Scope and sequence F–6
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FOUNDATION TO YEAR 6
Science Foundation Year 1 Year 2
Achievement standard
By the end of Foundation students group plants and animals By the end of Year 1 students describe where plants and animals live and By the end of Year 2 students identify common characteristics of living
based on external features. They identify factors that affect how they meet their needs. They recognise patterns of change in their things, including life cycles. They describe how sound energy can be
the movement of objects. They describe the observable environment and describe how these affect their everyday life. They observed and explain how to produce a variety of sounds. They
properties of materials that make up objects. They describe explain how to change the motion and shape of objects. They describe describe ways materials can be physically changed without changing
how scientists investigate the world around them. how scientists make predictions and they identify science in their daily life. their composition. They explain why creativity is important in science
and describe ways people use science in their daily lives.
Students pose questions and state predictions. They engage Students pose questions and make predictions to explore observations.
in explorations safely. With guidance, they make and They follow safe procedures to make and record observations. They sort Students pose questions and make predictions to explore observed
represent observations and identify patterns. They reflect on and order data and information using provided templates and with patterns or relationships. They suggest steps to be followed in an
their explorations by comparing their observations with their guidance, represent patterns. They compare observations with predictions investigation, and independently follow safe procedures safely to
predictions. They share observations and ideas with others. and identify further questions. They use provided scaffolds to communicate make and record observations. They sort and order data and
observations, findings and ideas. information using provided scaffolds and represent patterns in data.
They compare their observations with those of others, consider the
fairness of the investigation with guidance and identify further
questions. They communicate observations, findings and ideas
through multimodal texts.
Strand Sub- Content description
strand Students learn to:
explore external features of plants and animals and ways explore the basic needs of plants and animals, including air, water, food explore the differences between living and non-living things and the
Biological
sciences
they can be grouped based on these features (AC9SFU01) and shelter and how the place they live meets those needs (AC9S1U01) life cycles of plants and animals (AC9S2U01)
explore daily and seasonal changes in the environment and how these
Earth and
sciences
changes affect everyday life (AC9S1U02)
space
Science understanding
explore how objects move and how factors including their explore pushes and pulls in terms of strength and direction and the effect explore how vibrating objects make sounds, how sound energy
sciences
Physical
size, shape and material, affect their motion (AC9SFU02) of these forces on objects’ motion and shape (AC9S1U03) causes objects to vibrate, and how to produce a variety of sounds
(AC9S2U02)
explore how objects can be composed of different materials, explore how everyday materials can be physically changed without
and describe observable properties of those materials changing their material composition, including by bending, twisting,
(AC9SFU03) stretching and being broken into smaller pieces (AC9S2U03)
Chemical sciences
Australian Curriculum: Science – Scope and sequence F–6
Consultation curriculum
© ACARA 2021 1
explore how scientists use observation and questioning to explore how scientists use patterns to make predictions and apply their understanding creatively to develop new ideas or propose solutions
development
Nature and
learn about the natural world (AC9SFH01) (AC9S2H01)
Science as a human endeavour
of science
explore how people use science in their daily lives (AC9S2H02)
Use and influence
of science
pose questions and make predictions based on experiences pose questions and make predictions to explore observed simple patterns or relationships (AC9S2I01)
Questioning
(AC9SFI01)
predicting
and
engage in explorations safely and make observations using suggest and follow safe procedures to investigate questions and test predictions (AC9S2I02)
conductin
Planning
their senses (AC9SFI02)
and
make and record observations, including informal measurements, using digital technologies as appropriate (AC9S2I03)
represent observations in provided templates and identify sort and order data and information and represent patterns, including with provided tables and visual or physical models (AC9S2I04)
Science inquiry
and analysing
Processing,
patterns with guidance (AC9SFI03)
modelling
compare observations with predictions (AC9SFI04) compare observations with predictions and others’ observations, consider if investigations are fair and identify further questions (AC9S2I05)
Evaluating
share observations and ideas with others (AC9SFI05) communicate observations, findings and ideas through multimodal texts (AC9S2I06)
Communicating
Australian Curriculum: Science – Scope and sequence F–6
Consultation curriculum
© ACARA 2021 2
Science Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 3 students identify key By the end of Year 4 students identify the roles of By the end of Year 5 students explain how the form By the end of Year 6 students explain how the
processes in the water cycle and describe how organisms in a habitat and construct food chains. and behaviour of living things enables survival. growth and survival of living things are impacted by
water is cycled through the environment. They They identify frictional, gravitational and magnetic They model the solar system and demonstrate how changes in physical conditions. They represent
identify sources of heat energy and predict forces and represent the effect of forces on the relative positions of Earth and the sun result in changes in Earth materials as they move through
temperature changes as a result of heat transfer. interactions between objects. They describe key observed phenomena on Earth. They identify the rock cycle and relate their properties to their
They classify solids, liquids and gases based on processes that change Earth’s surface and identify sources of light and model the transfer of light to uses. They represent the transfer and
observable properties and describe how to cause a factors that impact change. They relate the uses of explain observed phenomena. They relate the transformation of electrical energy in electrical
change of state. They explain why data and materials to their physical properties. They explain particulate structure of solids, liquids and gases to circuits. They classify and compare reversible and
evidence are important in science inquiry and the role of evidence in developing explanations their observable properties. They explain the role irreversible changes to substances. They explain
describe an everyday solution that reflects science and identify different ways scientific knowledge is of collaboration in science inquiry and describe an why science is often collaborative and describe
knowledge. shared. They describe a science-based design and example of scientific knowledge that has changed how scientific knowledge has changed over time.
the needs it meets. over time. They describe how science knowledge They describe how individuals and communities
Students pose questions and make predictions to
has helped people make decisions. use scientific knowledge.
explore cause-and effect-relationships. They use Students pose questions and make predictions to
scaffolds to plan safe investigations and fair tests. explore patterns and cause-and-effect Students plan safe investigations to identify Students plan safe, repeatable investigations to
They use familiar classroom instruments to make relationships. They plan investigations using patterns or relationships. They identify risks identify patterns or test relationships. They
measurements. They organise data and planning scaffolds, identify key elements of fair associated with investigations and identify key describe risks associated with investigations and
information using provided scaffolds to show tests and describe how they conduct investigations intercultural considerations when planning describe key intercultural considerations when
relationships and patterns. They compare their safely. They use simple procedures to make fieldwork. They identify variables to be changed planning fieldwork. They identify variables to be
findings with those of others, consider the fairness accurate formal measurements. They organise and kept constant. They use equipment to collect changed and kept constant. They use equipment
of the investigation, identify further questions and data and information to show relationships and data with appropriate precision. They organise to collect and record data with appropriate
draw conclusions. They show awareness of patterns. They compare their findings with those of data and information and describe patterns, trends precision. They organise and process data and
purpose when communicating ideas and findings. others, analyse the fairness of the investigation, and relationships. They compare their methods information to examine patterns, trends and
identify further questions for investigation and draw and findings with those of others, posing questions relationships. They compare their own and others’
conclusions. They show awareness of audience for further investigation and drawing reasonable methods and findings, considering possible
and purpose when communicating ideas and conclusions. They use language features to reflect sources of error, posing questions for further
findings. their purpose and audience when communicating investigation and drawing reasonable conclusions.
their ideas and findings. They select and use language features effectively
for their purpose and audience when
communicating their ideas and findings.
