Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
SCIENCE RESOURCES
Two major resources are available:
Primary Connections which consists of a number of print resources supported by online materials.
This can be viewed at the following website http://www.science.org.au/primaryconnections
The Science continuum which is free web based resource. This can be found at
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/science/scicontinuum/default.htm
Both resources consist of a number of topics which are summarized below under developmental
stages
1 : Early Stage 1 / VELS level 1/2
Primary Connections
Science Continuum
On the move
This unit covers the following:
Pushes and pulls
Why do things move? The universe, and everything in
it, is continuously moving and changing. Movement
and change are concepts that we need to understand to
make sense of the world around us. They are linked to
concepts of energy and force. Scientists and engineers
apply these concepts to study the performance of
athletes and in the design of toys, cars and spacecraft.
Staying Alive
This unit covers the following:
All animals, including humans, use their sensory
organs to gather information about their environment.
The sharp eye, the cocked ear, or the careful sniffing of
air can warn animals of dangers that might threaten
their survival. Humans use senses to gather
information not only critical for our immediate safety,
but also for planning to meet our basic needs for things
such as food, water and shelter.
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
 We can describe how something moves by
saying how fast it is going and what sort of
path it takes.
 The way to start an object moving or change
how it is moving is to give it a push or a pull.
 The shape of things can be changed by pushes
and pulls. Sometimes these changes in shape
are permanent.
Magnetism
Living things
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
 Most living things need food, water, light,
temperatures within certain limits, and air.
 Living things have a variety of characteristics
that are displayed to different degrees: they
respire, move, respond to stimuli, reproduce
and grow, and are dependent on their
environment.
Living things don't exist in isolation
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
 The behaviour of organisms and their
interaction with other organisms assists their
survival.
 Organisms have a variety of body parts and
structures that assist their survival by making or
finding food, finding shelter and reproducing.
 Organisms of the same type interact with one
another and with other organisms in various
ways. Some examples are parent/child and
feeding relationships, the dependence of many
plants on animals for carrying their pollen to
other plants or for dispersing their seeds and
the dependence of animals on plants for food
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 1 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
Primary Connections
Science Continuum
What is it made of?
This unit covers the following:
Sound and hearing
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
All around us are things made from interesting
materials. Who would once have imagined things like
CDs, self-adhesive notes or floppy silicone ovenware?
Materials that we now take for granted are the products
of imagination and exploratory science. What new
materials will be part of the world of the future and
how might existing materials be used in new ways?
What might materials allow us to make and do?
 We use our ears to hear a wide range of sounds.
 All sounds come from vibrating objects.
 We can describe different sounds as loud, quiet,
high and low and we can use these
characteristics of sounds to often identify types
of sounds and their sources.
 As we move away from an object making a
constant sound, we hear the sound become
quieter.
Introducing scientific language
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
Weather in my world
This unit covers the following:
Each day the weather affects our work and leisure
activities. The weather influences our decisions about
what to wear and the things we do. Severe weather
phenomena such as droughts, floods and cyclones have
serious impacts on communities. Horticulture, farming,
fishing and tourism are highly dependent on weather.
The accurate prediction of weather patterns and
interpretation of weather forecasts are very important
to our economy and lifestyle.
 T he difficulties encountered when introducing
new scientific language are recurrent across all
contexts.
 Introduction and use of appropriate scientific
language is important for labelling student
experiences.
 The everyday meanings of scientific terms are
not wrong but they can cause considerable
confusion for students.
 Question the use of scientific terms and when
they are conceptually appropriate for students.
2. Stage 1 and 2 / VELS Level 3
Primary Connections
Science Continuum
Push, Pull (Stage 1)
This unit covers the following:
What is a force
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
Forces are at work in everything we do – we push to open
doors, and pull to tie ropes. Gravity pulls on things to
make them fall down or to keep them down. Scientists and
engineers study forces to design better bridges and faster
aeroplanes, and to reduce the forces that impact on people
in car accidents.
Smooth Moves (Stage 2)
This unit covers the following:
 In science, we call a ‘push’ or a ‘pull’ a ‘force’.
 When we talk about forces we consider the forces
acting on an object by another object. We do not talk
about an object ‘having’ force.
 Both non-living and living things can exert a force as
well as have a force exerted on them.
