Draft Australian Curriculum

Science

www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home

Consultation

A period of public consultation, with the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science and History, will occur from:

1 March until 23 May 2010.

150 schools across Australia will be trialling the new curriculum over the next three months.

Consultation

ACARA:http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Board of Studies:http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/australian-curriculum/

Department of Education and Training:http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/home/consultation.htm

Consultation

This consultation process provides the opportunity to ensure that the Australian Curriculum: Science

Is a quality Curriculum

Is clearly understood and can be implemented by teachers at all stages of their career

ConsultationThe purpose of the Department’s consultation process is to initially:

Brief DET teachers about the draft Australian Curriculum: Science K -10

Seek feedback from DET teachers about the draft Australian Curriculum

Identify issues for implementation of the Australian Curriculum

Consultation

Online Consultation forums have been established so that you can have a say

DET Consultation

Feedback will be collected via forums.

To enrol in the online forums for the Australian Curriculum consultation @ DET follow this link to the self enrolment page.

Complete the form and a password will be emailed to you at your DET account.

Consultation

DET Consultation

ACARA Website

5 Minutes

Take some time to explore the Draft Australian Science Curriculum

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Explore/Science

Students develop:

an interest in science and a curiosity and willingness to explore the world they live in

an ability to investigate questions about the world using scientific inquiry methods, drawing critical, evidence-based conclusions

an ability to communicate their scientific understandings and findings to a range of audiences

an ability to solve problems and make informed, evidence-based decisions

an understanding of historical and cultural aspects of science as well as contemporary science issues and activities and an understanding of the diversity of careers related to science

Aims of the Science Curriculum

. Science curriculum strandsScience Understandings

refers to facts, concepts, principles, laws, theories and models that have been established by scientists over time.

Science inquiry skills

involve posing questions, planning, conducting and critiquing investigations, collecting, analysing and interpreting evidence and communicating findings.

Science as a human endeavour

highlights the need for informed, evidence-based decision making about current and future applications of science. It acknowledges, moral, ethical and social implications of science practice.

Curriculum focus: K-2

awareness of self and the local world

Exploration: Observation: Order: Change: Questioning and speculation:

Unifying ideasCurriculum focus: 3-6

recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and investigating them

Patterns Systems Relationships Evidence and explanations

Literacy Numeracy ICT thinking skills Creativity

General capabilities

self management Teamwork intercultural understanding ethical behaviour social competence.

Indigenous perspectives, opportunity to learn about, acknowledge and respect

the history and culture of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders

sustainable patterns of living

skills, knowledge and understandings related to Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia.

Cross curriculum perspectives

Content organiser

Content description

Content elaboration

Achievement standard

Resources

Curriculum designAustralian Curriculum document, June 2009

Content description specify what teachers are expected to teach. They include the knowledge, skills and understanding for each learning area at each year level.

Achievement Standarddescribes the quality of learning (the depth of understanding, extent of knowledge and sophistication of skill) expected of students at each year level.

2. Interactions of living things Interactions between living things in a habitat, including simple food chains in local

environments (S4SU2)

exploring ways that living things interact with their environment and each other investigating living things (organisms) in a habitat and the functions they serve

(producers, consumers, decomposers) exploring the ways that living things (organisms) can cause changes (beneficial

and detrimental) to the environments in which they live using food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat recognising that most food chains start with a green plant

ContentContent organiser Content description Content elaboration

Choose a year Look at the strands, content descriptions, content

elaboration and achievement standards. Are they in line with your expectations of this stage of

development?

Choose a strand and then look across year levels. Is there continuity?

Analysing the Content

Examples that illustrate each content description can be found in content elaborations. These are available for those teachers and others who may require assistance to better understand the content description.

Content elaborations

Australian Curriculum FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSMarch 2010 Page 1

students are able to, with guidance, collaboratively plan and carry out single stage investigations based on their own and others’ questions.

They demonstrate some awareness of fairness in testing and understand the difference between sorting and classifying.

They safely use appropriate tools to support investigation, using formal units of measurement most of the time and record information and data using simple tables and graphs, including using ICT.

They communicate ideas and explanations using a variety of conventional modes (eg diagrams, physical models, reports), and describe positive and negative aspects of their investigations.

They begin to realise that scientists work in particular ways and that discoveries made by scientists impact on our lives every day.

They recognise observable patterns (eg classification of living things) and simple relationships in their living environment, (eg food chains) and cause-and-effect relationships in their physical environment (eg effects of forces on motion, changes to the Earth’s surface).

They identify how science helps us make choices and how it influences both personal and community decisions (eg use of materials and protecting animal habitats).

Year 4 Achievement standard

Teachers will use the Australian Curriculum toidentify the most appropriate content (possibly fromacross several year levels) to teach individual and/or groups of students. This will take account of thefact that in each class there will be a range of priorachievement (below, at and above the year levelexpectations) and that teachers will plan to build oncurrent learning.

Catering for students’ needs

Australian Curriculum FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSMarch 2010 page 3

Is the draft Australian science curriculum useful for and useable by experienced and less experienced teachers as the basis of planning, teaching and assessment of school science?

Does the draft Australian Science Curriculum identify an appropriate range of key concepts and skills for learning for primary students?

Does the draft Australian Science Curriculum allow students to develop a depth of knowledge, skills and understandings about science?

Does the draft Australian Science Curriculum allow enough flexibility for local contexts to be explored?

Questions

3. Form and properties of materials Some materials are composed of observable

structure or parts (such as fibres, crystals, layers or grains) and structure or smaller parts can influence the overall properties of materials (S5SU3)

Year 5 Content description

3. Form and properties of materials Some materials are composed of observable structure or parts (such as fibres, crystals, layers or grains) and

structure or smaller parts can influence the overall properties of materials (S5SU3)

Content Elaboration

observing that materials are composed of parts, some of which may not be visible with the naked eye but may be visible with a magnifying glass (eg hair, wool, paper, minerals)

describing the observable parts and structure of common materials in grouping them testing materials composed of different parts and drawing conclusions about the influence of the smaller parts or structure on the overall properties of a material

investigating materials chosen for certain properties and examining them to see if those materials have similar structure or smaller parts

Content descriptions / Elaborations

Outcomes Unprescribed Foundation statements (2

years) Knowledge content strands

(2 years) Process strand (2 years)

Australian Curriculum No outcomes Prescriptive Achievement standards

(1 year) Content organisers 3 strands

Science inquiry Science

understanding Human endeavour

Unifying ideas Students samples

NSW Science and Technology K-6 syllabus

Broad feedback on the curriculum is sought in relation to: Content coverage Content clarity Content placement and sequence Manageability for teachers The digital format and layout

Your feedback

More specific feedback on the curriculum is sought in relation to: Content descriptions Content elaborations Achievement standards Structure of the curriculum General capabilities Cross-curriculum dimensions

Your feedback

Regularly check the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority website for news:

http://www.acara.edu.au/ Register for email alerts, especially for opportunities to comment on

documents Participate in the ongoing consultation as the Australian curriculum

develops

What can teachers do?

Make the time to comment and be heard