Grade 06: Science

In this unit, 'Food: where it comes from and components', you learn to group nutrients and test for starch. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Food: where it comes from and components' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: group nutrients and test for starch. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Say where food comes from. Plants give us cereals (wheat, rice), pulses, fruits, vegetables and oils. Animals give us milk, eggs, meat and fish. Honey comes from bees. Sort twelve foods from your kitchen into plant source, animal source or both, such as a cake made with flour, eggs and milk.
2. Step 2, Group the nutrients. Carbohydrates give energy, proteins build and repair the body, fats give stored energy, vitamins and minerals protect the body and help it work, fibre helps digestion, and water carries things around the body. Pair each nutrient with two foods, such as rice and potato for carbohydrates.
3. Step 3, Prepare the starch test. Starch turns iodine solution from brown-orange to blue-black. Safety: iodine stains skin and clothes and is harmful if swallowed, so wear goggles and gloves, use a few drops, never taste anything in the test, and wash hands afterwards. Do this with a teacher or adult.
4. Step 4, Run the test. Place a small piece of each food on a white plate: potato, bread, apple and boiled egg white. Add 2 drops of dilute iodine to each. Potato and bread turn blue-black, so they contain starch. Apple shows almost no change, and egg white stays brown.
5. Step 5, Record the result in a table with columns Food, Colour after iodine, Starch present?. Potato: blue-black, yes. Bread: blue-black, yes. Apple: brown, no (or very little). Egg white: brown, no. Write a conclusion: 'Foods that turned blue-black contain starch, a carbohydrate.'
6. Step 6, Your turn: a food sample turns blue-black with iodine. Which nutrient is present, and which group does it belong to? Answer: starch is present; it is a carbohydrate, which gives energy.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Group nutrients and test for starch: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Fibres, fabrics and materials', you learn to sort materials by properties and uses. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Fibres, fabrics and materials' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: sort materials by properties and uses. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Meet natural fibres. Cotton comes from the fluffy boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, wool comes from sheep's fur, silk comes from the cocoon of the silkworm and jute comes from plant stems. Synthetic fibres, such as nylon and polyester, are made in factories from chemicals.
2. Step 2, Follow cotton to cloth. Cotton is picked, the seeds are removed (ginning), the fibres are spun into yarn, and the yarn is woven or knitted into fabric. Draw four boxes in order: picking, ginning, spinning, weaving, and write one sentence under each.
3. Step 3, Test absorbency. Cut 10 cm squares of cotton, polyester and nylon. Drop 5 mL of water on each with a dropper and time how long it takes to soak in. Cotton soaks it quickly, so it is absorbent and good for towels; polyester repels it, so it suits raincoats. Safety: do not burn fabrics.
4. Step 4, Sort materials by properties: hard or soft, rough or smooth, transparent or opaque, strong or weak, and whether they float or sink. Steel is hard and strong; glass is hard and transparent; rubber is flexible; wood floats; iron sinks. Make a table of eight materials.
5. Step 5, Link properties to uses. Copper conducts electricity, so it is used in wires. Plastic does not conduct, so it covers the wires. Steel is strong, so it is used in bridges. Glass is transparent, so it is used in windows. Write: 'The material is chosen because it is ...'.
6. Step 6, Your turn: choose a fabric for a rain jacket and a towel, and give a property for each. Answer: rain jacket, polyester or nylon, because it is waterproof; towel, cotton, because it is absorbent.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Sort materials by properties and uses: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Separation of substances', you learn to choose a method to separate a mixture. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Separation of substances' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: choose a method to separate a mixture. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Make a mixture: 20 g of sand, 5 g of salt and 3 g of iron filings in a dish. Decide the order of separation by property: magnetic, solubility, particle size.
2. Step 2, Use a magnet wrapped in thin paper to pull out the iron filings. This is magnetic separation. Weigh the filings: 3 g, so all recovered.
3. Step 3, Add 100 mL of water and stir. Salt dissolves, sand does not. Filter through filter paper: sand stays on the paper as residue, salty water goes through as filtrate. Dry the sand and it weighs about 20 g.
4. Step 4, Heat the filtrate in an evaporating dish on a low flame until crystals of salt form. This is evaporation. It returns about 5 g of salt. Water vapour escapes, so only salt remains.
5. Step 5, Choose methods in general: handpicking for stones in rice, winnowing for husk and grain, sieving for flour and bran, sedimentation and decantation for muddy water, distillation for salt water into pure water.
6. Step 6, Your turn: how do you separate chalk powder from water, and ink colours? Answer: chalk by filtration; ink colours by chromatography on filter paper, since each dye moves at a different speed.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Choose a method to separate a mixture: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Changes around us', you learn to classify changes as physical or chemical. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Changes around us' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: classify changes as physical or chemical. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Test ice. Melt an ice cube in a cup at 25 C: it becomes water, the same substance, and can freeze again. This is a physical change, reversible, with no new substance formed.
2. Step 2, Burn a small piece of paper in a safe metal tray with adult help. It becomes ash and smoke and cannot return to paper. A new substance formed, so this is a chemical change.
3. Step 3, Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 50 mL of vinegar in a bottle. It fizzes and gives carbon dioxide gas. Bubbles and a new gas show a chemical change. Test by lowering a lit splinter: it goes out.
4. Step 4, Make a table with signs of chemical change: new colour, gas, heat or light, precipitate, new smell. Compare with physical changes: shape, size, state, no new substance. Dissolving salt in water is physical because evaporation brings the salt back.
5. Step 5, Classify: rusting of iron chemical, curdling of milk chemical, cutting a vegetable physical, boiling water physical, cooking an egg chemical, folding paper physical.
6. Step 6, Your turn: classify a rotting banana and crushing a can. Answer: rotting is chemical (new substances, smell, colour); crushing is physical (shape changes only).

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Classify changes as physical or chemical: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Living organisms and habitats', you learn to describe adaptation and the parts of the body of plants and animals. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Living organisms and habitats' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: describe adaptation and the parts of the body of plants and animals. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Define terms. A habitat is the natural home of a living thing, such as a pond, desert or forest. An adaptation is a feature of the body or behaviour that helps it live there. Habitats can be on land (terrestrial) or in water (aquatic).
2. Step 2, Name the parts of a flowering plant. Roots anchor and absorb water. The stem supports and carries water and food. Leaves make food by photosynthesis. Flowers make seeds. Label a drawing of a mustard plant with these four parts and one job for each.
3. Step 3, Name the parts of an animal. An insect such as an ant has a head, a thorax with 6 legs and an abdomen, so 3 body parts. A fish has head, trunk and tail with fins. A bird has a beak, wings, feathers and two legs. Draw an ant and label each part.
4. Step 4, Link adaptation to parts. A hawk has a hooked beak for tearing meat. A duck has a flat beak and webbed feet for swimming and feeding in water. A camel has wide feet. A water lily has floating leaves. Write the part, the habitat and the benefit.
5. Step 5, Compare two habitats in a table with columns Habitat, Plant, Animal, Adaptation. Desert: cactus, camel, stores water. Pond: water lily, fish, floats and swims. Add a third row for a forest: tall tree, monkey, climbing with a gripping tail or hands.
6. Step 6, Your turn: a frog is found near a pond and has webbed feet and long back legs. State its habitat and one adaptation with its use. Answer: both water and land, near a pond; webbed feet help it swim, and long back legs help it jump.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Describe adaptation and the parts of the body of plants and animals: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Motion and measurement', you learn to measure length and time and describe types of motion. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Motion and measurement' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: measure length and time and describe types of motion. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Measure length. The metre is the standard unit: 1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm. Measure your desk edge with a ruler, placing the zero mark at the start and reading from directly above to avoid error. Say the length in two units: for 1.35 m, that is 135 cm, or 1350 mm.
2. Step 2, Measure a curved line. A ruler cannot bend, so lay a thread along the curve, mark both ends on the thread, straighten it and measure it. If the thread reads 24.5 cm, the curve is 24.5 cm long. Practise on the outline of a leaf.
3. Step 3, Measure time. Use a stopwatch for short times: seconds (s) and minutes (1 min = 60 s). Time how long a marble rolls down a ramp three times, such as 2.1 s, 2.0 s and 2.2 s, and find the average: (2.1 + 2.0 + 2.2) / 3 = 2.1 s.
4. Step 4, Name types of motion. Straight-line motion is a car on a straight road. Circular motion is a stone whirling on a string. Rotational motion is a spinning top. Periodic or back-and-forth motion is a swing or a pendulum, which repeats the same path.
5. Step 5, Measure a pendulum. Time 20 swings of a pendulum; say it takes 36 s. One swing takes 36 / 20 = 1.8 s, called the time period. Also, a runner who goes 100 m in 20 s has speed 100 / 20 = 5 m/s. Safety: keep clear of swinging weights.
6. Step 6, Your turn: a cyclist rides 60 m in 12 s, and a pendulum makes 10 swings in 15 s. Find the speed and the time period. Answer: speed 60 / 12 = 5 m/s; time period 15 / 10 = 1.5 s.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Measure length and time and describe types of motion: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Light, shadows and reflections', you learn to show that light travels in straight lines and use mirrors. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Light, shadows and reflections' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: show that light travels in straight lines and use mirrors. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Show that light travels in straight lines. Take three cards with a hole in the middle. Line them up so that you can see a torch through all three holes. Move the middle card slightly sideways and the light is blocked. Conclusion: light travels in a straight line.
2. Step 2, Keep safe. Use a torch or lamp, never a naked flame, and never look at the sun or shine light into eyes. Mirrors have sharp edges, so handle them with care and place them on a table. Do not reflect sunlight into anyone's face.
