aims - chris poole€¦ · the australian curriculum: science has three interrelated strands:...

Science

Aims

TheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceaimstoensurethatstudentsdevelop:

aninterestinscienceasameansofexpandingtheircuriosityandwillingnesstoexplore,askquestionsabout

andspeculateonthechangingworldinwhichtheylive

anunderstandingofthevisionthatscienceprovidesofthenatureoflivingthings,oftheEarthanditsplacein

thecosmos,andofthephysicalandchemicalprocessesthatexplainthebehaviourofallmaterialthings

anunderstandingofthenatureofscientificinquiryandtheabilitytousearangeofscientificinquirymethods,

includingquestioning;planningandconductingexperimentsandinvestigationsbasedonethicalprinciples;

collectingandanalysingdata;evaluatingresults;anddrawingcritical,evidence-basedconclusions

anabilitytocommunicatescientificunderstandingandfindingstoarangeofaudiences,tojustifyideasonthe

basisofevidence,andtoevaluateanddebatescientificargumentsandclaims

anabilitytosolveproblemsandmakeinformed,evidence-baseddecisionsaboutcurrentandfutureapplications

ofsciencewhiletakingintoaccountethicalandsocialimplicationsofdecisions

anunderstandingofhistoricalandculturalcontributionstoscienceaswellascontemporaryscienceissuesand

activitiesandanunderstandingofthediversityofcareersrelatedtoscience

asolidfoundationofknowledgeofthebiological,chemical,physical,Earthandspacesciences,includingbeing

abletoselectandintegratethescientificknowledgeandmethodsneededtoexplainandpredictphenomena,to

applythatunderstandingtonewsituationsandevents,andtoappreciatethedynamicnatureofscience

knowledge.

Rationale

Scienceprovidesanempiricalwayofansweringinterestingandimportantquestionsaboutthebiological,physical

andtechnologicalworld.Theknowledgeitproduceshasprovedtobeareliablebasisforactioninourpersonal,

socialandeconomiclives.Scienceisadynamic,collaborativeandcreativehumanendeavourarisingfromour

desiretomakesenseofourworldthroughexploringtheunknown,investigatinguniversalmysteries,making

predictionsandsolvingproblems.Scienceaimstounderstandalargenumberofobservationsintermsofamuch

smallernumberofbroadprinciples.Scienceknowledgeiscontestableandisrevised,refinedandextendedasnew

evidencearises.

TheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstodevelopanunderstandingofimportant

scienceconceptsandprocesses,thepracticesusedtodevelopscientificknowledge,ofscience'scontributionto

ourcultureandsociety,anditsapplicationsinourlives.Thecurriculumsupportsstudentstodevelopthescientific

knowledge,understandingsandskillstomakeinformeddecisionsaboutlocal,nationalandglobalissuesandto

participate,iftheysowish,inscience-relatedcareers.

Inadditiontoitspracticalapplications,learningscienceisavaluablepursuitinitsownright.Studentscan

experiencethejoyofscientificdiscoveryandnurturetheirnaturalcuriosityabouttheworldaroundthem.Indoing

this,theydevelopcriticalandcreativethinkingskillsandchallengethemselvestoidentifyquestionsanddraw

evidence-basedconclusionsusingscientificmethods.Thewiderbenefitsofthis"scientificliteracy"arewell

established,includinggivingstudentsthecapabilitytoinvestigatethenaturalworldandchangesmadetoitthrough

humanactivity.

Thesciencecurriculumpromotessixoverarchingideasthathighlightcertaincommonapproachestoascientific

viewoftheworldandwhichcanbeappliedtomanyoftheareasofscienceunderstanding.Theseoverarchingideas

arepatterns,orderandorganisation;formandfunction;stabilityandchange;systems;scaleandmeasurement;and

matterandenergy.

ContentStructure

TheAustralianCurriculum:Sciencehasthreeinterrelatedstrands:ScienceUnderstanding,ScienceasaHuman

EndeavourandScienceInquirySkills.

Together,thethreestrandsofthesciencecurriculumprovidestudentswithunderstanding,knowledgeandskills

throughwhichtheycandevelopascientificviewoftheworld.Studentsarechallengedtoexplorescience,its

concepts,natureandusesthroughclearlydescribedinquiryprocesses.

ScienceUnderstanding

Scienceunderstandingisevidentwhenapersonselectsandintegratesappropriatescienceknowledgetoexplain

andpredictphenomena,andappliesthatknowledgetonewsituations.Scienceknowledgereferstofacts,concepts,

principles,laws,theoriesandmodelsthathavebeenestablishedbyscientistsovertime.

TheScienceUnderstandingstrandcomprisesfoursub-strands.Thecontentisdescribedbyyearlevel.

BIOLOGICALSCIENCES

Thebiologicalsciencessub-strandisconcernedwithunderstandinglivingthings.Thekeyconceptsdeveloped

withinthissub-strandarethat:adiverserangeoflivingthingshaveevolvedonEarthoverhundredsofmillionsof

years;livingthingsareinterdependentandinteractwitheachotherandtheirenvironment;andtheformandfeatures

oflivingthingsarerelatedtothefunctionsthattheirbodysystemsperform.Throughthissub-strand,students

investigatelivingthings,includinganimals,plants,andmicro-organisms,andtheirinterdependenceandinteractions

withinecosystems.Theyexploretheirlifecycles,bodysystems,structuraladaptationsandbehaviours,howthese

featuresaidsurvival,andhowtheircharacteristicsareinheritedfromonegenerationtothenext.Studentsare

introducedtothecellasthebasicunitoflifeandtheprocessesthatarecentraltoitsfunction.

CHEMICALSCIENCES

Thechemicalsciencessub-strandisconcernedwithunderstandingthecompositionandbehaviourofsubstances.

Thekeyconceptsdevelopedwithinthissub-strandarethat:thechemicalandphysicalpropertiesofsubstancesare

determinedbytheirstructureatanatomicscale;andthatsubstanceschangeandnewsubstancesareproducedby

rearrangingatomsthroughatomicinteractionsandenergytransfer.Inthissub-strand,studentsclassifysubstances

basedontheirproperties,suchassolids,liquidsandgases,ortheircomposition,suchaselements,compounds

andmixtures.Theyexplorephysicalchangessuchaschangesofstateanddissolving,andinvestigatehow

chemicalreactionsresultintheproductionofnewsubstances.Studentsrecognisethatallsubstancesconsistof

atomswhichcancombinetoformmolecules,andchemicalreactionsinvolveatomsbeingrearrangedand

recombinedtoformnewsubstances.Theyexploretherelationshipbetweenthewayinwhichatomsarearranged

andthepropertiesofsubstances,andtheeffectofenergytransfersonthesearrangements.

EARTHANDSPACESCIENCES

TheEarthandspacesciencessub-strandisconcernedwithEarth'sdynamicstructureanditsplaceinthecosmos.

Thekeyconceptsdevelopedwithinthissub-strandarethat:Earthispartofasolarsystemthatispartofalarger

universe;andEarthissubjecttochangewithinandonitssurface,overarangeoftimescalesasaresultofnatural

processesandhumanuseofresources.Throughthissub-strand,studentsviewEarthaspartofasolarsystem,

whichispartofagalaxy,whichisoneofmanyintheuniverseandexploretheimmensescalesassociatedwith

space.TheyexplorehowchangesonEarth,suchasdayandnightandtheseasonsrelatetoEarth'srotationandits

orbitaroundthesun.StudentsinvestigatetheprocessesthatresultinchangetoEarth'ssurface,recognisingthat

Earthhasevolvedover4.5billionyearsandthattheeffectofsomeoftheseprocessesisonlyevidentwhenviewed

overextremelylongtimescales.TheyexplorethewaysinwhichhumansuseresourcesfromtheEarthand

appreciatetheinfluenceofhumanactivityonthesurfaceoftheEarthandtheatmosphere.

