PROGRAMME OF STUDY

Quick links:- Knowledge, skills and understanding

Ideas and evidence in science Investigative skills

Teaching should ensure that  scientific enquiry  is taught through contexts taken from the sections on  life processes and living things ,  materials and their properties  and  physical processes .

The general teaching requirement for health and safety applies in this subject. During key stage 4 pupils learn about a wider range of scientific ideas and consider them in greater depth, laying the foundations for further study. They explore how technological advances relate to the scientific ideas underpinning them. They consider the power and limitations of science in addressing industrial, ethical and environmental issues, and how different groups have different views about the role of science. When they carry out investigations they use a range of approaches and select appropriate reference sources, working on their own and with others. They do more quantitative work and evaluate critically the evidence collected and conclusions drawn. They communicate their ideas clearly and precisely in a variety of ways. They see how scientists work together to develop new ideas, how new theories may, at first, give rise to controversy and how social and cultural contexts may affect the extent to which theories are accepted.

Ideas and evidence in science

a)   how scientific ideas are presented, evaluated and disseminated  [for example, by publication, review by other scientists] 

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En2 Reading 1) a   En2 Reading 1) c   En2 Reading 1) d

b)   how scientific controversies can arise from different ways of interpreting empirical evidence  [for example, Darwin's theory of evolution] 

c)   ways in which scientific work may be affected by the contexts in which it takes place  [for example, social, historical, moral, spiritual] , and how these contexts may affect whether or not ideas are accepted

d)  to consider the power and limitations of science in addressing industrial, social and environmental questions, including the kinds of questions science can and cannot answer, uncertainties in scientific knowledge, and the ethical issues involved.

Investigative skills

Planning

a)  use scientific knowledge and understanding to turn ideas into a form that can be investigated, and to plan an appropriate strategy

b)  decide whether to use evidence from firsthand experience or secondary sources

c)  carry out preliminary work and make predictions, where appropriate

d)   consider key factors that need to be taken into account when collecting evidence, and how evidence can be collected in contexts  [for example, fieldwork, surveys]  in which the variables cannot readily be controlled

ICT Opportunity

e)   decide the extent and range of data to be collected  [for example, appropriate sample size for biological work]  and the techniques, equipment and materials to use

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Ma4 Handling data 2) c   Ma4 Handling data 2) d   Ma4 Handling data 2) e   Ma4 Handling data 2) c   Ma4 Handling data 2) d   Ma4 Handling data 2) e

Obtaining and presenting evidence

f)  use a wide range of equipment and materials appropriately, and manage their working environment to ensure the safety of themselves and others

g)   make observations and measurements, including the use of ICT for datalogging  [for example, to monitor several variables at the same time]  to a degree of precision appropriate to the context

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Ma3 Shape, space and measures 4) a   Ma4 Handling data 3) a   Ma4 Handling data 3) b   Ma3 Shape, space and measures 4) a   Ma4 Handling data 3) a   Ma4 Handling data 3) b   ICT 1)

h)  make sufficient observations and measurements to reduce error and obtain reliable evidence

i)   judge the level of uncertainty in observations and measurements  [for example, by using the variation in repeat measurements to judge the likely accuracy of the average measured value] 

j)  represent and communicate qualitative and quantitative data using diagrams, tables, charts, graphs and ICT

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Ma4 Handling data 4) a   Ma4 Handling data 4) b   Ma4 Handling data 4) h   Ma4 Handling data 4) a   Ma4 Handling data 4) i   ICT 3)

Considering evidence

k)  use diagrams, tables, charts and graphs, and identify and explain patterns or relationships in data

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Ma4 Handling data 5) b   Ma4 Handling data 5) c   Ma4 Handling data 5) b   Ma4 Handling data 5) c

l)  present the results of calculations to an appropriate degree of accuracy

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Ma2 Number and algebra 4) c   Ma2 Number and algebra 4) b

m)  use observations, measurements or other data to draw conclusions

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Ma4 Handling data 5) a   Ma4 Handling data 5) b   Ma4 Handling data 5) c   Ma4 Handling data 5) d   Ma4 Handling data 5) e   Ma4 Handling data 5) f   Ma4 Handling data 5) i   Ma4 Handling data 5) a   Ma4 Handling data 5) b   Ma4 Handling data 5) c   Ma4 Handling data 5) d   Ma4 Handling data 5) e   Ma4 Handling data 5) f   Ma4 Handling data 5) i

n)  explain to what extent these conclusions support any prediction made, and enable further predictions to be made

o)  use scientific knowledge and understanding to explain and interpret observations, measurements or other data, and conclusions

Evaluating

p)  consider anomalous data giving reasons for rejecting or accepting them, and consider the reliability of data in terms of the uncertainty of measurements and observations

q)  consider whether the evidence collected is sufficient to support any conclusions or interpretations made

r)  suggest improvements to the methods used

s)  suggest further investigations.

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