Natural science (NAT01‑05)
Basic skills

Oral skills in natural science refers to the ability to take part in subject-related conversations and to share and develop knowledge with natural-science content based on observations, experiences and information from the field. Oral skills also refers to using natural-science terminology and concepts to describe, demonstrate understanding, present knowledge, develop questions, argue, explain, reflect and give grounds for one’s own attitudes and decisions. The development of oral skills in the natural-science subject progresses from listening and talking about experiences and observations to presenting and discussing increasingly complex interconnections in the subject and the ability to use increasingly precise natural-science terminology.

Writing in natural science refers to formulating questions and hypotheses and writing natural-science explanations based on evidence and sources. It also refers to describing observations and experiences, as well as formulating and arguing in favour of points of view. The development of writing skills in natural science progresses from using drawings and text to gradually using more precise natural-science terminology, including figures and symbols. This refers to the ability to write increasingly complex texts and to use different types of text which build on a critical and varied use of sources adapted to the purpose and receiver.

Reading in natural science refers to the ability to understand natural-science concepts, symbols, figures and arguments by working with natural-science texts. Reading in natural science also refers to exploring, identifying, interpreting and using information from different types of texts and to critically assess how natural-science information is presented and used in argumentation. The development of reading skills in natural science progresses from finding and using information in texts to understanding texts with increasingly more subject-relevant terminology, symbols, figures, tables and implicit information.

Numeracy in natural science refers to the ability to collect, adapt and present relevant statistics. Numeracy in natural science also means using concepts and choosing suitable measuring instruments, measuring units and formulas to solve natural-science problems. Numeracy in natural science also refers to the ability to compare, assess and argue whether calculations, results and presentations are valid or not. The development of numeracy in natural science progresses from using simple methods for counting, sorting and classifying to the ability to assess the choice of methods, concepts, formulas and measuring instruments. The pupils also develop numeracy skills by creating increasingly advanced presentations and using calculations in subject-related argumentation.

Digital skills in natural science refers to using digital tools to explore, register, calculate, visualise, program, model, document and publish data from experiments, fieldwork and studies by others. Digital skills also refers to using search engines, mastering search strategies, critically assessing sources and selecting relevant information on natural-science topics. The development of digital skills in natural science progresses from the ability to use simple digital tools to demonstrating increasing independence and judgement in the choice and use of digital sources. For pupils in Years 1 to 4, the use of digital devices should be especially cautious, and should not dominate teaching.