Year 7 Science

Scientific Investigations

Guidance for Teachers and Parents.

Lesson 2. Planning

National Curriculum: Programmes of Study for Sc1

In the context of Life Processes and living things, Materials and their properties and Physical Processes pupils should be taught about experimental and investigative methods.

Key Elements

(a) To use scientific knowledge and understanding to turn ideas suggested to them, and their own ideas, into a form that can be investigated.

(b) To consider, in simple context, key factors that need to be taken into account.

(c) To isolate the effect of changing one factor.

Objectives

(a) To reinforce and further develop the idea of a fair test. Pupils will have met fair testing at Key Stage 2.

(b) To introduce variables, independent, dependent and control.

Outcomes

Pupils should be able to:

(a) Identify variables in a familiar context

(b) Identify which variables should be kept constant in an investigation.

Notes

Predicting and planning will require the pupil to already have ideas about the experiments that they are going to perform. Identifying variables and 'fair testing' will start to bring the actual mechanics and requirements of their experiments into sharper focus.

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