The Science Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
According to Act CXC of 2011 on National Public Education,6 the new national curriculum came into effect on September 1, 2013, implementing a spiral approach, for Grades 1, 5, and 9. TIMSS 2015 students were taught under the old national curriculum. Exhibits 4 and 5 present the main content objectives in the curriculum framework7 for fourth and eighth grade science pertaining to TIMSS 2015.
In Grade 4, science comprises integrated natural sciences, while in Grade 8, science comprises physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth and the environment.
Exhibit 4: Science Content Objectives for Grade 4
| Content Areas | Content Objectives |
| Methods of Cognition | Investigate, understand, and describe ideas about commonly experienced natural phenomena and simple relationships among them; identify materials and organisms by action and experience; observe, compare, and classify nonliving and living things; communicate and interpret personal experiences of scientific phenomena; carry out simple experiments and track the processes under investigation; become acquainted with sources of information and their uses |
| Basics of Inanimate Nature | Observe and measure properties (color, shape, temperature, surface, hardness, flexibility, taste, and smell) of different materials; identify and observe the most common changes of materials and the environment (dissolving, melting, burning, changes in weather, times of day, seasons, temperature, and states of matter); learn about the effect of pollution on our environment; identify the most common pollutants in soil, water, and air, and recognize existing dangerous conditions; classify materials according to their properties, uses, and effects; learn about types of food; carry out investigations with magnets and interpret the results; differentiate between flammable and non-flammable materials; acquire knowledge about combustion |
| Basics of Orientation | Distinguish among and represent the most important surface features and water forms on Earth and identify them on a map; acquire knowledge about the points on a compass and their relationship to one another |
| Basics of Animate Nature | Observe plants and animals in the local environment; care for plants; observe and identify the environmental conditions that are vital for animals and plants; learn about the effects of the changing environment and the seasonal changes of the flora; distinguish among wild, bred, and grown living things and between animate and inanimate nature; understand the relationship between animals and plants and their interdependence; describe the habitats of living things and the effect of humans on these habitats; learn about the conservation and protection of nature |
| The Human Body and its Functions | Identify important functions of the human body (e.g., motion, digestion, and respiration); learn about the most common illnesses, proper personal hygiene, and a healthy lifestyle; acquire knowledge about harmful habits; identify body parts and describe their functions; identify the most common and harmful effects of the environment on the human body (e.g., the sun’s rays, heat, noise, air, water and soil pollution, and parasites) |
Exhibit 5: Science Content Objectives for Grade 8
| Content Areas | Main Topics | Content Objectives |
| Physics | Motion | Understand the idea and the main concepts of linear motion (reference frames, velocity, and inertia); understand the idea and the main concepts of linear accelerating motion; learn, understand, and calculate average and instantaneous speed and acceleration; investigate and observe the properties of free fall, carry out experiments, and interpret data; understand the concepts of mass and density and work with them; observe and explain changes in motion; understand and apply the concept and the representation of force, investigate and observe the effect of two forces and the equilibrium of forces; understand the phenomena of action and reaction, interaction, momentum, and the conservation of momentum; differentiate between the different types of force and investigate and observe their effects; understand the phenomena of gravity and planetary motion; understand the relationship between Earth’s gravity and weight; acquire knowledge about friction and resistance |
| Energy, work, and heat | Investigate and identify the types of energy; understand the concept of thermal interaction; investigate and work with heat, heat capacity, and heat of combustion; understand and describe phase transitions and the changes in energy during phase transitions; understand the conservation of energy; understand and work with the concepts of power and energy conversion efficiency | |
| Electricity | Understand and work with the concept of electric current and voltage and their measurement; investigate and observe the properties of interactions among charged particles; learn about how electrical insulators and conductors work; learn about the sources of electric current or active electronic devices and work with electronic circuits; understand the concept of electrical resistance and Ohm’s law; work with connections in circuits; identify and observe the effects of electric current; understand the concept of electrical work and electrical power and learn to calculate them; investigate and describe electromagnetism, electromagnetic induction, and alternating voltage | |
| Chemistry | Basic concepts, relationships, and laws in chemistry | Classify matter according to its components (e.g., element, compound, mixture, and solution); acquire knowledge about particles in chemistry (e.g., atoms, ions, and molecules); acquire knowledge about the atom, understand its composition, the different models, and subatomic particles; identify and apply chemical symbols, the periodic table, and chemical formulas; differentiate between physical and chemical changes and among different reaction types; work with chemical equations; understand and apply the law of conservation of mass; work with solutions, calculate their concentration, and determine reactions among them; learn about the occurrence, preparation, production, and uses of common chemicals; acquire knowledge about the typical reactions of substances, carry out experiments, and observe their physiological and environmental effects; learn about and distinguish between metallic and nonmetallic elements and their compounds |
| Applications of matter | Identify types of matter and applications of materials important in everyday life; describe the composition of air and water and their most common pollutants; understand food as a raw material and energy resource; learn about household chemicals, metal alloys, corrosion, and the prevention of corrosion; describe certain inorganic chemical procedures including metallurgy, sulfuric acid production, and glass production | |
| Biology and Hygiene | Landscapes and biomes | Describe the food chains of different ecosystems; identify and explain the effects of pollution on living things and food chains |
| Human body and health | Identify the parts of the human body, describe the organ systems (sensory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, excretory, reproductive, and endocrine) and fibers; acquire knowledge about illnesses of the organ systems and the characteristics of human body cells; describe the phases of human growth and development and common health problems | |
| Earth and the Environment | Earth and the environment | Acquire knowledge about Earth and the solar system; describe Earth as an astronomical object; understand its formation, shape, and movements; learn about Earth’s history; describe Earth’s cosmic environment, the composition of the solar system, and its connections to Earth (e.g., solar and lunar eclipses and tides); explain the formation of galaxies and stars and their development; acquire knowledge about artificial satellites and space research |
| Basics of geology | Identify and describe the materials that Earth is composed of; explain the formation of minerals and rocks and the appearance of fossil remains; describe the formation and structure of Earth, including plate tectonics, basins, continents, mountains, earthquakes, and the development of volcanos; acquire knowledge about the history of Earth | |
| The hydrosphere | Distinguish among mainland waters, oceans, and seas; describe water management and protection | |
| The atmosphere | Describe the composition, structure, and basic processes of the atmosphere; explain the effects of air currents on the weather and climate; describe the phenomena of global warming, the greenhouse effect, and climate change | |
| Formation of the geosphere | Describe the natural processes that transform land masses and identify the effects of human activity on them |