Scientific skills: What are they and how can we ensure that they are taught well?

The last post drew together all of the research and tools that St George's Primary are using to support staff CPD of Scientific Enquiry types so that we can confidently teach these techniques to children to enable them to "Think like a scientist" and deepen their own knowledge and understanding of the key concepts that they are learning across the breadth of the primary science curriculum.

This week the focus is on scientific skills.

It is important to have clarity that neither the enquiry types nor scientific skills are taught or used discreetly from one another. More often than not in a single lesson, the children may tap into different enquiry types as well as apply a range of scientific skills. Because of this, it is integral for staff to have clarity about what the focus assessment is for working scientifically across the course of a lesson, mapped across topics and therefore insurance that coverage is achieved across the academic year. In turn, it is imperative to ensure that this is progressive across the breadth of the curriculum. This is evident in our working scientific progression document and is also clear and evident in MTP and lesson plans.

The image below indicates the different scientific skills that the children will be using across all science lessons. These should be shared at the start and end of each lesson allowing the children to become fluent in understanding the skills that they need to apply to enable them to "think like a scientist." In addition, these should be displayed on our working walls as well as smaller copies on the inside cover of each child's book.

Throughout science lessons, the children will be utilising these scientific skills. It is important to highlight that there should be discreet teaching of any scientific skills and or scientific equipment that needs to be used independently, and this explicit instruction should be embedded into lessons. Modelling at the front of the classroom and allowing children time to familiarise themselves with equipment, scientific resources as well as modelling investigations (there will be a separate post on teacher modelling) allows the children to be able to apply scientific knowledge and understanding and apply deeper thinking.

The science curriculum is intertwined with the maths curriculum; measuring (reading scales; length, mass, measuring cylinders, force meters, thermometers; time and angles) presenting and interpreting data (reading scales, reading graphs: line, bar, pictograms)  are the key areas that merge between these two subjects. We cannot assume that the children have the prior subject knowledge and therefore we need to ensure that again we cover the teaching of these mathematical concepts within our science lessons so that the children can use and apply these skills independently during their own investigations.

Next post: The role of modelling investigations.

Please use the comments tab for feedback with any questions or ideas that you have used in lessons when teaching scientific skills or if there is any additional support or CPD that you require.