The National Curriculum (2014) states,
“A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science.”
This statement provides the overarching aims for our science curriculum at Dore Primary School. The National Curriculum also sets out the subject’s scope and content that will be studied in Key Stages 1 and 2. For the Foundation Stage, the Early Learning Goals similarly provide guidance to ensure children are developing their Understanding of the World.
Our science curriculum has been designed to generate fascination within learners about the world around them as well an insatiable curiosity to know and understand more. At Dore Primary School, children gain a deep understanding of scientific knowledge and concepts as well as expertise in the methods and practices of science. Science is taught through half-termly, themed Learning Journeys which allow children to see the interconnectedness of science with other subjects and give rich context and understanding to children’s studies.
SCIENCE – INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT STATEMENT:
Science News:
- Y2 – Testing Materials
In Y2 we have been working scientifically to test the properties of materials. The knowledge we have developed about these materials will support us with our DT project to create weatherproof buildings. - Y6 – Computing – micro:bit
In Computing this half term, Year 6 have been learning to use the micro:bit. This small but powerful circuit board is packed full of interesting hardware and computational power. So far, children have explored the basic inputs (e.g. buttons, movement) and outputs (e.g. LED lights) and have experimented with adding external components such as a […] - Y6 – Science – Reflection
In Science this half term, Year 6 are learning about light and seeing. Having established last week that light travels in straight lines, this week, we have been exploring how light can change its direction of travel by reflecting off a surface, always reflecting at an equal angle to which it approached the surface. Children […] - FS2 Pancake Making MS JHG
We had lots of fun on Tuesday making pancakes. We measured, mixed and stirred our dry ingredients first. Then we mixed our wet ingredients together and, when we were all ready, mixed them together carefully. Then our batter was smooth and ready for us to cook in the pan. Because we added baking powder it […] - FS2 Jack and the Beanstalk
We included a bit of drama in our outdoor learning this week! Off we went onto the school grounds where we re-told the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Some of the children took on different roles from the story while others were very entertained as the audience. The children thoroughly enjoyed ‘climbing the beanstalk’, […] - FS2, Jack and the Beanstalk
The children have been incredible actresses and actors in outdoor learning this week. They took on different roles in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Those who acted, spoke with such enjoyment and confidence, and those who watched made a fantastic and enthusiastic audience. After our play, the children all planted their own broad […] - Y3 – Science – Climate ChangeSome of the last learning Year 3 completed for their Pole to Pole topic was to understand climate change: What it is, How humans are causing it, The effects on the world’s biomes (espeically the polar region), What we can do about it. To do this, we: Used maps to understand what a geographical change […]
- Y6 – Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize
Year 6 pupils have been taking part in the Royal Society’s annual Young People’s Book Prize. Pupils on the judging panel read and reviewed 6 fantastic new Science-based non-fiction books scoring them for the following categories: interest, look and feel, ease of reading and inspiration. The results are in and the panel’s top-scoring book was […] - FS2 Bird watching
This week in outdoor learning, the children put their looking and listening skills to the test and they were…amazing! Knowing just how important it was to keep still and quiet, we gathered outside and the bird watching began. Well, we saw….crows, pigeons, blackbirds, blue tits, magpies and sparrows! We returned to the classroom to make […] - Y4 Bread Baking
To finish our ‘Food for Thought’ learning journey, Y4 baked bread! We thought about some of the changes of state taking place in the process – including the reaction of yeast, the mixing of water and flour, and how butter can be made from shaking whipping cream (for a long time). Viki Garbett from twiddlefood […] - Y1 Rockets to Fly us to the Moon!
The children had a great morning, designing and creating their own rockets to kick start our space topic “Fly me to the Moon” and our English learning about Katherine Johnson. - Y3 Science Visitors
This half term we have had two Science students from Sheffield University visit our classes. They taught us about micro-organisms. We learnt that they are all around us. Some are helpful, some are not! We tested how much bacteria was on our hands by pressing on agar plates which the students took to their lab […] - Y4 Science – Digestion
As part of our ‘Food for Thought’ learning journey, Y4 investigated the digestive systems of humans, cows and chickens, to understand how bodies and organs adapt to different diets. For humans, we re-enacted the journey of food from its entry into the body to its exit. We used various household objects to shwo this, including […] - Y4 Tooth Decay Investigation
As part of our science learning about teeth, Y4 conducted an investigation to see which liquids (coke, diet coke, orange juice, milk, water) could have the most negative impact on our teeth. We used eggs as their shells are made of a similar material to our teeth, and observed changes over 48 hours. The results […] - Y4 Natural Balms
Taking inspiration from stories of some of the people of the Amazon Rainforest, Y4 created a balm useful as a remedy for insect bites and stings from plantain (the grass not the fruit), olive oil and beeswax. We boiled the oil, then added the plantain and simmered for another 10 minutes, then we strained the […] - Fire #2 Why did London burn so quickly?
We held two experiments, one with the houses close together and the other with them further apart. We concluded that if the houses were further apart, the fire would not spread, because we removed the ‘fuel’ in the fire triangle. - Year 3 Healthy Walk
Last week, Year 3 set out on a healthy walk to Ecclesall Woods. We were looking for evidence of things that had been eaten (and the flap jacks didn’t count!). We used the evidence to think about the food chains that might exist in our local environment: producers, consumers, prey and predators. It was also […] - Year 3 Science – Skeletons and Muscles
In our ‘Fantastic Food and Brilliant Bodies’ learning journey we have been busy learning all about how to keep our bodies and minds healthy. In Science, we have looked at how important our skeleton and muscles are for providing our bodies with support, protection and movement. We had a table challenge – half constructing the […] - Y5 Create Model Solar Systems
Y5 learnt about our solar system by creating a model representation of the planets, drawing each one to scale, before measuring out the correct distance from the sun for each planet. They then connected them together with string and fastened them to a tent peg. They sunk the peg into the field and then spread […] - Y4 River Fieldwork
To tie in with our ‘Amazonian Adventure’, Y4 learned about the features of rivers, and how water flows through them. To embed the new vocabulary and test out some ideas (hypotheses) we had come up with, we visited Old Hay Brook on a Geography Field Trip. This involved lots of hands on, practical learning, but […]