The curriculum is packed with knowledge – we are usually confronted with a choice: do I teach each concept deeply, … More
Category: reading
Tier Three Vocabulary: The Forgotten Words`
How important is science vocabulary in everyday reading? Are geographical terms helpful outside of a geography lesson? To what extent … More
Trialing Rich and Connected Science Texts
My Trust (Paradigm) is trialing short Read-Aloud texts in KS2 science lessons. Each unit has 6 short teacher read-alouds which: … More
Reading for Learning or Learning for Reading?
Back in 2014, when I started this blog, I was a primary school teacher with a special interest in science … More
Using story books to overturn science misconceptions in young children
This is an amazing piece of research. The researchers were able to show that children as young as four are … More
A Reflection on “The 10 Key Issues with Children’s Learning in Primary Science in England” (Bianchi, Whittaker and Poole: 2021)
This post is a reflection on the publication by Bianchi, Whittaker and Poole’s publication in March 2021 (here). This publication … More
The Origin of Species Packet
Four years ago I adapted the first four chapters of Darwin’s The Origin of Species for my year 6 classes (see here). … More
What are the Cognitive Loads of reading and how can we reduce them?
Reading is a physics problem that doesn’t receive much attention in class. I think it should. Science professionals read a … More
Haven’t We Got Enough To Do Already? Why Science Teachers Should Teach Vocabulary and How to Make it Stick
There are words in the English language that science teachers wish the English department would teach – words like … More
Science: A Great Source of Metaphor…
Have you got time to read two very short science texts? Both of them are surprising and wonderful. First text: a … More
Reading for Learning 