Science 3-4

In Levels 3 and 4, the curriculum focus is on recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and undertaking investigations. Students observe heat and its effects on solids and liquids and begin to develop an understanding of energy flows through simple systems. In observing day and night, and investigating the life cycles of living things, they develop an understanding of...

In Levels 3 and 4, the curriculum focus is on recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and undertaking investigations. Students observe heat and its effects on solids and liquids and begin to develop an understanding of energy flows through simple systems. In observing day and night, and investigating the life cycles of living things, they develop an understanding of the regularity and predictability of cycles. Students order their observations by grouping and classifying and in classifying things as living or nonliving they begin to recognise that classifications are not always easy to define or apply. Their understanding of classification and form and function is broadened through an exploration of the properties of natural and processed materials. They learn that forces include noncontact forces and begin to appreciate that some interactions result from phenomena that can’t be seen with the naked eye. They begin to appreciate that current systems, such as Earth’s surface, have characteristics that have resulted from past changes and that living things form part of systems. They begin to quantify their observations to enable comparison, and learn more sophisticated ways of identifying and representing relationships, including the use of tables and graphs to identify trends. They use their understanding of relationships between components of simple systems to make predictions. They apply their knowledge to make predictions based on interactions within systems, including those involving the actions of humans.