NAC12106 : Extending the Role of the Science Subject Leader - National Science Learning Centre,

York

Aimed at experienced science subject leaders who want to explore best practice and interact with research at local, national and international levels. During three residential periods you will reflect on and enhance your leadership skills across three main areas:• teaching and learning• assessment for learning• strategic leadership and management

Essential Science Enquiry Skills at KS1, 2 & 3: How to Improve Pupil Progression While Having Fun!

ASE and the Science Learning Centre East Midlands are delighted to bring you the international acclaimed Anne Goldsworthy who will convey tried and tested strategies for improving confidence and independent learning by the explicit teaching of skills.

• Find out about a variety of fun games and activities to teach children about the skills of science.

• Get some great ideas for helping children to develop their conclusions and explanations.

• Try out some of the Science Enquiry Games for all 3 key stages like Question Quibble, Measuring Madness, Fair Test Scramble and Repeat Readings Rumble.

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding

Subject leader

training

Can you sort any of the materials into groups?

‘A plant has no leaves’

How many different reasons can you think of to explain why the plant has no leaves?

Teacher training – staff meeting

and coaching for planning

Open ended investigations

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding

All staff, including TAs, have also had

practical CPD…

The children are much more interested in science as it has been made more real life to

them. They can see a purpose and a reason for learning the science. Same as teaching it

to be honest!

In the classroom lessons focus more on teaching and assessing

AT1 skills. We are now more confident teaching science and enjoy it more. We are willing to

take more risks and try things we wouldn't have done before -

raising the ceiling on learning e.g. dissection in Y1.

Lessons are more practical and open ended in outlook.

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding

We try to be more adventurous/creative with

teaching. We are more aware of what good practise looks like. In investigations we don’t feel that we should have all the answers.

We understand more about developing the skills e.g. predicting and not having to do it all at once.

The range of skills needed when planning and teaching science has been clarified (as per your excellent training ).

We are more confident to have a go and not worry about

always having the answers. There are more investigations

rather than teacher demonstration. Impact on

teachers

Good to have the support of a specialist

when confidence is low in a particular area

Impact on pupils

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – lessons are relevant to the children and, where possible, linked to their everyday life (Principles statement 4)

FS set up a baby clinic, children bought in photos of themselves as babies and made books to show how they have changed from a baby to a child and what they can do now.

The children have enjoyed visits from people who help others, including a paramedic, a fireman, nurse and a builder, and then tried out related activities.

Looking at the technology used at home, children made telephone calls (pretend) and used a microwave to make porridge (real)

FS set up role plays, displays and learning areas to investigate real life people and events.

Collecting items from the local country park to create a seasonal display – observing changes around them during different seasons.

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understandingB2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – lessons are relevant to the children and, where possible, linked to their everyday life (Principles statement 4)

Year 5/6 - we try to link even the most abstract concepts, such as forces and evaporation, to aspects of children’s lives and their own experiences.

Year 5/6 investigate the

nutritional content of their

favourite McDonalds

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understandingB2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – lessons are relevant to the children and, where possible, linked to their everyday life (Principles statement 4)

Year 2 try to relate lessons to things that their children see or use in their every day life, e.g. materials - why they are used and how some can change. Or health and growth - what foods we eat, what babies need to survive and how exercise affects usUsing a range of everyday classroom objects,

children to consider the specific uses of the objects and why each material has been selected for this purpose.Words from yesterday on table

Walt – understand that materials have various properties that make them suitable for different uses

Make a pancake mixture in groups following the recipe, encourage children to recognise that when mixed together the ingredients form a liquid.With adult support, cook the pancakes and observe that when heated, the mixture turns from a liquid to a solid.

Ask the question: Does heating always turn something into a solid or make a solid harder? Allow children to discuss and then form predictions about what will happen to the chocolate. Melt the chocolate

Discuss the properties of the white bread slices on our tables, based on our previous learning about properties. Toast some of the bread and children to compare. What has happened to the bread? What has produced this change?

WALT - understand that some materials change when they are heated

Explain to ch that we are going to invite Miss Scott in and her baby to help us learn more about what babies need to survive and how they grow.What sorts of things would we need to ask? Do you have brothers or sisters that are babies? What do babies eat? How much can they move? What can they do for themselves?

Recap sorting activity from previous lesson. Which foods do you like? Which is your favourite? Healthy/unhealthy? Thumbs up to show. Draw tally chart on board and explain/model how to complete.  Children to work in pairs to complete tally charts and collect data about favourite foods. Plenary – a) Share graphs. Are the popular foods healthy/ unhealthy?b) When do you have special types of food? (birthday/cake etc)

WALT: describe what babies need to survive.

WALT: survey our favourite foods

Explain that we will be doing some exercise. How do you feel now before exercise? Model how to check pulse. Take class outside to do some exercise. How do you feel now? What changes have happened?

