We use a range of hands-on science and STEAM activities to help our students develop a strong appreciation of the key science concepts and techniques, and apply them at school and home.
Our science program is carefully aligned with the Victorian curriculum to ensure that our students receive a solid grounding in science.
Science curriculum
Science provides students with an understanding of important science concepts and processes, ways to develop scientific knowledge, and an appreciation of the contribution and application of science to our society and lives. The science curriculum begins with the basics of science and then develops on that understanding in accordance with each student’s growth and abilities.
Science understanding
Students develop an understanding of how people use science to make decisions and influence actions, and its contribution to our society. They observe and describe changes to things around them, including changes in state, and explore the behaviour and uses of materials and their properties, such as light, sound, heat and electricity. They identify and describe features of living things, including their survival mechanisms and life cycles. Children also understand the Earth and its place in the solar system and explore the effect of the environment on us and our effect on it.
Science inquiry skills
When studying science, children ask and respond to questions and learn to follow scientific processes. They explore the world using their senses and scientific equipment, make predictions about the outcomes of their investigations and compare these with the results. Students make observations, collect data, explain results and suggest ways to improve experiments, and then communicate their findings to others.
General capabilities
Learning about science also helps to develop a range of general abilities in students:
- Read and understand scientific methods and research
- Record observations in numerical form and analyse data
- Use technology to research subjects and perform experiments
- Evaluate scientific research and explain findings
- Communicate observations and results to others
- Experience the world from new perspectives
Science at Village School
At Village School, we teach the science curriculum using the STEAM philosophy.
This means that our science activities incorporate:
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- Arts
- Maths
We also find ways to include the key concepts and skills of science in our everyday classroom experiences, with a view to teaching children how to learn on topics that interest them. Our flexible approach to learning also allows us to choose relevant and meaningful topics for exploring science, whether that’s current world events or the latest nature discovery on our bush school campus. And we adapt specific activities to suit the abilities and passions of each child, to keep them motivated and excited about learning.
We supplement our science curriculum with a number of resources, including online content, our natural wetlands area and various equipment from the Recycled Centre which can be used for experiments, building models etc. We also use equipment like Lego Robotics and other coding packages for primary-aged children.
Examples of science activities
Our students develop an appreciation for science and its importance in our world through a variety of projects and learning tasks. Here’s a few examples:
Creating “magic” potions
Students used Harry Potter as a theme to explore different ‘potions’ which were the usual slime, erupting lava, making solutions and suspensions.
Cooking toffee
Students use cooking as a way of understanding the properties of different substances e.g. the effect of heat as it turns sugar into toffee.
Landing on the moon
Science was integrated with art to make a model of the moon’s surface and then design landing modules that could be dropped from a metre high above the surface and not damage the people (two marshmallows). In other words, they were learning to design shock absorbers.
Science across the curriculum
To learn more about our approach to the curriculum, please visit:
Our Approach Village School is an independent, non-sectarian and non-denominational primary school, and we take an holistic approach to education. Read more »
Learning For Life Our hands-on, open and active approach to learning at Village School creates the conditions for effective, personalised learning and shapes lifelong learners. Read more »
Our Curriculum In addition to academic learning, we develop key personal skills in our students to help them succeed in life, using a flexible, personalised approach. Read more »