SCIENCE Units FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions – Science and Technology K–6 Syllabus
What is the aim of the Science and Technology K–6 Syllabus?
The syllabus aims to build on students' natural curiosity and inventiveness, providing opportunities to explore the natural and designed world, test ideas, and make decisions based on data and evidence.
What skills will students develop through Science and Technology?
Students develop scientific and technological knowledge, skills and practices; an understanding of natural phenomena; the ability to create solutions that benefit society; and the skills to participate as scientifically and technologically literate citizens.
How does the syllabus incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge?
The syllabus recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used scientific and technological methods to understand their world for tens of thousands of years. Students explore how traditional and contemporary knowledge connects to everyday life, developing cultural competence.
What do students learn about living things?
Students learn that living things have characteristics that help them survive in their environment. They explore plants and animals — including their body parts, food sources, and coverings — and group animals based on their characteristics.
What do students learn about materials?
Students observe and manipulate materials to describe their properties, explore how materials are used in everyday objects, and investigate how Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples use natural materials based on their properties.
What do students learn about movement?
Students observe and categorise how living things move, identify body parts used for movement, and experiment with how an object's shape and material affect its movement.
How does the syllabus develop literacy skills?
Students develop writing skills through Science and Technology by selecting adjectives to describe materials, labelling pictures of living things, and writing simple sentences to describe how living things meet their needs.
What do students learn about how living things change?
Students learn that living things change over time. They collect data about local habitats, describe how plants grow, explore animal life cycles, and learn how Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples use knowledge of life cycles.
How does the syllabus develop critical thinking?
Students are encouraged to observe, develop testable questions, and test and evaluate ideas. They learn to collect and represent data through descriptions, diagrams, graphs, images and tables.
How does the syllabus prepare students for a digital world?
Students develop technological literacy through the use of digital technologies and the design and production of creative solutions, preparing them to understand and evaluate information from a wide range of sources.
What do students learn about how living things depend on energy and materials?
Students explore Earth's systems — atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere — and how they support living things. They investigate habitats, ecosystems and environments, explore food chains, and learn how Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples' practices support habitats to survive.
What do students learn about matter and energy?
Students learn that matter exists as solids, liquids and gases, and observe how adding or removing heat energy causes matter to change state. They use Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary to describe these changes scientifically.
What do students learn about the human body?
Students explore how the muscular and skeletal systems work together to enable movement. They compare how invertebrates and vertebrates move, identify bones that provide protection and support, and model how bones, muscles and joints work together.
What do students learn about heat energy?
Students learn that heat energy transfers from warmer to cooler objects through conduction, convection and radiation. They conduct fair tests to compare how different materials absorb or reflect heat energy and connect this to everyday life.
What do students learn about forces and Earth's surface?
Students investigate how wind, water and living things weather rocks, research earthquakes and volcanoes, model Earth's internal structure, and explore how moving water causes erosion. They also engage with Aboriginal Dreaming Stories and Torres Strait Islander Legends about landscape formation.
What do students learn about the solar system?
Students model Earth's revolution around the Sun, research how solar energy is used, explore gravity as a force, and describe features of our solar system. They also engage with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Knowledges of the night sky.
How does the syllabus develop advanced writing skills?
Students use Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, compound and complex sentences, and causal connectives to explain scientific processes. They also use notes, diagrams, flow charts and annotations to support their understanding.
What do students learn about how living things may change over millions of years?
Students explore behavioural and structural adaptations of plants and animals, examine how flowers, fruit and seeds are adapted for reproduction, and investigate how the loss or introduction of species affects Australian ecosystems. They also learn how Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples' sustainable practices continue to protect the environment.
What do students learn about matter and sustainability?
Students learn that Earth has a fixed amount of usable matter and explore how recyclable, reusable, renewable, biodegradable and compostable materials enhance sustainability. They conduct fair tests on dissolving substances and create plans to implement sustainable practices in their community.
What do students learn about body systems?
Students identify the main organs and functions of the human digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, investigate how these systems work together, and conduct fair tests to describe how the body responds to physical activity.
What do students learn about electrical energy?
Students learn that electrical circuits transfer energy from a source to a device, plan and construct simple circuits, and investigate electrical conductors and insulators. They also research the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy sources on the environment.
What do students learn about Earth's climate?
Students distinguish between weather and climate, identify technologies used to collect weather data, and research the effects of natural events and human activities on the atmosphere and climate.
What do students learn about the Universe?
Students explore astronomical features beyond our solar system — including stars, galaxies, nebulae, exoplanets and black holes — research how living things can survive in space, and examine how Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples use knowledge of the Sun, Moon and stars for navigation and wayfinding.