WALT: describe the effect of exercise on our bodies

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understandingB2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches - open ended activities

In Foundation Stage, learning environments are set up for children to observe and explore as they wish, with adults to support their learning or catch their observations and comments.

The more sand I pour in, the faster it goes.

When I squash it , it sticks together

When it’s full of water, it will sink

The animals will be happy and warm now in their new

house

Isobel was being ‘Mummy Bear’ with

the porridge

He’s 100.

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understandingB2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – open ended activities

Year 5/6 try to ensure that several open-ended activities are included in each topic, either in the oral/starter…

…or the independent tasks

…or by using questioning

Use hand lenses and gloves to investigate the surface of the nettles, thistles and roses. What can you see? How do these plants try to avoid being eaten by animals? Can you name any other plants that use this technique? Which animals will this protect them from? Which animals won’t it protect them from? How else can flowers avoid being eaten? (Clue – Digitalis, Poison Ivy)

(Research)

(Observation/sorting and classifying)

(Problem-solving/making things)

Open-ended activities get rid of the notion of a ‘right answer’, encourage children to think for themselves and are perfect for ensuring more able learners are challenged while allowing less able children to work at their own level.

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understandingB2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches - open ended activities

Year 2 use open-ended activities to probe their children’s understanding and challenge their more able.(Sorting and classifying)

(Problem-solving)

(Making things/observation)

B1: The science subject leader has delivered CPD to some other teachers.

Along with our scientist-in-residence, I have led two training sessions for other schools - both received excellent feedback.

Hi Many thanks for today, we felt very welcome and everybody is fired up and very positive about moving science on at Kingsley - hopefully that's in your feedback too. You did deliver on excitement and Sc 1 but also Maths, S&L etc.

I will be asking staff to show evidence of just one thing from the training that impacts on teaching and learning in Jan/Feb.

Thanks again , Elaine

Bridgewater

Primary –

24 teachers

Great session-

good thinking

skills.

Practical ideas,

hands on approach

– very useful

Good to be refreshed

with science ideas

Kingsley Primary – 15 teachers

Lots of different practical

ideas.

A very ‘buzzy’ science session

Enjoyed the WOW factor which can be achieved with

simple techniques and

resources

A lot of practical ideas that could be

transferred to other subject

areas.Lines of

enquiry are a great way to develop

thinking skills

FS creating ‘houses’ for

animals

FS in the ‘baby clinic’

Years 5 and 6 make burglar alarms

Making model teeth

in Yr 4

Years 5 and 6’s ‘Choc

cycle’

Year 2 water proof-test

their castle

Year 2 use different forces on

clay

B1: Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science including training and support that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – hands on opportunities (Principles statement 3)

Years 3s investigate

different mat materials

Year 3 try out the actions of

different shaped ‘teeth’

Hands-on experiences mean enjoyment, increased confidence and independence and enhanced enquiry skills.

B2: There is a range of teaching and learning approaches – outside opportunities (Principles statement 8)

Year 5 beast hunt at the

country park.

FS Pond-dipping in

our wildlife area

FS Welly Walk – spotting seasonal changes

Year 3/4 – Walk round Irchester Country Park for rocks and soils.

Walk around school grounds

to find living and non-living things – Yr 2

Our temporary

chicken run

What lives where? What are the conditions of its habitat?

What lives in the pond?

Do brown chickens lay brown eggs and white chickens lay white eggs?

Yr 2 – Natural/

man-made materials

Sports sciences

What is the effect of exercise on our bodies?

Most resources are arranged alphabetically in clearly labelled drawers and boxes for ease of location and transport to classes…

B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science.

…however there’s no drawer big enough for the wildlife area!

Specialist equipment is kept in the lab.

Specialist equipment, e.g. bunsen burner, water bath, electronic scales and magnetic stirrer, is kept in the lab.

B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science - appropriate resources are available and used effectively to enhance learning and engage children (Principle statement 6) We encourage visitors to bring us resources and equipment in

order to expand our experiences as much as possible…

Our ‘tame’ Jencons Area Manager has brought in microscopes, pipettes , dry ice and lots more!

A parent brought in the photographic equipment for ‘light graffiti’

Our Wrenn colleague brought in chickens for a short project.

A lecturer from the University of Northampton brought in rocks and lenses

Texas Instruments brought in 7 TI-Nspire Handheld loggers and a range of sensors including a CO2 sensor, O2 sensor, pulse monitor and pressure monitor.

An NHS manager brought in blood pressure equipment and x-rays

Channel 4 crew brought in film and sound recording equipment

…and another brought robots.

B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science - appropriate resources are available and used effectively to enhance learning and engage children (Principle statement 6)

Year 1 all got to see and feel a real heart as part of their topic on the body

Year 2 all got to investigate the life cycle of a range of animals, e.g. ladybirds, as part of their topic on living and growing.

