Discovering Through Conceptual Curriculum

At our school, we are committed to engaging learners in meaningful and authentic contexts that spark curiosity and build deep understanding. One of the ways we achieve this is through a conceptual curriculum. A Conceptual approach allows students to explore “big ideas” and guiding questions that connect learning across subject areas, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and real-world application.

This term, our overarching concept has been Discovery. Students across year levels have been challenged to think critically and explore their learning through different lenses:

• Prep students asked, How might we discover what materials and movement can do by exploring the challenges and solutions in fairy tales?  What do these stories teach us about characters and problem-solving?  Through hands-on play, building, and storytelling, our youngest learners have combined imagination with inquiry, testing ideas and reflecting on what makes characters resilient and resourceful.
• Year 4 students explored the question, How might we discover different perspectives of the past through stories? They examined texts, artefacts, and narratives, learning that history can be understood in multiple ways depending on whose story is told. This helped them to recognise the importance of empathy and perspective-taking in understanding our shared past.
• Year 5 students investigated, How does science help us take action in response to environmental issues?  By connecting scientific knowledge with current challenges, they explored practical ways to make a positive difference, reinforcing that discovery leads not just to knowledge, but to responsibility and action.

Across all year levels, our learners are seeing that discovery is more than just finding answers—it’s about asking thoughtful questions, making connections, and applying what they learn to the world around them.

Through this conceptual curriculum, we aim to develop not only knowledge and skills, but also curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.  Taught alongside our learning assets, teaching from a conceptual focus helps students develop the qualities that will prepare them to be thoughtful, informed, and engaged members of their community.