SCIENCE Syllabus

SCIENCE MINISTRY OF EDUCATIONMALAYSIA Integrated Curriculum for Primary Schools Syllabus CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT CENTRE 2003

THE NATIONAL PHILOSOPHY Our nation, Malaysia, is dedicated to achieving a greater unity of all herpeoples; to maintaining a democratic way of life; to creating a justsociety in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; toensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions; tobuilding a progressive society which shall be oriented toward modernscience and technology; We, her peoples, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends guided by the following principles: BELIEF IN GOD LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION RULE OF LAW GOOD BEHAVIOUR AND MORALITY NATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort towards furtherdeveloping the potential of individuals in a holistic and integratedmanner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually,spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmoniousbased on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort isdesigned to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeableand competent, who possess high moral standards and who areresponsible and capable of achieving a high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the betterment of thefamily, society and the nation at large.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY In consonance with the National Education Philosophy, scienceeducation in Malaysia nurtures a Science and Technology Cultureby focusing on the development of individuals who are competitive,dynamic, robust and resilient and able to master scientificknowledge and technological competency. PREFACE Science and technology plays a crucial role in meeting Malaysia¶saspiration to become a developed nation. Therefore, the provision ofquality science education from an early age in the education process isof paramount importance. The syllabus as outlined in this document has been designed to provideopportunities for students to acquire scientific knowledge and skills.Italso seeks to inculcate noble values and love for the nation towardsdeveloping a future generation which is capable of contributing to theharmony and prosperity of the nation and its people. The curriculum aims at producing active learners.The pupils are givenample opportunities to observe, ask questions, formulate and testhypotheses, analyse, interprete data, report and evaluate findings.Throughout the investigative learning process, the pupils will beencouraged to apply science process skills, thinking skills and thinkingstrategies for thoughtful learning. The teaching of Science using English as the medium of instructionenables pupils to obtain various sources of information written inEnglish either in electronic or print forms and helps them to keepabreast of developments in science and technology.Pupils will be ableto see science and technology in a wider context and learn to relatetheir knowledge to the world beyond their school. This syllabus is the work of many individuals and experts in the field. Onbehalf of the Ministry of Education, I would like to express my deepestappreciation to those who have given their vital support and contributedin one way or another on this effort. (MAHZAN BIN BAKARSMP, AMP) Director Curriculum Development Centre Ministry of Education, Malaysia

Syllabus For Integrated Curriculum for Primary School Science 1

INTRODUCTION As articulated in the National Education Policy, education in Malaysia isan on-going effort towards further developing the potential ofindividuals in a holistic and integrated manner to produce individualswho are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balancedand harmonious. The primary and secondary schools sciencecurriculum is developed with the aim of producing such individuals. As a nation that is progressing towards a developed nation status,Malaysia needs to create a society that is scientifically oriented,progressive, knowledgeable, having a high capacity for change,forward-looking, innovative and a contributor to scientific andtechnological developments in the future. In line with this, there is aneed to produce citizens who are creative, critical, inquisitive, open-minded and competent in science and technology. The Malaysian science curriculum comprises three core sciencesubjects and four elective science subjects. The core subjects areScience at primary school level, Science at lower secondary level andScience at upper secondary level.Elective science subjects areoffered at the upper secondary level and consist of Biology, Chemistry,Physics, and Additional Science. The core science subjects for primary and lower secondary schools aredesigned to provide pupils with basic science knowledge and skills,prepare pupils to be literate in science, and enable them to continuetheir science education at the upper secondary level. Core Science atthe upper secondary level is designed to produce pupils who areliterate in science, innovative, and able to apply science knowledge indecisionmaking and problem solving in everyday life. The elective science subjects prepare pupils who are morescientifically inclined to pursue the study of science at post-secondarylevel. This group of pupils would take up careers in the field of scienceand technology and play a leading role in this field for nationaldevelopment. For every science subject, the curriculum is articulated in twodocuments: the syllabus and the curriculum specifications. Thesyllabus presents the aims, objectives and the outline of the curriculumcontent. The curriculum specifications provides the details of thecurriculum which includes the themes, learning areas, learningobjectives, suggested learning activities, the intended learningoutcomes, notes and vocabulary.


