Australian Curriculum: Science!

Purpose Curriculum leaders develop their capacity to lead change and support schools and their network of schools with the implementation of Australian Curriculum: Science Teachers improve their confidence with teaching science content of the Australian Curriculum

Australian Curriculum Familiarisation phase Semester 1 / 2012 Implementation Semester 2 / 2012 Phase 1 - Literacy, Numeracy, Science & History expecting to be fully implemented and running by 2014 Phase 2 - Languages, Geography & The Arts Phase 3 - Health, Physical Education, Technologies & the remainder of the Humanities (S&E)

KEY MESSAGES D11/0066645 During Semester 1 it was expected that teachers and schools were preparing for implementation of the Australian Curriculum. Schools will not be required to use the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards to make a summative assessment of their students’ achievement during 2012. The Department’s Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Policy is current at this point in time. For most teachers, this means that what they teach and how they teach it will mean using both the K-7 Syllabus and the Australian Curriculum to plan and teach content until formal AC documents are created for reporting and assessment. For 2012 teachers are expected to become familiar with these materials. This may include identifying aspects of the curriculum that are different and reviewing plans and programs Resources to support the teaching of the Australian Curriculum are beginning to be placed online and will complement existing state and territory curriculum resources. Throughout 2012 these resources will be expanded. In line with other states and the territories, WA will apply the current assessment and reporting approach until national annotated work samples are available. These work samples are anticipated to assist in arriving at a nationally consistent interpretation of the achievement standards. Familiarisation Strategies/Focus Questions: Consider: Ways to engage your teachers in the Australian Curriculum content to develop an understanding of what they will need to omit, modify or add to their teaching and learning programs Activities you could use to support familiarisation and implementation: - Current curriculum audit and review of learning areas against the Australian Curriculum content - Use of the Curriculum Mapping to support with audit Any professional learning your teachers may need 4

Formal implementation has now commenced at the beginning of Semester 2 as the total curriculum package, is now available. This is comprised of Curriculum Content Achievement Standards Resources, including annotated work samples ACARA have indicated that NAPLAN tests will draw from the Australian Curriculum from 2014.

D11/0066645 SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS 62 Teacher Development Schools provide targeted support to schools and school networks. State-wide School Services and the Institute for Professional Learning play a key role in brokering and co-ordinating support for teachers and administrators. Teachers have access to digital resources through the K-12 Resources website and Resources Online. A key function of the Teacher Development Schools is to support teachers to become familiar with the Australian Curriculum through professional learning and sharing resources, school experiences and information. TDSs will support teachers by developing and delivering a range of professional learning, supporting networks by sharing curriculum expertise and identifying and sharing strategies and resources. TDSs provide support to teachers across the state through the Institute of Professional Learning, networks and groups of schools. Access to professional learning being offered by TDSs is available through the Institute of Professional Learning’s calendar of events at: det.wa.edu.au/professionallearning Enquiries regarding TDS support are to be directed to the relevant TDS Principal Consultant: Louise Nielsen – Primary Teacher Development Louise.Nielsen2@det.wa.edu.au Wendy Hewitt – Secondary Teacher Development Wendy.Hewitt@det.wa.edu.au The online provision of resources through the portal will be expanded during 2012. Through the Education Services Australia (ESA) sharing project, resources developed nationally and by other states is continually being uploaded to our portal. Familiarisation Strategies/Focus Questions: Consider: Ways to engage all teachers to become familiar with using the digital resources Processes to map current resources against Australian Curriculum content and cross curriculum priorities 6

Structure of the Curriculum There are three key design features of the AC: Science General Capabilities Cross Curriculum Priorities; and Overarching Ideas Content descriptions specify what teachers are expected to teach - including knowledge, understandings and skills for each learning area. An Achievement Standard describes the quality of learning typically expected of students as they progress through schooling. Achievement Standards comprise a written description and illustrative work samples. The Australian Curriculum pays explicit attention to how seven general capabilities and three cross-curriculum priorities contribute to and can be developed through teaching in each learning area. The general capabilities encompass the skills, behaviours and dispositions that students develop and apply to the content and that support them to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens. The general capabilities are: literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding. To ensure that the Australian Curriculum is relevant to the lives of young people and addresses the issues they face, special attention has been given to three cross-curriculum priorities. The cross-curriculum priorities are: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability.

