science, history & geography

Science, History and Geography lessons are designed around concepts such as community, sustainability, social justice, identity, change and connections

Before each unit of work, students are pre-assessed to assess their prior understanding and skills and develop questions to be answered during the unit. Students are explicitly taught new terminology relating to each unit and, where appropriate, they learn writing, reading and communication skills, and mathematical concepts.

Conceptual Programming

Students are immersed in big-picture concepts, using hands-on tasks that engage, allow for collaboration and encourage questions.

Students undertake a pre-assessment to determine what they already know about the content and skills they will be learning.

Students work individually and in groups to practice the skills necessary to complete rich learning tasks.

Students are introduced to different thinking tools, cooperative strategies and opportunities to connect with what they are learning to their lives.


Students are encouraged to develop questions about what they are learning. Students use rubrics to guide their progress and to self or peer assess.

Students are encouraged to consider how they will use what they have learned in the future. They record a reflection and/or share their ideas with the class to remind them of the skills and knowledge they have gained.

HISTORY investigations

  • Year 5: Expansion of Australian Colonies, Gold Rush & Immigration

Students learn about the concept of change through the lens of Australian history. They will learn about the causes and reasons why people migrated to Australian from Europe and Asia. Students will learn about the events and the people who have shaped our country.

  • Year 6: Australia as a Nation/Government, Individual Rights and Freedoms, Democracy & Immigration

Students will learn about the values of Australian democracy an the key features of the election process. They will learn about the responsibilities of the three levels of government. Students learn about the fight for equal rights in Australia, set personal and social goals and work as a class towards a common goal.

GEOGRAPHY investigations

  • Year 5: Factors that change the Environment and Management Practices

Students will consider how to sustain the environment, the society and the economy. They will be immersed in the work of geographers as they consider how the data they collect helps to inform sustainable action Students will investigate environmental change in Australia and around the globe and study environmental land management practices.

  • Year 6: Australia’s Place in a Diverse and Connected World

Students will learn about countries of the Asia-Pacific region and the challenges facing students around the world. In doing so, students explore and reflect upon similarities, differences and the importance of intercultural understanding. They learn persuasive techniques and work in groups to develop and deliver a persuasive presentation and/or write a spoken word poem about a challenge they are investigating.

SCIENCE and technology investigations

Observe, investigate, predict and test!

Students learn from specialist Science teachers to work scientifically while observing the world around them. During STEAM (Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics) activities, students develop the skills to think critically, problem solve and work collaboratively.

  • Year 5 - Earth and Space: Solar system

Students observe and describe the movement of the moon across the sky and explore and model different theories about the movements of the sun, Earth and moon. They interpret their model in reference to personal and scientific observations and will apply their new learning by analysing data about the solar system to create a scaled model of the solar system.

  • Year 5 - Physical World: Energy

Students explore the role of light in enabling us to see objects and consider sources of light and how light travels. They investigate the size and direction of shadows and explore how reflective surfaces and different materials affect the path of light. Students apply their learning by planning and conducting an investigation into the factors that affects shadows.

  • Year 5 - Living World: Living Things

Students explore how plants lose water through their leaves and investigate how surface area affects the rate of water and heat loss. They investigate camouflage and how it helps animals survive in the desert and examine animal adaptations for surviving in their environment. Students design, plan and conduct investigations of structural adaptions that help animals to survive in a desert environment

  • Year 5 - Material World: States of Matter

Students explore the properties of liquids, including viscosity. They identify properties of solids and apply their knowledge to determine if powder is a solid or liquid. Students investigate air as a gas to find out if it takes up space, Students plan and conduct investigations to discover if temperature affects the volume of a gas.