1. Consistent teaching – K-6 Science and Technology
For this session it is important that staff have access to:
Foundation Statements
Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and Support Document
Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators
Science and Technology Big Ideas available from the Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROM.
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Quality school SciTech programs are underpinned by:
a shared understanding of the SciTech curriculum, and
consistent teacher judgement from class to class and from stage to stage.
K-6 Science and Technology
© Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training

2. 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
A progression of student learning is most evident in the process strands of:
Investigating scientifically
Designing and making
The these process strands are revisited in all units of work.
K-6 Science and Technology

3. Investigating Scientifically 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.
Investigating
Scientifically
In Science and Technology K-6, students learn about the natural environment through the process of investigating scientifically.
The investigating scientifically process involves students using the processes of observing, questioning, planning, predicting, testing, collecting , recording and analysing data to draw conclusions in order to develop a better understanding of the world around them. This process relies heavily, on first hand information.
First hand information is information that students gather through their own observations and experimentation.
The investigating scientifically process differs from the information research skills of defining, locating, selecting, organising, presenting and assessing. These research skills primarily involve students using second hand sources of information, such as books, journal articles, CD ROMs and internet browsing and searching.
As students work through the investigating scientifically process, they develop an hypothesis, predict outcomes, and devise a procedure to test their hypothesis. The data collected during the investigation is analysed so that conclusions can be drawn. These elements distinguish a scientific investigation from all other forms of investigating.
K-6 Science and Technology

4. The Technology Process
In Science and Technology K-6, students learn about the made environment by designing and making.
The design process attempts to describe the way designers typically work to create and produce effective solutions. This slide represents the design process. In the Science and Technology K-6 syllabus (page 24) the process is illustrated as a flow chart: Regardless of the way the design process is represented the design process is not lock-step and will vary when applied in each design situation. Regardless of whether the designer is in kindergarten, Year 12 or a professional architect, engineer or industrial designer these areas of activity occur in a design process.
When teaching students to design the teacher takes the role of facilitator, typically guiding and structuring student work through posing questions for students to explore and define the task, generate and develop ideas and produce solution, students plan, manage and evaluate through out the design process such things as time, people and materials.
Over a stage students should experience a number of design tasks and from task to task it is important that the learning focus of the design task varies.
K-6 Science and Technology

5. 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

6. Why does Science and Technology learning matter?
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.
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.
Note the important role primary SciTech plays in laying a sound foundation for secondary studies in Science and in Technology.
Student’s attitudes toward scientific and technological activities are usually established long before students commence secondary schooling.
Collectively students undertake more mandatory study in the secondary Science and Technology learning areas than they do in either secondary Mathematics or secondary English.
K-6 SciTech learning forms the foundation for studies in secondary:
Science
Technology.
K-6 Science and Technology

7. 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
Points to consider:
Science and technology education involves students learning to use the processes of investigating scientifically and designing and making to explore the natural and made environment.
Students participate in the process of investigation by observing, classifying, exploring, predicting, testing, modifying and applying understanding to reach a conclusion. Through scientific investigation students develop conceptual understandings about physical phenomena, living things and earth and its surroundings.
Students learn to meet needs and create opportunities by applying a design process to develop products, systems and environments. They explore needs, generate ideas, model, test, produce and reflect. Through designing and making students develop conceptual understandings about products and services, information and communication and built environments.
Aspects of designing and making occur within a scientific investigation, for example devising an experiment or preparing a model for testing. Aspects of scientific investigation occur within a design process, for example testing the properties of a material or structure.
From Kindergarten to Year 6 students become increasingly sophisticated in their conceptual understandings about science and technology and their ability to apply the processes of designing and making and investigating independently and in new contexts.
K-6 Science and Technology

8. Where do I find out more about SciTech?
Foundation Statements
Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and Support Document
Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators
Science and Technology Big Ideas
Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROM.
Curriculum support website
K-6 Science and Technology

9. 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
The Foundation Statements illustrate how content is sequential and builds upon prior learning. (The statements also identify a continuum of learning to support and guide in planning to meet the varying needs of students. (p2))
Have participants take a similar section of the Foundation Statements for SciTech and compare the changes in wording for two successive Stages.
Have teachers identify where they might find further information that will assist them to understand what the changes of wording might mean for the progression of student learning, e.g. use the SciTech outcomes and Big Ideas.
K-6 Science and Technology

10. Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus
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)
K-6 Science and Technology

11. Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROM
The 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
K-6 Science and Technology

12. 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.
K-6 Science and Technology