The Science Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
The goal of the science curriculum is to increase science literacy. Science literacy encompasses eight domains: Knowledge of Science and Technology, Science Processing Skills, Development of Processing Intelligence, Scientific Applications, Designing and Producing, Understanding the Nature of Science, Understanding the Development of Science and Technology, and Development of Scientific Attitudes. The science and technology curriculum for Grades 1 to 9 consists of four stages: Stage 1 (Grades 1 to 2), Stage 2 (Grades 3 to 4), Stage 3 (Grades 5 to 6), and Stage 4 (Grades 7 to 9). The competence indicators for students in the four stages are listed separately in the Grades 1 to 9 Science and Technology Curriculum Guidelines.9 The objectives of science learning in the eight domains are as follows:
- Knowledge of Science and Technology—Five themes comprise this domain: the composition of nature and its features, actions of nature, evolution and continuity, life and environment, and sustainable development. Each theme has several topics (e.g., in actions of nature there are three topics: changes and equilibrium, structure and function, and interaction). Each topic consists of several subtopics (e.g., structure and function contains the structures and functions of plants and animals).
- Science Processing Skills—Science processing skills are the executive skills of conducting scientific inquiry. In addition to problem definition and evaluation (described in the processing intelligence domain), science processing skills include observation (recognizing meaningful variables and measuring them quantitatively), comparison and classification (defining and controlling variables), organization and connection (using evidence to establish causal relationships), induction and inference (explaining data), and communication (acquiring information, developing clear and scientific statements, and expressing oneself appropriately).
- Development of Processing Intelligence—Processing intelligence refers to the scientific thinking used to define, develop, and evaluate problems. It comprises comprehensive thinking (forming integrated points of view from evidence), inferential thinking (making predictions based on scientific rules and theories), creative thinking (finding solutions from different perspectives, facing challenges flexibly, and acting with reflection), critical thinking (comparing reality to ideal or theoretical conditions and reasoning about the comparison), and problem solving (planning and evaluating solution methods and strategies).
- Scientific Applications—Scientific applications refer to the use of scientific methods and knowledge learned in the classroom to solve daily life problems. Scientific methods involve the operation of machines and use of instruments, the planning of inquiry activities, the decision making process, etc. This domain emphasizes the transfer of problem solving strategies from school to daily life.
- Designing and Producing—Designing refers to identifying people’s needs and conceiving a way to satisfy those needs. Producing refers to using technical and practical knowledge to choose appropriate tools and materials to create products that satisfy an identified need.
- Understanding the Nature of Science—This domain refers to the properties of scientific knowledge and research activities. Students are expected to reflect on their science learning experiences, recognize the existence of natural laws, and master scientific argumentation. Scientific argumentation requires students to differentiate evidence from theory, consider the internal consistency of explanations, and construct relationships between evidence and theories.
- Understanding the Development of Science and Technology—The development of science and technology concerns the creation and change of technology and the relationship among science, technology, and society. This domain has three facets: the nature of technology (recognizing the importance and characteristics of technology and the relationship between science and technology), the evolution and advancement of technology (through the agricultural, industrial, and information eras and trends of technology development), and technology and society (making sense of the ways technology interacts with our lives, including individual career planning, and the interaction between the development of industry and technology).
- Development of Scientific Attitudes—This domain covers four learning stages: the joy of carrying out explorations (Stage 1, Grades 1 to 2), the joy of discovery (Stage 2, Grades 3 to 4), being careful and tangible (Stage 3, Grades 5 to 6), and being precise and realistic (Stage 4, Grades 7 to 9).