Primary Science Education A Teacher's Toolkit

This chapter presents authentic ways through which one or more of the cross-curriculum priorities (CCP) may be integrated into science-focused units of work to optimise student learning in both science and the CCP. The three Australian Curriculum areas are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability. They were first detailed in the Melbourne Declaration and are seen as key for supporting ‘the Australian Curriculum to be a relevant, contemporary and engaging curriculum that reflects national, regional and global contexts’. Examples in the chapter for each CCP are drawn from historical and current contexts and aim to provide a rich tapestry of ways to enhance student learning in science. In each of the following sections, where relevant, science conceptual understandings are linked with relevant CCP information, research findings and resources, with the goal of enhancing your confidence and competence in teaching primary science while including CCP perspectives.