TS-9.3

teachwire.net/secondary 73 REFERENCE Department for Education (2013) TheNational Curriculum in England: Science Programmes of Study: Key Stage 3 (see bit.ly/dfe-ks3-sci ) prediction before each ‘drop’ – how quickly is the object likely to fall through the water? 3. Students fill in the ‘variables’ column, noting key distinguishing features between the items. 4. The students then proceed to drop objects through liquid, while watching to see which fall the fastest. Communicate an accurate and safe dropping method to the students, and ensure that they follow this consistently when carrying out their investigations. 5. Students complete their results tables. 6. Use questions to guide students’ analysis of the experiment’s result. The term ‘streamlined’ should appear in their answers. Additional support: Provide instructions for the ‘suppliers’ and ‘recorders’ using visuals and a tick sheet. Additional challenge: Design a shape that you think will fall the fastest. If time allows, students can compare times. Remind students to wash their hands after the experiment is complete. Putting reasonable adjustments in place during science lessons for children with SEN can require some additional resourcing, but doing so will mean that all students can fully participate in the same lesson. The assigning of different roles in this instance gives each student has a distinct part to play during the experiment, so that no one gets left out. THE AUTHOR Kate Bradley is the Director of The SEN Den educational consultancy (thesenden.com) ; thanks to Andrea Silani and Caroline Schaal from Lift Lessons for the original lesson idea that I’ve adapted here. be streamlined. Correct responses here may include jet planes, bullet trains, space shuttles or racing boats. Split the class into groups of three, with each person taking on an assigned role. Ensure that in the next lesson that involves a practical experiment that you use the same groupings, but change the roles so that everyone gets to take a turn. Roles: Supplier: This person is responsible for gathering all the equipment needed and for presenting the equipment to the ‘tester’. Recorder: The job of this person is to oversee all written material. They’ll read the supply lists for the ‘supplier’ and provide instruction to the ‘tester’, as well as record notes and observations of the experiment. Tester: This person is responsible for following the instructions provided by the ‘recorder’ and seeking resources from the ‘supplier’. The steps of the experiment are outlined below; the instructions will need to be adapted to suit the students in the class and the items available to you. The experiment involves each group using a clear container filled with water, a stopwatch and a range of items that they’re going to test. They will also need a sheet to record their hypotheses (what they think will happen), variables (what features make the objects different from one another) and findings (what actually happens) for each item drop. 1. Supplier to check they have the right equipment. Tick the equipment off the list. 2. Students make a NEXT STEPS Have each group present their key findings to the rest of class and explain the differences between the objects’ drop rates using the terms ‘streamlined’ ‘upthrust’ and ‘drag’. If time and equipment allow, have the students draw images of the objects they tested and add arrows, indicating the direction of the forces acting on them during the experiment. HOME LEARNING Lift Lessons is an explicit vocabulary instruction programme that can support students with learning and embedding key vocabulary and concepts through a spaced learning approach – for more details, see liftlessons.co BBC Teach has some great video clips to help teach the topic of forces that can be used as support during the lesson or as inspiration for follow-up homework – you can find them at bit.ly/bbct-forces