ByME Natural Science 4
(Comunidad de Madrid)
SyllabusNatural Science
Primary stage: Year 4
INDEX [1] / Page1. Introduction / 3
2. Methodology / 5
3. Contribution to the development of key competences / 6
4. General Objectives of the stage / 7
5. Course contents andLearning outcomes / 8
6. Values and Attitudes / 11
7. Mixed-ability activities / 12
8. Fostering reading / 13
9. Language Structures / 14
10. Cooperative Learning / 18
11. Assessment Rubrics / 24
12. Assessment in our Educational Project / 32
13. Assessment of the Teaching-Learning process / 35
14. Specific methodology in ByME Natural Science 4 CAM / 37
15. Materials ofByME Natural Science 4 CAM / 45
16. Measures for students with special needs / 55
17. Use of information and communication technology / 56
18. Teaching and organisational resources / 58
19. Supplementary activities / 62
20. Didactic Units / 63
1. INTRODUCTION
ByME Natural Science was developed according to the guidelines stated in the following documents:
Decreto 89/2014, de 24 de julio, por el que se establece para la Comunidad de Madrid el Currículo de la Educación Primaria
The General Principles of this stage are the following:
The aim of the Primary Education is to help students learn the principles of oral expression and comprehension, reading, writing, calculation, the acquisition of basic notions of culture, and the habit of coexistence as well as the study and work habits, the artistic sense, creativity and affectivity, in order to ensure an integral formation that contributes to the full development of the students' personality, and to prepare them effectively for Compulsory Secondary Education.
The educational action in this stage will try to integrate the different learning experiences of the students and it will also be adapted to the students' different working paces.
Primary Education is divided into six academic years, which will ordinarily be taught between six and twelve years old, and it is organized in areas, which will have a holistic and integrative approach.
According to the LOMCE, the curriculum is integrated by the objectives of each educational stage; the competences, or skills needed to activate and put into practise the relevant contents of the stage in an integrated way, so as to achieve the realisation of the activities and the effective resolution of complex problems; the contents, or a set of knowledge, abilities, skills, and attitudes which contribute to the achievement of the objectives for each educational stage and the acquisition of the relevant competences; the teaching methodology, ranging from the description of the teaching practices to the organisation of teacher's work; measurable learning outcomes; and the evaluation criteria to assess the level of acquisition of the competences and the achievement of the objectives of each educational stage.
a) Curriculum: regulation of the elements determining the teaching and learning process for each educational stage.
b) Objectives: references to the achievements that the student must attain at the end of the educational process, as a result of the teaching and learning experiences intentionally planned for this purpose.
c) Competences: abilities to apply the relevant contents of each educational stage in an integrated way, in order to achieve the correct realisation of the activities and the effective resolution of complex problems.
d) Contents: set of knowledge, abilities, skills, and attitudes which contribute to the achievement of the objectives for each educational stage and the acquisition of the relevant competences. The contents are organised into subjects, which are classified into areas, fields and modules, depending on the educational stage, or the programmes students take part in.
e) Measurable Learning outcomes: specifications of the evaluation criteria which allow to define the learning results, and specify what the student must know, understand and know how to do, in each area; these standards must be observable, measurable, and assessable and must allow the graduation of the students' achievements. The standards must be designed in order to contribute and facilitate the use of standardized and comparable tests.
f) Evaluation criteria: specific references used to assess the students' learning process. They describe whatever it is that must be valued and that students must achieve, both in terms of knowledge and in competences; they respond to what is aimed to achieve in each area.
g) Teaching methodology: set of strategies, procedures and actions planned and organized by the teachers, consciously and reflexively, in order to promote the students' learning process and their achievements.
2. METHODOLOGY
The study of the contents of the area of Natural Science has as its objective the understanding and description both of the world of nature itself and of the man-made world.
The contemplation of a natural phenomenon inevitably triggers questions. Getting the child used to observing and searching for answers is the best system for introducing him/her to the study of science.
The teaching and learning of the sciences provide the student with the opportunity to become familiar with and put into practice the values and behaviour which form the basis of scientific work: observation, analysis, critique, contrast, thought, perseverance, as well as the asking of questions, the creation of hypotheses, the interpretation of data and experimentation.
Furthermore, the knowledge of nature will lead the students to respect it. They will learn to become responsible for the conservation of the environment, the care of living creatures and for their health.
As an area of the block of common-core subjects, the contents, evaluation criteria and learning outcomes for the entire stage are those proposed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport in the Royal Decree 126/2014 of February 28, which establishes the basic curriculum for Primary Education. The Community of Madrid has complemented and given definition to the contents, distributing them, along with the learning outcomes, on a course-by-course basis.
