Science
Find out more about our Science Department and Environment Education
Vision
Passionate scientific inquirers who are curious, confident and innovative learners.
Mission
To nurture curious and confident individuals who pursue Science with curiosity, clarity and care, while applying their learning meaningfully to real-world contexts.
Our Focus
We grow every Xishanite through:
• Engaging and hand-on lessons inspired by the 5E Inquiry Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate)
• Core scientific knowledge, anchored in five foundational themes: Diversity, Cycles, Systems, Interactions, and Energy
• Key values and mindsets fostered through inquiry: curiosity, resilience, responsibility, and integrity
Science at Xishan is about observing carefully, linking ideas meaningfully, and communicating with evidence and sound reasoning. This aligns with MOE’s Science Curriculum Framework, which emphasises curiosity, conceptual understanding, inquiry skills, values, and application.
Our Approach
Science learning at Xishan is active, authentic and communicative:
• Inquiry over answers: Practical investigations and real-world phenomena invite questioning and sense-making.
• Clear and confident communication: Xishanites learn to present ideas using oral presentations, diagrams, models, graphs, and writing frames grounded in evidence.
• Structured progression: Scaffolded support in the lower primary years builds towards greater independence and self-directed inquiry in the upper primary years.
In line with MOE’s 3INs (Inspire, Inquire, Innovate), our teachers act as facilitators who guide students to become lifelong learners.
Signature Experiences
• School Gardens & Aquaponics: Hands-on platforms for exploring how living things depend on one another and caring for the environment. Platforms for exploring how living things depend on one another and caring for the environment. Refurbished in 2024, building on our Xishanites’ Distinction project at the 2023 Singapore Youth Science Fair. This showcases how Xishanites can turn ideas into practical, real-world solutions.
• Learning Journeys & Workshops: Contextual learning at authentic settings such as the Singapore Zoo (P3) and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (P6), reinforcing science concepts and extending learning beyond the classroom.
•TinkerSpace (Toy Design and Making / Sony Creative Science Awards Challenges): A creative hub where Xishanites design and prototype ideas for competitions, nurturing perseverance, innovation and joy.
Stretch & Enrichment
• Science Ignite-E2K:
-For high-progress learners to develop scientific thinking, teamwork and resilience.
- Exploration extends beyond PSLE readiness, cultivating curiosity in areas such as Chemistry and Earth Science .
• Competitions:
Singapore Youth Science Festival (SYSF)
Xishan Toy-making Competition / Sony Creative Science Award (SCSA)
International Singapore Science Competition
Singapore Primary Science Olympiad
2025 Accolades
2025 - International Singapore Science Competition (19 Gold, 3 Silver)
2025 - Singapore Youth STEM Festival (Commendation Award)
2025 - Singapore Primary Science Olympiad (1 Bronze, 7 Merits)
How We Know Learning is Happening
We use age-appropriate approaches such as talk prompts, exit slips, hands-on checkpoints, and term reviews to guide us in providing timely feedback to our students on how they are progressing and ways to improve.
Our Commitment
By the end of Primary 6, every Xishanite will have the skills to OBSERVE closely, LINK ideas thoughtfully and COMMUNICATE Science with clarity and confidence. More importantly, they will have the courage to turn ideas into meaningful actions that makes a difference in our world.