PHYSICALSCIENCES

Thephysicalsciencessub-strandisconcernedwithunderstandingthenatureofforcesandmotion,andmatterand

energy.Thetwokeyconceptsdevelopedwithinthissub-strandarethat:forcesaffectthebehaviourofobjects;and

thatenergycanbetransferredandtransformedfromoneformtoanother.Throughthissub-strandstudentsgainan

understandingofhowanobject'smotion(direction,speedandacceleration)isinfluencedbyarangeofcontactand

non-contactforcessuchasfriction,magnetism,gravityandelectrostaticforces.Theydevelopanunderstandingof

theconceptofenergyandhowenergytransferisassociatedwithphenomenainvolvingmotion,heat,sound,light

andelectricity.Theyappreciatethatconceptsofforce,motion,matterandenergyapplytosystemsranginginscale

fromatomstotheuniverseitself.

ScienceasaHumanEndeavour

Throughscience,humansseektoimprovetheirunderstandingandexplanationsofthenaturalworld.Science

involvestheconstructionofexplanationsbasedonevidenceandscienceknowledgecanbechangedasnew

evidencebecomesavailable.Scienceinfluencessocietybyposing,andrespondingto,socialandethicalquestions,

andscientificresearchisitselfinfluencedbytheneedsandprioritiesofsociety.Thisstrandhighlightsthe

developmentofscienceasauniquewayofknowinganddoing,andtheroleofscienceincontemporarydecision

makingandproblemsolving.Itacknowledgesthatinmakingdecisionsaboutsciencepracticesandapplications,

ethicalandsocialimplicationsmustbetakenintoaccount.Thisstrandalsorecognisesthatscienceadvances

throughthecontributionsofmanydifferentpeoplefromdifferentculturesandthattherearemanyrewardingscience-

basedcareerpaths.

ThecontentintheScienceasaHumanEndeavourstrandisdescribedintwo-yearbands.Therearetwosub-

strandsofScienceasaHumanEndeavour.Theseare:

Natureanddevelopmentofscience:Thissub-stranddevelopsanappreciationoftheuniquenatureofscienceand

scientificknowledge,includinghowcurrentknowledgehasdevelopedovertimethroughtheactionsofmanypeople.

Useandinfluenceofscience:Thissub-strandexploreshowscienceknowledgeandapplicationsaffectpeoples'

lives,includingtheirwork,andhowscienceisinfluencedbysocietyandcanbeusedtoinformdecisionsand

actions.

ScienceInquirySkills

Scienceinquiryinvolvesidentifyingandposingquestions;planning,conductingandreflectingoninvestigations;

processing,analysingandinterpretingevidence;andcommunicatingfindings.Thisstrandisconcernedwith

evaluatingclaims,investigatingideas,solvingproblems,drawingvalidconclusionsanddevelopingevidence-based

arguments.

Scienceinvestigationsareactivitiesinwhichideas,predictionsorhypothesesaretestedandconclusionsaredrawn

inresponsetoaquestionorproblem.Investigationscaninvolvearangeofactivities,includingexperimentaltesting,

fieldwork,locatingandusinginformationsources,conductingsurveys,andusingmodellingandsimulations.The

choiceoftheapproachtakenwilldependonthecontextandsubjectoftheinvestigation.

Inscienceinvestigations,collectionandanalysisofdataandevidenceplayamajorrole.Thiscaninvolvecollecting

orextractinginformationandreorganisingdataintheformoftables,graphs,flowcharts,diagrams,prose,keys,

spreadsheetsanddatabases.

ThecontentintheScienceInquirySkillsstrandisdescribedintwo-yearbands.Therearefivesub-strandsof

ScienceInquirySkills.Theseare:

Questioningandpredicting:Identifyingandconstructingquestions,proposinghypothesesandsuggesting

possibleoutcomes.

Planningandconducting:Makingdecisionsregardinghowtoinvestigateorsolveaproblemandcarryingoutan

investigation,includingthecollectionofdata.

Processingandanalysingdataandinformation:Representingdatainmeaningfulandusefulways;identifying

trends,patternsandrelationshipsindata,andusingthisevidencetojustifyconclusions.

Evaluating:Consideringthequalityofavailableevidenceandthemeritorsignificanceofaclaim,propositionor

conclusionwithreferencetothatevidence.

Communicating:Conveyinginformationorideastoothersthroughappropriaterepresentations,texttypesand

modes.

Relationshipbetweenthestrands

Inthepracticeofscience,thethreestrandsofScienceUnderstanding,ScienceasaHumanEndeavourand

ScienceInquirySkillsarecloselyintegrated;theworkofscientistsreflectsthenatureanddevelopmentofscience,

isbuiltaroundscientificinquiryandseekstorespondtoandinfluencesociety'sneeds.Students'experiencesof

schoolscienceshouldmirrorandconnecttothismultifacetedviewofscience.

Toachievethis,thethreestrandsoftheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceshouldbetaughtinanintegratedway.The

contentdescriptionsofthethreestrandshavebeenwrittensothatateachyearthisintegrationispossible.Inthe

earlieryears,the'Natureanddevelopmentofscience'sub-strandwithintheScienceasaHumanEndeavourstrand

focusesonscientificinquiry.Thisenablesstudentstomakeclearconnectionsbetweentheinquiryskillsthatthey

arelearningandtheworkofscientists.Asstudentsprogressthroughthecurriculumtheyinvestigatehowscience

understandinghasdeveloped,includingconsideringsomeofthepeopleandthestoriesbehindtheseadvancesin

science.

Theywillalsorecognisehowthisscienceunderstandingcanbeappliedtotheirlivesandthelivesofothers.As

studentsdevelopamoresophisticatedunderstandingoftheknowledgeandskillsofsciencetheyareincreasingly

abletoappreciatetheroleofscienceinsociety.ThecontentoftheScienceUnderstandingstrandwillinform

students'understandingofcontemporaryissues,suchasclimatechange,useofresources,medicalinterventions,

biodiversityandtheoriginsoftheuniverse.Theimportanceoftheseareasofsciencecanbeemphasisedthrough

thecontentoftheScienceasaHumanEndeavourstrand,andstudentscanbeencouragedtoviewcontemporary

sciencecriticallythroughaspectsoftheScienceInquirySkillsstrand,forexamplebyanalysing,evaluatingand

communicating.

Yearleveldescriptions

Yearleveldescriptionshavethreefunctions.Firstly,theyemphasisetheinterrelatednatureofthethreestrands,

andtheexpectationthatplanningascienceprogramwillinvolveintegrationofcontentfromacrossthestrands.

Secondly,theyre-emphasisetheoverarchingideasasappropriateforthatstageofschooling.Thirdly,theyprovide

anoverviewofthecontentfortheyearlevel.

Contentdescriptions

TheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceincludescontentdescriptionsateachyearlevel.Thesedescribetheknowledge,

concepts,skillsandprocessesthatteachersareexpectedtoteachandstudentsareexpectedtolearn.However,

theydonotprescribeapproachestoteaching.WhileScienceUnderstandingcontentispresentedinyearlevels,

whenunitsofworkaredevised,attentionshouldbegiventothecoverageofcontentfromScienceInquirySkillsand

ScienceasaHumanEndeavouroverthetwo-yearband.Thecontentdescriptionsensurethatlearningis

appropriatelyorderedandthatunnecessaryrepetitionisavoided.However,aconceptorskillintroducedatoneyear

levelmayberevisited,strengthenedandextendedatlateryearlevelsasneeded.

Contentelaborations

ContentelaborationsareprovidedforFoundationtoYear10toillustrateandexemplifycontentandassistteachers

todevelopacommonunderstandingofthecontentdescriptions.Theyarenotintendedtobecomprehensive

contentpointsthatallstudentsneedtobetaught.

Theoverarchingideas

Thereareanumberofoverarchingideasthatrepresentkeyaspectsofascientificviewoftheworldandbridge

knowledgeandunderstandingacrossthedisciplinesofscience.

IntheAustralianCurriculum:Science,sixoverarchingideassupportthecoherenceanddevelopmentalsequenceof

scienceknowledgewithinandacrossyearlevels.Theoverarchingideasframethedevelopmentofconceptsinthe

ScienceUnderstandingstrand,supportkeyaspectsoftheScienceInquirySkillsstrandandcontributeto

developingstudents'appreciationofthenatureofscience.

ThesixoverarchingideasthatframetheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceare:

Patterns,orderandorganisation

Animportantaspectofscienceisrecognisingpatternsintheworldaroundus,andorderingandorganising

phenomenaatdifferentscales.AsstudentsprogressfromFoundationtoYear10,theybuildskillsand

understandingthatwillhelpthemtoobserveanddescribepatternsatdifferentscales,anddevelopanduse

classificationstoorganiseeventsandphenomenaandmakepredictions.Classifyingobjectsandeventsintogroups

(suchassolid/liquid/gasorliving/non-living)anddevelopingcriteriaforthosegroupingsreliesonmaking

observationsandidentifyingpatternsofsimilarityanddifference.Asstudentsprogressthroughtheprimaryyears,

theybecomemoreproficientinidentifyinganddescribingtherelationshipsthatunderpinpatterns,includingcause

andeffect.Studentsincreasinglyrecognisethatscaleplaysanimportantroleintheobservationofpatterns;some

patternsmayonlybeevidentatcertaintimeandspatialscales.Forexample,thepatternofdayandnightisnot

evidentoverthetimescaleofanhour.

Formandfunction

Manyaspectsofscienceareconcernedwiththerelationshipsbetweenform(thenatureormake-upofanaspectof

anobjectororganism)andfunction(theuseofthataspect).AsstudentsprogressfromFoundationtoYear10,they

seethatthefunctionsofbothlivingandnon-livingobjectsrelyontheirforms.Theirunderstandingofformssuchas

thefeaturesoflivingthingsorthenatureofarangeofmaterials,andtheirrelatedfunctionsoruses,isinitially

basedonobservablebehavioursandphysicalproperties.Inlateryears,studentsrecognisethatfunctionfrequently

reliesonformandthatthisrelationshipcanbeexaminedatmanyscales.Theyapplyanunderstandingof

microscopicandatomicstructures,interactionsofforceandflowsofenergyandmattertodescriberelationships

betweenformandfunction.

Stabilityandchange

Manyareasofscienceinvolvetherecognition,descriptionandpredictionofstabilityandchange.Earlyintheir

schooling,studentsrecognisethatintheirobservationsoftheworldaroundthem,somepropertiesandphenomena

appeartoremainstableorconstantovertime,whereasotherschange.AstheyprogressfromFoundationtoYear

10,theyalsorecognisethatphenomena(suchaspropertiesofobjectsandrelationshipsbetweenlivingthings)can

appeartobestableatonespatialortimescale,butatalargerorsmallerscalemaybeseentobechanging.They

begintoappreciatethatstabilitycanbetheresultofcompeting,butbalancedforces.Studentsbecomeincreasingly

adeptatquantifyingchangethroughmeasurementandlookingforpatternsofchangebyrepresentingandanalysing

dataintablesorgraphs.

Scaleandmeasurement

Quantificationoftimeandspatialscaleiscriticaltothedevelopmentofscienceunderstandingasitenablesthe

comparisonofobservations.Studentsoftenfinditdifficulttoworkwithscalesthatareoutsidetheireveryday

experience-theseincludethehugedistancesinspace,theincrediblysmallsizeofatomsandtheslowprocesses

thatoccurovergeologicaltime.AsstudentsprogressfromFoundationtoYear10,theirunderstandingofrelative

sizesandratesofchangedevelopsandtheyareabletoconceptualiseeventsandphenomenaatawiderrangeof

scales.Theyprogressfromworkingwithscalesrelatedtotheireverydayexperiencesandcomparingeventsand

phenomenausingrelativelanguage(suchas'bigger'or'faster')andinformalmeasurement,toworkingwithscales

beyondhumanexperienceandquantifyingmagnitudes,ratesofchangeandcomparisonsusingformalunitsof

measurement.

Matterandenergy

Manyaspectsofscienceinvolveidentifying,describingandmeasuringtransfersofenergyand/ormatter.As

studentsprogressthroughFoundationtoYear10,theybecomeincreasinglyabletoexplainphenomenaintermsof

theflowofmatterandenergy.Initially,studentsfocusondirectexperienceandobservationofphenomenaand

materials.Theyareintroducedtothewaysinwhichobjectsandlivingthingschangeandbegintorecognisetherole

ofenergyandmatterinthesechanges.Inlateryears,theyareintroducedtomoreabstractnotionsofparticles,

forcesandenergytransferandtransformation.Theyusetheseunderstandingstodescribeandmodelphenomena

andprocessesinvolvingmatterandenergy.

Systems

Sciencefrequentlyinvolvesthinking,modellingandanalysingintermsofsystemsinordertounderstand,explain

andpredicteventsandphenomena.AsstudentsprogressthroughFoundationtoYear10,theyexplore,describe

andanalyseincreasinglycomplexsystems.

Initially,studentsidentifytheobservablecomponentsofaclearlyidentified'whole'suchasfeaturesofplantsand

animalsandpartsofmixtures.OverYears3to6theylearntoidentifyanddescriberelationshipsbetween

componentswithinsimplesystems,andtheybegintoappreciatethatcomponentswithinlivingandnon-living

systemsareinterdependent.InYears7to10theyareintroducedtotheprocessesandunderlyingphenomenathat

structuresystemssuchasecosystems,bodysystemsandthecarboncycle.Theyrecognisethatwithinsystems,

interactionsbetweencomponentscaninvolveforcesandchangesactinginopposingdirectionsandthatfora

systemtobeinasteadystate,thesefactorsneedtobeinastateofbalanceorequilibrium.Theyareincreasingly

awarethatsystemscanexistascomponentswithinlargersystems,andthatoneimportantpartofthinkingabout

systemsisidentifyingboundaries,inputsandoutputs.

ScienceacrossFoundationtoYear12

Althoughthecurriculumisdescribedyearbyyear,thisdocumentprovidesadviceacrossfouryeargroupingsonthe

natureoflearnersandtherelevantcurriculum:

Foundation–Year2:typicallystudentsfrom5to8yearsofage

Years3–6:typicallystudentsfrom8to12yearsofage

Years7–10:typicallystudentsfrom12to15yearsofage

Seniorsecondaryyears:typicallystudentsfrom15to18yearsofage.

Foundation–Year2

Curriculumfocus:awarenessofselfandthelocalworld

Youngchildrenhaveanintrinsiccuriosityabouttheirimmediateworld.Askingquestionsleadstospeculationand

thetestingofideas.Exploratory,purposefulplayisacentralfeatureoftheirinvestigations.

