Prep them well for VCE

Middle School Science

Year 5

Students participate in practical science experiments in a laboratory environment and explain their understanding of everyday phenomena associated with the transfer of light. They investigate behavioural and structural adaptations that enable living things to survive in particular environments. Students discuss how science developments have affected people’s lives and how science knowledge develops from many people’s contributions.

Year 6

Students explore the concept of sustainability. They investigate the amount of electricity they use and how they could reduce their usage to benefit the environment. A study on Earth and Space involves the exploration of the cause and effect of natural disasters, as well as the human response to these events. They also study concepts involving matter, including chemical and physical change. Students participate in practical science experiments in a lLaboratory environment, involving electricity and sustainability.

Year 7

Students describe techniques to separate pure substances from mixtures. They represent and predict the effects of forces, including Earth’s gravity, on motion. Students explain how the relative positions of the Earth, sun and moon affect phenomena on Earth. They predict the effect of environmental changes on feeding relationships and classify and organised diverse organisms based on observable differences. Students describe situations where scientific knowledge from different science disciplines has been used to solve a real world problem, exploring how the solutions were viewed by, and impacted on, different groups in society. Students identify questions that could be investigated scientifically. They plan fair experimental methods, identifying variables to be changed and measured. Students draw on evidence to support their conclusions. They summarise data from different sources, describing trends and referring to the quality of their data when suggesting improvements to their methods. They communicate their ideas, methods and findings using scientific language and appropriate representations.

Year 8

Students identify different forms of energy and describe how energy transfers and transformations cause change in simple systems. They compare processes of rock formation, including the time scales involved. They analyse the relationship between structure and function at cell, organ and body system levels. Students predict the effect of environmental changes on feeding relationships and classify and organise diverse organisms based on observable differences. They examine the different scientific knowledge used in occupations. They explain how evidence has led to an improved understanding of a scientific idea, describing situations in which scientists collaborated to generate solutions to contemporary problems. Students identify and construct questions and problems that they could investigate scientifically. They consider safety and ethics when planning investigations and designing experimental methods. They identify variables to be changed, measured and controlled. Students construct representations of their data to reveal and analyse patterns and trends, and use these when justifying their conclusions. They explain how modifications to methods could improve the quality of their data and apply their own scientific knowledge and investigation findings to evaluate claims made by others. They use appropriate language and representations to communicate scientific ideas, methods and findings in a range of text types.