Practical Ideas for Teaching Primary Science

by Vivian Cooke, Colin Howard

Overview

This up to date text addresses primary science teaching in light of the new primary National Curriculum and the latest Teachers’ Standards. Aimed at primary trainees and teachers, it provides creative, inspiring and practical ideas and approaches for teaching the full range of science topics. Each chapter is aligned to an area of the new National Curriculum and provides key vocabulary, details of common misconceptions and how to address them, teaching strategies and activities, cross-curricular links and health and safety points. Throughout there is a strong focus on science subject knowledge development and how to translate this into practice in the primary classroom. The book also encourages readers to reflect on their own subject knowledge of science and challenges them to critically evaluate their teaching in order to become more effective.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909682313
Publisher:	Critical Publishing
Publication date:	06/10/2014
Series:	Critical Teaching
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Vivian Cooke is a senior lecturer in primary science education at the University of Worcester. She began her teaching career as a primary school teacher with responsibility for science, design and technology and ICT. She has worked in two other higher education institutions as a senior lecturer in science on postgraduate, undergraduate and Masters’ courses as well as being course leader for early years, primary and the two-year PGCE. 

Colin Howard is a senior primary lecturer in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) at the University of Worcester. He has been involved in primary education for over 24 years of which 14 years has been as a successful head teacher in both small village and large primary school settings. He has been involved in inspecting schools for the Diocese of Hereford as a S48 SIAS Inspector. He has recently been awarded a Phd linked to his interest in the influence that school buildings have upon their stakeholders.

Colin Howard is a senior lecturer in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) at the University of Worcester supporting outstanding training for trainee teachers and their class-based mentors. He has been involved in primary education for over 30 years of which 15 years were as a successful headteacher in both small village and large primary settings. His research and school experience links to primary science, mentoring trainees, school leadership, SEND and teacher professional identity. He has written publications linked to primary science, teachers and student’s mental health and well-being, British Values, mentoring in schools and school leadership and management. 

Read an Excerpt

Practical Ideas for Teaching Primary Science

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By Vivian Cooke, Colin Howard

Critical Publishing Ltd

Copyright © 2014 Vivian Cooke and Colin Howard
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-909682-31-3

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CHAPTER 1

The nature of science teaching and working scientifically

Introduction

The Education Reform Act 1988 had a profound effect on the place of science in the primary curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as, since then, the teaching of science has been statutory and the science that is taught in primary schools is prescribed. This chapter deals with the following important aspects of science.

The nature and importance of primary science

Primary science provides children with the skills and knowledge that they need to help them understand the world around them. It helps them to make sense of the changes in our increasingly technological world and prepares them for life in the twenty-first century. Science makes children scientifically literate by enabling them to have a broad understanding of key ideas in science, as well as helping them to apply those ideas to everyday events. It gives pupils the skills to make decisions with confidence about scientific issues that affect us all and understand the implications of science now and in the future. Science can help develop children's curiosity and their sense of wonder and nurture useful attitudes such as perseverance, critical reflection, flexibility in thinking and being sensitive to other points of view. These can be applied to other aspects of their lives.

The new national curriculum (DfE, 2013) describes how science has changed our lives and is vital to the world's future prosperity, and states that all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. It also describes how science can develop a sense of excitement and curiosity in children about natural phenomena. It describes how the social and economic implications of teaching science are taught most appropriately within the wider school curriculum and how you may wish to use different contexts to maximise pupils' engagement with and motivation to study science. Science can thus effectively be applied and referred to in other curriculum areas such as geography or history, for instance when children are learning about pollution, or how ideas about scientific phenomena have changed over time.

The dual aspect of science

The outcomes of undertaking science activities in your primary classroom will result in children developing conceptual knowledge and understanding about important scientific ideas like ourselves and other living things, materials and their properties, electricity, forces or light. This will require pupils to process information, handle data and use problem-solving skills. These process skills can be defined as the methods and strategies that scientists use to find answers and explanations. They include the ability to ask questions, make predictions, hypothesise, create tests, take measurements, collect data and look for patterns and explanations. This is referred to as the dual aspect of science, where conceptual knowledge and understanding is developed through the application of process skills.

The new national curriculum (DfE, 2013) specifies working scientifically as the nature, processes and methods of science that each year group should understand. It states, however, that it should not be taught as a separate strand, but should be embedded within the other programmes of study. The notes and guidance provide examples of how scientific methods and skills might be linked to specific elements of content and advises that children's scientific questions should be answered using a range of different scientific enquiries.

