Science (Version 8.4)

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Rationale

Science provides an empirical way of answering interesting and important questions about the biological, physical and technological world. The knowledge it produces has proved to be a reliable basis for action in our personal, social and economic lives.

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Aims

The Australian Curriculum: Science aims to ensure that students develop:

an interest in science as a means of expanding their curiosity and willingness to explore, ask questions about and speculate on the changing world in which they live.

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Key ideas

In the Australian Curriculum: Science, there are six key ideas that represent key aspects of a scientific view of the world and bridge knowledge and understanding across the disciplines of science, as shown Figure 1 below. These are embedded within each year level description and guide the teaching/learning emphasis for the relevant year level.

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Structure

The three interrelated strands of science
The Australian Curriculum: Science has three interrelated strands: science understanding, science as a human endeavour and science inquiry skills.

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Content and achievement sequences

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Science.

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Glossary

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Foundation Year

Foundation Year Level Description

The Science content includes the three strands of science understanding, science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour. The three strands of the curriculum are interrelated and their content is taught in an integrated way. The order and detail in which the content descriptions are organised into teaching and learning programs are decisions to be made by the teacher.

Incorporating the key ideas of science

From Foundation to Year 2, students learn that observations can be organised to reveal patterns, and that these patterns can be used to make predictions about phenomena.

In Foundation, students observe and describe the behaviours and properties of everyday objects, materials and living things. They explore change in the world around them, including changes that impact on them, such as the weather, and changes they can effect, such as making things move or change shape. They learn that seeking answers to questions they pose and making observations is a core part of science and use their senses to gather different types of information.


Foundation Year Content Descriptions

Biological sciences

Living things have basic needs, including food and water (ACSSU002 - Scootle )
  • recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples care for living things (OI.2, OI.3)

  • identifying the needs of humans such as warmth, food and water, using students’ own experiences
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • recognising the needs of living things in a range of situations such as pets at home, plants in the garden or plants and animals in bushland
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • comparing the needs of plants and animals
    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

Chemical sciences

Objects are made of materials that have observable properties (ACSSU003 - Scootle )
  • sorting and grouping materials on the basis of observable properties such as colour, texture and flexibility
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Numeracy

    Using spatial reasoning
    • Visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects

  • thinking about how the materials used in buildings and shelters are suited to the local environment
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Think about thinking (metacognition)

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • investigating different forms of clothing used for different activities
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Pose questions
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts

  • comparing the traditional materials used for clothing from around the world
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Intercultural Understanding

    Recognising culture and developing respect
    • Explore and compare cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices

Earth and space sciences

Daily and seasonal changes in our environment affect everyday life (ACSSU004 - Scootle )
  • learning how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ concepts of time and weather patterns explain how things happen in the world around them (OI.3, OI.5)

    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Intercultural Understanding

    Recognising culture and developing respect
    • Explore and compare cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices

  • linking the changes in the daily weather to the way we modify our behaviour and dress for different conditions, including examples from different cultures
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Intercultural Understanding

    Recognising culture and developing respect
    • Explore and compare cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices

  • investigating how changes in the weather might affect animals such as pets, animals that hibernate, or migratory animals
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Pose questions
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

Physical sciences

The way objects move depends on a variety of factors, including their size and shape (ACSSU005 - Scootle )
Numeracy

Using spatial reasoning
  • Visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects

  • exploring how the size and shape of traditional instructive toys used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples influence their movement (OI.5)​

  • observing the way different shaped objects such as balls, blocks and tubes move
    Numeracy

    Using spatial reasoning
    • Visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • comparing the way different sized, but similar shaped, objects such as tennis balls, golf balls, marbles and basketballs roll and bounce
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Using spatial reasoning
    • Visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects

  • observing how the movement of different living things depends on their size and shape
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Numeracy

    Using spatial reasoning
    • Visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects

Nature and development of science

Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events (ACSHE013 - Scootle )
  • recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples gain knowledge about the land and its vital resources, such as water and food, through observation (OI.3, OI.5)

  • recognising that observation is an important part of exploring and investigating the things and places around us
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • sharing observations with others and communicating their experiences
    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
    • Use language to interact with others

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Personal and Social Capability

    Social management
    • Work collaboratively
    • Communicate effectively

  • exploring and observing using the senses: hearing, smell, touch, sight and taste
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Questioning and predicting

Pose and respond to questions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS014 - Scootle )
Personal and Social Capability

Social management
  • Communicate effectively

Critical and Creative Thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas
  • Pose questions

Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts
  • Listen and respond to learning area texts

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Use language to interact with others
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
  • Compose texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

  • considering questions relating to the home and school and objects used in everyday life
    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Planning and conducting

Participate in guided investigations and make observations using the senses (ACSIS011 - Scootle )
  • using sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell so that students can gather information about the world around them
    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts

Processing and analysing data and information

Engage in discussions about observations and represent ideas (ACSIS233 - Scootle )
Literacy

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Use language to interact with others
  • Compose texts
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

Visual Knowledge
  • Understand how visual elements create meaning

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Grammar knowledge
  • Use knowledge of words and word groups
  • Use knowledge of sentence structures

Critical and Creative Thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • taking part in informal and guided discussions relating to students’observations
    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures
    • Use knowledge of words and word groups

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Use language to interact with others
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • using drawings to represent observations and ideas and discussing their representations with others
    Literacy

    Visual Knowledge
    • Understand how visual elements create meaning

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
    • Use language to interact with others

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Communicating

Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012 - Scootle )
Literacy

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Compose texts
  • Use language to interact with others
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Personal and Social Capability

Social management
  • Work collaboratively
  • Communicate effectively

  • working in groups to describe what students have done and what they have found out
    Literacy

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Use language to interact with others
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Personal and Social Capability

    Social management
    • Communicate effectively
    • Work collaboratively

  • communicating ideas through role play and drawing
    Personal and Social Capability

    Social management
    • Communicate effectively
    • Work collaboratively

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Visual Knowledge
    • Understand how visual elements create meaning

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Use language to interact with others
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures


Foundation Year Achievement Standards

By the end of the Foundation year, students describe the properties and behaviour of familiar objects. They suggest how the environment affects them and other living things.

Students share and reflect on observations, and ask and respond to questions about familiar objects and events.


Foundation Year Work Sample Portfolios