Woodley Primary School Science delivered in different ways

Summary of Content This school places an emphasis on children managing their own learning in Science and we have included some of the interesting ways they deliver the curriculum here. You can see from the pupil comments that this approach has enabled the children to be very analytical – a vital skill in Science.

What the school says We are continually seeking to develop open and enquiring learners who can transfer skills and attitudes across curriculum areas into the wider world. We focus on providing a variety of opportunities for children and adults to manage themselves more effectively with a developing self-awareness, enabling them to learn in teams, communicate effectively, cope with challenges effectively etc This focus on improving personal capabilities is designed to develop a range of skills and capabilities that lead to better learning not only in Science, but in all aspects of life.

Year 2 - Making from Memory – circuits Diagrams of circuits were placed around the room - some that work, and some that do not. Children went around the room and predicted, using table, which circuits will “work”. Lots of discussion ensued. In pairs, children construct circuits and test their predictions. Children describe/explain what happened.

With this activity we found..... The children were engaged and on task all the time. There was a purposeful discussion between the children where they used their knowledge to reason and make predictions. There was also use of technical vocabulary, team work and questioning. There were also opportunities to make assessments on children’s understanding and application of their subject knowledge.

Teeth and Healthy Eating This was a diamond ranking group activity in which small groups of children ranked the cards in terms of how important they considered them for preventing tooth decay This activity was really good to make the children explain to each other “why” they thought one was more important than another. It enabled the teacher to assess which children had understood the learning done on preventing tooth decay.

Linking ideas The children were given pictures of everyday objects and asked to comment on any aspect of Science they noticed. I liked this lesson because it made me think. Also, I liked linking our ideas and I think we should do it more often because it helps me remember some science I may have forgotten Children’s comments.... I thought this activity was a good way of linking a basic picture to scientific facts. I liked discussing ideas with my partner.

Reproduce a picture from memory Show the children a picture (with a Science theme) and ask them (in groups) to reproduce it from memory. This develops key observation skills which are vital in Science and means they select important features. It also encourages communication, listening, cooperation, respecting the views of others, planning and team work. The school found these documents useful... Northern Ireland Curriculum (Developing personal capabilities) Tools for thinking – personal capabilities. A Stockport document

What we will do next We plan to extend this by looking for further opportunities to include the ‘memory’ activity to support learning in a range of activities using e.g. diagrams, objects, mind maps, concept maps etc.