Science

As a core subject, science is given a high priority here at St Dominic’s. It is recognised as an active, practical subject and children are encouraged to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding through first-hand experience where ever possible. Throughout our school, we are using and adapting our MAC Scheme of work, which is allowing children to delve deep into their own scientific way of thinking. The Science Curriculum covers the following areas: scientific enquiry, life processes and living things, materials and their properties, physical processes.

The Science Curriculum

Science Curriculum Statement

National Curriculum

Examples of Children's Recent Work

Year 1

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Autumn Term Science Learning 2021

Year 6

In Science this term, Year 6 have been studying ‘Electricity’. We have explored electrical circuits and made predictions about how changes to the circuits (such as the length of the wires or the number of bulbs) will affect the components.

We have had fun building electrical circuits, investigating whether various items are good electrical conductors, and recording our results. We have also learned about circuit diagrams. Using diagrams, we have compared circuits, and have identified how different components can affect electrical current and resistance.

Year 5 

In Science this term, Year 5 have been studying Earth and Space. We have explored the solar system including the Sun, the Moon, night and day and shadows.

Year 2

In Science this term, we have been exploring how animals can stay healthy and all about the habitats of animals. The children have completed a variety of experiments, using equipment to support their learning, and also projects to allow for the exploration and inquisitive aspect of science. At the beginning of the year, the children were able to watch chicks hatch from their eggs and we looked after them during their first few weeks of life.

We were lucky enough to head out on our first school trip of the year to Wolseley Bridge. The children had a wonderful time learning all about the natural beauty of our landscapes and also the creature that live in ponds. Luckily nobody fell in!

British Science Week 2021

5th March - 14th March

Innovating for our Future

Reception

First, we discovered that people were polluting our world’s water. When we looked in the jug we found plastic bags, toys and lots of rubbish. We then made a filter to take away some of the rubbish. This worked really well!!

Then we learnt how factories clean our water using different materials.

Year 1

For science week, Year 1 children learned where the colour blue came from. The children then experimented with natural objects to see what colour paint they could make. 

Year 2

Year 2 did an experiment to see if the appearance of food affects the taste. We thought regular carrots and wonky carrots taste the same! We also thought the baby carrots looked very cute but we didn’t like the taste. We concluded that the appearance of food does not affect the taste! Let’s make less waste to keep our planet healthy for the future!

Year 3

For Year 3’s Science Week, we looked at a range of different inventors.

Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor of the Telephone

Thomas Edison - Inventor of the Light Blub

Year 4

For science week, Year 4 had a specialist dental nurse talk to us about how important it is to look after our teeth and why it is difficult for those with manual dexterity problems (problems with their hands). We used our innovation skills to design inventions to make maintaining good oral health easier for those with manual dexterity problems.

Year 5

Year 5 looked at classrooms of the past, present and future. We thought about the changes that have and will occur, as well as our own experience. We looked at some videos of the past and discussed how our images could be made into a film too, showing the changes.

Year 6

For our British Science Week focus, Year 6 have been investigating what is meant by ‘Herd Immunity’.

Task One

We played a game of lucky dip! In the bag were yellow and red cubes: if we pulled out a yellow cube we were in luck – we had been vaccinated! However, if we pulled out a red cube unfortunately meant that we had caught the virus!

Task Two

Acting as a virus and using stickers to represent vaccinated people we had to find out what happened to ‘the herd’ as we infected people.

Luckily for our community, the vaccination programme rolled out across the community and the second time we tried to spread our virus we didn’t manage to infect many people!