AIMS The aims of the primary schools science curriculum are to provideopportunities for pupils to learn about themselves and the environmentthrough everyday experiences and scientific investigations, to acquireknowledge and skills in science and technology and to enable pupils toapply these knowledge and skills based on scientific attitudes andnoble values to make decisions and solve problems in everyday life.The curriculum also aims to provide a strong foundation in science andtechnology to prepare pupils for the learning of science in secondaryschool.

OBJECTIVES The science curriculum for primary schools is developed with the objectives to: 1.stimulate pupils¶ curiosity and develop their interest about the world around them. 2.provide pupils with the opportunities to develop science process skills and thinking skills. 3.develop pupils¶ creativity. 4.provide pupils with basic science knowledge and concepts. 5.to provide learning opportunities for pupils to apply knowledge and skills in a a creative and critical manner for problem solving and decision-making. 6.inculcate scientific attitudes and positive values. 7.foster the appreciation on the contributions of science and technology towards national development and well-being of mankind. 8.be aware the need to love and care for the environment. CONTENT ORGANISATION The science curriculum for primary schools is organised aroundthemes.Each theme consists of various learning areas. Each learningarea has one or more learning outcomes based on the particular themeand learning area.The learning outcomes integrate the acquisition ofknowledge; the mastering of thinking skills and scientific skills; and theinculcation of scientific attitudes and noble values.


Learning activities are suggested to achieve each learning outcome.The suggested learning activities give emphasis on learning whichstimulates thinking and develops pupils mind in the process of learningscience concepts and the application of science and technology.Thisthoughtful learning occurs through various learning approaches suchas inquiry, contextual learning, constructivism, mastery learning,meaningful learning, and science, technology and society (STS). Theselearning approaches encompass methods such as experiment,discussion, simulation, project work, visit and study of the future.Theuse ofexternal classroom resources are also encouraged. The skills to select, analyse and evaluate information from varioussources are also developed through this curriculum.Sources ofinformation comprise of printed and electronic materials.In this aspecttechnology, especially information technology, is utilised as a means tooptimise the learning outcomes. Scientific Skills Mastering of scientific skills is very much required to investigate andunderstand nature, to find answers to problems and to make decisionsin a systematic manner. Scientific skills comprise of science processskills and manipulative skills.Science process skills are skills whichpromote thinking in a critical, creative, analytical and systematicmanner. The mastering of science process skills together with scientificattitudes and appropriate knowledge ensure pupils¶ ability to thinkeffectively. Science Process Skills Science process skills that need to be developed in the science curriculum are as follows: ? Observing. ? Classifiying ? Measu asurin ring and and usin using g nu numbers bers.. ? Inferring. ? Predicting. ? Communicating. ? Usin Using g spac space/ e/ttime ime rela relattions ionsh hip. ip. ? Interpreting data. ? Definin ining g ope operation ionally. ly. ? Controllin ling va variables les. ? Hypothesising. ? Experimenting.


Manipulative Skills Manipulative skills are psychomotor skills used in scientific investigations which enable pupils to: ? use and han handle dle sci scient entific ific equipm equipment ent and and subs substan tance ces s prope properly rly.. ? stor store e scie scient ntif ific ic equ equipm ipmen entt prope properl rly y and and safe safely ly.. ? clean clean scie scient ntif ific ic equ equipmen ipmentt prop proper erly ly.. ? hand handle le spec specim imen en prop proper erly ly and and car caref eful ully ly.. ? obse observ rve, e, reco record rd and and mea measu sure re accu accura rate tely. ly. Thinking Skills The teaching and learning of science provides a good opportunity todevelop students¶ thinking skills. Strategies in teaching and learningscience require the msatering of thinking skills and thinking strategieswhich will be the foundation for thoughtful learning. Thinking strategiescan be categorised into critical thinking and creative thinking skills. Scientific Attitudes and Noble Values Science learning experiences can be used as a means to inculcatepositive attitudes and noble values in pupils. The inculcation ofscientific attitudes and noble values during the teaching and learning ofscience can be done spontaneously or through planned activities. Inthis curriculum, the learning objectives for the affective domain arearticulated as specific Learning Outcomes. The specific activities toachieve the learning objectives have also beensuggested. Knowledge Contents LEVEL I (Year 1 to Year 3) The Level I curriculum contents are organised around two themes as follows: A.Learning about Living Things B.Learning about the World around Us


