CL
EA
PS
S
Summer 2015 Newsletter 62
The
support
service for
Get Gas Safe – is a free educational programme
which helps you deliver vital safety messages to your
pupils. Register now at www.getgassafe.org.uk to
access free high quality resources to help you teach a
fun and interactive lesson to pupils age 9 to 11 with key
curriculum links to PSHE Health and wellbeing, PSE and
PD & MU.
The lesson will help your pupils identify hazards around
the home, manage risk responsibly and learn all about
gas, the hazard that can’t be seen.
CL
EA
PS
S
The website offers a comprehensive lesson plan (‘a one
stop shop’) including presentations, videos, quizzes and
an exciting interactive house activity. The interactive
house allows pupils to spot dangers and hazards in the
house and is a great way to educate them on general
safety within the home. Materials also include electrical
safety advice from charity Electrical Safety First, and the
campaign is also supported by RoSPA, the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Accidents
Science and
Design Technology
in primary schools
The website has been launched alongside a roadshow
where actors tour primary schools across the country,
putting on a theatrical performance to explain the
importance of gas safety and how to identify other risks
and hazards in the home.
Primary
Science &
Technology
The detailed lesson plan has been fully tested by
teachers, for teachers.
The Primary competition 2015
“Dunking that doesn’t take the biscuit”
Healthy ?
Healthy ?
This year’s competition is about designing and testing a new food product, a “healthy dunking biscuit”.
The details of the competition are on
the website, and a summary is below.
•
We would like the entrants to develop a
biscuit that:
• could be carried on a long walk
without crumbling
• contains healthy ingredients
• can be dunked in a drink without
dropping into your drink
• tastes good
• is inexpensive
•
The Project
The children should:
• Research what makes a dunking
biscuit “healthy”, and what makes a
biscuit likely to sell well.
• The children should come up with a
recipe for a new biscuit that they
think is going to be “healthy”, won’t
crumble easily and tastes good after
being dunked in a drink.
8
•
The children should then make
biscuits using their recipe, with help
from their parents or teachers.
The biscuits should then be tested to
find out if they meet the
requirements.
If the biscuits are not quite right, the
children should think again about the
recipe and make a new biscuit for
test. This trial and retest process may
need to be repeated more than once.
The Report
The children should make a record of
each part of their project as they progress
through the activity; for example taking
photos, making drawings or writing
down what they have done or found out.
DO NOT SEND BISCUITS WITH YOUR
ENTRY.
Entries must reach CLEAPSS
by 12 midday on Tuesday
20th October 2015
Judging and Prizes
There will be a prize for the best entry in
each of the three age group categories,
and a prize for the best entry overall.
The three entry classes are:
Year 1-2
Year 3-4
Year 5-6
The judging will take place at CLEAPSS
on Friday October 30th 2015.
Prizes will be presented at the
ASE Conference 2016 in Birmingham.
Making your entry
There should be one entry for each
biscuit made, and the entry form on the
CLEAPSS website should be completed.
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
Spitting images
FREE
to all member
primary schools &
other members.
www.cleapss.org.uk
In this issue:
■ CLEAPSS Director - Practical
science – why it’s worth the
effort!
■ “Working scientifically” in the
new National Curriculum
■ CLEAPSS resources for the new
National Curriculum
■ Under control, bovine TB in
alpacas?
■ Sealing the deal
■ Call to the Helpline
■ Get Gas Safe
■ The Primary competition 2015
CLEAPSS Director
Practical science – why it’s worth the effort!
There is apparently an old Chinese proverb that says
Tell me, I'll forget.
Show me, I'll remember.
Involve me, I'll understand
I guess no one is sure who said
this, if indeed any one ever did
but it does have a ring of truth
about it. So what’s the
problem? – fears about safety,
lack of resources, lack of
expertise, lack of time excessive
emphasis on literacy and
numeracy, high stakes
assessment (mostly focussed on
literacy and numeracy!), league
tables ... I could go on but it is
clear that many things can get
in the way of great science.
There is also the view, entirely
erroneous to my mind that ‘proper
science’ is all about that stuff that
goes on in secondary school
laboratories and that in order to
increase the level of challenge in
primary science what you need to do
is ... teach secondary science instead.
Absolutely not true – there is much
more to science than having a
Bunsen burner and a gas tap!
In a previous role I had a habit of
saying the following to audiences of
secondary schools science teachers...
“Much of the best school science
practical work takes place in primary
classrooms and as such is often
delivered by teachers with no specific
background in science”
– this certainly served to wake up the
audience!
Why would I believe this? Put very
simply those of us with a background
in science (and I include myself in
this group) know too much!
