Year 6 Science

Earth and Space Sciences Natural

Disasters
Name:

Due Date:

Year 6 Science Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 6, students compare and classify different types of observable changes to
materials. They analyse requirements for the transfer of electricity and describe how energy can be
transformed from one form to another to generate electricity. They explain how natural events
cause rapid change to the Earths surface. They describe and predict the effect of
environmental changes on individual living things. Students explain how scientific
knowledge is used in decision making and identify contributions to the development of science by
people from a range of cultures.

Task Natural Disaster Assignment

For this assignment you will be given a Natural Disaster to research. You will need to research
information about your given natural disaster. In order to help you answer the questions below:
Report: (70% grading)
1. Introduction (20 words)
o What is it?
o Where does it occur?
2. How does the natural disaster occur (30 words)
o How does it happen?
3. How the natural disaster is measured (20 words)
o Is it measured? What is its measurement unit (magnitude)
4. The consequences of the natural disaster (50 words)
o What damage does it cause?
o What effects are there on people and living things?
5. How the natural disaster is prevented/damage minimised (50 words)
o How do we minimise the damage?
6. A specific event relating to your disaster (50 words)
o Name of the disaster?
o Area or country it happened?
o When did it happen?
o How big was it (base it on the measurement scale)?
o How long did it last for?
o How much damage did it cause?
o Did the technology used to prevent such disasters work? Why? Why not?
7. Reference List
8. Word Count: Approximately 200 words

Assessment

Poster (100%):
A-5

B-4

C-3

D-2

Understandi
ng,
explaining
and
applying

Gives a
complete and
detailed
explanation of
how natural
events caused
rapid change to
the Earths
surface.

Gives a
detailed
explanation of
how natural
events caused
rapid change
to the Earths
surface.

Comprehensive
ly describes
and uses
critical
reasoning to
predict the
effect of
environmental
changes on
living things.

Logically
describes and
uses
convincing
reasoning to
predict the
effect of
environmental
changes on
living things.

Gives a
partial
explanation
of how
natural
events
caused rapid
change to
the Earths
surface.
Describes
and uses
limited
reasoning to
predict the
effect of
environment
al changes
on living
things.

Requires
assistance to
give a simple
explanation of
how natural
events caused
rapid change to
the Earths
surface.

Reasoning
and
Inferring

Gives an
adequate
explanation
of how
natural
events
caused rapid
change to the
Earths
surface.
Describes
and uses
plausible
reasoning to
predict the
effect of
environment
al changes
on living
things.

E-1

Text is clear,
coherent,
with few
errors

The text is
clear and
coherent with
minimal
grammatical
mistakes

The text is
clear and
coherent with
few
grammatical
mistakes

Some errors
but generally
the meaning
of the text is
clear.

Errors
indicate
detract from
the clarity of
the paper.

Spelling and
grammatical
errors appear
throughout the
paper.

Referencing

All sources are

accurately
documented in
the desired
format.

All sources are

accurately
documented,
but a few are
not in the
desired
format.

All sources
are
accurately
documented,
but many are
not in the
desired
format.

Some
sources are
accurately
documented,
but many are
not in the
desired
format.

Some sources
are not
accurately
documented.

Describes and
predicts without
clear reasoning
the effect of
environmental
changes on living
things