The Science Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

The science curriculum in the first cycle of basic education (Grades 1 to 4) in Portugal is a core subject of a study domain designated Social and Natural Environment Studies. This study domain aims to promote students’ understanding of the natural and social environment in which they live. In the first cycle, this study domain evokes knowledge from several scientific areas, namely geography, history, biology, physics, and chemistry.

Teachers have six thematic blocks to develop with their students:

Discovering Myself
Discovering Others and Institutions
Discovering the Natural Environment
Discovering Interrelations between Places
Discovering Materials and Objects
Discovering Relations between Nature and Society¹³

Descriptions follow of the science topics in the curriculum that are relevant for the fourth grade students assessed in TIMSS 2015.

In the Discovering Myself block, students are introduced, in Grade 1, to concepts related to their own bodies, basic health, and well-being. Topics taught include the recognition and identification of physical characteristics of the body, sexual identity, parts of the body, and their comparison with other children, parents, brothers, and sisters. In the second grade, the study of the body focuses on sensory organs, body development (e.g., the loss of milk teeth), basic health and hygiene, and well-being (e.g., recognizing the importance of vaccines). In Grade 3, vital organs and their functions (e.g., digestion, blood circulation, respiration), physical sensations, and mental states are introduced. Finally, in Grade 4, the study of the body progresses to the study of bones and skeletal structure and its functions, the study of the muscular system and its functions, and the study of the skin and its functions.¹⁴

In the Discovering the Natural Environment block, students are taught lessons related to the basic elements of the physical environment (air, water, rocks, and soil), the organisms inhabiting the environment, the climate, geology, and basic astronomy. In Grade 1, students are taught how to cultivate plants and care for animals in the classroom or school facilities, and observe plants and animals in different life stages. They are taught to observe and register the weather in elementary ways, compare the duration of day and night throughout the year, and recognize the different forms in which water can exist in nature. In Grade 2, students focus on the identification of common plants in the near environment, including spontaneous and cultivated plants and crops, recognize and identify the different plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) and observe plant development across the year. Students observe and record weather, recognize different weather conditions and relate them to the different seasons, and recognize the existence of air and its movement.

In Grade 3, students learn to compare and classify plants according to some criteria (e.g., type and color of flowers, leaf and root shapes, edible and inedible plants). They perform basic experiments with plant reproduction by seeds and cuttings. They learn to compare and classify animals according to their appearance and mode of living. They learn some effects of environmental conditions on the life of plants and animals (e.g., water, light, and temperature) and learn about simple food chains. Students learn to collect soil and rock samples and do simple characterizations of soil and rocks, and distinguish land forms in the region (e.g., elevations, valleys, and plains) and water environments. In this grade, students are introduced to basic astronomy, recognizing the sun as a source of light and heat and observing its positions during the day (i.e., sunrise, midday, and sunset). In Grade 4, students recognize and observe physical phenomena including water condensation (fog and dew), solidification, and precipitation (i.e., rain, snow, and hail). The teaching of these subjects involves simple experiments with evaporation, condensation, and solidification. Students further study the water cycle and how groundwater and water springs develop. In astronomy, students learn about Earth’s shape, the moon’s phases, and the locations of Earth and the moon in the solar system.¹⁵

In the Discovering Materials and Objects block, students explore different physical and chemical properties of common daily use materials. Although the experimental approach also is present in the other science blocks, this block is more focused on experimentation with materials with all its implications: observation, including modification of experimental conditions; study and interpretation of results; and developing conclusions. In Grade 1, students study and experiment with daily materials (e.g., sugar, salt, wood, and clay) and classify materials according to their characteristics. They do simple experiments with water: capacity and volume, physical properties, recognition of floating materials, and observing water’s effects on different materials. Identification and production of sounds also is introduced at this grade. In Grade 2, students further expand their simple experiments and observations with common daily materials, studying their properties (e.g., flexibility, resistance, solubility, and transparency). They do simple experiments with air (e.g., balloons and syringes) and recognize properties of air (e.g., weight and temperature) and air’s effects on different objects. In Grade 3, students do simple experiments with light (e.g., identify sources of light, and observe interactions of light with different materials, such as transmission, absorption, and reflection) and magnets (e.g., observe the behavior of different materials in the presence of magnets, magnetize different objects, and build a compass). They also study basic mechanics and observe the results of simple experiments with levers, pulleys, springs, and elastic materials.¹⁶

Finally, the Discovering Relations between Nature and Society block aims at the improvement of the natural environment, the rational use of natural resources, and the development of an informed and active participation in solving environmental problems. Starting in Grade 3, students study the impact of agriculture, livestock farming, forest exploration, and fishing activities in the local economies and environment. In Grade 4, they study environment quality, identify elements that promote or deteriorate the environment quality, and identify sources of pollution and environmental imbalances due to human activities.

In the second cycle of basic education (Grades 5 to 6), science is offered as an independent course, Natural Sciences, taught by a teacher with specialization in the natural sciences. The curriculum for this course focuses on themes that are fundamental for students’ comprehension of the functions of the Sun-Earth-life system. It addresses the domains of living and nonliving things and their interactions, as well as the dynamics of human interventions on this system.¹⁷

In Grade 5, the curriculum focuses on:

The importance of the physical elements (i.e., water, air, rocks, and soil) for all living organisms
The diversity of living organisms (plants and animals) and their interactions with the environment
Cells as the basic unit of life
The hierarchical organization of living organisms

In Grade 6, students study:

Vital processes common to all living organisms, including nutrition exchanges between animals, plants, and the environment
Human and plant reproduction
Microorganisms and their relation to hygiene and social problems¹⁷

In the third cycle of Basic Education (Grades 7 to 9), science is taught as Natural Sciences plus Physics and Chemistry. Natural Sciences in Grade 7 focuses on Earth in transformation. Students are introduced to external and internal Earth dynamics, consequences of internal Earth dynamics, Earth’s geological history, and the sustainability of life on Earth. In Grade 8, students are introduced to the Earth system, from cells to ecosystems, and to the sustainable management of Earth’s resources.¹⁹ Finally, Grade 9 focuses on better living on the planet. The curriculum details individual and community health with emphasis on the human body equilibrium, its structure, composition, organ functioning, and basic life support, as well as human reproduction and genetics.²⁰

The Physics and Chemistry Sciences course in Grade 7 focuses on:

Space—The universe, the solar system, distances in the universe, Earth, the moon, and gravitational forces
Materials—Substances and mixtures, physical and chemical transformations, physical and chemical properties of materials, and separation of substances in a mixture
Energy sources and energy transfer

The Grade 8 curriculum further builds on the themes from the previous grades with emphasis on:

Chemical reactions—Representation and understanding of chemical reactions, types, and reaction rates
Sound—Production and propagation, sound as waves, sound attributes and their detection by humans, and acoustic phenomena
Light—Light waves, their propagation, and optical phenomena

Finally, in Grade 9, the subjects taught include:

Movement and forces—Movement on Earth, forces, movement and energy, and liquids
Electricity—Electric currents, and energy and its effects
Materials classification—Atomic structures, properties of elements of the Periodic Table, and chemical bonding²¹