Science Curriculum
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"The important thing is to never stop questioning."
-Albert Einstein
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement:
Intent:
Science has changed our lives dramatically over time and it will continue to do so in the future. It is therefore our aim at St. Michael's to distil a life-long love for science within our pupils by encouraging a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena and scientific processes and methods.
We believe that high quality science teaching is vital in allowing children to understand the world around them whilst giving them the skills to think scientifically through questioning, predicting how things will behave, explaining what is occurring and analysing causes.
We value science as a core subject and work hard to ensure that we have a broad and balanced curriculum to challenge and meet the needs of all of our children. From EYFS to Year 6 we believe in immersing children in a range of rich and varied specialist vocabulary, which will not only enhance their knowledge and understanding in science lessons but also allow them to make links to other subjects and life experiences.
Science teaching is carefully sequenced to ensure a clear progression of substantive knowledge and disciplinary knowledge. Substantive knowledge (knowledge of the products of science, such as concepts, laws,theories and models). Disciplinary knowledge (knowledge of how scientific knowledge is generated and grows).
Implementation:
To ensure that high quality, progressive science teaching and learning is delivered in our school, we have a document that sets out key facts and vocabulary that should be covered by each year group to support and guide teachers in their planning. It provides teachers with prior learning, technical vocabulary, possible misconceptions and advice; lessons are planned with the National Curriculum objectives and this guidance in mind.
Science is taught consistently each week, but is also taught through many other contexts throughout all areas of the curriculum. Where possible, the teaching of science is linked to topic work and is taught in discrete units to ensure coverage and clear progression.
Planning for science is a process in which all teachers are involved with to ensure full coverage from EYFS to Year 6 and allow children to make links with their prior learning. Teachers are given additional planning time within their year groups for curriculum mapping. This is to ensure skills, knowledge and vocabulary are built progressively into sequences of lessons and that they are regularly tailored to suit a range of needs and maximise children's motivation and engagement. Staff meeting time is also used effectively to develop teachers' subject knowledge, gather evidence as a group and monitor learning to assess understanding.
Animals Including Humans
Electricity
Evolution and Inheritance
Forces
Living Things and their Habitats
Materials
Seasons, Light and Sound
Plants
Impact:
The impact and measure of our science curriculum is that not only will children have acquired the appropriate age-related knowledge, but also developed skills that will allow them to make good progress and have an impact as they continue in their everyday lives.
- Children will have a rich vocabulary, which will enable them to articulate their thoughts and understanding of taught concepts.
- Children will retain knowledge and be able to apply this in real-life contexts.
- Children will have opportunities to work collaboratively as well as independently to investigate and experiment within science lessons.
- Children will be able to question ideas, reflect on knowledge and reason scientifically.