Learning science will help children to develop the practical skills of investigation and of designing and making. As children use and apply these skills they will learn to deal with more complex concepts and scientific knowledge. The extent to which they can develop the skills of science will depend on their age, their stage of intellectual development and the types of practical investigations that they experience.
These science skills are seldom met in isolation but are component parts of an investigative approach to science. Throughout most stages of a scientific investigation children will observe, predict, attempt to explain and communicate. The order in which these skills are presented in the curriculum document should not be interpreted as a definitive methodology for approaching investigatory and experimental work in science.
Working scientifically
Observing
Observing (using all the senses separately or in combination) is a fundamental skill in science. In the infant classes questions or comments by the teacher or children can focus the pupils' attention on objects or events. This may lead to some exploratory work and to informal sorting, where materials and living things are grouped and reorganised into different categories. At all class levels children will be asked to compare and describe similarities and differences between objects. This will lead them to observing the characteristics of familiar things, such as their shape, size, colour, pattern and texture. Observing involves activities that require several of the other skills, such as classifying and communicating.
Training pupils in safe observational techniques and emphasising the need for cautious use of the senses, especially when tasting, smelling or touching, is an important aspect of this work.
Classifying
Classifying involves children in sorting what they have observed according to one or more attributes. In infant classes and in first and second classes children will recognise properties such as colour, shape and size and will be able to sort similar objects based on one property. In third and fourth classes children willdetermine their own criteria for sorting and will be able to explain why these criteria were chosen. In third and fourth classes and in fifth and sixth classes children will group objects into sets and sub-sets. They will also use more established means for classifying, such as keys for identifying and sorting insects, birds, leaves and trees.
Recognising patterns
The ability to see patterns in objects and processes depends on the capacity to perceive links, to detect similarities and differences, and to recognise sequences. Detecting patterns involves the pupil in linking observations with ideas and possible explanations. In infant classes and junior classes children may associate falling leaves in autumn with a decrease in temperature. In the middle and senior classes children will suggest explanations and make generalisations based on observed patterns. These explanations will help them to develop their understanding of phenomena and events in the world.
Estimating and measuring
Estimating and measuring are basic skills used to obtain information during observations. The emphasis is on using appropriate ways of measuring that are suitable to the children's stage of development and to the activity being undertaken. In the infant classes and in junior classes children will compare objects and describe them as large or small, heavy or light. They will examine a range of objects and arrange them in order, for example from the smallest to the largest.
Children will measure objects using a range of non-standard units of measurement, for example cupfuls, handfuls and hand spans. In the middle classes they will begin to use standard units of measurement to measure length, area, time, temperature and weight. In the middle and senior classes they will select the most appropriate equipment to aid their measurements. As the activities increase in complexity, the need for more accurate measurement will be necessary. Children will use a range of measuring instruments (ruler, balances, thermometers, scales) with accuracy and will recognise the need to measure and repeat measurements during an investigation.
The skills of estimating before actual measurements are made will be encouraged at all class levels. Skill in estimation will assist children in judging the accuracy of their results.
Weight and mass
In the science curriculum document and in these guidelines no distinction is made between the terms mass and weight. The mass of an object is the amount of material or matter it contains; the weight of an object is the amount of force being exerted on it by the pull of gravity. Most children during the primary years will not have developed the ability to grasp the distinction between mass and weight, and therefore, for general classroom use, the term 'weight' is used in these guidelines.
Questioning
Asking questions is an essential part of exploring and developing an understanding of the environment. Questioning is the means by which a child forms links between previous and new experiences. It also helps children to find out the information required to make sense of the world. Children should be encouraged to ask openended questions. Some of these questions should form the basis for investigative work.
Making and testing hypotheses: attempting to explain
Asking questions and suggesting possible explanations of problems are central features of the scientific process. In the middle and senior classes children will be encouraged to attempt to explain or offer hypotheses. A hypothesis is an idea that can be tested. It is a supposition, based on prior experience and knowledge, that is put forward in explanation of observed facts or as the basis for formulating predictions.
Posing questions about problems encourages children to attempt to explain or to formulate hypotheses. Hypotheses or tentative explanations do not need to be correct, but they should fit the available evidence. They become the basis for further investigation. In the middle and senior classes children should be encouraged to suggest several explanations of phenomena. These explanations will enable the children to form ideas and suggest predictions that they will want to observe or test. During their tests or investigations children will then become aware of the need to revise or reject their hypotheses in the light of new evidence.
Predicting
Patterns that have been identified in observations or in investigations can form the basis for a prediction. Pupils make predictions to forecast what might happen in certain circumstances. In the infant classes and in first and second classes children's predictions will be prompted by the teacher and will arise in structured situations. In the middle and senior classes pupils' predictions should be based on evidence from previous experience or observations. Pupils' predictions should be linked to the testing of ideas in investigations.
