fears compare to summer's real killers

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For those of us who can't stand the thought of creepy crawlies or who jump at the sight of a shadow in the ocean, summer in Australia can be a challenging time. Deadly snakes, sharks and spiders - you name it, we've got it.

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If it's tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly-but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies-and how to tell the difference.

Glowing Click Beetles

It glows, but it isn't a firefly. It's actually a type of click beetle, dark brown. It is known as the "headlight elator" because its lights are on its head; they have two small bioluminescent light organs at the back of the head and one under their abdomen. Fireflies, however have glowing abdominal segments.

Like firefly larvae, their larvae are also bioluminescent. Unlike fireflies, these glowing click beetles don't flash. However, they do seem to be able to control the intensity of the light they emit. When touched by a possible predator, for example, they become brighter. There are 3 species north of Mexico and 2 species in FL-GA region. South Texas offers the best opportunity to see these insects. Worldwide this family is well diversified in Central and South America.

Larvae of this species eat both plants and invertebrate animals, including the larvae of other species of beetle. Adults eat fermenting fruit, pollen, and smaller insects. That's another way you can tell the difference between these and fireflies-adult fireflies are rarely, if ever, seen feeding.

Railroad worms

Found in both North and South America, these bugs and their larvae emit both green and red light-they're the only bioluminescent insects that emit red light. The green lights are lined up along the insect's body, while the red lights are on its head. The red light comes on when the animal is jostled or threatened-possibly to warn off predators.

Firefly-mimicking Longhorn Beetle

Probably one of the single best firefly mimics. Not only does this type of Longhorn beetle resemble a firefly in size, shape, and color, it even mimics the light-producing abdominal segments with striking similarity to a firefly. Notice how this beetle has two yellow colored abdominal segments. Fireflies also commonly have two yellow colored light producing segments. Amazing!

Yellow-bordered Flower Buprestid

It looks like a firefly in the daytime but is it? This beetle bears a striking similarity to a firefly but it's not one. The scientific name for this beetle is Acmaeodera flavomarginata, often listed in books as the Yellow-bordered Flower Buprestid, the term buprestid designating the beetle family to which it belongs, Buprestidae. This insect is an amazing example of mimicry, where another beetle mimics the colors of a firefly as a defense not to get eaten. Fireflies contain steroid like compounds that are poisonous to many animals and other insects. These beetles are occasionally found on flowers and are known to be pollinators. The red blotch across the beetle's rear end is very similar to such patches on the front ends of fireflies. The yellow on the edges of its wing cover also mimic fireflies yellow coloration on their thorax. This particular beetle was found on a frostweed weed plant located in New Braunfels, TX (Fall 2015).

Drilidae

These bugs are not bioluminescent-but other than that, many species look a lot like fireflies; so much so that they are sometimes referred to as "false firefly beetles." There are many species, and some have very obvious sexual dimorphism-in Selasia unicolor, an African species of Drilidae, the female is ten times bigger than the male. Females are wingless and look more like caterpillars than the beetles they are.

Soldier beetles

These are also not bioluminescent, but they also look a lot like fireflies other than that and are related to the firefly family. A variation of the species found in Europe is bright red, reminding the British of red-coated soldiers-hence the name. They are also referred to as "leatherwings" because of the leather-like texture of the wing covers on some species.

The following image is a great example of a soldier beetle that is mimicking a firefly. Notice how the colors on it's head look very similar to the colors of a firefly head even down to the red, yellow, and black spot in the middle. The dark color on it's thorax is also very similar to many species of fireflies. Some solider beetles such as Chaulognathus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) also superficially resemble fireflies in body shape and look. They have a yellow coloration with black marking on each wing cover.

Glowing cockroaches

If you've seen this cockroach and confused it with a firefly, you were very, very lucky. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a truly bioluminescent cockroach. Despite initial reports of the cockroach's ability to glow, a group of researchers and bioluminescence experts conducted tests on live specimens to determine if the cockroach species (Lucihormetica luckae) was indeed bioluminescent. Their finding: none of the cockroaches emitted any measurable light (Merritt 2013). Their conclusions have been confirmed by several others since then, which effectively rules out the possibility that luminous cockroaches exist.

So what made people think that these cockroaches could glow in the first place? It may be due to a rare and real phenomenon, not one, however, based on the cockroach's own ability to produce biological light, but on the presence of pathological bacteria (known for almost 100 years to attack insects, especially caterpillars: Pfeiffer & Stammer 1930). The back of this cockroach's carapace is decorated with three spots-one large, two small- that glow when exposed to light (autofluorescence). This bacteria could preferentially colonize specific areas of the cockroach like those that cannot easily be reached by the cockroach when cleaning itself. Some have suggested that the glowing spots on the back of the cockroach could be an instance of Batesian mimicry. The glowing spots could ward off predators by mimicking a type of toxic glowing click beetle (Deilelater sp.) that tastes bad to most predatory species.

If it looks like a firefly-and if it glows-it's not necessarily a firefly. Bioluminescence is rarer on land than in the water, but there are several species of bug that emit their own light in addition to fireflies. Some do it through chemical processes that take place in their bodies, as fireflies do-others, such as the exceedingly rare glowing cockroach, rely on bioluminescent bacteria. No matter how they do it, however, they're all beautiful in their own way-and fascinating.

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Bioluminescent Insects - Bugs That Get Confused With Fireflies | Firefly.org

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If it's tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly-but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies-and how to tell the difference.

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Cognitive biases make our judgments irrational. This website helps you identify some of the most common biases and how to avoid falling victim to them.

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FAQs

Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.
For more detailed information, including precautions, disposal procedures and storage requirements, refer to one of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available for DHMO:

Should I be concerned about Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Yes, you should be concerned about DHMO! Although the U.S. Government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not classify Dihydrogen Monoxide as a toxic or carcinogenic substance (as it does with better known chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and benzene), DHMO is a constituent of many known toxic substances, diseases and disease-causing agents, environmental hazards and can even be lethal to humans in quantities as small as a thimbleful.

Research conducted by award-winning U.S. scientist Nathan Zohner concluded that roughly 86 percent of the population supports a ban on dihydrogen monoxide. Although his results are preliminary, Zohner believes people need to pay closer attention to the information presented to them regarding Dihydrogen Monoxide. He adds that if more people knew the truth about DHMO then studies like the one he conducted would not be necessary.

A similar study conducted by U.S. researchers Patrick K. McCluskey and Matthew Kulick also found that nearly 90 percent of the citizens participating in their study were willing to sign a petition to support an outright ban on the use of Dihydrogen Monoxide in the United States.

Why haven't I heard about Dihydrogen Monoxide before?
Good question. Historically, the dangers of DHMO, for the most part, have been considered minor and manageable. While the more significant dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are currently addressed by a number of agencies including FDA, FEMA and CDC, public awareness of the real and daily dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide is lower than some think it should be.

Critics of government often cite the fact that many politicians and others in public office do not consider Dihydrogen Monoxide to be a "politically beneficial" cause to get behind, and so the public suffers from a lack of reliable information on just what DHMO is and why they should be concerned.

Part of the blame lies with the public and society at large. Many do not take the time to understand Dihydrogen Monoxide, and what it means to their lives and the lives of their families.

Unfortunately, the dangers of DHMO have increased as world population has increased, a fact that the raw numbers and careful research both bear out. Now more than ever, it is important to be aware of just what the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are and how we can all reduce the risks faced by ourselves and our families.

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?
Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.

Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.

Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.

DHMO is a major component of acid rain.

Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.

Contributes to soil erosion.

Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.

Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.

Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.

Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.

Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.

Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.

Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

What are some uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide?
Despite the known dangers of DHMO, it continues to be used daily by industry, government, and even in private homes across the U.S. and worldwide. Some of the well-known uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

as an industrial solvent and coolant,

in nuclear power plants,

by the U.S. Navy in the propulsion systems of some older vessels,

by elite athletes to improve performance,

in the production of Styrofoam,

in biological and chemical weapons manufacture,

in the development of genetically engineered crops and animals,

as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant,

in so-called "family planning" or "reproductive health" clinics,

as a major ingredient in many home-brewed bombs,

as a byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion in furnaces and air conditioning compressor operation,

in cult rituals,

by the Church of Scientology on their members and their members' families (although surprisingly, many members recently have contacted DHMO.org to vehemently deny such use),

by both the KKK and the NAACP during rallies and marches,

by members of Congress who are under investigation for financial corruption and inappropriate IM behavior,

by the clientele at a number of bath houses in New York City and San Francisco,

historically, in Hitler's death camps in Nazi Germany, and in prisons in Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, Libya, Iraq and Iran,

in World War II prison camps in Japan, and in prisons in China, for various forms of torture,

during many recent religious and ethnic wars in the Middle East,

by many terrorist organizations including al Qaeda,

in community swimming pools to maintain chemical balance,

in day care centers, purportedly for sanitary purposes,

by software engineers, including those producing DICOM software and otherDICOM software tools,

by popular computer science professors,

by aspiring young adult fiction writers andmental health advocates,

by international travel bloggers,

by the semi-divine King Bhumibol of Thailand and his many devoted young working girls in Bangkok,

by the fearsome yet kind and drug-free Hells Angels motorcycle gang,

by the British Chiropractic Association and the purveyors of the bogus treatments that the BCA promotes,

by commodities giant Trafigura in their well-publicized and widely-known toxic-waste dumping activities in Ivory Coast,

in animal research laboratories, and

in pesticide production and distribution.

What you may find surprising are some of the products and places where DHMO is used, but which for one reason or another, are not normally made part of public presentations on the dangers to the lives of our family members and friends. Among these startling uses are:

as an additive to food products, including jarred baby food and baby formula, and even in many soups, carbonated beverages and supposedly "all-natural" fruit juices

in cough medicines and other liquid pharmaceuticals,

in spray-on oven cleaners,

in shampoos, shaving creams, deodorants and numerous other bathroom products,

in bathtub bubble products marketed to children,

as a preservative in grocery store fresh produce sections,

in the production of beer by all the major beer distributors,

in the coffee available at major coffee houses in the US and abroad,

in Formula One race cars, although its use is regulated by the Formula One Racing Commission, and

as a target of ongoing NASA planetary and stellar research.

One of the most surprising facts recently revealed about Dihydrogen Monoxide contamination is in its use as a food and produce "decontaminant." Studies have shown that even after careful washing, food and produce that has been contaminated by DHMO remains tainted by DHMO.
What is the link between Dihydrogen Monoxide and gun violence?

The incidence of gun violence seems to be rising at an alarming rate. A recent stunning revelation is that in every single instance of violence involving guns, both in the U.S. and internationally, Dihydrogen Monoxide was involved. In fact, DHMO is often very available to those who would do harm to others. Meanwhile, apparently no efforts have been made to limit the availability of this potentially dangerous chemical compound.

How does Dihydrogen Monoxide toxicity affect kidney dialysis patients?
Unfortunately, DHMO overdose is not unheard of in patients undergoing dialysis treatments for kidney failure. Dihydrogen Monoxide overdose in these patients can result in congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema and hypertension. In spite of the danger of accidental overdose and the inherent toxicity of DHMO in large quantities for this group, there is a portion of the dialysis treated population that continues to use DHMO on a regular basis.
Are there groups that oppose a ban on Dihydrogen Monoxide?

In spite of overwhelming evidence, there is one group in California that opposes a ban on Dihydrogen Monoxide. The Friends of Hydrogen Hydroxide is a group that believes that the dangers of DHMO have been exaggerated. Members claim that Dihydrogen Monoxide, or the less emotionally charged and more chemically accurate term they advocate for it, "Hydrogen Hydroxide," is beneficial, environmentally safe, benign and naturally occurring. They argue that efforts to ban DHMO are misguided.

Has the press ignored this web site and the Dihydrogen Monoxide problem?
For the most part, the press has not reported on the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide as much as some would like. Although many private individuals have put up web sites in a major grassroots effort to spread the word, major publications have not.
Recently, attention has been paid to the subject thanks to an incident in Aliso Viejo, California. This so-called Aliso Viejo Incident was widely reported in the media, although the director of DHMO.org, Dr. Tom Way, was called a "prankster." Once the Associated Press started circulating the story, it became fact, and the valuable information being provided by the DHMO.org website was deemed to be "rubbish" rather than an honest and unbiased recounting of facts about a dangerous, life-endangering chemical compound.

If you are a member of the press, you may access our online Press Kit. See the main page for access information. This resource is for members of the press only.