Making a change
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
Why do balls roll? Why do apples fall from trees? Why do
some things slide across ice but not on carpet? What
makes our bikes stop when we brake? We use all types of
forces including friction, gravity and pushes and pulls
when we exercise, ride bicycles and drive cars. Engineers
and scientists use their knowledge of forces and motion to
design things for our homes, work and school.
 We can describe how something moves by using terms
such as ‘at rest’, ‘constant speed’, ‘speeding up’ and
‘slowing down’.
 A force can speed up or slow down an object.
 A force can change the direction in which an object is
moving.
 A bigger force on an object will produce a bigger
change in the motion.
 A heavier object requires a larger force than a lighter
object in order to undergo the same change in motion.
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 2 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
Schoolyard safari (Stage 1)
This unit covers the following:
Living things
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
The world is teeming with animal life. Even the most
unexpected places can host a diverse range of creatures.
As humans, we share our wonderful planet with many
other animals. Taking the time to really look at another
species can provide a window into the similarities and
differences among living beings, and can help us to
appreciate how we are all part of a single, gloriously
complex ecological system.
 Most living things need food, water, light, temperatures
within certain limits, and air.
 Living things have a variety of characteristics that are
displayed to different degrees: they respire, move, respond
to stimuli, reproduce and grow, and are dependent on their
environment.
Students explore small animals leading to a better
understanding of how their adaptations help them survive
in their habitats. Through investigations, students learn
how animals move, feed and protect themselves.
Plants in action (Stage 2)
This unit covers the following:
We depend on plants for the oxygen we breathe, many
foods, fibres, building materials, medicines and fuels, and
for the pleasures of beautiful flowers. Agriculture,
horticulture, forestry, conservation of natural habitats and
gardening all require an understanding of plants.
Living things don’t exist in isolation
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
 The behaviour of organisms and their interaction with
other organisms assists their survival.
 Organisms have a variety of body parts and structures
that assist their survival by making or finding food,
finding shelter and reproducing.
 Organisms of the same type interact with one another
and with other organisms in various ways. Some examples
are parent/child and feeding relationships, the dependence
of many plants on animals for carrying their pollen to
other plants or for dispersing their seeds and the
dependence of animals on plants for food
Students' beliefs about flowering plants will be challenged
as they work through hands-on activities. Students will
develop a sense of wonder and appreciation of plants as
they investigate the process of germination, the stages in a
plant's life cycle and what plants need for growth.
Light fantastic (Stage 2)
This unit covers the following:
The senses working together
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
What would our lives be without light? We need it to see
everything we do in every moment of the day. We rely on
light to read a book, cross the street, admire artwork,
watch the sunset, and look into faces. Light plays a role in
some of our most sophisticated technology. It enables our
CD's to play music or record movies. High speed optical
cable is used in our communications. Lasers are employed
in cutting edge surgery and defence.
 We use our senses to gather and respond to information
about our environment, which aids our survival.
 Each sense provides different information which is
combined and interpreted by our brain.
 Which sense is dominant varies between different
animals, as well as which is the most sensitive. Our
dominant sense is sight and hearing is our most sensitive
(due to the range of ‘loudness’ over which hearing
operates).
 Advancements in science have enhanced the quality of
life for many people with sensory disabilities by providing
such things as alternative methods of communication,
increased mobility, additional educational tools, and
technology designed for sensory enhancement, such as
cochlear implants.
Sounds sensational (Stage 1)
This unit covers the following:
Sounds surround us, bringing a wealth of information
about our world. We make sounds as a way to
communicate with each other. Sounds such as music can
influence our mood. Loud and persistent noise can be
annoying and even harmful, for example, resulting in
noise pollution and induced deafness. Understanding
sound allows us to better manage our acoustic
environment.
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 3 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
Spot the difference (Stage 1)
This unit covers the following:
: A gas is matter
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
Changes are happening all around us. Chocolate melts in
the sun, water evaporates from puddles and cement
hardens in the open air. Predicting the changes that can
happen to everyday materials is important in
understanding the best way to manage things such as, food
handling and cooking, construction and packaging.
 In addition to solids and liquids, gases are also a
physical state in which matter can occur.
 All gases have weight.
 Unlike solids and liquids, gases will occupy the entire
container that encloses them.
