Pioneer Primary School

Primary 3 Science Sharing

22 February 2019

Learning Science in Primary School

• Learning Science as

inquiry – ask questions

• Skills and processes

• Attitudes and ethics

Development of Syllabus

Lower Block (P3/P4) Upper Block (P5/P6)

Diversity

• Diversity of Living and Non-living

Things

• Diversity of Materials

Systems

• Plant Systems (Plant parts and

functions)

• Human Systems (Digestive

System)

Systems

• Plant System

• Human Systems

• Cell System

• Electrical System

Interactions

• Magnets

Interactions

• Interaction of forces

• Interaction with the environment

Development of Syllabus

Lower Block (P3/P4) Upper Block (P5/P6)

Cycles

• Cycles in plants and animals

• Cycles in matter

Cycles

• Cycles in plants and animals

• Cycles in matter and water

Energy

• Light Energy

• Heat Energy

Energy

• Energy forms and uses

• Energy conversion

Teaching Periods

• 4 periods (2 hours of Science) per week

• Help your child to be prepared for Science lessons by:

Reminding your child to bring Science Notebook

and relevant Textbook for lesson.

Encouraging your child to read the Science

Textbook regularly.

Teaching & Learning Resources

• My Pals Are Here! Textbooks

• School-based Activity Worksheets

• Science Notebook

• Science File

How Science is taught?

Hands-on experiments

How Science is taught?

Concepts teaching

How Science is taught?

Application of concepts

(School-based activity worksheets)

How Science is taught?

Learning journey to Singapore Science Centre

Hands-On

• The joy of discovery

• Discovery through experiment

Think Scientifically

Thinking Routine when doing hands-on experiment

Predict • Give the students a situation.

• Predict logically what will happen when

something is done to the situation.

Observe • Observe what happens.

Explain • Describe and explain scientifically what

happened.

• Explain any discrepancy between prediction

and observation.

Think Scientifically

Thinking Routine

Concept

Mapping

Generate-Sort-Connect-Elaborate

• Help students uncover their mental models of

a topic in a non-linear way.

• Activate knowledge of a topic and then

connect those ideas in a meaningful way.

How do we describe materials?

Properties of Materials (based on the objects they are made into)

Q: Which is stronger, paper kitchen towel or aluminium foil?

Predict

Observe and touch a piece of aluminium foil and a piece of paper

kitchen towel. Both are thin.

However, aluminium is a metal while paper is made from wood.

So the aluminium foil is stronger than the paper kitchen towel.

Observe

Observe the outcomes when doing the experiment.

Observe

Aluminium foil can hold 4 pieces of slotted weights

before it tears but the paper kitchen towel can only

hold 2 pieces of slotted weights before it tears.

Record your results in the table below.

Material (Object) Number of slotted weights needed

to tear the material (object)

Wood (Paper kitchen towel) 2

Metal (Aluminium foil) 4

Explain

Aluminium foil can hold more pieces of slotted weights

than paper kitchen towel before it breaks therefore,

aluminium foil is stronger.

Think Scientifically

Predict

Aluminium is a metal while paper is made from wood.

So the aluminium foil is stronger than the paper kitchen towel.

Observe

Paper kitchen towel can hold 2 pieces of slotted weights before it

tears while aluminium foil can hold 4 pieces of slotted weights

before it breaks.

Explain

Aluminium foil can hold more slotted weights than paper kitchen

towel before it tears so aluminium foil is stronger.

Assessments

Term Type of

Assessment

Booklet A

(MCQ)

Booklet B

(Open-ended) Total

2 Weighted

Assessment 1 20 marks 10 marks 30 marks

3 Weighted

Assessment 2 20 marks 10 marks 30 marks

4 End-of-Year 48 marks 32 marks 80 marks

Note:

• No assessment for Term 1

• 2 progress review exercises to monitor students’ learning

Partnership with Parents

• Follow-up with your child if he/she has difficulties

with submitting homework on time.

• Ensure that your child revises his/her work regularly.

• Check your child’s work:

Activity Worksheets

Science Notebook

Practice papers / Assessment papers

Keeping up with Science

• Use Science Textbooks and Activity Worksheets as

reference when revising.

• Get a Science study guide.

• Plan a revision schedule for all the topics tested in

an assessment. Refer to the termly communication

letters for topics tested.

Other Resources

• Science Magazines (National Geographic Young

Explorer, Singapore Scientist, Wildlife Wonder)

• Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Internet

• Science toys and kits (learning through play)

• World around us (teachable moments from daily life)

Learning Science