Is it true that using DHMO improves athletic performance?
Absolutely! With the numerous allegations of amateur and professional athletes using anabolic steroids and/or blood doping to enhance performance, virtually no attention has been paid to the performance enhancing properties of Dihydrogen Monoxide. It is perhaps the sporting world's dirtiest of dirty little secrets that athletes regularly ingest large quantities of DHMO in an effort to gain a competitive edge over an opponent.

One technique commonly used by endurance athletes in sports such as distance running and cycling is to take a large amount of DHMO immediately prior to a race. This is known within racing circles to dramatically improve performance.

Sports-medicine physicians warn that ingesting too much Dihydrogen Monoxide can lead to complications and unwanted side-effects, but do acknowledge the link to improved performance. DHMO is not currently considered a banned substance, so post-race urine tests do not detect elevated or abnormal levels of DHMO.

Can using DHMO improve my marriage ?

This is a popular myth, but one which is also actually supported by a number of scientific facts. Dihydrogen Monoxide plays an instrumental role in the centers of the brain associated with feelings of emotional attachment and love. Married couples have found that regular ingestion of DHMO can improve their marriage-related activities, while couples that never ingest DHMO often find that their marriage suffers as well.

What are the symptoms of accidental Dihydrogen Monoxide overdose?
You may not always recognize that you have been a victim of accidental DHMO overdose, so here are some signs and symptoms to look for. If you suspect Dihydrogen Monoxide overdose, or if you exhibit any of these symptoms, you should consult with your physician or medical practitioner. The data presented here is provided for informational purposes only, and should in no way be construed as medical advice of any sort.

Excessive sweating

Excessive urination

Bloated feeling

Nausea

Vomiting

Electrolyte imbalance

Hyponatremia (serum hypotonicity)

Dangerously imbalanced levels of ECF and ICF in the blood

Degeneration of sodium homeostasis

A recently noted medical phenomenon involves small amounts of DHMO leaking or oozing from the corners of the eyes as a direct result of causes such as foreign particulate irritation, allergic reactions including anaphylactic shock, and sometimes severe chemical depression.

What is a chemical analysis of Dihydrogen Monoxide

Recently, German analytical chemist Christoph von Bueltzingsloewen at the Universitaet Regensburg identified what may be key reasons why the dangers of DHMO are ever present. According to von Bueltzingsloewen, the chemical separation of dihydrogenoxide from the hazardous oxygendihydride is extremely difficult. The two similar compounds curiously occur in nearly equimolar distribution wherever they are found. It is not clear how the two contribute directly to the dangers inherent in Dihydrogen Monoxide, although von Bueltzingsloewen believes that a synergetic mechanism, catalyzed by traces of hydrogenhydroxide, plays a major role.

What can I do to minimize the risks?
Fortunately, there is much you can do to minimize your dangers due to Dihydrogen Monoxide exposure. First, use common sense. Whenever you are dealing with any product or food that you feel may be contaminated with DHMO, evaluate the relative danger to you and your family, and act accordingly. Keep in mind that in many instances, low-levels of Dihydrogen Monoxide contamination are not dangerous, and in fact, are virtually unavoidable. Remember, the responsibility for your safety and the safety of your family lies with you.
Second, exercise caution when there is the potential for accidental inhalation or ingestion of DHMO. If you feel uncomfortable, remove yourself from a dangerous situation. Better safe than sorry.

Third, don't panic. Although the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are very real, by exercising caution and common sense, you can rest assured knowing that you are doing everything possible to keep you and your family safe.

How can I find out more about Dihydrogen Monoxide?
We would be happy to tell you more about DHMO! Send us email at director_at_dhmo_dot_org, and we'll gladly attempt to keep you up-to-date on current developments in the study of Dihydrogen Monoxide, its uses and misuses.
There are a number of sites on the world wide web that contain more information on DHMO and related topics. It should be noted that we do not endorse these sites, nor do we control their content or political bias.

Links to related information
DHMO web sites Environmental & Safety Information

SafetyBiz.com - Safety Engineer Jay Preston, expert in safety services and accident prevention

Clean Air Engineering - promoting environmental responsibility and economic prosperity

Back to DMRD main page

Copyright © by Tom Way
Contact: director_at_dhmo_dot_org

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Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division provides an international clearinghouse for information on Dihydrogen Monoxide including current research results, governmental regulations, and exposure and contamination alerts. Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) can be dangerous to humans. Dihydrogen Monoxide causes death and destruction. Dihydrogen Monoxide is found in acid rain.

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Scientific literacy is necessary | Andrew Zwicker | TEDxCarnegieLake

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This is a youtube Video on experiment looking at

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10 Questions To Distinguish Real From Fake Science

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Pseudosciences are usually pretty easily identified by their emphasis on confirmation over refutation, on physically impossible claims, and on terms charged with emotion or false “sciencey-ness,” which is kind of like “truthiness” minus Stephen Colbert.

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Veritasium explains how How Special Relativity Makes Magnets Work

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Veritasium explains how How Special Relativity Makes Magnets Work

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How Special Relativity Makes Magnets Work

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Forces Between Two Current-Carrying Wires 

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Forces Between Two Current-Carrying Wires 

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Can work out vacuum permeability if you know the length of the two wires it 1 m.

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Forces Between Two Current-Carrying Wires

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Forces Between Two Current-Carrying Wires

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Investigating Science is a new HSC course for NSW students beginning in 2018. It concerns all aspects and disciplines of Science, however, unlike other science courses, the focus is on developing scientific skills needed in practising Science.

There are 30 hours (15h in other science courses) dedicated to depth studies which give students a unique opportunity to pursue their personal interests while gaining a scientific understanding of an area of their interest.

There is a strong emphasis on building critical thinking and research skills, and students will be encouraged to develop strong communication skills. This course may also lead the student into pursuing extension science (the link that that syllabus here), where they can pursue their passion even further. Personally, I believe that this will become the most popular science course taken by senior students in the future.

Author information

My name is Despina Hatzimanolis, and I am an Investigating Science teacher. I have put this resource together, using many different sources to aid teachers and students.

Syllabus link
Investigating science syllabus
Introduction to the course

Introduction to Investigating science Powerpoint for students and parents.

Teacher ( unofficial) network

Teachers can find useful information and support on the Facebook page for Investigating Science. Many ideas on this page have been inspired by the collaboration on this page from many dedicated teachers.

ATSI Perspectives

There are many ASTI perspectives dotted through this course. As Science is built on observations and inferences, therefore, it is logical to include the contributions that ATSI people have made to understanding aspects of our environment.

A great link that introduces readers to the many aspects that ATSI science and technology.

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this webpage and may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film/video, audio recordings or printed material.

Other Investigating Science websites

SCIENCEWITHMAT

Another website in development for Investigating Science with excellent resources covering all aspects of this course. Click on the image to go to the site.

Click on the image below to view the resource. This has been put together by Dianne Firth, at St Mark's Catholic College Stanhope Gardens.

Stage 4 and 5 Science supporting webpage

The page HatziScience for NSW webpage is in development to assist students in Investigating Science in supplementing content knowledge and skills. It is also my aim to try and make stage 4-5 syllabus more inquiry-based. Click on the image to go to the page.

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Investigating Science is a new HSC course for NSW students beginning in 2018. It concerns all aspects and disciplines of Science, however, unlike other science courses, the focus is on developing scientific skills needed in practising Science.

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ANSTO scientists have released a selection of their research data for use in the classroom.

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Desmos! Fab graphing with Chris Bormann and Hardeep Phull

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Desmos! Fab graphing with Chris Bormann and Hardeep Phull

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Desmos offers best-in-class calculators, digital math activities, and curriculum to help every student love math and love learning math.

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Citizen science project for Yr 11 -12 Biology fieldwork, data analyses and Stage 6 scientific skills

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Refractive index experiment at home - Shared by UNSW

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Refractive index experiment at home - Shared by UNSW

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https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pcxozlmet3qhooq4mixdw/Refractive-Index-of-Water-AT-HOME-Lab.docx?dl=0&rlkey=q6c4ta34jxqvaso63xo4lohw0

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Refractive Index of Water AT HOME Lab.docx

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Resource shared by UNSW: Speed of Sound AT HOME Lab.docx (dropbox.com)

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At home specific heat capacity Experiment - Shared by UNSW

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At home specific heat capacity Experiment - Shared by UNSW

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'Specific and latent heat' at home experiment from UNSW

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'Specific and latent heat' at home experiment from UNSW

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Resources from UNSW Physics High School Excursion program

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Resources from UNSW Physics High School Excursion program

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https://www.physics.unsw.edu.au/impact-and-engagement/community-outreach/book-excursion

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Since the beginning of human history, people have wondered how traits are inherited from one generation to the next. Although children often look more like one parent than the other, most offspring seem to be a blend of the characteristics of both parents. Centuries of breeding of domestic plants and animals had shown that useful traits - speed in horses, strength in oxen, and larger fruits in crops - can be accentuated by controlled mating. However, there was no scientific way to predict the outcome of a cross between two particular parents.

It wasn't until 1865 that an Augustinian Monk named Gregor Mendel found that individual traits are determined by discrete "factors," later known as genes, which are inherited from the parents. His rigorous approach transformed agricultural breeding from an art to a science. He started with parents of known genetic background - to provide a baseline against which to compare patterns of inheritance in the resulting offspring. Then he carefully counted the numbers of individuals showing the various traits in successive generations of offspring.

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Children Resemble Their Parents :: DNA from the Beginning

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Since the beginning of human history, people have wondered how traits are inherited from one generation to the next. Although children often look more like one parent than the other, most offspring seem to be a blend of the characteristics of both parents.

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On this site you can research information about significant geological sites in New South Wales, use the maps to find sites and plan trips, research educational trips or school excursions.

You can learn the basics of geology and how the earth works.

There are numerous diagrams explaining volcanoes, weathering, tectonic plate movement, glacier effects, and other geological phenomena.

Enjoy the journey!

Keep watching - more sites to be added

This unique site is dedicated to Carrol Cummings 1948-2014, whose energy and persistence made this project possible.

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On this site you can research information about significant geological sites in New South Wales, use the maps to find sites and plan trips, research educational trips or school excursions. You can learn the basics of geology and how the earth works. There are numerous diagrams explaining volcanoes, weathering, tectonic plate movement, glacier effects, and other geological phenomena.

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https://minview.geoscience.nsw.gov.au/

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MinView | Regional NSW | Mining, Exploration and Geoscience

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https://earth.nullschool.net/

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earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

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See current wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions, as forecast by supercomputers, on an interactive animated map. Updated every three hours.

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Coasts and marine jurisdiction booklets 

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Coasts and marine jurisdiction booklets 

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https://www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/marine-coastal

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Skip to main content

Soil Condition topic icon

Healthy soil resources support natural ecosystems, provide essential ecosystem services and the productivity that enables our agricultural industries to prosper.

While most soils are in a moderate condition, some parts of the State have suffered a greater decline in condition than others and display a significant loss in their ability to deliver ecosystem services.
Much of the change in soil condition has occurred over longer timeframes, largely reflecting historical losses due to the lack of knowledge earlier about managing soils sustainably in Australian conditions.

More recently, the increasing intensity of land use, climate variability and extreme weather events are greater risk factors in maintaining soil condition.

On a statewide level, the increasing acidification of agricultural soils due to the intensification of land use continues to be the land degradation issue that contributes most to ongoing declines in soil condition and productivity across NSW.

Other factors such as decline in soil organic carbon, salinisation and loss of topsoil due to hillslope and wind erosion are still of concern, but appear to be stable or decreasing in impact.

New conservation farming practices, such as maintenance of groundcover vegetation and reduced tillage, have helped to control erosion and maintain soil condition. The extent to which these practices improve the management of organic carbon levels and prevent acidification is less clear.

Related topics: Climate Change | Native Vegetation

Indicator and status

Environmental
trend

Information
reliability

Soils make a significant contribution to the economic prosperity and ecological integrity of the NSW environment. Healthy soils deliver essential ecosystem services, including:

nutrient transformation and cycling

water infiltration and filtering

climate regulation through carbon storage and cycling

providing habitat for biota

supporting natural ecosystems and

enabling farming for food and resources.

Soil is essentially a non-renewable resource, as its formation is an extremely slow process that is beyond human timeframes (Bui et al. 2010; DOA 2014; Stockmann et al. 2014). Therefore, to maintain productivity and ecosystem services, soils must be managed sustainably to prevent them becoming degraded.

