SCIENCE

AIMS

At St Aubyns we believe that science is about developing an understanding of and making sense of our environment through exploration, experimentation and interaction with scientific phenomena.

Scientific learning extends and enhances the natural curiosity of a child and gives them the framework of skills to explore and investigate further. Skills of enquiry, analysis and the ability to weight evidence and formulate an argument are valuable across the curriculum and through life.

1. To encourage children to have a sense of awe, wonder and fascination of the world around them.
2. To include opportunities for practical tasks and demonstrations in which pupils learn to work independently of the teacher and cooperatively with one another.
3. To set appropriate tasks to suit all pupils at their level of understanding.
4. To enable students to research and investigate an idea, using a range of appropriate resources e.g. books, CD-Rom, experiment, questioning and the Internet.
5. To enable pupils to communicate effectively and confidently, scientific predictions and discoveries.
6. We encourage students to hypothesise and interpret, using appropriate scientific vocabulary.

 

OBJECTIVES

The children will be able to:-

1. Use scientific vocabulary, to hypothesise and interpret data.
2. Communicate effectively and confidently, scientific predictions and discoveries.
3. Research and investigate an idea using a range of appropriate resource e.g. books, questioning, experiments/practical work, CD Rom and the internet.
4. Work both independently of the teacher and cooperatively with one another during practical tasks and written work.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

The teaching and learning of science is taught via a variety of means as appropriate for the age, development and abilities of the pupils and for the purpose and content of the work.  An emphasis is placed on the pupils making discoveries, through practical means wherever possible.

SCHEME OF WORK

The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts are set out in “Science in the National Curriculum” where they are categorised into four main attainment targets:

1. Scientific Investigation.
2. Life and Living Processes.
3. Materials and Their Properties.
4. Physical Processes.
   

In Years 3 to 6, children are taught general science following Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum and the guidelines laid out by QCA documentation.  The “Exploring Science” course published by Pearson Education, which matches the QCA scheme of work, is also used. It consists of pupil textbooks and a CD Rom Copymaster file of worksheets, tests, topic summaries and guidelines for practical activities.

In Year 6 pupils work towards 11+ Common Entrance examinations, in preparation for Year 7 and 8.

During Year 7 and 8 pupils cover the 13+ Common Entrance syllabus and are taught Science as separate disciplines, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.