General Capabilities Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and Creative Thinking Intercultural Understanding Personal and Social Competence; and Ethical Behaviour

Cross Curriculum Priorities Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Asia & Australia’s Engagement with Asia; and Sustainability Both the General Capabilities and the Cross Curriculum Priorities are displayed throughout the AC as ‘tags’ that can be selected as a filter

Please refer to your handout! This document was created by the Queensland Education Association and illustrates the General Capabilities and Cross Curriculum Priorities and how the overlay all learning areas of the AC, and also the structure specific to the Science learning area

Science: Overarching Ideas The science curriculum promotes six overarching ideas that highlight certain common approaches to a scientific view of the world. These overarching ideas are: Patterns, Order and organisation; Form and function; Stability and change; Systems; Scale and measurement; and Matter and energy. Overarching (big) ideas focus on a number of core ideas in science within and across disciplines.

How do the Overarching Ideas underpin my science lessons?

Current Science Structure Working Scientifically – Investigating, Science in Daily Life, Communicating Scientifically, Acting Responsibly and Science in Society Concept Strands – Earth & Beyond, Life & Living, Energy & Change, and Natural & Processed Materials This is the structure of the Science Learning Area in the Curriculum Framework. Still 3 main strands. Science in Daily Life, Acting Responsibly and Science in Society were not formally reported on but embedded across the other two strands. Now found in the Science as a Human Endeavour strand and will eventually become part of formal reporting. Communicating Scientifically is now a sub strand within Science Inquiry Skills

The Australian Curriculum Science is organised around three interrelated strands: Science inquiry skills; Science as a Human Endeavour; and Science Understanding. Each strand is of equal importance. There are nomenclature changes with the three strands of the Australian Curriculum but otherwise they align to the outcomes of the WA Curriculum Framework. The sub-strands of Science understanding align to WA Science Conceptual Outcomes: Biological Sciences - Life and Living Chemical Sciences - Natural and Processed Materials Earth and Space Sciences - Earth and Beyond Physical Sciences - Energy and Change. All 3 strands should be taught in an integrated way, each of equal importance

How is science structured now? Science is made up of 3 Strands Each year of learning Science Understanding Science as a Human Endeavour Science Inquiry Skills Taught across two year bands of development

The sub-strands of Science Understanding are: Biological sciences - Life & Living Chemical sciences - Natural & Processed Materials Earth and Space sciences - Earth & Beyond Physical sciences - Energy & Change Organisation The content in the Science as a Human Endeavour and Science Inquiry Skills strands is described in two-year bands to allow development of processes and skills. The content in the Science Understanding strand is presented in year levels to avoid unnecessary repetition. Once a concept is introduced at one year level it is not reiterated, although it may be revisited and extended at a later year level. Key science concepts have been identified. Content not specifically addressing these concepts has been removed to allow for depth of understanding rather than breadth of content within the curriculum. Students’ understanding of science concepts is developed through experiences of observable phenomenon to more abstract ideas and concepts as they progress through the curriculum.

The sub-strands of Science as a Human Endeavour are: Nature and development of science Use and influence of science Organisation The content in the Science as a Human Endeavour and Science Inquiry Skills strands is described in two-year bands to allow development of processes and skills. The content in the Science Understanding strand is presented in year levels to avoid unnecessary repetition. Once a concept is introduced at one year level it is not reiterated, although it may be revisited and extended at a later year level. Key science concepts have been identified. Content not specifically addressing these concepts has been removed to allow for depth of understanding rather than breadth of content within the curriculum. Students’ understanding of science concepts is developed through experiences of observable phenomenon to more abstract ideas and concepts as they progress through the curriculum.

