Cairns School of Distance Education

The Universe Summative Task

Ter
Unit The Universe Year 10 4
m

Teach
Student
er

Subjec
Learning area Science The Universe
t

Technique Written

Conditions  800 – 1500 words

 All stages of this task must be carried out individually.
 Students to upload their work to QLearn by the due date

Purpose

Assignment on The Universe, Stellar evolution and human endeavour

Task instructions

1. Read through the questions carefully.

2. Answer all questions. Do not leave answers blank. Have a sensible guess if you are not sure.
3. Make sure to check your answers before completion.
4. All sources used must be referenced.

QLearn Submission Due date

22/11/2024

Submission Declaration

By submitting a response electronically via QLearn using a unique

Education Queensland username and password, students thereby
declare that the response is their own work, unless otherwise
acknowledged.
(Refer to the Cairns SDE Years Prep -10 Assessment Policy on the Cairns SDE website).

Authentication Strategies

 Your teacher will check your submitted work is your own, e.g. using academic integrity
software.

1 of 4
PART 1:

1. Describe the formation of matter following the Big Bang event. Provide specific timescale and
change in complexity. Justify your answer with reliable scientific resources.

2. How have scientific discoveries changed our understanding of the universe over time?
Describe how Jocelyn Bell discovered a pulsar and discuss how this discovery changed our
understanding of stellar evolution. Justify your answer with reliable scientific resources.

PART 2:

Imagine that you discovered a new star.

With the help of a friend at NASA, you get
some data of your new star:

The temperature of the star: 8000 K

The relative luminosity of the star: 15000 Lʘ

3. Referring to Figure 1 and the

temperature and luminosity data:

3.1. Select the spectral class of your

star. Explain your reasoning.

3.2. Select which group your star

belongs to (e.g., Main sequence,
dwarf, super giant…). Explain your
reasoning.

3.3. Select which elements from Figure 1

are found in your star but not our
Sun. Explain your reasoning.

3.4. Decide if your star is moving away

from the earth, staying at the same
distance or moving closer. Explain
your reasoning.

3.5. Include a flow chart to show the life

cycle of your star. Describe the
processes occurring between each
stage and all possible outcomes of
this life cycle.

3.6. The data presented above is based on visible light alone. Explain the advantages of using
a variety of different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (even outside of the visible
spectrum) and how they have been used in researching the universe. Justify your answer
with reliable scientific resources.
4. Include a reference list in Harvard Style.

2 of 4
Year 10 Science: Unit 8 — The universe: Understanding the universe Name:
Purpose of assessment: To demonstrate scientific understanding of the universe, including theories of the origin of the universe and how
new evidence and methodologies support the acceptance of particular explanations and lead to changes in scientific understanding.
Descripto

Substrand
Content

A B C D E
r

Evaluate the evidence for scientific Evaluate the evidence for Evaluate the evidence Evaluate the List evidence that
Earth and Space
Understanding

theories that explain the origin of scientific theories that for scientific theories evidence for explain the origin of
Science

Science

the universe linking this to a explain the origin of the that explain the origin scientific theory that the universe.
number of specific examples. universe giving an example. of the universe. describes the origin
of the universe.
Analyse how the models and Analyse how the models and Analyse how the Analyse how the Name a change in
Nature and development Communicating, Questioning
Science as a Human

theories use have developed over theories use have developed models and theories use theory use have the theory of origin
Endeavour

of science

time and discuss the factors that over time and the factors have developed over developed over time of the universe.
prompted their review evaluating that prompted their review time and discuss the and discuss a factor
and interpreting evidence for the interpreting evidence for the factors that prompted that prompted a
development of the universe. development of the universe. their review. review.

Construct evidence-based Construct evidence-based Construct evidence- Constructs an Constructs an

Science Inquiry Skills

arguments with appropriate arguments with a range of based arguments and evidence- based argument to
representations and text types to representations and text select appropriate argument to communicate
and predicting

communicate science ideas for types to communicate representations and communicate science science ideas.
specific purposes using sufficient science ideas for specific text types to ideas for specific
and relevant scientific sources. purposes using a scientific communicate science purposes.
source. ideas for specific
purposes.

Final Grade
Appendix