Supporting learners in science
23rd September 2019
Helpful resources to guide and support your science learners
It can sometimes be tricky for students to recall lots of facts and information from memory, especially when they have lots of subjects to contend with. To make things a little easier, we have gathered together a range of resources to help your learners recall various scientific knowledge and guide them when working independently.
Table mats and helpsheets
Literacy Mat for Science (GCSE, but could be KS3)
Some useful points for students to consider when writing in science lessons.
Science Literacy Support Placemats
These placemats have a number of sentence starters to help students plan and evaluate practical work in science. I am not sure exactly where I got them from but thought they might be useful for others.
Numeracy Placemat for Science
Print to A3 double sided and laminate. Includes rules, tips and formulae for use in Science lessons.
Includes graphing / scales / times-tables / calculations / formula triangles and other helpful information which can help boost your students' ability to work some things out for themselves and together!!:)
Includes graphing / scales / times-tables / calculations / formula triangles and other helpful information which can help boost your students' ability to work some things out for themselves and together!!:)
KS3 Science skills help sheets
These sheets are designed to help KS3 students with all aspects of a science investigation. There are printable sheets for Risk Assessment, Planning, Obtaining Evidence, Analysing Evidence and Evaluating Evidence.
The sheets contain key words and connectives along with helpful hints and tips, linked to SOLO taxonomy and based upon APP criteria.
The sheets contain key words and connectives along with helpful hints and tips, linked to SOLO taxonomy and based upon APP criteria.
Writing frames and 'how to' resources
Conclusion and evaluation writing frame
Scaffolded support for students to help in writing conclusions and evaluations to science investigations.
How to Draw a Graph Animation (Science Line Graph)
A step by step guide (animation) on how to draw a science lin GCSE spec graph.
Suitable for Year9-Y11 (AQA + OCR = GCSE).
Age: 13-16 (Suitable for other ages with minor changes).
100 powerpoint animations timed together to represent the different stages of drawing a graph.
There is an hours work on one slide! This is perfect for those who find it hard to create animations!
This will save you lots of time and the pupils will respond well!
I have been observed using this slide multiple times and I have always been asked to share it after!
I would recommend following this up with three differentiated graph tasks.
This resource is a 1 slide animation that can be easily copied into your own powerpoint or used as a stand alone file.
Animation, presentation, line of best fit, axis, labels, units, table, title, plotting, scaling, graph paper, dependent, independent & variables.
Verbal steps to follow animation:
Find the largest data values for the dependent and independent variables.
Check the number of squares along the X and Y axis on the graph paper.
Draw a line on the X and Y axis.
Add a scale for the X and Y axis.
Label the independent variable (with units) on the X axis and
the dependent variable (with units) on the Y axis.
Plot the data from the table onto the graph.
Draw a line of best fit.
Give the graph a title.
Suitable for Year9-Y11 (AQA + OCR = GCSE).
Age: 13-16 (Suitable for other ages with minor changes).
100 powerpoint animations timed together to represent the different stages of drawing a graph.
There is an hours work on one slide! This is perfect for those who find it hard to create animations!
This will save you lots of time and the pupils will respond well!
I have been observed using this slide multiple times and I have always been asked to share it after!
I would recommend following this up with three differentiated graph tasks.
This resource is a 1 slide animation that can be easily copied into your own powerpoint or used as a stand alone file.
Animation, presentation, line of best fit, axis, labels, units, table, title, plotting, scaling, graph paper, dependent, independent & variables.
Verbal steps to follow animation:
Find the largest data values for the dependent and independent variables.
Check the number of squares along the X and Y axis on the graph paper.
Draw a line on the X and Y axis.
Add a scale for the X and Y axis.
Label the independent variable (with units) on the X axis and
the dependent variable (with units) on the Y axis.
Plot the data from the table onto the graph.
Draw a line of best fit.
Give the graph a title.
How to answer questions help sheet - science command words
A help sheet to tell students about command words used in Science questions.
I've laminated these, and put them in a folder on the display board so students can help themselves if they need additional support.
I've laminated these, and put them in a folder on the display board so students can help themselves if they need additional support.
Science Exam Skills - Graphs, Tables, Diagrams, Formulae
Worksheets to help students practice key skills required for exams.
Interpreting graphs
Describing patterns
Understanding and identifying patterns in tables
Using information from diagrams
Using physics formulae
Command words
All command words are highlighted/underlined to promote discussion.
All graphs, tables and diagrams are from AQA GCSE exam questions including Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I have carefully selected topics so they can be used for old or new specification (first exams 2018). All the sheets alternate topics (Bio, Chem, Phys, Bio, Chem, Phys, etc)
I have made them to be used as short form time activities but they could be used in lessons or as homework.
Interpreting graphs
Describing patterns
Understanding and identifying patterns in tables
Using information from diagrams
Using physics formulae
Command words
All command words are highlighted/underlined to promote discussion.
All graphs, tables and diagrams are from AQA GCSE exam questions including Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I have carefully selected topics so they can be used for old or new specification (first exams 2018). All the sheets alternate topics (Bio, Chem, Phys, Bio, Chem, Phys, etc)
I have made them to be used as short form time activities but they could be used in lessons or as homework.
Science Skills workbook
Workbook aimed at covering all of the skills required to study Applied Science at level 3 - could also be useful for level 2. There are engaging activities for each one which can be embedded into the lesson, used as independent study, or form the basis of a lesson. There are also a couple of useful tables at the back.
Skills covered are:
- Organising units & Coursework
- Writing in the future passive tense
- Writing scientific reports (aim, research, hypothesis, method, results, conclusions, evaluations)
- Referencing
- Researching
- Writing chemical formulae (Organic/Inorganic)
- Standard form and rounding (sig figs/decimal places)
- Balancing chemical equations
- Types of variable (independent, dependent, control)
- Graphs
- Risk Assessments
- Diagrams
Skills covered are:
- Organising units & Coursework
- Writing in the future passive tense
- Writing scientific reports (aim, research, hypothesis, method, results, conclusions, evaluations)
- Referencing
- Researching
- Writing chemical formulae (Organic/Inorganic)
- Standard form and rounding (sig figs/decimal places)
- Balancing chemical equations
- Types of variable (independent, dependent, control)
- Graphs
- Risk Assessments
- Diagrams
