MyScience
A professional learning toolkit

Links to videos

Students talking

Describing an experiment on stain removal in clothing

Briefly discuss results of an investigation into gender and motivation in sport

Giving advice to other students starting an investigation

Describing their experiment into gender differences in memory

Outlining how they came up with an investigation topic

Demonstrating and describing their investigation into sports’ drinks

Outlining the role of the scientist mentor

Describing what was the most difficult part of an investigation

Describing the best thing about doing their own investigation

Teachers/Parents/Principal/Mentor talking

Describing the benefits of MyScience

Outlining the demands of MyScience

Describing how the theme was selected

Discussing some practical issues in selecting ‘testable’ questions

Describing how MyScience supports literacy and numeracy development

Describing the ‘MyScience’ experience from the perspective of a beginning teacher

Giving a parent's perspective on MyScience investigations

Explaining the experience of being in MyScience the second time around

Describing the mentoring of MyScience

Outlining the vital place of support for MyScience teachers

Explaining the benefits of using ICT in MyScience investigations

Links to Activities

Teacher Activities

Types of investigations— teachers identify examples of various types of science investigations in this drag and drop activity.

Choosing a theme— a five-question quiz in which teachers clarify understanding of the relationship between a theme and topics.

Themes and topics— teachers match the topic to the theme to clarify understanding of the initiating processes for developing questions for investigation.

From theme to topics— a drag and drop activity in which teachers clarify their understanding of the types of questions they can ask when brainstorming a theme into topics leading to testable questions.

Topics and questions— teachers match the topic to examples of questions that could be asked relating to the specific topic.

Steps in planning and conducting MyScience scientific investigations— teachers sequence the steps involved in planning and conducting scientific investigations.

Why students plan their own investigations— teachers categorise some of the positives, negatives and interesting aspects of students conducting their own investigations.

Do I understand about fair testing?— teachers do a five-question quiz to review understanding about fair tests.

Scientific method terminology— teachers check understanding of the terms associated with science in this drag and drop activity

Planning open investigations— teachers complete the cloze activity to clarify their understanding of the processes of investigating scientifically

Working Scientifically— a quiz that checks understanding of the article by Hackling on ‘Working Scientifically’

Assessing Science Investigations— a quick quiz on the Young Scientist Rubric

Testable questions on energy— complete this long quiz to clarify understanding on the types of questions students can ask that can be developed into a fair test investigation based on an energy theme

Testable questions on disasters— complete this long quiz to clarify understanding on the types of questions students can ask that can be developed into a fair test investigation based on a disasters theme

Student Activities

Cows Moo Softly— a drag and drop activity for students to check understanding about the types of variables in fair tests

Measurement— a drag and drop activity to match the equipment to the measuring task

Is it a fair test?— a 5 question quiz in which students decide whether an investigation represents a fair test.

Drawing conclusions— students match statements about conclusions to the appropriate statement of the aim of an investigation

Writing an investigation report— students categorise statements to the main headings used when recording a scientific investigation

How did we go?— a categorising activity in which students evaluate their investigative processes.