Learning in Science

At St. John’s, our Science learning follows the National Curriculum for Science and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Our curriculum planning allows for children to gain a progressively deeper level of knowledge, understanding and skill competency as they move throughout the school. Our whole school Long Term Plan for Science details Science units taught in each year group during each half-term and helps to ensure that children are revisiting topics, consolidating and building on previous knowledge.

Appropriate links are made across the curriculum, with English and Mathematics underpinning Science learning.

Language and literacy is a crucial part of teaching and learning in Science in the following

ways:

• Spoken language - give pupils opportunities to articulate scientific concepts, enable

pupils to make their thinking clear to both themselves and others, enable teachers to

identify and address pupils’ misconceptions through discussion, enable pupils to

communicate their ideas to a range of audiences.

• Reading and writing – read information within secondary sources, label diagrams, write

instructions, descriptions, evaluations, explanations, read and spell scientific vocabulary

consistent with their word-reading and spelling knowledge.

• Vocabulary development – develop use of accurate scientific vocabulary in reading, writing and spoken language. Bespoke Knowledge Organisers support children in understanding and using Science vocabulary precisely; definitions aid their understanding and key facts support their learning. At St. John’s, Science vocabulary for the half-termly unit is displayed so that is can be referred to and used in context.

Our pupils apply numeracy and Mathematics knowledge and skills in Science in the following ways:

• apply arithmetic fluently to problems;
• understand and use measures;
• estimate and check their Science work;
• collect, present and analyse Scientific data.