3. Step 3, Observe reflection in a plane mirror. Light bounces off a mirror. Shine a torch beam at a mirror at an angle: the angle in, called the angle of incidence, equals the angle out, called the angle of reflection. If it enters at 40 degrees, it leaves at 40 degrees.
4. Step 4, Study the image. Stand 2 m in front of a plane mirror. Your image appears 2 m behind it, so you are 4 m from your image. It is the same size as you, and sideways reversed: raise your right hand and the image seems to raise its left.
5. Step 5, Use two mirrors to make a periscope. Place the mirrors at 45 degrees, one at the top and one at the bottom of a cardboard tube. Light from an object hits the top mirror, bounces down to the lower mirror and into your eye, so you can see over a wall.
6. Step 6, Your turn: a beam hits a mirror at 25 degrees, and you stand 3 m from the mirror. State the reflection angle and the distance to your image. Answer: reflection angle 25 degrees; the image is 3 m behind the mirror, so 6 m from you.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Show that light travels in straight lines and use mirrors: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Electricity and circuits', you learn to draw circuit diagrams and test conductors. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Electricity and circuits' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: draw circuit diagrams and test conductors. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Draw a circuit diagram using symbols: cell as long and short parallel lines, bulb as a circle with a cross, switch as a break with a lever, and lines for wires. Draw a loop with one cell, one bulb and one switch.
2. Step 2, Draw two cells in series with the long line of one next to the short line of the other. Their voltages add: 1.5 + 1.5 = 3 V. A bulb rated 3 V glows normally on 3 V.
3. Step 3, Test materials in a gap tester: copper wire, aluminium foil, steel spoon, graphite pencil lead glow the bulb (conductors); plastic ruler, rubber band, dry wood, glass do not (insulators).
4. Step 4, Record in a table with columns Material, Bulb glows, Type. Note that salt water also lights the bulb since dissolved salts carry charge, while pure dry sugar does not.
5. Step 5, Add safety: never touch a damaged wire, keep water away from mains sockets, and use only cells in class experiments. An insulator on a plug covers the metal to prevent shocks.
6. Step 6, Your turn: draw how a bulb, a battery and a switch connect, then say what happens to the lamp if the switch is open. Answer: the loop is broken so no current flows and the lamp is off.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Draw circuit diagrams and test conductors: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Magnets, water and air', you learn to explain properties of magnets and the role of water and air. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Observe: see, touch, measure or watch a safe demonstration linked to 'Magnets, water and air' and write what you notice.
• Explain: use the key words of the unit to say what is happening and why, in a few lines.
• Use it: explain properties of magnets and the role of water and air. Use a diagram, table or short calculation where it fits.
• Test and conclude: say what evidence supports your answer and what you would change.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Test a bar magnet on 7 items. It picks up a nail, a paper clip and a steel pin but not an aluminium can, plastic comb, copper coin or rubber. Magnets attract magnetic materials: iron, steel, nickel and cobalt.
2. Step 2, Find poles. Dip the bar in iron filings: most cling to the two ends, which are the poles. Hang the bar by a thread; it settles pointing north-south. The end pointing north is the north-seeking pole.
3. Step 3, Test attraction and repulsion. Bring two north poles together and they push apart. Bring north to south and they pull together. Like poles repel, unlike poles attract.
4. Step 4, Test air. Invert a glass over a floating cork in water; the water level inside stays lower, so air takes up space. Squeeze a closed balloon to show air can be compressed. Air also has about 21 per cent oxygen, which we need for breathing and burning.
5. Step 5, Test water. Measure 100 mL of water in a tall and a wide glass: the same volume takes different shapes. Water dissolves salt and sugar and is needed for all life.
6. Step 6, Your turn: which items in a pile of a rubber, a steel spoon, a coin of copper and an iron screw will a magnet lift? Answer: the steel spoon and the iron screw.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Explain properties of magnets and the role of water and air: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Using my five senses

