Inquiry Skills
• social and
ethical impact
• applications
• historical
Science as a
aspects
Human
• career paths Endeavour
• the skills of
being a
scientist
Science
Understanding
Curriculum Directorate K-12
• concepts
• principles
• Laws
• theories
• models
Curriculum for a particular year
Content descriptions
organised into strands
Achievement
standards
Content elaborations
Work samples
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Content descriptions:
• specify what teachers are expected to teach
• include the knowledge, skills and understanding for
Science at each year level
• provide a well-researched scope and sequence of
teaching
• provide sufficient flexibility for teachers to determine
how best to cater for individual student's learning needs
and interests
• identify the mandatory curriculum content
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Do the content descriptions provided in the Australian
Curriculum for Science Years 7 – 10 identify the essential
knowledge, understanding and skills we would want
students to be engage with in a 21st Century Science
curriculum?
Discuss
• What is missing - why is it essential content?
• Is anything there that isn’t essential?
• Would you remove it?
• Is it necessary for later learning?
• Is the content logically sequenced?
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Content elaborations provide examples that
illustrate each content description.
These are available for those teachers and others
who may require assistance to better understand
the content description.
They do not identify or represent mandatory
content.
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Curriculum Directorate K-12
How would you use content elaborations?
Do they clarify the content intent without adding
new content?
Are content elaborations valuable?
• For programming?
• For building a continuum of learning?
• For developing an understanding of the
Australian Curriculum: Science ?
Curriculum Directorate K-12
An achievement standard is an expectation of the quality
of learning that students should reach by a particular
point in their schooling (e.g. the depth of their
understanding, the extent of their knowledge and the
sophistication of their skills).
Achievement standards describe a student performing at
a C level
Curriculum Directorate K-12
By the end of Year 7, students are able to formulate questions
and predictions to be investigated. They can select, with
guidance, an appropriate method to investigate their questions
(eg designing a fair test, survey, information research, use of
secondary sources) and conduct investigations safely in
groups or individually.
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Achievement Standards
Discuss:
• How will you use the achievement standards?
• Are they of benefit in planning your teaching and
learning programme?
• Do these standards reflect the important aspects of a
students learning (content descriptions) in each year?
• Are they a useful guide to assist teachers in
understanding the Australian Curriculum Science?
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Achievement Standards
Will they be something that assists teacher judgement of
student performance?
Will they help to build consistency of teacher judgement?
Across NSW?
Within the Region?
Within the school?
For individuals?
Will the achievement standards aid your capacity to
communicate with parents and the community?
Curriculum Directorate K-12
The content descriptions incorporate appropriately:
The 10 general capabilities e.g. ICT, literacy, numeracy,
thinking skills, creativity
The cross-curriculum dimensions in ways appropriate to
each learning area
Curriculum Directorate K-12
•
Can the Australian Curriculum for Science 7 – 10
be taught in the time that you currently have
available in school – (500 hours Years 7 – 10)
•
Discuss
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Current NSW Syllabus
Australian Curriculum: Science
Prescribed Focus Areas:
• Described across Years 7 – 10
Science as a Human Endeavour
• Described across Years 7 – 8
and Years 9 – 10
Knowledge and Understanding
• Described across Years 7 – 8
and Years 9 – 10
Science Understanding
• Described for each Year 7 to 10
Skills
• Described across Years 7 - 10
Inquiry Skills
• Described across Years 7 – 8
and Years 9 – 10
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Curriculum Directorate K-12
Use the Curriculum Support forum
or
 Contact

Ric Morante SCA Science 7-12
Phone 9886 7692
richard.morante@det.nsw.edu.au
Glen Sawle
Manager Science
Phone 9886 7626
glen.sawle@det.nsw.edu.au
Curriculum Directorate K-12