We know that children construct their understanding of the world through experience. In order to make learning real, children need to explore, ask questions, and assess their understanding. We also know that assessment is integral to ongoing teaching and children’s progress, and not something to be done in isolation. So we’ve built Science Bug on a robust teaching and learning cycle that puts children and hands-on learning at its heart, with formative and summative assessment embedded throughout.

Assessment in Science Bug

Click on any part of the teaching and learning cycle to see how assessment has been woven into Science Bug

Differentiation and assessment

throughout

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Sets the scene Informal assessment of children’s initial ideas

1. Introduction and knowledge capture

Unit overviews and learning expectations set the scene for what children will have learnt by the end of a unit.

Every lesson highlights formative assessment opportunities and evidence to show learning.

Every unit starts with a knowledge capture activity to assess what knowledge and idea/concepts children have at the beginning of the unit.

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Teach using real-life examplesPractical work and simulation activities

2. Develop understanding

Throughout the teaching cycle there are regular opportunities for children to reflect on their learning allowing for formative assessment throughout.

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3. Apply understandingChildren use knowledge and skills to carry out

an investigation or to apply to a situation

Investigations encourage children to pull together their knowledge and skills to test out ideas and get evidence for any conclusions they come to.

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The activities at the end of each unit allow children to demonstrate their understanding of the knowledge and skills they have been taught and explain whether their initial ideas have changed or not and why.

4. Reflect and Review

Use the learning expectations set out in the unit overview to decide how a child has performed against the expectations.

The final activity brings the unit to an end.

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In addition to the formative assessments you have done you may wish to use the summativeassessment toolkit with a written and practical activity.

4. Summative Assessment

Year 3Rocks and Soils

Thinking about rocks Becca and Dan are on the beach. Dan wants to know why the water stays in the rock pool but doesn’t stay on the sand.

How could the children discover the answer?

What you need to do• Plan a test to show Becca and Dan how they can find out the

answer to their question.• Write a paragraph for an information book about some other

properties of rocks you know.

You may find these words helpfulrock, sand, water, permeable, particle, air, solid, permeability

Pearson Primary Progress and Assess © Pearson Education Ltd 2015

Thinking about rocksTeacher Guidance

Year 3Rocks and Soils

NC objectives

K: Compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties. WS: Setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests.

Overview

Children will carry out an investigation to classify different types of rock based on permeability.

Key concepts

• Collecting evidence• Systematic recording• Evaluating processes• Different rocks have different properties

Resources / equipment

• A selection of different permeable and impermeable rocks, e.g. chalk, granite

• Water• Pipette• Sand• Filter funnel• Filter paper • Beaker• Microscope• An optional writing frame has been

provided for this assessment activity.

Outcomes

• Children plan a test to discover which rocks are permeable or not. They write an entry for an information book or encyclopaedia on the properties of rocks.

Teaching notes

• Set the scene for the assessment activity. Have you ever been on a beach? Have you noticed what Becca and Dan noticed? • Encourage children to discuss Becca and Dan’s question in groups to see what answers they can come up with. Summarise answers.• Demonstrate how water can filter through sand but runs off some rocks. Discuss why the water might stay in the rock pools but not on the sand.• What do you think sand is made from? Explain that sand is made of rock particles and particles of worn down shells from sea creatures. The air between the particles lets the water flow through. Does this happen with rocks? How could we find out?• Remind children of the idea of permeability but also talk about how large or small the particles of sand or pieces of rock may be. Is all rock the same? Are there some rocks which would let water through? • How can we tell the difference between rocks? Think about visible features such as colour, smoothness, whether or not there are crystals or particles in the rock, etc. Children look under the microscope at different rock samples and sand. Is permeability a way we could tell rocks apart and identify them? (Yes.)• Show children the equipment they should use to test permeability before helping them devise a test for permeability of their rock samples e.g. dropping water onto rocks to see if it sinks in. Practise using a pipette to master the skill before beginning the test. Children should rank their results from most to least permeable.• How good is your evidence? Can you suggest other ways of collecting evidence or improvements to your method?• Children record their evidence as a short paragraph for entry into an encyclopaedia or information book. They should write about what permeability is and also record some other properties of rocks, e.g. hardness.

