Thermal cameras have shown to have utility in secondary school classrooms and undergraduate courses. In this paper, the author argues for their potential in the primary school classroom and presents a range of activities that can be undertaken with thermal cameras (or supplied images). With limited access in mind, the activities in this paper have…

The article presents a 5E environmental science lesson to help students understand the major environmental factors that lead to acid rain. Students are supported to ask scientific questions to solve the mystery of how acid rain might impact historical buildings. This lesson can be used in a variety of settings both in person and online modalities.…

Common objects are made of materials that have obvious physical features which, although readily observable, may be overlooked by children. Helping young children to notice characteristic features -- scientifically referred to as properties -- equips them to discern common and distinct (diagnostic) features. Once children begin to recognise…

In this article, we present some practical tips primary teachers might use to help their students understand adaptations. We also aim to raise awareness of the learning progression towards understanding one of the big ideas of science. A key message is the role that language plays in presenting scientifically accurate ideas about adaptations.

Inquiry skills are universally recognised as being integral to a contemporary science education where students need to understand the nature of scientific practices as well as concepts. Although inquiry learning is a common practice among primary educators, the development and assessment of inquiry skills is far less practised. There is a need for…

This article focuses on a sequence of learning experiences designed to raise children's awareness about weaving using yarn, which is one aspect of fibre and production technologies. The technologies context of the fibre production allows children to learn about the chemistry concepts related to the materials. An explicit focus on the properties…

Foundation Year children are often excited about learning to read. Some 5- to 6-year-olds with well-developed literacy skills begin to read chapter books. Like older children and adults, they cannot read the whole book in one sitting. The learning experience described in the article provides an example of how the properties of materials…

This paper reports on a transdisciplinary approach to science with a Year 4/5 class incorporating citizen science through the Birds in Backyards project. This transdisciplinary approach created opportunities for student engagement through science, mathematics, design and technology, humanities and social sciences (HASS), arts and English, while…

Teaching and learning of integrated Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is a rapidly growing field of research with implications for both teachers and students. This qualitative research paper explores the lived experiences of STEM teachers in order to generate a model of engaging STEM tasks. Surveys and interviews with primary…

Life would not be possible without plants. Plants supply food to many organisms (including people), produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide from the air, provide products for human use, and homes for many other living things. It is not surprising, therefore, that plant growth is a familiar topic in the primary school science curriculum. This paper…

Where does our food come from? Such a question may be difficult for some children to answer, especially those living in a city apartment devoid of a backyard with a vegie patch or fruit trees. This article describes a learning experience designed to encourage Year 1 children to think about the foods that humans obtain from plants. The learning…

The present study provides an illustration of how m-learning may be applied in school science contexts while simultaneously evaluating the accuracy and reliability of mobile phone functionality relating to the measurement of sound. The aim of this study is to report on the use of mobile phones as data collection tools in the context of a science…

The topic of living things is ideal for exploring the ideas of children in the early years of school. Preschool and primary school teachers are reasonably confident with the subject matter and all children will have had some life experiences that contribute to their prior knowledge. For this reason, the question 'Is it alive?' is one that…

This article describes an inquiry science lesson that was sparked by a child's question. In this school a science specialist (author 1) team teaches science with the kindergarten class teacher (author 2) for 1 hour per week. The class teacher integrates science at other times during the week. To foster the kindergarteners' interest about a science…

Papua New Guinea is a developing country in the Southwestern Pacific. The nation comprises the eastern half of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville, Buka, and some six hundred smaller islands and atolls. It has a population of nearly nine million, and the citizens speak more than 715 different languages (Rena, 2011). The country's…