Australian Curriculum: Science (Year 4)

Sub-strands Content Descriptions Achievement Standard

Biological  Living things have life cycles (ACSSU072) By the end of Year 4, students
sciences  Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to apply the observable properties
survive (ACSSU073) of materials to explain how
objects and materials can be
Chemical  Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties; These properties can used. They use contact and non-
sciences influence their use (ACSSU074) contact forces to describe
interactions between objects.
Earth and space  Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity They discuss how natural and
sciences (ACSSU075) human processes cause changes
to the Earth’s surface. They
Physical sciences  Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance describe relationships that assist
(ACSSU076) the survival of living things and
sequence key stages in the life
Nature and  Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE061) cycle of a plant or animal. They
development of identify when science is used to
science ask questions and make
predictions. They describe
situations where science
Use and  Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE062) understanding can influence their
influence of own and others’ actions.
science
Students follow instructions to
identify investigable questions
about familiar contexts and
Questioning and  With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict likely outcomes from
predicting predict what might happen based on prior knowledge (ACSIS064) investigations. They discuss ways
to conduct investigations and
safely use equipment to make
and record observations. They
use provided tables and simple
column graphs to organise their
Australian Curriculum: Science (Year 4)
Sub-strands Content Descriptions Achievement Standard
data and identify patterns in data.
Students suggest explanations for
observations and compare their
findings with their predictions.
They suggest reasons why their
methods were fair or not. They
complete simple reports to
communicate their methods and
findings.
 SCIENCE FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT
5E’s- ENGAGE (1-2 lessons)
TERM / WEEKS: Term  To capture student interest and find out what they know about XXXXX TOPIC

2 Week 1 To elicit students’ questions/ prior knowledge about XXXXX
Diagnostic assessment used- in this lesson you will find out what the students already know about Year 4 Earth and Space Sciences
XXXXX. This will allow you to take account of students’ existing ideas when planning learning
experiences

GENERAL CAPABILITIES
Literacy Numeracy ICT Capability Critical and Creative Ethical Understanding Personal and Social Ethical Understanding
Thinking Capability
CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

SCSA LINKS EYLF

INTEGRATI TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES RESOURCES/KEY
ON (Year 1 & QUESTIONS
2 only)
Science Understanding Science as a Science Inquiry OUTCOMES
Human Skills
Endeavour
ACSSU075  In small groups at student’s desk give each group  TWLH Chart
Photos of Uluru, Twelve Apostles, waterfall, and variety of rocks (resource. 1)
 Each group is given A3 paper and coloured pencils. In small groups  Access to images of
students can write down anything they feel relates to the objects in front Uluru, Twelve Apostle
LESSON OBJECTIVES of them Limestone, waterfall
This can be what they see, feel, topics they think are linked to the  A3 paper and coloured
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: objects etc. pencils
 Bring student’s together for whole class discussion. Groups given the  Variety of small rocks
 Explain existing knowledge about soil, rocks, and landforms in opportunity to explain where their group discussion went and what to show different
form of a TWLH chart conclusions they reached stages of erosion i.e.
 Compare different types of rock forms and make observations  Explain the broad idea of how our earth’s surface is made up of rocks pebble, limestone,
about look, touch, hardness etc. and soil smooth rock etc.
 Students complete first two columns of TWLH chart and place chart  Science journals
ASSESSMENT (DIAGNOSTIC) into their science journals  Cut out paper for word
 Bring class back together for discussion about their TWLH charts and wall
TWLH chart what some of the topics they ‘want to know’
 Student will finish the lesson by creating a class word wall for our topic
Word wall of student’s prior knowledge about soil, rocks, landforms of the earth’s surface using terminology they learnt in the lesson

LEARNER DIVERSITY
Enabling:
By giving students the pictures and A3 paper they are not limited into how they
express ideas. Student’s can express thoughts through pictures if they are lacking
 confidence in their literacy abilities
Extending:
For student’s who need extending prompt questions that lead to high order
thinking can be implemented such as ‘what topics do you think are related to
these images and objects?’ engaging in more critical thinking scenarios

SCIENCE FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT

5E’s- EXPLORE (2-3 lessons)
TERM / WEEKS: Term  To provide hands on, shared experiences of XXXXX TOPIC