The following are the contents for each theme: A.Learning About Living Things The theme introduces pupils to living things and non-living things.Pupils learn about themselves, animals and plants around them. Pupilsalso learn about senses, good health, good habits and some of the lifeprocesses that humans undergo. The contents of this theme are as follows: 1. Ourselves. ? The The nam names es of diff differ eren entt par parts ts of the the bod body. y. ? The five five sens senses es and and the the part part of the the body body link linked ed with with each each sense sense.. ? Link Linkin ing g goo good d hea healt lth h wit with h goo good d hab habit its. s. ? Ther There e are are diff ifferen erentt typ types es of foo food. d. ? Linki Linking ng eati eating ng good good foo foods ds with with good good hea healt lth. h. ? We ne needfo edfood od and and wat water er to stay tay ali alive ve.. ? We need need to to eat eat diff differ eren entt kin kinds ds of of food food to to be be hea healthy. lthy. ? We gro grow w and and cha chang nge e as we gro grow w olde older. r. 2. Animals ? The The nam names of dif differe feren nt anim animal als s ? The The nam names es of diffe differe rent nt part parts s of of an animals imals.. ? Whe Where animals live. ? Wha What an anima imals need to to liv live e. ? The The dif diffe fere rent nt foo foods ds that that an animal imals s eat eat.. ? Animals grow. ? Extern ternal al feat featu ures res of anim animal als. s. ? Anim Animals als can can be group grouped ed acco accord rding ing to exter externa nall feat feature ures. s. ? Anim Animal als s can can be group roupe ed in in man many y way ways. s. 3. Plants ? The The nam names of dif differe feren nt plant lants. s. ? The The nam names es of diffe differe rent nt part parts s of of pla plant nts. s. ? Plant lants s need water ter to grow row. ? Plant lants s ne need su sunlight ight to grow row. ? Plants grow. ? Plants Plants need need the the right right amo amount unt of wate waterr for for healt healthy hy gro growt wth. h. ? Flower Flowering ing plan plants ts pro produc duce e seed seeds s whic which h gro grow w into into new new plants plants.. ? Exte Extern rna al fea featu ture res s of of pla plant nts. s. ? Plants Plants can can be be grou groupe ped d acco accord rding ing to exter external nal featu features res.. ? Plan Plants ts can can be be gro group upe ed in in man many y way ways. s.


4.Living Things and Non Living Things ? Make Make obse observa rvatio tions ns anduse anduse infor informa mation tion to group group thin things gs into living things and non-living things. B.Learning About The World Around Us The theme introduces pupils to the senses of sight, touch, smell,hearing and taste. Pupils also learn about batteries, magnet, light, soiland force. Pupils learn about properties of materials such as sink andfloat, absorption and magnetism 1.Using Our Senses ? About out diffe iffere rent nt colou lours. rs. ? About dif diffferent sh shapes. ? About diff ifferent size izes. ? Grou Groupi ping ng obj objec ects ts using using diff differ eren entt crit criter eria. ia. ? About dif diffferent so sounds. ? About dif diffferent sm smells lls. ? About dif diffferent ta tastes. ? About About differ differen entt prope propert rties ies and cond conditio itions ns of of mater material ials s thro through ugh touch. ? Usin Using g sen sens ses to iden identtify ify obj objec ects ts.. 2.Finding Out about Thing that Float and Sink ? Som Some thi thing ngs s floa floatt and and some ome thin things gs sink sink.. 3.Finding Out About light and Dark ? About lilight and dark. 4.Long or Short. ? Obse bserve rveand and com compa pare re le lengths gths.. ? Meas Measur ure e leng length th usin using g non non-s -sta tand ndar ard d too tools ls.. 5.The Magic of Batteries ? Abou Aboutt thi thing ngs s tha thatt use use batte atteri ries es.. ? How to use a battery. ? How How to make ake a com complet plete e circu ircuit it.. 6. Mixing Things ? Some Some mate materia rials ls can can disso dissolv lve e in in wate waterr and and some some cann cannot. ot. 7.Push and Pull ? Pushi Pushing ng and and pul pullin ling g can can chan change ge the the shap shape e of of obj object ects. s. ? Pushi Pushing ng or or pulli pullingc ngcan an mak make e thing things s spee speed d up, up, slow slow down down or change direction. ? Maki Making ng pre predict ictions ions and and to to tes testt the them m.


