Science in an agricultural/horticultural context
Understanding about science: Level 6
Students will:
- understand that scientists’ investigations are informed by current scientific theories and aim to collect evidence that will be interpreted through processes of logical argument.
Selected contexts
In a variety of contexts, students could:
- reflect on and discuss agricultural and horticultural science knowledge (for example, by sharing three facts known about seeds before planning a germination investigation)
- explore agricultural and horticultural knowledge with a view to forming testable or investigative questions (for example, 'Why soak seeds?' [soaking activates chemicals that start the processes that break dormancy and lead to germination])
- gather evidence to logically support or refute a scientist’s findings (for example, to see whether the recommendation on the packet that seeds be soaked for eight hours prior to planting is really necessary or advisable)
- link knowledge/theory to evidence (for example, germination rate in response to various soaking periods; growth of calves in response to various feeding rates)
- identify the difference between observations, assumptions, and opinions and use to refute or support an agricultural or horticultural assertion (for example, the effectiveness of willow water as a rooting hormone treatment; feed preferences of dairy cows – palm kernels or silage?)
- find evidence to reach a conclusion (for example, on the environmental 'friendliness' of modern nitrogen fertilisers compared to urea)
- show how new evidence changes or enhances science knowledge/theory (for example, by using a flow chart/ timeline/role play) for reflective mulches and/or using red shade cloth to shorten the production period; changing mating times for sheep to provide spring lambs, and so on.
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Investigating in science: Level 6
Students will:
- develop and carry out more complex investigations, including using models
- show an increasing awareness of the complexity of working scientifically, including recognition of multiple variables
- begin to evaluate the suitability of the investigative methods chosen.
Selected contexts
In a variety of contexts, students could:
- distinguish between questions that are testable (Does nitrogen increase plant growth?) and untestable (Does the type of music played during milking increase production?)
- gather and record accurate, observation-based evidence (concerning, for example, plant growth: overall size, leaf length, leaf colour, inter-node length, plant height, number of leaves)
- design and carry out investigations to address testable questions that contain more than one manipulated variable (qualitative and/or quantitative) in order to draw a conclusion (for example, an investigation into the porosity of four growing media, considering variables such as water, time, wetness, equipment, and types of media)
- use a conceptual and/or physical model to identify components and relationships (for example, components and structure of soil)
- explain the suitability of the features of a model or analogy (for example, a sponge can be used as a 'big picture' model for soil porosity, but sponge air-holes are larger than soil pore spaces)
- evaluate with guidance the method (sample technique, sample size, time scale, control of variables, relevance of data collected) used in an investigation
- describe how agricultural or horticultural practitioners investigate their management practices (for example, timing of thinning, drenching, or tailing and weaning) using texts, media, or interviews as sources of information
- investigate patterns (for example, evenness of crop yield across a paddock or orchard, live weight gain of stock on different feed regimes, earthworm population across a paddock)
- investigate the effect of temperature on germination or the effect of tailing (or weaning or drenching) on live weight gain
- carry out a fair test, for example, the effect of number of leaves on the success of cuttings or the effect of grazing frequency on grass growth (Students need guidance when identifying dependent and independent variables and choosing data analysis tools.)
- choose models, being aware of their pros and cons (for example, box diagram of ruminant digestive system, bell jar of lungs and chest cavity, cross-section of leaf)
- use analogies (for example, water pumped uphill through a hose as an analogy of the action in xylem; coin tossing to model outcomes such as sex determination).
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Communicating in science: Level 6
Students will:
- use a wider range of science vocabulary, symbols, and conventions
- apply their understandings of science to evaluate both popular and scientific texts (including visual and numerical literacy).
Selected contexts
In a variety of contexts, students could:
- use symbols, diagrams, and vocabulary particular to agricultural and horticultural science (for example, NPK, names of parts of reproductive structures, nitrogen cycle diagram)
- describe management practices using agricultural/horticultural terminology (for example, lime 'raises the soil pH' rather than 'sweetens the soil')
- construct an explanation using appropriate agricultural/horticultural science vocabulary (for example, 'using lime to raise the soil pH results in some nutrients being more readily available for plant use')
- identify the important agricultural/horticultural ideas in a problem or scenario presented as a written, visual, or verbal text (for example, interprets a description of hillside erosion in a diagrammatic representation, or vice versa)
- distinguish between observations, assumptions, opinions, and facts in popular and scientific texts (for example, TV ads for primary products or articles or programmes on animal welfare issues) to determine the validity of the information they put forward
- use appropriate words to communicate agricultural/horticultural ideas (weight gain, growth rate, plant, weed) and identify the difference between popular and scientific use of words (for example, 'dirt' or 'mud' as against 'soil', or 'capturing' sunlight as against 'absorbing' sunlight)
- use scientific conventions to represent scientific ideas (for example, word and chemical equations for photosynthesis or N:P:K ratio for fertilisers)
- use and interpret processed data such as graphs, tables, diagrams, flowcharts, keys, and timelines and do the reverse; turn data into graphs and other representations.
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Participating and contributing: Level 6
Students will:
- develop an understanding of socio-scientific issues by gathering relevant scientific information in order to draw evidence-based conclusions and to take action where appropriate.
Selected contexts
In a variety of contexts, students could:
- gather and select scientific evidence about a social issue that relates to agricultural and horticultural science (for example, access across farmland, wind farms, the use of antibiotics in farming, land tenure, run-off, fertiliser use, pesticide use, irrigation/water use, the housing of animals, feed-lotting, poultry/pig farming, the use of sow crates, the use of genetic engineering, frost protection methods, bird-scarers)
- develop arguments for environmentally sustainable management practices, using evidence (which may include consideration of their own personal values), and take action where appropriate
- research the application of fertilisers and their impact on the environment
- research native deforestation and use this information to predict the impact on movement of carbon in the carbon cycle and discuss possible consequences and practical steps that might be taken to mitigate negative effects (see also science planet earth and beyond achievement objective 6-2)
- investigate current research into reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of farming livestock and form a view on which method is most likely to be successful (see also science planet earth and beyond achievement objective 6-2)
- research the use of riparian planting (pros and cons, effect on water quality, impact on production)
- compare the effects of minimum tillage techniques and conventional cultivation techniques on the environment, and suggest future management strategies.
Last updated December 5, 2011
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