2 Week 2 Formative assessment
To support students to investigate and explore ideas about XXXXX
Year 4 Earth and Space Science
GENERAL CAPABILITIES
Literacy Numeracy ICT Capability Critical and Creative Ethical Understanding Personal and Social Ethical Understanding
Thinking Capability
CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s Sustainability
engagement with Asia
SCSA LINKS EYLF
INTEGRATI TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES RESOURCES/KEY QUESTIONS
ACMNA080 – Mathematics ON (Year 1 &
2 only)
Science Science as a Science OUTCOMES
Understanding Human Inquiry Skills
Endeavour
ACSSU075 ACSIS071  Student’s will begin lesson on the mat  Access to YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=R-
Iak3Wvh9c&feature=emb_title
watching YouTube clip
 Move into teacher explicit teaching about  Cookie mining activity sheet (resource. 2)
erosion and the natural/human impacts on the  Chocolate chip cookies – enough for students to work in
Earth’s surface small groups of 3
LESSON OBJECTIVES
 Teacher will move out from teaching and onto  Toothpicks, plastic forks, plastic knives, paperclips
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: safety and rules for next activity  Exit slips (resource. 3)
 Understand human activity has an impact on the Safety considerations for ‘cookie mining’
Earth’s surface 1. Do not put anything in your mouths
 Explain verbally small groups the concept of erosion 2. Only mining tools can touch the cookies,
 Calculate whether time and labour costs outweighed no breaking them with your hands
the benefits of their ‘cookie mining’ without the 3. If a tool breaks you can not longer use it
assistance of digital technologies Cookie mining Activity
Student’s will be given a cookie that will act as their
ASSESSMENT (FORMATIVE) mine site. With supplied materials i.e. toothpicks,
plastic spoons, paper clips etc, these will act as their
Collection and recording of ‘cookie mining’ activity in form of ‘mining tools’
Students are required to use their mining tools and
anecdotal notes mine for gold {chocolate chip}} by chipping away at
pieces of the earth’s surface {the cookie}.
Exit Slips  Students will move from mat into randomly
assigned group back to desk
 Students will complete cookie mining activity
and complete worksheet (resource. 2) in their
groups
 After completion of activity students will
move back down to the mat, sitting in their
small groups. In group students are to discuss
the following focus questions
1. If you were to ‘mine’ again do you think it
would take longer or shorter time to finish?
2. How many pieces is your cookie in before and
after you had finished mining?
3. Do you think erosion would occur faster or
slower after mining?
4. Can you reverse the impacts you have just
created and make it go back to the original
state?
 Groups will come back together for whole
class discussion on focus questions
 Students will head back to their desks, clean
up activity and stick mining worksheet into
their science journals
 To end lesson students will complete and exit
slip (resource. 3)

LEARNER DIVERSITY
Enabling:
The cookie mining activity has been set up in an open-
ended format. Students can choose to mine their cookie
in any form they choose allowing to cater for all
learners
Extending:
For early finishers, students will be asked to brainstorm
ideas about how to put their cookie back together, so it
looks the same and before. This key question guide
students into thinking about how to reverse the effects
of erosion and how we can undo what we change to the
earth’s surface
 SCIENCE FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT
5E’s- EXPLAIN (1 lesson)
TERM / WEEKS: Term  To support students to develop explanations for experiences and make TOPIC
2 Week 3 Formative assessment
representations of developing conceptual understandings
Year 4 Earth and Space Science
GENERAL CAPABILITIES
Literacy Numeracy ICT Capability Critical and Creative Ethical Understanding Personal and Social Ethical Understanding
Thinking Capability
CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

SCSA LINKS EYLF

INTEGRATI TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES RESOURCES/KEY
ON (Year 1 & QUESTIONS
ACELT1794 2 only)
Science Understanding Science as a Science Inquiry OUTCOMES
Human Skills
Endeavour
ACSSU075 ACSHE062  Access to children's
Lesson will begin with students on the mat and teacher will read ‘River’ literature ‘River’ by
by Marc Martin Marc Martin
 Teacher move class into class discussion about types of places that were  Story board templates
LESSON OBJECTIVES seen going down the river in the book (resource. 4)
 Move class into group brainstorm about what students think these
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
places might have looked like before and after human impact
 Understand human activity affects the Earth’s surface
 Students will move back to desk and begin work on storyboard
 Design a story board showcasing the effects of human activity Students begin brainstorming individual concepts about a story related to the
on natural habitats theme of human impact on a habitat
After brainstorm students will move onto the design process of their story board
and will work on this for the rest of class (final product of story will be done
during English lessons)
ASSESSMENT (FORMATIVE)  Students will move into discussion about todays lesson and add more
Checklist correlating to understanding of human impact on the terminology to the class word wall we started for this topic
environment
LEARNER DIVERSITY

Check-in with James throughout brainstorming of story board, he excels in

visual learning but needs enabling in literacy areas
 SCIENCE FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT
5E’s- ELABORATE (1-2 lessons)
TERM / WEEKS: Term  To challenge and extend students’ understandings in a new context or make TOPIC
2 Week 4 connections to additional concepts through a student planned investigation
 To use investigative/ inquiry skills Year 4 Earth and Space Science
Summative assessment of science inquiry skills

GENERAL CAPABILITIES
Literacy Numeracy ICT Capability Critical and Creative Ethical Understanding Personal and Social Ethical Understanding
Thinking Capability
CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

SCSA LINKS EYLF

INTEGRATI TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES RESOURCES/KEY
ON (Year 1 & QUESTIONS
2 only)
Science Understanding Science as a Science Inquiry OUTCOMES
Human Skills
Endeavour
ACSSU075 ACSIS216  Deep dish trays to
ACSIS065  Begin lesson reflecting on word wall and topics class has discussed thus build sand hill
far  Sand
Re-visit topics of erosion, natural causes of erosion and impacts of human  Sticks, plastic house’s
LESSON OBJECTIVES activity of the Earth’s surface and people to create
 Move into lesson investigation: recreating a small town and showing living environment
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:  Large bottles of water
the affects a natural disaster such as floods or tornados effects the
 Make prediction of natural impact on Earth’s surface through surface  Hair dryer
‘natural disaster’ investigation For this student will be working in small groups of 4-6  bucket to catch excess
 Work in small groups to set up investigation of inquiry into Each group will receive a deep-dish tray; need to build a sandhill in the tray with water
natural disaster impact on Earth’s surface a steady slope/incline  safety glasses
 Summaries finding comparing prediction to results Students can decorate their sand hill with plastic houses, people, sticks to  Science journals
simulate human activity
ASSESSMENT (SUMMATIVE – Science Inquiry Skills)  Students as a group will choose to use either water from the large
Rubric of Science Inquiry Skills (Resource. 6) bottles or the hair dryer to simulate different kinds of natural impacts
 Set up experiment ‘town on a hill’  Before they complete the investigation, students will make predictions
 Write prediction in their science journals about how they think the water or air will affect
 Conduct experiment their sandhill or ‘earth’s surface’ in this investigation
 Record results  During the pouring of water or use of hair dryer on their landform
 Compare prediction to result making evidence-based conclusions students are to note their observations in their science journals
 Once completed students will discuss in their groups and record in their
science journals the changes they observed and discuss potential
reasoning behind occurrence
 Students are to individual compare their personal predictions to the
ending results in their journals
 Lesson will end with students packing away investigation
Safety considerations for investigation
 1. No throwing sand, all materials must be placed in the tray
2. If using water all water must be poured into tray and bucket to be used
to catch overflow of water at the other end of the tray
3. If using the hair dryer, all group members must wear safety glasses to
avoid sand in their eyes

LEARNER DIVERSITY
Group – pre organise groups to involve and mix students that are at different
ranges of learning abilities

SCIENCE FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT

5E’s- EVALUATE (1 lesson)
TERM / WEEKS: Term  To provide opportunities to review and reflect on their learning about XXXXX and TOPIC
2 Week 5 represent what they know about XXXXX
Summative assessment of science understanding e account of students’ existing ideas when planning Year 4 Earth and Space Science
learning experiences

GENERAL CAPABILITIES
Literacy Numeracy ICT Capability Critical and Creative Ethical Understanding Personal and Social Ethical Understanding
Thinking Capability
CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

SCSA LINKS EYLF

INTEGRATI TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES RESOURCES/KEY
ON (Year 1 & QUESTIONS
2 only)
Science Understanding Science as a Science Inquiry OUTCOMES
Human Skills
Endeavour
ACSSU075 ACSHE062 ASIS071  Science journals
 Begin lesson by re-visiting our TWLH chart from beginning lesson.  Ipads
Discuss as a class referring back to our word wall some of the topics we  TWLH chart
discussed and investigated together
LESSON OBJECTIVES  Students will complete the final two columns of their TWLH chart in
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: their science journals
 Define confidently the term erosion  Students will move off into preassigned groups (max 3 people)
 Explain how human activity will impact the future of our Earth’s  Lesson task is to create using any approved form of Ipad apps; create a
surface small presentation on the summary of our focus in Earth and Space
Science
Students can include any and all relevant information such as topics covered,
investigations, importance of this topic and any information they found
ASSESSMENT (SUMMATIVE – Science Understanding) interesting over the course of this unit
Students may wish to present this in a PowerPoint, poster, iMovie, video etc.
Checklist correlating to lesson objectives (Resource. 7) The aim of the presentation is for them to become the teachers of this topic and
pretend as if they were teaching a class
 Students will work on this for the whole lesson
 Students will receive 10-minute warning to wrap up presentation video
 To end the lesson groups that finished or wish to present their video
may do so to the class

LEARNER DIVERSITY

Pre organised grouping (mixture of all learning abilities) and Choice of

presentation platform: by allowing students to choose mode of media they are
presenting to the class will help students play to their strengths and encourage
participation from all group members