Strand Sub- Content description
strand Students learn to:
investigate the roles and interactions of investigate how particular structural features and investigate the physical conditions of aquatic and
Biological
sciences
consumers, producers and decomposers within a behaviours of living things enable their survival in terrestrial ecosystems and how the growth and
habitat and how food chains represent feeding specific habitats (AC9S5U01) survival of living things is affected by changing
Science understanding
relationships (AC9S4U01) physical conditions (AC9S6U01)
investigate sources of water and key processes in investigate how physical weathering, erosion and investigate the relationship between the sun and investigate the key processes of the rock cycle, the
Earth and
sciences
the water cycle, including movement of water deposition cause slow or rapid change to Earth’s planets in the solar system and how Earth’s tilt, timescales over which they occur, and how the
space
through the sky, landscape and ocean; surface and the factors that can impact erosion in rotation on its axis and revolution around the sun characteristics of sedimentary, igneous and
precipitation; evaporation; and condensation local environments (AC9S4U02) cause cyclic observable phenomena, including metamorphic rocks reflect their formation and
(AC9S3U01) variable day and night length (AC9S5U02) influence their use (AC9S6U02)
investigate sources of heat energy and investigate how forces can be exerted by one investigate sources of light and how light travels in investigate the transfer and transformation of
Physica
science
temperature changes when heat energy is object on another and how frictional, gravitational a straight path, interacts with objects to form energy in electrical circuits, including the role of
s
transferred from one object to another and magnetic forces can affect the motion of shadows and can be reflected and refracted electric current, circuit components, insulators and
l
(AC9S3U02) objects (AC9S4U03) (AC9S5U03) conductors (AC9S6U03)
Australian Curriculum: Science – Scope and sequence F–6
Consultation curriculum
© ACARA 2021 3
investigate the observable properties of solids, investigate the properties of materials including investigate how the observable properties of solids, investigate why dissolving, mixing and changes of
Chemical
sciences
liquids and gases and how adding or removing fibres, metals, ceramics, glass and plastics and liquids and gases can be described by modelling state are classified as reversible changes and
heat energy changes the state of water how these properties influence their use the motion and arrangement of particles and how compare with irreversible changes, including
(AC9S3U03) (AC9S4U04) adding or removing heat energy affects particle burning, cooking and rusting, that produce new
movement (AC9S5U04) substances (AC9S6U04)
investigate how scientists use data and evidence to develop explanations, and how scientists share investigate why advances in science are often the result of collaboration of many different scientists and
Nature and
developme
scientific knowledge (AC9S4H01) describe how scientific knowledge has changed over time (AC9S6H01)
Science as a human
science
nt of
endeavour
investigate how scientific knowledge helps people to meet a need or solve a problem (AC9S4H02) investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems,
influence
Use and
consider responses and make decisions (AC9S6H02)
science
of
pose questions and make predictions to explore observed patterns or relationships (AC9S4I01) pose investigable questions and make predictions to identify patterns or test relationships (AC9S6I01)
Questioning
predicting
and
use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, plan and conduct repeatable investigations to answer questions, including, as appropriate, deciding the
Planning and
including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and variables to be changed and measured in fair tests, describing potential risks, planning for the safe use
conducting
equipment (AC9S4I02) of equipment and materials and identifying required permissions to conduct investigations on Country or
Place (AC9S6I02)
follow procedures to make and record observations, including making formal measurements using use equipment to observe, measure and record data with reasonable precision, using digital
familiar scaled instruments and using digital technologies as appropriate (AC9S4I03) technologies as appropriate (AC9S6I03)
Science inquiry
construct and use representations including tables, simple column graphs and visual or physical models, construct and use appropriate representations, including tables, graphs and visual or physical models, to
and analysing
Processing,
to organise data and information, show simple relationships and identify patterns (AC9S4I04) organise and process data and information and identify patterns, trends and relationships (AC9S6I04)
modelling
compare findings with those of others, identify questions for further investigation and draw conclusions compare methods and findings with those of others, including recognising possible sources of error,
Evaluating
(AC9S4I05) posing questions for further investigation and drawing reasonable conclusions (AC9S6I05)
create multimodal texts to communicate findings and ideas for identified audiences, using digital create multimodal texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific purposes and audiences,
Communicatin
technologies as appropriate (AC9S4I06) including selection of language features, using digital technologies as appropriate (AC9S6I06)
g
Australian Curriculum: Science – Scope and sequence F–6
Consultation curriculum
© ACARA 2021 4
