Science

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STEM

At Long Toft Primary school, our Science curriculum looks like this: 

Intent

At Long Toft, it is our intention in Science to encourage a lifelong interest in the sciences. Within this, we intend for children to use every opportunity to learn through varied systematic investigations. This allows them to lead a life of questioning and encourage them to find answers to scientific questions around the world around them. Throughout school, the children will build upon their skills to work scientifically as well as their knowledge, allowing them to become more independent in carrying out their own fair and comparative experiments to answers a variety of scientific questions. Ensuring that children have access to investigative science throughout school encourages them to think scientifically about the world and using open questioning helps to foster their curiosity about the world. Allowing children to investigate their own scientific questions encourages them to problem solve and this instils confidence that they can apply throughout the curriculum.

Aims:

• To stimulate children’s interest in science.
• To ensure that every child is given the opportunity to explore a broad and rich science curriculum.
• To promote children’s investigative thinking and their use of scientifically accurate vocabulary.
• To encourage children to explore the possibility of a future within the STEM fields.
• To develop children’s understanding of basic scientific principles about the biological and physical world.
• To encourage the critical thinking abilities of students.

In Key Stage 1 children are taught the basic understanding of most scientific principles and are first exposed to the underlying principles about the biological and physical worlds. They will begin to recognise the variables that are involved in the life cycles of living things. Children will begin to explore their physical environment using a more critical eye and begin to describe their surroundings using basic scientific vocabulary. They will begin to plan basic investigations and evaluate how they have performed each time.

In Key Stage 2 children are taught to develop their understanding of already present scientific principles. They approach theories with a more critical eye and will begin to develop their own investigations into a topic. Science will be a more student led activity in Key Stage 2 where the teacher will only serve as a guide towards a topic. Children will develop their critical thinking and begin to evaluate their investigations more carefully, beginning to suggest where else their research may lead them in the future. Students will explore a variety of topics from the forces that surround their world to the electricity that allows our modern world to function. They will begin to understand the idea of reproduction within the natural world and also the theory of evolution, using their own knowledge to explore how this theory developed. Students will explore the topic of Space with more detail and learn how our solar system (and wider universe) developed throughout time, exploring how life came to exist within our world and the variables that were needed for this to happen.

Implementation

What will this look like in the classroom?

Scientific Knowledge – Children are taught their scientific knowledge throughout the year starting with easier topics and moving onto more difficult concepts towards the end of the year. Some topics may be revisited to reinforce learning in these topics. Knowledge is supported regularly by using cross-curricular links to help broaden their understanding in STEM subjects.

Working Scientifically – During each year, children will frequently extend their skills to work scientifically. Opportunities to extend their practical skills will be frequent. Children will be taught about the most appropriate ways to record data and this will eventually lead to them making their own choice about how to record their data and present this.

Vocabulary – Vocabulary will be shared at the beginning of each topic in their topic organisers. This will be revisited each lesson and reinforced using classroom displays and colour coded vocabulary on walls.

Impact

How will this be measured?

Teachers will assess children’s learning using topic organisers and end of unit quizzes after each topic has been completed.

Pupil voice and books will show…

• An engaging science curriculum which develops their working scientifically ability.
• Photographs of children taking part in investigative science.
• That pupils develop a range of skills and knowledge across all parts of the scientific curriculum.
• Confidence in discussing their learning and experiences as a scientist.