Teaching ScienceHelp for trainee Science teachers

Heres a link to a great lesson starter/plenary idea from the ICT Games website. Science Bingo. It uses the Primary Science vocab words from the Kent Scheme of work, which will suit most Primary Science classes.

Download a pack of Bingo cards to photocopy for the children – then use the Word generator to select words to cross off the bingo grid.

It’s a simple, fun idea  to help with keyword recognition.

Thanks to Jason Dilling (@jasondilling) and James (@Wigglemyears) on Twitter for coming up with the resource!

Just a quick post to flag up this fun little resource site for Science called Science Storybooks.

It contains a stack of Flash animations that can be used to introduce many different science concepts, some include songs that would provide a fun way to start a lesson.

The resources are completely free, and also contain links to lesson notes and other information. Well worth taking a look at.

Thanks to the iLearn Technology Blog for the heads-up on this resource.

Thanks to fellow twitterer Sophie Bessemer for tipping me off about these science resources from BP Educational Services, the education department of the energy company.

For Primary Science, there are some very useful resources in the Young Science Investigators series aimed at KS2 pupils. These resources include the following modules:

• Energy
• Our Environment
• Online Experiments

All these resources are free, but you do need to register with the site to get them although registration is also free.

It’s also worth taking a look at the free resources that you can order and have sent to your school such as posters and CD-ROM materials.

Take a look at these resources and see what you think. Could they be used to support science on your Interactive Whiteboard?

iBoard produce an excellent bank of interactive resources for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes in several subjects, including literacy, numeracy and science.

In November last year iBoard was purchased by the TES and made available free of charge to all teachers, which is an excellent development.

If you are involved in teaching KS1, this is well worth a visit.

You can access the resources here: http://www.tes.iboard.co.uk/

Here are 10 websites that will prove useful to any teacher of Primary Science looking for things to use on their interactive whiteboard:

The Children’s University of Manchester. Several excellent interactive resources for Primary Science.

NGFL Cymru : Early years, KS1 and KS2 Science resources from the Welsh Grid for Learning.

Simple Science : I love these excellent science song videos. Great for lesson starters or reinforcement of key facts.

IWB.org.uk: KS1 and KS2 interactive science resources (and other subjects)

BBC Bitesize. Always worth a visit, some excellent resources here for Ks2.

BBC Learning Zone - lots of videos to use in Science and other lessons.

Birmingham Grid for Learning – some excellent resources here, and links to other sites.

Crickweb – great flash-based games for KS1 and Ks2 Science.

Fossweb - US site with some interesting interactive science activities.

Primary Resources – Home to some great resources – IWB files, powerpoints, links and more! Also worth checking out is Teaching Ideas, which is on very similar lines.

Don’t forget, if your school subscribes to Espresso, there are some excellent resources for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 in there. (OK, so that makes 11, but Espresso is well worth a look)

Image Credit : Kevin Dooley

Had a request in Mondays session for the link to the Earth from Space at Night image. So here it is.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081005.html

(click to make bigger)

Also see : http://geology.com/articles/satellite-photo-earth-at-night.shtml

And here’s London from Space:

More night shots of London can be seen here:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/london_from_above_at_night.html

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/more_of_london_from_above_at_n.html

Thanks to Sciencebase for posting this : Great party tricks for Scientists.

Would also make good lesson starters (esp the vineger/bicarb one)

Be careful with those matches

A quick link for a Sunday afternoon. If you are looking for inspiration for your next classroom display then you really should take a look at the Display Photos website. There are great ideas for all subjects, including science.

Created by Mark Warner who also runs the brilliant Teaching Ideas website, it’s well worth taking some time to browse through the ideas and see if any inspire you to try something different next time!

Don’t forget, this is the perfect time to get your plastic bones and skeletons – the shops are full of halloween stuff!

There are two very useful 15 minute clips on Teachers TV, exploring how more creative learning contexts can be used in primary science lessons. They also seek to show how collaborative work between teachers in school can lead to useful continuing professional development.

The resource aims to demonstrate:

1. The benefits of creative learning contexts
2. How cross-curricular contexts can improve learning
3. How collaborative work between teachers can aid their professional development

To access the videos, click on these links:

KS1/2 Science – As Easy As CPD 1

KS1/2 Science – As Easy As CPD 2

There are many more science resources on Teachers TV. Take a look!

Here are a few links to useful resources for teaching Science in the Foundation Stage.

Early Years Foundation Stage Website

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Outdoor Play – The Unique Value of the Outside Environment – South Glos Council

What Do We Know About Teaching Young Children? – Tricia David

Growing Schools – support for using the outdoor classroom

Teaching Science in the Foundation Stage – AstraZeneca

Fostering Curiosity in Early Years Science – AstraZeneca