What

Museum Staff-led

When

Term 2, Tuesday 24 June

Duration

90 minutes

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Curriculum links & Accessibility & Access Fund

Year level

Years 7 to 10

Minmum student numbers

Minimum 10 students

Maximum student numbers

Maximum 400 students

Cost

This program is free for government schools as part of Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series.

Booking information

Bookings 13 11 02

School visit information

This enrichment program, FREE for year 7 to 10 government school students, explores the magnificent blue whale and whale evolution.

This special event on Tuesday 24 June is thanks to funding from the Department of Education, via the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series, this enrichment program is free for government school students, enabling a day of incredible learning at Melbourne Museum.

Students will experience

• From 10am, beginning in IMAX, students will see the new Blue Whales 3D. This film explores the world of the magnificent blue whale, a species rebounding from the brink of extinction, by following two scientific expeditions.

• From 10:45am: Dr Erich Fitzgerald, Museum Victoria’s Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology, will present exciting research about whale evolution. His work is focused on exploring the fossil record of marine mammals—one of the last frontiers for fossil discovery in Australia.
• From 12 noon onwards, all students will be able to explore the Science and Life galleries, including 600 million years: Victoria evolves exhibition and examine the fossil record to find evidence for evolution; the Research Institute Gallery and Gandel Gondwana Garden to look at current research relates to our understanding of evolution.

Students will learn

• How evolution explains past and present biodiversity and demonstrates how all organisms have some degree of relatedness to each other.
• Multidisciplinary endeavours to advance scientific knowledge and make use of people’s different perspectives and worldviews.
• How scientific knowledge, including models and theories, can change because of new evidence.
• How proposed scientific responses to socio-scientific issues impact society and may involve ethical, environmental, social and economic considerations.
• How populations will be affected by changing biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem including habitat loss, climate change, seasonal migration and introduction or removal of species.

Other key information

• This program has been developed for high-ability students in Victorian government schools. The activities in the program cover the Victorian Curriculum and are designed to engage, challenge and extend students’ learning.
• This program is free for government schools as part of Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series.

Victorian Curriculum links

Science as a Human Endeavour Years 7 to 8

• Nature and Development of Science
  scientific knowledge, including models and theories, can change because of new evidence
  VC2S8H01
• multidisciplinary endeavours to advance scientific knowledge make use of people’s different perspectives and worldviews
  VC2S8H02
• Use and influence of science
  proposed scientific responses to socio-scientific issues impact on society and may involve ethical, environmental, social and economic considerations
  VC2S8H03

Biological sciences: Levels 9 and 10

• the theory of evolution by natural selection includes the processes of variation, isolation and adaptation and is supported by evidence including the fossil record, biogeography and comparative embryology; the theory explains past and present biodiversity and demonstrates how all organisms have some degree of relatedness to each other
  VC2S10U05