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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Aspects of How Science Works

The materials in this resource are from the Secondary National Strategy ‘Progressing to Level 6 and beyond in science’ project. They were intended for science teachers who are focusing on helping their students in developing skills in aspects of ‘How science works’ – specifically: graphical skills, variables, reliability and accuracy, and analysis and evaluation.

The Aspects of How science works teacher guidance file provides strategies for teachers using appropriate resources and should be read first - in conjunction with the Aspects of How science works steps table document. Both documents provide a breakdown of each key skill, with suggested strategies for moving students from one level, or ‘step’, to the next. These levelled skills are also presented in the Aspects of How science works pupil speak sheet so that students can assess their own progress and plan what they could do to improve.

The teacher and classroom resources include seven ‘minibooster’ activities, each aimed at specific aspects of How science works from the steps table, with suggested teaching sequences, activities and worksheets. The key areas covered in each minibooster are:
* accuracy and reliability
* evaluating practical technique
* what do we mean by evidence
* making sense of graphical data
* describing patterns
* understanding variables
* evaluation

There are additional materials to support the teaching of ‘lines of best fit’ and anomalies in graphs, and the teaching of validity of data:
* Drawing conclusions from graphs
* Evaluation - are the results valid

For more on helping students in their understanding of the processes and philosophy of science and scientists teacher can see the Understanding How Science Works strand of the Level 6+ project.

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