We talk about energy all of the time. We all have an idea of what energy is, sometimes several conflicting…
Bad Baselines
At the start of a school year, it is common for class teachers to set a baseline task. These serve…
Inhibitory Control: how the brain supports working memory
Further Reading Diamond, A (2013) Executive Functions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4084861/ EEF review: Stop and Think: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/learning-counterintuitive-concepts
What’s The Point of Practical in Primary Science?
We spend quite a lot of science time in primary getting practical, but is this a good use of time?…
How to ‘Rosenshine’ Your Primary Science Lessons
I have created a mini-workbook to go with this post in case it is helpful: here. If you haven’t heard…
What Does Explicit Instruction Look Like in Key Stage 2 Science?
Explicit instruction has a negative reputation in primary science. I often hear or read about explicit instruction described as ‘drill…
Where Does Enquiry Belong?
Short answer: in science lessons, use enquiry once pupils already know the content. You might ask: Why use a pedagogical…
A Comparison of Two National Year 6 Science Assessments
The Independent Schools Examination Board: Common Entrance Examination at 11+ (Science) Below is the 2018 common entrance exam taken at…
The Role of Knowledge in Curiosity
There is a bush on my run covered in lichen. When the sun shines on it in the winter, the…
How do we grade scientific writing at KS2 at Paradigm Trust?
Over the past four years at Paradigm Trust, we have developed and implemented a knowledge-rich science curriculum for EYFS to…
Reading for Learning 