Inthisstageofschoolingstudents'explorationsareprecursorstomorestructuredinquiryinlateryears.Theyuse

thesensestoobserveandgatherinformation,describing,makingcomparisons,sortingandclassifyingtocreatean

orderthatismeaningful.Theyobserveandexplorechangesthatvaryintheirrateandmagnitudeandbeginto

describerelationshipsintheworldaroundthem.Students'questionsandideasabouttheworldbecomeincreasingly

purposeful.Theyareencouragedtodevelopexplanatoryideasandtestthemthroughfurtherexploration.

Years3–6

Curriculumfocus:recognisingquestionsthatcanbeinvestigatedscientificallyandinvestigatingthem

Duringtheseyearsstudentscandevelopideasaboutsciencethatrelatetotheirlives,answerquestions,andsolve

mysteriesofparticularinteresttotheiragegroup.Inthisstageofschoolingstudentstendtouseatrial-and-error

approachtotheirscienceinvestigations.Astheyprogress,theybegintoworkinamoresystematicway.Thenotion

ofa'fairtest'andtheideaofvariablesaredeveloped,aswellasotherformsofscienceinquiry.Understandingthe

importanceofmeasurementinquantifyingchangesinsystemsisalsofostered.

Throughobservation,studentscandetectsimilaritiesamongobjects,livingthingsandeventsandthesesimilarities

canformpatterns.Byidentifyingthesepatterns,studentsdevelopexplanationsaboutthereasonsforthem.

Students'understandingofthecomplexnaturalorbuiltworldcanbeenhancedbyconsideringaspectsoftheworld

assystems,andhowcomponents,orparts,withinsystemsrelatetoeachother.Fromevidencederivedfrom

observation,explanationsaboutphenomenacanbedevelopedandtested.Withnewevidence,explanationsmaybe

refinedorchanged.

Byexamininglivingstructures,Earth,changesofsolidstoliquidsandfeaturesoflight,studentsbegintorecognise

patternsintheworld.Theobservationofaspectsofastronomy,livingthings,heat,lightandelectricalcircuitshelps

studentsdeveloptheconceptofasystemanditsinteractingcomponents,andunderstandtherelationships,

includingthenotionofcauseandeffect,betweenvariables.

Years7–10

Curriculumfocus:explainingphenomenainvolvingscienceanditsapplications

Duringtheseyears,studentscontinuetodeveloptheirunderstandingofimportantscienceconceptsacrossthe

majorsciencedisciplines.Itisimportanttoincludecontemporarycontextsinwhicharicherunderstandingof

sciencecanbeenhanced.Currentscienceresearchanditshumanapplicationmotivatesandengagesstudents.

Withintheoutlinedcurriculum,studentsshouldundertakesomeopeninvestigationsthatwillhelpthemrefinetheir

scienceinquiryskills.Thequantitativeaspectsofstudents'inquiryskillsarefurtherdevelopedtoincorporate

considerationofuncertaintyinmeasurement.Inteachingtheoutlinedcurriculum,itisimportanttoprovidetimeto

buildthemoreabstractscienceideasthatunderpinunderstanding.

Studentsfurtherdeveloptheirunderstandingofsystemsandhowtheideaofequilibriumisimportantindynamic

systems.Theyconsiderhowachangeinoneofthecomponentscanaffectallcomponentsofthesystembecause

oftheinterrelationshipsbetweentheparts.Theyconsidertheideaofformandfunctionatarangeofscalesinboth

livingandnon-livingsystems.Studentsmovefromanexperientialappreciationoftheeffectsofenergytoamore

abstractunderstandingofthenatureofenergy.

Asstudentsinvestigatethesciencephenomenaoutlinedintheseyears,theybegintolearnaboutmajortheories

thatunderpinscience,includingtheparticletheory,atomictheory,thetheoryofevolution,platetectonictheoryand

theBigBangtheory.

Seniorsecondaryyears

Curriculumfocus:disciplinesofscience

Theseniorsecondarycoursesforphysics,chemistry,biology,andEarthandenvironmentalsciencebuildonprior

learningacrosstheseareasinFoundationtoYear10.

Achievementstandards

AcrossFoundationtoYear10,achievementstandardsindicatethequalityoflearningthatstudentsshouldtypically

demonstratebyaparticularpointintheirschooling.Achievementstandardscompriseawrittendescriptionand

studentworksamples.

Anachievementstandarddescribesthequalityoflearning(theextentofknowledge,thedepthofunderstandingand

thesophisticationofskills)thatwouldindicatethestudentiswellplacedtocommencethelearningrequiredatthe

nextlevelofachievement.

ThesequenceofachievementstandardsacrossFoundationtoYear10describesprogressinthelearningarea.This

sequenceprovidesteacherswithaframeworkofgrowthanddevelopmentinthelearningarea.

Studentworksamplesplayakeyroleincommunicatingexpectationsdescribedintheachievementstandards.

Eachworksampleincludestherelevantassessmenttask,thestudent'sresponse,andannotationsidentifyingthe

qualityoflearningevidentinthestudent'sresponseinrelationtorelevantpartsoftheachievementstandard.

Together,thedescriptionoftheachievementstandardandtheaccompanyingsetofannotatedworksampleshelp

teacherstomakejudgmentsaboutwhetherstudentshaveachievedthestandard.

Studentdiversity

ACARAiscommittedtothedevelopmentofahigh-qualitycurriculumforallAustralianstudentsthatpromotes

excellenceandequityineducation.

Allstudentsareentitledtorigorous,relevantandengaginglearningprogramsdrawnfromtheAustralianCurriculum:

Science.Teacherstakeaccountoftherangeoftheirstudents'currentlevelsoflearning,strengths,goalsand

interestsandmakeadjustmentswherenecessary.Thethree-dimensionaldesignoftheAustralianCurriculum,

comprisinglearningareas,generalcapabilitiesandcross-curriculumpriorities,providesteacherswithflexibilityto

caterforthediverseneedsofstudentsacrossAustraliaandtopersonalisetheirlearning.

MoredetailedadvicehasbeendevelopedforschoolsandteachersonusingtheAustralianCurriculumtomeet

diverselearningneedsandisavailableunderStudentDiversityontheAustralianCurriculumwebsite.

Studentswithdisability

TheDisabilityDiscriminationAct1992andtheDisabilityStandardsforEducation2009requireeducationand

trainingserviceproviderstosupporttherightsofstudentswithdisabilitytoaccessthecurriculumonthesame

basisasstudentswithoutdisability.

Manystudentswithdisabilityareabletoachieveeducationalstandardscommensuratewiththeirpeers,aslongas

thenecessaryadjustmentsaremadetothewayinwhichtheyaretaughtandtothemeansthroughwhichthey

demonstratetheirlearning.

Insomecasescurriculumadjustmentsarenecessarytoprovideequitableopportunitiesforstudentstoaccessage-

equivalentcontentintheAustralianCurriculum:Science.Teacherscandrawfromcontentatdifferentlevelsalong

theFoundationtoYear10sequence.Teacherscanalsousetheextendedgeneralcapabilitieslearningcontinuain

Literacy,NumeracyandPersonalandsocialcapabilitytoadjustthefocusoflearningaccordingtoindividualstudent

need.

Giftedandtalentedstudents

TeacherscanusetheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceflexiblytomeettheindividuallearningneedsofgiftedand

talentedstudents.

Teacherscanenrichstudentlearningbyprovidingstudentswithopportunitiestoworkwithlearningareacontentin

moredepthorbreadth;emphasisingspecificaspectsofthegeneralcapabilitieslearningcontinua(forexample,the

higherordercognitiveskillsoftheCriticalandcreativethinkingcapability);and/orfocusingoncross-curriculum

priorities.TeacherscanalsoacceleratestudentlearningbydrawingoncontentfromlaterlevelsintheAustralian

Curriculum:Scienceand/orfromlocalstateandterritoryteachingandlearningmaterials.

TeacherscanalsodevelopdepthandbreadthusingtheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceoverarchingideasasa

frame.Learninginscienceemphasisestheabilitytomakeconnectionsbetweendiverseconceptsandacross

contexts.Theoverarchingideasprovideavaluableframetosupportstudentstomaketheseconnectionsandto

developascientificviewoftheworld.

Englishasanadditionallanguageordialect

StudentsforwhomEnglishisanadditionallanguageordialect(EAL/D)enterAustralianschoolsatdifferentages

andatdifferentstagesofEnglishlanguagelearningandhavevariouseducationalbackgroundsintheirfirst

languages.WhilstmanyEAL/Dstudentsbringalreadyhighlydevelopedliteracy(andnumeracy)skillsintheirown

languagetotheirlearningofStandardAustralianEnglish,thereisasignificantnumberofstudentswhoarenot

literateintheirfirstlanguage,andhavehadlittleornoformalschooling.

WhiletheaimsoftheAustralianCurriculum:Sciencearethesameforallstudents,EAL/Dstudentsmustachieve

theseaimswhilesimultaneouslylearninganewlanguageandlearningcontentandskillsthroughthatnewlanguage.

Thesestudentsmayrequireadditionaltimeandsupport,alongwithteachingthatexplicitlyaddressestheirlanguage

needs.Studentswhohavehadnoformalschoolingwillneedadditionaltimeandsupportinordertoacquireskillsfor

effectivelearninginformalsettings

Generalcapabilities

IntheAustralianCurriculum,thegeneralcapabilitiesencompasstheknowledge,skills,behavioursanddispositions

that,togetherwithcurriculumcontentineachlearningareaandthecross-curriculumpriorities,willassiststudentsto

liveandworksuccessfullyinthetwenty-firstcentury.

Therearesevengeneralcapabilities:

Literacy

Numeracy

Informationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT)capability

Criticalandcreativethinking

Personalandsocialcapability

Ethicalunderstanding

Interculturalunderstanding.

IntheAustralianCurriculum:Science,generalcapabilitiesareidentifiedwherevertheyaredevelopedorappliedin

contentdescriptions.Theyarealsoidentifiedwheretheyofferopportunitiestoadddepthandrichnesstostudent

learningthroughcontentelaborations.IconsindicatewheregeneralcapabilitieshavebeenidentifiedinScience

content.Teachersmayfindfurtheropportunitiestoincorporateexplicitteachingofthecapabilitiesdependingon

theirchoiceofactivities.

Literacy

Studentsbecomeliterateastheydeveloptheknowledge,skillsanddispositionstointerpretanduselanguage

confidentlyforlearningandcommunicatinginandoutofschoolandforparticipatingeffectivelyinsociety.Literacy

involvesstudentsinlisteningto,reading,viewing,speaking,writingandcreatingoral,print,visualanddigitaltexts,

andusingandmodifyinglanguagefordifferentpurposesinarangeofcontexts.

Studentsdevelopliteracycapabilityastheylearnhowtoconstructanunderstandingofhowscientificknowledgeis

produced;toexplore,analyseandcommunicatescientificinformation,conceptsandideas;andtoplan,conduct

andcommunicateinvestigations.Scientifictextsthatstudentsarerequiredtocomprehendandcomposeinclude

thosethatprovideinformation,describeeventsandphenomena,recountexperiments,presentandevaluatedata,

giveexplanationsandpresentopinionsorclaims.Languagestructuresareusedtolinkinformationandideas,give

explanations,formulatehypothesesandconstructevidence-basedarguments.

Bylearningtheliteracyofsciencestudentsunderstandthatlanguagevariesaccordingtocontextandtheyincrease

theirabilitytouselanguageflexibly.Scientificvocabularyisoftentechnicalandincludesspecifictermsfor

conceptsandfeaturesoftheworld,aswellastermsthatencapsulateanentireprocessinasingleword,suchas

'photosynthesis'.Studentslearntounderstandthatmuchscientificinformationispresentedintheformofdiagrams,

flowcharts,tablesandgraphs.

Numeracy

Studentsbecomenumerateastheydeveloptheknowledgeandskillstousemathematicsconfidentlyacrossall

learningareasatschoolandintheirlivesmorebroadly.Numeracyinvolvesstudentsinrecognisingand

understandingtheroleofmathematicsintheworldandhavingthedispositionsandcapacitiestousemathematical

knowledgeandskillspurposefully.

ManyelementsofnumeracyareevidentintheScienceCurriculum,particularlyinScienceInquirySkills.These

includepracticalmeasurementandthecollection,representationandinterpretationofdatafrominvestigations.

Studentsareintroducedtomeasurement,firstusinginformalunitsthenformalunits.Latertheyconsiderissuesof

uncertaintyandreliabilityinmeasurement.Asstudentsprogress,theycollectbothqualitativeandquantitativedata,

whichisanalysedandrepresentedingraphicalforms.Studentslearndataanalysisskills,includingidentifying

trendsandpatternsfromnumericaldataandgraphs.Inlateryears,numeracydemandsincludethestatistical

analysisofdata,includingissuesrelatingtoaccuracy,andlinearmathematicalrelationshipstocalculateandpredict

values.

InformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)capability

StudentsdevelopICTcapabilityastheylearntouseICTeffectivelyandappropriatelytoaccess,createand

communicateinformationandideas,solveproblemsandworkcollaborativelyinalllearningareasatschool,andin

theirlivesbeyondschool.ICTcapabilityinvolvesstudentsinlearningtomakethemostofthetechnologies

availabletothem,adaptingtonewwaysofdoingthingsastechnologiesevolveandlimitingtheriskstothemselves

andothersinadigitalenvironment.

StudentsdevelopICTcapabilitywhentheyresearchscienceconceptsandapplications,investigatescientific

phenomena,andcommunicatetheirscientificunderstandings.Inparticular,theyemploytheirICTcapabilityto

accessinformation;collect,analyseandrepresentdata;modelandinterpretconceptsandrelationships;and

communicatescienceideas,processesandinformation.

Digitaltechnologycanbeusedtorepresentscientificphenomenainwaysthatimprovestudents'understandingof

concepts,ideasandinformation.Digitalaidssuchasanimationsandsimulationsprovideopportunitiestoview

phenomenaandtestpredictionsthatcannotbeinvestigatedthroughpracticalexperimentsintheclassroomand

mayenhancestudents'understandingandengagementwithscience.

Criticalandcreativethinking

Studentsdevelopcapabilityincriticalandcreativethinkingastheylearntogenerateandevaluateknowledge,

clarifyconceptsandideas,seekpossibilities,consideralternativesandsolveproblems.Criticalandcreative

thinkingareintegraltoactivitiesthatrequirestudentstothinkbroadlyanddeeplyusingskills,behavioursand

dispositionssuchasreason,logic,resourcefulness,imaginationandinnovationinalllearningareasatschoolandin

theirlivesbeyondschool.

Studentsdevelopcapabilityincriticalandcreativethinkingastheylearntogenerateandevaluateknowledge,ideas

andpossibilities,andusethemwhenseekingnewpathwaysorsolutions.IntheSciencelearningarea,criticaland

creativethinkingareembeddedintheskillsofposingquestions,makingpredictions,speculating,solvingproblems

throughinvestigation,makingevidence-baseddecisions,andanalysingandevaluatingevidence.Studentsdevelop

understandingsofconceptsthroughactiveinquirythatinvolvesplanningandselectingappropriateinformation,and

evaluatingsourcesofinformationtoformulateconclusions.

