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The three processes for
science primary to 12 are
inquiry, problem solving, and
decision making.
Students use inquiry to answer “why”
questions, problem solving to answer “how”
questions, and decision making to answer
“should” questions.
Inquiry
Your child will explore science grades primary
to 3 through the following units:
Primary
• Exploring the World with Our Senses
• Exploring Sand and Water with Our Senses
• Exploring Moving Things with Our Senses
• Exploring the World of Living Things with
Our Senses
Science 1
Scientific inquiry involves posing questions
and developing explanations. Skills such as
questioning, observing, inferring, predicting,
measuring, hypothesizing, classifying,
designing experiments, collecting data,
analysing data, and interpreting data are
fundamental to engaging in science. These
activities provide students with opportunities
to understand and practise the process of
theory development in science and understand
the nature of science.
• Material, Objects, and Our Senses
Problem Solving
• Animal Growth and Changes
The process of problem solving involves
seeking solutions to human problems. It
consists of proposing, creating, and testing
prototypes, products, and techniques to
determine the best solution to a given problem.
Science 3
Decision Making
• Invisible Forces
Let’s
talk
about ...
Science
Grades Primary–3
• Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
• Daily and Seasonal Changes
Science 2
• Air and Water in the Environment
• Liquids and Solids
• Relative Position and Motion
• Exploring Soils
• Plant Growth and Changes
• Materials and Structures
The process of decision making involves
determining what we should do in a particular
context or in response to a given situation.
Inquiry and problem solving actively involves
students in decision making.
The aim of the Atlantic Canada Science curriculum
is to develop scientific literacy. Scientific literacy is
an evolving combination of the science-related
This pamphlet is part of a series to inform parents about
the Nova Scotia Department of Education Public School
Program for students in grades primary to 3.
For more information, contact your child’s teacher.
attitudes, skills, and knowledge
students need to develop
inquir y, problem-solving, and
decision-making abilities to become
lifelong learners and to maintain a sense of wonder
about the world around them.
Let’s talk about ...
Scientific
Literacy
Children develop scientific literacy by doing science. Learning to be a successful
young scientist means that your child
• does “hands-on, minds-on” science to develop the skill of observing
• uses tools, such as balances, to describe objects with greater detail
• actively participates in answering questions such as What is happening?,
What evidence do you have?, and What new ideas did you discover?
• has opportunities to develop and record his or her understandings before, during,
and after science activities
• communicates, in different ways, what he or she has done and learned in science
Question
Investigate
Discover!
Your child will have opportunities to
Your child will have opportunities to
Your child will have opportunities to
• ask questions that lead him or her to
exploring materials to get answers
• make observations using his or her senses
• think about his or her experiences and how
these relate to the environment
• ask questions he or she can get answers to
through investigation
• listen to the kinds of questions being asked
by students and teachers
• decide if some observations from his or her
findings are more important than others
• collect evidence based on observations to
support findings and answer questions
• have time to think about a question
• make predictions based on his or
her observations
• decide how to proceed to answer his or
her question
• be curious about his or her investigations and
think about what might be implied or meant
• say “Ah ha!” and find satisfaction about his
or her findings from an investigated question
• record observations through pictures, charts,
and words
• support his or her findings with observations
• communicate to peers about his or her
findings using a variety of formats
let’s talk about ...