1

 Science Curriculum Standards

Proficient Level

Secondary“Topical Science”

Workshop13: 7/6/2011

4:00 - 4:05 PM Welcome

4:05 – 4:10PM Starter

4:10 – 6:15 PM

Topical Science

6:15 - 6:30 PM Prayer Break

6:30 - 7:15 PM Plan lesson depend on real life issues

7:15 - 7: 30 PM

Survey and Feed back

AGENDA

2

What is the latest scientific information you read or listen this

week?

Starter

‘By considering current issues of science, learners increasingly develop their understanding of scientific concepts and their capacity

to form informed social, moral and ethical views. They reflect upon and

critically evaluate media portrayal of scientific

findings’.

Why consider topical science?

Literacy is a medium through which children and young people access most information and learning. The possible approaches

used in the delivery of topical science are literacy- rich and especially strong in the areas of listening and talking and

reading .

Listening and talking for learningChildren and young people will engage with others in group and class discussions of topical science issues in a challenging way, at a level commensurate with their level of competence. They will learn collaboratively, explain their thinking to others and

explore factors which influence and persuade them in order to think about the reliability of information.

Reading for learningFinding, selecting, sorting, summarising and linking information

from a variety of sources will be a feature of the learning experience. Understanding the differences between fact and

opinion will be an important literacy skill that can be developed.

Contributing to the development of literacy skills.

Information on topical science can be gathered from a number of sources including:

•Newspapers

•Online newspapers, eg Scotsman, Herald, Guardian, Times online

etc

•Children's magazines, eg National Geographical Kids, CBBC

magazines

•BBC websites / BBC News round

•Science museum website www.talkscience.org.uk

•Scientific press and journals (New Scientist, Scientific American..)

•Twitter – by following NASA, New Scientist etc you can receive

updates, news articles and web links as events happen

•RSS feeds from websites and from Glow national science page.

Sources of information

In order to engage with science news stories in a meaningful way, learners need to develop a basic understanding of the structure of newspapers and features of articles: headline, introductory paragraphs and their function, use of quotes, captions etc.

Developing scientific literacy and critical thinking requires the teaching of further higher order skills. Learners need to be taught to reflect on issues such as:

•Authority – Who are the authors? Are they credible? Was this written by a science correspondent?•Objectivity – Is there any bias?•Sensationalism – Does the language used involve emotive language?•Accuracy – Who carried out the studies? Have the results been replicated?•Statistics – Are the figures misleading?

Using newspapers in science

There are many different ways that newspapers can be used to support learning in the sciences. Below is a list of some of the ways that teachers can help young people engage with science in the media:

•Making topical science connections to a particular programme of study•Communicating current research•Promoting interest/wonder in science•Responding to a story•Identifying/understanding evidence•Critical analysis of research•As a stimulus to further enquiry/research•Looking at ethical issues•Issues of presentation by the media, eg simplifying complex research for an audience.

Jarman and McClune, Science Newswise, 2005, Queen’s University, Belfast

How newspapers can be used in science

Using articles of scientific news also provide rich opportunities for interdisciplinary working between subjects and departments. Some examples are given below:

Developing literacy skills•Analysing the features/types of language used in articles•Promoting active reading•Identifying viewpoints/bias•Use of images.

Developing numeracy skills•Analysing data from charts•Understanding statistics and how these can be misleading.

Social studies/technologies/expressive arts•Identifying ways that sciences and technologies impact on people•Looking at the historical role of scientists and their impacts on society•Considering innovation and creativity in the design of publications.

Interdisciplinary learning using newspapers

Suggestions for classroom activities

science in the news classroom display

discussion of news items

individual research or collaborative group working

presentation of research findings to

the class

‘You choose the news’ is an interactive game developed by Dr Eleanor Gilroy at the Scottish Crop Research Institute. It allows players to create a TV news item about the impending EU chemical pesticide ban and the potential effects and solutions to this proposal. By selecting from a series of short video clips players can produce their own news item and when completed the game will tell players just how biased, or not, their news clip is.

As well as considering an area of topical science, this resource can be used to develop literacy skills and provides a topic for debate in science.

You choose the news

. . .www scri ac uk

This resource, produced by the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, comprises of three sets

of video diaries recorded by members of the same farming family living in East Lothian in

2050. It can be used as a focus for debate and discussion on an area of topical science.

Each set of diaries describes their lives in different futures depending on how we have

responded to the challenges of climate change.

The purpose of the diaries is to highlight how the choices that we make today will affect how

we live in the future. It can also be used to stimulate discussion on the skills required for jobs of the future and the important role of

entrepreneurial activities.

Climate Change – Choosing our tomorrows

. . .www macaulay ac uk

13

Podcasting

Podcasting

Podcasting is a powerful way of allowing children to share their work and experiences with a potentially huge audience over the internet. Schools are increasingly using the internet to promote what they do and to celebrate the achievements of their children. Podcasting is an excellent way of exploring topical science issues. It also contributes to the development of literacy skills.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is like a radio show. However, instead of being broadcast live, a podcast is recorded and then distributed over the internet, so that you can listen to it whenever you please. There are thousands of podcasts available, ranging from general interest entertainment shows to those which focus on specific topics (eg science / computers / music / education).

You can usually listen to podcasts directly on the websites of those people who make them (see science

podcasts on the internet section for examples). However, you can also "subscribe" to podcasts using software like iPodder and iTunes. These programs will automatically download the latest shows, and you can then listen to

them on your computer and download them onto an mp3 player .

Source ::// . . . / / .http www teachingideas co uk ict podcasting htm

The link below is to an interactive introduction to podcasting from the BBC along with some FAQ’s.

:// . . . / /http www bbc co uk podcasts help

How to listen to podcasts

How to make a podcast

16

The link below gives a step by step by step guide to producing podcasts. Although it is a resource developed for Modern Language teachers, it can be used in any curricular area.

Science podcasts on the internet

Click on the thumbnails below to access a few of the science podcasts available on the internet. They can be used by staff to keep up to date with developments in the sciences or by children during research activities.

17

The Education Podcast Network

Other useful resources

David Noble, a Chartered Teacher who teaches in Fife, explains how he has used audio files and podcasting with children.

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/c/computinggoodpractice/podcasting.asp?strReferringChannel=curriculumforexcellence

This education podcast database has been constructed and is maintained by David Noble.

http://podcastdirectory.org.uk/

The NASA DIY podcast resource below allows children to use audio, video and images to make their own podcasts. This could be used

as an introduction to editing and producing a podcast

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/diypodcast/index.html

Community involvement

Links with the local community can provide learners with insights into the world of work and assist in the delivery of aspects of topical science in an enterprising way.

Inviting parents/carers in to school to talk about their careers can be a useful source of information. It also provides an opportunity for parents/carers to become involved in the learning process.

Partnership working with local employers and businesses can be another useful link with the community as illustrated by the case study opposite.

20

Sit in groups according to your subject .

Use the following resources

• Online newspapers

• Children's magazines, eg National Geographical Kids,

CBBC magazines

• BBC websites / BBC News round

• Science museum website www.talkscience.org.uk

• Scientific press and journals (New Scientist, Scientific

American etc)

You have to Plan a lesson which link topics to real-life issues

Your Turn

21

Secondary Proficient in Wikisapce

http://secondaryproficient2011.wikispaces.com/