Our engaging Science for Kids series employs a narrative structure to enthrall students as they explore the world around them. Our captivating narrator and stimulating visuals enrich students’ learning experiences. Our explanations of scientific terminology and concepts are carefully tailored to our young audience. As a rule, we provide simple definitions of each complex term, such as motion and algorithm. We revisit challenging ideas on a regular basis and summarise the key message at the end of each lesson. That way, students have many opportunities to grasp important ideas.
We know that engaging children is the first step towards developing their interest in Science. Over time, they will build a strong understanding of scientific concepts, which will no longer seem so foreign to them.
We want to support our viewers along this journey, so here are some tips for parents and educators when using our lessons:
1.Select the appropriate Science for Kids series based on your child’s year level at school (shown below).
We have chosen to separate our series by stage, rather than year level, as each school progresses through the topics in their own order.
Early Stage 1 = Kindergarten
Stage 1 = Year 1 and Year 2
Stage 2 = Year 3 and Year 4
Stage 3 = Year 5 and Year 6
2.Integrate our videos into your school’s science program.
Our videos cover all the content outlined in the NESA Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017). At Schooling Online, we want students to gain a foundational understanding of Science by the end of Stage 3.
In each video, the introduction outlines the core topic, and key inquiry and focus questions for that lesson. There are five core topics in primary school: Living World, Material World, Physical World, Earth and Space and Digital Technologies. We also cover the syllabus content that corresponds to each inquiry or focus question, although this is not shown on screen.
Where applicable, the relevant Australia Curriculum (AC) code is shown on screen and in the video description. Our content is catered to students across Australia, as our videos cover all the AC codes for K-6 Science. We want to ensure that your child’s understanding of science is comprehensive and fulfils national requirements.
Educators can refer to this information when integrating our videos into your yearly teaching planner at your primary school. We want to tailor our videos to your school’s distinct educational program, giving you flexibility when incorporating our videos into your lessons. Parents planning their child’s homeschooling should also refer to the syllabus information in our introductions. The possibilities are endless when our videos are at your fingertips!
3.Establish a viewing routine.
Parents and educators should show our lessons on a regular basis, allowing children to learn at a gradual pace. Sitting down and watching a video could become your child’s favourite part of the day. Children can watch the lessons in preparation for classes at school. They can also watch each video to revisit the scientific topics covered in class. We know that children don’t always grasp ideas the first time, so they can watch our videos again and again. The lessons are just one click away!
4.Use the key inquiry and focus question/s to direct children’s learning.
At Schooling Online, we want to motivate children to ask questions about the world around them. Each lesson focuses on one or more key inquiry or focus questions, based on the syllabus content for each stage. Use these questions as a point of discussion with children as they move through the video. Once the video ends, encourage children to answer each question using their own words. This will allow you to gauge their understanding of the key ideas and involve them in the process of inquiry. Ask children additional questions to develop their oral communication skills, such as:
- What did you learn from the video that we just watched?
- Did you learn anything interesting or new?
- What did the character notice about the world around him/her?
- Have you noticed anything similar at home or at school?
- Have you heard of this word before? What does it mean?
5.Use our videos to enrich children’s understanding of scientific terminology and concepts.
We know that scientific terminology and concepts can be challenging for children to learn. Luckily, our lessons support children through this tricky process. Parents and educators should pause our lessons after the explanation of a key term and ask children to define it using their own words. Take this opportunity to check your child’s understanding and correct it if necessary. We encourage you to share additional examples and explanations with children. Replay sections of the lesson that children find challenging. Make it easy for children to view videos again by saving to my lessons. We’re only a click away!