FACTFILE

The AKSIS (ASE-King's Science Investigations in Schools) project identified six different forms of enquiry that can answer scientific questions:

1. Exploring, for example observing the behaviour of objects or events such as the germination of a seed.

2. Fair testing, examining the relationship between variables and changing one variable while keeping another variable the same, for example when investigating which substance dissolves best in water.

3. Pattern seeking, for instance making observations and measurements and finding patterns in data (eg do people with long legs jump higher?). The bigger the sample, the more reliable the data.

4. Classifying and identifying, for instance grouping items and objects together based on observation (eg identifying and classifying creatures found in a pond), which encourages pupils to look closely at similarities and differences.

5. Investigating models, for instance simulations of real-life situations such as what causes day and night.

6. Technological enquiry, involving the application of scientific skills, for example designing a burglar alarm where children will apply their understanding of electrical flow.

A wide range of enquiry methods thus need to be used in your primary classroom, and not just fair testing, which has perhaps previously been over-used by teachers. In the Early Years children's enquiries will have centred on exploratory, grouping and sorting activities. As children progress through the primary phase they should be exposed to the full range of different enquiries listed above.

Scientific enquiry and working scientifically

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1, the national curriculum (DfE, 2013) describes how pupils should experience and observe phenomena and look closely at the world, asking questions and being curious. It points to the need to develop scientific ideas by pupils using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their questions, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying, carrying out simple comparative tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information.

Children need to be able to use scientific language to talk about their findings and communicate their ideas in a variety of ways which may be in verbal or pictorial form, perhaps accompanied by some simple writing. It is important that your pupils learn science through first-hand practical experiences and that they manipulate objects and materials themselves, for example sorting and classifying materials into different groups.

In Years 1 and 2, the new national curriculum states that pupils should be able to:

- ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways;

- observe closely, using simple equipment;

- perform simple tests;

- identify and classify;

- use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions;

- gather and record data to help in answering questions.

(DfE, 2013, page 147)

It states that these opportunities for working scientifically should be provided across Years 1 and 2 so that the expectations in the programme of study can be met by the end of Year 2. Pupils are not expected to cover each aspect for every area of study.

Encourage your pupils to explore their surroundings and ask their own questions, for example Which would be the best coat to keep teddy dry, or why do leaves fall off some trees in the autumn? Remember to use secondary sources of information too, such as books, photographs and videos, to help pupils find the answers to some of their questions. During children's enquires, use attention-focusing questions such as Did you notice? What is happening? and encourage the children to measure and count by asking questions such as How many? or How long? Pupils need to be able to develop the skills to compare items, so ask them questions such as Is it faster? Is it heavier? Is it lighter? Encourage their problem-solving skills by asking problem-solving questions, such as How could you stop the ice cube from melting? Give children the time to respond to your questions and encourage all of your pupils to participate, perhaps by allowing a short discussion with a partner or a group before providing them with the answers. Be an effective role model by listening carefully to the pupils' responses, probe their answers and build on them and value what the children have to say. If the answer is wrong, try to give constructive feedback or encourage another pupil to help them out.

Children are more likely to engage with science if your science enquiries are set in real-life contexts which are relevant to them, for example, the outdoors. Centres of interest such as a focus table with a collection of resources can be effective in stimulating enquires and encouraging the children to come up with their own questions. Encourage pupils to use as many of their senses as safely as possible and ask them to observe similarities as well as differences as these will allow them to look for patterns and relationships. Provide a range of observational aids such as hand lenses, viewers and microscopes and give support to young pupils when measuring. Children can record their findings in the form of pictures and you can help the less able or those with special needs by being their scribe. Encourage them to talk about what they have done and explain what has happened, using simple scientific language. Taking photographs of the children undertaking their enquiry and recording this in a class book with children's comments is also an effective strategy.