Year 5/6 all got to investigate the effect of alcohol on beetroot cells as part of their Healthy Eating topic.

Year 4 all got to investigate the components of blood as part of Black History Month – Charles Drew.

All year 3 got to try chromatography

…to name but a few!!!

Foundation all got to explore shadows

Our best resource is our lab and scientist-in-residence: every child gets regular opportunities to work in the lab, every child gets opportunities to work with specialist equipment and investigate things they couldn’t otherwise. So far, this year…

Oral/mental – Can chn make a sign or draw a calligram to represent gas. Main – Remind the chn of models of solids, liquids and gases investigated during work on steam engine. Ask for volunteers to demonstrate the difference between solids, liquids and gases at a molecular level.   How/why do they move? Watch clip...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTzH4MXgUU&feature=relatedAdd excitement to children, they have a spurt of energy and move around more! Adding heat to molecules gives them energy too and they move round more.When heat is applied to a substance, energy is given to the molecules which cause them to move. The more heat, the more energy, the more movement. Solids keep their shape as they have the least energy and movement. Add enough heat and they melt and take the shape of their container as they have more energy, more movement and bonds are broken. Gases fill their container as they have even more energy, more movement, most bonds are broken.  Plenary –Chn to improve/update their model of solids, liquids and gases. Have they ensured bonds and bonds breaking are apparent? Can we tell the difference between gas at a low temperature and gas at a high temperature? A demo for Jennifer? http://sciencenetlinks.com/student-teacher-sheets/balloon-and-bottle/  Chinese lantern? 

Introduce task-chn to be detectives – What happens when gas is heated? Run through the instructions and questions for each activity.  Children to move round circus of activities. 1. Egg on a bottle

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/EggInBottle.htm  

2. Plastic bottle with hot and cold water http://sciencesquad.questacon.edu.au/activities/cool_crush.html 

3. Balloon morphing- http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/outreach/8thgradesol/GrowingBalloonsFrm.htm  

4. Paper snake – http://www.jamboree.freedom-in-education.co.uk/w's%20craft%20corner/paper_snake.htm Cut out a paper snake and thread it with cotton. Hold it above a table. What do you see? Hold it above a radiator. What happens? Why? Can you explain what is causing the movement?

 5. Boil a kettle – whilst the water is relatively warm it gently

bubbles and steam curls out of the spout. What happens to the water and steam as it gets hotter? (The hotter the temperature, the faster the movement of the steam)

 6. Candle in jar – see doc Differentiated by questions. Differentiated questions for activities should be based on:What can you see?Can you describe it using the correct scientific terms?Can you explain why this is happening?

WALT: obtain data by making careful observations and measurements SC: I can make careful observations I can also take accurate readings using a thermometer I can even make informed predictions based on scientific knowledge

Oral/Starter – Loop cards Main – In pairs, look at a thermometer – discuss unit of measure (degrees Celsius) and scale/value of intervals, and make sure everyone can read the room temperature correctly by asking them to write it on a whiteboard. Using a kettle and thermometer, begin to boil cold water, taking readings every three minutes. (Ask volunteer to record readings on graph on interactive whiteboard) After the first three readings, ask children to predict the next readings on whiteboards. Continue to do this until water is boiling – At what temperature did the water boil? Keep the kettle boiling and ask chn to predict what the temperature will be after it has boiled for three minutes, six minutes, etc, Continue until chn realise that the temperature will not exceed 100 degrees Celsius. Plenary – Share findings. What would have happened if the room was ten degrees hotter? What is the boiling point of water? What is the freezing point of water? Celcius actually created his scale based on the boiling and freezing temperatures of water. Is the boiling/freezing point of all liquids the same? No – could set chn a home task to find boiling/freezing points for other liquids.

In mixed ability groups, chn to investigate the temperature change of crushed ice and room temperature over the course of the afternoon. (May have to take a final reading the next morning too) In between readings, chn can make long term predictions in their books: What will happen to the ice? Why? What will happen to the temperature of the ice? Why? How quickly will this occur? Why? ...and also create a line graph to plot both sets of readings. (Lower maths set Year 5 may need some support with this)

B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching

websites for researching and programmes for communicating

ICT is used for visualising, reviewing, learning, teaching, researching, measuring, recording.

WALT: investigate the uses of gases (over two or three lessons) Children’s questions – Why do balloons float? Which gas is in light bulbs? Why does your voice go squeaky? SC: To be drawn up by the children but to include clear presentation of... name of gas, description of special characteristics, reasons why it is useful to us, reasons why it is dangerous to us.

