Science lessons should provide children with a vehicle to develop their enquiring mind. At Janet Duke we aim to provide a science curriculum which will facilitate every child’s ability to explore the world using the skills of investigation; prediction; analysis, interruption and questioning. Most importantly, we wish to provide children with an enjoyable experience of science, so that they will develop a deep and lasting interest in this subject.
We currently teach science based on the units outlined by the 2014 National Curriculum. All topics aim to build upon working scientifically skills by allowing all children to develop their investigational abilities.
Foundation Stage children are taught Science by exploring the world around them using their senses, using an area of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum known as Knowledge and Understanding of the World. Children find out 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 to another. Children make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
Year 1 children are taught Science under the following topics: Plants, Animals including Humans, Everyday materials and Seasonal Changes.
Year 2 children are taught Science under the following topics: Plants, Animals Including Humans, Uses of every day materials and Living things and their habitats.
Year 3 children are taught Science under the following topics: Plants, animals including humans, Rocks, Light and Forces and Magnets.
Year 4 children are taught Science under the following topics: Living things and their habitats, Animals including humans, States of matter, Sound and Electricity.
Year 5 children are taught Science under the following topics: Animals including humans, Living things and their habitats, Earth and space, Forces and Properties of materials.
Year 6 children are taught Science under the following topics: Animals including humans, Evolution and Inheritance, Living things and their habitats, Light and Electricity.
Each topic is carefully planned to ensure correct pitch and challenge, taking into consideration the children’s starting points and the objectives that are outlined by the National Curriculum. This is particularly important as topics such as Animals Including Humans are repeated several times throughout the school. Although these topics do have a different focus each time they are taught, it is important to ensure that the children are building on their previous learning.
At the beginning of every topic, a unit plan is produced that details the objectives for each unit, practical work that will be completed, key vocabulary, models, diagrams and key questioning. These are working documents and are adapted as per the needs of the children. We feel that child led learning is extremely important and therefore try to follow the children’s direction wherever possible whilst still achieving our objectives. Teachers plan individual lessons using a range of different schemes of work to ensure that lessons are as engaging and exciting as possible for our children.
Whole School Experiments
Each term, the whole school carry out an experiment based on the same theme: Football in the Autumn Term, Under the Sea in the Spring term and Cars in the Summer Term. Children are asked to showcase their scientific investigational skills during these experiments as they are asked to plan some or all of the experiment themselves. The children really enjoy using their investigational skills and progress can be seen each term in this area.
All classes have a science display, where the key vocabulary for each topic is displayed for the children to use in their work. Each display aims to provide interactive activities for the children to take part in.
Every year at Janet Duke we hold a science day where we have the opportunity to take part in lots of science experiments and fun activities. We also have exciting visitors that come into school to teach us more about science. In 2015 The Science Boffins came to Janet Duke. They held an assembly and wowed us with their fun science experiments. Also, we all went to a workshop where Boffin Martin showed some of us how to make rockets and exploded lots of chemicals. It was really fun!
In 2016 Wild Science brought some of their scariest creatures into school to teach us all about animal habitats and adaptations.
In 2019 many children completed a science experiment at home based on our theme of Journeys. These budding Scientists then brought their experiment (and their responsible adult) into school to show to their friends. There were some great scientific explanations too.
Peridot Class made poo when we were learning about the digestive system. We use a demonstration to help us understand the different processes that happen when we digest food.
Foundation Stage enjoyed exploring the ice that they found in their outdoor area! They did lots of things to make the ice grow and melt.
When studying mini- beasts we often go outside to predict which bugs we might see in which environment. This gives us a chance to study them up close too.
We like to work in groups in the classroom to share our scientific ideas and challenge our thinking and understanding:
Teachers try to incorporate links to other subjects in their Science lessons. Below are pictures of shoe box habitats made by Year 4 in a cross curricular Science/ D&T lesson:
Science has continued to be taught through our remote learning platforms, zoom and purple mash. During the Spring term 2020-21, teachers adapted their lesson plans to ensure the lessons could be taught remotely but were still covering our Science Achievement Statements. Some lessons have been taught using the original unit plans however some lessons have been adapted with the use of the Oak Academy videos to enhance the remote learning offer for Science. Some practical lessons have still occurred with some children being able to plan and carry out their experiments at home, therefore becoming more independent when working scientifically.
Here are some fantastic remote learning examples.
The children in EYFS have been studying different animals and their lifecycles as part of Understanding of The World:
Year 1 have been studying their Animals including Humans topic:
Year 2 have been looking at the uses of every day materials.
Year 3 have been covering their Light topic.
Year 4 have been covering their States of Matter topic
Year 5 have been completing their forces topic at home.
Year 6 have been learning about light and how we see things: