Australian Curriculum • Year 4 • Science
Year 4 Science Curriculum Australia: What Students Learn and How to Practise
Year 4 Science asks students to describe relationships more precisely and support explanations with recorded evidence. Biological features, materials, Earth and space patterns, forces and investigation skills become more structured.
From observations to patterns
Students should begin grouping observations and identifying relationships rather than treating each fact separately. Tables, labelled diagrams and simple measurements can reveal patterns that are difficult to see in a paragraph alone.
Use the curriculum unit as the anchor
Open the Year 4 Science curriculum units before choosing practice. Each SkillrHub unit links the explanation, teaching slide, worksheet, online Practice and Test. If a learner struggles, the matching topic guide gives them a direct place to review the concept.
Improve investigation thinking
Ask students what should be changed, what should be observed or measured, and what should stay the same where appropriate. They should record results clearly and use those results when explaining whether a prediction was supported.
Use science worksheets for reasoning
Strong science practice includes classification, prediction, interpretation and explanation—not only vocabulary recall. A worksheet should help students organise evidence and communicate ideas; online questions can then check whether they recognise the same concept in a different example.
Start with Year 4 Science
Browse Year 4 Science Curriculum Units
See all Year 4 subjects or browse the worksheet library.
Australian Curriculum v9
Year 4 Science curriculum codes at a glance
This guide is linked to the exact Australian Curriculum v9 content descriptions used by SkillrHub. There are 12 Year 4 Science curriculum codes in this subject. Use the code list below to move from the broad year-level overview to the exact skill a student is learning.
Biological sciences
AC9S4U01 — Explain the roles and interactions of consumers, producers and decomposers...
explain the roles and interactions of consumers, producers and decomposers within a habitat and how food chains represent feeding relationships.
Earth and space sciences
AC9S4U02 — Sources of water and describe key processes in the water...
identify sources of water and describe key processes in the water cycle, including movement of water through the sky, landscape and ocean; precipitation; evaporation; and condensation.
Physical sciences
AC9S4U03 — How forces can be exerted by one object on another...
identify how forces can be exerted by one object on another and investigate the effect of frictional, gravitational and magnetic forces on the motion of objects.
Chemical sciences
AC9S4U04 — Examine the properties of natural and made materials including fibres...
examine the properties of natural and made materials including fibres, metals, glass and plastics and consider how these properties influence their use.
Nature and development of science
AC9S4H01 — Examine how people use data to develop scientific explanations
examine how people use data to develop scientific explanations.
Use and influence of science
AC9S4H02 — Consider how people use scientific explanations to meet a need...
consider how people use scientific explanations to meet a need or solve a problem.
Questioning and predicting
AC9S4I01 — Questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions...
pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations.
Planning and conducting
AC9S4I02 — Provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions...
use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment.
AC9S4I03 — Follow procedures to make and record observations, including making formal...
follow procedures to make and record observations, including making formal measurements using familiar scaled instruments and using digital tools as appropriate.
Processing, modelling and analysing
AC9S4I04 — Construct and use representations, including tables, simple column graphs and...
construct and use representations, including tables, simple column graphs and visual or physical models, to organise data and information, show simple relationships and identify patterns.
Evaluating
AC9S4I05 — Findings with those of others, consider if investigations were fair...
compare findings with those of others, consider if investigations were fair, identify questions for further investigation and draw conclusions.
Communicating
AC9S4I06 — And create texts to communicate findings and ideas for identified...
write and create texts to communicate findings and ideas for identified purposes and audiences, using scientific vocabulary and digital tools as appropriate.
Curriculum descriptions are reproduced from the curriculum data used to organise SkillrHub resources. The Australian Curriculum remains the authority for official wording and scope.
Free-first learning
Try the free resources first
Before committing to another monthly or yearly learning subscription, use the free curriculum-linked resources available for the student’s current topic. Start with the Topic Guide, use Practice, review mistakes and then take the separate Test.
A larger paid question bank or learning program can be useful, but paying for more volume does not guarantee that a student will use it consistently. If the learner is already working through the free resources and still needs extra tutoring, marking, adaptive practice, reporting or more question volume, compare paid options for that specific need.
Free-first check: establish a consistent Learn → Practice → Test routine before deciding whether an additional paid service offers something the learner will genuinely use.