The science curriculum in compulsory education (summary) Presentation of the French compulsory educational system and curriculum – Tuesday, May 18 th
KINDERGARTEN Discovering the world around us CURRICULUM During group and, of course, free-play activities, the teacher guides the children in their exploration of the following topics: 1 – The five senses 2 – Materials and textures 3 – Nature 3.1 The characteristics of different plants and animals 3.2 Different environments, environmental issues 3.3 The human body, health and hygiene 4 – Objects, personal safety 5 – Spatial awareness 6 – Time 7 – Shapes and sizes 8 – Quantities and numbers Skills that children should have acquired by the end of nursery school 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
– AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE FIVE SENSES – A KNOWLEDGE OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND OBJECTS – A KNOWLEDGE OF NATURE, THE ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND HYGIENE – SPATIAL AWARENESS – AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE OF TIME – A KNOWLEDGE OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES – AN UNDERSTANDING OF QUANTITIES AND NUMBERS
La main à la pâte – International Seminar – CIEP – 17-22 May 2010
PRIMARY SCHOOL CYCLE OF FUNDAMENTAL LEARNING - CYCLE 2 (English key stage 1) DISCOVERING THE WORLD AROUND US CURRICULUM 1 – Familiar and unfamiliar places 2 - Time 3 – Materials and textures 4 - Nature 4.1 Discovering nature in our everyday lives 4.2 Discovering nature through animals and plants 4.3 The diversity of nature and of different environments 5 – Objects and materials 6 – Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Skills that children should have acquired by the end of cycle 2 1 – AN UNDERSTANDING OF SPACE 2 – AN UNDERSTANDING OF TIME 3 – AN UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE 4 – A KNOWLEDGE OF MATERIALS, OBJECTS AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
CYCLE OF ADVANCED LEARNING - CYCLE 3 (English key stage 2) EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM 1 – Materials and textures 2 – The unity and diversity of nature 3 – Environmental education 4 – The human body and health education 5 - Energy 6 – The sky and the earth 7 – The man-made world 8 – Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in experimental sciences and technology
La main à la pâte – International Seminar – CIEP – 17-22 May 2010
Skills that children should have acquired by the end of cycle 3: Children should be able to: - ask clear and precise questions about a situation that they have either observed or experienced for themselves, - design and develop an experiment with a view to answering specific questions, based on observations, appropriate measurements or a diagram; - put together an electrical device using a diagram; - use observation and measuring tools: 20-cm ruler, magnifying glass, compass, weighing scales, stopwatch or clock, thermometer; - repeat an experiment after having changed just one factor compared with the previous experiment; - compare data, present them in diagram form and interpret the diagram; compare observations made in class, and information found in books and documents; - design an observation protocol or a questionnaire for a survey or a visit; - draw up a report, including an experiment flowchart or a drawing of what was observed; - produce, edit and manage documents using a word processor; - use an electronic messaging system.
La main à la pâte – International Seminar – CIEP – 17-22 May 2010
MIDDLE SCHOOL Physics and Chemistry YEAR 2 The curriculum is divided into three parts: . Water in our environment. Mixtures and pure substances (50%) . Direct current electrical circuits. Qualitative study (25%) . Light: sources and straight-line propagation (25%) YEAR 3 The curriculum is divided into three parts: . From air to molecules (35%) . Direct current laws (35%) . Light: colours, images, speed (30%) YEAR 4 The curriculum is divided into three parts: . Chemistry, materials science (45%) . Electrical energy and alternating electrical circuits (40%) . From gravitational force to mechanical energy (15%) Life science and earth science YEAR 1 The curriculum is divided into five parts: • Characteristics of our close environment and distribution of living things (10%) • The population of a given environment (30%) • Origins of living matter (25%) • Food production methods (20%) Stockbreeding and crop production Biotransformation • Core subjects: diversity, relatedness and unity of living things (15%) YEAR 2 The curriculum is divided into three parts: • Respiration and occupation of environments (15%) • How the human body works, and its energy needs (45%) Food digestion and what becomes of nutrients How the human body eliminates waste materials The role of blood circulation in the human body • Geology: changing landscapes (40%)
La main à la pâte – International Seminar – CIEP – 17-22 May 2010
YEAR 3 The curriculum is divided into four parts: • The inner workings of planet Earth (40%) • Sexual reproduction and the preservation of species in their natural environments (10%) • Human reproduction (25%) • Relationships within the human body (25%) Hormonal communication YEAR 4 The curriculum is divided into four parts: • The diversity and unity of human beings (30%) • Evolution and the history of planet Earth (20%) • Risk of infection and protecting the human body (25%) • Human responsibility for health and the environment (25%)
TECHNOLOGY 1. Analysing how a technical object works 2. The materials used 3. The forms of energy used 4. Developments in technical objects 5. Communication and information management 6. Technical object development processes
La main à la pâte – International Seminar – CIEP – 17-22 May 2010
