Research on primary school science practical activities based on an integrative approachA case study of the "Weather" unit in the education science press edition

Against the policy backdrop of the "addition" in science education, this study focuses on the design and implementation of practical activities in primary school science, conducting an empirical exploration through the "Weather" unit in the Education Science Press edition. The study emphasizes that integrating science practical activities with the science curriculum is essential for promoting students' integration and application of knowledge and for cultivating their core scientific competencies. To prevent practical science activities from becoming an additional burden on students, the study proposes that the core strategy lies in constructing such activities in close alignment with the national science curriculum system. Fragmented activity designs detached from the national curriculum are prone to increasing cognitive load, thereby undermining the goal of "reducing burden while enhancing effectiveness." Accordingly, this study advocates embedding an integrative, post-unit practical activity after the completion of national curriculum instruction for a specific unit. This activity is designed to systematically connect the core knowledge of the unit and to guide students in comprehensively applying, transferring, and deepening their learning in authentic or simulated contexts. This practice model, which is deeply integrated with the national curriculum, effectively avoids increasing students' learning burden while significantly enhancing their holistic understanding and application of scientific concepts. It represents an efficient pathway for deepening national curriculum learning and promoting the development of students' core scientific competencies.