The Science Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

Science at the primary level in Serbia is taught in several subjects. In the first cycle of primary education, there are two compulsory subjects: The World Around Us (Grades 1 to 2) and Nature and Society (Grades 3 to 4). Science education may be extended with the following elective subjects: Hands in Pastry (Grades 1 to 4) and Nature Protectors (Grades 1 to 4).²³

The subject Nature and Society encompasses content from various natural and social sciences and may be connected to other subjects within the grade and between grades. The goal of Nature and Society is to help students develop familiarity with themselves and their natural and social surroundings and abilities for living responsibly.²⁴ The subject also aims to help students understand phenomena familiar to them from everyday life, and to lay a foundation for understanding abstract concepts and scientific opinions. The curriculum is structured using an upward spiral approach. The curriculum prescribes the amount of time for each lesson and teaching unit in Grades 1 and 2, while in Grades 3 and 4 the curriculum becomes more flexible in terms of the distribution of instructional time.

General standards of achievement for Nature and Society are provided in the following content areas: Living and Nonliving Nature, Ecology, Materials, Motion and Orientation in Space and Time, and Society and the Republic of Serbia and its Past. When formulating the key competencies for the subject Nature and Society, both subject content and the intellectual abilities of students in the first cycle of primary school were taken into account.²⁵

In the second cycle of primary education (Grades 5 to 8), science is taught in several compulsory subjects: biology (Grades 5 to 8), geography (Grades 5 to 8), physics (Grades 6 to 8), and chemistry (Grades 7 and 8). The elective subject Nature Protectors is offered in Grades 5 and 6 as well. The structure of the curricula for all subjects includes subject area, aims and objectives, and curriculum implementation methods. The main goals for biology, geography, physics, and chemistry are stated below:

Biology—Education in biology should ensure that students learn the basic concepts of the living world, its historical development, and natural phenomena related to the laws of the living world. The curriculum prescribes the following content objectives for eighth grade biology: understand the role and importance of biology in the progress of mankind and in sustainable development; understand the gradual evolution of wildlife; understand that living things are classified into five kingdoms based on similar characteristics; know about the structure and function of living organisms; develop the ability to relate concepts and processes in living organisms and nature; know about the diversity and distribution of living organisms; understand the relationships between living things and the environment, as well as the dynamics of the circulation of matter and energy flow; develop a sense of responsibility for the state of the environment; understand threats to the biosphere and the role of individuals in its protection and improvement; know the structure and functions of the human body systems; develop the necessary hygiene habits to preserve personal health and the health of others; realize that sexuality is an integral part of life and respect the norms of behavior between people; use methods of observation, measurement, and experimentation; and develop a clear idea of occupations related to biology to help with choosing a future profession.
Geography—Education in geography should provide knowledge about natural and socio-geographic objects, phenomena, and processes and their relationships in geo-space, contributing to understanding the world as it is and the role of Serbia in the world. According to the curriculum, students should learn about the following: basic objects, phenomena, and processes in the universe; Earth’s surface and environments; and basic geographical features of Europe, the other six continents, and the Republic of Serbia. Students also should understand Earth’s structure and causes and effects of phenomena and processes on Earth. The geography curriculum contributes to developing student views on the protection and improvement of the environment. Cartography has great educational importance within geography because it forms the basis for understanding all aspects of geography and has general educational importance because of the necessity to use maps in almost all fields of human activity.
Physics—Education in physics should ensure that students acquire knowledge of natural phenomena and the laws of nature, develop basic linguistic and scientific literacy, learn to recognize physical phenomena in their everyday life, and acquire further knowledge. The implementation of the physics curriculum takes into account three facts: that the ability to think abstractly is not completely developed in primary school students; that physics is an abstract, precise, and diversified scientific discipline; and that experimentation may be neglected unjustly in teaching physics. Physics teaching goals include introducing basic ways of thinking and reasoning in physics; understanding phenomena, processes, and relationships in nature based on physical laws; developing the ability to acquire knowledge about physical phenomena through active investigation; encouraging curiosity, rational thinking, independence, and critical thinking; developing skills for clear and precise communication; developing logical and abstract thinking; understanding the meaning and methods of implementing experiments and the importance of measuring; solving simple physics problems; developing the ability to apply physics knowledge; identifying and understanding the relationship between physical phenomena and ecology; developing awareness of the need for environmental protection, restoration, and improvement; developing work habits and preferences conducive to studying the natural sciences; and developing awareness of one’s own knowledge, skills, and professional orientation.
Chemistry—Chemistry education aims to ensure that students develop basic linguistic and scientific literacy, as well as functional chemical literacy, progress toward implementing appropriate standards of educational achievement, and the ability to solve problems in unknown situations and express their own opinions. In the seventh grade, the chemistry curriculum covers basic concepts organized around the following five topics: the development of chemistry as a science and its role in contemporary life; basic chemical concepts; solutions, solubility, and quantitative expressions of solution composition; connecting chemistry concepts to everyday life; and chemical changes and quantitative aspects of chemical reactions. In the eighth grade, the curriculum covers inorganic and organic chemistry organized around the following six topics: characteristics of nonmetals and metals; salts and ionic compounds; the properties of acids and bases and electrolytic dissociation; the basic characteristics of organic compounds and how they differ from inorganic compounds; the physical and chemical characteristics of some organic compounds, including the biologically important compounds; and the causes of environmental pollution and procedures for minimizing the consequences of their impact.²⁶