Science encourages a sense of curiosity and excitement about the natural world. It provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. It helps children to think both creatively and logically when solving problems and sparks and excitement of learning. Science changes our lives and is vital to the future of the world.
We believe science should be delivered in a creative, active ways which allow children take ownership over their learning and provide wider links to other subjects within the curriculum. We also believe that science shouldn’t stop inside the classroom therefore children are encouraged to ‘Think like scientists’ all around the school by providing children with opportunities for awe and wonder.
As part of our Church School values, we hold dear the thought that God created the world. In the light of this, our curriculum offers opportunities to explore and to broaden our knowledge and deepen our understanding of God’s created world. Children realise that their actions have consequences on the lives of others and that they have a responsibility to care for the world in which we live, that we have choices that can hurt ourselves and others and we all need to consider the wider effects of our actions before we take them.
As part of our topic on materials we made our own paper from recycled materials.
We used our skills and knowledge of microscopic examination, comparison and deduction.
The children were presented with a crime scene where the sweet factory had been burgled and all the sweets stolen. There were 4 suspects who had left behind fingerprints, used tissues and a newspaper they had been reading. Each group worked together to compare the crime scene clues under a microscope with reference samples to come up with a list of most likely suspects from the 4 names. The final clue was a Jelly Baby left behind on the floor, it had been in the pocket of the suspect and had picked up trace evidence based on the occupation of the 4 suspects. Flour, sugar, sand, herbs or mixtures thereof. Each group had to examine the Jelly Baby and then look at reference samples and then by comparing the existing crime scene clues come up with a single name as the criminal. Well done to each group for solving the crime scene so well and a big thank you to the Royal Microscopical Society for lending us a full set of microscopes and materials so we could zoom in on the smaller things in life and work scientifically. Fortunately, we also found a few packs of Jelly Babies that had not been stolen, no prizes for knowing who ate all the remaining evidence!
Every year we run a STEM club after school. In the past, children have made instant ice cream, built bridges and investigated floating and sinking.
We learnt about the properties of lots of different materials. We selected a range of materials and used them to design and make our own house. The building needed to be strong and waterproof. Some of us even made our own corrugated card to make sure that our houses were extra strong! Mr Wolvers enjoyed pouring water over our houses to test how waterproof they were.
Whilst investigating materials Sycamore looked at ice and made tests on it with light, dyes, salt, picks and different temperature water to see what that could tells us about ice and why if it is water does it float and why is it hard. This linked to atoms and molecules and is preparation for states of matter.
