It is mandatory that ALL photocopies are recorded by the institution for CAL survey purposes.

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2 Peter Gribben is currently Head Teacher of Science and Agriculture at Crookwell High School in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. He has taught Science at all levels for around 30 years in England, the Middle East and Australia. Peter has written many science books; both conventional textbooks and photocopiable worksheets. He also has considerable experience in preparing examination material. Peter has a special interest in preparing science materials that are accessible to students of all levels. Peter s personal interests include raising German Shepherds, restoring Minis and reading science fiction. Acknowledgement The author and publisher would like to thank Dr David Palmer for the use of his original material on which this series is based, and for his kind assistance in reviewing and contributing to this new series. Peter Gribben, David Palmer and Blake Education, 2006 Copying of this book for educational purposes The purchasing educational institution may only photocopy pages within this book in accordance with The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) and provided the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. It is a breach of copyright to scan or in any other way make digital copies of the worksheets. It is mandatory that ALL photocopies are recorded by the institution for CAL survey purposes. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited Level 19, 157 Liverpool St Sydney NSW 2000 The Act does not permit the purchasing educational institution to store any part of this book in a retrieval system, or transmit any part of it in any form by any means without the prior written approval of the publisher. All enquiries should be made to the publisher at the address below. Commissioning editor: Jennifer Gough Managing editor: Ruth Schultz Editor: Jo Tayler Proofreader: Judith Schultz Illustrations: Infographics Cover design: Gail McManus Graphics Printed in Australia by Ligare Book Printer Instant Lessons An imprint of Blake Education Pty Ltd ABN Main Road Clayton South VIC 3169 Ph: ISBN Disclaimer Every effort has been made to present activities in a safe way, giving warnings to teachers of potential hazards that can be foreseen. However, because requirements differ between states and often change over time, it is each teacher s responsibility to do their own risk assessment for any activity they choose to do with their classes. The publisher and the author have made every reasonable effort to ensure that the experiments and activities in this book are safe when conducted as instructed, but assume no responsibility for any damage caused or sustained. Students should carry out all experiments under close supervision.

3 contents Introduction The air that we breathe corrosion and combustion It s a gas! the three states of matter Minibeasts taking a closer look organisms in pond water Up close with insects ants and the preying mantis Arthropods examining woodlice The earthworm what it is and how it behaves Snails how they move and see Plant properties air, light and starch Monocotyledons and dicotyledons seedlings and plant predators Moving inside plants how substances move within plants New plants from old how plants reproduce Seeds in the hot seat exploding maize seeds Energy from nuts heating nuts Wrap it up how food packaging works Giving us support bones and the human skeleton Left and right dominant sides of the brain Lung stories modelling the lungs Vital capacities measuring lung capacity Hand on heart modelling the heart Heartbeat stethoscopes and pulse rates A matter of taste digestion in the mouth Can you feel the force? the sense of touch Fingerprints analysing and recording fingerprints Sound advice testing range of hearing Are you in tune? relating vibration to pitch Making music making and using simple instruments Sound effects relating compression to volume More sound effects gongs and telephones Sound connections how sound travels Hitting the right notes resonance Seeing things investigating sight Estimating distances exploring optical illusions Magic pictures making moving images Kinaesthesia balance in the human body A question of balance investigating centre of mass Answers Teacher s notes

4 introduction Science activities that have the element of surprise (that is, an unexpected result) are interesting to people of all ages. A surprising result can motivate students to examine their own ideas and to want to know Why is it so? Experimenting with Science is intended to stimulate student interest in science, but it is not about big bangs and explosions nor does it emphasise the use of scientific apparatus. In fact, a conscious decision was made to include many activities that do not rely on specialised equipment. When science involves everyday materials (and activities that can be done at home in the kitchen) then this automatically makes science relevant to real life. Experimenting with Science is based on original material devised by Dr David Palmer of the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, who kindly reviewed and contributed to this new series. The three books in this series are divided into broad topic areas: The Physical World, The Living World and Forces and Electricity. The experiments are presented clearly with a brief introduction to the concept list of materials safety instructions clear, step-by-step procedure clear diagrams space for recording results questions for students to answer, included at key points to help them explain what they have seen and learnt, and also extend their understanding. Answers are provided at the back of the book for easy checking and marking. In all the experiments, there is little background knowledge assumed, which helps make them accessible to a wide range of ability levels. Observation and explanation skills are a major part of each activity, which contributes to the students development of science skills. The short but related experiments in each of the topics make them ideal for small group tasks where students move between work stations, or for teachers to carry out the experiments in front of the class, involving the group as a whole to work through the tasks, discussing their observations as they go. There are four icons that you will encounter through the book: T Teaching tips where you see this icon, flip to the back of the book (page 48) for pointers about preparation, sourcing materials or comments on results. These experiments use materials that may not be standard in your school laboratory, or require special preparation. For all the other experiments, basic materials only are needed. These experiments are suited to independent work. These experiments can easily be carried out by students at home. There are detailed safety instructions for any experiments that might involve risk factors. Please note, however, that this book is designed for use by teachers in their classrooms, not for students in an unsupervised environment. Teachers should follow all normal safety procedures. 4 Experimenting with science the living world Peter Gribben, David Palmer and Blake Education 2006

5 1_the air that we breathe - a Air is a mixture of gases. The following experiments will help you work out what is what. The major gases in air are (in order of decreasing percentage): nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and variable amounts of water vapour (H 2 O). As far as reactivity goes, nitrogen is relatively unreactive; oxygen supports combustion and rusting; helium is lighter than air, carbon dioxide turns limewater from clear to cloudy and water turns dry cobalt chloride paper from blue to pink. 1.1 Corrosion T Iron rusts (corrodes) when oxygen and water are present to form iron oxide. Materials: iron filings, test tube, water, beaker, retort stand and clamp Procedure Put some water in a test tube and then rinse it out. Place a pinch of iron filings into the test tube. Invert the test tube and place it in a beaker of water as shown. Hold the test tube upright using a retort stand and clamp. a Describe the appearance of the iron filings. b Describe the level of water in the mouth of the test tube. Leave the apparatus for a few days. c Describe the appearance of the iron filings now. d Describe the level of water in the mouth of the test tube. e Which gas has been used up in the process of corrosion? f What proportion of the air is the gas you mentioned in (e)? Explain your answer. air iron filings test tube water 1.2 Combustion This experiment investigates what happens when combustion (burning) takes place in a fixed volume of air. Materials: large beaker, water, matches, candle, plasticine, gas jar Procedure gas jar air Stick the bottom of a candle to a piece of plasticine. Attach the plasticine and candle to the base lit candle of the beaker. Add water to the level shown. Light the candle. plasticine water Place an inverted gas jar over the lit candle as shown. g Describe what eventually happens to the candle flame. h Describe what happens to the water level in the gas jar. i Explain your observations. Give the symbols for the following elements: j nitrogen k oxygen.. l helium m What do the elements mentioned in (j), (k) and (l) have in common? Give the formulae for the following compounds: n carbon dioxide o water Peter Gribben, David Palmer and Blake Education 2006 Experimenting with science the living world 5

6 1.3 Magnesium gone in a flash! (Teacher demonstration only) T Magnesium (Mg) is a very reactive metal and burns rapidly to form magnesium oxide (MgO). This experiment should help to show how much of the atmosphere is made up of oxygen. Materials: Glass tube, large beaker, water, retort stand and clamp, stopper, glass rod, sticky tape, magnesium ribbon, matches, Bunsen burner Procedure Set up the glass tube in a beaker of water (Figure 1). Secure the glass tube in an upright position with a retort stand and clamp. Attach between 5 and 10 cm of magnesium ribbon to the glass rod and stopper (Figure 2). It must not touch the water. Using a blue Bunsen flame, light the end of the magnesium ribbon. Quickly place the rubber stopper in the open mouth of the tube (Figure 3). Observe what happens. p Describe what happens to the magnesium. q Give the name and formula of the substance formed by the magnesium. r Describe what happens to the level of the water. s Explain why the water level changes. 1_the air that we breathe - b glass tube water air! Safety notes! Wear safety glasses and a lab coat. Burning magnesium generates great heat and light. Do not stare at the burning magnesium as it can damage your eyes. Take great care when carrying out this experiment. stopper glass rod sticky tape magnesium ribbon Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 t Is the following statement true or false?. Many years ago magnesium powder was used by photographers to produce light to take photographs. u Complete the following table. Name of gas nitrogen carbon dioxide Symbol/formula O Ar Percentage in air Research Argon is one of a set of gaseous elements (Group VIII), known as the noble gases. v Give the names and symbols of the noble gases. w Give two things that these elements have in common. x For one of the Group VIII elements, give a use and the property that makes it suitable for this use. 6 Experimenting with science the living world Peter Gribben, David Palmer and Blake Education 2006