This overview page is structured around the following three sections:
Most teachers and researchers who access this site will want to access the free content which is provided in the 28 STEM units. Parents and students are also welcome to access these resources at any time.
When accessing these units you might find that some content appears
earlier than you might have expected. This is in keeping with Jerome
Bruner's idea that concepts need to be revisited at increasingly higher
levels of complexity. This approach is known as the ‘spiral curriculum’
which is still used through throughout the world in various ways even
though Bruner first wrote about this back in 1960. More is said about
this in the Literature review section of
this website.
You
can approach the 28 STEM units as a 'grazing menu' where you are not
compelled to use all of the content but can freely graze wherever your
interest takes you. This is also characteristic of STEM education where
the connections between the disciplines of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics come into focus.
The following overview of each year level is a work in progress, informed by teacher input and by trialling activities in the classroom.
During the first year of primary school, it is important that students develop their natural sense of curiosity by exploring the world around them. Accordingly, the entry point is to share observations and answer questions about data which they have collected. Tallies and tables are also introduced to help students record their findings. In Term 2 students explore the characteristics, needs and uses of living things. This leads into Term 3 with a focus on classification and the idea of sorting into groups based on carefully defined criteria. The Term 4 unit extends the previous learning around living things to look at systems in general and ecosystems in particular. The names of these foundational units are:
F.1 Investigations
F.2 Living things
F.3 Classification
F.4 Ecosystems
Year 1 starts with a focus on mathematics and making graphs as an extension of data collection as students use reasoning about visualisations of data to describe and interpret their results. In Term 2 the students explore the nature and function of symbols as students make comparisons and use symbols to describe relationships. The Term 3 unit paves the way for designing as students identify observable properties of materials and explore how these properties affect their use. The final unit is an introduction to light and sound where the concept of angles is also introduced informally in relation to reflection and refraction as a precursor to students exploring shapes and objects in Year 2. The names of the Year 1 units are:
1.1 Graphs
1.2 Symbols
1.3 Materials
1.4 Light and sound
Year 2 starts with an exploration of shapes and objects with a focus on differentiating between two and three dimensions. This knowledge of 3D structures is then applied to design where students build structures in the construction zone using readily available materials. Variables are then introduced in the context of fair tests as students identify questions of interest and define variables to guide their investigations and presentations of relevant data. The final unit starts with students exploring number patterns as an introduction to algorithms. The names of the Year 2 units are:
2.1 Shapes and objects
2.2 Construction zone
2.3 Fair tests
2.4 Algorithms
Term 1 explores communication as a sub-strand of science inquiry and the creation of an instruction manual such as a cookbook. Term 2 has a science focus as students explore the historical significance of the heliocentric model and how the Earth's tilt on its axis and annual orbit around the Sun affect seasonal changes. The idea of orbiting bodies is also applied to global communications and satellites. The Term 3 unit on questioning and predicting reinforces inquiry skills and working scientifically while students plan and conduct scientific investigations to answer questions using visualisations of data. Geometric knowledge is then applied to basic coding challenges where students engage in coding to interact with virtual and tangible objects. The names of the Year 3 units are:
3.1 Communication
3.2 Satellites
3.3 Questioning and predicting
3.4 Coding
Students in Year 4 identify, explain and demonstrate a variety of contact and non-contact forces and learn about the concept of mechanical advantage. Students’ prior knowledge about materials is then combined with their latest understanding about forces to explore common modes of transportation to develop an integrated understanding of forces, materials, energy and design factors. The use of micro controllers to monitor and log data from electronic sensors is explored in Term 3 as a real-world application of sensors. The use of sensors is then applied to precision agriculture as students use measurement to investigate efficiency and manage resources. The names of the Year 4 units are:
4.1 Simple
machines
4.2 Transportation
4.3 Sensors
4.4 Precision agriculture
Year 5 begins with a focus on health and nutrition and their relationship to biology and biochemistry. In Term 2 students' prior knowledge about the mechanical advantages and affordances of simple machines enables them to explore engineering to solve problems through the safe and creative use of materials, tools and equipment. Visual communication and logic are explored in Term 3 as students build on their prior knowledge about graphs and variables to design their own enterprises and explore how the associated logistics and data can be represented in different ways. The focus for Term 4 is electronics as students build electric circuits and explore the various sources and applications of energy. The names of the Year 5 units are:
5.1 Biology
5.2 Engineering
5.3 Logistics
5.4 Electronics
The focus for Term 1 is robotics as students use coding and electronic sensors to interact with microcontrollers. Ideation is further extended into entrepreneurship and innovation as students use the design cycle to develop prototypes for inventions using appropriate technical terms and visualisation techniques. In Term 3 students explore nanotechnology and the logic behind the metric system, which combines mathematics and science as students convert between metric units of length, mass and capacity and make relevant connections to the properties of water. A focus on René Descartes is the final topic for Year 6 as students explore the Cartesian coordinate system linking geometry with algebra. An important algebraic concept here is the use of letters to represent unknown values and the idea that the answer to a mathematics question can involve a combination of number and letters. For example, 40 x N = 40N. The names of the Year 6 units are:
6.1 Robotics
6.2 Ideation
6.3 Nanotechnology
6.4 Cartesian geometry
There are six distinct themes across the 28 STEM units, namely, Science inquiry, Precision agriculture, Data visualisation, Coding, Engineering, and Machines.
F.1 Investigations
F.3 Classification
1.4 Light
and sound
2.3 Fair tests
3.1 Communication
3.3 Questioning and predicting
6.3 Nanotechnology
F.2 Living things
F.4 Ecosystems
4.4 Precision agriculture
5.1 Biology
1.1 Graphs
2.1 Shapes and objects
5.3 Logistics
6.4 Cartesian geometry
1.2 Symbols
2.4 Algorithms
3.4
Coding
4.3 Sensors
5.4 Electronics
6.1 Robotics
1.3 Materials
2.2 Construction zone
5.2 Engineering
6.2 Ideation
3.2 Satellites
4.1 Simple
machines
4.2 Transportation
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