Science Portfolio
PSQM
Gillespie Primary School
June 2012
Gillespie Primary School
• Gillespie is a one form entry school in
Highbury, London. The school population is
diverse, reflecting the wealth of cultures and
backgrounds within the local community.
• The proportion of children eligible for free
school meals is well above the national
average and almost half of the children speak
English as an additional language.
Teachers using concept
cartoons to spark scientific
discussions.
Year 4 planning
Teachers are using a
variety of different
methods to teach
science – as hands on as
possible.
Children giving
opportunity to
reflect on their
work and discuss
with learning
partner.
Children having lots of
opportunities to
independently make decisions
and answering own questions.
ICT link: children doing
online experiments and
quiz as plenary to
support learning
Year 5 planning: Earth, Sun and Moon
Teacher using many different
teaching methods including
video clips, raps and elicit
previous learning and
homework
Drama techniques to enhance
and enrich the learning
All children active and having hands-on experience in the lesson. Teacher has
worked in the hall to make it fun and engaging. Lower ability children working
with TA to support. Mini –plenaries for AFL to ensure that chldren are
constantly aware and reflecting on their learning.
Year 6 Planning
Teacher using concept cartoons to spark
scientific discussion.
Children to plan and conduct their own
investigation .Children using TASC planning
wheel.
Hands-on practical investigation into
how light and shadows
Children given opportunities to make careful
observations and comparisons and discuss findings
as a whole class.
Evidence from Reception
Reception’s topic is animals and mini-beasts. Here you
can see evidence of the role play area which is set up as
a veterinary surgery. The topic table has got insects with
reference books as well as magnifying glasses. One
lesson observed by head teacher showed the teacher
on a mini-beast hunt in the outdoor area.
Year 1 examples of children’s work
ICT cross-curricular link. Children are working
together to label the parts of the body and
put the skeleton in correctly.
Children are making careful observations
and using vocabulary to describe the
properties of the materials.
Year 1 examples of investigations
The children were asked to investigate which material they thought would be the
best for Rudolph’s nose. The children had to think about the properties of the
materials and investigate which one would be the shiniest.
Examples of work – year 2
Children to investigate and describe properties of
materials. Also focussing on scientific vocabulary.
Examples of Year 2 work
Evidence of self assessment and children reflecting on their work. The children also
writing a detailed description of their investigation using the appropriate scientific
vocabulary.
Evidence for more self assessment and reflection on learning in Year 2. The children
have been asked to carefully draw what they predict is inside the torch and then
what is actually inside it. Year 2 also made a life-size torch on the floor in their
classroom and made a human torch, with the children being the elements.
Example of children’s work: Year 4
Examples of children’s work showing
two different independent
investigations. Evidence also of AFL
marking. ‘What if?’ questions are also
evident.
Example of same investigation but differentiated for a lower ability child.
Examples of Year 4 work. Here you
can see another example of ‘What
if?’ question as well as using graphs
in experiment write up. Also
another example of independent
investigations.
Examples of children’s work: year 5
Examples of Year 5’s work. Here you can see
full write up of an investigation. You can also
see a scientist study.
Year 6 examples of work
Evidence here of problem solving wheel.
Children use this to plan and conduct an
investigation.
Evidence of two different investigations
here. All children engaged and enjoying
the lesson.
Year 6 work
Children planning and conducting investigations. Children plan their investigation
using the TASC problem solving wheel, then conduct investigation and evaluate.
Concept cartoons
Year 3
Year 4
Year 6
Here you can see examples of 3
year groups using the Concept
cartoons.
Science week
Science week
• Mad science assembly – whole school
• Science Museum – whole school assembly – 3
workshops with year 1, 4 and 5.
• Super Science project involving all classes –
Year 1 – 6.
• Camera Obscura set up in group roominvolvement of parent to help.
• Whole school planting of crops in garden
Children’s comments after Science week
Super Science
Phase 1: Year 4 and 6 video a investigation for the other class to watch
Phase 2: Science week- all classes involved videoing for their partner classes
Phase 3: Summer homework project involving NUR – Year 6.
Children’s responses
Super Science responses in
Science week- children
were peer assessing each
other’s work.
Super Science Project summer term:
all children in school (NUR- Year 6) are
involved in project- some of their
responses shown here. Children enjoy
working together and from each other:
linked to our Principles of Science.
Some evidence of peer assessment
Year 5
Year 3
Year 4
UCL students
We have really enjoyed learning
new skills and it’s great to meet
people who do science for a job!
Amy – year 6
Loved working with real
scientists!
Martha – Year 4
Cheltenham Science Festival
Children enjoyed day out at
Cheltenham Science festival.
We had a talk about snot, sick and scabslearning about immune system, visited the
discovery zone as well as Wiggly worms and
LEGO tent.
Wiggly worm workshop. We
learnt all about what was inside a
worm from a biologist and then
made it out of play doh.
Children loved the LEGO tent and
making and designing spinners
Science Principles
Our Science principles are displayed around the school as well as on the school web
site. I plan to engage all children in developing the principles in the beginning of
every school year and thinking about them when planning science investigations for
that term.
Global Growers Project
• 8 workshops delivered over the course of a
year- NUR – year 6.
• Year 4 involved with running the lessons
linked to Global Growers project
• All children have been responsible for planting
a vegetable in garden
Parent area being
developed
Lab 13
• Lab 13 development in progress- hope to be
completed in Autumn term 2012.
Lab 13 a work in progress. The children in Year 4
have helped design the layout of the space and
made a wish list of what they would like inside!