The contents are distributed in a common block which deals with work strategies and study techniques which are applicable to all the courses for this stage and three other blocks, which are repeated in each of the courses.
In the block “The human being and health” the contents related with the anatomy and physiology of the human body is essentially included. The contents of the block “The Living Beings” present the student with the world of plants and animals. The third block, “Material and Energy. Technology, objects and machines” has as its objective the approximation of the students, in an experimental and simple manner, to the study of Physics.
It is essential that the teaching of the contents in this area is done in a very practical manner, using posters, videos, photographs and all those tools that technologies can offer the teacher.
It is recommended to use texts about the life of great scientists and discoverers or about the history of inventions which have transformed the life of man. These readings will enrich the knowledge of the students and at the same time will arouse their interest in expanding their knowledge.
3. CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF KEY COMPETENCES
In line with the Recommendation 2006/962/EC, of the European Parliament and Council of 18 December 2006, on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, this Royal Decree is based on the empowerment of learning through competences, integrated into curricular elements to promote a renewal in educational practice and teaching and learning process. The proposal on new approaches in learning and evaluation, which will involve a significant change about tasks students must solve as well as innovative methodological approaches. The competence supposes a combination of practical skills, knowledge, motivation, ethical values, attitudes, emotions, and other social and behavioural components that are mobilized jointly to achieve an effective action.
The competences are contextualized as a "know-how" that is applied to a variety of academic, social and professional contests.
The denomination of "key competences" defined by the European Union is adopted. It is considered that "key competences" are those which every person requires to his or her self realization and personal fulfilment, as well as to active citizenship, social inclusion and employment. The teacher role is essential since he or she must be able to design tasks on learning circumstances that make possible problem solving, implementation of learned knowledge, and promotion of student's activity.
The Key Competences of the curriculum are as follows:
1. Competence in linguistic communication. (CLC)
2. Competence in mathematics, science and technology. (CMST)
3. Digital competence. (DC)
4. Learning to learn. (L2L)
5. Social and civic competences. (SCC)
6. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship. (SIE)
7. Cultural awareness and expression. (CAE)
4. GENERAL OBJETIVES OF THE STAGE
Primary education will contribute to the children’s development of the skills that will enable them to:
a)Understand and appreciate the values and standards of living, learn to act in accordance with them, prepare for active citizenship and respect for human rights and pluralism inherent in a democratic society.
b)Develop individual and team work, effort and responsibility in the study as well as attitudes of self-confidence, critical sense, personal initiative, curiosity, creativity and interest in learning, and entrepreneurship.
c)Acquire skills for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflict, enabling them to function independently in the family and household, as well as in social groups with which they are associated.
d)Know, understand and respect different cultures and differences between people, equal rights and opportunities for men and women and non-discrimination of people with disabilities.
e)Know and use appropriately the Spanish language and develop reading habits.
f)Acquire, in at least one foreign language, skills to enable them to express and understand simple messages and function in everyday situations.
g)Develop basic Maths skills and initiative in solving problems that require elementary operations of calculation, geometry and estimates, as well as being able to apply to situations in everyday life.
h)Know the main features of Natural Science, Social Science, Geography, History and Culture.
i)Start using, for learning, the information technology and communication to develop a critical mind to the messages they receive and produce.
j)Use representation and artistic expression and start to build visual and audio-visual proposals.
k)Rate hygiene and health, accept their body and that of others, respecting differences and using physical education and sport to encourage both personal and social development.
l)Know and appreciate those animals closest to us and adopt forms of behaviour that contribute to their preservation and care.
m)Develop emotional skills in all areas of personality and in their relationships with others and an attitude opposed to violence, prejudice of any kind and sexist stereotypes.
n)Promote road safety education and respectful attitudes that affect the prevention of accidents.
5. COURSE CONTENTS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
FOURTH YEAR
The human being and health
The circulatory system.
1. Identifies the principal characteristics of the circulatory system.
2. Explains the functions of the heart, the veins and the arteries.
The respiratory system.
3. Identifies the principal characteristics of the respiratory system.
4. Explains the functions of the lungs, the bronchi and the trachea.
The reproductive system.
5. Identifies the principal characteristics of the reproductive system in man and woman.
6. Explains in a general way fertilization, embryonic development and birth.
Health and illness.
7. Is familiar with some illnesses which affect the systems of the human organism studied.
8. Identifies and assesses healthy habits for the prevention of the aforementioned illnesses.
9. Recognizes the damaging effects of the consumption of alcohol and drugs.
Living beings
Vertebrate animals.
10. Explains feeding, respiration and reproduction in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.
Invertebrate animals. Classification.
11. Identifies, observes and explains the characteristics of the different group of invertebrate animals.
Plants.
