Each school, classroom, and student is unique. It’s essential to adapt teaching resources to meet the specific needs and contexts of the learners. By using evidence-informed teaching practices, teachers can differentiate the content, processes, products, and learning environment to support and extend every student’s learning potential.

Primary Connections sequences can be adapted in four key ways.

1. Adapt the process

At times, it can be helpful to modify the way an activity is carried out to better meet the needs of your students.

The size of student groups can be adjusted to facilitate student learning. Working in pairs can encourage quieter students to contribute more confidently, while larger groups can be useful when resources are limited, allowing students to share materials and ideas. Grouping students strategically—such as mixing different ability levels—can also help create supportive learning environments where peers learn from and assist one another.

Assigning specific roles, such as recorder, materials manager, or presenter, helps students understand their responsibilities and ensures everyone participates. Rotating these roles across lessons gives each student the opportunity to develop different skills, from leadership to teamwork. Teachers might also use structured strategies such as think–pair–share or jigsaw discussions, which encourage students to reflect individually before collaborating with peers and the wider class.

Teachers can also support learning by simplifying parts of an investigation to make the activity more accessible. Providing pre-measured materials, partially completed data tables, or graph templates helps students focus on interpreting results rather than managing complex procedures. For younger or less experienced learners, reducing the number of variables or simplifying the setup can maintain engagement while ensuring that the core scientific ideas remain the focus.

Finally, teachers may choose to add scaffolds for extra support to guide students through the learning process. Visual aids such as diagrams, flowcharts, or step-by-step investigation cards can help students follow instructions independently. Sentence starters and word banks support students in communicating their observations and conclusions, while modelled examples and checklists clarify expectations and build confidence. These scaffolds allow all students to participate meaningfully and achieve success, regardless of their individual learning needs.

2. Adapt the content

The Australian Curriculum content descriptions for Science Understanding, Science as a Human Endeavour, and Science Inquiry have been unpacked into core concepts that span all year levels from Foundation to Year 10. These core concepts provide a “big picture” view of what students are learning in science and are particularly useful when planning for multi-age or mixed-ability classrooms.

For example, the teaching sequence Light imitates art sits within the Physical Sciences strand. It links to the core concept that energy can be transferred and transformed from one form to another and is conserved within systems.

Across the curriculum, this same concept is explored through different contexts:

• Year 2: sound energy transfer
• Year 3: heat energy transfer
• Year 5: light energy transfer
• Year 6: electrical energy transfer

While the form of energy changes from year to year, the underlying idea remains consistent—energy is transferred and transformed. Recognising these core scientific concepts allows teachers to adjust the depth and complexity of a topic to suit their students’ abilities, while ensuring that all learners build a strong understanding of the fundamental ideas of science.

3. Adapt the product

This involves adjusting the expectations around the type of representations students create or how they create them. Teachers can make these adjustments for individual activities or as the final evidence of learning.

For example, in the Primary Connections teaching sequence Light imitates art, students are often asked to draw ray diagrams to show the direction in which light is traveling, how it may be changed, or when it is blocked. Rather than creating individual drawings, a student might instead draw arrows and labels on a photograph from their investigation. This approach can be particularly helpful for students who need literacy support.

An example of the product expectations from a multi-age classroom, students were tasked with designing a playground that could withstand the summer heat while still being comfortable for children to play on. The students represented their designs in various ways, with the expectations adjusted to match their year level in terms of writing ability, sentence structure, and vocabulary use. This allows for meaningful differentiation, ensuring that each student can express their learning in a way that aligns with their skills.

4. Adapt the context

Australia’s diverse landscapes and environments provide a unique opportunity for teachers to tailor resources to their local context. One effective way to do this is by adapting the Launch and Act phases of an existing teaching sequence to reflect the specific experiences, challenges, or features of the local area.

For example, instead of creating a ‘light artwork,’ students could be tasked with designing a method to use light to signal a rescue helicopter during a flood or other emergency.

While exploring key scientific concepts—such as how light travels from a torch, how a reflective mirror could be used to redirect sunlight, and opaque materials could be used to manipulate shadows for morse code. This allows students to engage in real-world problem solving within the context of an emergency scenario. This shift not only deepens understanding but also makes learning more relevant and connected to the world outside the classroom.

Discuss with your colleagues

Which type of adaptation—process, content, product, or context—do you most often use in your own teaching, and why?

What strategies have you found effective for assigning and rotating group roles to build student independence and teamwork?

When adapting content, how do you decide whether to adjust the depth or complexity of a topic?

What are some alternative ways students with varying levels of literacy, language, or fine motor skills can use to represent their learning?

What are some examples of local issues, events, or environments that could be used to adapt a resource for your setting?

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2017). In the Classroom - Differentiation. AITSL. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/improve-practice/in-the-classroom/differentiation

NSW Department of Education. (2025). Strategies for differentiation. NSW Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/teacher-quality-and-accreditation/strong-start-great-teachers/refining-practice/differentiating-learning/strategies-for-differentiation