Year 3 SyllabusTest
Year 3 Syllabus
Year Level Description
The science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour strands are described across a two-year band. In their planning, schools and teachers refer to the expectations outlined in the achievement standard and also to the content of the science understanding strand for the relevant year level to ensure that these two strands are addressed over the two-year period. The three strands of the curriculum are interrelated and their content is taught in an integrated way. The order and detail in which the content descriptions are organised into teaching and learning programs are decisions to be made by the teacher.
Incorporating the key ideas of science
Over Years 3 to 6, students develop their understanding of a range of systems operating at different time and geographic scales.
In Year 3, students observe heat and its effects on solids and liquids and begin to develop an understanding of energy flows through simple systems. In observing day and night, they develop an appreciation of regular and predictable cycles. Students order their observations by grouping and classifying; in classifying things as living or non-living they begin to recognise that classifications are not always easy to define or apply. They begin to quantify their observations to enable comparison, and learn more sophisticated ways of identifying and representing relationships, including the use of tables and graphs to identify trends. They use their understanding of relationships between components of simple systems to make predictions.
Science Understanding
Biological sciences
Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)
Chemical sciences
A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat (ACSSU046)
Earth and space sciences
Earth’s rotation on its axis causes regular changes, including night and day (ACSSU048)
Physical sciences
Heat can be produced in many ways and can move from one object to another (ACSSU049)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Nature and development of science
Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE050)
Use and influence of science
Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE051)
Science Inquiry Skills
Questioning and predicting
With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on prior knowledge (ACSIS053)
Planning and conducting
With guidance, plan and conduct scientific investigations to find answers to questions, considering the safe use of appropriate materials and equipment (ACSIS054)
Consider the elements of fair tests and use formal measurements and digital technologies as appropriate, to make and record observations accurately (ACSIS055)
Processing and analysing data and information
Use a range of methods including tables and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and trends (ACSIS057)
Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings (ACSIS215)
Evaluating
Reflect on investigations, including whether a test was fair or not (ACSIS058)
Communicating
Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using formal and informal representations (ACSIS060)
Year 3 Achievement Standard
Science Understanding
At Standard, students use their understanding of the rotation of Earth, the behaviour of heat and its effect on materials to suggest explanations for everyday observations. They group living things based on observable features and distinguish them from non-living things.
Science as a Human Endeavour
Students describe how they can use science investigations to respond to questions.
Science Inquiry Skills
Students use their experiences to identify questions and make predictions about scientific investigations. They follow procedures to collect and record observations and suggest possible reasons for their findings, based on patterns in their data. Students describe how safety and fairness were considered and they use diagrams and other representations to communicate their ideas.
Year Level Description
The science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour strands are described across a two-year band. In their planning, schools and teachers refer to the expectations outlined in the achievement standard and also to the content of the science understanding strand for the relevant year level to ensure that these two strands are addressed over the two-year period. The three strands of the curriculum are interrelated and their content is taught in an integrated way. The order and detail in which the content descriptions are organised into teaching and learning programs are decisions to be made by the teacher.
Incorporating the key ideas of science
Over Years 3 to 6, students develop their understanding of a range of systems operating at different time and geographic scales.
In Year 3, students observe heat and its effects on solids and liquids and begin to develop an understanding of energy flows through simple systems. In observing day and night, they develop an appreciation of regular and predictable cycles. Students order their observations by grouping and classifying; in classifying things as living or non-living they begin to recognise that classifications are not always easy to define or apply. They begin to quantify their observations to enable comparison, and learn more sophisticated ways of identifying and representing relationships, including the use of tables and graphs to identify trends. They use their understanding of relationships between components of simple systems to make predictions.