Science
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through biology, chemistry and physics. At Pippins, children continuously build on their scientific knowledge, processes and uses of science.
Science at Pippins is taught, where possible, in a cross curricular way underpinning a variety of subjects and bringing a context to children’s learning. We ensure that children are made aware of science as part of everyday life; something that is all around us every day.
Through exciting and engaging lessons, children develop their curiosity and fascination with how things are and how things work. Science is a practical subject, which stimulates children’s curiosity about the world we live in. The children at Pippins use first-hand experiences and investigations to explore, discover and gain scientific knowledge. They are encouraged to investigate problems through close observations, planning, predicting and fair testing.
Teachers ensure a new unit in science is being taught every term. Please visit class overviews to see which areas of the science curriculum are covered in each term.
Our aims in teaching science include the following:
- Preparing our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world
- Fostering concern about, and active care for our environment, this includes caring for plants and animals
- Helping our children acquire a growing understanding of scientific ideas
- Helping develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world including evolution, seasonal change, earth and space
- Developing our children’s understanding of the international and collaborative nature of science
In Key Stage 1 children are taught to:
- Ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
- Observe closely using simple equipment
- Perform simple tests
- Identify and classify materials, animals and plants
- Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions about the world around them
- Gather and record data to help answer questions
In Key Stage 2 children are taught to:
- Plan different scientific investigations and experiments to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
- Understand the importance of fair testing when conducting investigations
- Ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
- Make systematic and careful observations and where appropriate take accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
- Gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
- Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings, label diagrams, keys, bar charts and tables
- Use results to draw simple conclusions, make prediction for new values, suggest improvements and further raise questions
- Identify differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas or processes
It is our wish that children enjoy learning about and from science and develop their interest in the subject as a basis for further exploration as they grow older.
You might also find the following websites supportive:
Science Museum
Science Kids
Woodland Resources
BBC Science Games
BBC Science