The sub-strands of Science Inquiry Skills are: Questioning and predicting Planning and conducting Processing and analysing data and information Evaluating Communicating Organisation The content in the Science as a Human Endeavour and Science Inquiry Skills strands is described in two-year bands to allow development of processes and skills. The content in the Science Understanding strand is presented in year levels to avoid unnecessary repetition. Once a concept is introduced at one year level it is not reiterated, although it may be revisited and extended at a later year level. Key science concepts have been identified. Content not specifically addressing these concepts has been removed to allow for depth of understanding rather than breadth of content within the curriculum. Students’ understanding of science concepts is developed through experiences of observable phenomenon to more abstract ideas and concepts as they progress through the curriculum.

Differences in Science Science as Human Endeavour has not previously been assessed, graded and reported in WA Content is pitched differently in some years. For example, some Chemical Sciences content that is usually taught in Year 8 in WA is now included in Year 7 Emphasis on digital technologies in Science Inquiry Skills All four Science Understanding content strands to be taught each year Communicating is now part of the Science Skills strand Differences The non sequenced outcomes of the Working Scientifically cluster of outcomes have not previously been explicitly assessed. The Science as human endeavour strand has not previously been “graded and reported”. The Science as a Human Endeavour content is more explicit. Some of the Science understanding content is pitched differently. For example, some Chemical sciences content, usually taught in Year 8 in WA, is now included in Year 7. More explicit content related to digital technology has been included in the Science Inquiry Skills.

Strands & Sub Strands Content descriptors Elaborations; and Achievement standards Participants to turn to page 31 in the AC to review these features

Achievement Standards http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10 C Grade Descriptors Expected Standard: C Grade Descriptor – Science Year 3 Science Inquiry Skills: Investigating By the end of Year 3, students, with guidance from the teacher, generate simple questions based on familiar contexts and make predictions. They make suggestions as to how to test their ideas and collaboratively conduct investigations. They use some standard units of measurement and record data using teacher designed tables. They begin to use simple diagrams, models and text to communicate ideas and share their thoughts about their investigations with others. Science Understanding Students describe changes to and differences between properties of objects or events they have experienced. They describe properties of solids and liquids that influence the use of materials. They describe types of energy and their use in everyday situations. They identify features of the day and night sky and are aware of the relative sizes of the Earth, Moon and Sun. They have some understanding of plant and animal systems at an observable level, including the relationship between their major structures and functions. Participants to turn to page 31 in the AC to review these features

Exemplars Work Samples http://det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport/detcms/portal/ Work Samples http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10 Participants to turn to page 31 in the AC to review these features

MAPPING DOCUMENT Comparison of the Australian Curriculum and WA K-10 Syllabus: A focus for familiarisation Teachers might use this information to identify what content to include, omit or modify in their programs These are accessible at the Curriculum Support website Other mapping tools see Queensland Schools Authority The Australian Curriculum mapping documents are useful for teachers to use to explore the focus of the content for a particular year and compare it to their current programs.

Time to ‘Tear & Share’ Margaret to explain the tear and share activity Working in groups of 4 Using the mapping documents in their files

 Please refer to your handout… Accessing the AC acara.edu.au australiancurriculum.edu.au det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport  Please refer to your handout…

 Please refer to your handout… Accessing Resources http://portal.det.wa.edu.au/ www.scootle.edu.au australiancurriculum.edu.au det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport  Please refer to your handout…

Year Level Overview Content descriptions Backup plan in case connection to the internet is not possible on the day… Achievement Standard

 Please refer to your handout… Helpful Tools Audit documents and many other fantastic resources can be found at the following websites… http://www.ais.sa.edu.au/teaching-learning http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/13634.html  Please refer to your handout…

Questions?

Happy Science Teaching!