What is Science about?
Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining our natural, physical world and the wider universe. It involves generating and testing ideas, gathering evidence – including by making observations, carrying out investigations and modelling, and communicating and debating with others – in order to develop scientific knowledge, understanding, and explanations.  Scientific progress comes from logical, systematic work and from creative insight, built on a foundation of respect for evidence. Different cultures and periods of history have contributed to the development of science.
By studying science, students develop an understanding of the world and learn that science involves particular processes and ways of developing and organising knowledge and that these continue to evolve. They use their current scientific knowledge and skills for problem solving and developing further knowledge. They also make informed decisions about the communication, application, and implications of science as these relate to their own lives and cultures and to the environment.

The Five Strands of Science
The nature of science strand is the overarching, unifying strand. Through it, students learn what science is and how scientists work. They develop the skills, attitudes, and values to build a foundation for understanding the world.
The living world strand is about living things and how they interact with each other and the environment. 
The planet earth and beyond strand is about the interconnecting systems and processes of the Earth, the other parts of the solar system, and the universe beyond. Students also learn that Earth provides all the resources required to sustain life except energy from the Sun, and that, as humans, we act as guardians of these finite resources. 
The physical world strand provides explanations for a wide range of physical phenomena, including light, sound, heat, electricity, magnetism, waves, forces, and motion, united by the concept of energy, which is transformed from one form to another without loss. 
The material world strand involves the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. In their study of chemistry, students develop understandings of the composition and properties of matter, the changes it undergoes, and the energy involved.

Key Competencies and Science Capabilities
The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies important for students to develop and TKI research recognises five ‘capabilities’ especially relevant teaching the nature of science. These are integrated into the junior science programme as follows: