VIEWS & OPINION Love science Comment by MADDIE MOATE, presenter and author


There’s a fun science fact that always amazes the children that I meet: otters have pockets. Yes, they really do – well, sort of. Otters love shellfish, but to get to the flesh, they pick a favourite stone. They’ll put the shell on their chest and snap it with the stone until it reveals its juicy meat. But if an otter finds a stone they really, really like, they won’t want to lose it. So, they will put it in a flap of skin under their arm pit - an otter pocket.


Now, I’m retelling my fun fact because I firmly believe that science doesn’t have to have fizz, pop, whizz or even bang. Likewise, science doesn’t have to be people dressed in white coats locked away from humanity in a lab. It’s about looking around any environment you find fascinating and asking questions that will help people in the future. My passion for science began when I was young. My parents would take me on nature walks and adventures, spending hours upon hours exploring local parks and nature reserves. I loved visiting museums and libraries. They sparked my curiosity about the world and how it worked. I firmly believe that deep down, we’re all scientists. So, here are my top tips for making science fun.


Tip one


Keep it simple. Science in the classroom doesn’t have to be messy, involve loads of props and leave you clearing up the classroom. Science can be interactive and fun without those things.


Tip two


Odd one out games and mystery bags are a great way to spark a classroom discussion.


Pleasant plenaries! Comment by KIRSTY BERTENSHAW, STEMtastic Founder and Director


We all know the value of plenaries to check the learning at the end of lesson, but they can be valuable teaching tools throughout lessons, used part way through as well as at the end. They can also be a fun addition to lessons. While they need to be planned, exactly when they are used in the lessons is flexible, so they can be introduced earlier or later than planned, depending on how the lesson is progressing and whether other factors are impacting on lesson progress. Like all activities we do regularly, sometimes we become stuck in


routine, using familiar resources, struggling to think of something different to include. Here are a few plenary activities that can be used any time, prepared in advance, to introduce an element of fun to lessons.


Vocabulary cards


Write new vocabulary on the front of the card and a description on the back. Students pick a card at random then try and describe it to each other. This can also be done in small groups and brought out again for revision near to assessments. Alternatively, if the class is able, they can write their own vocabulary cards and share with the class. These can then be collected over time and form their own revision packs.


Hot seat


A volunteer sits in the ‘hot seat’ at the front of the class and is asked questions about the topic by their peers. When they get an answer wrong the person in the hot seat swaps. This encourages thinking about what has been learned so far and makes a great mid-lesson plenary as well as energising the class for the rest of the lesson.


April 2023 Plenary pyramids


This is a traditional plenary, but it works well as an independent activity and the pyramid printouts can be kept ready in a drawer. From bottom to top layer, layers have headings like ‘3 things I knew already’, ‘2 new things I leaned today’ and ‘1 skill I used’, e.g., teamwork or problem solving, Alternatively, mix it up with one keyword to summarise the lesson, or one question about the topic.


Bingo


In keyword bingo students pick from a list of relevant keywords and fill in a bingo grid in their books. The teacher describes a word and if the students have the word, they tick it off their list. Stickers make fab prizes for bingo sessions and the same bingo game can be used repeatedly through a topic.


Mini quiz


Set a timer to go off through the session and indicate it’s time for a mini quiz. This works better if it’s built into sessions repeatedly and becomes routine for the class, so they know what it means when the timer goes off. The quiz might consist of three questions summarising learning from earlier lessons, e.g., prepare a PPT of maths questions, then each day move on to the next slide. These should be prepared in advance and can be shared across classes and teachers to ease the workload on individuals.


Students’ choice


Have a set of plenaries printed on cards and laminated for multiple uses. Pick a student at random then let them choose from the plenary cards. Students could make a considered choice or pick at random! Examples could include plenary pyramids, suggest a real word use of the learning, write a question about today’s session for your classmates to answer, write a poem about the content of today’s lesson, draw a thought cloud of the keywords in today’s session., draw a picture to represent a key word from the lesson, or even keyword charades!


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You could look at different pictures or objects. Ask your students to have a conversation about what makes the objects similar and what makes them different. A mystery bag with random objects can also lead into an interesting scientific discussion without hardly any preparation at all.


Tip three


Use science to encourage teamwork. Scientists rarely work alone, a career in science will always involve working as a team. Getting children to work together reflects what happens in real life and can also help prepare them for the working world.


Tip four


Have a no wrong answers policy. Sometimes, young kids can become scared of science because they are worried about getting a wrong answer. But part of the fun of science is being able to play around with loads of different theories. Sometimes, the theories that are really ‘out there’ are often the most successful or can lead to the most interesting discussions. So, if a wrong answer can lead to an interesting discussion, it’s not wrong, it’s just an idea that needs further development.


Tip five


Get outside! If it is possible, get out and observe things. Encourage walks in the park. Use nature in the classroom. If you have a wild space or a green area with some kind of pond, make the most of it. Even if your school doesn’t have a lot of green space or things like a pond, there is a still lots of science that can be done from the classroom window. Your class could take part in a bird survey. In fact, just looking up in any space can lead to interesting lessons, whether that’s cloud formation or even counting the number of planes that are flying across the sky.


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