AC9S4H01 Year 4 Science

AC9S4H01 – Year 4 Science: Nature and development of science

Strand

Science as a human endeavour

Substrand

Nature and development of science

This Content Descriptor from Year 4 Science provides the specific knowledge and skills students should learn. Use it to plan lessons, create learning sequences, and design assessments that align with the Australian Curriculum v9.

Content Descriptor

examine how people use data to develop scientific explanations

Elaborations

• examining age-appropriate scientific journal articles, identifying common text features and exploring why the scientific community might have conventions for sharing information about data and explanations
• viewing or listening to documentaries or news reports that feature researchers and identifying how they talk about their area of research, particularly references to observations, data and evidence
• investigating how ecologists use food chain data to develop explanations for population decline of native species such as the Richmond birdwing butterfly, and to develop strategies to increase their population
• explore how hydrologists use rainfall and water use data to explain the amount of water flowing in rivers and why this changes over time
• investigating how First Nations Australians test predictions and gather data in the development of technologies and processes

Achievement Standard This Supports

This Content Descriptor contributes to the following Achievement Standard:

Year 4 ASSCIY4

Year 4 Science Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 4 students identify the roles of organisms in a habitat and construct food chains. They identify key processes in the water cycle and describe how water cycles through the environment. They identify forces acting on objects and describe their effect. They relate the uses of materials to their properties. They explain the role of data in science inquiry. They identify solutions based on scientific explanations and describe the needs these meet. Students pose questions to identify patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations. They plan investigations using planning scaffolds, identify key elements of fair tests and describe how they conduct investigations safely. They use simple procedures to make accurate formal measurements. They construct representations to organise data and information and identify patterns and relationships. They compare their findings with those of others, assess the fairness of their investigation, identify further questions for investigation and draw conclusions. They communicate ideas and findings for an identified audience and purpose, including using scientific vocabulary when appropriate.