Information for teachers about the three Introductory CREST Awards.
Three Introductory CREST Awards are available to take students from structured science and technology activities and lead them into the roles of the decision-making scientist and technologist. As students progress from Green, through Orange to Blue, they become more self-reliant and self-confident.
Green and Orange CREST Awards
The activities in these Awards are structured and scaffolding is provided to help the students work through the activities.
Students undertake activities selected from one of seven topics, which fit easily into the primary school curriculum. The topics cover:
- consumer science
- the needs of pets and other animals and their effects on the environment
- the effect of the wind
- colour and how colouring can be achieved
- food, preservatives and packaging
- the effects of the sun
- rocks and minerals.
For a Green Award, students must complete one science and one technology activity from one of the above. Teachers can decide which they would like their students to cover. Students can complete as many as they like, but it is not necessary to complete every Green before moving to the Orange Award.
In completing Green activities, students become familiar with many of the skills and processes involved in carrying out a scientific ‘fair test’ and the technology design process.
To complete an Orange award, students must:
- undertake background research into one of the topics above
- complete a challenge activity (science or technology) from the same area as the background research, in which they must find a solution to a problem or develop a science investigation to test an idea
- communicate the outcome of their challenge activity.
The Orange challenge activities allow students to further develop their skills and processes in the science and technology key learning areas by satisfying selected criteria.
For an Orange science challenge activity, the student must:
- plan an investigation
- conduct an experiment
- process experimental data
- evaluate findings
- record ideas and work completed.
For an Orange technology challenge activity, the student must:
- investigate solutions
- devise a proposal for the best solution
- plan and carry out production
- evaluate impacts and processes
- record ideas and work completed.
Blue CREST Awards
For a Blue Award, students undertake, in consultation with a supervising teacher, a creative and original project that involves experimentation (for science projects) or design, construction and appraisal (for technology projects). Their project must have an application to the everyday world.
The student CREST quiz and examples of past CREST projects can assist them in coming up with suitable topics.
Start the quiz!
Blue Awards are designed to build upon skills developed in the Green and Orange Awards. In cases where students have had a lot of experience with science and technology, students may go directly to Blue.
Students must satisfy a range of criteria to successfully complete this open-ended Award. Student handbooks and detailed Blue Profile Cards are available to assist the students.
Students completing a Blue CREST Award are encouraged to enter their project into competitions such as local science fairs or state and national science or technology competitions.
Find out about CREST registration.
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