By observing change, students glimpse the diversity of
materials in their world. Students explore change through
the context of food including spaghetti, chocolate and
popcorn. Students learn about how heating or cooling a
food can change its properties and whether that change
can be reversed or not. An investigation about which type
of chocolate melts the fastest will help students draw
conclusions about how fast or slow changes can happen
and the consequences of change.
Material world (Stage 1)
This unit covers the following:
New materials have revolutionised modern life. Plastics
have been used instead of glass in bottles and windows,
and even instead of metals in aeroplanes. Lighter,
stronger, warmer fabrics have made extreme weather
conditions more comfortable. Designers incorporate new
materials in clothes and bags to better suit our needs.
Materials scientists are now researching materials that
have desirable properties but which have less impact on
the environment.
This unit provides opportunities for students to develop an
understanding of the properties of materials and how they
relate to use. Through investigations, students explore
how to test the properties of materials fairly and how to
use this knowledge to choose materials wisely.
Problems with classifying solids, liquids and gases
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts:
 The purpose of classification is to identify objects with
common or similar properties.
 Solids, liquids and gases provide a simple means of
classifying the state of matter but they are not the only
groupings used by scientists.
 Some substances are very difficult to ‘classify’.
 Classifying states of matter has limitations but can still
be useful.
 A change in temperature can cause a substance to
change state.
Properties of processed and natural materials
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Different materials have different properties, such as
colour, strength, texture, smell, hardness, flexibility and
also cost which determine their applications and likely
use.
 Natural materials are often selected for applications
which exploit their properties and are also used because of
their availability or cost of production.
 Natural materials can be combined, mixed, heated or
treated in a combination of ways to produce processed
materials with changed or enhanced properties.
Spinning in space (Stage 2)
This unit covers the following:
Day and night
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
What causes day and night? The rising of the Sun and the
Moon are daily reminders of the awe and wonder, beauty
and power of the universe. Studying the relationships
between the Sun, Earth and Moon helps us understand
how we experience day and night on Earth. It also helps us
understand directions in terms of North, South, East and
West, how time is based on the apparent movement of the
Sun across the sky and how time can be determined using
a sundial.
Waterworks (Stage 1)
This unit covers the following:
 The Earth is a sphere and the sun is a star and produces
light.
 The Earth and sun are part of the solar system, with the
sun at its centre.
 An Earth day is 24 hours because the Earth spins on its
axis once every 24 hours.
 At any one time half of the Earth’s sphere is in sunlight
(day) while the other half is in darkness (night).
Introducing scientific language
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 4 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
Water is essential to life. As humans, we not only drink
water, we use it for cooking, hygiene, recreation and
agriculture. Australia is a dry continent with an expanding
population, and how we use water has become
increasingly important. Water is a precious resource.
This unit provides opportunities for students to develop an
understanding of, and appreciation for, a precious natural
resource. Through investigations, students explore how
water is used, where water comes from and how to use it
responsibly.
 The difficulties encountered when introducing new
scientific language are recurrent across all contexts.
 Introduction and use of appropriate scientific language
is important for labelling student experiences.
 The everyday meanings of scientific terms are not
wrong but they can cause considerable confusion for
students.
 Question the use of scientific terms and when they are
conceptually appropriate for students.
Doing Science authentically
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Science is an attempt to explain our natural
environment and make predictions about it.
 Observing the natural environment and recording data
carefully and systematically is an important process of
science.
 Scientists use observations to draw inferences.
 Scientists make systematic observations in order to
identify patterns, draw inferences and create explanations.
2. Stage 3 / VELS Level 4
Primary Connections
Science Continuum
It’s electrifying
This unit covers the following:
Electrostatics
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
Electrical energy is part of our
everyday lives at home, at work
and at school. We use it for
refrigeration, machines and
lighting. Portable devices such as
mobile phones, watches and many
toys rely on batteries for electrical
energy. Electric circuits are needed
to allow energy to be transferred
from a battery to light bulbs,
motors and buzzers, where it is
changed into light, movement or
sound.
Students develop their
understanding through hands-on
activities that explore the role of
electrons in transferring energy in
electric circuits. Through
investigating batteries, light bulbs,
switches, conductors and insulators,
they explain how battery-operated
devices such as a torch work.
 Electrostatic forces are non-contact forces; they pull or push on objects
without touching them.