The consequences of most types of soil degradation, such as soil loss from accelerated erosion, dryland salinity and subsoil acidity, are long-term and often irreversible, or, and costly to reverse. While some other forms of degradation, such as nutrient decline and surface soil acidification may be remediated if addressed early, restoration is often expensive (Lockwood et al. 2003). Applying best management practices can prevent or even reverse some lesser degradation processes in rural production landscapes.

This topic describes changes in soil condition that have occurred over the past 10-15 years. It refers to six characteristics of soil condition that provide a useful description of the status and trends in soil health and land management across NSW. These soil characteristics are:

soil pH, particularly acidification, (the lower the pH of the soil, the higher its acidity)

soil organic carbon (SOC)

hillslope erosion

wind erosion

salinisation

acid sulfate soils (ASS).

There is a close relationship between the characteristics of soil condition and the degradation processes that result in a decline in soil ecosystem services and damage to the broader environment, as described in Table 10.1.

Soil characteristic

Degradation process

Characteristics of the degradation processes

The last consistent statewide assessment of soil condition and the extent of sustainable land management was carried out in 2008-09 through the NSW Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy program. The final results of this assessment were reported in OEH (2014) and summarised in SoE 2015 (EPA 2015).

It found that soil condition in NSW was generally moderate. However, 74% of NSW was subject to at least one issue of some concern, with different regions associated with different soil condition issues. These outcomes demonstrated the need to manage soils sustainably, with land use practices appropriate for, and adapted to, specific sites.

The approach adopted in this report builds on the broad-scale information collected in the previous assessment (OEH 2014). Additional data has been derived from ongoing assessment programs, such as Community DustWatch, as well as satellite derived groundcover mapping and updated land use data.

Naturally occurring acidic soils are widespread over much of NSW. Acidification induced by agricultural activity exacerbates natural soil acidity and can affect the productivity of soils. The level of soil pH (acidity) is measured as the decline in pH relative to the natural pH level. This is moderate on a statewide basis, but there are significant areas where soil pH is poor. There is a statewide trend towards increasing acidification, with associated implications for agriculture.

Current pH levels in the top 10 centimetres of soil are displayed in Map 10.1. These were derived from modelling using a similar methodology to that described in OEH (2017).

The map displays many areas of low pH (high acidity), particularly in the eastern and central tablelands regions, tending towards more alkaline conditions in the drier western regions of the State. Acidic conditions inhibit the growth of many agricultural crops, particularly when pH falls below 4.5 (Hazelton and Murphy 2007).

The change in pH levels in the top 10 centimetres of soil over the past 10 years (2005-2015) was also modelled for all agricultural areas of NSW (i.e. all land excluding nature conservation reserves and production forests). This modelling incorporated changes in land use, groundcover and 40 years of climate data, but did not consider lime application due to lack of suitable data. The results are presented in Map 10.2.

The map reveals a weak overall trend to more acidic soils, particularly in southern NSW.

pH change: OEH Science Division modelling 2017 Acidification risk areas: stylised from McKenzie et al. 2017

The modelling suggests that about 11% of the State's agricultural land is becoming more acidic with declines of more than 0.05 pH units. The trend towards acidification is most evident in the Central West, Riverina and Murray Local Land Services (LLS) regions, with decreases in pH levels of as much as 0.2 pH units in many locations. Even minor declines in pH can harm crop and pasture growth, especially when pH levels are already critically low. This is particularly the case with acid sensitive crops and pastures.

Slight increases in pH levels leading to increased soil alkalinity of more than 0.05 pH units are also indicated in some central and northern regions, affecting about 6.9% of the State's agricultural land.

Mean changes in pH levels for the top 10 and top 30 centimetres of soil are presented in Table 10.2 for all LLS regions in NSW. The highest average decline occurs in the Central West LLS region, with changes of -0.03 pH units in both soil depths.

LLS Region

pH level
(0-10 cm)

pH level
(0-30 cm)

Soil organic carbon - t/ha
(0-30 cm)

Hillslope erosion
(% change)

Notes:

Changes in pH and soil organic carbon are over the period 2005-15.
Hillslope erosion percentage change is from 2015-17 relative to the average of the previous 15 years.
Negative figures for hillslope erosion describe reduced erosion levels.
The value for all NSW is not the simple average of the LLS regions, due to their differing areas.

OEH Science Division modelling 2017

The trend in pH change from 2005-2015 that is described above and shown in Map 10.2, should be considered in conjunction with data on current pH levels as shown in Map 10.1. Areas with very low pH coinciding with further declines in pH are locations of particular concern for acidification. McKenzie et al. (2017) mapped acidification risk, that is, the level of threat from further decreases in pH across Australia. Stylised areas of acidification risk in NSW as identified by McKenzie et al. 2017 are also displayed on Map 10.2. This analysis was based on current acidity, buffering capacity and land management pressures.

This analysis identified:

The overlap between the areas of declining pH over the past 10 years, identified earlier, and high acidification risk, occurs over much of the Central West, Riverina and Murray LLS regions. The 2016 National SoE report (Metcalfe and Bui 2017), also reveals widespread areas across NSW with poor soil acidification, particularly in the agricultural lands of southern NSW.

Although slight when averaged across regions, the trend towards increasing acidity modelled throughout the NSW central agricultural belt over the past decade is especially a matter for management concern where those areas coincide with areas of high acidification risk.

The trend towards higher acidification associated with agriculture has been widely reported recently across NSW and Australia (Fenton and Helyar 2007; McKenzie et al. 2017).

The main reasons for increased acidification in soils used for agriculture are:

The condition of soil organic carbon (SOC) content in soils across NSW is moderate, based on the extent of change in current stocks relative to natural (pre-European) stocks and the associated loss of soil quality and function. The trend for this indicator is broadly stable across NSW.

Table 10.2 displays the average levels of change in SOC by LLS region across NSW, with an overall increase of 0.14 tonnes per hectare.

Increasing SOC is associated with improved soil condition as it contributes to many desirable processes such as:

high biological activity

nutrient availability

soil physical structure

water-holding capacity and aeration (McKenzie & Dixon 2006; Baldock et al. 2012; Murphy 2015)

offsetting atmospheric carbon levels and mitigating climate change (Wilson et al. 2011; Baldock et al. 2012).

Current SOC stocks for the top 30 centimetres of soil across NSW were derived through spatial modelling of soils using the methodology described in OEH 2017. The results are displayed in Map 10.3. SOC stocks vary across NSW, with generally lower levels in western regions of the State, primarily due to the drier climate (Gray et al. 2015b).

The change in SOC levels over the 10 years 2005-15 was also derived through modelling based on data for changes in land use, groundcover and the past 40 years of climate data. The results are presented in Map 10.4.

In Map 10.4 and Table 10.2, increases in SOC levels are shown in the Western, Central West and North Coast LLS regions, with increases of up 0.64 tonnes per hectare indicated for the North Coast region. The increase in much of the Central West and Western regions is attributed to improved land management practices, including increased levels of vegetative groundcover.

However, declines in SoC levels were identified for most other regions, with losses up to -0.7 tonnes per hectare in the Central Tablelands LLS region. At many specific locations, the gains or losses of SOC are three tonnes per hectare or more.

The modelled declines in SOC stocks over much of the State are consistent with declines since pre-European times that were recently modelled by Gray et al. (2015a). Those previous results suggest that 530 million tonnes of SOC, or 12.6% of the original stocks, have been lost from the top 30 centimetres of soils across NSW, since European settlement.

The extent of SOC decline is strongly affected by land use, with the greatest decline of 44.3 tonnes per hectare, or a 50% loss, occurring under regular cropping of high fertility clay soil in cool and moist conditions.

Under projected climate change scenarios, the greatest loss of SOC will also occur in cool, moist areas with native vegetation on high fertility clay soils, so these are the areas of highest potential when designing carbon sequestration programs.

Historically, hillslope erosion has contributed to extensive soil loss and the associated decline in ecosystem function, but hillslope erosion has decreased across NSW due to improved land management. The condition of hillslope erosion is now moderate across the State, although some problem areas remain. The trend is towards further reduction of impacts on soil and land condition from hillslope erosion.

The average annual rate of hillslope erosion across NSW for the period 2000-14, was derived by modelling based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (Renard et al. 1997; Yang et al. 2017) and is shown in Map 10.5.

The areas of highest erosion are the North Coast, Hunter and Greater Sydney LLS regions. The Western region has the lowest levels due to its flat terrain. Erosion rates range from 0.12 tonnes per hectare per year in the Western region to 5.57 tonnes per hectare per year in the North Coast region, differing by a factor of 46.

The yearly averages for rates of hillslope erosion between 2000 and 2017 across NSW are presented in Figure 10.1, which shows:

The reduction is largely due to a slight increase in the level of groundcover of about 3% and a moderate decrease in the intensity of erosive rainfall (about 21%) over 2015-17.

The percentage change by LLS region is shown in Table 10.2 above.

This chart is interactive - click on legend or hover over chart

There is great variation in hillslope erosion rates between seasons, as well as years. Summer is the season with the lowest groundcover levels and highest rainfall erosivity, thus the highest hillslope erosion risk. Based on average monthly erosion rates between 2000 and 2017, the risk of hillslope erosion in February is about 10 times higher than in July. The variation in average annual hillslope erosion rates is 2.46 times.

Hillslope erosion also varies greatly according to land use. Hillslope erosion rates for different land uses in tonnes per hectare per year are:

mining (19.29)

horticulture (3.33)

nature conservation (3.09)

grazing modified pastures (0.73)

grazing native vegetation (0.32)

cropping (0.12)

irrigated cropping (0.03).

Erosion rates can be explained by the associated groundcover and terrain factors. In nature conservation areas such as national parks, the relatively high rate is attributable to the steep ground parks often occupy and the impact of bushfires. The relatively low erosion rates in cropping areas are due to the flat terrain and effective erosion control through conservation farming techniques.

Wind erosion, like hillslope erosion, has historically contributed to extensive soil loss and the decline of soil condition throughout NSW, primarily in the drier western regions. However, in recent decades rates of wind erosion have reduced due to improved land management practices. The condition of wind erosion is currently considered to be moderate to good across NSW. The current trend is for reducing impacts on soil and land condition from wind erosion.

Dust activity is an indicator of wind erosion. If there is dust in the air, the soil is being degraded in regions further up-wind. Dust activity (measured in hours), is defined by the number of hours per year when the average dust concentration is more than 25µg/m3. Monitoring data is available from the DustWatch Program which has 20 sites west of the Great Dividing Range, with 10 years of records.

Dust activity tends to be related to season, with summer having the highest levels of dust activity. For this reason, yearly wind erosion data is presented for the 12 months July to June.

Map 10.6 displays the average number of dust hours per year (size of circle) for the three years 2014-15 to 2016-17. It also shows the change in dust hours (colour of circle) for those years, compared to the previous seven years (2007-08 to 2013-14).

Notes:

Status (size of circle) and trend (colour of circle) for change in the average number of dust hours per year between 2014-15 to 2016-17. Trends are:
- red: more than 20% increase above the seven-year mean (2007-08 to 2013-14)
- yellow: less than 20% change (increase or decrease) from the seven-year mean
- green: more than 20% decrease below the seven-year mean.

DustWatch data 2017

Between 2014-15 and 2016-17, rainfall was approximately average. Dust activity for this period was 67% lower than the average for the previous seven years (2007-08 to 2013-14). Since this data was compiled, conditions have become drier and dust levels have increased slightly, but not to the levels of 2007-08 to 2013-14. Results across the monitoring sites reveal:

This implies that land management activities, rather than climate variability, are the main factor in lower groundcover levels at the three dustiest sites, leading to wind erosion.

Dry years result in less soil moisture, making it harder for land managers to maintain groundcover above 50%, the level required for effective control of wind erosion. Land management practices like over-grazing, cultivation and the burning of crop residues reduce ground cover and increase the risk of erosion. Therefore, the level of ground cover is a good predictor of wind erosion that reflects the effects of climate and land management.

Figure 10.2 shows the average area with less than 50% groundcover within 50 kilometres of each of the 20 DustWatch sites.

This chart is interactive - click on legend or hover over chart

Notes:

Horizontal bars are averages for the seven years 2007-8 to 2013-14 and latest three-year period 2014-15 to 2016-17 respectively.

DustWatch data 2018

Figure 10.2 shows the area of less than 50% groundcover has decreased from 12% to 4% in the last three years, attributed to improved groundcover management.

Salinity remains a land degradation issue of some concern across NSW, with detrimental impacts on agriculture and infrastructure. Soils in several regions throughout the State are subject to high salinity risk, which is influenced by prevailing climatic conditions. The condition of salinity is currently considered to be moderate, with a predominantly stable trend.

