Science

At Beechwood, the Science curriculum is rooted in the school’s underlying aims, ethos and values.  It is carefully designed to equip our pupils with the scientific knowledge, skills and understanding and attitudes that will both prepare them for the next stage in their education and enable them to live successful lives in the future. The curriculum allows children to develop a sense of awe and wonder, develop their awareness of the changing world around them, understand the consequences of their actions and develop personal qualities and social skills through group and practical work.

Our aims in teaching Science are that all children will:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
• Develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of scientific enquiry that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• Become equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and in the future.
• Learn a progression of scientific skills, while developing their curiosity and pursuing their own interests by questioning, exploring and investigating practically inside the classroom, in the outside environments around school and through regular science-based visits and visitors.
• Build up an understanding of scientific vocabulary that they are able to use accurately and precisely both verbally and in writing while predicting, explaining, discussing and analysing.
• Apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data.
   

We are Scientists at Beechwood Primary School

British Science Week 2023

A huge congratulations to our winners of the British Science Week poster competition! We were so impressed by your interpretation of this year’s theme of ‘connections’. 

Nursery

The children in the Nursery have been baking and learning about how our cake and pancake mixtures turn into solids so that we can eat when we put them in the oven or over the fire.

Reception

The natural world is explored through our Plants and Animals topic. Our outdoor classroom is used for planting, growing, watching the seasons change, bird watching and minibeast hunting. We compare our environment to other natural environments around the world.

Year 2

Our trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. We took part in a workshop called 'Fur, Feathers and Scales' to learn about the different types of animals and how to identify them. 

Year 3

We devised our own science investigations connected to our bodies. We wondered if the person with the longest leg could jump the furthest or run the furthest. We wondered if the person with the longest arm could throw the furthest. We found out in each investigation that this was not true.
 

We visited Meanwood Valley Farm to take part in a soil workshop. We had great fun working out what soil was made of and trying to create our own. We learned you need water, air, minerals, organic matter and lots of time so the soil can be hundreds of years old.

Year 4

Year 4 conducted a bug hunt in the Lake District, using classification keys to identify different species.

Year 4 have learnt about the digestive system including our teeth.

Year 4 learnt all about sound. They had a visit from Sam ‘The Sound Man’ as part of this topic! They learnt about what sound is, how it travels and how it can be altered. 

Year 5

We learned about the effects of air resistance and water resistance as part of our forces topic. We investigated water resistance by creating different plasticine shapes to see which would travel through the water the fastest. To investigate air resistance, we worked on groups to find out what makes the most effective parachute. 

Year 5 leant about electricity and electrical circuits.

Home Learning Grids

Summer

Spring

Useful Links

Top Tips to help your child be a brilliant Scientist

1. Create a Science Station at Home
This could include a microscope, binoculars, magnifying glass, tweezers and containers which are all tools a Beechwood scientist might need to explore.
2. Create Science Trays
You could put items on a science tray such as magnets, rocks, shells or fossils to provide opportunities to explore, investigate and question.
3. Visit the local Seacroft Library to check out books from the Science/Non-Fiction Section
Before you get there ask your child what they want to learn about prior to checking out books. Perhaps look at the Science Long Term Plan on the school science website first to see what your child is learning this term e.g. plants, animals, sound, space, habitats, or the human body. 
4. Grow a Garden
If you are lucky enough to have a garden then try discovering the process of growing a variety of seeds. This could be flowers, fruit or vegetables. Cress seeds, marigolds and broad beans can be very easy to grow either inside in containers or outdoors. 
5. Cook with your Child
Just baking simple buns, or melting chocolate is part of science. Your child could just observe what happens when ingredients are mixed together, heated or cooled. Observe active yeast?  Egg or no egg, baking soda or no baking soda?  How can kneading bread change from a sticky mess to something extremely soft and smooth? 
6. Create a Science Journal
Your child could record observations of the world around them in a variety of ways such as drawing, writing or photographing things.  
7. Plan Family Outings
Plan trips/days out that support science topics your child is learning at school.  A trip to Eureka, the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford or a local park might be the first step to learning about particular areas of science. Even the zoo, local garden centre, pet shop, animal rescue, or even your neighbourhood can provide real-life experience of many science concepts.
8. Keep simple items on hand for experiments
Examples of this would be cardboard tubes, tin foil, torches, plastic bottles, magnifying glass and just items you might normally throw away.
9. Don’t be afraid of a little mess
Outside is probably best, but things can always be cleaned.
10. Ask questions that are open-ended
Try to encourage your child to think about a topic and generate their own questions. Thinking outside the box is to be encouraged.  As you see your child observing something, encourage him/her to talk about their questions and observations. This is also a great way to build vocabulary. Checking the Science Home Learning Mat will provide some of the key vocabulary.