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Stage 4 and 5 students explore how Sydney Metro Northwest will enhance the environment. They calculate the approximate efficiency of catching a train versus the bus or driving a private car.

Topics covered: Planning, designing and building a railway, Science and Geography.
Science 7-10; SC4-10PW (PWQ4-6); Geography K-10; GE4-1; GE4-2; GE4-3; GE4-7; GE5-2; GE5-3; GE5-7

This geographic and historical research activity is appropriate for either Stage 4 or 5, and can be included in a History class as an extension to the previous unit.

Students enter latitude and longitude into Google Maps and view the most likely remnant locations of the historic Rogans Hill to Parramatta railway. They discuss the likely orientation of the platforms, by viewing the surrounding roads and directions to the stations.

Topics covered: Linking the nation and Geography.

Geography K-10; GE4-2; GE4-3; GE4-7; GE5-2; GE5-3; GE5-7

Extracting information from diagrams, visually showing the journey along Sydney Metro Northwest flowcharts, tables and graphs is an important skill. In this stage 4 lesson sequence, students investigate a graph of train speeds. These lessons provide students with an opportunity to model the analytic skills of transport engineers.

Topics covered: Planning, designing and building a railway, Maths, Science.
Science 7-10; SC4-7WS (WS7.1 a,b); Mathematics K-10; MA4-19SP

This stage 4 lesson examines noise and how to measure it. It addresses an important question in the field of environmental planning – ‘Are trains quieter than buses and cars?’ Residents and commuters have been limited to road transport when travelling to and from Sydney’s North West region, and are familiar with the noise generated by busy traffic on highways.

Students can model the skills used by the scientists and engineers who developed the Sydney Metro Northwest plan.

Topics covered: A railway for Sydney's North West region and Science. 
Science 7-10; SC4-11PW

In these stage 4 lessons students examine the diverse role that historians and archaeologists play in investigating our ancient Aboriginal past.

Topics covered: History.
History K-10; HT4-1; HT4-6

In these stage 4 lessons, students learn about why steel expands or contracts when it rises or falls in temperature and design an experiment to observe this expansion and contraction. This experiment is placed in the context of the 15 km of track inside the Sydney Metro Northwest tunnel where the temperature is controlled, and the remainder of the track exposed to more extreme Sydney temperature changes.

Topics covered: Planning, designing and building a railway, Science.
Science 7-10; SC4-16CW (CW1 b,c)

In these stage 4 lessons students will be familiar with the informational posters that share wall space with other advertising on railway stations. Students choose an aspect of the new Sydney Metro Northwest under construction and create their own poster informing people about the features of the new railway, progress with construction, transport safety, or the environmental advantages of using public transport.

This is a suitable activity for all levels of English, using iPad or computer Apps to quickly blend a photograph and text message, and discuss the use of persuasive language.

Topics covered:  Planning, designing and building a railway and English.
English K-10; EN4-2A

This inquiry-based unit of work was created, trialled and peer reviewed as part of a professional learning program in inquiry-based learning for school teachers. The professional learning courses were part of a pilot partnership between the NSW Government’s Sydney Metro transport agency and Western Sydney University.

Topics covered: History, Geography, Mathematics, Science and Technology

Human Society and its Environment; GE4-5; GE4-7; GE4-3;  Mathematics;  MA4-2WM; MA4-19SP; MA4-21SP; Science and Technology; SC4-2VA; ACHGS047; ACHGS055; ACHGS052; ACHGK060; ACHGS053; ACHGS061;

Students analyse several visual and text sources exploring ideas around train safety past and present. This activity offers a challenging and original way of teaching critical literacy skills, using Freebody and Luke’s Four Reader Roles of text analysis: code-breaker, text-participant, text-user and text-analyst.

Topics covered: Linking the Nation, History and English. 
History K-10; HT3-2; English K-10; EN3-1A; EN3-3A; EN3-7C; EN3-8D;