Planning Working Scientifically
When planning the teaching of the working scientifically skills, it is important to note that the National Curriculum makes clear that the working scientifically skills,
“must always be taught through and clearly related to the teaching of substantive science content in the programme of study.”
To support schools/teachers to plan the teaching of the PLAN Working Scientifically Skills, the Planning Working Scientifically documents for each year-group list the working scientifically activities for that year-group that most frequently feature in schemes of work, organised by the topics for the year-group. They also indicate for each working scientifically activity whether it is most commonly done as a practical activity or scientific enquiry. If as a scientific enquiry, the likely type(s) of scientific enquiry is indicated.
The working scientifically activities included in each document are not an exhaustive list, and it is possible that the working scientifically activities included in them can be done as different types of scientific enquiry to those indicated. Consequently, the documents are editable, so they can be amended to reflect school’s plans.
For each working scientifically activity included in the documents, the PLAN Working Scientifically Skills and the most likely elements of the ‘Key learning’ for those skills that the activity can be used to teach are indicated. The elements of the ‘Key learning’ for the different skills that the activity can be used to teach are indicated by the reference numbers from the Working Scientifically Matrix for the phase (see illustration below).
Many of the working scientifically activities can be used to teach a number of the PLAN Working Scientifically Skills, so it is for the school/teacher to choose which skill and which elements of the ‘Key learning’ for that skill to focus on during any activity.
The PLAN Working Scientifically Skills and most likely elements of the ‘Key learning’ for those skills that a working scientifically activity can be used to teach, indicated in the documents, should not be taken as definitive. It is possible for working scientifically activities to be used to teach other skills and other elements of the ‘Key learning’ for those skills, so the documents are editable so they can be amended to reflect school’s plans.
Schools/Teachers will notice that not every topic in a year-group lends itself to teaching all the PLAN Working Scientifically Skills, so it is important to bear this in mind when planning out where particular skills will be taught through the year.
Schools/Teachers should not expect to complete all of the working scientifically activities featured in each document for each year-group with their children. They should use the documents to select enough opportunities, across the year, for their children to learn and practise the different elements of the ‘Key learning’ for each skill sufficiently to become secure in using them independently by the end of the phase.
