WHAT's NEW
Science EXPOsé
The new deadline for entries to Science EXPOsé is 1 August 2008.
The entry deadline for Science EXPOsé has been extended to allow students to complete their entries over the school holidays.
Science EXPOsé is a fun competition open to NSW students from Years 7 to 10. It has been designed to encourage students to think about the importance of science and its potential impact on their future.
Students have the option to create a multimedia or essay entry. To enter they must:
1. Choose a NSW scientist
2. Describe the chosen scientist's work
3. Predict how the scientist's work may contribute to the future
Teachers are encouraged to set the competition as an assessment task; Science EXPOsé has been designed to support the NSW Years 7-10 Science Syllabus Outcomes. For example, it may be used as an assessment for learning task with an emphasis on:
Prescribed Focus Areas such as outcomes 4.5 & 5.5
Domain: Knowledge and Understanding outcomes in the discipline area of the selected scientist
Domain: Skills such as outcomes 4.16 & 5.16 and 4.18 & 5.18.
There are two divisions:
- Division One for years 9-10
- Division Two for years 7-8
Winning students will receive $300 and will be invited to attend the NSW Scientist of the Year Awards ceremony with both their teacher and their parent or guardian. At the award ceremony, they will have the opportunity to meet the NSW Scientist of the Year.
The NSW Office for Science and Medical Research has also developed a resources page to assist students to obtain further information about NSW scientists.
The guidelines and application form is attached.
For further information on the requirements for entry please refer to the OSMR website 
Teachers are also most welcome to call the Communications Project Officer on 02 9338 6763 with any questions.
Science EXPOsé is an initiative run by the NSW Office for Science and Medical Research (OSMR) in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.
ESSA 2008
ESSENTIAL SECONDARY SCIENCE ASSESSMENT (ESSA)
The 2008 test will be conducted on Tuesday 25 November.
A reminder to all NSW government schools with year 8 students that participation is mandatory.
ESSA is an assessment program that provides information about the scientific knowledge, skills and attitudes of Year 8 students. The aim is to enhance teaching and learning in science and to support the integration of assessment into the teaching learning cycle.
Assessment through ESSA is guided by a framework that describes achievement in five strands and at six levels. This framework is available on the ESSA website.
http://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/directorates/schoimpro/EMD/essa.htm
For inquiries regarding the ESSA test please contact Dagmar Arthur, Leader, ESSA, Department of Education and Training. Phone: (02) 9707 6283. Email:
The ESSA link to the latest information on the ESSA test of Stage 4 Science can be found at:
Resources developed as part of the Science and Minerals School Clusters project
Teachers from cluster schools in Orange and Wollongong, using the human resources of the minerals industry, developed this suite of resources for teacher and student use to assist with the implementation of the Science Years 7-10 and Stage 6 Earth and Environmental/Senior Science syllabuses.
Intel science and mathematics Resources - New on the Teaching and Learning exchange
A collaboration between Intel and the Department of Education has resulted in more than 200 new high-end interactive learning resources for science and maths being available to NSW schools through the Teaching and Learning exchange (TaLe).
The Intel skoool™ learning resources target primary and secondary students of science and maths from Stage 2 through to Stage 6. They provide high-quality media-rich content that can make conceptually challenging topic areas such as the states of matter more accessible for learners.
Intel and the Centre for Learning Innovation (CLI) negotiated an agreement, signed in May 2007, between Intel and the DET to align and contextualise the resources to meet NSW syllabus requirements and distribute them to schools through TaLe. Both parties recognise the need to enhance access to science and maths content for teachers and learners as we aim to boost Australian students’ participation in these crucial subjects.
There are a range of resource types available. These include;
- Simulations - model abstract concepts such as particle theory, and are particularly effective when used in conjunction with an interactive whiteboard
- tools - facilitate exploration of mathematical and scientific concepts and support classroom activity or home study
- lesson formats - guide learners through a topic and are particularly useful for home study
- study notes - useful for home study and research.
During term 3, science and maths teachers from across the region trialled the skoool learning resources in their Stage 3 and Stage 4 classrooms. The teachers developed lesson plans and sequences which will also be made available to all NSW teachers. These will provide a starting point for teachers to think about how they can use skoool resources in their classrooms.
CLI has now aligned the resources to the NSW syllabus areas and customised many of the resources for the Australian context. These resources are available to teachers through the Teaching and Learning exchange at http://www.tale.edu.au/. Later this year they will also be publicly available through the ‘parents and community’ section of TaLe for parents and students to use at home.
CLI is asking for feedback from science and maths teachers who access the skoool resources to evaluate how well:
- the resources are aligned to NSW syllabus areas
- the resources support engagement in abstract and complex topic areas
- the content matches classroom needs.
A survey has been created at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=TR1Jtt9dCqqfXrnnYLufPA_3d_3d Please take the time to help CLI support science and maths teaching and build learner participation in this area.
Roisin O’Reilly is the CLI contact for skoool learning resources:
Email: roisin.oreilly@det.nsw.edu.au
Ph: 9715 8006
A Reminder:
Changes to the School Certificate Science Test
It is important remember that in 2006 the NSW Board of Studies made some changes to the School Certificate Science Test.
Important changes to be aware of are:
- The test is now 2 hours in duration with 10 minutes reading time
- Questions in sections one and two may be based on stimulus material provided in a separate stimulus booklet
- There was a rewording of the Test Specifications and Scope statements
The Board of Studies has indicated that that these changes have been made to:
- enable students to have more time to answer all sections of the paper to the best of their ability
- provide stimulus material that can be used for a number of question, both multiple choice and short response questions
 | Further information is provided in the Term 2 2006 Board Bulletin with the Specimen Test Package including Test Specifications, Scope Statement and Specimen Paper able to be accessed from the Boards website. |
© State of New South Wales through the Department of Education and Training, 2008. All rights reserved.
Conditions of use | Contact us
Report incorrect, out-of-date or missing information