Skill companion: Communicating Effectively (Year 9)

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Skill companion · Year 9 Science Inquiryseegongsik /au

Communicating Effectively: a skill companion

A small set of reusable sheets that grow one inquiry skill: shaping a finding and its argument for an identified purpose and audience, by choosing the content, the language and the text features that serve them, and building the table, chart or diagram with digital tools where they help. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you already teach.

AC9S9I08

write and create texts to communicate ideas, findings and arguments effectively for identified purposes and audiences, including selection of appropriate content, language and text features, using digital tools as appropriate

What a skill companion is

Inquiry skills are not a topic of their own. They grow inside the science units a class teaches all year, from Body Systems to Chemical Equations. So this pack is not a full term of lessons. It is three reusable scaffolds, a map of where they fit, and a short stand-alone lesson for teaching the skill on its own first.

Start here: five minutes

Read the pairing map on the next page: it shows a finding and two audiences for each topic.
Print the text planner whenever a class writes up a finding, and the two-texts sheet as practice.
Cut out the cards once. They are reused all year.
Open the free interactive unit on your board when you want a worked example of the skill.
Run the one-page mini-lesson first if you want to teach the skill before folding it into a topic.

The step up from Year 8

In Year 8 students chose a text type for one audience. In Year 9 the same finding is shaped for more than one audience, and it carries an argument, so every choice serves the purpose: how much content, which register, and which features. A formal report for a teacher and a poster for the school are both right, for different readers.

On the board

This pack is the printable half of a free interactive unit. On screen, students switch “Build the text feature that carries the argument” between the table, the bar chart and the line graph, weigh three text types in “Choose the text type for an identified audience”, sort choices in “Which choices fit the report’s purpose?”, and step through “How the argument was refined as it was shared”.

seegongsik.com/au/y9/inquiry/AC9S9I08

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9S9I08). This pack is original material from seegongsik, independently produced and not endorsed by ACARA. Curriculum content descriptors are (c) ACARA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to print and use in class.

Where the skill fitsPairing map

Slot the skill into your science lessons

Every topic ends in a finding worth sharing. This map gives a finding for each Year 9 topic, two audiences with the text that suits each, and the text feature that carries the argument.

When you teach	The finding	Audience 1	Audience 2	The feature that carries it
Body Systems and Negative Feedback (AC9S9U01)	Heart rate takes longer to recover after longer exercise.	Teacher: a formal report	Year 7 class: a poster	A line graph of heart rate against time
Reproduction in Animals and Plants (AC9S9U02)	Cuttings with more leaves grew more roots, up to four leaves.	Teacher: a formal report	Garden club: a how-to card	A bar chart of the mean roots in each group
The Carbon Cycle (AC9S9U03)	Carbon dioxide in the jar fell in the light and rose in the dark.	Teacher: a formal report	A primary class: a cartoon strip	Two graphs on one time axis
Wave and Particle Models of Energy (AC9S9U04)	A pulse crosses a tighter slinky sooner.	Teacher: a formal report	Assembly: a one-minute talk with a demonstration	A slow-motion clip with a timer in the shot
Conservation of Energy and Efficiency (AC9S9U05)	Each extra layer of insulation saved a smaller share of heat.	Teacher: a formal report	Households: a council flyer	A line graph that levels off
The Atom and Radioactive Decay (AC9S9U06)	Dice are removed like decaying nuclei: about half in four throws.	Teacher: a formal report	Museum visitors: an explainer panel	A curve with each halving marked
Chemical Equations and Conservation of Mass (AC9S9U07)	Mass is conserved when the gas cannot escape.	Teacher: a formal report	Year 7 class: a short video script	A before-and-after table of masses

The three moves, and the picture that backs each one

When you want a worked example on the board, open the interactive unit and use the picture that matches the move.

Choose the feature that carries the argument: “Build the text feature that carries the argument”.
Match the text type to the audience: “Choose the text type for an identified audience”.
Check every choice against the purpose, and sharpen the claim when readers respond: the two pictures after it.

Scaffold 1 · Text plannerOne per student

Who is it for, and what must it do?