Or more precisely we know too
much stuff. Too much detail about
the content of science – as a result
we are just too interested in all the
wonderful things we know about the
world and end up putting too much
emphasis on this in our teaching at
the expense of the equally important
understanding of how we know what
we know. In contrast a non-specialist
“Working scientifically” in the
new National Curriculum
Essex County Council (ECC) have produced a resource ,
Science Assessment Statements years 1-6 that plans the
delivery and assessment of practical work to support
“Working scientifically” across Key Stages 1 and 2.
ECC have given CLEAPSS permission to publish the
resource in the free publications area of the CLEAPSS
website (http://www.cleapss.org.uk/freepublications/general-publications)
2
can look at all that stuff with a
helpful degree of detachment and
give science as a process a higher
billing in their lessons. More than
anything else, science is a way of
thinking.
Under control, bovine
TB in alpacas?
PSTs 57 and 59 gave
information about the hazards
from bovine tuberculosis (bTB)
in camelids (such as alpacas and
llamas), and we also gave advice
to reduce the risk of people
becoming infected from contact
with the animals.
DEFRA have recently published
legally enforceable measures
(statutory instruments 2337 and
2338), that are intended to control
the spread of bTB. Any school that
keeps alpacas (or other camelid)
must comply with these measures.
"We are just an advanced breed
of monkeys on a minor planet of
a very average star.
But we can understand the Universe.
That makes us very special."
The author of the document has requested that
schools using the resource help collate a bank of
materials to help with moderation. Please send
examples of pupils’ work (digital photo or scanned copy)
that exemplify any of the descriptor statements to
emma.nelson@targettracker.org, including a brief
commentary of year group, context and any other
relevant information (e.g. year 4 last lesson of six on food
chains).
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
A compensation scheme is in place if
there is compulsory slaughter of an
infected animal.
As the animals can be infectious but
show no signs of illness, when
visiting alpacas or other camelid in
farms or zoos people should:
• avoid all contact with the
mouth and nose of the animal
So let’s get to it and keep primary
science practical.
Request from the author of the resource
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi
/2014/2337/pdfs/uksi_20142337_e
n.pdf
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi
/2014/2338/pdfs/uksi_20142338_e
n.pdf
Stephen Hawking once said
Steve Jones
Director
CLEAPSS
If any school wishes to keep alpacas
or other camelid, they should read
the DEFRA document (at the
weblinks below) and consult DEFRA
and/or CLEAPSS if any points need to
be clarified.
• avoid contact with the spit of
the animals
In brief, camelids can become
infected with bTB from badgers or
cattle, and they show no signs of
illness until they are close to death.
Infected animals can transmit the
bTB , which is a very serious disease
in humans.
The legal control measures involve
visits from inspectors, forbid the
vaccination of the animals and
stipulate the procedure if bTB is
found in an animal on the premises.
CLEAPSS resources for the
new National Curriculum
Have a look at the guides and guidance leaflets available
on the CLEAPSS website for lots of interesting ideas.
http://www.cleapss.org.uk/primary/primaryresources/primary-guides
• wash hands thoroughly after
handling the animals or their
enclosure
One example:
CLEAPSS guide “Plants for
Classrooms (G42)” has lots
of ideas for for practicals
for looking at and
growing plants in
primary schools.
http://www.cleapss.org.uk/primary/primaryresources/primary-guidance-leaflets?start=10
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
3
Sealing the deal
As part of my role as Design and
Technology Adviser I often respond
to queries regarding potential new
projects or activities that a teacher
wants to try in their school. These
range from enquiries about what to
consider when building a downhill
racing cart, or a hovercraft, to what
to consider when frying chicken
pieces. Our role at CLEAPSS is to
advise on all aspects of health and
safety, so my role is to investigate
the enquiry and work with my
colleagues or seek out external
guidance from manufacturers or
suppliers and sometimes HSE, to
develop a framework or process
that minimises the risk, whilst still
enabling the activity to go ahead.
I recently responded to a query from a school in
Poland that uses the CLEAPSS services and wanted
to try a new activity. The teacher was asking about
the safe use of bathroom sealant.
On further investigation it turned
out that the teacher wanted to
make moulds using bathroom
sealant to cast plaster tiles.
With a couple of emails back and forth the teacher
was happy to tackle the new activity, confident
that they would be working safely and that the
materials they were proposing to use were safe.
I asked the teacher to share the results and they
kindly provided a procedure and some images that
we thought other schools might like to see and
perhaps develop their own similar activities.
Procedure:
Stage 1: make original item in plasticine, bear in
mind it should be a shape suitable to be removed
from a mould.
Stage 2: make a plasticine dam round the work
to contain the liquid that will form the mould.