8. Magnets ? Magn Magnet ets s can can attr attrac actt or or repe repell eac each h oth other er.. ? The The nee need d to to ha handle ndle mag magne nets ts prop proper erly ly.. ? Magn Magnet ets s att attra ract ct some ome mat mater eria ials ls.. ? Magn Magnet ets s hav have e dif diffe fere rent nt stre streng ngth ths. s. ? The The diffe iffere rent nt uses uses of magne agnets ts.. 9. Electricity ? How How to mak make e a bulb bulb in in a circu circuit it brig brighte hterr or or dimm dimmer. er. ? Som Some mat mater eria ials ls cond conduc uctt elec electr tric icity ity.. ? A switc switch h is used used to com comple plete te or or brea break k a cir circu cuit it.. 10. Springs ? A spring spring will will retur return n to its orig origina inall size size and and shape shape aft after er bein being g bent, twisted, stretched or squeezed. ? Spring rings s str stre etch tch dif diffe ferrent ently. ly. ? The uses of spring ings. 11. Absorption ? Some ome mat mater eria ials ls can can abs absor orb b wat water er.. ? Some Some mate materia rials ls can abso absorb rb more more water water than than other others. s. ? The uses uses of of the the abilit ability y of mater material ials s to to abs absorb orb water water.. 12. Soil ? What What soil soil is made of. of. ? The flow flow of wate waterr throug through h differ differen entt types types of of soil. soil. ? Certa Certain in soils soils are are more more suit suitab able le for for plant plant gro growt wth. h. 13. Mixing Substances ? Differ Different ent subst substanc ances es have have diffe differen rentt prope properti rties. es. ? Some Some subs substan tances ces are unsafe unsafe and should should be hand handled led with car care. e. ? A mix mixtu ture re ofsu ofsubs bsta tanc nces es can can be be sep separ arat ated ed..


LEVEL II (Year 4 to Year 6) The Level II curriculum contents are organised around five themes as follows: A.Investigating Living Things B.Investigating Force and Energy C. Investigating Materials D.Investigating the Earth and the Universe E. Investigating Technology The following are the contents of each theme: A.Investigating Living Things The theme introduces pupils to the basic understanding about thebasic needs of living things, life processes, interactions among livingthings and how living things survive and create a balance in nature.This theme also focuses on life processes in man for pupils tounderstand themselves. It also explains why man is special comparedto other living things. The contents of this theme is as follows: 1.Living things have basic needs. ? Basic needs fo for hu humans.? Basic needs fo for an anima imals. ls.? Basic needs fo for pla plan nts. 2.Living Things undergo Life Processes ? Life Life pro proce cess sses es that that hum human ans s und under ergo go.. ? Beha Behavio viour ur that that can can dis distu turb rb life life pro proce cess sses es.. ? Life Life proc proces esse ses s that that anim nimals unde underg rgo. o. ? Life Life pro proce cess sses es that that pla plant nts s un underg dergo. o. 3. Microorganism Microorganism ? Micr Microo oorg rgan anism ism unde underg rgo o life life proc proces esse ses. s. ? Micr Microo oorg rgan anis ism m is a liv living ing thin thing g ? Micr Microo oorg rgan anism ism are are harm harmfu full but but som some are are use usefu ful. l. 4.Survival of The Species ? Anim Animals als have have speci specific fic ways ways to to ensu ensure re the the surviv survival al of of their their species. ? Plants Plants hav have e speci specific fic ways ways to to ensur ensure e the surviv survival al of the their ir spec species ies..


5.Interactions Among Living Things ? Food chain and food web. ? Compet Competiti ition on as an inter interact action ion among among livin living g thin things. gs. ? Some Some anim animals als live live in group groups s and and othe others rs live live in solita solitary. ry. ? Respo Respons nsibi ibilit lity y of hum human an being beings s to prot protec ectt endan endange gered red spec species ies.. B.Investigating Energy and Force The theme introduces the basic physical quantities through which pupils areexposedto the principles of measurement, the use of standard units and theimportance of using standard units. The theme also includes light, heat,sound, energy, movement and electricity. Pupils are introduced to force andspeed too at this level. The contents of this theme are as follows: 1. Measurement. ? Length. ? Area. ? Volume. ? Time. ? Ma ss. ? Temperature. ? Impo Import rtan ance ce of Stan tandard dard Units nits.. 2 Energy. ? Sources of energy. ? Types of energy. ? Tran Trans sform forma ation tion of energ ergy. ? Renewable en energy. ? Energy effici iciency. 3. Electricity. ? Series ries and pa parell relle el cir circ cuits its. ? Conduc nducto torr and ins insulat lator. or. ? Electr Electrica icall device devices s that that can can trans transfor form m elec electric trical al ener energy gy into into othe other r forms of energy. ? Safe Safety ty pre preca caut utio ions ns whe when n using using elec electr tric icity ity.. 4. Light. ? Lig Light tra travels in stra traigh ight lin line. e. ? Ligh ight can be be reflec lected.


