Learning science from home – secondary

Science is everywhere, so it’s a great subject to learn from home.

You can start by thinking about what science skills you want to develop, knowledge you want to learn or just what you are really interested in – the Science Learning Hub has something for everyone. Below are some ideas to get you started. Check out the Related content or Useful links, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you can’t find something that suits you.

Astronomy

The night sky is an excellent topic for learning from home.

Start by discovering some background information in Space revealed – introduction – this article describes the work of astrophysicists, it includes a video explaining black holes and provides ideas for activities that simulate work carried out by scientists.

• In Hunt the planet, students plot graphs of light measurements from stars, searching for dimming that indicates the presence of a planet.
• Is anything out there? asks students to consider evidence for life and examine data to decide on the likelihood of life on certain extrasolar planets.
• Combine these activities with the Connected story Defending the dark, which explores light pollution and practical ways to minimise it.

Online citizen science projects Planet Hunters and Agent Exoplanet are another way to work as an astrophysicist.

If you are wanting to bring it back to this Solar System, have a look at the resource Shrink the Solar System where students create a scale model of the Solar System and use a range of measurements from mm to light years.

Navigating by the stars teaches students the cardinal points of a compass and how to use the Sun and star constellations to identify cardinal compass points. Constellations in the night sky explores cultural legends and star constellations, and How’s your memory? uses traditional tātai arorangi to learn about the star compass.

And best of all, get students observing the sky and recording their observations – you could start by using the activity Observing natural satellites.

Our bodies

What could be more interesting than learning about our bodies and how they work? The Science Learning Hub has a range of resources on cells, genetics, immunity and digestion.

We have some great resources that cover some of the big ideas in science.

• Cells: Introduction to cells and Inside a cell.
• DNA: Extracting DNA.
• Immune system: Fighting infection – introduction, The wars within, Fighting infection card game, Making snot and Spreading diseases.
• Medical research and ethics: Exploring medical research and Ethical dilemmas in fighting infection.

There are also cross-curricular opportunities – have a look at Literacy in immunology and consider adapting Drama with microbes.

Mātauranga Māori

Science is a tool that lots of different cultures use. Explore mātauranga Māori and science in this introductory article.

Watch videos investigating Māori world views and methodologies within the scientific community.

• Preserving harakeke taonga
• Taewa and psyllid resistance
• Reviving toheroa
• Kaitiaki of the Kiwi
• Revitalising Māori astronomy
• Restoration of a wooden pare
• Sea sponges and rongoā
• Insects and forest ecosystems
• Restoring mauri after the Rena disaster

Discover ngā hekaheka – Māori knowledge and use of fungi and test your knowledge in this online or paper-based quiz.

Students’ understanding about science and mātauranga as a knowledge system can be developed through discussion of the information within our Rongoā Māori article and the Connected article The science of rongoā. In the activity Using rongoā Māori, students learn about rongoā Māori through a silent card game, and the article Harakeke under the microscope explores the differences between harakeke varieties on the microscopic scale and explores how mātauranga Māori can shed light on scientific research.