Science

Curriculum Statement

At Willow Park School, science is valued for informing problem solving and decision making in many areas of life. Many of the major challenges and opportunities that confront our world need to be approached from a scientific perspective, taking into account social and ethical considerations. Science is primarily taught at Willow Park School using a curriculum integrated, inquiry based approach.

What is science about?

Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining our natural, physical world and the wider universe.

Why study science?

By studying science, students:

• Develop an understanding of the world, built on current scientific theories;
• Learn that science involves particular processes and ways of developing and organising knowledge and that these continue to evolve;
• Use their current scientific knowledge and skills for problem solving and developing further knowledge;
• Use scientific knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about the communication, application, and implications of science as these relate to their own lives and cultures and to the sustainability of the environment.

How is the learning area structured?

The fundamental aims and associated achievement objectives are grouped by strand. The Nature of Science is the overarching, unifying strand. Through it, students learn what science is and how scientists work. The Living World strand is about living things and how they interact with each other and the environment. The Planet Earth and Beyond strand is about the interconnecting systems and processes of the Earth, the other parts of the solar system, and the universe beyond. The Physical World strand provides explanations for a wide range of physical phenomena, including light, sound, heat, electricity, magnetism, waves, forces, and motion, united by the concept of energy, which is transformed from one form to another without loss. The Material World strand involves the study of matter and the changes it undergoes.