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PLAN Primary Science is a set of resources produced to enable teachers to have a clearer understanding of National Curriculum expectations for meeting the standard. Annotated collections of children’s work provide examples of what working at the expected standard for primary science might look like for the knowledge and conceptual understanding statements of the programmes of study (POS).

It is not the intention of these resources to specifically exemplify the working scientifically statements. However, aspects of working scientifically have been shown as an integral part of the teaching and learning of the knowledge and concepts.

The resources provided have been cross moderated multiple times before publishing so that they can be used with confidence by teachers and subject leaders.

Each collection of work shows one example of how a pupil has met National Curriculum statements for a particular area of content but these are not intended to be the definitive way of teaching these statements.

PLAN Primary Science - Supporting Assessment

Key Learning Possible Evidence

Secure Show understanding of a concept by using scientific vocabulary correctly

Overview paragraph describing curriculum Key vocabulary – list of words

Possible ways to demonstrate key learning, particularly correct usage of vocabulary

Apply knowledge in familiar related contexts

Suggestions of contexts to use. Possible ways to demonstrate that a pupil has gone beyond recall of facts and can apply the key learning, for example using the vocabulary and basic principles to produce explanations, usually within Working Scientifically contexts.

Each resource contains the relevant National Curriculum statements for the unit of work and prior learning, a planning matrix, annotated work and a summary sheet. The matrix provides an interpretation of the key learning of the National Curriculum statements, and suggestions of key vocabulary. In order to be meet the expectations pupils must firstly understand the key concept and then be provided with opportunities to apply that knowledge. This is a key planning tool.

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Structure of the resources

Please note: The NC statements for each topic area for the relevant year group are stated on the slide. Only the statements in bold on that slide have been exemplified. In these cases the teachers have chosen to split the statements within the topic area to teach at different times.

The prior NC statements relevant to the topic area are also stated and use to determine pupils knowledge at the start of the unit.

Each slide has been annotated with coloured text. Please see key below:

Red Commentary to explain how evidence meets/does not meet NC statements

Blue Commentary to highlight features of working scientifically

Green Pupil Speak

Grey Other relevant information eg. vocabulary used

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Contents of the materials

Pupils should be taught to: • distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made • identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic,

glass, metal, water, and rock • describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials • compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis

of their simple physical properties.

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Year 1 Statement – Prior learning

Pupils should be taught to: • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials,

including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

• find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.

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Year 2 Statements

Assessment guidance

Key learning Evidence

Shows understanding of a concept using scientific vocabulary correctly

Identifies and name a wider variety of materials than Year 1 and describe their properties. Explains what makes materials suitable or unsuitable for a particular use. Relate a material and its properties to the function of an object Explain how solid objects made from some materials can be changed by applying a particular force e.g. squashing, bending, twisting and stretching, pushing and pulling Key Vocabulary: Materials – wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, rock, brick, paper, fabric, card, rubber Properties – rough/smooth, flexible/rigid, strong/weak reflective/non-reflective, transparent/translucent/opaque Changing Shape - squashing, bending, twisting and stretching, pushing and pulling

Can name an object it, say what material it is made from, identify its properties and explain why the properties makes its suitable for this particular use. Can draw or label and object with the materials it is made from and the properties of these materials Whilst changing the shape of an object can describe the actions used.

Applying knowledge in familiar related contexts, including a range of enquiries

Makes close observations of different materials. Selects objects from the classroom and identifies the materials they are made from and describes their properties. Classifying objects choosing their criteria. Classify objects made of one material. Classify objects made of different materials. Based on their knowledge of properties they selected materials for a particular object.

Uses the key vocabulary to describe a range of objects. Correctly names the materials used in a range of objects and uses the key properties to describe these materials. Can sort objects by the material. Recognise that a material may come in different forms and have therefore different properties. Can explain using the key properties why they chose a particular materials for a purpose.

The children were given a selection of materials and encouraged to examine them closely using a magnifying glass. The pupils discussed what they already knew about this topic at the start of the lesson and their ideas were recorded on the interactive whiteboard.

Observation of Geanley’s interaction with the rest of the group showed that she could distinguish between objects and the materials they were made from and she could identify and accurately name the materials. She is therefore secure on the year 1 objectives.

Initial assessment activity – to check on previous learning from year 1 • Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made • Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass,

metal, water and rock

Children were told to select different materials and discuss the properties of each material. The aim of the lesson was to give pupils the experience of physically handling materials rather than relying on photos or drawn images.

Geanley’s work shows that she is able to use basic scientific vocabulary to accurately identify the properties of the materials she selected based on texture. Her scientific vocabulary needs to be extended to included words such as flexible, rigid, transparent, opaque, translucent, reflective/non-reflective.

Wood and glass are very different because you can see through glass but you can’t see through wood but they are both hard when you touch them. Geanley was able to conclude that materials can be very different but share some of the same properties

Initial assessment activity – to check on previous learning from year 1 • Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made • Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water

and rock

Identifying the suitability of everyday materials for particular uses • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal,

plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses In this activity the expectation was that children would look around the school for different objects, use this grid to report their findings and draw conclusions using their results and knowledge of materials and their properties.

