Heatherlands Primary School
Enjoying Learning Together
Science
The Science 'Big Ideas'
The ‘Big Ideas’ relate to elements within a subject discipline or refer to important concepts that contribute to pupils’ personal and social development. It is essential that the ‘Big Ideas’ within each subject are understood by the children and become part of their common classroom language. In science, these 'Big Ideas' are:
- Investigation
- Explanation
- Observation
Science curriculum statement
Science Subject Overview
Science progression map
In Year 5, we experimented with air resistance. We did this by dropping parachutes crafted from plastic bags and string. The sunny outdoor setting was perfect as we gathered our findings. Each group designed their parachutes, carefully measuring and cutting the bags while ensuring their strings were evenly attached for balance. Our findings: “If the parachute is wide and long it will take longer to hit the ground because the bigger the surface area the most air resistance, but if it is small it will be much faster” – Harvey (Comet Class).
Today, in science, we investigated the different methods for separating mixtures: filtering and sieving. After the experiment, we discussed the best method for each mixture. Flour and macaroni – using a small sieve was the best method because it allowed the flour through but stopped the macaroni. Sand and water – using filtering was the best method because the tiny holes in the filter paper allowed the water to go through but stopped the sand. Sand and rocks – the garden sieve was the best method because it separated most of the rocks from the mixture (some rocks were too small – we filtered this mixture more than once).
In science, we got to experiment with a chemical reaction: bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. After combining the two substances, we observed a small explosion! The vinegar and bicarb had combined together to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), which caused pressure. This pressure made the small canister fly into the air!
Meteor class asked their teacher to do pond dipping during Golden Time today. The children had an amazing time and they were so pleased to find a froglet in the water. This has great links to our Living Things and Their habitats unit in Science.
This morning, Year 5 conducted an investigation to explore which materials are the best insulators of heat. We had a control cup and two other cups covered in different insulators. This is an easy science activity that could be further investigated at home.
Year 6 ended their unit on the circulatory system by dissecting a pig's heart. It was certainly a science lesson to remember! We managed to locate all four chambers of the heart, the valves and look at the thickness of the muscles.
Year 5 enjoyed a day at Winchester Science Centre today. We got to explore all the amazing exhibits, have a workshop about light in space and, the best part of all, we visited the planetarium where we travelled around the Milky Way and beyond! We even did some investigations about materials used in space and created a laser maze just like they use on the James Webb space telescope.
