A Practical Guide to Science Investigations

Subject: Physics
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 14 - 16
Order Number: 15017

From ages 11 to 16, teachers are now able to assess pupils' practical skills in science under four different skill areas:

• Planning an experiment
• Obtaining evidence
• Analyzing evidence and drawing conclusions
• Evaluating the evidence

This booklet, A Practical Guide to Science Investigations, is designed to help pupils in years 7-11 to develop a drafting and recording process that covers all four skill areas in the form of a set of logical steps. Using these steps, teachers can use the sheets to help guide pupils through each skill area - either as a whole investigation, for the more able, or by providing information for different skill areas. This provides the opportunity to differentiate the work for the less able, as well as allowing the assessment of each individual skill area.

Using this guide on a regular basis, most pupils should be able to access the higher levels of each skill area by the end of Key Stage 4.