Geanley was able to say why the properties of some materials were suitable for making particular objects. In some cases she was able to identify why materials would not be suitable for a particular purpose. The teacher needs to explicitly plan for the use of a wider range of vocabulary e.g. transparent, translucent, opaque, rigid/flexible.

During discussions with Geanley, she explained that it was important that benches are made from materials that are strong enough to hold the weight of the people using them. She suggested that metal would be another suitable material for making a bench.

The first two examples show that she is thinking about the properties of the material and how they make it suitable for different purposes. This is not consistent across the whole activity as later she does not link the uses to the properties. She’s not yet consistently secure. Her response to her teacher’s marking also shows her ability to use more appropriate Scientific vocabulary (transparent Instead of see through).

Geanley selected different classroom objects for close examination and drew her own conclusion from her findings and knowledge of materials and their properties.

This is further evidence that Geanley is very secure on the Year 1 objective about difference between objects and materials as she has recorded the names of materials instead of objects although asked to find objects.

Identifying objects and considering the material’s properties and what else it could be used for • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal,

plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

The children used their knowledge of materials and their properties to design their own egg box, explaining why they had chosen certain materials for their design.

I chose glass hooks because glass is strong and it would make the box look beautiful. The wool is soft and it would cushion the egg in the strong metal casing. The cardboard and wood are strong and hard materials that would not break easily when dropped and would help to protect and keep the egg safe.

Geanley met the Year 2 objective by using her knowledge of materials and their properties and what makes them suitable or unsuitable for a particular purpose to design her egg box. She used a variety of everyday materials in unusual and creative ways. This confirmed her understanding that an object can be made from different suitable materials and that one material can be used for a number of different objects.

Designing a box to keep an egg safe • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal,

plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

After making their egg boxes the children tested them by dropping the boxes .

Geanley contributed to the discussion as her group planned how they would test their egg boxes. She made her prediction once her finished product was completed.

Geanley realised that her original design was too complicated and very difficult to make using the tools available in school. She changed her design using materials that were easier to handle but still suitable for an egg box (cardboard, paper and cotton wool). Geanley chose suitable replacement materials, based on their properties.

Designing a box to keep an egg safe • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal,

plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

Egg boxes made of different materials were dropped from a height to see the effect of the drop on the egg.

Geanley carried out a comparative test. Looking at the evidence she established that none of the egg boxes were suitable.

Testing egg boxes to see if they kept the egg safe • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal,

plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

This activity would have provided further evidence for Geanley being secure if she had linked this writing to the properties of the materials.

Exploring fabrics for their suitability for a particular use • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal,

plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

After reading the picture book ‘ The Smartest Giant in Town’ the children were given a range of fabrics to handle and were then asked to discuss which would be the most suitable for making a pair of tights for the giant.

Geanley was able to consider the properties that would be important for a pair of tights – stretchy, soft, strong and warm and then relate this to the fabrics in order to rank them in order of suitability.

Whilst handling the fabrics Geanley was able to talk about the properties of each using the key vocabulary such as stretchy, soft, strong, weak, opaque, flexible.

The children chose different objects and tried to change their shape using different actions.

Things like fabric, blu tac and cling film are not stiff, so they bend easily and you can squash and twist them. Sometimes you cannot change the shape of some things even if they are made from the same material. Like a metal sharpener and a metal paper clip. You can’t bend a metal sharpener because it is very rigid but you can bend a metal paper clip because the paper clip is thinner so it is not very strong and it’s not too stiff.

Here Geanley has shown understanding that the properties depend not only on the material but also on its form.

Geanley was able to change the shape of different objects using different actions which she could name.

Exploring how to change the shape of an object • find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by

squashing, bending, twisting and stretching

Geanley used scientific vocabulary to describe how she changed the shape of her playdoh and to describe the results of that change (body of the snake, its head and eyes). Through questioning, Geanley came to realise that all the actions she had been investigating (squashing, bending, twisting, stretching, rolling) all involve pushing or pulling to cause a change in shape and that some changes are caused by the combination of both forces.

Children were told to make a playdough model and describe how it was made. The children were given

playdoh and asked to change it into a different shape whilst talking about the actions that they used.

I was pushing the playdough when I squashed it and I pulled it when I stretched it. I am pushing it down and then I pull it round this way. Geanley identified that she was using a combination of two forces (push & pull).

Exploring how to change the shape of an object • find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by

squashing, bending, twisting and stretching

Secure

Geanley has shown consistently that she can name the materials from which different objects are made and talk about a range of properties. She has developed her use of more sophisticated vocabulary to describe the properties of materials. She is able to say why a material has suitable or unsuitable properties for different purposes. She is able to show how to change the shape of objects using a range of different actions, discussing how this depends on the object not just the material.

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Overall Summary

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Acknowledgements