There has been no recent quantitative assessment of soil salinity in NSW. However, from salinity hazard assessments for the water quality component of NSW Water Resource Plans (2017-18), together with previous Hydrogeological Landscape (HGL) hazard assessments (2008-17) and salinity hazard assessments for catchment action plans (2012), a generalised, qualitative salinity hazard map for most of NSW can be compiled.

Overall salinity hazard ratings are based on the likelihood that salinity will occur and its potential impact. Assessments consider both the on-site impacts of salinity on the land, and the off-site impacts in streams of salt concentrations and loads. The severity of each of these will vary depending on local factors that influence how salt and water move through the landscape. The distribution of salinity hazard across NSW is shown in Map 10.7.

Approximately 10% of NSW contains landscapes where areas of high or very high salinity hazard may occur. Areas of concern are:

Significant impacts on land and local infrastructure may occur in high hazard areas, as well as streams in the catchment area.

Salinity has not been recognised as an issue by land management groups in the north-west of the State where little assessment work has been conducted. However, the area that falls within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) is currently being assessed for NSW Water Resource Plans. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority also maintains a register of salinity credits and debits to keep account of actions that affect salinity in the MDB.

Future changes in rainfall and evaporation in all regions (DECCW 2010; Littleboy et al. 2015) will affect the balance between runoff and overland flows, and shallow drainage and deep drainage. These changes will affect the mobilisation and concentration of salts. Impacts on soil salinity are likely to be complex and difficult to predict. Whether salinity will increase or decrease in particular areas will depend on local factors.

Acid sulfate soils (ASS) are soils containing pyrites (iron sulphide). The exposure of such soils to the air where previously they were covered by water, through excavation or water drainage projects, has caused serious environmental impacts throughout NSW, particularly in coastal areas. With improved understanding and land management practices, such as shallower drainage channels, the severity of this issue has decreased.

The extent of ASS over NSW coastal lands is presented in the NSW ASS Risk Maps. The most recent assessment of NSW coastal ASS, carried out in 2009 and reported in OEH (2014), found the overall condition of ASS soils was moderate. However, 23% of the sites assessed were poor or worse.

Since then, ongoing remediation of problem areas has improved the condition of these soils. Of the 28 ASS hotspots identified, remediation works have now been carried out in 21 (75%). See the ' Responses ' section for more details.

It is now known that areas of high ASS soils also occur in NSW inland river valleys (MDBA 2011). For example, Tulau and Morand (2012) found 30 of the 60 sites (50%) examined along the banks of the Edward-Wakool River system were sulfidic and prone to the release of acidic solutions into the riverine environment.

Unsustainable land management and land use

When European settlers first arrived in Australia they adopted traditional farming practices that had been developed for different soil and climate conditions in a different part of the world. Much of the soil degradation in NSW is historic in nature and had occurred before an understanding developed of how to manage soils sustainably in Australian conditions.

The development of modern land management systems such as conservation farming, pasture rotation and no-tillage, together with better maintenance of groundcover, have largely halted, and in some cases reversed, the decline in soil condition. However, there is still some way to go before best practice land management is being implemented consistently across the State.

While land management practices have generally improved, the pressure on soil condition continues due to the increasing intensity of land use across NSW. There is, therefore, a greater need to ensure that soils and land are managed sustainably and within their inherent physical capacity - i.e. according to their capability to handle a specific level of disturbance or use.

As part of the NSW Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy program 2008-09, an assessment was made of the extent to which soils were being managed within their capability, described in (OEH 2014) and summarised in the 2015 SoE Report (EPA 2015).

The pressure on soil condition from different types of land uses across NSW and the levels of soil disturbance associated with them, is represented by the land disturbance index (LDI). This system assigns land use to one of six classes, from 1 for undisturbed land such as native vegetation reserves to 6 for intense cropping land (Gray et al 2015c; based on NCST 2009). Map 10.8 presents the change in LDI from approximately 2003-13, based on land use information collected by the NSW Government.

An overall trend towards more intensive land use over recent years is revealed by the map, with a statewide increase in the LDI of 0.20 units (see Table 10.3).

Local Land Service region

Change in land disturbance index (units)

The LLS regions with the largest average increases are the Riverina, Central West and Murray (0.45, 0.40 and 0.40 units respectively). Many locations throughout the State, particularly in these three LLS regions have an increase of two LDI units, which for example, represents a change in land use from predominantly pasture to predominantly cropping.

However, some areas, particularly in the Western region, have changed to less intensive land uses, shown by the deep green in Map 10.8. These may, for example, reflect a change in land use from pastural lands to a protected conservation area. While a change in land management has occurred, a change in site conditions may not be evident immediately.

Although land use intensity may be increasing slightly across the State, as revealed by Map 10.8 and Table 10.3, land management practices may be improving simultaneously in many regions, to compensate.

For example, the Western region has a long history of wind erosion. The National Landcare Program and Catchment Action NSW have invested in changing land management practices on farms in this region, resulting in a 50% increase of sites with best management practices, from 16% in 2003, to 66% in 2016, as shown in Figure 10.3.

While soil may be managed sustainably with little risk of degradation during normal weather patterns, the unpredictability and variability of severe weather events can lead to conditions where the soil's capacity to cope is suddenly exceeded, leading to loss of soil condition and degradation.

Climate change is expected to lead to more extreme weather events and generally drier conditions across much of NSW (Baldock et al. 2012; OEH 2015). This will increase the challenge in managing for weather variability and weather extremes such as high erosivity rainfall events, increased fire and drought. A changing climate will require a rethink of the way that soils and land are currently managed by geographic locations. Without adjustments, it is possible that land may be used beyond its capability.

Climate change will also increase the risk of some soil degradation hazards, particularly wind erosion and loss of soil carbon (Rengel 2011). For more information on the effects of climate change see the Climate Change topic of this report.

Changed population and settlement patterns

Rising population in urban areas and increased demand for food at various levels - local, regional, national and international, is leading to an intensification in the use of productive land and greater risk of soil degradation. At the urban fringe, highly productive land is coming under growing development pressure, while population loss from rural areas reduces the capacity to manage land effectively (see DECCW 2009).

Economic factors such as declining farm profitability, or poor international trading conditions, including surplus stocks of resources or high foreign exchange rates (as occurred in the recent past), may lead to the intensifying of land uses and production activities in order to maintain viability, which may not be sustainable over the longer term.

Increasing fuel prices and competition for essential resources like water and fertilisers are other significant factors that pose challenges for managing the land sustainably (Cribb 2010).

The Soil Conservation Act 1938 provides for the conservation of soil and water resources and the mitigation of erosion. Through this Act the Soil Conservation Service was established, a NSW Government-owned soil conservation and environmental consulting business.

The Local Land Services Act 2013 (amended in 2016) regulates the clearing of native vegetation on rural lands while the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) promotes conservation on private land. These laws aim to achieve a balance between land use and biodiversity conservation in NSW.

Clearing of native vegetation in urban areas and land zoned for environmental protection is regulated by State Environmental Planning Policy (Vegetation in Non-Rural Areas) 2017 (the Vegetation SEPP) as well as some provisions in the BC Act that provide for the biodiversity offsets scheme. For more information see the Native Vegetation topic.

The current approach to soil management in NSW is to consider soils as part of a broader approach to natural resource management rather than as a standalone issue (Webb et al. 2015). Specific policies for sustainable soil management in NSW include:

Landcare and other on-ground initiatives

Landcare is a community network that contributes to the integrated management of natural resources at the grass-roots level across NSW, including improved soil management and land remediation.

There are presently about 3,000 Landcare groups in NSW, who are working to:

Landcare groups also promote the sustainable use of soils through education and community awareness programs.

The NSW Government currently funds the Landcare program, including the NSW Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative, a four-year program running through to June 2019. This initiative involves 72 local Landcare Coordinators working with 34 organisations across NSW to build the capacity of the Landcare movement to achieve its goals of:

Local Land Services work with local communities, including Landcare groups and landholders, to develop strategies and programs to improve natural resource management and sustainable land use across NSW.

Catchment Action NSW is a NSW Government-funded program to deliver natural resource management priorities in the State, usually in conjunction with the National Landcare program. One high-level outcome is to protect or rehabilitate soils to support ecosystem services. This program is continuing in 2018-19.

Phase two of the National Landcare Program commenced in the second half of 2018.

The Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative Amendment Act 2014. The ERF provides funding through a reverse auction mechanism to enable land managers to be financially rewarded for sequestering carbon. The first round of auctions in early 2015 resulted in 47 million tonnes of CO ₂-e abatement (28 million tonnes of CO ₂-equivalent gases being contracted for sequestration and 19 million tonnes by other means).

Advisory bodies and instruments

The Natural Resources Commission provides independent advice to the NSW Government on how to most effectively manage natural resources to maintain production and conservation. It works with the State's regional communities and other stakeholders to improve or maintain the health and productivity of landscapes across NSW.

The Australian Soil Network oversees soil research and development strategies and their implementation throughout Australia. It comprises representatives from Rural Research and Development Corporations, government agencies, CSIRO, the University sector, and is currently co-chaired by the NSW Government (Department of Primary Industries).

The National Committee on Soil and Terrain coordinates and provides advice on soil and land assessment standards and policy. National protocols for monitoring soil acidification and soil carbon have been published (Grealish et al. 2011).

The National Committee for Acid Sulfate Soils (NatCASS) is assisting the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to develop guidelines on acid sulfate soil management issues that are not being adequately addressed in some jurisdictions, including:

NatCASS is also completing a Code of Practice for the re-use of ASS materials that are excavated and removed from development sites, and NSW is actively represented. Guidelines for the identification and management of inland ASS were developed through the National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) (Baldwin 2011)

The management of salinity throughout NSW is guided by NSW Water Resource Plans in combination with the Hydrogeological Landscape program.

Monitoring programs

The performance monitoring system of the Soil Health Evidence Based Assessment (SHEBA) program (formerly SoilWatch) is applied in many regions of NSW. It complements and supplements other surveillance monitoring.

The cross-agency collaborative Community DustWatch program has been monitoring the extent and magnitude of dust events across NSW for the past 10 years. NSW Government agencies also lead the national assessment of wind erosion (Leys et al. 2016) and the use of remote sensing to assess the extent of groundcover.

Under Phase 2 of the National Landcare Program, groundcover will be a key reporting indicator, with the reporting methods developed in NSW being proposed for use nationally.

References for Soil Condition

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Baldwin D 2011, National guidance for the management of acid sulfate soils in inland aquatic ecosystems, Commonwealth Government, CSIRO, Canberra, EP101559

Bui EN, Hancock GJ, Chappell A & Gregory LJ 2010, Evaluation of tolerable erosion rates and time to critical topsoil loss in Australia, CSIRO, Canberra [ nrmonline.nrm.gov.au/catalog/mql:2237]

Cribb J 2010, The Coming Famine: The global food crisis and what we can do to avoid it, University of California Press, Berkeley, California [ https://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520271234]

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Gray JM, Bishop TFA & Wilson BR 2015b, 'Factors controlling soil organic carbon stocks with depth in eastern Australia', Soil Science Society of America Journal 79, pp. 1,741-51 [ https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/sssaj/pdfs/79/6/1741 (PDF 1.1MB)]

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Murphy BW 2015, 'Impact of soil organic matter on soil properties: A review with emphasis on Australian soils', Soil Research 53, pp. 605-35

NCST 2009, Australian soil and land survey field handbook, 3rd edn, National Committee on Soil and Terrain, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne

NSW Agriculture 1998, Policy for Sustainable Agriculture in NSW, NSW Agriculture, Orange [ https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/664493]

OEH 2014, Soil condition and land management in NSW: final results from the 2008-09 monitoring evaluation and reporting program, Technical report series, Office of Environment & Heritage, Sydney [ www.environment.nsw.gov.au/soils/140389MERsoil.htm]

OEH 2015, New South Wales Climate Change Snapshot, AdaptNSW, Office of Environment & Heritage, Sydney [ http://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Climate-projections-for-NSW/Climate-projections-for-your-region]

OEH 2017, Digital soil mapping of key soil properties over NSW, Technical Report, Office of Environment & Heritage, Sydney [ https://datasets.seed.nsw.gov.au/dataset/digital-soil-maps-for-key-soil-properties-over-nsw]

Renard KG, Foster GR, Weesies GA, McCool DK & Yoder DC 1997, Predicting soil erosion by water: A guide to conservation planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), Agricultural Handbook, vol. 703, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, pp. 1-251

Rengel Z 2011, 'Soil pH, soil health and climate change', in Singh BP, Cowie AL & Chan KY (eds), Soil Health and Climate Change, Soil Biology vol.28, Springer-Verlag GmbH, Berlin, pp. 69-85 [ dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20256-8_4]

Stockmann U, Minasny B & McBratney AB 2014, 'How fast does soil grow?', Geoderma, 216, pp. 48-61 [ dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.10.007]

Tulau M & Morand D 2013, Aspects of Quaternary geology, geomorphic history, stratigraphy, soils and hydrogeology in the Edward-Wakool channel system, with particular reference to the distribution of sulfidic channel sediments, Technical Report, NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, Sydney

Webb AA, Kelly GL & Dougherty WJ 2015, 'Soil governance in the agricultural landscapes of New South Wales', International Journal of Rural Law and Policy, Special edition 1, 2015 [http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/ijrlp/article/view/4169/5022]

Wilson BR, Koen TB, Barnes P, Ghosh S & King D 2011, 'Soil carbon and related soil properties along a soil type and land-use intensity gradient, New South Wales, Australia', Soil Use and Management, 27, pp. 437-47

Yang X, Gray J, Chapman C, Zhu Q, Tulau M & McInnes-Clarke S 2017, 'Digital mapping of soil erodibility for water erosion in New South Wales, Australia', Soil Research, 56(2), pp. 158-70 [ www.publish.csiro.au/sr/sr17058]

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nsw state of the environment report 2018

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Skip to main content Soil Condition topic icon Healthy soil resources support natural ecosystems, provide essential ecosystem services and the productivity that enables our agricultural industries to prosper. While most soils are in a moderate condition, some parts of the State have suffered a greater decline in condition than others and display a significant loss in their ability to deliver ecosystem services.