Notes: Name the five senses and use them to describe a safe object. Notes: place a leaf, a smooth stone and a soft cloth in a bag; learners touch and describe each. Never taste or smell unknown things; teach children to ask first. Grades 1 and 2.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Fair tests

Notes: Describe a fair test by naming what is changed, what is measured and what stays the same. Notes: plant two seed pots, one in light and one in the dark, with equal water and soil. Learners say the one changed factor, and draw both pots after a week. Grades 3 and 4.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Measuring and recording

Notes: Measure length, mass, time and temperature and record them in a table. Notes: a plant grows 2 cm in 4 days, which is 0.5 cm a day. Learners take three readings of 12, 14 and 13 mm, find the mean of 13, and say why repeats help. Grades 5 and 6.

This course: Grade 06 Science is at this level. Its units include Food: where it comes from and components; Fibres, fabrics and materials; Separation of substances; Changes around us and more.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Variables, graphs and density

Notes: Apply a formula and draw a graph from a fair test. Notes: density equals mass over volume; a metal block of 54 g and 20 cm3 has density 2.7 g/cm3. Learners plot mass against volume for three blocks and read the gradient. Dry the benchtop before using water. Grades 7 and 8.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Evidence, anomalies and models

Notes: Analyse data, spot an anomaly and judge how well a model fits the evidence. Notes: readings of 5.1, 5.3, 5.2 and 7.9 hold one anomaly at 7.9, so the mean of the rest is 5.2. Learners suggest a cause, repeat the trial and write a conclusion that cites the numbers. Grades 9 and 10.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Modelling and curve fitting

Notes: Apply least-squares fitting and error reasoning to link data to a model. Notes: the points (1,2.1), (2,3.9), (3,6.2), (4,7.8), (5,10.1) give slope 1.99 and intercept 0.05, with R squared 0.997. Learners explain what the intercept means and whether a straight line is right.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Study design and sample size

Notes: Evaluate and create a study with a clear hypothesis, controls, sample size and ethics approval. Notes: to detect a 5-unit difference with spread 10 at 5 per cent significance and 80 per cent power needs about 63 per group. Learners write a pre-registered plan and list the risks and consent steps.