NameClassDate

Plan the text before you write it. The purpose and the audience decide the text type, and then the content, the language and the text features each have to serve them.

Purpose and audience

My finding or argument:

The purpose of this text (inform, persuade, report, explain):

My audience, and what they already know:

What they need to do after reading it:

The text type that suits them:

Choices

Content what to put in, and what to leave out
Language register; terms to define; how sure to sound

Text features I will use (tick):

□ headings□ a table□ a chart with a title, labels and units□ a diagram with a caption□ the method□ citations□ a headline□ a photo

The digital tool I will build them with:

Read it as your audience

A question my reader might still ask:

What I changed to answer it:

Scaffold 2 · One finding, two textsOne per student

One finding, two readers, and a draft to fix

NameClassDate

Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda were weighed before and after fizzing, on a balance that reads to 0.01 g: once in an open cup, once in a bottle with a balloon stretched over its neck.

Container	Before (g)	After (g)
Open cup	215.40	213.55
Balloon-capped bottle	248.20	248.19

A. For the science teacher

A results paragraph: the measured changes with units and precision, and the conclusion they support.

B. For a Year 7 noticeboard

A headline and a caption, 30 words at most, with no term a Year 7 reader would not know.

C. Fix the draft

Results: The open one went way lighter, like 2 grams, and the other one basically stayed the same, so mass is always conserved in every reaction ever.

What is wrong	The fix

Scaffold 3 · Choice cards (cut out)Reuse all year

Content, language, or a text feature?

Cut out the cards. Lay down the three grey heading cards, then sort the writer’s choices under them. On the blank cards, write a choice from your own text for each heading.

A content choiceWhat to put in, and what to leave out, for this reader.Heading

A language choiceThe words and the register that suit this reader.Heading

A text-feature choiceHeadings, tables, charts, captions and labels.Heading

Swap “heaps hotter” for “wasted more energy as heat”.Card A

Include the method, so the teacher could repeat the test.Card B

Give the chart a title, and label the axis with its unit.Card C

Explain “efficiency” in a short phrase for Year 7 readers.Card D

On the poster, keep only the headline finding and one number.Card E

Put every trial’s reading in the report, not only the mean.Card F

Use the headings aim, method, results and discussion.Card G

Write “suggests” rather than “proves” for a single investigation.Card H

State the limitation: one class, tested in one week.Card I

Use a table for the twelve readings.Card J

Add why it matters to households: a smaller power bill.Card K

Write “we measured” in the past tense for what was done.Card L

A content choice in my text:

Write your own

A language choice in my text:

Write your own

A text-feature choice in my text:

Write your own

Teacher note: the piles are not the same size. The answer sheet lists which card is which, and why.

Mini-lesson · Teacher planAbout 30 minutes

One finding, two readers

Use this stand-alone lesson to teach the skill on its own, before you fold it into a science topic. The finding comes from the interactive unit: for the same light, an LED globe wastes about 21 kJ as heat in an hour, a compact fluorescent 40, a halogen 144 and an old incandescent 205. Half the class writes it for a science teacher, half for a school noticeboard, and then partners swap to judge whether each choice of content, language and feature serves its reader.

We are learning to

name the purpose and the audience before choosing a text type,
select content, language and text features that serve that reader,
build a chart that carries the argument, with a digital tool where one helps.

Success criteria

My text suits its reader, and I can say why for each choice.
My chart has a title, labelled bars and a unit, so it can be read without the text.

You need

the text planner (scaffold 1), one per student; plain paper and pencils, or a spreadsheet or slide tool on a device for each pair,
the cards from scaffold 3, one set per pair.

Lesson flow (about 30 minutes)

5 min	Two readers Show the board (see the box). Give each half of the class its reader. Ask: “What does a teacher need from this finding that a passer-by does not?”
15 min	Plan and write Students fill the text planner, then write: a results section with a chart, or a headline, a chart and a caption. Ask: “Is a bar chart or a line graph right for four kinds of globe? Why?”
5 min	Swap and judge Partners swap texts and sort the cards that describe each other’s choices. Ask: “Which choice would you change for this reader, and to what?”
5 min	Sharpen the claim Each writer improves one choice, and checks that the claim compares globes giving the same light.

