ACARA v9 CONTENT DESCRIPTION “write and create texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific purposes and audiences, including selection of language features, using digital tools as appropriate”
You have measured how the length of a shadow changes through the day, taking a reading each hour from morning to afternoon. Now you learn to communicate that finding to different people. The same result is written one way for younger students and another way for the local council, and each version selects the language features that suit its purpose and audience.
One finding, two audiences
Before you write, ask who will read this and why. A poster for the junior class needs simple words and a clear labelled diagram, because young children read pictures faster than paragraphs. A short report for the council needs precise science vocabulary and exact figures, because expert readers want detail they can act on. The finding does not change, but the words, the layout and the level of detail are chosen to fit each reader.
Pick the format that fits the audience
You measured how a shadow shortens from morning toward noon and then lengthens again. You want to share this finding with the junior class first.
Your audience is the younger students in the junior class, and your purpose is to help them understand how a shadow changes through the day. Choose how to communicate it to them.
Choose a response to see what is gained and what is given up.
Select the language features for the purpose
Language features are the choices you make about words and detail. For the junior poster you choose short sentences, everyday words like short and long, and a labelled diagram. For the council report you choose precise vocabulary like shadow length and solar altitude, exact measurements in centimetres, and a clear chart. A sentence that reports a measured result communicates the finding. A vague comment or an opinion does not.
Which sentences communicate the finding well?
The council report should tell an expert reader exactly what you found, using precise vocabulary and units. Decide which sentences do that and which are too vague or are only opinion.
Claim: A clear finding reports what was measured, using precise vocabulary like shadow length and the unit cm.
At 12 noon the shadow length was 22 cm, the shortest reading of the day.
The shadow length fell from 84 cm at 9 am to 22 cm at noon as the Sun rose higher in the sky.
Measuring shadows was easily the most fun we have had in science this year.
After noon the shadow length grew again, reaching 70 cm by 3 pm.
The chalk we used to mark the shadow was a lovely shade of blue.
Decide whether each statement is evidence for the claim, or not.
Show the result so the audience sees it
A list of hourly numbers is hard to read at a glance. A chart turns those readings into a curve that dips low near noon, so any reader sees the shadow shortening toward midday and stretching out again by afternoon. The same chart serves both audiences: simplified with big labels on the poster, and full with exact figures in the council report.
A chart communicates the pattern
Here is the shadow length you measured at each hour. Switch between the table, the bar chart and the line to see how each view shares the same finding.
All three views hold the same numbers, but the line graph makes the pattern clear: the shadow length dips to its lowest at noon and rises on either side, so a reader sees the Sun was highest in the middle of the day without doing any sums.
Why this matters
A finding only helps people if it reaches them clearly. Choosing a format for your audience, selecting language features that suit the purpose, and showing the result in a chart all make your science easy to understand. Scientists do exactly this when they write a plain summary for the public and a precise report for experts about the very same result.
Quick self-check
1. You want younger students in the junior class to understand how a shadow changes through the day. Which format suits that audience and purpose?
2. For the council report, you choose precise vocabulary and exact figures instead of plain everyday words. Why does that fit the audience?
3. Which sentence communicates the shadow finding clearly, with precise science vocabulary and a unit?
4. A chart of shadow length at each hour helps your audience because it...
5. You build both the poster and the report on a tablet. How do these digital tools help you communicate?