Unit 1 Assessment Task 2

Science Inquiry Skills Investigation

STEM

General Integrated Science Year 11 Design a Portable Worm Farm that could be
used for Science Investigations.
http://integratedsciencegeneral11.weebly.com/recycling-
of-nutrients.html

Rationale
There are two outdoor, permanent worm farms at the College. A farm is a place for producing food and
other crops. A worm farm produces materials that may be used as fertilisers for plants.

You can use your Science, Technology, Engineering Design and Mathematics skills to design a
portable worm farm. Portable worm farms may be built for various reasons, for example, to have a handy
supply of worms for fishing, but yours will be designed so that it could be used in Science Investigations.

Assessment Task Brief

Design and draw a portable worm farm. This portable worm farm would be used to investigate factors
affecting how efficiently earthworms recycle nutrients.

Students in Science, and Food Science and Technology classes could then investigate the factors that
affect how efficiently the worms interact with food scraps to convert them into worm castings and worm
juices.

This research could be used to improve the efficiency of our permanent worm farms.

Criteria for the Portable Worm Farm

The portable worm farm must:
1. keep the worms contained, so that they do not escape.
2. be able to be carried, or moved by one or two people, between classrooms.
3. provide a suitable habitat for a population of worms in terms of their needs and hygiene.
4. be see through on at least one side.
5. include a method for collection of the worm castings, and worm juices.
6. include an example of a science investigation that could be done be a class, using your worm
farm.

How to complete the Assessment Task Brief

1. Find the Assessment Task Brief and Feedback Rubric on your website,
http://integratedsciencegeneral11.weebly.com/task-2-worm-farm-prototype.html follow the
instructions and links and complete the Research Tasks.
2. Keep a portfolio of your research and the finished Research Tasks.
3. Use the Feedback Rubric as a checklist and organisational tool.
4. Submit each Research Task by the due date to your science teacher for feedback. The aspects
that you need to consider and explain are listed overleaf. Your Research Tasks will be assessed
against the Feedback Rubric for Assessment Task 2.
5. Draw your portable worm farm, to meet the criteria listed above.

1
 Research Tasks
Access all Research Tasks from your class website:
http://integratedsciencegeneral11.weebly.com/recycling-of-nutrients.html

Due by Research Task

1. Explain how to consider the needs and care of the earthworms in a portable worm farm
Friday in terms of optimum light, air, food, moisture, temperature, habitat, and population size.
24 February Describe the criteria for the portable worm farm.

2. Describe the structure of an existing working worm farm.

Wednesday Consider the built parts, the abiotic parts and the biotic parts.
1 March a. Describe the feature of the built part, including the material, the method of
collection of worm juice.
b. Use a binocular microscope competently.
c. Describe, with biological drawings, the classification and anatomy of
earthworms.
d. Describe, the chemistry of the worm castings and the worm juice.
e. Describe the criteria for the portable worm farm.

3. Design and build an InfoGraphic to explain how Annelid worms contribute to the
Friday cycling of nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen and water.
10 March a. Draw an InfoGraphic to show;
i. how carbon is recycled between the environment and living things,
ii. how nitrogen is recycled between the environment and living things
iii. how water is recycled between the environment and living things
iv. the function of carbon, nitrogen and water within organisms
b. Write at least two paragraphs explaining your InfoGraphic.
c. Explain how this relates to the criteria for the portable worm farm.

4. Design a Science Investigation for a group of students using your worm farm.
Monday a. Design a research question based on the design of portable worm farm.
12 March b. Describe how students could investigate independent variables, for example,
amount of light, air, food, moisture, temperature, and population size.
Remember that a variable should be a quantity that can be measured in specific
units.
c. Describe a dependent variable that students could measure. This should be a
measure of efficiency of recycling of nutrients by the worms.
d. Explain how this relates to the criteria for the portable worm farm.

On 1. Submit a scale drawing of a portable worm farm. Annotate the scale

Wednesday drawing so that another person could follow and build your design.
15 March
Note that groups of students could use your portable worm farm to investigate
variables that affect the worms and their ability to recycle nutrients. Consider
In-Class what these variables could be and include specific features in your design so
Assess- that students could investigate these variables.
ment Task

2. During class and individually, use your scale drawing and your expertise from
your research to;
a. Explain why each element of the design was chosen.
b. Outline a Science Investigation that could be done using your portable
worm farm.