Thorp Primary School

Science

At Thorp Primary School we are scientists!  We plan lessons to inspire the pupils to experiment and investigate the world around them and to help them raise their own questions such as “Why…?”, “How…?” and “What happens if…?”

We want the children at our school to love science and we aim to provide the children with the science knowledge and investigational skills that they need to equip them with the knowledge required to understand the uses of science today and for the future. We want our children to have high aspirations, be ambitious and naturally curious about the world around them.  The science curriculum has been carefully designed and sequenced, using Kapow scheme of learning, so that it helps children to develop their science cultural capital.

Intent

Using Kapow Primary’s Science curriculum as a basis, we have developed our Science curriculum so that it aims to develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena and an understanding of how the scientific community contributes to our past, present and future. We want pupils to develop a complex knowledge of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but also adopt a broad range of skills in working scientifically and beyond. The scheme of work is inclusive and meaningful, so all pupils may experience the joy of science and make associations between their science learning and their lives outside the classroom. Studying science allows children to appreciate how new knowledge and skills can be fundamental to solving arising global challenges. Our curriculum aims to encourage critical thinking and empower pupils to question the hows and whys of the world around them.

Our Science curriculum encourages:

  • A strong focus on developing knowledge alongside scientific skills across Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
  • Curiosity and excitement about familiar and unknown observations.
  • Challenging misconceptions and demystifying truths.
  • Continuous progression by building on practical and investigative skills across all units.
  • Critical thinking, with the ability to ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence.
  • Development of scientific literacy using wide-ranging, specialist vocabulary.

 

Kapow Primary’s Science scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum and the aims also align with those set out in the National curriculum.

Implementation

Through the teaching of Science at Thorp Primary School, children will be given opportunities to develop scientific knowledge and understanding of:

○ Biology - living organisms and vital processes.

○ Chemistry - matter and its properties.

○ Physics - how the world we live in ‘works’.

  • Working scientifically - processes and methods of science to answer questions about the world around us.
  • Science in action - uses and implications of science in the past, present and for the future.

 

The Science curriculum at Thorp Primary School is a spiral curriculum, with essential knowledge and skills revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. A range of flashback questions each lesson promote frequent pupil reflection on prior learning, ensuring new learning is approached with confidence. The Science in action strand is interwoven throughout the scheme to make the concepts and skills relevant to pupils and inspiring for future application. Pupils explore knowledge and conceptual understanding through engaging activities and an introduction to relevant specialist vocabulary. The working scientifically skills are integrated with conceptual understanding rather than taught discretely. This provides frequent, but relevant, opportunities for developing scientific enquiry skills. At the end of each academic year, each year group has a exploratory ‘Making connections’ unit that delves beyond the essential curriculum, assimilating prior knowledge and skills to evoke excitement and to provide an additional method of assessing scientific attainment.

 

Strong subject knowledge is vital for staff at Thorp Primary School to deliver a highly effective and robust Science curriculum therefore we ensure that staff are equipped to teach and deliver up to date content by providing effective CPD and using the teacher knowledge videos that are readily available for each lesson within the Kapow Science Scheme of learning.

Impact

The impact of our Science curriculum can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Using the Kapow Primary Scheme as support for staff, each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives and any relevant scientific enquiry skills. Furthermore, at the end of each unit children will complete a short subject knowledge quiz to provide a summative assessment. Pupils will meet the expected standard for Science at the end of key stage 2 and will leave Thorp Primary School equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge to succeed in key stage 3 Science. They will have the necessary tools to confidently and meaningfully question and explore the world around them as well as critically and analytically experiencing and observing phenomena. Pupils will understand the significance and impact of Science on society.

Useful Links For Parents

Science is such a great subject because it really gives you a chance to get creative and have some fun with children.

You’ve probably already got resources and reading materials that cover the curriculum, so we’ve decided to collect some more out-of-the-box activities and websites that will aid children to study science in a slightly different way.

Warning: some of these activities (particularly the experiments) may need parental supervision.

1. National Geographic Kids

This child-friendly website is great to teach and inspire children and is filled with fun and unique activities – like How to Make a Paper Bowl Jellyfish!

2. NASA Kids’ Club

A place to play games and learn about space. These games support national education standards in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

3. Why and How? Primary Science Teaching Trust

This website offers a variety of different resources covering many topics, including things like “Titanic Science,” “Growing Music” and “Garden Watch.”

4. 5 Science Experiments You Can Do At Home

Make science fun with these fantastic experiments! 

5. STEM Learning

This Planet Science collection for parents contains a selection of appealing science-based activities for students and their parents which are designed to entertain and make science an enjoyable activity for all.

6. WOW Science

A child friendly gateway to high quality primary science resources on the internet and beyond. Resources for children to explore either alone or together with their parents.

7. First Discovers

A website that provides parents with science based activities that are ‘hand on’ and fun!

8. Association for Science Education

The Association for Science Education (ASE) is the largest subject association in the UK. We are an active membership body that has been supporting all those involved in science education from pre-school to higher education for over 100 years.

9. 63 Easy Science Experiments for Kids to Do at Home – Mommy Poppins

You can actually do some pretty mind-blowing, hands-on science experiments at home using stuff you probably have lying around the house.

10. Science Bob – Experiments

A variety of science experiments you can do at home!

11. Sublime Science – 101 Sublime Science Experiments

101 awesomely fun science experiments you can do at home with ‘stuff’ you’ve already got from Dragons’ Den winner and Sublime Science founder, Mad Marc (Wileman!)

Curriculum Road Map

Knowledge Organisers

Year 1

 

Year 2

 

Year 3

 

Year 4

 

Year 5

 

Year 6

 

 

 

 

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