K-6 Science and Technology

Consistent teaching –

K-6 Science and Technology

© 2006 Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training

K-6 Science and Technology

What do you want students to learn in SciTech?

Students learn how to ‘investigate scientifically’.Through this process they develop understandings about the natural environment, that is:• living things• the Earth and its surroundings• physical phenomena.

Students learn how to ‘design and make’.Through this process they develop understandings about the made environment, that is:• built environments• products and services• information and communications.

Science and Technology

K-6 Science and Technology

The Science Process

Collect data

Make a prediction and design a procedure

Form an hypothesis

From observations, ask a question or pose a

problem.

Analyse data and draw conclusions

Evaluate the investigation

Publish

Find out what is currently known.

K-6 Science and Technology

The Technology Process

K-6 Science and Technology

Progression in SciTech learning

• Progression of student learning in SciTech is most evident in the increasing levels of sophistication students bring to the process strands of:– Investigating scientifically– Designing and making

• In Kindergarten the process is heavily scaffolded and largely teacher guided. By Year 6 students’ understanding of the process should enable them to engage in and manage scientific investigations and design and production more independently .

• Either or both process strands should be the learning focus of all units of work.

K-6 Science and Technology

Why does Science and Technology learning matter?

Scientifically and technologically capable students are: critical, innovative and enterprising interested in, and understand the world around them able to identify questions, investigate and draw evidence-based

conclusions able to improve quality of life by creatively applying and

contributing to processes of design and development able to make informed decisions about scientific and technological

developments.

Science and technology makes an important contribution to the quality of life of Australia’s citizens. SciTech learning enables young people to be informed participants in the development of a fair and responsible society.

K-6 SciTech learning forms the foundation for studies in secondary: Science Technology.

K-6 Science and Technology

Developing units of work

Quality units of work

• are based on at least one Designing and Making (DM) or Investigating (INV) process strand outcome and address at least one content strand outcome

• support a progression of learning by building on student’s existing knowledge and skills

• include substantial and sustained opportunities for open-ended tasks involving either investigating or designing and making

• have relevance and are authentic to the students

• focus on the ‘big ideas’ of science and technology to allow students to demonstrate achievement of the SciTech outcomes

K-6 Science and Technology

1. Foundation Statements

2. Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and Support Document

3. Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators

4. Science and Technology Big Ideas

5. Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROM.

6. Curriculum support website www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech

Where do I find out more about SciTech?

K-6 Science and Technology

Foundation Statements

Foundation Statements provide a snapshot of the knowledge, skills and understanding that each student should develop by the end of each stage of primary school

The foundation statements replace the stage statements in the Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators document.

(December 2005 NSW Board of Studies)

Activity: Compare the wording of two successive stages of the SciTech Foundation Statements. What changes from one stage to the next? Why?Prompt: See Big Ideas for help on a more detailed discussion

K-6 Science and Technology

• Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and Support Document 1991 (pages 1 to 7 and pages 19 to 31)

• Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators 2000 NSW Board of Studies (replacing pages 9 to 17 of syllabus)

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus

K-6 Science and Technology

Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROMThe professional support CD ROM provides:

• the Big Ideas, an expanded description of each SciTech syllabus outcome, suggesting the content that can be allocated to each stages

• support for schools to plan and implement effective Science and Technology teaching programs

• support for teachers to plan effective class programs

• video sequences to illustrate a progression of learning for the process strands of Investigating (Scientifically) and Designing and Making

• suggested assessment strategies.

Available at http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech/prolearn/cdrom/index.htm

K-6 Science and Technology

Curriculum Support Website

The Curriculum Support Website hosts a variety of resources to assist teachers. They include • teaching ideas •links to resources •sample lesson plans•professional support article, •Curriculum Support articles.