5. Heat. ? Heat and temperature. ? Effect of of he heat on ma matter. 6.Force and movement. ? The effect of force. ? Frictional fo force. ? Speed. C Investigating Materials This theme aims to provide pupils the opportunities to investigatenatural materials and man-made materials. Pupils use their knowledgeabout physical properties of materials and relate them to their use. Thetheme also includes the study of the formation of clouds and rains.Acid, alkali and neutral substances are also introduced.It also enablepupils to understand how things around them rust and how food arepreserved. Finally an exposure to issues on waste disposal will createan awareness that man needs to play a responsible rolein an effort tomanage nature wisely. The contents of the theme are as follows: 1.Properties of materials. ? Prope ropert rtie ies s of mater terials ials.. ? The The use use of of mat mater eria ials ls bas based ed on on the their ir pro prop perti erties es.. ? Certai rtain n mat mate eria rials can rus rust. ? Prevention of rusting ing. 2.Acid and Alkali. ? Prop Proper ertties ies of acid acidii and and alka lkali. li. ? The effe effects cts of acid acidic, ic, alkal alkaline ine and and neut neutra rall solut solution ions s on litmus litmus paper. 3.Solid, Liquid and Gas. ? The The thr three stat tates of matte atter. r. ? Change anges s in stat tate of ma matte tter. ? W ater recycle. ? Clea Clean nline liness ss of water ater res resourc ources es.. 4. Food Preservation. ? Fung Fungii an and bac bacte terria act actio ions ns on food food.. ? Way Ways to pres reserve food.


5. Waste Management ? Effe Effect cts s of of uno unorg rgan anise ised d was waste te disp dispos osal al.. ? The The nee needs ds to redu reduce ce,, reus reuse e and and recy recyc cle. D Investigating The Earth and The Universe The theme aims to provide the understanding of the Earth, Moon, Sunand Solar System as a whole. The theme also provides understandingof the effects ofthe earth, moon and sun movements and how thesemovements can be beneficial to mankind. The contents of the theme are as follows: 1.The Solar System. ? The The con const stit itue uent nts s of of the the Sola Solarr Sys Syste tem m. ? The plane planets ts move move around around the Sun Sun in in the the Solar Solar Syste System m. ? The relat relative ive size size and and dist distanc ance e of the the Eart Earth, h, Moon Moon and Sun. Sun. ? The The pla place cem ment ent of the the Ear Earth th in the the Sola Solarr Sys Syste tem m. 2. Constellations ? The The ex exampl amples es of cons conste tell llat atio ions ns.. ? The The im import portan ance ce of cons consttellat llatio ions ns.. 3.The Movement of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun. ? The The occu occura ranc nce e of day day and night ight.. ? The phases of the moon. 4. The Eclipse ? Eclipse of th the moon ? Eclipse of the sun E. Investigating Technology The theme aims to provide an introduction to the study of thedevelopment of technology and the current technologies in agriculture,communication, transportation and construction. Pupils are given thechance to design their own working models based on the scienceconcepts they have learnt. The contents of the theme are as follows: 1. Technology ? The impor importan tance ce of the techn technolo ology gyin in eve every ryday day life. life. ? Deve Develop lopm ment ent of tec techn hnol olog ogy y in var variou ious s fie field lds. s.


? How How tec techn hnol olog ogy y can can be used used to to sol solve ve pro problem blems. ? Using Using tech techno nolo logy gy wis wisel ely y to to bene benefi fitt man mankin kind. d. 2.Strength and Stability. ? Shapes of of ob objects. ? Stre Streng ngth th and and stab stabil ility ity ofa ofa stru struct ctur ure. e. 3. Machines. ? Simple machine. ? Complex ma machines. ? Inve Invent ntio ion n of of mac machin hine e to make ake life life eas easier. ier.

SCIENCE Syllabus

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