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One of the best rock kits available for schools anywhere in the world has been assembled by a dedicated team of TESEP geoscientists.
Now you can purchase a set of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks that are all:

Guaranteed to be what we say they are.

Labelled with numbers with a list to ensure you always know which is which

Hold in your hand size so you can really see all the key features

Nicely boxed, one box for each rock type (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary)

Free from distracting secondary minerals and other features not relevant to yr8-9 students

Collected from reliable sources for ease of replacement if lost or damaged beyond use

In addtion the kit comes with:

Stories about each rock, where they come from, how they formed

Question and Answer materials to support student inquiry

Extension materials including:

Virtual 3D versions online

Virtual thin sections to see what they are like on the inside

VISIT THE HAINES WEBSITE to purchase these great resources.

Rock Kits: $285 (excl. GST), includes one free Rock Kit PD* in 2018 for one teacher (valued at $55)
plus access to our password protected online teaching pack and extension materials once a PD* is attended.

Haines Educational are selling the laminated Plate Tectonics poster for $30 (excl. GST) and these great Rock Kits for us at the amazingly low price of $285 (excl. GST). Change the way you teach Earth Science today - Make sure you get the kit and access to the great support materials that go with them!

*PD can be a face-to-face event or an online webinar - see the Events listings for details of webinars or events in your area.

Rock Kit rocks are big enough to really see the minerals, the texture and other key features of the rock.

You can really see exactly what needs to be seen when teaching about the rock.

Each rock has been inspected to ensure it is what it should be and has no distracting secondary minerals or other features inconsistent with its classification!
Note: These rocks have been inspected by TESEP geoscientists and are
free from asbestos, asbestos-like minerals and other toxic materials.
TESEP thanks the amazing people and organisations that have helped make this kit happen:
Principal Partners

Australian Geoscience Council

ExxonMobil

Federation University Australia

Geological Survey of New South Wales

Macquarie University

Monash University

Pyrenees Quarries

Other Partners

AGL Loy Yang Pty Ltd and GHD Pty Ltd

Dr Leslie Almberg

Batesford Quarry

Bloomfield Collieries

Boral Montrose Quarry

Dr Julie Boyce

Conundrum Holdings

Dr Nathan Daczko

Trevor Dart

Douglas Partners

Dr James Driscoll

Granites of Australia and Sam the Paving Man

Max Kaye, McClure's Quarry

Rob Kirk Consultants

Kevin Lanigan

Leslie Vale Quarry

Martins Creek Quarry

Andrew McKerron

Greg McNamara

Mount Shadwell Quarry

Dr David Och (WSP)

Philip Sansom and Geological Society Australia (Tasmania Division)

Sibelco Australia

Jill Stevens and Stephen Onians

University of Queensland

Wongara Quarry

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training tesep teacher australia climate change

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Rock kits - Teacher Earth Science Education Programme - TESEP

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One of the best rock kits available for schools anywhere in the world has been assembled by a dedicated team of TESEP geoscientists. Now you can purchase a set of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks that are all: Guaranteed to be what we say they are.

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Geoscience Australia education resources 

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Geoscience Australia education resources 

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https://www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources
You will find geological time scales and the sediment analysis card available to download - and much more.

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learn on how to read Soil Texture Triangle

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Seeing is believing! Visual tools and technologies

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Tracker Video Analysis and Modeling Tool for Physics Education (physlets.org)

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PHET interactive simulations are great tools for modelling concepts in our science classes. Students from Year 7 to 12 all love using them to explore abstract concepts and to extend their understanding.

PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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Not all scientists wear white coats and work in labs. There are a wide variety of jobs and careers that require knowledge and application of science, from research to business and from regulation to teaching.

The Science Council has identified 10 types of scientist working today. Which type of scientist are you? Take our quiz to find out.

Business scientist

The Business Scientist underpins excellent management and business skills with scientific knowledge, supporting evidence-led decision-making within companies and other enterprises.

This type of scientist has the scientific and technical knowledge to be credible with both colleagues and competitors, as well as confidence in a business environment. They are found in science and technology companies in a wide variety of roles, from R&D or marketing, and to the C-suite itself.

Communicator scientist

The Communicator Scientist combines their science and technological know-how with an ability to communicate. They enthuse, inform and get their message across through an empathy and understanding of the needs of the audience, expertise in how media and other communication channels work and, of course a deep knowledge of the science involved.

Science communicators are found across TV and radio, advertising and promotion, regulation and public affairs as well as social media. They may also have a full time job as another type of scientist.

Developer scientist

The Developer, or translational, Scientist uses the knowledge generated by others and transforms it into something that society can use. They might be developing products or services, ideas that change behaviour, improvements in health care and medicines, or the application of existing technology in new settings.

They are found in research environments and may be working with Entrepreneur and Business scientists to help bring their ideas to market.

Entrepreneur scientist

The Entrepreneur Scientist makes innovation happen. Their scientific knowledge and connections are deep enough to be able to see opportunities for innovation - not just in business, but also in the public sector and other sectors of society.

They blend their science knowledge and credibility with people management skills, entrepreneurial flair and a strong understanding of business and finance, to start their own businesses or help grow existing companies.

Meet entrepreneur scientists: Hayley Pincott RSciTech

Explorer scientist

The Explorer Scientist is someone who, like the crew of the Enterprise, is on a journey of discovery "to boldly go where no one has gone before". They rarely focus on a specific outcome or impact, rather they want to know the next piece of the jigsaw of scientific understanding and knowledge.

They are likely to be found in a university or research centre, or in Research & Development (R&D) at an organisation, and are likely to be working alone.

Investigator scientist

The Investigator Scientist digs into the unknown observing, mapping, understanding and piecing together in-depth knowledge and data, setting out the landscape for others to translate and develop.

They are likely to be found in a university or research centre, or in Research & Development (R&D) at an organisation, working in a team and likely in a multi-disciplinary environment.

Policy scientist

The Policy Scientist uses their science and technical knowledge, as well as their understanding of government and policy making, to ensure that legislation and policy have a sound evidence base. Some policy scientists describe themselves as 75% scientist and 25% politician.

This type of scientist is employed and involved at many levels and in many environments including government and Parliament, NGOs, campaigning groups and charities.
Are you a policy scientist? If you're on our professional registers, contact us about the possibility of being featured as one of our case studies.
Regulator scientist

The Regulator Scientist is there to reassure the public that systems and technology are reliable and safe, through monitoring and regulation. They will have a mix of skills and while they may not get involved in things like lab work, they will have a thorough understanding of the science and the processes involved in monitoring its use or application.

They are found in regulatory bodies, such as the Food Standards Agency, and in a wide range of testing and measurement services.
Meet regulator scientists: Dr Jemma-Anne Lonsdale (PhD) CSci, Tim O'Hare CSci, Julia Duckworth RSci, Ciara Wild RSci, Gary Thorpe RSciTech
Teacher scientist

The Teacher Scientist is trained in science, sharing their knowledge and understanding to train the next generation of scientists. Their application of science is combined with pedagogic skill and passion for teaching others.

This type of scientist works in schools, colleges, universities and other educational organisations, developing their tools and experience for teaching and learning.

Technician scientist

The Technician Scientist provides operational scientific services in a wide range of ways. These are the scientists we have come to depend on within the health service, forensic science, food science, health and safety, materials analysis and testing, education and many other areas.

Rarely visible, this type of scientist is found in laboratories and other support service environments across a wide variety of sectors.
Meet technician scientists: Laura Wilson RSci
Become a professionally registered scientist

Find how you could become a professionally registered scientist with the Science Council.

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10 types of scientist - The Science Council ~

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Not all scientists wear white coats and work in labs. There are a wide variety of jobs and careers that require knowledge and application of science, from research to business and from regulation to teaching. The Science Council has identified 10 types of scientist working today. Which type of scientist are you?

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Pheobe Savage shares ' Science literacy' video

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Pheobe Savage shares ' Science literacy' video

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A short video on the importance of Science literacy

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Scientific literacy is necessary | Andrew Zwicker | TEDxCarnegieLake

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Bianca Garling shares 'Distinguishing fake from real' science'

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Bianca Garling shares 'Distinguishing fake from real' science'

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Great questions to help students learn about questioning.

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[Note: This is a version of a post that first appeared here. I'm running it today because science consumption doesn't happen only through what we read in the news media. Sciencey-ness is sold to us by way of commercials, stores, billboards, and our social circles, too.]
Pseudoscience is the shaky foundation of practices--often medically related--that lack a basis in evidence. It's "fake" science dressed up, sometimes quite carefully, to look like the real thing. If you're alive, you've encountered it, whether it was the guy at the mall trying to sell you Power Balance bracelets, the shampoo commercial promising you that "amino acids" will make your hair shiny, or the peddlers of "natural remedies" or fad diet plans, who in a classic expansion of a basic tenet of advertising, make you think you have a problem so they can sell you something to solve it.

Pseudosciences are usually pretty easily identified by their emphasis on confirmation over refutation, on physically impossible claims, and on terms charged with emotion or false "sciencey-ness," which is kind of like "truthiness" minus Stephen Colbert. Sometimes, what peddlers of pseudoscience say may have a kernel of real truth that makes it seem plausible. But even that kernel is typically at most a half truth, and often, it's that other half they're leaving out that makes what they're selling pointless and ineffectual. But some are just nonsense out of the gate. I'd love to have some magic cream that would melt away fat or make wrinkles disappear, but how likely is it that such a thing would be available only via late-night commercials?

What science consumers need is a cheat sheet for people of sound mind to use when considering a product, book, therapy, or remedy. Below are the top-10 questions you should always ask yourself--and answer--before shelling out the benjamins for anything, whether it's anti-aging cream, a diet fad program, books purporting to tell you secrets your doctor won't, or jewelry items containing magnets:

1. What is the source? Is the person or entity making the claims someone with genuine expertise in what they're claiming? Are they hawking on behalf of someone else? Are they part of a distributed marketing scam? Do they use, for example, a Website or magazine or newspaper ad that's made to look sciencey or newsy when it's really one giant advertisement meant to make you think it's journalism?

2. What is the agenda? You must know this to consider any information in context. In a scientific paper, look at the funding sources. If you're reading a non-scientific anything, remain extremely skeptical. What does the person or entity making the claim get out of it? Does it look like they're telling you you have something wrong with you that you didn't even realize existed...and then offering to sell you something to fix it? I'm reminded of the douche solution commercials of my youth in which a young woman confides in her mother that sometimes, she "just doesn't feel fresh." Suddenly, millions of women watching that commercial were mentally analyzing their level of freshness "down there" and pondering whether or not to purchase Summer's Eve.