12. Explains nutrition and reproduction in plants.
13. Photosynthesis. Explains its importance for life on Earth.
Material and energy. Technology, objects and machines
Study and classification of some materials.
14. Observes, identifies, describes and classifies some materials by their properties (hardness, solubility, state of aggregation and thermal conductivity).
The weight of a body.
15. Uses different procedures in order to measure the weight of a body.
Flotation of bodies in a liquid medium.
16. Identifies and explains the principal characteristics of flotability in a liquid medium.
Changes of movement in bodies due to forces.
17. Performs simple experiences which permit the forecast of changes in the movement, form or state of bodies occasioned by forces.
Machines which facilitate the life of man. Important inventions and discoveries.
18. Observes and explores the utility of the lever, pulley and inclined plane.
19. Identifies some inventions of Archimedes.
20. Identifies Isaac Newton as the discoverer of gravity.
Common content for the whole stage
Initiation in scientific activity. Use of diverse sources of information.
1. Searches for, selects and organizes concrete and relevant information, analyzes it, obtains conclusions, communicates his/her experience, reflects on the process followed and communicates it orally and in written form.
2. Consults and uses written documents, images and graphs.
3. Develops suitable strategies for accessing texts of scientific character.
Study and work techniques. Development of work habits. Effort and responsibility.
4. Demonstrates autonomy in the planning and execution of actions and tasks and has initiative in the taking of decisions.
5. Utilizes, in a suitable manner, the appropriate vocabulary for each block of contents.
6. States orally, clearly and in an ordered sequence, contents related with the area, demonstrating the comprehension of oral and/or written texts.
Utilization of information and communication technologies for searching for and selecting information, simulating processes and presenting conclusions.
7. Makes autonomous use of word processing (page adjustment, insertion of illustrations or notes, etcetera).
8. Makes use of TICs as a leisure resource.
9. Knows and uses the protective measures which must be employed when using TICs.
Planning and implementation of projects and presentation of reports.
10. Performs simple experiences and small researches: posing problems, enunciating hypothesis, selecting the necessary material, implementing, deducing conclusions and communicating the results.
11. Carries out a project, working individually or as part of a team, and presents a report, using a paper and/or digital format, collecting information from different sources (direct, books and Internet) using different media and communicating the completed experience orally using images and written texts as a basis.
12. Presents works in an ordered manner on a paper and digital support individually and as part of a team.
6. VALUES AND ATTITUDES
Education in values corresponds to the needs of society in which we live. Therefore, it is not considered as another working area, but as an axis that goes over all curricular areas and must be present in the whole educational process.
At this stage, school education aims to develop student'scapacities that are considered as essential to become citizens with full rights and duties in the society they live in. This objective does not end in intellectual knowledge integrated into different areas, but it aims to a complete personal development, that is to say, it tries to attend their affective capacities, motor skills, interpersonal relations and social inclusion and performance.With this transversality, students are exposed to values concerned on today's world, bringing students into contact with them, sensitizing and involving them into important issues such as nature defence, world peace, equal opportunities without discrimination by sex, race, etc.
The work on values is included in different units of the project and it aims to that purpose. Its application requires a special approach according to every unit, specially taking into account the kind of contents and activities. Moreover, every area is worked through many different elements.The ultimate objective of working on values in school curriculum, and therefore in our project, is the integral education of the students, which includes from their cognitive development to their integration within changing culture of society they live in, as well as the values of solidarity, cooperation and participation. Considering this purpose, learning methodology on these units can´t come from something apart from students, but it must be based on:
Previous knowledge and experiences.
Relationship between equals.
Cooperation and participation in the classroom and its environment.
Interpolation between units and contents.
Working methods to provide, on one hand direct contact with the environment and on the other hand problem posing and solving as working procedure.
Furthermore, in Natural Science area we have dedicated a specific place for working on values:
InByME Natural Science 4there is a strong focus on ethics and values, encouraging children to engage with the world around them, appreciate its complexities and problems, and develop social responsibility.
Think about it: Pupils are introduced to values and ethics in relation to the scientific project. They are presented with situations designed to encourage reasoning and an engagement with their immediate surroundings, in order to develop their independence and the beginnings of social and personal responsibility. There are also further ideas for projects and class presentations.
7. MIXED-ABILITY ACTIVITIES
1. The educational intervention on this stage must facilitate the learning of those students than require a special educational provision different from the ordinary as it offers special educational needs linked to physical or psychological disabilities, specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, among them), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), high intellectual capacities, late entry into educational system or personal conditions or school transcript.
Departments of the Autonomous Communities with competences in education are responsible for taking the necessary steps to identify those students with special learning difficulties and to assess their needs at an early stage.