Science Inquiry Skills Year 4

Year 4 Achievement standard

By the end of Year 4, students are able to, with guidance, collaboratively plan and carry out single stage investigations based on their own and others’ questions. They demonstrate some awareness of fairness in testing and understand the difference between sorting and classifying. They safely use appropriate tools to support investigation, using formal units of measurement most of the time and record information and data using simple tables and graphs, including using ICT. They communicate ideas and explanations using a variety of conventional modes (eg diagrams, physical models, reports), and describe positive and negative aspects of their investigations. They begin to realise that scientists work in particular ways and that discoveries made by scientists impact on our lives every day. They recognise observable patterns (eg classification of living things) and simple relationships in their living environment, (eg food chains) and cause-and-effect relationships in their physical environment (eg effects of forces on motion, changes to the Earth’s surface). They identify how science helps us make choices and how it influences both personal and community decisions (eg use of materials and protecting animal habitats).

SCIENCE INQUIRY SKILLS YEAR 4 SCIENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOUR YEAR 4 SCIENCE UNDERSTANDING YEAR 4 1. Pose questions and recognise those suitable for 1. The work of scientists has resulted in discoveries 1. Grouping living things, including humans as investigations in familiar contexts and predict what and inventions that we use in our day-to-day lives animals, on the basis of observable characteristics might happen based on prior knowledge

 researching inventions that reduce the effect of friction  grouping living things including humans according to  choosing situations to investigate from a list of possible for a variety of purposes (eg lubricants for oiling bicycle observable similarities and differences questions provided by the teacher chains)  identifying local plants and animals and assigning them  considering familiar situations at home and in the  researching the discovery or development of some now to groups classroom in order to think of possible areas for common materials that have useful properties (eg  developing a simple dichotomous tree using specimens investigation plastics, metals, man-made fabrics) of living things (eg collections of leaves) and developing  working in groups to discuss possible things that might a key from the tree to enable identification of the original happen during an investigation 2. Science helps us to understand our world and can from the characteristics identified in the tree be used to make predictions (eg to explain  communicating ideas about the purpose of identifying a 2. Collaboratively plan and conduct investigations interesting phenomena, in engineering) variety of plants and animals and assigning them to including testing, making models, using surveys groups and information research to find answers to  exploring the ways in which scientists work to gather questions evidence for their ideas and to develop explanations 2. Interactions between living things in a habitat, about phenomena including simple food chains in local environments  working in groups, with teacher guidance, to test simple  investigating ways scientific knowledge about the cause-and-effect relationships properties of materials allows us to predict the stability  exploring ways that living things interact with their  carrying out class surveys to recognise trends and of building structures environment and each other patterns in data  investigating living things (organisms) in a habitat and 3. People in the local community use science in a the functions they serve (producers, consumers, 3. Recognise whether a test or comparison is fair or range of ways (eg in the workplace, in informing decomposers) not sustainable practices)  exploring the ways that living things (organisms) can cause changes (beneficial and detrimental) to the environments in which they live  sharing ideas with others about what is meant by a fair  gathering evidence from a local workplace (eg fire test station, supermarket) to investigate ways in which  using food chains to show feeding relationships in a science and technology inform and affect the work habitat  identifying fairness and unfairness in a range of involved (eg use of fire-proof materials by firemen, use  recognising that most food chains start with a green situations and applying students' ideas about fairness to of airtight materials in supermarket packaging) science investigations plant  investigating how science informs people’s sense of shared responsibility for the maintenance and 3. Some identifiable characteristics of the Earth’s 4. Safely use appropriate materials, tools, and sustainability of their immediate environment, including surface are the result of natural processes of equipment such as rulers, thermometers and scales native animal habitats to make observations and measurements change, such as weathering and erosion 4. Science can draw on and apply knowledge and experience from a range of cultures (eg in relation  investigating the variety of ways that the surface of the to the natural environment, materials and earth can change (eg collecting and using evidence technology) from local landforms, rocks or fossils to describe the 5. Collect and record data using ICT where history of the area) appropriate, including measurements using formal units  exploring a local area which has changed as a result of  researching or interviewing to understand Aboriginal natural processes (eg erosion of a gully, sand dunes or and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledge of the river banks)  recording measurements using familiar formal units and local natural environment and its history (eg properties  researching and modelling a natural process to appropriate abbreviations, such as seconds (s), grams and uses of local materials; interactions between local demonstrate how changes might occur (eg erosion) (g), centimetres (cm) and metres (m) plants and animals)  examining ways in which other cultures group living 4. Materials are selected for particular uses based on things (eg classification according to moieties in many 6. Use a range of methods including tables and graphs their various properties, such as flexibility, strength Aboriginal groups) to group, classify, record and represent data and to and biodegradability identify simple patterns and trends, using ICT where  researching how traditional art and artefacts of appropriate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can provide information about changes that have occurred  discussing a range of common materials (fabric, metal, at the Earth’s surface plastic) and their uses  recording results from investigations using prepared  comparing common materials and objects on the basis tables and using tables to organise items, materials and  examining ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of properties such as strength, flexibility, objects based on observable properties biodegradability and relating these properties to their peoples select natural materials (eg stone, wood, plant  using word processing software to create tables and everyday uses fibre) based on their properties when creating traditional entering data into simple spreadsheets tools and technologies  investigating a variety of materials for a particular  identifying and discussing numerical and visual patterns property (eg absorbency, thermal insulation) and in information and data collected from students' own selecting a material for use based on its properties investigations and from secondary sources 5. Forces can cause things to change speed or 7. Represent and communicate ideas and direction through direct contact or by acting at a explanations using methods such as diagrams, distance physical representations and simple reports

 comparing the effects of large and small forces on the  working in groups to present results and findings using motion and/or shape of an object (eg launching a paper constructed models, presentations and digital plane, throwing a ball or hitting a ball with a bat) technologies where available  investigating the effect of gradient on the speed of a  using simple explanations and arguments and rolling object (eg cars or balls moving down a ramp) descriptive text types such as information reports to  investigating the effect of friction as a force that slows communicate science ideas moving objects (eg investigating differences in the grip of a sneaker moving on a range of surfaces) 8. Compare results with predictions, suggesting  investigating experiences of gravity/gravitational possible reasons for students' findings attraction and researching the phenomenon  investigating the forces of attraction and repulsion  discussing how well students were able to predict what between magnets and other materials would happen in an investigation and sharing ideas  investigating the effects that particular types of wheels about what was learnt by doing an investigation have on the performance of a vehicle due to frictional forces (eg different bicycle wheels for different purposes, different wheels on a rubber band powered 9. Reflect on the process of data collection to describe vehicle) what went well and what could be improved

 orally describing to the teacher, small group or whole class students' experiences, including good and bad, when carrying out investigations  talking to other students carrying out similar investigations in order to share experiences and improve investigation skills