Aims and purposes of science
At key stage 3 science offers opportunities for pupils to:
- build on their scientific knowledge and understanding from key stage 2 and make connections between different areas of science;
- use scientific ideas and models to explain phenomena and events;
- understand a range of familiar applications of science;
- think about the advantages and drawbacks of scientific and technological developments for the environment and in other contexts, considering the reasons for different opinions;
- carry out investigations of different types, on their own and in groups, making use of reference sources and evaluating their work;
- communicate what they did and its significance;
- learn how scientists work and the importance of experimental evidence in supporting scientific ideas.
Content of science at key stage 3
In the programme of study for science, the content is set out in a sequence of statements covering:
- scientific enquiry (Sc1);
- life processes and living things (Sc2);
- materials and their properties (Sc3);
- physical processes (Sc4).
The programme of study ends with a section indicating the breadth of study expected. Health and safety
All practical activities in science must comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Specifically, teachers must carry out risk assessments of any hazards and are required to meet the demands of COSHH Regulations 1999 and/ or the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992.
Employers (LEAs, school governors, etc) generally use model (general) risk assessments for science activities normally carried out in schools. These are found in the following publications:
- Be safe! Some aspects of safety in science and technology for key stages 1 and 2 (ASE, 2nd edition, 1990);
- Safeguards in the school laboratory (ASE, 10th edition, 1996);
- Topics in safety (ASE, 2nd edition, 1998);
- Safety reprints (ASE, 1998 edition);
- Safety in science education (DfES, 1996, HMSO);
- Hazards (CLEAPSS, 1995 or 1998 update);
- Laboratory handbook (CLEAPSS, 1997 or later);
- Risk assessments for technology (CLEAPSS, 1994).
Teachers should check which models are recommended by their employers and ensure these are used. In addition, teachers are responsible for risk assessment of any modifications appropriate to their own classroom situation. In this scheme of work the particular hazards are detailed in the 'Points to note' and summarised in the 'Health and safety' section for each unit. Teaching energy
Pupils beginning key stage 3 will have ideas about energy and will have talked about it in everyday terms. Many pupils and adults associate energy with activity, and think that it can be used up. They make connections between what they eat and exercise with comments such as 'I'll need some time in the gym to work off this chocolate bar! '. This comment acknowledges several aspects of energy:
- the chocolate bar is a source of energy;
- the human body can store energy;
- human activity transfers this stored energy to somewhere else;
- in some transfers the energy is transformed into something different, eg from the chemicals in the body to movement and heat;
- activities such as gymnastics dissipate energy: it is effectively lost.
The approach in this scheme of work is to challenge and develop pupils' ideas, in contexts relevant to them. The language used is appropriate to the pupil, rather than that of formal scientific definition. This involves some simplification and care needs to be taken if pupils are not to develop misconceptions. Some detailed cautions are included in the 'Points to note' in the units. In the key units the approach in the unit is outlined at the start. These are:
In other units, for example unit 7C 'Environment and feeding relationships' there is a brief statement about teaching energy in 'Where the unit fits in'.
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