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June 2022
Have you registered for the Annual Conference yet? Check out the program and register here. Earlybird registration closes Friday 3 June!
There are still a couple of professional learning events to come this term: 7-10 Australian Curriculum Science, Teaching Science through creation of interactive VR Inquiries and the Call for Workshops for the Early Career Teachers Conference is open.
Our theme for this month is Oceans so check out our website and excursion of the month below! And keep an eye on the blog and our socials for more to come. Did you see our Biodiversity posts?
SASTA news
Mary Anning Art Prize
Submissions close Friday 17 June!
The aim of the Mary Anning Art Prize is to have young South Australian artists create an original piece of artwork that tells us something about the prehistoric life of South Australia. It is essential, to be eligible, that the artwork explores an element of South Australia’s rich and remarkable prehistoric past, and that the artist lives in South Australia. Find out all the details here.
Wanting to know what one of the judges is looking for in the Mary Anning Art Prize? Here's what awesome palaeo-artist Katrina Kenny had to say about what she thinks is important.
National Reconciliation Week
27 May - 3 June 2022
This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, Be Brave Make Change is a challenge to all of us to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.
Change begins with brave actions in your daily life. Take these actions with you every day of the year.
Cool Australia has a range of activities you could use in your classroom here.
Professional Learning
Program now available! Find out more and register here.
The program includes 2 Keynote Presentations, 6 Cutting Edge Presentations and over 35 workshop sessions to choose from! Earlybird Registrations close Friday 3 June.
7-10 Australian Curriculum Science:
How can we design and assess differentiated tasks?
Friday 10 June
This session will only focus on Australian Curriculum 7-10 Science courses – these are so critical for making sure we are retaining students in Science in the senior years. It is essential that we equipment students in these year levels with confidence and the skills needed to explain, analyse and be critical.
You will have an opportunity to work on your own tasks, share with the group, moderate your own student work and engage in professional discussions about marking – so please bring plenty! To register click here.
Teaching Science through creation of interactive VR Inquiries
Friday 24 June
You are invited to participate in a hands-on, practical, and highly interactive professional learning experience that introduces the teaching of Science through an applied use of VR technology.
You will participate in a fun interactive immersive experience, ‘explore’ pre-made exemplars of VR inquiries and consider how these VR products apply rigor for engaging learners to think and work scientifically. You’ll learn how to create an interactive VR Science Inquiry and present your VR project to the group. For full details click here.
Call for Workshops now open! Find out more here.
The aim of the conference is for our early career science teachers to walk away equipped with the resources and best practice strategies for building their confidence, wellbeing and capabilities.
School Events & Activities
Premier's Reading Challenge - STEM Reading & Design Challenge
SASTA and the Oliphant Science Awards are proud to be partnering with Inspiring SA and the Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC) to support this year’s STEM Reading and Design Challenge.
This competition challenges you to read about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in the lead up to National Science Week. For all the details and how it can link to your Oliphant Science Awards project click here. Entries close Friday 8 July!
Women In STEM
An exclusive invitation for female senior high school & tertiary students to join us for a morning of inspiring presentations from leading female scientists, engineers and professionals from a diverse range of STEM careers. Register here.
STEM Day Out
Looking for a hands-on science and technology day out for your school class? We're shaking things up a little with a number of new exhibits and shows. Adelaide's Science Alive! Stem Day Out provides Year 7-12 students a window into the wide variety of STEM careers now available. Register here.
For your classroom | Oceans
CSIRO Education and Outreach - Sustainable Futures
Sustainable Futures schools education program, a CSIRO initiative which encourages schools to understand the science behind sustainability.
Combining the latest science and education pedagogy, the program encourages positive actions that make a direct contribution to a more sustainable future.
Teachers that register at CSIRO Education and Outreach – Sustainable Futures, will find a link to a fabulous resource; Oceans by Bruce Mapstone, along with other resources including the other books in the Science and Solutions for Australia series, Biodiversity, Water and Climate Change. There is also a teacher resource which can be used along with or independently of the book.
Take a beach walk!
This guide will help you identify the fascinating species you might find while exploring South Australia’s beaches or rocky reefs. Low tide is often the best time to visit your beach as more plants and animals are washed up, rock pools are exposed, and birds are often feeding. If you turn over any rocks, please replace them gently to protect the animals and their habitat. All plants and animals in intertidal rocky reefs are protected in all coastal waters in South Australia.
Each month we will be adding to our Science Excursions blog post, you can check it out here.
Other Resources
Invention Convention – Marine Parks in South Australia (Resource for Years 5-6)
Dive into marine science in your classroom and inspire your students to design a scientific technique to monitor or survey animals, plants and the environment in South Australia’s marine parks. This curriculum-linked, primary school (years 5 and 6) resource is designed to support students’ involvement in investigating, exploring, experimenting, designing, creating, and communicating their understandings about marine parks in South Australian waters.