After scanning our materials and
asking around the office I could not
find anything that would create a
particular hazard in using
bathroom sealant for this, in effect
the material used in bathroom
sealant is pretty safe and my advice was to go
ahead with the activity, taking into consideration
our MRATs and other guidance where appropriate.
Stage 3: mix a little of the sealant with washing
up liquid and paint it over the work with a paint
brush (this thinned fluid prevents bubbles
becoming trapped against the surface of the work
and acts as a releasing agent later)
Stage 4: fill the dam with bathroom sealant.
Using a sealant gun can be tricky, so a bit of
practice may be needed, keeping the nozzle under
the surface of the sealant helps to avoid bubbles
and helps the sealant to ‘flow’. If you layer strands
of sealant this will lead to bubbles in the finished
mould.
Stage 5: leave to set for the period recommended
on the tube (usually 24 hours), remove the
original plasticine and fill the mould with plaster of
Paris (see CLEAPSS advice on the use of plaster
PS72 and PS74).
If the original item has been well designed and the
mould is successful, the plaster should release
quite easily as the mould is flexible, however, if
this does prove difficult you may need to alter the
plasticine pattern and do the sealant stage again.
It may also help to paint the sealant mould with a
thin layer of washing up liquid and water as this
will stop the plaster sticking to the sealant.
Stage 6: leave the plaster cast to set in the mould
(usually about 30 mins to 1 hour), remove the
plaster copy, ready for finishing with paint.
Plaster can be absorbent, so painting may need a
few experiments to get the finish you want, acrylic
paints usually work well.
If you want a high gloss finish, leave the paint to
dry then go over it with a water based gloss
varnish.
The teacher in Poland used a theme related to an
exhibition celebrating Wroclaw being one of the
two European Capitals of Culture 2016. A number
of the pieces made by the pupils were accepted
for display at the town hall in Wroclaw and have
received a number of accolades and prizes.
Thanks to Ian Carr at BISC Wroclaw, Poland.
Web site log-in details for 2015. To access the Primary part of our website
requires a user name and a password. Click on the ‘Primary’ button. You will then be asked to type in
the user name: oxygen and the password: combustion15. This will give you access through 2015 to
all our primary documents, including back copies of Primary Science and Technology.
4
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
5
6
Q?
A!
Call to the
Helpline
A recent call to the
CLEAPSS Helpline
Question: Is practical work with
nappies banned?
Answer: No, but as with all practical
work involving hazards, a risk
assessment is needed.
The school wanted to demonstrate the
water-holding properties of disposable
nappies by opening them, looking at
what was inside and measuring the
amount of water the material inside
would hold. The materials from which
nappies are made are not classified as
chemically hazardous - after all, how
many toddlers have explored what
happens when you tear one?
However, the filling can make quite a
mess when released, and the dust can
make you cough.
The Year 1 Science programme of
study in the National curriculum in
England, September 2013 states
(under Everyday Materials) that pupils
should be taught to:
•
•
describe the simple physical
properties of a variety of
everyday materials
compare and group together a
variety of everyday materials on
the basis of their simple physical
properties.
Exploring nappy materials could
provide an opportunity to explore
absorbency.
6
The notes and guidance (non-statutory) add:
Pupils should explore, name, discuss and raise and answer questions about
everyday materials so that they become familiar with the names of
materials and properties such as: hard/soft; stretchy/stiff; shiny/dull;
rough/smooth; bendy/not bendy; waterproof/not waterproof;
absorbent/not absorbent; opaque/transparent. Pupils should explore and
experiment with a wide variety of materials, not only those listed in the
programme of study, but including for example: brick, paper, fabrics,
elastic, foil.
Measure the quantity of absorbent
granules collected and place it in a
beaker, cup or plastic tray.
Add measured quantities of water to
the beaker until no more can be
absorbed. You could use a measuring
cylinder or measuring spoon
Pupils might work scientifically by: performing simple tests to explore
questions, for example: ‘What is the best material for an umbrella? ...for
lining a dog basket? ...for curtains? ...for a bookshelf? ...for a gymnast’s
leotard?’
Extracting absorbent granules and
testing how much water they can absorb
Cut the centre panel away from the
rest of a disposable nappy.
Place the centre panel inside a sealed
plastic bag and pull the padding
apart. There will be fluffy material
and granules: these are made of
polyacrylamide and absorb a lot of
water.
Press the padding between fingers
and thumb inside the sealed bag.
Pulling the padding apart inside the
bag allows granules of absorbent
beads to separate from the padding.
Pupils could take turns to ‘work’ the
padding for a short amount of time –
maybe half a minute each.
Ease the padding aside and collect
the granules in a corner of the bag.
