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Science Alive!

Science Alive!. Motivating pupils in Science at Primary School. Motivation Motivation is the key to learning. How can we motivate children to become enthusiastic science learners? We don’t need to MAKE them like Science! Science is fun! Children have a natural curiosity about their world.

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Science Alive!

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  1. Science Alive! Motivating pupils in Science at Primary School

  2. Motivation Motivation is the key to learning. How can we motivate children to become enthusiastic science learners? We don’t need to MAKE them like Science! Science is fun! Children have a natural curiosity about their world. They love asking questions – especially ‘WHY?’ BUT we must encourage them to keep that curiosity alive – through to adulthood. How can we maintain that enthusiasm for learning ?

  3. What steps have we taken at DESS? • Developed an evolving curriculum, based on the English National Curriculum but adapted to suit our pupils • Teachers include Science studies as part of Thematic Enquiry where possible – no text books • Designated Science Lab for Key Stage 2 • Emphasis on developing enquiry skills through practical activities, experimentation and investigations • Implemented Assessment for Learning policy throughout the school

  4. Thematic EnquiryPlanning - The Brainstorm

  5. Early Years Foundation Stage Understanding the World – Making sense of the world. Science integrated with history, geography and technology. Active kinesthetic learning Animals, people, plants in their natural environment Practical experiments Real – life situations Use a range of tools safely

  6. Key Stage 1 – Years 1 and 2 Beginning of investigative activities. Children ask questions Group experiments Finding things out for themselves Investigation through Thematic Enquiry Why? When I do this, what happens …? How can I change this? What if..? L.O. To find out about the properties of a variety of materials and how they are chosen for use on the basis of these

  7. Lower Key Stage 2 – Years 3 and 4 • Development of Thematic Enquiry - putting science into context. Making it relevant to everyday experiences. • Year 3; Hello H20 Theme • L.O. To understand the basic conditions for living • things to survive. • To know why water and a healthy diet are • important. • Linked to World Water Day 2012. • Fund-raising for safe, clean drinking water for African villages. • Understanding of the importance of water and its conservation. ‘

  8. H2O Activities

  9. Going Green – Year 4 Habitats and Adaptation Food chains Classification Caring for our environment Visit to EMEG Guest speakers Parental involvement

  10. Year 4 – Electric Circuits • Contextualising Science; making our own torches. • L.O. To construct electrical circuits to make devices work. • To learn how circuits may be changed to affect the brightness • or speed of components. • Asking questions - ‘What happens when..?’ • Applying learning to a task. • Purpose to science and technology skills.

  11. Upper Key Stage 2 – Years 5 and 6 • Subject specialist system • Investigative science in Science Lab every week • Active ‘Wow!’ lesson starters • Use of costume – teacher/pupils • Visits to local factories, facilities, • exhibitions and DESC • Independent experiments • Guest ‘expert’ speakers

  12. Children ask their own questions and plan investigations to answer them Why is the swimming pool closed? Can we make a switch to light our tower? How far does a sneeze travel?

  13. Scientific Studies at Dibba

  14. Motivation through Assessment for Learning • Are exciting activities alone enough to motivate learners? • Children need to know where they are in their learning journey • Understand ways to improve • Two-way dialogue encourages reflection • How am I doing? • Do I really understand this? • Can I explain my learning, using the new vocabulary I have encountered? • What do I need to do to improve? • How can I move forward with this? • What are the next steps in my learning?

  15. Assessment for Learning Reflection on performance Pupils motivated to improve and further develop Recognise that mistakes are helpful; we learn from our mistakes! Never make the same mistake twice. There are so many new ones to make – Try a new one each day! Mistakes are the stepping stones to success

  16. Motivation – the bigger picture Enriching the curriculum Environmental studies trip, Cyprus Green Club EEG campaigns, pupil conferences Competitions Axum Africa

  17. Science Alive! Science is all about asking questions Now it is your turn!! Sue Le Boutillier Bede Higgins Tony Clarkson Dubai English Speaking School

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