Creativethinkingenablesthedevelopmentofideasthatarenewtotheindividual,andthisisintrinsictothe

developmentofscientificunderstanding.Scientificinquirypromotescriticalandcreativethinkingbyencouraging

flexibilityandopen-mindednessasstudentsspeculateabouttheirobservationsoftheworld.Students'conceptual

understandingbecomesmoresophisticatedastheyactivelyacquireanincreasinglyscientificviewoftheirworld.

Personalandsocialcapability

Studentsdeveloppersonalandsocialcapabilityastheylearntounderstandthemselvesandothers,andmanage

theirrelationships,lives,workandlearningmoreeffectively.Thepersonalandsocialcapabilityinvolvesstudentsin

arangeofpracticesincludingrecognisingandregulatingemotions,developingempathyforandunderstandingof

others,establishingpositiverelationships,makingresponsibledecisions,workingeffectivelyinteamsandhandling

challengingsituationsconstructively.

Studentsdeveloppersonalandsocialcapabilityastheyengageinscienceinquiry,learnhowscientificknowledge

informsandisappliedintheirdailylives,andexplorehowscientificdebateprovidesameansofcontributingtotheir

communities.Thisincludesdevelopingskillsincommunication,initiativetaking,goalsetting,interactingwithothers

anddecisionmaking,andthecapacitytoworkindependentlyandcollaboratively.

TheSciencelearningareaenhancespersonalandsocialcapabilitybyexpandingstudents'capacitytoquestion,

solveproblems,exploreanddisplaycuriosity.Studentsusetheirscientificknowledgetomakeinformedchoices

aboutissuesthatimpacttheirlivessuchashealthandnutritionandenvironmentalchange,andconsiderthe

applicationofsciencetomeetarangeofpersonalandsocialneeds.

Ethicalunderstanding

Studentsdevelopethicalunderstandingastheyidentifyandinvestigatethenatureofethicalconcepts,values,

charactertraitsandprinciples,andunderstandhowreasoningcanassistethicaljudgment.Ethicalunderstanding

involvesstudentsinbuildingastrongpersonalandsociallyorientedethicaloutlookthathelpsthemtomanage

context,conflictanduncertainty,andtodevelopanawarenessoftheinfluencethattheirvaluesandbehaviourhave

onothers.

Studentsdevelopthecapacitytoformandmakeethicaljudgmentsinrelationtoexperimentalscience,codesof

practice,andtheuseofscientificinformationandscienceapplications.Theyexplorewhatintegritymeansin

science,andexploreandapplyethicalguidelinesintheirinvestigations.Theyconsidertheimplicationsoftheir

investigationsonothers,theenvironmentandlivingorganisms.

Theyusescientificinformationtoevaluateclaimsandtoinformethicaldecisionsaboutarangeofsocial,

environmentalandpersonalissues,forexample,landuseorthetreatmentofanimals.

Interculturalunderstanding

Studentsdevelopinterculturalunderstandingastheylearntovaluetheirowncultures,languagesandbeliefs,and

thoseofothers.Theycometounderstandhowpersonal,groupandnationalidentitiesareshaped,andthevariable

andchangingnatureofculture.Thecapabilityinvolvesstudentsinlearningaboutandengagingwithdiversecultures

inwaysthatrecognisecommonalitiesanddifferences,createconnectionswithothersandcultivatemutualrespect.

ThereareopportunitiesintheSciencelearningareatodevelopinterculturalunderstanding.Studentslearnto

appreciatethecontributionthatdiverseculturalperspectiveshavemadetothedevelopment,breadthanddiversity

ofscienceknowledgeandapplications.Studentsbecomeawarethattheraisingofsomedebateswithinculturally

diversegroupsrequiresculturalsensitivity.Theyrecognisethatincreasinglyscientistsworkinculturallydiverse

teamsandengagewithculturallydiversecommunitiestoaddressissuesofinternationalimportance.

Cross-curriculumpriorities

TheAustralianCurriculumisdesignedtomeettheneedsofstudentsbydeliveringarelevant,contemporaryand

engagingcurriculumthatbuildsontheeducationalgoalsoftheMelbourneDeclaration.TheMelbourneDeclaration

identifiedthreekeyareasthatneedtobeaddressedforthebenefitofbothindividualsandAustraliaasawhole.In

theAustralianCurriculumthesehavebecomeprioritiesthatprovidestudentswiththetoolsandlanguagetoengage

withandbetterunderstandtheirworldatarangeoflevels.Theprioritiesprovidedimensionswhichwillenrichthe

curriculumthroughdevelopmentofconsideredandfocusedcontentthatfitsnaturallywithinlearningareas.They

enablethedeliveryoflearningareacontentatthesametimeasdevelopingknowledge,understandingandskills

relatingto:

AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderhistoriesandcultures

AsiaandAustralia'sengagementwithAsia

sustainability.

Cross-curriculumprioritiesareaddressedthroughlearningareasandareidentifiedwherevertheyaredevelopedor

appliedincontentdescriptions.Theyarealsoidentifiedwheretheyofferopportunitiestoadddepthandrichnessto

studentlearningincontentelaborations.Theywillhaveastrongbutvaryingpresencedependingontheirrelevance

tothelearningarea.

AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderhistoriesandcultures

AcrosstheAustralianCurriculum,theAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderhistoriesandculturespriorityprovides

opportunitiesforalllearnerstodeepentheirknowledgeofAustraliabyengagingwiththeworld'soldestcontinuous

livingcultures.StudentswillunderstandthatcontemporaryAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderCommunitiesare

strong,resilient,richanddiverse.Theknowledgeandunderstandinggainedthroughthisprioritywillenhancethe

abilityofallyoungpeopletoparticipatepositivelyintheongoingdevelopmentofAustralia.

TheAustralianCurriculum:SciencevaluesAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderhistoriesandcultures.It

acknowledgesthatAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderPeopleshavelongstandingscientificknowledgetraditions.

StudentswillhaveopportunitiestolearnthatAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderPeopleshavedeveloped

knowledgeabouttheworldthroughobservation,usingallthesenses;throughpredictionandhypothesis;through

testing(trialanderror);andthroughmakinggeneralisationswithinspecificcontexts.Thesescientificmethodshave

beenpractisedandtransmittedfromonegenerationtothenext.Studentswilldevelopanunderstandingthat

AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderPeopleshaveparticularwaysofknowingtheworldandcontinuetobe

innovativeinprovidingsignificantcontributionstodevelopmentinscience.Theywillinvestigateexamplesof

AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderscienceandthewaystraditionalknowledgeandwesternscientificknowledge

canbecomplementary.

AsiaandAustralia'sengagementwithAsia

AcrosstheAustraliancurriculum,thisprioritywillensurethatstudentslearnaboutandrecognisethediversitywithin

andbetweenthecountriesoftheAsiaregion.TheywilldevelopknowledgeandunderstandingofAsiansocieties,

cultures,beliefsandenvironments,andtheconnectionsbetweenthepeoplesofAsia,Australia,andtherestofthe

world.AsialiteracyprovidesstudentswiththeskillstocommunicateandengagewiththepeoplesofAsiasothey

caneffectivelylive,workandlearnintheregion.

IntheAustralianCurriculum:Science,thepriorityofAsiaandAustralia'sengagementwithAsiaprovidesrichand

engagingcontextsfordevelopingstudents'scienceknowledge,understandingandskills.

TheAustralianCurriculum:ScienceprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstorecognisethatpeoplefromtheAsiaregion

havemadeandcontinuetomakesignificantcontributionstothedevelopmentofscienceunderstandingsandtheir

applications.ItenablesstudentstorecognisethattheAsiaregionincludesdiverseenvironmentsandtoappreciate

thatinteractionbetweenhumanactivityandtheseenvironmentscontinuestoinfluencetheregion,including

Australia,andhassignificancefortherestoftheworld.