Running it shorter? Plan in this lesson, and write, swap and judge in your next science lesson.

On the board

For a worked example, open the unit and switch “Build the text feature that carries the argument” between the table, the bar chart and the line graph. Then try the three choices in “Choose the text type for an identified audience”.

seegongsik.com/au/y9/inquiry/AC9S9I08

Watch for these ideas

One text for everyone: a report pinned to a noticeboard, or a poster handed in as a report.
A chart with no title, labels or units, which only the writer can read.
Words stronger than the evidence, such as “proves” for one class’s test.

Make it easier, make it bigger

Easier: give a results frame “We measured … The … globe wasted …, while …” and a blank chart with the axes labelled.
Bigger: turn the finding into a third text, a 60-second talk, and decide what a listener must hear to trust it.

Answers and look-fors

The next sheet has model texts for the conservation-of-mass finding, the fixed draft, the card key, and a quick three-level guide.

Answers · For the teacherModel responses

Answers and look-fors

One finding, two texts

For the science teacher: “The open cup lost 1.85 g (215.40 g before, 213.55 g after), while the balloon-capped bottle changed by 0.01 g, which is one step of a balance reading to 0.01 g, so no change could be detected. The open cup lost the carbon dioxide made in the reaction to the air; in the capped bottle the gas stayed inside. This suggests that mass is conserved in this reaction when nothing can escape.”

For a Year 7 noticeboard: “Where did the fizz go? An open cup of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda got lighter as gas escaped. Trap the gas under a balloon, and the mass stays the same.”

What is wrong with the draft	The fix
Slang (“way lighter”, “basically”)	precise words: “the open cup lost 1.85 g”
Rounded, unitless or vague numbers (“like 2 grams”)	the measured values, with units and the balance’s precision
A claim beyond the evidence (“always … in every reaction ever”)	scoped to what was tested: this reaction, in a closed bottle
No reason given for the open cup	explain it: the carbon dioxide made escaped into the air
A chart with no title, no labels and no units	a title, labelled bars and a mass axis in grams

Choice cards

Card	Choice	Pile	Why
A	Swap “heaps hotter” for “wasted more energy as heat”.	A language choice	Precise words in place of slang.
B	Include the method, so the teacher could repeat the test.	A content choice	A teacher needs the method to judge the work.
C	Give the chart a title, and label the axis with its unit.	A text-feature choice	A chart that says what it shows.
D	Explain “efficiency” in a short phrase for Year 7 readers.	A language choice	A term defined for readers who have not met it.
E	On the poster, keep only the headline finding and one number.	A content choice	A passer-by needs the main idea, not the detail.
F	Put every trial’s reading in the report, not only the mean.	A content choice	The full data lets the reader check the mean.
G	Use the headings aim, method, results and discussion.	A text-feature choice	Headings that a report reader expects and can navigate.
H	Write “suggests” rather than “proves” for a single investigation.	A language choice	Words that match the strength of the evidence.
I	State the limitation: one class, tested in one week.	A content choice	The reader needs to know how far the result reaches.
J	Use a table for the twelve readings.	A text-feature choice	A table keeps many exact values in order.
K	Add why it matters to households: a smaller power bill.	A content choice	Content chosen for a public audience.
L	Write “we measured” in the past tense for what was done.	A language choice	The register of a report of finished work.

A quick three-level guide

Move	Working towards	At standard	Beyond
Purpose and audience	writes the same text for every reader	names the purpose and the audience, and chooses a text type that suits them	shapes one finding for two audiences and explains each choice
Content and language	leaves out what the reader needs, or uses slang	selects the content and register the reader needs, with words as sure as the evidence	defines terms for a new reader without losing precision
Text features	adds a chart with no title, labels or units	uses headings, tables and labelled charts that carry the argument	builds the features with a digital tool and checks they read without the text

In the mini-lesson the bar chart is right: four kinds of globe are separate categories, so a line joining them would suggest a trend between globes that does not exist.