Activity Introduction
Quick summary: Students undertake a light audit of their school, recording which ones are off and which ones are on. This activity can be conducted over one session or multiple sessions. Student use the worksheet to record their data.
Key lessons and understandings of activity:
Gathering data helps us understand if there is a problem with lights being needlessly left on.
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 3 Mathematics
- Collect data, organise into categories and create displays using lists, tables, picture graphs and simple column graphs, with and without the use of digital technologies (ACMSP069)
- Interpret and compare data displays (ACMSP070)
Year 3 Science
- Use a range of methods including tables and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and trends (ACSIS057)
Year 4 Mathematics
- Construct suitable data displays, with and without the use of digital technologies, from given or collected data. Include tables, column graphs and picture graphs where one picture can represent many data values (ACMSP096)
- Evaluate the effectiveness of different displays in illustrating data features including variability (ACMSP097)
Year 4 Science
- Use a range of methods including tables and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and trends (ACSIS068)
Syllabus Outcomes: ST2-4WS, MA2-18SP, MA2‑1WM, MA2‑2WM, MA2‑3WM.
Topic: Energy
Year levels: 3 and 4
Indoor or outdoor activity: Indoor/Outdoor
Time required: 60 + mins
Learning areas addressed: Mathematics, Science.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Ask all school staff about the level of disruption that is acceptable to complete the audit remembering that the next audit will require students to enter most accessible rooms in the school. Don’t tell staff students are auditing lights as this could prompt staff to turn off lights when they would have been left on. Assist students with audit.
Resources required: Printed Student Worksheet, art and writing materials.
Homework and extension opportunities: This activity can be repeated as homework.
Keywords: Energy, audit, lights ,data.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.