Exemplification of Standards

1
Exemplification of Standards

• Properties and Uses of Materials
• Line of Development 15
• Early to Second Level

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Introduction

• This section shows examples of learning
  activities and pupils work to exemplify
  standards at early, first and second level in the
  Sciences across Line of Development 15 on the
  properties and uses of materials. The tasks and
  examples of work are taken from classes at
  primaries one, three and five. The information
  could be used to
• support teachers in planning for learning and in
  assessment of pupils work
• by schools as a discussion tool when planning for
  the experiences and outcomes.

Primary One pupils in this school chose materials
to make their own sandals.
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Excerpt from Concept development in the sciences
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Primary One - Early Level

• Background
• The primary one teacher in this podcast describes
  a task which was part of the class project on
  clothes. The children had woodkin dolls and a
  selection of materials. They were questioned
  about suitable clothing for different weather and
  activities as they played.
• The children were asked to consider which
  materials to dress the dolls in for rain, going
  out to play in the cold etc.
• In active play tasks in primaries 1 and 2, the
  children regularly select materials suitable to
  their task and are able to describe these using
  simple language like, soft, hard and shiny.

The children in primary one designed tie dye
t-shirts with accessories and had a fashion show
for parents.
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Primary One Clothing Task
Audio of childs conversation with the teacher

• The children in the activity discussed what would
  be a suitable material for a warm, sunny day.
• Most children working at early level will be able
  to
• use simple language to describe the properties
  of materials, for example, thickness,
  waterproofing
• select appropriate materials for a simple task.
• Learning was extended with this child to include
• thinking about how more than one function might
  be required of the material
• how some materials are more effective
  than others for particular purposes.

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Excerpt from Concept development in the sciences
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Primary 3 - First Level
BackgroundAs part of their project on making
materials change the children were learning about
waterproofing. The children were presented with
a chip shop owners dilemma at the end of an
animation. He had used shiny wrapping paper to
attract customers but it had rained, the colours
had run and the paper was all soggy. Each of the
characters in the story gave their ideas about
what had gone wrong, leading naturally into a
discussion about properties like strength, shiny
appearance, waterproofing, shape, weight/mass,
flexibility, colour and conductance of heat.
Fish and chips Vivido

• The learners were working through a series of
  lessons where they were in role as a laboratory
  of scientists whose job it was to test materials
  for different purposes. The task deliberately
  used materials that were similar so that the
  answer is not obvious and requires cognitive
  challenge that extends the children beyond simple
  comparisons at early level.

8
Learning Through Enquiry

• The children were working in co -operative
  teams of 3 or 4 and were given opportunities to
• discuss questions and ideas as a team,
• share their ideas and thinking with the whole
  class,
• explore and test materials for waterproofing,
  conduction of heat, flexibility, colour,
  weight/mass,
• make simple predictions,
• Record other thoughts and ideas,
• make a recommendation on which material was best
  based on their results.

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First Level

• This childs work is an illustration of the
  first level.
• This child is able to
• select from an extensive range of materials,
  matching their physical properties to a
  particular function,
• use the results of their experiments to choose
  appropriate materials to solve a practical
  challenge,
• make simple predictions,
• other factors are being considered such as the
  fact that metal conducts heat,
• describe their ideas using simple vocabulary
  which describes properties e.g. soggy and thick,
• record results on a table.

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Excerpt from Concept development in the sciences
11
Making Floam
Audio of child discussing how the properties of
the ingredients are different to the new material
that has been made.

• Floam is a solid, stretchy modelling
• material made from readily available
• ingredients.
• In this activity the children learn how
• the substances used to make floam are
• altered during the process.
• At second level the children can
• compare and contrast the original materials to
  the new one,
• discuss the changes that occur,
• describe how the changes that have taken place
  cannot be easily reversed.

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Glue worksheet
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Primary 5 - Second Level

• Background
• The pupils explored a variety of chemical
  changes, including baking bread and making new
  materials such as floam and glue.
• The activities demonstrated how substances can be
  changed to produce new substances with different
  characteristics.

14
Applying the Learning

• As part of a homework task the children were
  asked to make a glue using instructions from a
  website.
• They were asked to explore the quantities used,
  test their product, report on their process and
  evaluate their findings.
• In this second level task the child can
• Clearly describe the steps and process of their
  investigation
• Independently decide on objects to test
• Make comparisons
• Evaluate results and draw conclusions

15
Next Steps and Other Ideas

• Make links to aspects that have to be planned
  for and reinforced across the curriculum e.g.
  creativity, enterprise.
• Reinforce the development of literacy and
  numeracy skills, the responsibility of all
  practitioners.
• Opportunities to link to other curricular areas
  e.g. Technologies.
• Create Glow groups to share ideas and results
  with others.
• Publish findings on websites, Blogs, Twitter or
  as podcasts.

Childs picture created using their own glue.
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This has exemplified standards

• Properties and Uses of Materials
• Line of Development 15
• Early to Second Level