Teacher background information

   

Year 10 Science Content Description

Science Inquiry Skills

Planning and conducting

Plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including field work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS199 - Scootle )

  • collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to explore the development of a commercial product based upon traditional ecological knowledge while addressing ethical issues

This elaboration provides students with an opportunity to develop this core Science Inquiry Skill whilst addressing intercultural science inquiry skills relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures within the context of the following content description(s) from the Science Understanding and/or Science as a Human Endeavour strand(s). 

Different types of chemical reactions are used to produce a range of products and can occur at different rates (ACSSU187) 

A potential way to approach this content description is: 

Students could explore the hands-on context of soap manufacturing. Soap is a product of a chemical reaction called saponification. 

As part of the planning process of making a soap that contains Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander pharmacopeia, students could read the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), especially Article 31, and discover Australia is a signatory. Students could plan to develop a commercial product (e.g. soap or anti-bacterial hand wash) based upon traditional medicinal knowledge (e.g. tea-tree oil). They could also establish research collaborations (actual or virtual) with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations. This activity provides students with the opportunity to learn about UNDRIP Article 31 and develop cultural capability skills as they relate to collaborating with First Nations peoples in the development of a commercial product.