 Rubbing some materials together can result in something called ‘charge’ being
moved from one surface to the other.
 Charged objects pull on other uncharged objects and may either push or pull
on other charged objects.
 There are two sorts of charge; scientists do not know exactly what charge is or
how the two sorts of charge differ; they call the two sorts ‘positive’ and
‘negative’.
 Lightning is the result of rapid charge movements in storm clouds.
Forces without contact
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Some objects experience forces from things that are not touching them.
 Magnets can be used to make other magnets and things made of iron move
without being touched.
 Something that has been electrically charged can make other things move
without touching them.
 Things near the Earth fall toward the Earth unless something holds them up.
The Earth pulls any object towards the centre of the Earth without touching it
Forces on stationary objects
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Stationary objects have forces on them.
 All objects undergo some squashing or stretching when a force is applied to
them.
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 5 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
 When an object pushes on another object the first object squashes the second
object which pushes back.
Friction is a force
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts




A useful model for explaining friction is the idea that all surfaces have tiny bumps.
When two surfaces slide over one another the tiny bumps push on each other.
Friction causes a force on a surface which is in the opposite direction to its motion.
Friction can be reduced by the application of lubricants.
Floating and sinking
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 To float, the weight force on an object must be balanced by the upward push
by the water on the object.
 The amount of material and the type of material that makes up the object
affects the size of the weight force on the object.
 The volume of the object, which can often be altered by changing the shape,
will affect the size of the upward push on the object.
Marvellous micro-organisms
This unit covers the following:
Micro-organisms affect everyone.
Some are helpful, while others are
harmful. Pathogenic microorganisms can cause diseases like
sore throats, influenza, tuberculosis
and AIDS. Decomposer microorganisms decay rotting plant and
animal matter, returning important
nutrients back into the soil. Food
spoilage micro-organisms such as
mould ruin stored food. Other
bacteria and yeasts are vital to the
production of food and drinks like
yoghurt and bread, and beer and
wine.
The Marvellous micro-organisms
unit is an ideal way to link science
with literacy in the classroom. It
provides opportunities for students
to develop an understanding of the
role of micro-organisms in food
and medicine. Students investigate
the conditions micro-organisms
need to grow, learn about yeast and
the bread-making process, and
research the development of
penicillin.
The environment
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 All organisms exist within ecosystems.
 Living things have various structures that enable them to survive: for example,
transport structures in plants allow water and trace elements to move. Similarly
there are digestive structures and respiratory structures in animals and
reproductive structures in plants and animals that assist in organisms functioning
within ecosystems.
 Each organism has particular forms of these structures that assist their
survival.
 In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with one
another for limited resources, including food, space, water, air and shelter.
Relationships are complex
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 All organisms, both land based and aquatic, are interconnected by their need
for food.
 The network of interactions is referred to and represented as a food web.
 Food webs can be used to illustrate the interdependence of organisms in a
particular environment.
 A food web typically describes the feeding relationships, beginning with
species capable of producing ‘food’ from an energy source and organic materials
(i.e. plants) connected to the animals that eat them and then the animals that eat
those animals and so on. Relationships other than the ‘predator–prey’ feeding
relationship do exist.
 Models and simulations provide useful visual representations which can be
used to build understanding of the various interactions that take place between
living things in their environment. For example, simulations can show the effects
of altering conditions like weather.
Internal body organs
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Humans may look different but inside they share identical component parts.
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 6 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
 The human body contains major internal organs or body parts which can be
easily identified. These organs differ in size, shape, location and function.
 Each organ has a specific role which contributes to the overall wellbeing of the
human body.
 A group of organs whose jobs are closely related are often referred to as a
system.
Digestion
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 The human body is very complex and relies on a variety of body systems for
obtaining and deriving energy from food, defence against biological attack and
mechanical injury, reproduction and the coordination of body functions.
 These body systems must work together; if one system fails other systems are
affected. For example, a failure in the digestion system such as inability to
absorb water results in difficulties for the circulatory system in the consistency of
the blood.
 Each body system has a particular function.
 Each body system consists of many parts comprising organs, tissues and cells
which all work together and influence one another. For example, the mouth, gut
(which includes stomach and intestines) and anus are all organs which work
together in different ways to absorb nutrients and expel wastes from the tissues
and cells of the body.
