Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 1
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Learning Goals
Because… chain
Fill in the missing steps. This chain follows how Barry Marshall and Robin Warren proved that a bacterium, not stress, causes stomach ulcers.
Overall conclusion:
Real-world context
The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland, is the largest living structure on Earth. In recent years, large areas of coral have turned pale and died, an event called coral bleaching. To understand and protect the reef, the CSIRO and other Australian scientists work in teams. Biologists study the corals and fish, chemists measure how carbon dioxide is making the seawater more acidic, and physicists track ocean temperatures and currents. No single branch of science could solve the problem on its own.
(a) Sort each question below into the correct branch of science. Write biology, chemistry, physics or geology next to each one.
| Question a scientist is asking | Branch |
|---|---|
| How does warmer water affect the living coral animals? | |
| How much more acidic has the seawater become? | |
| How fast do ocean currents carry heat across the reef? | |
| What minerals form the limestone seabed under the reef? |
(b) Explain what interdisciplinary science means, and use the Great Barrier Reef to give one clear example.
(c) Why might a team of scientists from different branches understand the reef better than a single scientist working alone? Give two reasons.
1. A friend says "Wearing a copper bracelet keeps you healthy, everyone knows it." Explain why this is not a scientific claim, then describe a fair test you could run to check it.
2. Barry Marshall changed his mind about ulcers because of evidence, even though most doctors disagreed. Why is being open to changing your ideas an important part of science?
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?