Foundations in Biology

ANIMALS, INCLUDING HUMANS   

                                                      LIVING THINGS

  & THEIR HABITAT

       PLANTS  

   EVOLUTION AND INHERITANCE

As children progress through the science curriculum they will observe, describe, explain and develop their understanding of the life processes of organisms.

During the primary years, children begin to address three big questions, which are fundamental to their understanding of biology and life sciences.

“What kinds of life are there?”

“How do living things survive and grow?”

“What makes life go on?”

Children observe and study the diversity of living things, building their knowledge of characteristics and classification of the animal and plant kingdoms. They learn that all living things adapt to their environments and that change and diversity is a result of evolution. They observe and study the life processes in living things which are essential for survival and reproduction, and the factors which affect healthy life cycles.  

Foundations in Chemistry

MATERIALS

As children progress through the science curriculum they will observe, describe, explain and develop their understanding of properties of materials and they can be changed.

During the primary years, children begin to address two big questions, which are fundamental to their understanding of chemistry and the science of materials.

“What are the properties of materials?”

“How can form change?”

Children investigate different materials and their properties, and how materials are selected and created to suit their purpose. They develop an understanding of the action of change of temperature on how materials change and change their state. They observe and study how reversible change differs from non-reversible change.

Foundations in Physics

     FORCES & ENERGY

LIGHT & SOUND 

As children progress through the science curriculum they will observe, describe, explain and develop their understanding of forces and energy.

During the primary years, children begin to address three big questions, which are fundamental to their understanding of physics and the study of natural phenomena. 

“What makes objects move?”

“How does energy make things happen?”

“How can forces can be changed and controlled?”

Children observe, describe and begin to explain manifestations of fundamental laws of physics relating to forces and energy: the motion of objects, the action of magnetic force, simple electrical circuits, how light travels and behaves and how sound is created and travels.

Foundations in Earth science

 EARTH & SPACE

As children progress through the science curriculum they will observe, describe, explain and develop their understanding of the composition of the Earth and its planetary properties.

During the primary years, children begin to address two big questions, which are fundamental to their understanding of Earth science.

“What is the Earth made from?”

“How does the Earth’s position in the solar system dictates its climate and conditions for life?”

Children investigate rocks and soils and learn about the structure of the Earth’s surface. They study the position of the Earth in the solar system, explaining the phenomena of day and night, seasonal change and the phases of the moon.