Science
“The important thing is to never stop questioning.”
Albert Einstein
At Ryhope Infant School Academy we are passionate about the teaching of Science and our Science lessons encourage children to become ‘Scientists’. We recognise that each child is an individual and we offer a curriculum designed to appreciate and build on children’s prior learning. We provide first hand learning experiences which allow our children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers.
Throughout our teaching of Science we constantly provide opportunities to engage learning and to develop children’s scientific knowledge and understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science, for now and for the future. Our curriculum aims to broaden the children’s scientific view of, and respect for, the world around them, whilst promoting a love for enquiry and wanting to explore new things. We want our pupils to develop a love for science that carries through into later life, instilling in them an awareness of how science is relevant in today’s society. Because science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. We believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time, where there are no limits to curiosity and there is a thirst for new experiences and knowledge. We endeavour to ensure that the science curriculum we provide will give children the confidence and motivation to continue to further develop their skills into the next stage of their education and life experiences.
We offer children the opportunity to gain the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.
Outdoor learning holds equal value as indoor learning. Throughout all areas of learning, outdoor learning opportunities are planned for as appropriate.
The nature, processes and methods of science.
‘Working Scientifically’ specifies the understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science for each year group. It will be integrated into the teaching of science and not taught as a separate strand. Each lesson ensures skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in-keeping with the topics.
Pupils will be involved in a variety of lessons, including;
- Structured activities and open ended investigative work.
- Activities that develop and extend observational skills.
- Practical activities, using measuring instruments allowing them to read scales and apply mathematical knowledge.
- Structured activities to develop an understanding of a mathematical concept.
- Open ended investigations, allowing children to express their thoughts and opinions, to predict, observe, record and analyse findings.
