Science at Coleridge
Science at Coleridge
By the end of their time at Coleridge Primary, children will have been exposed to enquiry questions such as:
- What is science?
- Who is a significant female in science?
- Who is a significant female in non-British science?
- How do our senses work?
- What similarities and differences do animals have?
- What is growing around us?
- How can we classify living things?
- What are human and natural changes?
- How is energy passed along the food chain?
- What is electricity?
- What is the difference between a push and a pull?
- How is light different to dark?
- How do we provide energy for our bodies?
Our Science curriculum incorporates the statutory elements of the National Curriculum with the principles of the Coleridge ethos – aspire, desire, believe, achieve. Whether in KS1 or KS2 Coleridge primary school offers a high quality science education through the 3 disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Children are taught knowledge, skills, methods and processes whilst exploring concepts that offer curiosity and excitement. At Coleridge we promote and develop curiosity, exploration and explanation so that children can understand and reason why and see how science has contributed to and changed the world we live in.
Our science curriculum follows the national curriculum objectives but is also bespoke in its structure and design. It begins n EYFS where children begin to develop an understanding of the world around them. Then in KS1, children deepen their awareness and understanding of varying scientific concepts and ideas. Every year group will incorporate and thread through the different scientific units a focus on a significant female, British or Non-British scientist that complements and enhances their studies.
Underpinning our science curriculum is substantive knowledge. These are the key facts that children must know. Knowledge organisers are used to expose the children to the ‘fingertip knowledge’ they require for each unit and is referred to and explored every lesson and this knowledge is carefully planned for. This scientific knowledge is then taught through exploring disciplinary knowledge, which are our scientific concepts which are the overarching ideas. For example, animals including humans would be taught through the concept of humankind. We have 4 concepts that overarch all the 3 strands of science
(Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and they have accompanying visual representations. The concept of investigation supports and develops the working scientifically skills and ensures that they are threaded through and covered across all the 3 strands of science.
Vocabulary
Each area of study requires children to read, write, spell and define a set of given vocabulary linked to the key ideas within the Science concepts being covered. This vocabulary is displayed on the Teacher’s flipchart, Science working wall as well as on the knowledge organiser where it will be referred to throughout a unit of work. These are bespoke to the unit and have been carefully designed and crafted so that the children are being exposed to subject domain vocabulary which is then applied in their oral and written work.