3. What kind of language does it use? Does it use emotion words or a lot of exclamation points or language that sounds highly technical (amino acids! enzymes! nucleic acids!) or jargon-y but that is really meaningless in the therapeutic or scientific sense? If you're not sure, take a term and google it, or ask a scientist if you can find one. Sometimes, an amino acid is just an amino acid. Be on the lookout for sciencey-ness. As Albert Einstein once pointed out, if you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well. If peddlers feel that they have to toss in a bunch of jargony science terms to make you think they're the real thing, they probably don't know what they're talking about, either.

4. Does it involve testimonials? If all the person or entity making the claims has to offer is testimonials without any real evidence of effectiveness or need, be very, very suspicious. Anyone-- anyone--can write a testimonial and put it on a Website. Example: "I felt that I knew nothing about science until The Science Consumer blog came along! Now, my brain is packed with science facts, and I'm earning my PhD in aerospace engineering this year! If it could do it for me, The Science Consumer blog can do it for you, too! THANKS, SCIENCE CONSUMER BLOG! --xoxo, Julie C., North Carolina"

5. Are there claims of exclusivity? People have been practicing science and medicine for thousands of years. Millions of people are currently doing it. Typically, new findings arise out of existing knowledge and involve the contributions of many, many people. It's quite rare--in fact, I can't think of an example--that a new therapy or intervention is something completely novel without a solid existing scientific background to explain how it works, or that only one person figures it out. It certainly wouldn't just suddenly appear one night on an infomercial. Also, watch for words like "proprietary" and "secret." These terms signal that the intervention on offer has likely not been exposed to the light of scientific critique.

6. Is there mention of a conspiracy of any kind? Claims such as, "Doctors don't want you to know" or "the government has been hiding this information for years," are extremely dubious. Why wouldn't the millions of doctors in the world want you to know about something that might improve your health? Doctors aren't a monolithic entity in an enormous white coat making collective decisions about you any more than the government is some detached nonliving institution making robotic collective decisions. They're all individuals, and in general, they do want you to know.

7. Does the claim involve multiple unassociated disorders? Does it involve assertions of widespread damage to many body systems (in the case of things like vaccines) or assertions of widespread therapeutic benefit to many body systems or a spectrum of unrelated disorders? Claims, for example, that a specific intervention will cure cancer, allergies, ADHD, and autism (and I am not making that up) are frankly irrational.

8. Is there a money trail or a passionate belief involved? The least likely candidates to benefit fiscally from conclusions about any health issue or intervention are the researchers in the trenches working on the underpinnings of disease (genes, environmental triggers, etc.), doing the basic science. The likeliest candidates to benefit are those who (1) have something patentable on their hands; (2) market "cures" or "therapies"; (3) write books or give paid talks or "consult"; or (4) work as "consultants" who "cure." That's not to say that people who benefit fiscally from research or drug development aren't trustworthy. Should they do it for free? No. But it's always, always important to follow the money. Another issue that's arisen around pseudoscience is whether or not a bias of passionate belief is as powerful as fiscal motivation. If you have a bias detector, turn it on to full power when evaluating any scientific claim. If yours is faulty--which you might not realize because of bias--perhaps you can find someone in real life or online with a hypersensitive bias detector. Journalists, by nature of training and their work, often seem to operate theirs on full power.

9. Were real scientific processes involved? Evidence-based interventions generally go through many steps of a scientific process before they come into common use. Going through these steps includes performing basic research using tests in cells and in animals, clinical research with patients/volunteers in several heavily regulated phases, peer-review at each step of the way, and a trail of published research papers. Is there evidence that the product or intervention on offer has been tested scientifically, with results published in scientific journals? Or is it just sciencey-ness espoused by people without benefit of expert review of any kind?

10. Is there expertise? Finally, no matter how much you dislike "experts" or disbelieve the "establishment," the fact remains that people who have an MD or a science PhD or both after their names have gone to school for 24 years or longer, receiving an in-depth, daily, hourly education in the issues they're discussing. If they're specialists in their fields, tack on about five more years. If they're researchers in their fields, tack on more. They're not universally blind or stupid or venal or uncaring or in it for the money; in fact, many of them are exactly the opposite. If they're doing research, usually they're not Rockefellers. Note that having "PhD" or even "MD" after a name or "Dr" before it doesn't automatically mean that the degree or the honorific relates to expertise in the subject at hand. I have a PhD in biology. If I wrote a book about chemical engineering and slapped the term PhD on there, that still doesn't make me an expert in chemical engineering. And I'm just one person with one expert voice in the things I do know well. I recommend listening to more than one expert voice.

There is nothing wrong with healthy skepticism, but there is also nothing wrong in acknowledging that a little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing, that there are really people out there whose in-depth educations and experience better qualify them to address certain issues. However, caveat emptor, as always. Given that even MDs and PhDs can be disposed to acquisitiveness just like those snake-oil salesmen, never forget to look for the money. Always, always follow the money.

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10 Questions To Distinguish Real From Fake Science

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Note: This is a version of a post that first appeared here. I'm running it today because science consumption doesn't happen only through what we read in the news media. Sciencey-ness is sold to us by way of commercials, stores, billboards, and our social circles, too.]

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A collection of UK GCSE Biology Lessons on Powerpoint to support teachers during lockdown.

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Awesome NSW Science Teachers is a Facebook Group for NSW K-12 science teachers to discuss and share their practice. This includes primary school teachers who teach science and other subjects.

Please note that to be approved for this group, you need to be a science educator or be involved in science education. You will be required to answer questions on where you work. This is to prevent spamming and advertising in the group.

Please also read the group’s rules to ensure you know the terms of engagement for this group.

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Awesome NSW Science Teachers has 6,299 members. Awesome NSW Science Teachers is a Facebook Group for NSW K-12 science teachers to discuss and share their practice. This includes primary school...

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Go through the Periodic Table piece by piece and learn how it works. Also, figure out how and why elements interact to make the world you see around you.

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The Periodic Table Interactive - Annenberg Learner

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Go through the Periodic Table piece by piece and learn how it works. Also, figure out how and why elements...

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Planning for Effective Meaningful Instruction 

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Planning for Effective Meaningful Instruction 

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Lesson Ideas, strategic and tools for meaningful instruction, inc. supporting differentiation.

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We know that students learn best when they are truly engaged in what they are learning, when they have the opportunity to explore, debate, discuss, examine, defend, and experiment with the concepts and skills they are ready to learn.

Students learn best when instruction is:

Appropriately Challenging

Kids (and adults!) learn best when they start at their current level of understanding and are challenged - with support (teacher, peers, materials, etc.) - just beyond what they are comfortable doing on their own. (See Zone of Proximal Development)

The student's background knowledge and current skill level are more important than their age/grade level in determining what they are ready to learn.

Use a variety of data (assessment scores, classroom performance, etc.) to identify what each student is ready to work on and plan instruction accordingly, modifying content or activities as needed. Use daily informal formative assessment strategies to monitor student progress and verify that students are demonstrating a gain in understanding of the skills and concepts.

Based on Real-World Problems and Situations

Students need to understand how the skills and concepts they are learning fit into their lives. When will they need to use decimals? How does democracy affect them? How will they benefit from being able to better understand what they read? Connect the skills and concepts to things that already know. Make them relevant.

Purposeful

You (and your students) should be able to explain the purpose of each activity or assignments. Why is it worth spending time on? What are they expected to learn?

Meaningful and Interesting

We shouldn't be waiting until spring before we begin the "fun" activities. We know that these activities are the ones that students love, that they remember.

Use engaging activities all year:

Use science experiments to practice math skills

Use interesting current events or social studies projects to work on reading and language

Use art projects to practice math concepts such as ratio, proportion and patterns

Get kids moving!

Working on measurement? Go outside and measure how far kids can jump, how fast they can run. Measure shadows, the diameter of a light post, the distance around the building.

Talking about point of view? Have students stand on their chairs.

Reading out loud? Have students stand up and walk around the classroom in a circle as they read along.

Practice vocabulary or math facts as students walk, one per sidewalk square or stair step.

Kids will learn the basic skills better when they have the chance to practice them in a meaningful, interesting context... And these types of activities make teaching more fun and fulfilling, and make school a more pleasant place to be.

Remember: No one instructional method will work for all students, for all teachers, or in all subject areas. Think of these ideas as places to start in figuring out what works most effectively for you and your students.

Strategy Ideas:

Alternative Assessments:

"Assessment" can refer to end-of-unit tests or projects, quizzes and graded class assignments as well as informal progress checks throughout each day

Wide variety of possibilities, including:

Use of different checklists or rubrics, or similar rubrics with adapted scales

Use of different tests/assessments

Adapt existing test/assessment so that specific parts of the test only have to be completed by specific groups of students

Allow a student to respond to test questions orally instead of in writing, or typing on a computer instead of writing by hand

Allow a student to respond by demonstrating the skill (For example, a student may use a light bulb, battery and some wire to build an electric circuit rather than drawing a diagram or writing a paragraph about it.)
Assess what is most important for the student to know. Is is more important that he know what a circuit is or more important that he can write a description?

Minimal Prep Time Version: Include as part of the assessment several questions of varying complexity or focused on different aspects of the concept, and then allow students to make some choices about which ones they answer. (Example: Students are required to answer question 1 but can choose from questions 2-4 for their second response.)

Anchor Activities (or Sponge Activities):

Prep Time Varies; Monitor Progress, Work Together, Share Ideas & Opinions, Take Notes

Designed for students to work on either immediately at the beginning of class time or after their class work has been completed, so that their instructional time is maximized

Possibilities include:

Have students respond in writing or out-loud with a partner to a question on the board about the previous day's lesson

Have students draw a graphic organizer to be used for notetaking later in class

Provide students with notes or vocabulary to copy for use as a reference during the day's lesson

Beneficial for classroom management as well as instruction

Intended to extend or deepen understanding of a concept or skill, not just to be busy work

Resources, Examples and More Information

Appointment Clocks:

Requires Some Prep Time; Form Groups, Get Moving!, Work Together

Used to quickly put students in pairs or small groups

Make a copy of the clock for each student. The names of other students go at each hour mark around the clock so that asking students to find their "1 o'clock" partner puts the students in pairs, for example.

Allow students to choose partners for some times on the clock, but decide some of the partners ahead of time so that you know, for example, that the 2 o'clock partners are students with similar skills in reading or that the 5 o'clock partners have similar interests.

Centers (or Stations):
More Prep Time Required; Work Together, Adapt Content, Share Ideas & Opinions

Centers can be used to arrange various activities and assignments by level of difficulty or by interest.

By Academic Skill Level: Set up 3-4 experiments that deal with the same concept, but that vary in complexity. Lower-level students may work on the experiment with fewer steps while higher-level students work on a more complicated task.

By Learning Style: Set up stations focused on the same concept but designed for different modalities. Auditory learners may listen to a recording of text while visual learners examine maps and posters and kinesthetic learners use manipulatives.

By Interest: Set up stations focusing that provide additional information about and enrichment of specific components of the concepts being studied. Allow students to choose which component they spend their time working on.

Choice Boards:

Options posted for students to choice from after they have completed their classwork. Choices can be individualized based on student need or interest.

Helps with classroom management because students know what their choices are; less time wasted.

Print choices on cards and glue magnets on the back so the choices can easily be put up or taken down based on what's appropriate for the time available (ie., if student works requires a quiet room, choices may be limited to "silent reading" or "work on homework," etc.

Six commands or questions, written on the sides of a cube. Students roll the cube and respond. Cubes may be used to differentiate by readiness or interest.

Ideas:

Describe, Compare, Contrast, Apply, Predict, Imagine - Use with any two or three things/concepts/ideas (people from history, current events, mathematical formulas, elements from the periodic table, geometric shapes, countries, chocolate bars - the possibilities are endless!

Who, What, When, Where, Why, How - Have students come up with questions about a current topic of study. Students can exchange questions with others to answer.

Sample Cubing Lesson: Primary Reading - Concepts of Print

Create two or three different cubes, each with questions at different levels of complexity. Assign students to work in small groups and respond (on paper or out loud) to the questions on their assigned cube.

Use to determine where each student will start when rotating through multiple activities, to randomly create student groups for an assignment

Minimal Prep Time Version:Write the six commands/questions on the board, numbered 1-6. Have the students roll a dice to determine which one to respond to.

Curriculum Compacting:

Used for individual or small groups of students with advanced knowledge of the concepts or skills to be studied

Identify the skills or aspects of the concepts with which the students are already proficient. Spend less time on those parts of the curriculum, allowing the students to focus on what the really need to learn and understand.

