WHY TEACH SCIENCE?

A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding

the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and

all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods,

processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key

foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to

recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of

excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be

encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is

occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

ACCORDING TO OFSTED

BEST TEACHING:

- was driven by determined subject leadership that put scientific enquiry at the heart

of science teaching and coupled it with substantial expertise in how pupils learn

science

- set out to sustain pupils’ natural curiosity, so that they were eager to learn the

subject content as well as develop the necessary investigative skills

- was informed by accurate and timely assessment of how well pupils were developing

their understanding of science concepts, and their skills in analysis and

interpretation so that teaching could respond to and extend pupils’ learning.

A question

Prediction/hypothesis

Plan an investigation

Obtain & present evidence

Consider evidence

Evaluate

The Investigation Process

THE PRIMARY SCIENCE CURRICULUM

Greater range of investigative activities. Working scientifically (the new name for scientific enquiry) looks fairly familiar but now has a lot more on work different types of science enquiry such as looking for naturally occurring patterns and relationships, observing something change over time and classifying as well as the good old fair test. This should help to broaden the range of investigative activities that you can do with your children and there are suggestions for some things you could do in the accompanying Notes and Guidance.

More on identifying and naming living things especially in KS1. Continuing to find out about local animals such as mini-beasts/birds/mammals but also look for information about weird and wonderful living things in other environments (sea/polar regions/rainforests).

Seasonal changes including day length in Y1. Extension of the daily weather to include a whole yearly approach to logging data.

Basic digestive system for lower KS2. This is a great one for finding out their ideas about what happens to their food in their body, researching the answers and then looking back to find out what they have learnt.

Evolution and Inheritance in upper KS2. An important scientific idea to introduce to Y6 but remember that the evidence will come from secondary sources rather than hands-on investigations. Start looking out for fossils.

Animals across the curriculum

EYFS

KS1

Lower KS2

Upper KS2

SEX EDUCATION

EARLY YEARS OBJECTIVES

Understanding the World

(The World)

30-50 months

Comments and asks questions about aspects of their familiar world such as the place where they live or the natural world.

Can talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects.

Talks about why things happen and how things work.

Developing an understanding of growth, decay and changes over time.

Shows care and concern for living things and the environment.

EARLY YEARS OBJECTIVES

Understanding the World

(The World)

40- 60 months

Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.

Early learning goal

Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.

WHAT WE COVER IN EARLY YEARS

Autumn 1 – Outdoor learning

Scavenger hunts, planting seeds, den building, treasure hunts, looking at plants and flowers

Autumn 2 - Materials

Naming materials, describing materials, materials for building, waterproof materials

Spring 1 - Space

Light and dark, night and day, how rockets work, testing rockets, gravity

WHAT WE COVER IN EARLY YEARS

Spring 2 – The body

5 senses, parts of the body, teeth and healthy eating.

Summer 1 – Living Things

Animals, insects, plants, life-cycle and how to care for living things in the environment.

Summer 2 – Forces

Push and pull, floating and sinking, magnets

HOW SCIENCE IS TAUGHT IN EARLY YEARS

Children are encouraged to explore the world around them.

Lots of different experiments take place.

They are encouraged to ask questions and find things out for themselves.

Asking why and how? Theorising, not just predicting and observing.

THE SKILLS CHILDREN LEARN FROM SCIENCE

Explore objects, materials, and events.

Raise questions.

Make careful observations.

Engage in simple investigations.

Describe (including shape, size, number), compare, sort, classify, and order.

Record observations using words, pictures, charts, and graphs.

Use a variety of simple tools to extend observations.

Identify patterns and relationships.

Develop tentative explanations and ideas.

Work collaboratively with others.

Share and discuss ideas and listen to new perspectives

LIVING THINGS

This will be covered in Summer 1.

Children will look at plants, mini-beasts, jungle animals, farm animals and pets.

KS1

Habitat

Food

Food chain

Predator

Life cycle

Lower

KS2

Prey

Growth

Consumer

Produces

Adaptation

Upper KS2 Fertiliser

Nutrients

Life processes

Key

Producer

KS1

Germ

Feed

Grow

Yeast

Lower KS2

Bacteria

Mould

Virus

Disease

Upper KS2 Microbe

Decay

Reproduce

Spore

Infection

KS1

Dissolve

Liquid

Solid

Gas

Melt

Lower KS1

Filter

Mixture

Sieve

Clear

Cloudy

Upper KS2 Condensation

Evaporation

Solution

Soluble

Lower ks2

Change

Freezing

Evaporating

Upper KS2 Condensing

Separating

Burning

Insoluble

KS1

Force

Forcemeter

Gravity

Newton

Push

Pull

Twist

Lower KS2

Float

Sink

Friction

Balanced

Force diagram

Upper KS2 Weight

Uptrust

Air resistance

Unbalanced

Mass

KS1

Image

Light

Shadow

Lower KS2

Reflection

Mirror

Opaque

Upper KS2 Luminous

Light source

Transparent

Translucent

Lower KS2

Cell

Conductor

Circuit

Motor

Crocodile clip

Upper KS2 Volts

Dimmer switch

Insulator

Component

Symbol

Science in Key Stage 1

The principal focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to

experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and

humanly constructed world around them. They should be encouraged to be curious

and ask questions about what they notice. They should be helped to develop their

understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to

answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time,

noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative

tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They should

begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and

communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the

learning about science should be done through the use of first-hand practical

experiences, but there should also be some use of appropriate secondary sources,

such as books, photographs and videos.

Biology Plants

• Identify, classify and describe their basic structure.

• Observe and describe growth and conditions for growth.

Habitats

• Look at the suitability of environments and at food chains.

Animals and humans

• Identify, classify and observe.

• Look at growth, basic needs, exercise, food and hygiene.

All living things

• Investigate differences.

Chemistry Materials

• Identify, name, describe, classify, compare properties and

changes.

• Look at the practical uses of everyday materials

Physics Light

• Look at sources and reflections.

Sound

• Look at sources.

Electricity

• Look at appliances and circuits.

Forces

• Describe basic movements.

Earth and space

• Observe seasonal changes.

Key Stage 1 Opportunities

Key Stage 1 Science Objectives

Working Scientifically Biology Chemistry Physics

To work scientifically To understand plants To investigate materials To understand movement, forces and magnets

To understand animals and humans

To understand the Earth’s movement in space

To investigate living things To investigate light and seeing

To understand evolution and inheritance

To investigate sound and hearing

To understand electrical circuits

record

contrast

Toy Car Investigation

Investigate how far a toy car

goes on different surfaces using

the ramps.

Thomas Edison invented the light bulb…how did he do it?

Children in LKS2 should…broaden their

scientific view of the world around them……..

through exploring, talking about, testing and

developing ideas .

They should ask their own questions about

what they observe and make some decisions

about which types of scientific enquiry are likely

to be the best ways of answering them.

They should draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out.

PUPILS SHOULD READ AND SPELL

SCIENTIFIC VOCABULARY CORRECTLY

AND WITH CONFIDENCE, USING THEIR

GROWING WORD READING AND

SPELLING KNOWLEDGE.

PHYSICS:

• Light and Shadow

• Electricity

• Forces (friction) and Magnets

• Sound (how sound is made/variations/pitch)

Y3 & Y4 PHYSICS VOCAB INCLUDES:

Research relevant, questions, scientific enquiry

Record, drawings, labelled diagrams, classify, keys,

tables,

Equipment, thermometer, data logger

Conclusion, predictions, construct,

Differences, similarities, secondary source,

changes, evidence,

CHEMISTRY:

• Materials and their properties

• States of Matter (solids, liquids and

gases )

• Rocks and Fossils

Y3 & Y4 CHEMISTRY VOCAB INCLUDES:

appearance properties fossils rough/smooth soils uses

water cycle grains shiny/dull

absorbent non-absorbent temperature changing state

condensation condense evaporation evaporate solid

BIOLOGY:

• Living things and their habitats

• Lifecycle of plants and animals

• Transporting water in plants

• Digestive system

• Skeleton (bones and teeth)

Y3 & Y4 BIOLOGY VOCAB INCLUDES:

nutrition vitamins minerals protein

carbohydrates

skeleton scull ribs muscles movement

push pull

contract relax producers predator prey

diet

large intestine small intestine absorbs

compacts

carnivore herbivore brush floss incisors

canines molars

oesophagus transports acid enzymes

Science in Years 5 and 6

SCIENCE IN YEAR 5 / 6

There are many different topics in the Upper Key Stage 2 Science Curriculum.

These include:

Evolution and Inheritance – fossils, adaptations of plants and animals and reproduction and evolution.

The Circulatory System / Heart – including fitness, health and ageing

Life Cycles – including reproduction and Sexual Education

Observations and classifications of plants, animals and micro-organisms

Materials – including changes of state - dissolving, seperating, filtering, evporating, reversible and irreversible changes.

Forces – including magnets

Light – including how we see.

Plus Scientific Enquiry skills running through all subjects.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN YEAR 5/6

THE DREADED SAT’S

Not all children in Year 6 will take science SATs. However, a number of schools will be required to take part in science sampling: a test administered to a selected sample of children thought to be representative of the population as a whole. (Monday 6 to Friday 17 June is the science sampling test period in which your child might sit the tests.) For those who are selected, there will be three papers:

Biology: 25 minutes, 22 marks

Chemistry: 25 minutes, 22 marks

Physics: 25 minutes, 22 marks

It sounds very intimidating, but these are ‘questions in a physics/chemistry/biology context’, for example:

Biology: ‘Describe the differences in the life cycle of an amphibian and a mammal’

Chemistry: ‘Group a list of materials according to whether they are solid, liquid or gas’

Physics: ‘Predict whether two magnets will attract or repel each other, based on where the poles are facing’.

WHAT ABOUT OUTSIDE OF LESSONS?

Wizard Week was a dedicated Science Week.

Visitors in to compliment the Science Curriculum such as ARLA and their roadshow, Dr Smith and her fuel cell car and various animals being brought into school.

Rearing chickens and seeing the process from egg to noisy hen!

Our outdoor curriculum such as Woodland schools (bug hunting, dealing with the weather, identifiying plants and trees as well as having fun)

Whole School visits such as Eureka, Manchester Science Museum.

Local walks, playing in the snow and so much more!

HOW DO WE CHALLENGE THE CHILDREN?

In many ways…

We ask pupils to develop their own investigations.

We set them research challenges.

We use non-fiction reading in English lessons to link to Science topics.

We use discussion and theory to prompt questions.

We introduce new Scientific Equipment to extend skills.

We use a ‘making it real’ approach so the topic relates to the children.

We make the Science practical and interactive.

We let children help to drive the learning.

SO WHAT NEXT?

We aim to make our Science Curriculum even more practical. We are developing our

outdoor space to include more outdoor curriculum work.

We are developing the new Curriculum topics to ensure we have equipment and

resources that ensure our teaching is outstanding.

We will be introducing more technology into our Science curriculum to encourage a

greater depth of skills.

We are sharing good practice and communicating our Science work through our blogs

and posts online.

We are promoting the importance of Science in school through display, timetabling of

Science and through the delivery of outstanding lessons.