Making Life Easier
Stage 4: Year 8
Suggested Unit Length: 6 weeks
Unit Context
The context of this Stage 4 unit of work is technology. Students investigate some traditional technologies used by Aboriginal peoples and their own everyday use of devices. They identify the scientific principles underlying their use, develop an understanding of the ways in which people use technologies to make it easier or more convenient to perform tasks and the impact of technology on society. Students describe some areas of current research and the contributions to science, technology and society of some contemporary Aboriginal persons who have worked or are working in the area of science and technology. The teaching learning experiences in this unit provide students with opportunities to practise and apply their skills in gathering and processing information. Throughout this unit the activities enable students to build on their prior knowledge and skills in using discussion as a learning strategy and to present information and ideas orally.
Target Outcomes
A student:
4.3 identifies areas of everyday life that have been affected by scientific developments
4.5 describes areas of current scientific research
4.12 identifies, using examples, common simple devices and explains why they are used
4.16 accesses information from identified secondary sources
4.17 evaluates the relevance of data and information
4.18 with guidance, presents information to an audience to achieve a particular purpose
4.19 draws conclusions based on information available
4.20 uses an identified strategy to solve problems
4.22 undertakes a variety of individual and team tasks with guidance.
Unit Overview
1. What is Technology?
The students' understanding of the term technology is identified using examples of traditional Aboriginal technologies and common everyday devices. In this teaching-learning sequence students practise their oral communication skills by presenting a solution to a problem scenario that illustrates how technology makes a task easier.
2. Technology Making Life Easier
Students extend their investigations into devices that they use in their everyday lives and are introduced to some traditional tools, weapons and devices used by Aboriginal people that make it easier or more convenient to perform tasks. The teaching-learning sequence in this part of the unit includes additional syllabus content, which may be used to build on students' understanding of energy change and to develop their understanding of the scientific principles used in some simple machines. If teachers wish to extend students' learning experiences beyond the mandatory syllabus content, extension activities involving analyses of various simple machines in terms of energy input, output and work done could be provided.
3. Aboriginal Persons Working in Science and Technology
As a result of their research into changes in materials, tools and techniques used by Aboriginal peoples, students develop an awareness of the impact on communities of changes in technology. In this part of the unit students gather and process information on the contributions made to science and society by some contemporary Aboriginal persons who have worked or are working in the area of science and/or technology. They develop and extend their skills in selecting and using appropriate technology (eg Microsoft PowerPoint) to present their findings and enhance their oral presentation.
4. Impact of Technology on Society
Students work in teams to prepare and participate in a panel discussion in which they use examples from their own and traditional Aboriginal communities to explore some positive and negative impacts of science and technology on society.
Unit of Work
Making Life Easier - pdf format - 8 pages - 79 KB
Making Life Easier - Doc format - 8 pages - 110 KB
Resources