What Do Scientists Do?

#TheCompleteSeries6lessons

This scheme of work is also part of a Topic Bundle. Perfect if you are teaching 'Achievers and Inventors' as a cross-curricular topic.

#Lesson1TheScientificMethod

Set the foundation of your scientific enquiry KS2 investigations in this first lesson.

Use the included lesson slides to take a look into the world of science and explore the three main branches of chemistry, biology and physics. Challenge your class to think about their own idea of what a scientist looks like and the skills they might need as a scientist. Then challenge the children to investigate scientific enquiry - the method scientists use to conduct reliable experiments.

#Lesson2Forensics

Have you ever wondered how science could help solve a crime? Allow your class to explore the job of a forensic scientist and how they use their knowledge of chemistry, biology and physics to analyse and match evidence to help solve crimes. Discover how fingerprints can be analysed and matched, using careful observation skills, and generate interesting enquiry questions.

#Lesson3Pharmacology

Explore how a microbiologist or pharmacologist uses scientific enquiry to develop new medicines for humans to use. Show your class how fair testing is an important part of the scientific process and how they can plan and conduct fair tests themselves. Encourage your class to identify the dependent, independent and control variables in their own and other experiments.

#Lesson4Zoology

What does a zoologist’s job involve? Discover the studies of zoologists and how they must use careful observation skills to record the natural behaviours, appearances and environments of different animals. Challenge your class to develop their own observation skills to identify and classify different birds based on their physical features. Can the children work out what behaviours a bird might have from looking at the bird’s feet?

#Lesson5Botany

How does a plant scientist help an astronaut? Discover the answer with your class as you explore the role and research of botanists. Challenge your class to think about what helps plants grow well and conduct an experiment to test their own hypotheses. Recap on fair testing and allow your children to plan how they will carry out an investigation and record their results.

#Lesson6SportsScience

How do we know what is healthy? Investigate the human body and how it moves with your class. Explore how muscles work in pairs to move and discuss the work of sports scientists and nutritionists which helps athletes and sportspeople to give their very best performances. Have your class use their understanding of the scientific method to create an experiment to test and improve their reactions.

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Curriculum Objectives covered

• asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
• setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
• making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
• gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
• recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables
• reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
• using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
• identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes
• using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings

• explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant

• identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat

• recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways
• explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment
• recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things