Science

The purpose of teaching science is to enable children to understand the world around them in a logical way, based on observation and investigation.

Primary school science is divided into four areas:
  • Experimental and Investigative Science
  • Life Processes and Living Things
  • Materials and their Properties
  • Physical Processes
Experimental and Investigative Science

In this area, children are basically taught to think and behave like scientists - they learn to look closely at the world around them, and record what they observe. They make predictions about what they think might happen in different situations - and learn to devise fair tests (that is, ones where the conditions are properly controlled and only one variable is changed at a time), to discover if they are right, and then record the results (which can include drawing, writing and making charts and graphs).

Life Processes and Living Things

This area is about plants, animals and human beings. Children learn how to group the natural world - about the differences between living things and things that have never been alive, about the differences and similarities between animals and plants. and that different plants and animals are found in different places because of local variations in the environment. They learn about their senses, and that animals need food, water and sleep to survive, and that plants need water and light. At Key Stage 2 - in the Juniors - they go on to learn that people need a good diet and exercise to remain healthy, and they do work on the effects of drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. They learn how animals and plants reproduce - and humans too (the school may discuss with you - perhaps at a special meeting - what they plan to do, so that everyone is happy about this).

Materials and their Properties.

This area teaches children about everyday materials such as wood, metal, plastics and paper. Your child will learn to sort materials according to their properties (such as weight, flexibility, stretchiness and so on), and learn the proper vocabulary to describe them. She will learn that some materials change when they are heated or mixed with water, and that some of these changes are reversible and some are irreversible. She will learn that some materials are better for certain jobs than others, and how to explain this or justify her choices.

Physical Processes

In this area, children learn about the processes and forces which affect materials. These include light, sound, electricity and forces such as friction, acceleration and vibration. Your child will investigate the properties of sound, such as pitch and volume; he will learn to make simple (and, eventually, more complex) electrical circuits (with appropriate warnings about the dangers of playing with mains electricity!); he will set up experiments to discover what makes objects move, stop, speed up and change direction. He will investigate light and shadow, and learn how the movement of the sun, Earth and moon affects us.

Science Experiment Cribsheet

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