Lower Key Stage 2

In lower Key Stage 2, the new national curriculum (DfE, 2013), describes how children should progress to broadening their scientific view of the world around them by exploring, talking about, testing and developing their ideas and beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. It notes how pupils should ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. It encourages pupils first to talk about and then to write about what they have found out using appropriate scientific language. In Years 3 and 4 pupils should be able to use the following practical scientific processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:

- asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them;

- setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests;

- making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers;

- gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions;

- recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables;

- reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions;

- using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions;

- identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes;

- using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

(DfE, 2013, page 155)

Provide pupils with a range of experiences to encourage them to ask their own questions and decide which type of enquiry will best answer that question. Pupils will still need help with formulating their questions. If carrying out a fair test, for example, you will need to support them during the various stages of the enquiry by questioning and prompting, by providing or suggesting the resources and measuring equipment they could use, showing them how to use these accurately using standard units and how to record their results. Give pupils the opportunity to use new equipment, such as thermometers or data loggers to measure changes in temperature. As they get older, pupils will need to decide what data to collect, what observations they will make and the equipment they will use. Pupils may have difficulty when writing about their enquiry so provide writing frames for investigations with headings which distinguish between what they did, how they recorded it, their observations and then an explanation of what happened.

Help children develop their prediction skills when carrying out comparative and fair tests. This important skill encourages pupils to think ahead and focus on the key variables and the relationship between these variables. It will also help them think about what they are going to measure and how, as well as the need to refer to their everyday experiences and scientific knowledge and understanding on which to base their prediction. A useful strategy is to group the children and ask each group to brainstorm what they already know about the topic under discussion. Then ask the children to feedback, record the ideas using the interactive whiteboard and create a concept map. Children can then refer to this bank of ideas when asked to give a reason for their prediction and thus form a hypothesis.

Pupils need to be able to record their evidence carefully and systematically during any investigation so that they can see patterns and make sense of their results. This is often best done through the use of tables which convey a great deal of information without the need for too much writing. Some children may need guidance on the format of their table and how the data should be organised. A useful thing to do is to check children's tables before they start collecting their data. Ask children to interpret tables of data using questions such as What does the first column describe? before considering patterns in data. Another useful strategy to develop children's skills in recording and interpreting data in tables is to provide them with tables of data and ask them to match different descriptions to the different parts of the table. Encourage children to use their mathematical knowledge and understanding when explaining their scientific findings.

Many children have difficulty when describing, explaining and interpreting their results. They can describe and read data presented in a table or simple graph, but are less likely to evaluate that data. They tend to describe patterns rather than explain them. Help the children with this by making a clear distinction between what is an observation and what is an explanation.

Upper Key Stage 2

In upper Key Stage 2, pupils should develop a deeper understanding of a wider range of scientific ideas. The new national curriculum (DfE, 2013) describes how this should be done through exploring and talking about their ideas, asking their own questions and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. By the top end of Key Stage 2, pupils should encounter more abstract ideas and begin to understand how the world works. It is important for your pupils to realise that scientific explanations are tentative and have changed over time, so provide them with examples, such as our ideas about the Earth and the Solar System or Darwin's evolution of species. Pupils are expected to use different types of enquiry including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying, carrying out comparative and fair tests and using a wide range of secondary sources of information. Encourage your pupils to draw conclusions based on the data they have collected and use their knowledge and understanding to explain what they have found out. During Years 5 and 6 pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programmes of study content:

- planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary;

- taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate;

- recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs;

- using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests;

- reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and a degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations;

- identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.

(DfE, 2013, page 166)

Pupils should now be able to make decisions about the observations they make and the measurements they take, and whether to repeat these measurements. Where appropriate, encourage them to repeat their measurements to obtain more accurate results. Prompt the pupils to consider how valid their data is: does it measure what it is meant to measure? If the data was collected again would it yield the same results? By the end of Key Stage 2 most of your pupils should be able to choose the equipment to make these measurements accurately and to record data using tables, bar charts, pie charts or line graphs. Pupils often find it difficult to interpret different types of graphs, especially line graphs. A useful strategy to adopt is to use the interactive white board to draw different types of lines on graphs including curved lines, or where the line may change shape or direction and ask the children to consider the relationship between the variables. Encourage the children to read off intermediate values in their graphs and even extrapolate outside the range in their graphs to help them make predictions. In your plenary, ask the children to evaluate their own graphs or comment on each other's, thinking of ways in which they could be further improved.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Practical Ideas for Teaching Primary Science by Vivian Cooke, Colin Howard. Copyright © 2014 Vivian Cooke and Colin Howard. Excerpted by permission of Critical Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

 

Introduction

1: The nature of science teaching and working scientifically

2: What makes an effective science lesson?

3 Animals and humans

4 Plants, habitats and living things

5 Evolution and inheritance

6: Everyday materials and their properties

7: Earth and space

8: Rocks

9: Light

10: Forces, motion and magnets

11: Sound

12: Static electricity and electricity