Foundation Science Achievement Standard
9 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Foundation students group plants and animals based on external features. They identify factors that influence the movement of objects. They describe the observable properties of the materials that make up objects. They identify examples of people using observation and questioning to learn about the natural world.
Students pose questions and make predictions based on their experiences. They engage in investigations and make observations safely. With guidance, they represent observations and identify patterns. With guidance, they compare their observations with their predictions. They share questions, predictions, observations and ideas about their experiences with others.
The 9 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Foundation students group plants and animals based on external features.
Content descriptorAC9SFU01 Science understanding
observe external features of plants and animals and describe ways they can be grouped based on these features
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration observing fruits and vegetables and identifying them as parts of plants such as roots, flowers, fruits or leaves
- Elaboration recognising humans as animals, describing external features of humans and exploring similarities and differences compared with other animals
- Elaboration using magnifying glasses or digital cameras to observe and identify external features of plants including seeds, flowers, fruits and roots, or of animals such as eyes, body covering, legs and wings
- Elaboration sorting collections of model animals and explaining different grouping strategies
- Elaboration recognising First Nations Australians’ use of observable features to group living things
- Elaboration exploring how First Nations Australians’ observations of external features of living things are replicated in traditional dance
They identify factors that influence the movement of objects.
Content descriptorAC9SFU02 Science understanding
describe how objects move and how factors including their size, shape or material influence their movement
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration observing how toys move, and grouping them based on their movement
- Elaboration observing and describing ways different and unusually shaped objects such as blocks, tubes or eggs move when rolled down a slope
- Elaboration comparing the way different-sized, similar-shaped objects such as tennis balls, golf balls, marbles or basketballs roll and bounce
- Elaboration exploring how the material a ball is made from affects the way it moves, such as plastic, foam, cloth or rubber balls on a surface
- Elaboration exploring how the size and shape of traditional instructive toys used by First Nations Australians influence their movement
They describe the observable properties of the materials that make up objects.
Content descriptorAC9SFU03 Science understanding
recognise that objects can be composed of different materials and describe the observable properties of those materials
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration observing and manipulating objects to identify the materials they are made of and recognising that some objects are made of more than one type of material
- Elaboration recognising that tools such as magnifying glasses enable more-detailed observations
- Elaboration sorting and grouping materials based on observed properties such as colour, hardness, texture and flexibility
- Elaboration creating a display of different materials, naming each material and exploring language to describe properties of materials
- Elaboration using a digital camera to collect images of objects on a materials scavenger hunt
- Elaboration suggesting why different parts of everyday objects, such as saucepans and clothing, are made from different materials
- Elaboration investigating the ways in which First Nations Australians make utensils for different purposes by combining different materials
They identify examples of people using observation and questioning to learn about the natural world.
Content descriptorAC9SFH01 Science as a human endeavour
explore the ways people make and use observations and questions to learn about the natural world
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration using their senses to make observations and exploring how scientists use their senses as well as equipment to make observations
- Elaboration viewing examples of observations such as rock paintings, bark drawings, age-appropriate written reports, labelled drawings or photographs to explore ways they can make and record observations
- Elaboration exploring how First Nations Australians gain knowledge about the land and its vital resources, such as water and food, through observation
- Elaboration interacting with stories or documentaries about scientists such as Dame Jane Goodall or Sir Joseph Banks and noticing the ways they make their observations such as through drawings, collections, sound recordings and photography and how they ask questions about what they think they will observe and find
- Elaboration watching an age-appropriate documentary; noticing how people including scientists, engineers, naturalists or citizen scientists ask questions; and posing their own questions
Students pose questions and make predictions based on their experiences.
Content descriptorAC9SFI01 Science inquiry
pose questions and make predictions based on experiences
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration posing questions based on experiences, such as: ‘What part of a plant is broccoli?’ or ‘How high do balls bounce?’
- Elaboration posing questions about everyday objects and the materials that they may be made of
- Elaboration making predictions before field work, such as which plants and animals they may observe in the school grounds
- Elaboration making predictions about how an unusually shaped object such as an egg or a hexagonal block might move down a slope
They engage in investigations and make observations safely.
Content descriptorAC9SFI02 Science inquiry
engage in investigations safely and make observations using their senses
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration discussing ways to conduct investigations safely, such as by being sun safe, not running with equipment, not tasting objects or materials, and following teacher instructions
- Elaboration explaining safety considerations for using the senses of touch, smell, sight and hearing, and discussing why we do not use taste to make observations in science
- Elaboration using provided tools such as binoculars, magnifying glasses, digital photography or video to enhance their observations of plants and animals
- Elaboration recording observations using numbers, dots, drawings, voice recordings, digital photography or video
With guidance, they represent observations and identify patterns.
Content descriptorAC9SFI03 Science inquiry
represent observations in provided templates and identify patterns with guidance
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration using provided tables or graphic organisers to sort images or models of plants and animals into groups based on external features
- Elaboration collaborating to create a floor or wall display to link images or samples of materials to images of observed objects
- Elaboration identifying common features of familiar groups of animals, such as fish, birds or reptiles
- Elaboration identifying patterns of movement of objects, with guidance, such as that balls roll easily in a straight line when pushed, or toy cars move in certain ways because of their wheels
- Elaboration identifying patterns in uses of everyday objects made of similar materials, such as wood, plastic, metal or glass
With guidance, they compare their observations with their predictions.
Content descriptorAC9SFI04 Science inquiry
compare observations with predictions with guidance
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration revisiting their predictions and with guidance identifying whether their predictions matched their observations
- Elaboration comparing, with guidance, observations of plants or animals made during field work with their predictions
- Elaboration using a provided table to draw or dictate their prediction and their observation and identifying whether they are the same or different
They share questions, predictions, observations and ideas about their experiences with others.
Content descriptorAC9SFI05 Science inquiry
share questions, predictions, observations and ideas with others
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration sharing questions, making predictions and describing observations to others through discussions and circle groups
- Elaboration recounting stories and posing questions about their own experiences learning about the natural world, such as when gardening or observing plants and animals at home or visits to conservation areas or centres
- Elaboration acknowledging and exploring First Nations Australians’ ways of communicating information about anatomical features of plants and animals
- Elaboration showing or describing how objects can be moved in different ways and responding to questions
- Elaboration role-playing or showing how people use different equipment to make scientific observations
- Elaboration representing external features of animals and plants using a range of materials such as blocks, modelling clay, craft materials or paper
- Elaboration communicating questions, predictions and observations using posters, collages, digital displays, drawings or storyboards
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Foundation Science. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science as a human endeavour | Use and influence of science | 1 | 5 |
| Science inquiry | Questioning and predicting | 1 | 4 |
| Science inquiry | Planning and conducting | 1 | 4 |
| Science inquiry | Processing, modelling and analysing | 1 | 5 |
| Science inquiry | Evaluating | 1 | 3 |
| Science inquiry | Communicating | 1 | 7 |
| Science understanding | Biological sciences | 1 | 6 |
| Science understanding | Physical sciences | 1 | 5 |
| Science understanding | Chemical sciences | 1 | 7 |
| Total | 9 | 46 | |