Unit Outline

This unit extends the theory and practical approaches introduced in EPR150, with a Years 4-6 (or early childhood*) focus. It continues to explore the nature and relevance of science as it relates to everyday life, and contemporary socio-scientiﬁc issues, including sustainability. You will also develop strategies to explore complex global issues in age-appropriate, inclusive, and culturally responsive ways. This unit continues to build your scientiﬁc literacy, alongside your understanding of scientiﬁc concepts and big ideas across the four disciplines in the primary science curriculum. The unit reinforces and further elaborates on the theoretical and practical basis for science teaching and learning as it is implemented in schools and in the community. In addition, this unit highlights future directions and issues related to science education. You will continue to advance your skills to create conceptually focused learning experiences that are linked with the Australian curriculum. You will apply these skills to develop, deliver, and reﬂect upon evidence-informed activities, lessons and units. In addition, you will also learn integrated STEM approaches. As part of your professional identity as a science teacher and potential leader in science and STEM education, you will also engage in ongoing reﬂective practice throughout the unit, and demonstrate your commitment to continued learning to improve practice, as outlined with the Teacher Professional Standards. *For those enrolled in the Early Childhood program.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Demonstrate a critical understanding contemporary theories of teaching and learning science for primary school (or early childhood) settings.
2	Relate the Big Ideas and key scientiﬁc concepts to the science curriculum to support the development of scientiﬁc literacy.
3	Design an integrated STEM unit and deliver a learning sequence appropriate for primary school (or early childhood) students.
4	Reﬂect on your ongoing development of pedagogical content knowledge in science as it relates to your professional practice.
5	Communicate in a scholarly manner.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	PCK Quizzes	See the MyLO site for the due date	15 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 2:	DigiExplanations	See the MyLO site for the due date	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Integrated STEM	See the MyLO site for the due date	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: PCK Quizzes

Task Description:

Demonstrate an understanding of pedagogical content knowledge appropriate for primary (or early childhood science education). Complete three online quizzes scheduled throughout the semester, addressing the following topics:
• theories of teaching and learning science;
• Big Ideas and scientiﬁc concepts and across the science curriculum;
• primary (or early childhood) science curricula (achievement standards; science understanding, science inquiry skills, science as a human endeavour, general capabilities, cross-curriculum priorities,).
Weeks 1-3 focus (released in Week 4); Week 4-6 focus (released in Week 7 ); Weeks 7-9 focus (released in Week 10).
Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2,4

Task Length:

3 x 20 minutes each (total time)

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate a critical understanding contemporary theories of teaching and learning science for primary school (or early childhood) settings.	LO1
2	Relate the Big Ideas and key scientiﬁc concepts to the science curriculum to support the development of scientiﬁc literacy.	LO2

Assessment Task 2: DigiExplanations

Task Description:

Create a 4 minute digital explanation as a teaching resource to explain one scientiﬁc concept in context, addressing the following:
• Rationale for you explanation and design (.e.g., learning goal, concept, possible alternative conception(s), justiﬁcation of media blend and modalities supported by the literature) (approx. 200 words);
• links to relevant ACARA science learning outcomes (e.g., science strands, general capabilities, cross-curricular priorities) (not included in word count);
• clear production (e.g., clear narration, smooth transitions, scientiﬁcally accurate, relevant multimodal representations, contextual, within the time limit) (800 word equivalent); and
• use of scholarly conventions (e.g., age appropriate, APA style, appropriate references and sources)

Instructions for sharing your digital presentation will be available in MyLO. Critically evaluate one other presentation and provide evidence-informed feedback (approx. 100 words). Provide a personal reﬂection of your explanation, based on peer feedback and relevant literature (approx. 100 words).

See ‘Resources for Digital Explanations’ in the AT2 module for a more detailed explanation of this task, which features www.slowmation.com and www.digiexplanations.com for examples and resources.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 2.1-2.4, 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 6.3

A PebblePad workbook may be provided for this Assessment Task. Instructions for sharing this workbook will be made available through MYLO.

Task Length:

4-minute digital presentation (1200 word equivalent)

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Provide a rationale for the explanation and design	LO1, LO2
2	Provide evidence-based feedback for peer and personal reﬂections	LO1, LO4
3	Produce a clear and accurate DigiExplanation and share online	LO2, LO3
4	Communicate through use of scholarly conventions	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Integrated STEM

Task Description:

Create an overview of an Integrated STEM Unit with Science and one other learning area. Based on your unit, create a 60-minute lesson that you will deliver to a student from your chosen age-level and demonstrate evidence of their learning. Finally, reﬂect on your own learning and engagement in EPR350 unit as a primary science educator and relate to the AITSL Teacher Standards. This task comprises the following four components:
1. Create an overview of Integrated STEM Unit that leads with Science (approx. 700 words in total).:
Include the title, learning goals, year level, and overall inquiry question/STEM problem (not included in word count);
Draft an evidence-informed rationale to explain what is being integrated, and why and how are you integrating them (approx. 200 words).
Identify relevant ACARA curricula, target scientiﬁc concepts, possible alternative conception(s), and how they will be represented (not included in word count);
choose a high-quality Science Unit from those featured in this unit;
Using the template provided, adapt the unit into an Integrated STEM lesson by including one other subject area (Design & Technologies OR Digital Technologies OR Mathematics). Your adapted unit should feature an Elaborate Task and a Summative Task that purposefully integrates the two subject areas.
2. Based on your unit overview, create a detailed lesson using the template provided that features a sequence of Engage-Explore-Explain activities that you can trial with a student from your chosen age level (approx. 600 words). You may include an Explore-Explain Interplay, as well as your Digi Explanation as the ‘Explain’. This Integrated STEM lesson should be 60 minutes in duration.
3. Deliver your 60-minute integrated STEM lesson and demonstrate evidence of students’ learning. Place this evidence into the Appendix. Reﬂect on your overall lesson and unit, noting key considerations for improvements (approx. 100 words).
4. Undertake a ﬁnal reﬂection based on your own learning and engagement in EPR350 unit as a primary science educator and relate to the AITSL Teacher Standards (approx. 300 words).

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.1-1.6, 2.1-2.4, 3.1-3.5, 4.1, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 6.1

A PebblePad workbook may be provided for this Assessment Task. Instructions for sharing this workbook will be made available through MYLO.

Task Length:

1800 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Create an overview of an Integrated STEM unit.	LO1, LO2
2	Reﬂect on your professional practice	LO1, LO4
3	Design, deliver and reﬂect on your integrated STEM lesson Implement	LO2, LO3
4	Communicate through use of scholarly conventions.	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2009). The early years learning framework for Australia. https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-package/resources/belonging-being-becoming-early-years-learning-framework-australia
Campbell, W. Jobling, & C. Howitt (Eds.). (2018). Science in early childhood (3rd ed.)(pp. 163-175). New York: Cambridge University Press. [extra text recommended for Early Childhood students].
Skamp, K. & Preston, C. (Eds.). (2021). Teaching primary science constructively (7th edition). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage. [both the 5th and 6th editions will suffice if you have a copy from the previous unit].

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.