Science
Science
Our vision is to give our children a Science curriculum which enables them to explore and discover the world around them, resulting in a deeper understanding. This involves exciting, practical hands on experiences that encourage curiosity and questioning. We aim for these stimulating and challenging experiences to help secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary. We believe that these opportunities will ensure that our children are confident learners, who will explore the world by posing insightful and inquisitive questions about the world around them.
Vision
At Morningside, we value science as a subject, which stimulates awe, and wonder in our everyday lives. We believe science can have a transformative effect on children, helping them to become curious and inspired by the world around them. We believe that a high-quality science education should engage, stimulate and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to better understand their life and their planet. We encourage children to learn from, be inspired by the work of great scientists, and understand the contribution science has made to society, both past and present. As pupils progress, we support them to be able to pose increasingly complex scientific questions and carry out experiments to work accurately and analytically.
How we plan for and teach science
At Morningside, science is taught in subject blocks throughout the year. Teachers plan sequences of lessons across the unit that will build on and develop the children’s knowledge and skills. Each unit of learning has a strong foundation in new knowledge – linked to prior knowledge – that will support the children to understand increasingly complex scientific phenomena and processes. Scientific vocabulary is mapped and taught rigorously to ensure that children can both recognise, understand and use scientific terminology accurately and confidently. Opportunities to learn outdoors and explore our natural environment are embedded throughout our science curriculum.
Carefully selected skills are planned to best match each unit of knowledge and progress year on year. Opportunities to practise and embed skills are planned for so that they are revisited and refined over time. The knowledge and skills that children will develop throughout each science topic are mapped across each year group and across the school to ensure progression
How we evaluate learning in science
The impact of our science curriculum can clearly been seen in the children’s books. At the beginning of each unit, a detailed overview outlines the main learning objectives including the knowledge and skills that the children will build on. During each unit of work, children complete a short ‘Retrieve It’ which supports them to recall related learning from previous year groups and make links to current learning. On completion of the unit of work, children complete a short assessment, a Test It, and receive feedback. Class teachers then use the children’s class learning and assessments, along with observations of their skills when carrying out experiments and investigations, to make a judgement as to whether each child is working at the expected level and to plan for next steps.
See below for our Science curriculum and vocabulary overviews: