Book excerpt: This book describes a comparative study of the primary science learning objectives (from the cognitive domain) in the curriculum of six high-achieving East Asian states — mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Singapore. Specifically, the authors use one of the most widely accepted and useful tools in curriculum research — revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. This is the first time that such findings from all six states have been published in one place and the results are valuable for policymakers, educators and researchers around the globe. Our new English translations of the primary science learning objectives in China, Taiwan and Korea will also greatly facilitate future analyses of these curricula.