Understanding more about marine parks in South Australian waters (Resource for Years 7-10)
Explore the connections that we have with the ocean and inspire your students to design a new ecotourism venture in your local marine park. This curriculum-linked, secondary school resource is designed to support students’ involvement in investigating, exploring, experimenting, designing, creating, and communicating their understandings about marine parks in South Australian waters. It will cover marine park types, current uses (socioeconomic values), locations, biodiversity, cultural connections, heritage values, and management approaches.
Saltwater Schools
Explore ocean-themed education resources aligned with the Australian curriculum suitable for Years 5-10, including lesson plans, videos, fact sheets, games, and activities.
Oliphant Science Awards
Resources for Students
Have you been keeping an eye on our Resources for Students page? There are a range of blog posts with resources, links and ideas for students developing a project for the Oliphant Science Awards. Some recent posts include:
Resources
For all resources available from SASTA visit the website.
Stage 1 & 2 Trial Exams - available now!
You can also bundle your Stage 1 & 2 Trial Exams with Topic Tests for a discounted price!
The SASTA Trial Exams are a 'must have' resource, developed by leading teachers to support Stage 1 & 2 Teachers. Teachers will be able to use the resource for students, a stand-alone assessment tool or to develop exam preparation skills.
Stage 2 Biology, Chemistry & Physics are available now; Psychology & Nutrition are available mid-year.
Stage 1 Biology, Chemistry & Physics mid-year and end of year exams are available now.
Study Guides are almost here!
As per previous years, these will be due for delivery in early June 2022.
Contributions from the science community
Science ASSIST is back!
Thanks to temporary funding from the Australian Government, ASTA is able to bring back Science ASSIST, the only school science safety advisory service in Australia, but we need your help to ensure its future.
We invite you to subscribe to Science ASSIST to keep the service operational and give yourself access to new resources and to the ability to ‘ASK A QUESTION’.
You can subscribe for 2022 for $100 (+GST) by following the instructions on the ASTA webpage. Click on the ‘Subscribe Now’ button and then select the relevant button, e.g., for Australian Schools and complete and submit the online form.
Energy4me STEM Teachers Workshop
The Society of Petroleum Engineers invites science teachers to a FREE one-day STEM workshop at the SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and
Exhibition (APOGCE) on 18 October.
Teachers will experience hands-on activities using simple components to teach complicated engineering concepts used in oil and gas exploration and production. There will be a guided exhibition tour to discover the high-tech oil and gas displays and meet with industry professionals to talk about careers for students.
Participating teachers and students will
receive the following;
✓ Comprehensive, objective information
about the scientific concepts of energy
and its global significance.
✓ FREE access to teacher resources such as lesson plans, activities, classroom materials and more!
✓ Opportunity to visit APOGCE’s exhibition to check latest technologies.
✓ Certificate of participation
Click here to view the invitation to attend or click here to view the flyer to register.
In Class with...series
The In Class with... series offers students unique opportunities to interact with inspirational speakers as they share their stories and achievements. Previous sessions can be found here, with the relevant downloadable teacher resource mapped to the Australian National Curriculum which supports STEM teaching in class.
Watch with your class to inspire them to ask their own questions. Remember, you won't know unless you ask!
You can submit questions for In Class With Rob "Krill Whisperer" King here by Friday 10 June.
ClimateClever
The ClimateClever Schools Platform is a FREE student-led program that enables schools to reduce their carbon footprint, save money on utility bills and slots right into the curriculum. The community library of actions easily allows schools to check off tasks and measure their impact. Over 150 schools around the country are using the Platform to reduce their emissions and empower their students. For more information, check out the brochure here or to sign up, click here!
Junior Landcare
Junior Landcare has a brand new look website and there are over 60 learning activities in the Junior Landcare Learning Centre here.
There is also a new online calendar for all upcoming environmental dates here. A range of new videos on the Junior Landcare YouTube Channel from Junior Landcare ambassador Costa Georgiadis and First Nations Educator, Wiradjuri man Adam Shipp. And 10 new First Nations learning activities aligned to the school curriculum and framework.
Resource Book of Ideas is now available!
The schools theme for National Science Week this year is Glass: More than meets the eye, in recognition of the UN International Year of Glass.
The 70pp teacher resource book has just been published by the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) and is available to download for free. The book includes lesson plans, demonstrations and tips and ideas for teachers of classes from Foundation to Year 10. There is also a companion student journal and a poster to download and print.
Contact SASTA
South Australian Science Teachers Association
249 Henley Beach Road Torrensville SA 5031
P 08 8354 0006 F 08 8354 0008 E office@sasta.asn.au
www.sasta.asn.au
