Developing Young Scientists 

At Penponds our Science Curriculum follows the National Curriculum. Our school ethos celebrates all aspects of school life and endeavours to provide positive experiences for all pupils. This is reflected in our values and vision statements.

The main aim is to enable pupils to observe, question and be curious about their surroundings and the world in which they live. Throughout their learning, pupils will be taught different types of scientific enquiry and guided how best to put them into practice. The types of scientific enquiry are as follows: observing changes over time, pattern seeking, identifying, classifying and grouping, comparative and fair testing and research using secondary sources.

We believe that vocabulary underpins scientific understanding; at Penponds we equip our pupils with scientific terminology, allowing them to effectively communicate their findings and understanding. These skills not only help our pupils become scientists, it also enables them to use these skills and vocabulary to further access the rest of the curriculum.

We enrich our science curriculum by varying the ways in which we reach our learning objectives through our exciting and engaging topics. By doing so, we can take a child’s imagination and curiosity to the next level. Teaching different aspects of science through topic work and discretely, we believe, gives pupils the best of both structure and freedom in their learning, allowing them to apply their scientific knowledge to abstract contexts.

Children learn through hands on investigation and memories which bring their learning to life. They are able to use skills they have acquired in the classroom and apply these to real world scenarios. We believe that by integrating these three different approaches we are able to give children a broad and balanced introduction to science: igniting their passion, encouraging curiosity, promoting a love of learning as well as the world and phenomena around them. In doing this we know that when children leave Penponds they are equipped to access and thrive in future scientific learning.

We are scientists

Agreed teaching principles for Science:

• Planning is carefully mapped across the school to ensure progression of scientific knowledge and concepts alongside working scientifically
• Opportunities are provided to explore the five enquiry types: observing changes over time, pattern seeking, identifying, classifying and grouping, comparative and fair testing and research using secondary sources
• Focus on learning key scientific vocabulary and using it accurately
• Using our location and investigating the ‘science’ around us within our locality
• To know that child-led enquiry to encourage children to both ask and seek to answer their own questions about the world around them is most effective

Teaching Approaches:

• Long and medium term plans (Sequence of Learning documents) created to ensure progression and sequence
• Specific key vocabulary and scientific terms are taught and tested
• The use of resources in lessons and getting out into our surroundings to bring science alive
•  Visits to CSIA and visitors into school to extend science investigations and learning
•  Knowledge organisers used to highlight key knowledge
•  Check its, concept cartoons, mind maps, concept maps, Kahoot quizzes used to test   understanding of taught content
•  Use extension challenges to consolidate or extend

To be a scientist  I need to -

• Question – ask questions about what might happen and predict what could happen
• Observe changes over time by carefully monitoring
• Gather scientific data and make observations, then look for patterns
• Organise by identifying, grouping and classifying – solve enquiries by organising things into groups and make connections
• Test – Carry out fair and comparative tests
• Research – find answers using books, the internet or surveys