ATLAS Resources (for Key Stage Two)

Active Teaching and Learning Approaches in Science (ATLAS) was a curriculum development project organised by the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University. The resource for Key Stage Two was created to help teachers in primary schools with the teaching and assessment of the first of the four National Curriculum Attainment Targets (Sc1) which covered scientific investigations.

The guidance brought together the ideas of a number of teachers and educationalists who had developed strategies for working with children who are carrying out investigations. The resource did not intend to give definitive answers but rather to suggest a model for the teaching and assessment of Sc1 which had been shown to be workable and manageable.

Sample grids were included to help teachers match student performance in each activity to the descriptors for attainment levels that applied at that time.

Contents
1. Managing Sc1 in the classroom
* What are investigations?
* Management of Sc1 - breaking Sc1 down into separate skills
* Whole investigations
* Some issues related to the assessment of, and progression within, Sc1

2. Planning for Sc1 in a topic
* Introduction
* Example topic planning sheet
* Blank topic planning sheet

3. Pupil activities with teacher notes
Sc2 Life and living processes
* Growing cress seedlings
* Measuring your body
* Mouldy bread

Sc3 Materials and their properties
* Soaking it up
* Rusty nails
* Soils

Sc4 Physical processes
* Elastic band cars
* Pasta bridges
* Its too loud
* Shadows

4. Support material
* My investigation plan - a possible way for children to record their investigation plan
* My investigation report - a possible way for children to record their investigation report

5. Blank criteria grid – For teachers to use when writing an investigation and interpreting the
Statements of Attainment