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• Science: Levels 3 and 4 achievement standards

  By the end of Level 4, students describe situations where science understanding can influence their own and others’ actions. They explain the effects of Earth’s rotation on its axis. They distinguish between temperature and heat and use examples to illustrate how heat is produced and transferred...

  Level description | Science | Levels 3 and 4

• Science: Levels 3 and 4 description

  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...

  Level description | Science

• VCSIS065

  With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict what might happen based on prior knowledge

  Elaborations

  • listing shared experiences as a whole class and identifying possible investigations
  • reflecting on familiar situations to make predictions with teacher guidance

  VCSIS065 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Questioning and predicting

• VCSIS067

  Safely use appropriate materials, tools, equipment and technologies

  Elaborations

  • discussing and recording safety rules for use of equipment as a whole class
  • using a variety of tools to make observations, for example, digital cameras, thermometers, rulers and scales

  VCSIS067 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Planning and conducting

• VCSIS070

  Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings

  Elaborations

  • identifying and discussing numerical and visual patterns in data collected from students’ investigations and from other sources
  • discussing how well predictions matched results from an investigation
  • comparing, in small groups, results of investigations and accounting for differences, including explanation of their reasoning

  VCSIS070 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Analysing and evaluating

• VCSIS071

  Reflect on an investigation, including whether a test was fair or not

  Elaborations

  • discussing as a whole class the idea of fairness in testing
  • discussing which aspects of the investigation helped improve fairness, and any aspects that weren't fair
  • reflecting on investigations, identifying what went well, what was difficult or didn't work so well, and how well the investigation helped answer the question

  VCSIS071 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Analysing and evaluating

• VCSIS069

  Use a range of methods including tables and column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and trends

  Elaborations

  • using provided tables to organise materials and objects based on observable properties
  • discussing with teacher guidance which graphic organisers will be most useful in sorting or organising data arising from investigations
  • discussing how to graph data presented in a table
  • identifying and discussing numerical and visual patterns in data collected from students' investigations and from other sources

  VCSIS069 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Recording and processing

• VCSIS068

  Use formal measurements in the collection and recording of observations

  Elaborations

  • making and recording measurements using familiar formal units and appropriate abbreviations, such as seconds (s), grams (g), centimetres (cm) and millilitres (mL)

  VCSIS068 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Recording and processing

• VCSIS066

  Suggest ways to plan and conduct investigations to find answers to questions including consideration of the elements of fair tests

  Elaborations

  • working in groups, with teacher guidance, to plan ways to investigate questions and evaluating which ways might be most successful
  • exploring, with teacher guidance, different ways to conduct investigations and connecting these to the types of questions asked

  VCSIS066 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Planning and conducting

• VCSIS072

  Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings to show patterns and relationships using formal and informal scientific language

  Elaborations

  • using simple explanations and arguments, reports or graphical representations to communicate ideas to other students
  • communicating with other students carrying out similar investigations to share experiences and improve investigation skills

  VCSIS072 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Inquiry Skills | Communicating

• VCSSU063

  Heat can be produced in many ways and can move from one object to another; a change in the temperature of an object is related to the gain or loss of heat by the object

  Elaborations

  • describing how heat can be produced, for example, through friction or by burning
  • exploring how heat can be transferred through conduction
  • recognising that we can feel heat and measure its effects using a thermometer

  VCSSU063 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU061

  Earth’s rotation on its axis causes regular changes, including night and day

  Elaborations

  • modelling the relative sizes and movement of the Sun, Earth and Moon
  • describing timescales for the rotation of the Earth
  • constructing sundials and investigating how they work

  VCSSU061 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU059

  A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat

  Elaborations

  • investigating how liquids and solids respond to changes in temperature, for example water changing to ice, or melting chocolate
  • exploring how changes from solid to liquid and liquid to solid can help us recycle materials

  VCSSU059 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences

• VCSSU057

  Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from non-living things

  Elaborations

  • exploring differences between living, once living and products of living things
  • identifying variations in the features of plants, for example, colour and shape of leaves, or types of flowers
  • identifying variations in the features of animals, for example, body covering, ear shapes or number of legs

  VCSSU057 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU064

  Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance

  Elaborations

  • exploring how non-contact forces are similar to contact forces in terms of objects pushing and pulling another object
  • investigating the effect of forces on the behaviour of an object through different actions, for example, throwing, dropping, bouncing and rolling
  • comparing and contrasting the effect of friction on different surfaces, for example, the abrasion of tyres and shoes on a range of surfaces
  • exploring the forces of attraction and repulsion between magnets

  VCSSU064 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Physical sciences

• VCSSU062

  Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity

  Elaborations

  • considering how different human activities cause erosion of Earth's surface
  • considering the effect of events such as floods and extreme weather on landscapes
  • exploring a local area that has changed as a result of natural processes, for example, an eroded gully, sand dunes or river banks

  VCSSU062 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Earth and space sciences

• VCSSU056

  Science knowledge helps people to understand the effects of their actions

  Elaborations

  • considering how the use of materials including solids and liquids can affect the environment in different ways, for example, fertilisers and food and drink containers
  • exploring how science has contributed to understanding and resolving issues related to the effects of human activities, for example, clearing of bushland to build housing and roads and management of waste
  • investigating how people can use science to select appropriate materials for their work, for example, builders, clothing designers, engineers, gardeners and chefs

  VCSSU056 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Science as a human endeavour

• VCSSU058

  Different living things have different life cycles and depend on each other and the environment to survive

  Elaborations

  • making and recording observations of living things as they develop through their life cycles, for example, insects, birds, frogs and flowering plants
  • recognising that environmental factors can affect life cycles, for example, fire and seed germination
  • investigating the roles of living things in a habitat, for example, producers, consumers or decomposers
  • predicting the effects when living things in feeding relationships are removed or die out in an area

  VCSSU058 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Biological sciences

• VCSSU060

  Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties; these properties can influence their use

  Elaborations

  • describing a range of common materials, such as metals or plastics, and their uses
  • investigating a particular property across a range of materials
  • selecting materials for a specified use based on their properties

  VCSSU060 | Science | Levels 3 and 4 | Science Understanding | Chemical sciences