Science

‘awe and wonder’

The Rose Report

Area of learning:

Scientific and technological understanding

Learning in this area should include an appropriate balance of focused subject teaching and well-planned opportunities to use, apply and develop knowledge and skills across the whole curriculum.

Why this area of learning is important

It offers a wealth of experiences and ideas that encourage children's natural curiosity and creativity, inspiring awe and wonder.

Different types of Scientific Enquiry.

See relevant page

Fun

Some very simple science table activities:
Static electricity - feather on a string, flea circus etc.
Heat sensitive paper
Temperature strips stuck onto different materials
Convection spirals
Air power - pencil point turbines, magnet men.
 

Safety

Learning by playing is different from ‘playing about’!

Accidents with circuits using high power or rechargeable batteries. ‘Short circuits’.

Progression from R to Y6

Gradually building towards pupils being able to
identify, plan, carry out, record, draw conclusions, suggest improvements
to their own investigations.

Subject links

examples:

The weather - people and the planet (geography).
Making observations - our senses, the body (biology).
Processing data - averages (maths).
Analysing data - graphs in excel (ICT).
Reflection of light - measuring angles, symmetry (maths).
Properties of light - shadow theatre, periscope (DT).

ICT

Dataloggers - gathering data, storing data, presenting data, analysing data. Also a great way to introduce ‘graphs’.

Temperature

Light intensity

Volume of a sound

Heart rate

D and T

Using knowledge and understanding of scientific facts and principles to help in the design and making of a product.

1. A motor is an electrical device (component) which produces motion of an axle (rotation) when electricity flows in it. The speed of a motor can be varied by using a length of wire in series with it. A motor can be reversed if the connetcions to the battery are swapped over (+ and -).

Design a range of products which use an electric motor.

2. Materials can be divided into two groups according to how they behave when incorporated into a simple electrical circuit. We call them conductors and insulators.

Design a range of switches using common materials.

3. Transparent , translucent and opaque materials.

Use your knowledge of these types of material to design a shadow theatre (additional design criteria....).

4. The air is a real material. It is a gas.

How can we prove that air is real and that it is all around us?

How can air be used to make something move and to power a vehicle?

Awe and wonder experiments

lighting up a bulb or hearing a buzzer for the first time when making circuits.

Seeing a motor spin and making a colour wheel.

Making and testing a balloon car.

Static electricity experiments.

The ‘foaming volcano’ experiment.

Observing insects under a magnifying glass.

Finding out how strong a paper tube is.

Firing a paper tube rocket.

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