 All parts of a particular system must work together to carry out their vital
function.
 Models and simulations provide useful visual representations, which can be
used to assist understanding of the various changes and processes that take place
in the digestive system.
Change detectives
This unit covers the following:
Chemical reactions
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
What makes things change and
what affects how fast they change?
Why do some things burn more
fiercely, rust more quickly or smell
more strongly? The whole world is
made up of particles that are
constantly moving and reacting
with one another in fascinating
ways. Science seeks to understand
why and how substances change,
and this has led to advances in
everything from food preservation
to fire control.
 Chemical reactions involve the production of new materials which are quite
different from the reacting substances. Any new materials come from the
reacting substances.
 Changes that may accompany a chemical reaction include colour, appearance
and production of new materials, for example, a gas.
 Mixing alone may not cause a chemical reaction to take place.
 While heat is often necessary to initiate a chemical reaction it is not always
necessary.
 Chemical reactions are used to produce most of our energy.
 Chemical reactions are used extensively to test, identify and analyse a wide
range of materials (for example, pool testing kits and forensic tests from
television shows such as ‘CSI’).
 The oxygen in air is a very reactive chemical and is important in many
chemical reactions such as combustion, rusting and the reactions by which we
get energy from the food we eat.
Package it better
This unit covers the following:
Packaging has become a huge
industry in the modern world.
Everything from food to furniture
can come in a package which might
be made from materials such as
metal foil or plastic film – materials
that didn’t exist even a few decades
ago. Packages need to protect and
Melting and Dissolving
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Melting and dissolving are not the same.
 In melting only one substance is involved and the liquid and solid are the same
material. Heat is needed for melting to occur.
 Dissolving involves two materials; the resulting solution is a mixture of both.
 The dissolved substance is still present in the solution even though it can't be
seen.
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 7 of 8
Primary Science Matters
Day 1 - Session 4
HO(A4)_session_4F_reference
preserve contents while being
economical, attractive for
marketing purposes and preferably
having minimal environmental
impact. Little wonder that they are
often the product of imaginative
design and rigorous testing.
It provides opportunities for
students to develop an
understanding of the design of
packages and the choice of
appropriate materials to use. They
design and test a package that will
safely deliver a fragile gift.
Through investigations students
observe and gather information
about what makes a successful
package.
Earthquake explorers
This unit covers the following:
Major earthquakes cause dramatic
changes to the Earth's surface.
Strong earthquakes can affect
millions of lives by causing
buildings to collapse, destroying
roadways and bridges and affecting
basic necessities such as electricity
and water supply. Fortunately, the
majority of earthquakes are barely
noticed. It is still not possible to
accurately predict where and when
an earthquake will happen.
However, greater understanding of
their causes helps scientists
estimate the locations and
likelihood of future damaging
earthquakes.
This unit provides opportunities for
students to develop an
understanding of the causes of
earthquakes and how they change
the Earth's surface. Through
investigations, students explore
earthquake magnitude data from
Australia and neighbouring
countries, drawing conclusions
about patterns in the data.
Structure of the Earth
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 Plate tectonics is a very good example of a ‘big’ scientific idea that is useful
because it explains so many Earth related phenomena.
 The Earth's surface consists of a number of huge plates up to 100km thick
which move at speeds between 2 and 15 cm a year.
 Volcanoes and earthquakes are largely the consequence of plate movement
and often occur at the edges of these plates.
 Earth scientists have proposed that the Earth is constructed of layers. This
model is derived from evidence from earthquake waves, volcanoes, rock types
and the Earth's magnetic field.
Phases of the moon
This unit focuses on the following scientific concepts
 The Earth and the moon are spheres and the sun is a star and produces light.
 The Earth, moon and sun are part of the solar system, with the sun at its centre.
 The sun is so close compared with other stars that it is the major source of
almost all of the light we observe in the day as well as the light reflected by the
moon.
 The moon does not produce its own light. It is visible because it reflects light
from the sun which always illuminates half of the moon’s sphere. This can be
observed sometimes in the daytime and sometimes at night.
 The moon appears to change shape over each month because we see different
amounts of the illuminated surface of the moon at different times each month due
to the relationship between the positions of the Earth, sun and moon at any
particular time.
Faculty of Education, Monash University, and the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
Page 8 of 8