Working Scientifically - Planning Video

The video series is designed to help educators teach students the 'working scientifically' component of the National Curriculum, breaking it down into three key areas: planning, data collection and analysis, and evaluation. The approach, dubbed the Pizzazz method, simplifies the process by focusing on one area per term to ensure thorough understanding and mastery. The first of these skills is planning investigations, which forms the foundation for all subsequent scientific inquiry. Teachers are provided with a progression matrix that outlines the planning skill development across different year groups, ensuring that each year builds on the previous one's learning. To support this, planning sheets are used by students to document their process, including identifying variables, constructing questions, and predicting outcomes.

Diving further into the planning phase, the video emphasizes the importance of understanding variables—specifically, the independent variable (what you change), the dependent variable (what you measure), and control variables (what you keep the same). A catchy song is suggested to help students remember the differences between independent and dependent variables. The planning sheet guides students through six sections: identifying variables, formulating questions, making and justifying predictions, listing required equipment, detailing methods, and considering risks and their mitigation. By engaging with these components over a term, students are expected to become adept at planning their own investigations. This foundational skill is crucial as they move on to conducting experiments, where they will test their predictions and learn from the outcomes, whether they match their expectations or not.