Exit Ticket/Ticket Out the Door:

At the end of a class period ask students to take out a piece of scrap paper, or hand out blank index cards (keep a stack readily available) and ask students a question related to that day's lesson. Students write their responses on the paper or index card which they then hand to the teacher at the door as they leave the classroom.

See "Reflection and Response" for question ideas

Use the student responses to determine if they need additional practice on the skill/concept

Student responses may be used to create small groups for the next day's lesson - grouping students with similar levels of understanding of the skill/concept or with similar (or differing) opinions or views on the topic

On each wall of the classroom, post signs that say: "Strongly Agree," "Agree," "Disagree," "Strongly Disagree"

Present students with a statement related to a concept or topic currently being studied

Have students respond to the statement by moving and standing under the sign that represents their opinion

Give the students 1-2 minutes to discuss with in their groups why they chose that place to stand

Optional: Have students partner with someone from another side and try to persuade them to change their opinion

Small groups for an activity can be formed by having the students work with the others who chose the same side or by taking one person from each side to create groups of four with differing viewpoints.

Grade as You Go:

Use with classwork involving repetitive practice, such as a math or language worksheet

As students work (alone or with a partner), circulate around the classroom checking answers on the students' work. Mark correct answers on their papers with the tip of a colored marker (Crayola "Stampers" work particularly well).

Benefits:

Students get immediate feedback on what they are doing correctly.

Students can go back to the answers that weren't correct and try again. (This works well when the students are in partners; they can talk through what they've done and help each other.) Identifying their mistakes now will help reduce the chance of repeating the same mistakes again later.

If students are struggling, they will know that their answers aren't correct sooner rather than later and can work to identify the mistakes they're making instead of spending the class period repeatedly getting the problems wrong (and potentially reinforcing the incorrect way to solve the problem).

If a student is working quickly and getting all of the problems correct (demonstrating a good understanding of the skill), you may choose not to require him to complete the assignment, but to move on to something else instead.

You will know right away if the class as a whole is ready to move on to the next skill.

When the assignments are turned in, they're already graded!

Heads Together:

Works especially well for students already working in small groups, especially if they are sitting at a table or cluster of desks together

How It Works:

1. Present a question to the class. Announce "Heads Together!"

2. Students stand up and lean in toward the others in the small group - literally heads together!

3. In their group, students discuss answers to the question

4. After a minute or two, announce "Heads Apart!"

5. Students end their discussion and sit back down.

6. Follow up with whole group discussion and continue with the lesson.

Benefits:

Every student participates

Standing up - that little bit of physical activity - can be enough to increase student engagement and get their focus back on the work at hand

Leaning together helps keep the noise level down while so many student groups are having conversations at once

Can be used as needed with no prior planning - If a lesson is dragging, if students are distracted, tired, or not paying attention, use this strategy to get them back on track and refocused.

Homework Options:

Prep Time Varies; Monitor Progress, Adapt Content

Assign homework based on a student's level of readiness. All students may be working on the same concept or skill, but are assigned homework of varying level of difficulty.

Another option: Students may be given assignments focusing on different skills, based on their individual needs, to give them a chance to practice the skills each student needs most.

Works well with small groups needing to cover large amounts of material

Divide the material to be covered in 3-5 parts. Put the same number of students in each small group. One student is each group is assigned to cover one of the parts of the materials. The student's job is to become the "expert" on their portion of the material so that they can then share what they've learned with the rest of their group.

1. Students read their assigned material independently

2. Students meet with those from other groups that read the same material to discuss what was most important and what needs to be taught to their groups. (optional)

3. Students meet with their small groups and to share what they've learned with each other. Follow with whole group discussion of the most important points.

Columns: "What I Know," "What I Want to Know," and "What I Learned"

Can be used at the beginning of a unit to assess students' background knowledge and interest in the topic, or it can be used at various points throughout the unit to assess student progress. Students can track their own progress and help determine what they most need to work on next.

Learning Contracts:

Works well with individual students or small groups in need of a challenge

Detailed list of directions and assignments for the student to complete within a set period of time. Teacher and student work together to establish contract requirements and due dates. Can be effectively used to develop goal-setting.

Can be used to practice time-management as well. Provide students with a blank calendar have students schedule days/class periods when they will work on each part of the contract in order to meet the final due date. Students working on the same part of the contract during the same class perdiod may have the option of working togther.

Literature Circles:

Requires Some Prep Time; Compare & Contrast, Form Groups, Get Moving!, Work Together, Adapt Content, Share Ideas & Opinions

Small groups of students, arranged by readiness level or interest, reading and responding to a novel together

Idea: The whole class may be reading novels by the same author or that have similar themes, but each literature circle group has a novel that is specifically appropriate for them. This allows for whole group discussion as well as small group work.
A few times a year, allow students to choose their own groups. Present them with the novels to be studied for a particular unit (basic plot summary, reading level, book length, etc.) and let students choose which book they are each most interested in. They'll then work with others who chose the same book.

Encourage groups to move their desks into a circle, to sit together on the floor or to otherwise move out of their normal seating to encourage discussion and an emphasis on actively working as a learning team instead of more passively listening to a teacher

Menus (or Agendas):

List of assignments, activities, or projects a student will work on during a set amount of time (ie. one class period, one week, one unit). Students may choose the order which they complete the work.

"Main Course" Items: Assignments that the student is required to complete

"Side Dish" Items: Students choose 2-3 assignments from a list of options

"Dessert" Items: Optional items that students may choose for additional enrichment or practice

Agenda format may be structured more loosely, such as the low-prep example below

Like Learning Contracts, Menus/Agendas can be used to practice time-management as well. Provide students with a blank calendar have students schedule days/class periods when they will work on each part of the contract in order to meet the final due date. Students working on the same part of the contract during the same class period may have the option of working together.

Materials/Resources: Reading Agenda - Novel Study (Word)

Mini White Boards:

Provide each student with a small white board (10-12 inches square), a dry erase marker and a tissue (to wipe the board clean between questions). Ask a question or write a problem on the board. Ask students to respond on their white boards, which they hold up once they have an answer written.

Can also be used for questions based on opinion or that potentially have multiple right answers. After students hold up their answers, have them find a partner with a different answer. Give them each one minute to explain to their new parters why their own answer is the right one. Have the students come back together and discuss any changes in opinion.

Or, have students form small groups with others who gave the same or similar answers. Use these student groups for the day's lesson.

Benefits:

You will get immediate feedback about which students understand the concept or skill and which students may need some additional support.

All students participate. Holding up the answers increases the accountability and engagement for everyone.

Materials/Resources:

Cheaper White Boards: At your local home improvement store, buy a large, plain white piece of the material used for shower walls. Ask to have it cut into 10-12 inch squares (enough to have a class set). Cheap, but they can last for years.

Another Option: Instead of a white board, use a heavy-duty, clear page protector with white cardstock inside. As a bonus, you can layer the plain white cardstock with graph paper, a black-line master of a map, or a copy of whatever students need for the skill they're practicing.

Orbitals (Independent Study Projects):

3-4 week independent study projects intended to provide enrichment

Effective for use with individual students who have already mastered the concepts the class will be working on. Provides an opportunity for them to focus on a part of the concept or separate topic of particular interest to the student (possibility something he or she is passionate about). Allow the student to share with the class what he or she has learned at the conclusion of the project. For example, while the class studies the Civil War, a student who is already very knowledgeable about that war might focus on specific details related to a particular battle or person involved.

Question Choices:

Requires Minimal Prep Time; Monitor Progress, Form Groups, Adapt Content

During whole group discussions, include questions that everyone in the class is able to answer, as well as more complex questions that only a few students may be able to answer. Adjust the difficulty of the questions depending on which student will be called on to respond.

Also see Alternative Assessment Minimal Prep Time Version

Reading Buddies:

Pair each student with another of a different reading level (low with medium, medium with high) for partner reading and discussion

Also, pairing upper grade students with lower grade students, such as having a fourth grade class buddy up with a first grade class, provides reading practice for all students and can be fun and motivating for both groups.

Reflection and Response:

Provide opportunity for students to respond and reflect on day's learning. Helps you to know where they stand for planning next lessons. Increases memory retention for students.

Keep a stack of blank index cards on hand to give to students at the end of class. Have students respond on the card to something from the day's lesson.

Ideas:

Draw a sketch that demonstrates _______________ (a key concept from that day's lesson)

What one thing from today's lesson would you like to know more about?

What one thing from today's lesson did you find most interesting?

Ask a question from the day's lesson content.

Ask a question that requires higher-level thinking or connections to "real-life":

Which of the generals leading this battle showed the most bravery? Why?

How would this math skill would be used in science? in cooking? in construction?

Which of these people/ideas/concepts/events is the most important/useful/worth remembering? Why?

Scaffolding:

Works well with individuals and small groups when working on instruction of specific skills

Identify specific levels of complexity within the development of a particular skill/concepts. Match students, by ability, with the appropriate level of skill; students at the same level may work in flexible groups. The goal is to have each student move up at least one level.

Sticky Note Graphs:

Give each student a small stack of sticky notes (5-10 notes, depending on how many responses you anticipate)

Present students with a question related to the content. Questions with multiple correct answers or that ask for opinions or votes work well.

Students write one answer or response on each sticky note

Question Ideas:

Which animal is most important to sustaining the jungle ecosystem?

What are your three favorite books that you read last year?

What activities should we plan for our class picnic?

The Process:

After students finish writing their answers, have them place all of their sticky notes in a designated spot on a wall or white board.

Students work together to find and group sticky notes with the same or similar answers (stick the notes in clusters or in lines to create a bar graph)

Discuss which responses where most common and why

Optional: Leave the sticky notes on the wall during additional lessons on the concept/topic. After students have learned more, have give them the opportunity to change their response (and have them explain their reason for wanting to change their answer).

Think-Tac-Toe:

Requires More Prep Time; Compare & Contrast, Form Groups, Work Together, Adapt Content, Share Ideas & Opinions, Take Notes

Nine commands or questions, arranged like a tic-tac-toe board. Students choose three to complete, creating a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Student choice allows for differentiation by interest and/or learning style. Think-tac-toe boards for different levels of readiness can also be created and given to different groups of students.

Students may also be given choices as to which assignment square they complete during a particular class period. Students who choose the same assignment may form a small group for that day.

Materials/Resources: Think-Tac-Toe for middle grade novel study - 2 Levels (Word)

Think-Pair-Share:

Requires Minimal Prep Time; Monitor Progress, Compare & Contrast, Work Together, Share Ideas & Opinions

Provides opportunities for all students to respond and be involved during whole group discussion

1. Ask a question or propose a problem

2. Students first think of an answer or idea on their own (2-3 minutes)

3. Next, students share, and possibly revise, their responses by sharing with a partner

4. Then open discussion to the whole group to share and compare answers and ideas

Tiered Activities:

3-4 different activities of different levels of complexity and difficulty, but with a common goal or end result. For example, different groups of students may be working on science experiments of different levels of difficulty, but all with the purpose of learning about the food chain.

1. Begin by planning the mid-level activity, what you might normally plan for your whole class.

2. Then add a level of difficulty or complexity to make the same lesson more challenging for higher-level students.

3. Simplify or add resources to the original activity to better meet the needs and fill in any learning gaps for lower-level students.

Students may work in small groups with others at the same level for a particular lesson or throughout a particular unit.

Tiered activities can lead to effective whole group discussion and comparison of results.

Minimal Prep Time Version: Some curriculum come with leveled workbooks. There may be a "Reteaching" workshop that explains a skill step-by-step, a "Practice" workbook that provides problems to solve related to the skill, and an "Enrichment" workbook that extends the skill in some way. Assign students to the appropriate workbook page so that every student can practice the same skill at his or her own level of readiness. Or, briefly describe the assignments and then let the students choose which level they'd like to complete; their choices may provide some insight into their comfort level with the skill.

Tiered Rubrics:

2-3 rubrics are developed for one project, and given to students based on readiness. This provides all students with appropriate skills to focus on and a chance to be successful.

Ideas:

Include the same categories, but adjust the point value and/or required elements, or

Add additional categories or requirements to increase the challenge and take off or reduce the requirements (leaving only on what's most important for them to learn) for kids needing assistance

Use rubrics with increasing difficulty or requirements over successive projects as a means of identifying areas of student growth

Varied Organizers:

Provide 2-3 organizers of differing complexity

Example:

Students needing more guidance may be given a ready-to-use organizer with blanks for them to fill in.

Students ready for more independence may be given an incomplete organizer that requires them to fill in blanks as well as adding detail.