Inthislearningarea,studentsappreciatethattheAsiaregionplaysanimportantroleinscientificresearchand

development.Thesecanincluderesearchanddevelopmentinareassuchasmedicine,naturalresource

management,nanotechnologies,communicationtechnologiesandnaturaldisasterpredictionandmanagement.

Sustainability

AcrosstheAustralianCurriculum,sustainabilitywillallowallyoungAustralianstodeveloptheknowledge,skills,

valuesandworldviewsnecessaryforthemtoactinwaysthatcontributetomoresustainablepatternsofliving.It

willenableindividualsandcommunitiestoreflectonwaysofinterpretingandengagingwiththeworld.The

Sustainabilitypriorityisfutures-oriented,focusingonprotectingenvironmentsandcreatingamoreecologicallyand

sociallyjustworldthroughinformedaction.Actionsthatsupportmoresustainablepatternsoflivingrequire

considerationofenvironmental,social,culturalandeconomicsystemsandtheirinterdependence.

IntheAustralianCurriculum:Sciencethepriorityofsustainabilityprovidesauthenticcontextsforexploring,

investigatingandunderstandingchemical,biological,physicalandEarthandspacesystems.

TheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceexploresawiderangeofsystemsthatoperateatdifferenttimeandspatial

scales.Byinvestigatingtherelationshipsbetweensystemsandsystemcomponentsandhowsystemsrespondto

change,studentsdevelopanappreciationfortheinterconnectednessofEarth'sbiosphere,geosphere,hydrosphere

andatmosphere.Relationshipsincludingcyclesandcauseandeffectareexplored,andstudentsdevelop

observationandanalysisskillstoexaminetheserelationshipsintheworldaroundthem.

Inthislearningarea,studentsappreciatethatscienceprovidesthebasisfordecisionmakinginmanyareasof

societyandthatthesedecisionscanimpactontheEarthsystem.Theyunderstandtheimportanceofusingscience

topredictpossibleeffectsofhumanandotheractivityandtodevelopmanagementplansoralternativetechnologies

thatminimisetheseeffects.

Linkstootherlearningareas

Learninginscienceinvolvestheuseofknowledgeandskillslearntinotherareas,particularlyinEnglish,

mathematicsandhistory.

English

ThereisstrongsupportinschoolsacrossAustraliaforlinkinglearninginsciencewithlearningliteracyskills.The

sciencetraditionplacesahighpriorityonaccuratecommunication.TheAustralianCurriculum:Scienceissupported

byandinturnreinforcesthelearningofliteracyskills.Studentsneedtodescribeobjectsandevents,interpret

descriptions,readandgiveinstructions,explainideastoothers,writereportsandproceduralaccounts,participatein

groupdiscussionsandprovideexpositions.

Mathematics

Thesciencecurriculumcloselycomplementsthatofmathematics.Inscience,studentsprocessdatausingsimple

tables,lists,picturegraphs,simplecolumngraphsandlinegraphs.Inthemathematicscurriculumtheywillbe

developingtheseskillsatsimilaryearlevels.Inmathematics,students'dataanalysisskillswilldeveloptoinclude

scatterplots,lineargraphsandthegradientofgraphs.Thiswillenhancetheirabilitytoanalysepatternsandtrends

indataaspartofscientificinvestigations.

Studentsdeveloptheiruseofmetricunitsinboththemathematicsandsciencecurriculums.Theabilitytoconvert

betweencommonmetricunitsoflengthandmassandtheiruseofdecimalnotationinmathematicswillenablethem

torepresentandcomparedatainmeaningfulwaysinscience.Inmathematics,studentslearnsimplestatistical

methodsandtheseskillswillenablestudentstoapplyquantitativeanalysisofdataasrequiredinscience.The

conceptofoutliers,learntinmathematics,willhelpthemtoidentifyinconsistenciesinquantitativedatainscience.

Whenconsideringphenomenaandsystemsatavastrangeofscalesinscience,studentsusetheirmathematical

knowledgeoftimescalesandintervals.Theyusescientificnotationintherepresentationofthesevaluesas

required.Students'mathematicalabilitytosolveproblemsinvolvinglinearequationscanbeutilisedinsciencewhen

investigatingquantitativerelationships.

History

Historyprovidesanotheravenuetotheunderstandingofhowscienceworks.Scienceanditsdiscoveriesarea

sourceofhistoricalfactsandartefacts.ThestrandScienceasaHumanEndeavourisanimportantlinktohistorical

developments.Itisimportantthatstudentslearnthatscienceandtechnologyhavegrownthroughthegradual

accumulationofknowledgeovermanycenturies;thatallsortsofpeople,includingpeoplelikethemselves,useand

contributetoscience.HistoricalstudiesofscienceandtechnologyintheearlyEgyptian,Greek,Chinese,Arabic

andAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderculturesextendingtomoderntimeswillhelpstudentsunderstandthe

contributionsofpeoplefromaroundtheworld.

TheAustralianCurriculum:Sciencetakesaccountofwhatstudentshavelearntintheseareassothattheirscience

learningissupportedandtheirlearninginotherareasenhanced.

Implicationsforteaching,assessmentandreporting

Thesciencecurriculumemphasisesinquiry-basedteachingandlearning.Abalancedandengagingapproachto

teachingwilltypicallyinvolvecontext,exploration,explanationandapplication.Thisrequiresacontextorpointof

relevancethroughwhichstudentscanmakesenseoftheideastheyarelearning.Opportunitiesforstudent-ledopen

inquiryshouldalsobeprovidedwithineachphaseofschooling.

Assessmentencourageslonger-termunderstandingandprovidesdetaileddiagnosticinformation.Itshowswhat

studentsknow,understandandcandemonstrate.Italsoshowswhattheyneedtodotoimprove.Inparticular,

ScienceInquirySkillsandScienceasaHumanEndeavourrequireavarietyofassessmentapproaches.

TeachersusetheAustralianCurriculumcontentandachievementstandardsfirsttoidentifycurrentlevelsoflearning

andachievementandthentoselectthemostappropriatecontent(possiblyfromacrossseveralyearlevels)to

teachindividualstudentsand/orgroupsofstudents.Thistakesintoaccountthatineachclasstheremaybe

studentswitharangeofpriorachievement(below,atandabovetheyearlevelexpectations)andthatteachersplan

tobuildoncurrentlearning.

Teachersalsousetheachievementstandards,attheendofaperiodofteaching,tomakeon-balancejudgments

aboutthequalityoflearningdemonstratedbythestudents–thatis,whethertheyhaveachievedbelow,atorabove

thestandard.Tomakethesejudgments,teachersdrawonassessmentdatathattheyhavecollectedasevidence

duringthecourseoftheteachingperiod.Thesejudgmentsaboutthequalityoflearningareonesourceoffeedback

tostudentsandtheirparentsandinformformalreportingprocesses.

Ifateacherjudgesthatastudent'sachievementisbelowtheexpectedstandard,thissuggeststhattheteaching

programsandpracticeshouldbereviewedtobetterassistindividualstudentsintheirlearninginthefuture.Italso

suggeststhatadditionalsupportandtargetedteachingwillbeneededtoensurethatthestudentdoesnotfall

behind.

AssessmentoftheAustralianCurriculumtakesplaceindifferentlevelsandfordifferentpurposes,including:

ongoingformativeassessmentwithinclassroomsforthepurposesofmonitoringlearningandproviding

feedback,toteacherstoinformtheirteachingandforstudentstoinformtheirlearning

summativeassessmentforthepurposesoftwice-yearlyreportingbyschoolstoparentsandcarersonthe

progressandachievementofstudents

annualtestingofYears3,5,7and9students'levelsofachievementinaspectsofliteracyandnumeracy,

conductedaspartoftheNationalAssessmentProgram–LiteracyandNumeracy(NAPLAN)

periodicsampletestingofspecificlearningareaswithintheAustralianCurriculumaspartoftheNational

AssessmentProgram(NAP).