Oral/mental: Concept Cartoon 8.8, ‘Submarine’. Revision of compression of states. Main: Review list of uses of gas chn produced last lesson. Plenary: Chn to browse other’s leaflets and give their nomination for the best informative leaflet including reasons why (based on success criteria) Award/prize giving. (Jennifer could be involved in demonstrating the need for oxygen when burning things or for when using fire extinguishers, or for when powering hot air balloons.)

In ICTsuite: Chn to choose one use of gas to research in pairs. (those chn that asked a question about a use of gas can use that as their focus – e.g. why do balloons float – look at inflating balloons) Which gas is used? Why? What are the useful properties of this gas? What are the dangers? Any other special characteristics? Pairs to produce an informative leaflet or poster on their gas and its properties/uses. (use Word, Publisher or Power Point) SEN can use a writing frame and key words, and cover topics already looked at, e.g. breathing. HA should be steered towards more complex gases and their uses, e.g. anaesthetic gases or fire extinguishers.

simulation to visualise a concept

recording whole class results

internet for activity ideas

Year 5

Starter – Observe and record investigation and findings of the plants we planted in the different environments around school. Were our predictions correct? Were there any unexpected results? Why do we think they grew as they did? Discuss with talk partners. Main - Pupils need to relate the problems their plants have experienced growing, with the changes in the conditions and the impacts which real farmers in Malawi are experiencing with theircrops.How do we think the farmers would feel if extreme floods came to their farms? Discuss what they found out in relation to real life weather, e.g. the plant with non water didn’t grow, so farms with no rain won’t grow. Chn discuss the different results in relation to these real life situations and the consequences of such extreme weather conditions – feed off each others’ ideas. Plenary – Look at our sunflower seeds, have they started growing, using our findings from our investigation is there anything we need to do/change? Evaluate what chn have learned so far about plants and also how they help us? The parts of the plant, local environment, food and what they need to grow. Tick against overall unit success criteria.

Use ‘linking results to farmers in Malawi’ grid. Children to write what we tested e.g. what they found out? e.g. the plants died or didn’t grow with no water. How this is the same in Malawi, e.g. floods or droughts. What would happen to the farmers? e.g. their plants wouldn’t grow and they’d get know money. LA – have teacher support, only need to fill in last column. MA – have first 2 columns filled in already – only have to think about relation to real life and consequence to farmers. HA – expected to fill in all parts. Now children have found out the problems the farmers face, use ICT to create posters to raise awareness.

10

WALT understand the human life cycleSuccess Steps:- I know that animals produce young and that they grow into adults- I can identify similarities and differences- I can give reasons for these similarities and differencesSC1 Focus: 2A, 2G

Starter: Do all animals have babies? Ask for examples. Watch clip about the life cycle of a frog http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=169622 In mixed ability groups sort pictures (4.2) to show life cycle of a frog. Main: Use PowerPoint to show pictures of human life cycle from baby to adult and label with children. Do you have brothers or sisters that are babies? Adolescents etc? Look at pictures of babies. What do babies eat? How much can they move? What can they do for themselves? Move discussion on to children. What do they eat? What can you do for yourselves etc? Plenary: Discuss similarities and differences. Ask children to give reasons for similarities and differences.

LA – Work as a group to make a list of observations about babies and themselves. Adult to scribe if necessary.MA – Work in pairs to complete double bubble map of similarities and differences between babies and themselves.HA – As MA but provide reasons for similarities and differences.

Level 1: I name and describe external parts or features of plants, humans and other animals, such as size of leaf or coat colourLevel 2: I recognise and describe simple similarities and differencesLevel 3: I give simple explanations of these similarities and differences linking cause and effect

Main - Watch video on learning clips: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/preparing-a-tortoise-for-hibernation/10236.htmlDiscuss the need for some animals to hibernate. Identify the animals that hibernate and what needs they have before hibernation. They eat lots to store as body fat to survive the winter, almost like deep sleep, the heart rate slows to conserve energy. Name animals that hibernate – bats, bears, snakes, frogs, ladybirds.

B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching

Video clip of process

measurement

information

Pres

entin

g in

form

ation

Year 2

B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching

Investigating the direction and effect of wind in year 1

Investigating the Mpemba effect with temperature sensors in year 5

Recording information – year 4 with Wrenn mentors

Presenting information – year 2, planets topic and year 6 with Wrenn mentors.

Investigating the warmest thing in the room with temperature sensors in FS

Investigating visitors to our wildlife area with night vision and underwater cameras

Presenting research in year 5/6

Recording their own Deadly 60 videos for a habitats topic.

B3: ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching

Blogs about our science activities are posted weekly (check us out at http://lab13network.wordpress.com/lab_13s/irchester/), and there are regular Tweets too – follow us @Lab_13Irchester

We have just started to post clips from our wildlife camera on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/Lab13Irchester?feature=watch Only 3 at the moment but keep watching!

Topic information and links are displayed on our learning platform

B3: There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning science. ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching