On this page you will find the Laboratory Learning Activities developed by the Victorian Node of the ASELL for Schools Project. 

Five of the ASELL for Schools  Laboratory Learning Activities developed by the Victorian team were created in conjunction with a project called Introducing Modern Materials. This project arose from a collaboration between Reimagining Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Project (ReMSTEP) and the Institute of Frontier Materials (IFM) and ASELL for Schools.  

1: Composite Materials

2: Testing Plastics

3: Adhesives

4: Viscosity

5: Honeycomb Structures

The Laboratory Learning Activities included below were developed for specific workshops and tested in the ASELL for Schools workshops.  These are the final documents.  You are welcome to download and adapt and share.

Chemistry

Fruit Juice Inquiry

Using the context of the health benefits of fruit juices, the Fruit Juice titration activity lies within a sequence of lessons in which students inquire into the composition of fruit juices. In the titration students measure the citric acid content of different fruit juices.

Fruit Juice Inquiry:	Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student Sample Answers	Teacher Notes
Citric Acid Titration:	Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student Sample Answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes
Additional resources:	A tabular approach to titration calculations (2012), Teaching Science, Volume 58 (3), pp 33-39

Corrosion All at Sea

(in collaboration with the Australasian Corrosion Association Foundation
In this activity, students will simulate and test which environmental conditions influence the rate corrosion of different metals and describe the observed changes

Overview

Student Notes (PDF)

Student Notes (Word)

Sample Answers

Teacher Notes

Technical Notes

Acids and Metals

This practical activity is a variation on the standard “acid plus metal” experiment found in most textbooks.
Acid + metal –> hydrogen gas + dissolved metal chloride.
Indeed, students carry out exactly the same experimental procedures as in the standard experiment.
The students however are given the following context for the activity. “A local company plans to use some of their excess metal to produce cans for food and soft drink storage. They are aware that some metals are highly reactive on contact with the acids in food while others are not. They have asked for your help in sorting the group of metals based on their reactivity. The company asks you to recommend one or more metals for can production.”

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Using acids and metals to build ‘batteries’

This practical activity is a variation on the standard galvanic cell experiment found in many textbooks. Instead of using a salt bridge with two separate half-cells, a single combined cell (piece of fruit) is used.

The term Baghdad Battery is used to refer to three artefacts, which were found together: a ceramic pot, a tube of one metal, and a rod of another. The current interpretation of their purpose is as a storage vessel for sacred scrolls from nearby Seleucia on the Tigris. Those vessels do not have the outermost clay jar, but are otherwise almost identical

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

 

Physics

Bungee Barbie

In bungee jumping, a very strong and elastic rope is attached to both a support and to the bungee jumper. The bungee rope is often attached to the jumper’s lower legs using a leg harness, but a chest harness can also be used. The jumper initially stands on a platform near the support where the other end of the rope is attached. Often the adventurer jumper will ask for the rope to be adjusted so that the jumper will get as close as possible to the ground without actually hitting the ground. If the jump is made over water, the jumper might ask for the rope to be adjusted so that only the hair (or the head or the chest) gets wet. The elasticity (stretchiness) of the rope will ensure that the jumper will keep moving up and down several times before finally stopping. In this activity, students investigate some of the factors that affect the bungee jump, so that Barbie and Ken can have an exciting, but safe, experience.

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes
Additional resources:	Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner (2010) www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ieb1Y1VCY

Motion on an inclined plane

When an object is placed on a flat surface, it will sit still on the surface and won’t move unless an outside force causes it to move. However, when the object is placed on an inclined surface, the object will start to fall down the surface due to gravitational forces. These inclined surfaces surround us everywhere. Such examples include when a car is on a hill and when a skateboard is falling down a ramp. In this experiment, students will utilise their knowledge of acceleration and velocity and investigate how varying the angle of the ramp will affect how fast the object will accelerate down the surface.

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

If the shoe fits

Shoes are one of the most important objects in our lives. There’s a variety of different types, such as shoes for different sports, shoes for schools and work, and just about anything that we need. Typically, we never really think about what the shoes do for us, but they help with providing little or no friction to the surfaces we walk on. In this investigation, students will investigate different types of shoes on different types of surfaces to see how they’ll vary, how they increase or decrease the frictional forces and find out what these differences mean.

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Several model cars each with different propulsion mechanisms were designed and then used to conduct investigations.  This could generate an exciting class investigation. 

Electric (Battery) Car

Students use a homemade electric car, which has been assembled in a previous session. They can test the effect of changing the number of batteries in the power source and the effect of connecting batteries in parallel and series circuits.This is different from the normal way of testing the effect of having the load (working components) in parallel and series circuits.

	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)		Teacher Notes
	Additional resources: Propeller driven car instructions

 

Bicarb-Vinegar Car

Students construct a bi-carb and vinegar powered car, using easily obtainable materials. by using bi-carb and vinegar, they can identify the chemical reaction taking place, the inputs, outputs, and resulting propulsion. they can then explore the aerodynamic properties and various pressures to measure how these affect propulsion.

	Student Investigation Notes (PDF)	Student Investigation Notes (Word)	Student Construction Instructions	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Elastic Band Car

This is a practical activity that allows students create a car that uses the potential energy of a wound up rubber band to generate propulsion. A follow up document allows students to experiment with different variables and see how weight, rubber band length, surface types can impact the distance travelled by the car.

	Student Investigation Notes (PDF)	Student Investigation Notes (Word)	Student Construction Instructions	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Solar Powered Car

Students build and test a solar panel car by following some simple instructions. Once constructed the car can be tested on different surfaces which can include smooth and rough surfaces amongst many others they can find. Wheels can be changed to trial which wheels provide the best drive for the car on the various surfaces.

	Student Investigation (PDF)	Student Investigation (Word)	Student Construction Instructions	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Balloon Car

Students build and create a balloon model car, which they will then modify to perform at its best. They can then test the effect of changing the type of balloon used for the car, the surface the car travels on and the effect of adding differing weights to the model car to determine the optimum weight.

	Student Investigation (PDF)	Student Investigation (Word)	Student Construction Instructions	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Biology

Immunity ‘Snot”

Students will explore and apply a range of concepts, processes and terms of Immunology “Snot”. Within the worksheet, there are three main types of learning activities including a series of questions, laboratory activities and visual aided learning (videos and diagrams). Teachers and students will be able to interactively explore the key features of immunology, designed to take roughly 2 hours to complete. The activity is aimed at year 9 students and follows the Victorian F-10 curriculum with the Biological Understandings (he theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of living thing and is supported by a range of scientific evidence (VCSSU120)) and Science Inquiry Skills.

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

Freshwater Indicator Species

In this activity students will assess and comment on the quality of waterway samples, by identifying various freshwater aquatic organisms, and assigning them SIGNAL scores. This activity will take 1.5 – 2 hours to complete and is aimed at students in year 9 and 10. The activity involves hands on use of microscopes and handling of freshwater aquatic organisms (‘waterbugs’). The relevant Victorian F-10 curriculum outcomes are Biological Understandings (Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (VCSSU121)) and Science Inquiry Skills.

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes

“Fill the Bill” Bird Adaptations and the Atlas of Living Australia

In this activity, students are introduced to scientific modelling by using every day household kitchen tools to find out what bird beak shapes are best suited for specific food sources. Students will be learning about how bird species have adapted over time to meet their specific niches through evolution. Using the Atlas of Living Australia, an online Australian species database, students will explore the importance of citizen science as well as data collection and evaluation. The ability to source and analyse data are key skills that are used by all scientists. Being able to understand the implications for loss of species as well as suggest conservation solutions is essential to keeping species richness.  These activities are aimed at year 9 and 10 – Biology (The theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of living things and is supported by a range of scientific evidence (VCSSU120)) and Science Inquiry Skills.

Overview

Student Notes (PDF)

Student Notes (Word)

Student sample answers

Teacher Notes

Technical Notes

 

Understanding Cancer: How does cancer start and spread?

Students will partake in activities that aim to extend knowledge surrounding the growth and spread of cancer in the human body. Cancer occurs when cells grow and divided in an uncontrollable way. These cells can spread into other parts of the body as these abnormal cells damage or invade surrounding tissues. In recently times, scientific studies surrounding cancer and its treatment have been targeted at the early stages of the abnormal cell development. Students will be able to identify these early stages and compare findings with non-cancerous cells and tissues. Students will further explore one particular type of cancer, melanoma. The focus activities on melanoma will encourage students to use and extend their understandings of the disease, as they summarise their investigations in a final task. These activities are aimed at year 9 and 10 – Biology (multicellular organisms rely on coordinated and interdependent internal systems to respond to changes to their environment (VCSSU117)) and Science Inquiry Skills.

Overview	Student Notes (PDF)	Student Notes (Word)	Student sample answers	Teacher Notes	Technical Notes