Wow! Science

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Ideally, I would recommend lining up your science lessons to follow the plot line of the story you are reading, stopping to investigate as you go. Sometimes, as teachers, we find it hard to read a whole novel to the class. It takes a long time and often the majority of our time is directed. To prompt questions, scientific discussion, and support independent learning (probably just for KS2 children): File not writeable: /var/www/html/wowscience.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/special-recent-posts/cache/srpthumb-p2697-105x77-no.jpg Problem detected on file:/var/www/html/wowscience.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GW-3-300x200.jpg

Universe, Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Animals, Humans, plants, microorganisms, bacteria, virus, cells, DNA, molecules, microscope, measurementsYou could use the story of the scientist (if it is a good story) or you could choose a great novel or picture book that has something within it that you can investigate. Ask children to find out objects the same comparative size, smaller or larger than an area you are working on….. e.g. “What is smaller than an ant?” One way to use stories is to tell the story of the scientist. If the scientist faced a particularly difficult set of circumstances then the story of the scientist can be engaging.

It was amazing how many different facts my class remembered, afterwards. We have lots of children for whom English is a second language. This worked really well for them, as it is all so visual. (Teacher) The story stands alone: it is a good story. However, on this journey she travels by zeppelin, by boat, by sledge, by hot air balloon, by polar bear and on foot through snow and ice and treacherous conditions. All of those modes of transport involve forces. Each leg of the journey encounters difficulties, which can be better understood if the science is investigated – if the forces are felt. Space – the sun is the centre of the universe. Children probably aren’t aware of much beyond our Sun. Problem detected on file:/var/www/html/wowscience.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/child-and-leaves-unsplash-source.jpg The science would be there in the telling, there to visualise and retain as the story is memorised. But the science is not the star. A gripping read.

When you learn more about something, you begin to care more and want to protect it. I hope that my Nature Collection and the resources I have created with TTS and the PSTT will inspire children and adults to look more closely at the local animals that share our world. Susanna Ramsey has created a huge collection of physical specimens and photographs of British wildlife. She has been working with Fellows from the Primary Science Teaching Trust to create some wonderful new resources to support science in the Early Years. In this blog, Susanna shares the story of how the collection began, her passion for wildlife and photography, and how teachers can access her collection.

It’s something I have created over the last 10 years. It’s a ‘hands-on’ collection of skulls, skeletons, skins, antlers, feathers, wings, taxidermy and insect specimens. All relate to British animals. The display spreads over 12 trestle tables and includes exhibits from birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects. Delicate objects are in display cases but many objects can be handled. By looking at pictures, children can compare sizes of stars, planets, animals, plants, microorganisms, molecules, etc. There are no verbal or written explanations. If you want to really get the children to retain the story, teach them to tell the story themselves. Remember, if the story doesn’t grip you, it won’t grip the children so choose the books that you love. Resources.History is an obvious candidate for teaching through stories as the content is largely cause and effect and there is often an emotional content to a historical story too, which engages the reader/listener. But what about science? How can we engage that story-processing brain when learning about science? Another approach is to story tell the whole story in one go and then revisit aspects of the story as you progress through the science topic. I have written and collected some stories for science teaching which are designed to be told by the teacher and then the children (Science Through Stories, Smith and Pottle, Hawthorn, 2015). They are short stories which the children can learn themselves, using the Storytelling Schools method.