Glossary

Sciencev8.1Year8Syllabus

YearLevelDescription

Thescienceinquiryskillsandscienceasahumanendeavourstrandsaredescribedacrossatwo-yearband.Intheir

planning,schoolsandteachersrefertotheexpectationsoutlinedintheachievementstandardandalsotothe

contentofthescienceunderstandingstrandfortherelevantyearleveltoensurethatthesetwostrandsare

addressedoverthetwo-yearperiod.Thethreestrandsofthecurriculumareinterrelatedandtheircontentistaughtin

anintegratedway.Theorderanddetailinwhichthecontentdescriptionsareorganisedintoteachingandlearning

programsaredecisionstobemadebytheteacher.

Incorporatingthekeyideasofscience

OverYears7to10,studentsdeveloptheirunderstandingofmicroscopicandatomicstructures;howsystemsata

rangeofscalesareshapedbyflowsofenergyandmatterandinteractionsduetoforces,anddeveloptheabilityto

quantifychangesandrelativeamounts.

InYear8,studentsareintroducedtocellsasmicroscopicstructuresthatexplainmacroscopicpropertiesofliving

systems.Theylinkformandfunctionatacellularlevelandexploretheorganisationofbodysystemsintermsof

flowsofmatterbetweeninterdependentorgans.Similarly,theyexplorechangesinmatterataparticlelevel,and

distinguishbetweenchemicalandphysicalchange.Theybegintoclassifydifferentformsofenergy,anddescribe

theroleofenergyincausingchangeinsystems,includingtheroleofheatandkineticenergyintherockcycle.

Studentsuseexperimentationtoisolaterelationshipsbetweencomponentsinsystemsandexplainthese

relationshipsthroughincreasinglycomplexrepresentations.Theymakepredictionsandproposeexplanations,

drawingonevidencetosupporttheirviewswhileconsideringotherpointsofview.

ScienceUnderstanding

BIOLOGICALSCIENCES

Cellsarethebasicunitsofliving

things;theyhavespecialised

structuresandfunctions

(ACSSU149)

Multi-cellularorganismscontain

systemsoforganscarryingout

specialisedfunctionsthatenable

themtosurviveandreproduce

(ACSSU150)

CHEMICALSCIENCES

Propertiesofthedifferentstates

ofmattercanbeexplainedin

termsofthemotionand

arrangementofparticles

(ACSSU151)

Differencesbetweenelements,

compoundsandmixturescanbe

describedataparticlelevel

(ACSSU152)

Chemicalchangeinvolves

substancesreactingtoformnew

substances(ACSSU225)

EARTHANDSPACESCIENCES

Sedimentary,igneousand

metamorphicrockscontain

mineralsandareformedby

processesthatoccurwithinEarth

ScienceasaHumanEndeavour

NATUREANDDEVELOPMENTOFSCIENCE

Scientificknowledgehaschanged

peoples’understandingofthe

worldandisrefinedasnew

evidencebecomesavailable

(ACSHE134)

Scienceknowledgecandevelop

throughcollaborationacrossthe

disciplinesofscienceandthe

contributionsofpeoplefroma

rangeofcultures(ACSHE226)

USEANDINFLUENCEOFSCIENCE

Solutionstocontemporaryissues

thatarefoundusingscienceand

technology,mayimpactonother

areasofsocietyandmayinvolve

ethicalconsiderations

(ACSHE135)

Ethicalunderstanding

Peopleusescienceunderstanding

andskillsintheiroccupationsand

thesehaveinfluencedthe

developmentofpracticesinareas

ofhumanactivity(ACSHE136)

Ethicalunderstanding

ScienceInquirySkills

QUESTIONINGANDPREDICT ING

Identifyquestionsandproblems

thatcanbeinvestigated

scientificallyandmakepredictions

basedonscientificknowledge

(ACSIS139)

Literacy

Criticalandcreativethinking

PLANNINGANDCONDUCTING

Collaborativelyandindividually

planandconductarangeof

investigationtypes,including

fieldworkandexperiments,

ensuringsafetyandethical

guidelinesarefollowed

(ACSIS140)

Literacy

Criticalandcreativethinking

Personalandsocialcapability

Ethicalunderstanding

Measureandcontrolvariables,

selectequipmentappropriateto

thetaskandcollectdatawith

accuracy(ACSIS141)

Numeracy

PROCESSINGANDANALYSINGDATAANDINFORMATION

Constructandusearangeof

representations,includinggraphs,

overavarietyoftimescales

(ACSSU153)

PHYSICALSCIENCES

Energyappearsindifferentforms,

includingmovement(kinetic

energy),heatandpotentialenergy,

andenergytransformationsand

transferscausechangewithin

systems(ACSSU155)

keysandmodelstorepresentand

analysepatternsorrelationships

indatausingdigitaltechnologies

asappropriate(ACSIS144)

Literacy

Numeracy

InformationandCommunication

Technology(ICT)capability

Criticalandcreativethinking

Summarisedata,fromstudents’

owninvestigationsandsecondary

sources,andusescientific

understandingtoidentify

relationshipsanddraw

conclusionsbasedonevidence

(ACSIS145)

Literacy

Numeracy

Criticalandcreativethinking

EVALUATING

Reflectonscientificinvestigations

includingevaluatingthequalityof

thedatacollected,andidentifying

improvements(ACSIS146)

Literacy

Numeracy

Criticalandcreativethinking

Usescientificknowledgeand

findingsfrominvestigationsto

evaluateclaimsbasedon

evidence(ACSIS234)

Literacy

Criticalandcreativethinking

COMMUNICATING

Communicateideas,findingsand

evidencebasedsolutionsto

problemsusingscientific

language,andrepresentations,

usingdigitaltechnologiesas

appropriate(ACSIS148)

Literacy

InformationandCommunication

Technology(ICT)capability

Year8AchievementStandard

BytheendofYear8,studentscomparephysicalandchemicalchangesandusetheparticlemodeltoexplainand

predictthepropertiesandbehavioursofsubstances.Theyidentifydifferentformsofenergyanddescribehow

energytransfersandtransformationscausechangeinsimplesystems.Theycompareprocessesofrockformation,

includingthetimescalesinvolved.Theyanalysetherelationshipbetweenstructureandfunctionatcell,organand

bodysystemlevels.Studentsexaminethedifferentscienceknowledgeusedinoccupations.Theyexplainhow

evidencehasledtoanimprovedunderstandingofascientificideaanddescribesituationsinwhichscientists

collaboratedtogeneratesolutionstocontemporaryproblems.Theyreflectonimplicationsofthesesolutionsfor

differentgroupsinsociety.

Studentsidentifyandconstructquestionsandproblemsthattheycaninvestigatescientifically.Theyconsider

safetyandethicswhenplanninginvestigations,includingdesigningfieldorexperimentalmethods.Theyidentify

variablestobechanged,measuredandcontrolled.Studentsconstructrepresentationsoftheirdatatorevealand

analysepatternsandtrends,andusethesewhenjustifyingtheirconclusions.Theyexplainhowmodificationsto

methodscouldimprovethequalityoftheirdataandapplytheirownscientificknowledgeandinvestigationfindings

toevaluateclaimsmadebyothers.Theyuseappropriatelanguageandrepresentationstocommunicatescience

ideas,methodsandfindingsinarangeoftexttypes.