AC9S3I02 – Year 3 Science: Planning and conducting
Content Descriptor
This content descriptor sits within Year 3 Science. Use it to identify the learning students need, connect it with the achievement standard and plan suitable evidence of learning.
What this means for planning
AC9S3I02 develops students’ capacity to plan and conduct an investigation with provided scaffolds. The learning focus includes ordering a method, identifying elements of a fair test and considering safe use of materials and equipment, not simply completing a practical activity.
A practical planning sequence
- Begin with a clear question: Choose a question or prediction that can be explored safely with accessible materials and observable results.
- Use a planning scaffold: Prompt students to identify what will change, what will stay the same, what will be observed or measured and the order of steps.
- Revisit safety and fairness: Check the plan before the investigation and return to it afterwards so students can explain whether the process was safe and fair.
Evidence to look for
- An ordered investigation plan completed with an age appropriate scaffold.
- Identification of what changes, what stays the same and what will be observed or measured.
- Teacher observations and a student reflection showing safe participation and an emerging understanding of a fair test.
See the complete curriculum context
Open the achievement standard and all linked content descriptors together in the Year 3 Science curriculum map.
A TeaCheese planning example
Use AC9S3I02 in a TeaCheese planning brief to create a fair test organiser, safety checkpoint and reflection prompt around one observable investigation.
Planning guides: How content descriptions work in the Australian Curriculum · Turn a content description into learning intentions and success criteria
Elaborations
- • Elaboration collaboratively identifying and ordering the steps in an investigation
- • Elaboration using a provided framework or graphic organiser to plan and identify what to change, what to keep the same and what to measure to make a test fair
- • Elaboration examining an example of a soil profile after soil has settled in water and planning an investigation to compare and contrast the components and particle sizes of different soils
- • Elaboration planning an investigation to determine which material is the best to keep substances cold
- • Elaboration discussing safety rules to follow when conducting investigations, such as following teacher instructions, manipulating equipment and materials with care and wearing appropriate personal safety gear, such as gloves, safety goggles and face masks when handling soils
- • Elaboration consulting with First Nations Australians to guide the planning of scientific investigations, including safety considerations for field investigations
Plan a lesson from this content description.
Start free