Tried and Tested Primary Science Experiments

Practical Enhancements for Science in the Primary Curriculum

Kirsty Bertenshaw

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429847219
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

The modern world needs more scientists and engineers, and good science education is key to filling this gap. Especially in the current climate of rapid curriculum changes, a lack of emphasis on training can result in unconfident teaching and monotonous lessons. To rectify this, this book offers methods to deliver the National Curriculum aims at primary school in an interesting, hands-on and fun fashion.

Tried and Tested Primary Science Experiments provides a practical step-by-step guide for all year groups, helping teachers to create more engaging and fun science lessons in the classroom. All experiments are simple to follow, fail-safe and are designed to enthuse and inspire students. It includes:

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• tried and tested guides to running successful science experiments;

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• clear instructions that outline the simple equipment required, how to carry out the experiments and what results to expect;

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• suggestions for adapting each activity to the special needs and interests of the students.

Aimed at primary school teachers and trainee teachers, this illustrated guide refers directly to the new curriculum and is an essential resource for every primary classroom.

Year 1 Plants

National Curriculum Statements:

• identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees;

• identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees.

Working scientifically:

• gathering and recording data to help in answering questions;

• performing simple tests;

• identifying and classifying;

• using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.

NC Assessment Indicators

Emerging: begin to identify common plants by name.

Expected: identify common plants by name and describe the common structures.

Exceeding: use knowledge gained to identify plants and trees without using a classification key.

GROWING PLANTS

Equipment:

Cress seeds

Fast growing flower seeds – sunflower, marigold, nasturtium

Cotton wool

Soil

Plant pots

Petri dishes or small plastic containers

Instructions:

1. Place cotton wool into a Petri dish or small plastic container.

2. Add enough water to soak the cotton wool without it sitting in a puddle.

3. Place a generous amount of cress seeds onto the cotton wool and place on a windowsill.

4. Observe daily.

5. Fill a small plant pot with soil.

6. Place a few flower seeds in each pot and water regularly.

7. Observe weekly – these should germinate in approximately 14 days.

The cress will grow quickly and allows students to observe germination, seeing the roots grow and the shoots sprout to become a stem. The cress can then be compared to the slower growing flowering plants, identifying common features of plants.

The growth stages can be sketched by the students or changes recorded using photography and turned into a display, including seed production in sunflowers.

Health and safety

Hazard and risk	Precautions
Seeds can pose a choking hazard and can be toxic.	Use under supervision. Do not allow students to ingest seeds.
Plastic pots, Petri dishes and plant pots can break and cause cuts.	Check for chips and damage before using. Discard any damaged objects.
Soil can contain microbes and parasites.	Adult supervision required, hands must be washed well with soap after activity. Do not allow students to ingest soil.
Cotton wool is a suffocation and choking hazard.	Adult supervision required, do not allow students to place cotton wool over their faces or ingest it.
Water spillages can be a slipping hazard.	Clear any spilt water immediately.

Adapting the activity

Extra support: give students labels such as ‘shoot’, ‘stem’, ‘leaf’ and a large diagram of the plant growing. Students can stick the labels onto the right part of the diagram.

Extension: replant the seeds from the flowers grown and repeat the observations.

Optional extras: recognise simple differences between flowering plants and non-flowering plants, e.g. flowers produce seeds.

SEASONS

Equipment:

A view of outside

Pencils

Paper

Camera

A school year

Instructions:

Observe a view of outside the classroom, possibly of the school field, ensuring a view of deciduous trees.

Students can observe and sketch the tree in all seasons, or take a photograph, starting with the turning of the leaves in autumn. These observations can be repeated each season. Over time, the observations can be assembled into a display. One option is to make a display of a tree with a trunk and bare branches, where students can add to a quarter of it for each season, e.g. large leaves for summer, small leaves for spring and possibly blossom, no leaves for winter and multicoloured leaves sparsely arranged for autumn.

Adapting the activity

Extra support: provide the children with pictures of a scene from every season to compare the differences in the plants.

Extension: predict the changes in the trees for each season.

Optional extras: provide the children with pictures of a scene from every season that includes evergreen trees too.

CLASSIFICATION OF TREES

Equipment:

Classification keys

Leaf samples

An outside area with access to plants and trees

Instructions:

Version 1

Using classification keys, explore the outside area and identify common garden and wild plants, and trees.

Version 2

Using a sheet with pictures of common plants in the school area pre-prepared by staff, students can tick off the ones they find in the area, or even make a tally of how many they find.

Version 3

Students can collect leaves from a variety of plants and produce their own classification key of common plants found in the school area, with the aid of staff.

Health and safety

Hazard and risk	Precautions
Plants can contain toxins, thorns or spikes.	Adult supervision required.
Allergies to plants and insect bites.	Check allergies of students before commencing activity. Be aware of insect activity in the school area – avoid ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Year 1 Plants
• Year 1 Animals including humans
• Year 1 Materials
• Year 1 Seasonal changes
• Year 2 Living things and their habitats
• Year 2 Plants
• Year 2 Animals including humans
• Year 2 Uses of everyday materials
• Year 3 Plants
• Year 3 Animals including humans
• Year 3 Rocks
• Year 3 Light
• Year 3 Forces and magnets
• Year 4 Living things and their habitats
• Year 4 Animals including humans
• Year 4 States of matter
• Year 4 Sound
• Year 4 Electricity
• Year 5 Living things and their habitats
• Year 5 Animals including humans
• Year 5 Properties and changes of materials
• Year 5 Earth and space
• Year 5 Forces
• Year 6 Living things and their habitats
• Year 6 Animals including humans
• Year 6 Evolution and inheritance
• Year 6 Light
• Year 6 Electricity
• Index