More advanced students may be given only a basic framework for the organizer (or a blank piece of paper) which they complete on their own.

Varied Products:

Possibly the easiest way to differentiate

Allow students to make choices about how they demonstrate what they've learned, whether they write an essay, make a poster, or act out a scene.

Be clear about your expectations, possibly using a rubric; then allow students to meet the requirements in their own way.

This also works well when you have limited resources because not all students need to same materials and equipment at the same time.

Varied Texts:

Provide resources at a variety of reading levels that provide students with information about the skill or concept being studied

Assign reading material to students based on skill level, or allow them to choose the text they are most interested in. Put students in small groups with other students reading the same material.

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We know that students learn best when they are truly engaged in what they are learning, when they have the opportunity to explore, debate, discuss, examine, defend, and experiment with the concepts and skills they are ready to learn. Students learn best when instruction is: Appropriately Challenging Kids (and adults!)

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A free maths app. Great for graphing and equations.

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A range of resources focussed on five topics — The Earth, Water, Food, Health & Your Body, and The Periodic Table — putting a spotlight on the connection between chemistry and everyday life.

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Chemistry at Home

The ACS is making educational resources available by topic to aid parents and teachers in student enrichment during this time of distance learning. We have bundled materials from the Reactions Video series, C&EN, our magazines within the Education Division and our portfolio of hands-on activities for students in grades K-12 and beyond. These resources focus on five topics - The Earth, Water, Food, Health & Your Body, and The Periodic Table - and put a spotlight on the connection between chemistry and everyday life.

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Chemistry Education Resources by Topic - American Chemical Society

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The ACS is making educational resources available by topic to aid parents and teachers in student enrichment during this time of distance learning. We have bundled materials from the Reactions Video series, C&EN, our magazines within the Education Division and our portfolio of hands-on activities for students in grades K-12 and beyond.

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Learning The Solar System With Blippi | Science Videos For Kids

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Integrating english and the science of climate change.

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The language of climate change science

A Pre-school to Year 8 teaching and learning progression

The following open resource has been curated by PETAA Board directors Bronwyn Parkin and Julie Hayes as a precursor to a forthcoming PETAA publication and related professional learning on Teaching the Language of Climate Change Science, under development for 2021.

The threat posed by human induced climate change is real. If we are to act as a global community to respond to that threat and build a brighter future for our students - and future generations - the work begins in schools, as we teach our young people about the planet with a systematic emphasis on developing stewardship, responsibility and care for its environment.

Although climate change is not explicitly mentioned in the science curriculum descriptors until Year 10, a deep understanding of how our actions and use of Earth's resources affect the environment and living things can be developed through all the science strands beginning in the early years.

In this teaching and learning progression, which spans from pre-school to Year 8, teachers will harness the potential of the science curriculum, and the sustainability cross-curriculum priority, to help their students design the future of the Earth. It will support teachers and students in gradually making the links between science and climate change at an appropriate level of understanding for each year level.

Created by educators, academics, and scientific experts, these language-focused and logical progressions will build a better world. By following these progressions, students will be able to talk, read and write scientifically about climate change and its causes and effects - and learn that they can be part of the solution.

The progression will:

Save teachers time by identifying the science that underpins the understanding of climate change and making the links between the two explicit for sharing with students

Fulfil many Australian curriculum requirements in Science, linked with aspects of the Sustainability cross-curriculum Priority

Explore ways that people can slow down human induced climate change so that the planet and all that is living on it survives and thrives

Develop respect for, and trust in, scientifically gathered evidence and the scientific community to provide reliable information

Set teachers on a path of long-term professional development as the second and third stages - including a reference text for teachers and professional learning courses - continue this journey towards a practice of consistent, evidence-based, climate-informed pedagogy

Allow leaders to create a transformative learning environment that over the years, develops students' understanding of the science of climate change, as well as fostering positive attitudes, appreciation and respect for the natural world

Develop a community of informed, articulate, and active citizens, who recognise the Earth as their home, the interdependence of all living things, and who have the will and means to act in creating a sustainable future.

COLLABORATION PARTNER

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The following open resource has been curated by PETAA Board directors Bronwyn Parkin and Julie Hayes as a precursor to a forthcoming PETAA publication and related professional learning on Teaching the Language of Climate Change Science, under development for 2021. The threat posed by human induced climate change is real.

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An archived site of the old www.hscphysics.edu.au with a range of Physics lesson plans

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There are many hands-on activities and demonstrations for illustrating eddy currents in class. This video describes how to perform several of these.

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An investigating science Citizen Science Project.

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Introduction

We are soliciting feedback from teachers on our draft lesson plans. Please view any of the lesson plans below that may be of interest to you and then provide feedback in a short 2 minute survey.

Lesson Plans

Click on the links below to access the relevant lesson plan.

Please provide your feedback in this survey. If you are interested in collaborating with us on more lesson plans or trialling some lessons you can flag this in the survey.

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Education 2 (for conference) - Schools Weather and Air Quality

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We are soliciting feedback from teachers on our draft lesson plans. Please view any of the lesson plans below that may be of interest to you and then provide feedback in a short 2 minute survey. Click on the links below to access the relevant lesson plan.

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Keep Australia beautiful is excited to announce that the Litter Legends Campaign will be back next year!!! The Litter Legends Campaign is an exciting global schools project to implement a project to reduce litter and improve recycling in their school and community with Eco-Schools in the driver's seat.

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Australian Microplastic Assessment Project

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OUR MISSION

"At AUSMAP we're busy mapping pollution hotspots around Australia, building a network of data collectors whose work will help to save our river systems and coastlines. This is a nationwide citizen science project so you too can join our dedicated team of scientists, activists and researchers - welcome to AUSMAP!"

Program Director, Dr Michelle Blewitt

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Australian Microplastic Assessment Project | AUSMAP

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OUR MISSION "At AUSMAP we're busy mapping pollution hotspots around Australia, building a network of data collectors whose work will help to save our river systems and coastlines. This is a nationwide citizen science project so you too can join our dedicated team of scientists, activists and researchers - welcome to AUSMAP!"

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Solutions for plastic pollution of our seas.

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Stop Plastic Pollution | Take 3 For The Sea

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Through education that inspires participation, Take 3 is building a global movement of people to be the plastic pollution solution

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Marine Conservation Education Resources

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EarthEcho International is accepting submissions for the 2023 OurEcho Challenge beginning November 3, 2022. The STEM competition is designed to engage young problem solvers in understanding and protecting the amazing diversity of species and ecosystems essential for the future of our planet.

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EarthEcho International is a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 2000 by siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honor of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr., famous son of the legendary explorer Jacques Yves Cousteau. EarthEcho International's mission is to empower youth to take action that protects and restores our water planet.

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The First Nations cultures of Australia - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders - speak over 250 distinct languages and stretch back for over 65,000 years. This makes the First Australians the oldest astronomers and the oldest continuing cultures in the world. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed a number of practical ways to observe the Sun, Moon and stars to inform navigation, calendars, and predict weather. Australia's First Nations people assign meaning and agency to astronomical phenomena, which informs Law and social structure. It also serves as the foundation for narratives that are passed down the generations through song, dance, and oral tradition over tens of thousands of years.

Indigenous Astronomy now part of the National Curriculum

We are happy to announce that the new National Curriculum incorporating Indigenous Astronomical Knowledge is now available for teachers and educators via the University of Melbourne Indigenous Education web portal. The 14 Units are aimed at Years 5 & 8, and show how Indigenous Astronomy can be incorporated into the seven learning areas of Science, Mathematics, The Arts, English, Technologies, Humanities and Health. Please take some time to explore.

Indigenous Astronomy features in new Commemorative Coin

The Emu in the Sky is one of Australia's most famous dark constellations, holding special meaning for Aboriginal Australians. Now, it has been commemorated in a silver coin by the Royal Australian Mint. It features "Gugurmin: the Emu in the Sky", from the skylore of the Wiradjuri people of central New South Wales. The constellation artwork was produced by Scott 'Sauce' Towney, a Wiradjuri artist from Peak Hill in New South Wales. The uncirculated $1 coin design shows a male Emu (Dinawan) sitting on a nest and a trio of young men dancing in a Bora ceremony while Gugurmin appears in the sky above them, indicating the connection between the Earth and the sky. The back story can be read in this article from the University of Melbourne's Pursuit eMagazine.

by Duane Hamacher, Krystal De Napoli and Bon Mott. Journal of Dark Sky Studies, Vol. 1 (in press).

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Astronomy The First Nations cultures of Australia - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders - speak over 250 distinct languages and stretch back for over 65,000 years. This makes the First Australians the oldest astronomers and the oldest continuing cultures in the world.

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A free curriculum resource for teachers

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iTeachSTEM - STEM learning and teaching resources for teachers

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iTeachSTEM - iTeachSTEM delivers world-class, Australian focused, contextualised STEM learning and teaching resources for teachers.

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Resources for building STEM Literacy

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The latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) published in December 2019 show that Australian students have been steadily falling behind their international peers in Mathematics, Science, and Reading for at least the last decade.

An average 15 year old in remote Australia is around 1.5 years behind metropolitan students in Science, and significantly below the OECD average in Mathematics.
Learn more →

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The AustSTEM Foundation is committed to raising STEM literacy in Australian classrooms Our purpose is to work to ensure all students finish school with a strong foundation knowledge in STEM and related skills. Their STEM journey begins in Primary school, and this is the starting point for the design of our educational tools and programmes Our purpose and aims align ...

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Interactive coding games

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A Blocks / JavaScript code editor for the micro:bit powered by Microsoft MakeCode.

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This is a fun interactive game from the genetics science learning centre.

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Interactive: Control a Haber-Bosch Ammonia Plant

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Free interactive science simulation written by JavaScript Simulates various natural phenomena Includes about Physics, Chemistry, Earth, Astronomy, Biology, Measurement, Mathematics

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Free interactive science simulation(Virtual lab) written by JavaScript Simulates various natural phenomena Includes about Physics, Chemistry, Earth, Astronomy, Biology, Measurment, Mathmatics... No need to plugin add-ons Available on mobile devices and tablets also Free of charge / No membership About...

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Free interactive science simulation(Virtual lab) written by JavaScript Simulates various natural phenomena Includes about Physics, Chemistry, Earth, Astronomy, Biology, Measurment, Mathmatics... No need to plugin add-ons Available on mobile devices and tablets also Free of charge / No membership About...

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Science videos with the mission to improve scientific research and education.

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JoVE | Peer Reviewed Scientific Video Journal - Methods and Protocols

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JoVE publishes peer-reviewed scientific video protocols to accelerate biological, medical, chemical and physical research. Watch our scientific video articles.

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How I teach Be inspired by teachers sharing their approaches to remote teaching

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Stage 3 units of work investigating bees, soils, aphids and fire ants. More NSWDPI resources can be found at https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/school-resources

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Science and Technology outcomes with Investigate

Investigate is an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries School Program. By completing the Investigate units students will understand the role that science plays in their everyday lives. Real-world content guides the application of these skills in a meaningful learning context that delivers cross-curriculum outcomes.

Resources provided support teachers through a series of learning experiences and activities. This includes an Inquiry unit of work; cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities; and research material. You can choose to use some or all of the activities to develop a teaching and learning program suited to your local needs and situation.

Investigate 2020 is on hold at the moment. We hope to be able to bring you a fantastic new investigation in the near future. In the meantime, fee free to make use of one of the fantastic options below!

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Science and Technology outcomes with Investigate Investigate is an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries School Program. By completing the Investigate units students will understand the role that science plays in their everyday lives. Real-world content guides the application of these skills in a meaningful learning context that delivers cross-curriculum outcomes.

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The ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CLEx) has produced a number of climate-related lesson plans, some of which could be used in online learning.

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ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes makes pan...

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It's all about the weather.

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NOAA SciJinks inspires and engages students to learn about weather, satellite meteorology and Earth science. Our fun articles, games and videos are targeted toward middle- and high-school aged students and their educators.

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Beyond cool experiments that you can do at home.

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experiments spangler "steve spangler" "easy science experiment" "easy science experiments" diysci "diy sci" "mentos diet coke" "elephant toothpaste" "elephan...

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About Steve Spangler... Steve Spangler a bestselling author, STEM educator and Emmy award-winning television personality. Spangler is a frequent guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and the host of his own syndicated television series called DIY Sci. Steve posted the original Mentos & Diet Coke video in September 2005 when YouTube was only 3 months old.

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Syllabus  linked classroom ideas and resources