Science at BPS

We are very excited to be starting a new specialist area at BPS this year. Science has been taught in our classrooms for many years, so it was a great transition to have it as a stand-alone subject area. This year we will be learning about Science through the development of inquiry skills and understandings in our Science curriculum. We will be learning all of the different skills of Science, including how to question and hypothesize, predict outcomes, conduct experiments, record our observations and evaluate our results. The skills we learn in Science are transferable to many other subject areas and disciplines, including our work around STEM and problem solving. Students will be looking at different areas of Science, including Biological Science, Chemical Science, Earth and Space Science, and Physical Science. All students in all year levels will have the opportunity to walk into the Science room and become a scientist!

Foundation

Science lessons in Foundation will be focusing on how we use science in our daily lives. We will be conducting experiments using every day materials and recording our experiences using four main points –

• What I think will happen.
• What I did.
• What ACTUALLY happened.
• What I learned.

Year 1/2

Science in Years 1 and 2 will be focusing on predicting what we think will happen, conducting experiments, and recording our observations. We will learn words such as prediction, observation and evaluation. Students will work with different objects and materials, learning about how things change. We will be looking at Physical Science this term, focusing the motion of objects.

Year 3/4

Sciences lessons in Years 3 and 4 will be focusing on learning language around science experiments, such as purpose, hypothesis, analysis and conclusion. We will learn to record data and observations, while safely using materials in the Science room and around the school. Students will be conducting experiments using different materials and learning about how changing these materials impacts it’s properties and purpose. To begin the year we will be looking at Physical Science, focusing on friction, gravity, air pressure and magnets.

Year 5/6

We will be starting the year in 5/6 Science lessons by looking at the solar system and investigating different ways that we can measure planets, stars and distance between these. Students will be exploring how to pose questions and conduct individual experiments using hypothesis’. We will be learning how to formally write up our experiments using language such as materials, aim, hypothesis, procedure, observation, data and evaluation. Throughout the year, 5/6 students will examine scientific discoveries and inventions, as well as applying our experimental skills to investigate energy sources.

Our Science lessons at Blackburn Primary School will serve to develop critical thinkers and students who are able to clarify, test, prove or disprove their theories about the world around them. We will aim to great a fun and hands-on space to perform experiments in our dedicated Science room, situated in the old school house.

Mrs Wendy Bennett