Investigating and experimenting
Investigating is the systematic search for evidence that tests an idea or explanation. In infant classes and junior classes simple investigations that are structured by the teacher will help children to think about how to approach solving problems. Pupils will identify the materials required and may suggest approaches that will help carry out the investigation. Children may realise that some things have to be controlled or kept the same in an investigation, for example the amount of water added to each plant. For children in middle and in senior classes investigating and experimenting will involve them in planning and conducting fair tests of ideas and predictions. A fair investigation will involve children in the following processes:
- identifying the problem to be investigated: for example, Which shoes have the best grip? Where do woodlice like to live?
- identifying variables -- those variables that are to be changed and those that are to be measured or compared. It will be important that children realise that they must change or vary only one condition or variable at a time. Other conditions must not vary. For example, the children can investigate the relative speed at which parachutes of varying sizes descend. Two parachutes, identical in all regards except size, should be constructed. The parachutes could then be simultaneously released from the same height. After repeated trials the children may decide whether size influences the results
- selecting appropriate equipment and materials for an investigation
- ordering of various steps of the investigation
- selecting the most appropriate methods of recording
- analysing the results of the investigation.
The pupils will refer back to the original problem and plan any further experimental work. The results of the experiment are recorded systematically, and conclusions are stated.
Identifying variables: designing a fair test
In the middle and senior classes children will begin to recognise that an investigation or test must be fair. Fair testing involves the identification of the conditions that make a difference in an experiment. Children should identify
- the variable that they will change
- the variable that will be measured or judged
- the variables that will be controlled or held constant.
In carrying out fair tests, pupils should be encouraged to ask:
What is being tested?
What will be changed?
What will be kept the same?
What will be measured or compared?
Recording and communicating
Children will record and communicate their observations and the results of their practical work through a variety of media, for example drawings, collage, written and oral reports, and through the use of information and communication technologies. Children need opportunities to report to others how they plan their investigations, how they control or change variables, the observations and measurements made, and the results of their investigations. Through this process they may refine their own thoughts and identify new problems that need to be solved.
Designing and making
An important aspect of scientific activity is encouraging children to design and make artefacts and models that will provide solutions to practical problems. Designing and making is a process that involves pupils in using and applying their scientific skills and knowledge to practical tasks. The skills that pupils might apply in the process of solving practical problems are:
- exploring
- planning
- making
- evaluating.
Exploring
Exploring should involve children in structured and unstructured play with materials, objects and models. In the infant classes and in first and second classes children will handle and manipulate materials and develop an understanding of how materials are used to make different objects and structures. They will be given opportunities to make models from Duplo, building blocks, plastic straws and other materials. Through this exploration they will come to appreciate how their models and structures can be affected technically and aesthetically by the use of different textures, colours, shapes and choice of materials. An important aspect of the work in the infant classes and in first and second classes will be discussing and realising the need for different designs and shapes of objects.
In the middle and senior classes children should have opportunities to design and make models and structures of their own choice, using construction kits and a wide range of building materials. They should consider and discuss how to improve and adapt objects and structures. An important aspect of the work at this level will be encouraging the children to perceive the need to design something new or to adapt a built object for a new purpose. Free exploration of materials, objects and construction toys, models and kits will be an essential element of the work at all levels.
Planning
This skill involves the children in imagining, planning and designing an object that they will make. At all class levels children will be encouraged to work in groups and to share and communicate their ideas. In the infant classes and in first and second classes children may make simple drawings or models. They will be guided by the teacher in their choice of materials, tools and ways of working.
In third and fourth classes and in fifth and sixth classes children should be able to create a range of design proposals and compare and consider the merits of different designs. Through discussion they will be able to assess the feasibility of undertaking different design proposals and will review and adapt their designs to accommodate their skills, range of resources, materials and time allocated to the task. It will be important that this work will link with the development of spatial skills in mathematics and geography, and opportunities for designing and making should be identified in these curricular areas.
Making
This part of the designing and making process will involve children in making and producing the product or artefact that they have designed and planned. The development of craft-handling skills, such as cutting, joining, fastening, weaving and linking, will be essential for the construction of models and artefacts that the children will design. An important aspect of the work at all levels is that children will select and use appropriate tools. This will require careful supervision, and safety is an important skill and attitude for children to develop at each phase of the designing and making process. In the infant and junior classes the range of tools will be limited to those that will have been encountered in craft activities.
In the middle and senior classes, as a more diverse range of materials, such as wood and plastic, is introduced, children will have access to a wider range of tools. To ensure progression and continuity in designing and making tasks, children should have access to and experience working with an ever increasing range of materials and tools that will enable them to realise their design proposals.
Evaluating
Evaluating the product that has been designed and produced by the children can help them to suggest improvements to their designs and to consider ways of modifying their way of working and planning. Children should be provided with opportunities to review what other groups have produced and to see how well the resulting products match their design proposals. Children should suggest modifications to designs and, in an atmosphere of positive criticism, be encouraged to try other design proposals in an effort to provide more appropriate solutions to the problems that were identified.