Science education at Noranda Primary School fosters scientific inquiry and understanding across Pre-Primary to Year 6. Students in Pre-Primary and Year 1 receive one 50-minute science lesson per week. Students from Year 2-6 receive 100 minutes of science lessons per week.
Science lessons are designed to be hands-on and engaging, giving students the chance to explore and discover through real-world experiences. Students use tools like microscopes to observe details of living things and materials, helping them connect theory with what they can see and touch. ClassVR headsets bring science to life by allowing students to explore environments like the solar system, various biomes, or to explore natural disasters. STEM projects are a regular part of learning, encouraging students to work together to solve problems, build models, and test their ideas. These activities not only build scientific knowledge but also develop creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking skills.
Lessons are developed using the Western Australian Curriculum. Each term focuses on a specific Science Understanding strand such as Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Earth and Space Sciences. Inquiry skills including questioning, investigating and communication are developed throughout the year.
Pre-primary
Students begin to explore the natural world by learning that plants and animals need food, water, and shelter to survive. They investigate different materials and notice how they look and feel. Observing changes in weather and seasons helps them understand how the environment affects people and nature. Through hands-on activities, they start asking simple questions, making predictions, and sharing what they notice using their senses.
Year 1
Students continue to build their understanding of living things by looking at the features of plants and animals and how these features help them survive. They explore how materials can change shape and learn about where water comes from and how it is used. Push and pull forces are introduced to explain how objects move. During science activities, students take part in guided investigations, make observations, and begin describing what they discover using everyday language.
Year 2
Learning focuses on how living things grow and change through life cycles. Students explore how materials can be mixed for different purposes and begin to understand that Earth is a planet that moves around the Sun. Sound is introduced as a type of energy that can be heard and produced in different ways. Students continue to ask questions, organise simple data, and use basic scientific literacy to explain what they observe.
Year 3
Students learn to group things as living, non-living, or once-living based on their features. They explore solids and liquids, observing how heat can change their state. The importance of soil, rocks, and minerals is introduced, along with how they are used in everyday life. Energy is explored through simple experiments that show how it moves and changes. Students begin planning fair tests, recording data in tables and graphs, and looking for patterns in their results.
Year 4
Ecosystems become a key focus as students learn about food chains and the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers. They investigate how materials like plastic and glass are made from natural resources and how natural processes such as erosion shape the land. Different types of forces, including magnetism and gravity, are explored through experiments. Students practise conducting safe investigations, using measuring tools, and thinking about how to improve their methods.
Year 5
Students explore how animals and plants are suited to their environments through structural and behavioural adaptations. They learn about solids, liquids, and gases using the idea of tiny particles. Earth’s movement is linked to changes like day and night, and light is studied as a form of energy that travels and interacts with objects. Science is used to explore and suggest solutions to real-world problems. Students carry out more detailed investigations and explain their findings clearly.
Year 6
Learning focuses on how changes in the environment and human actions affect living things. Students explore how materials can change in ways that are either reversible or permanent. They also investigate natural disasters like earthquakes, bush fires and floods, and how electricity flows through circuits. Investigations become more complex, with students collecting and analysing data, identifying patterns, and presenting their findings in clear and structured ways.