Carefully make a hole to remove the
granules, leaving the padding behind
in the bag. You will probably not
manage to collect all the granules,
as they are well dispersed among the
fibres of the padding, but you can
collect enough to work with.
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
Five tablespoons of water
have been added to the
granules so far. On the
plastic tray, you can see
that even after 5
tablespoons have been
added, the mixture holds a
shape
In our trials, approximately one
teaspoon of granules absorbed
up to 15 tablespoons of water
without starting to leak, and even
25 spoonfuls could be added without
water beginning to separate out from
the mixture
After absorbing 25 tablespoons,
when further water is added the
mixture begins to flow. The padding
in the nappy would help to keep the
baby’s skin dry now!
If you wish to compare different
materials, you will need to decide
how to make a comparative and
fair test. How much water will
similar quantities of paper towels,
tissues, sand or pebbles absorb?
An alternative is ‘instant snow’.
This may be easier to use, as it
doesn’t need to be extracted first!
Why do these
granules absorb
so much water?
Absorbent granules are hydrogels,
made from a plastic material,
polypropylene designed in
structures that can hold a lot of
water. The plastic is arranged in
(very tiny) networks with a lot of
‘cross-links’. This allows the water
to be held within the structure
without making the gel flow.
Primary Science and Technology is published
termly by CLEAPSS. All CLEAPSS publications
are available on our website. If you prefer
paper copies, please write, phone, fax or
e-mail. Give your school address including
postcode and the name of your Local Authority
if applicable, even if e-mailing.
CLEAPSS
The Gardiner Building
Brunel Science Park
Kingston Lane
Uxbridge
UB8 3PQ
Tel: 01895 251496
Fax/Ans: 01895 814372
E-mail: science@cleapss.org.uk
Website: www.cleapss.org.uk
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.
7
Get Gas Safe – is a free educational programme
which helps you deliver vital safety messages to your
pupils. Register now at www.getgassafe.org.uk to
access free high quality resources to help you teach a
fun and interactive lesson to pupils age 9 to 11 with key
curriculum links to PSHE Health and wellbeing, PSE and
PD & MU.
The lesson will help your pupils identify hazards around
the home, manage risk responsibly and learn all about
gas, the hazard that can’t be seen.
CL
EA
PS
S
The website offers a comprehensive lesson plan (‘a one
stop shop’) including presentations, videos, quizzes and
an exciting interactive house activity. The interactive
house allows pupils to spot dangers and hazards in the
house and is a great way to educate them on general
safety within the home. Materials also include electrical
safety advice from charity Electrical Safety First, and the
campaign is also supported by RoSPA, the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Accidents
The website has been launched alongside a roadshow
where actors tour primary schools across the country,
putting on a theatrical performance to explain the
importance of gas safety and how to identify other risks
and hazards in the home.
The detailed lesson plan has been fully tested by
teachers, for teachers.
The Primary competition 2015
“Dunking that doesn’t take the biscuit”
Healthy ?
Healthy ?
This year’s competition is about designing and testing a new food product, a “healthy dunking biscuit”.
The details of the competition are on
the website, and a summary is below.
•
We would like the entrants to develop a
biscuit that:
• could be carried on a long walk
without crumbling
• contains healthy ingredients
• can be dunked in a drink without
dropping into your drink
• tastes good
• is inexpensive
•
The Project
The children should:
• Research what makes a dunking
biscuit “healthy”, and what makes a
biscuit likely to sell well.
• The children should come up with a
recipe for a new biscuit that they
think is going to be “healthy”, won’t
crumble easily and tastes good after
being dunked in a drink.
8
•
The children should then make
biscuits using their recipe, with help
from their parents or teachers.
The biscuits should then be tested to
find out if they meet the
requirements.
If the biscuits are not quite right, the
children should think again about the
recipe and make a new biscuit for
test. This trial and retest process may
need to be repeated more than once.
The Report
The children should make a record of
each part of their project as they progress
through the activity; for example taking
photos, making drawings or writing
down what they have done or found out.
DO NOT SEND BISCUITS WITH YOUR
ENTRY.
Entries must reach CLEAPSS
by 12 midday on Tuesday
20th October 2015
Judging and Prizes
There will be a prize for the best entry in
each of the three age group categories,
and a prize for the best entry overall.
The three entry classes are:
Year 1-2
Year 3-4
Year 5-6
The judging will take place at CLEAPSS
on Friday October 30th 2015.
Prizes will be presented at the
ASE Conference 2016 in Birmingham.
Making your entry
There should be one entry for each
biscuit made, and the entry form on the
CLEAPSS website should be completed.
Primary Science and Technology 62. Summer 2015. Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.