Templars Primary School The development of whole school science planning

Summary of Content This is a great exemplar to help subject leaders who are undertaking a science planning overhaul by giving them guidance on where to start and steps to take to improve practice and raise pupil performance.

What the school says Results in Science had been below the national average and therefore, coinciding with the arrival of a new head teacher, an overhaul of the Science curriculum was initiated in an effort to improve results. As a school we also wanted to ensure that, as far as possible, the units in Science were appropriate to the season and linked to the wider curriculum.

What we did Within phases staff worked to create a two year rolling plan where science linked with the theme, literacy and numeracy work being completed (where possible). As a whole school we developed a science planning proforma focusing on improving differentiation, pupil support and setting out clear objectives which would facilitate improved pupil progress. One way we have set about achieving this is by ensuring that science lessons are practical, hands on and involve a write up of findings.

Long Term Plans – 2 year rolling programme for Y3/4 Double click on the picture for the detailed planning.

Medium Term planning for rocks and soils Unit: SC1 Rocks and Soils Links to National Curriculum Links with Units 3C, 3F, 4C, 5B, 6A and geography. Class / Year Group: 4 Teacher: J Daniel Spring Weekly WALT Overview Introduction to unit: Through this unit children should come to recognise that underneath all surfaces is rock which they may not be able to see, that rocks get broken down into pebbles and soils which we can often see, and that there are different sorts of rock with different characteristics. Pebbles and soils from different rocks consequently have different characteristics. Experimental and investigative work focuses on: *considering whether a test is fair *measuring volumes of liquids using appropriate apparatus *making comparisons *drawing and suggesting explanations for conclusions. Work in this unit also offers opportunities for children to use their understanding of science to explain observations about rocks and soils, for children to collect evidence to test ideas, and to recognise hazards and risks. This unit takes approximately 10 hours. Week 1 WALT WALT – observe and compare rocks. Children review their knowledge of rocks and soils for teacher assessment. Children investigate the different types of rocks and learnt that there is a difference between man-made rocks and natural rocks. Week 2 WALT WALT – test the differences between rocks Children will investigate the difference between rocks by carrying out a rubbing test and a water permeability test. By carrying out these investigations the children will be able to draw conclusions as to what rocks can be used for in real life situations. APP Focus AF1 Level 1- ask questions stimulated byb the exploration of their world. Draw on everyday experiences to help answer questions. Describe rocks and soils on the basis of characteristics including appearance, texture and permeability. AF1 Level 2- make comparisons between features or components of objects, living things or events. Sort and group objects, living things and events on the basis of observations. Describe rocks and soils on the basis of their material properties including hardness, strength, flexibility and magnetic behaviour AF1 Level 3- Identify similarities, differences and changes related to ideas, processes and phenomenon. Make a fair test or comparison by changing one factor and observing or measuring the effect. Week 3 WALT WALT – understand that beneath all surfaces there is rock Children learn that underneath every surface (ground) there is rock. Children will investigate and learn that soils come from rocks and that there are varying layers of soil and rock beneath the ground. Week 4 WALT WALT – be able to recognise when a test is unfair Children will observe an experiment as to the permeability of different soil types. The children will observe an unfair test and then explain what makes the test unfair, how the test could be made fair and why it is important for tests to be fair in science. Science vocabulary In this unit children will have opportunities to use: *names of different rocks and soils eg slate, marble, chalk, granite, sand, clay *words relating to rocks and soils eg rock, stone, pebble, texture, absorbent expressions of reason using ‘because’. Texture, size, shape, particles, colour, particles, sieve, graded, volumes, absorbent, Week 5 WALT WALT – compare soil types Children carry out their fair test investigating how different soils have different properties e.g. particles

Short Term planning with annotated evaluation

Differentiated pupil work

The impact for our school was.....  teaching has improved as a result of clearer planning  there is now a clear progression in the curriculum between year groups  pupil progress has been accelerated because there is strong differentiation giving lesser able children the support they need to complete their work and more able children the challenge required to move their learning on to the next level.

Science Subject Leaders Comments Monitoring and pupil tracking pinpoint progress and attainment. If you’d like to see more, click on the pictures below. Monitoring – whole school feedback Monitoring of books and planning Monitoring individual feedback APP tracking APP tracking grid Overview of APP grids

What we will do next As a school we will ensure there is a consistent approach, through agreed practice and policy, to enable gifted and talented children to reach their full potential.