Science

At Banksia Park students from Pre-primary to Year 6 participate in Science lessons with their classroom teacher. The aims of our Science program are consistent with those of the Western Australian Curriculum ensuring that students develop:

  • an interest in science as a means of expanding their curiosity and willingness to explore, ask questions about and speculate on the changing world in which they live
  • an understanding of the vision that science provides of the nature of living things, of the Earth and its place in the cosmos, and of the physical and chemical processes that explain the behaviour of all material things
  • an understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry and the ability to use a range of scientific inquiry methods, including questioning; planning and conducting experiments and investigations based on ethical principles; collecting and analysing data; evaluating results; and drawing critical, evidence-based conclusions
  • an ability to communicate scientific understanding and findings to a range of audiences, to justify ideas on the basis of evidence, and to evaluate and debate scientific arguments and claims
  • an ability to solve problems and make informed, evidence-based decisions about current and future applications of science while taking into account ethical and social implications of decisions
  • an understanding of historical and cultural contributions to science as well as contemporary science issues and activities and an understanding of the diversity of careers related to science
  • a solid foundation of knowledge of the biological, chemical, physical, Earth and space sciences, including being able to select and integrate the scientific knowledge and methods needed to explain and predict phenomena, to apply that understanding to new situations and events, and to appreciate the dynamic nature of science knowledge.

Primary Connections is our core whole school Science program. This is an evidence-based approach in guiding teaching and learning in Science and uses the 5 Es teaching and learning model.

  1. Engage
  2. Explore
  3. Explain
  4. Elaborate
  5. Evaluate

Engage

The purpose of the Engage phase is to elicit students’ prior knowledge, stimulate interest and gather diagnostic data to inform teaching and learning. Each unit begins with a lesson that mentally engages students with an activity or question. It captures student interest, provides an opportunity for them to express what they know about the concept or skill being developed, and helps them to begin to make connections between what they know and new ideas.

Explore

Students carry out hands-on investigations in which they can explore the concept or skill. They grapple with the problem or phenomenon and describe it in their own words. This phase allows students to acquire a shared set of experiences to they can refer to help each other make sense of the new concept or skill. The Explore phase is characterised by multiple opportunities for students to experience hands-on learning and represent their thinking.

Explain

The purpose of the Explain phase is to support students to develop scientific explanations, drawing from experiences and observations, using representations. Students continue to develop knowledge of concepts and demonstrate their developing understanding.

Elaborate

This phase provides opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to new situations and develop a deeper understanding of the concept or greater use of their science inquiry skills. It is important for students to discuss and compare their ideas with each other during this phase. Investigations in the Elaborate phase build student capability for science inquiry skills in a meaningful context.

Evaluate

The final phase provides an opportunity for students to review and reflect on their own learning, and on their new understanding and skills. Students represent changes to their understanding, beliefs and skills.

Banksia Park PS has an extensive range of hands-on classroom resources to support science investigations. Classes are further supported with an annual subscription to Inquisitive giving teachers access to a range of online science and technology resources to further inspire students’ natural curiosity about the world around them through exciting science investigations, using everyday materials.