Pearson Primary Progress and Assess © Pearson Education Ltd 2015

Name:

Class: Date:

Thinking about rocks Year 3Rocks and Soils

Rocks

A property of some rocks is permeability.

Permeability is

This can be tested by

Another property of some rocks is

This can be tested by

For teacher useWhat went well

How to improve

Pearson Primary Progress and Assess © Pearson Education Ltd 2015

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Year

3Ro

cks

and

So

ils

Thin

kin

g a

bo

ut

rock

s

Bec

ca a

nd D

an a

re o

n th

e be

ach.

Dan

wan

ts t

o k

now

why

the

wat

er

stay

s in

the

ro

ck p

oo

l but

do

esn’

t st

ay o

n th

e sa

nd.

Ho

w c

oul

d t

he c

hild

ren

dis

cove

r th

e an

swer

?

Wh

at

you

nee

d t

o d

o

• Pl

an a

tes

t to

sho

w B

ecca

and

Dan

ho

w t

hey

can

find

out

the

answ

er t

o t

heir

que

stio

n.

• W

rite

a p

arag

raph

fo

r an

info

rmat

ion

boo

k ab

out

so

me

oth

er

pro

pert

ies

of

rock

s yo

u kn

ow

.

You

ma

y fi

nd

th

ese

wo

rds

hel

pfu

l

rock

, san

d, w

ater

, per

mea

ble,

par

ticl

e, a

ir, s

olid

, per

mea

bilit

y

Pear

son

Prim

ary

Pro

gres

s an

d A

sses

s ©

Pea

rso

n Ed

ucat

ion

Ltd

201

5

Thin

king

abo

ut ro

cks

Teac

her G

uida

nce

Year

3R

ocks

and

Soi

ls

NC

obj

ectiv

es

K: C

ompa

re a

nd g

roup

toge

ther

diff

eren

t ki

nds

of ro

cks

on th

e ba

sis

of th

eir

appe

aran

ce a

nd s

impl

e ph

ysic

al p

rope

rties

. W

S: S

ettin

g up

sim

ple

prac

tical

enq

uirie

s,

com

para

tive

and

fair

test

s.

Ove

rvie

w

Chi

ldre

n w

ill c

arry

out

an

inve

stig

atio

n to

cl

assi

fy d

iffer

ent t

ypes

of r

ock

base

d on

pe

rmea

bilit

y.

Key

con

cept

s

• C

olle

ctin

g ev

iden

ce•

Sys

tem

atic

reco

rdin

g•

Eva

luat

ing

proc

esse

s•

Diff

eren

t roc

ks h

ave

diffe

rent

pro

perti

es

Res

ourc

es /

equi

pmen

t

• A

sele

ctio

n of

diff

eren

t per

mea

ble

and

impe

rmea

ble

rock

s, e

.g. c

halk

, gra

nite

• W

ater

• P

ipet

te•

San

d•

Filte

r fun

nel

• Fi

lter p

aper

•

Bea

ker

• M

icro

scop

e•

An

optio

nal w

ritin

g fra

me

has

been

pr

ovid

ed fo

r thi

s as

sess

men

t act

ivity

.

Out

com

es

• C

hild

ren

plan

a te

st to

dis

cove

r whi

ch

rock

s ar

e pe

rmea

ble

or n

ot. T

hey

writ

e an

ent

ry fo

r an

info

rmat

ion

book

or

ency

clop

aedi

a on

the

prop

ertie

s of

ro

cks.

Teac

hing

not

es

• S

et th

e sc

ene

for t

he a

sses

smen

t act

ivity

. Hav

e yo

u ev

er b

een

on a

bea

ch?

Hav

e yo

u

notic

ed w

hat B

ecca

and

Dan

not

iced

? •

Enc

oura

ge c

hild

ren

to d

iscu

ss B

ecca

and

Dan

’s q

uest

ion

in g

roup

s to

see

wha

t ans

wer

s th

ey c

an c

ome

up w

ith. S

umm

aris

e an

swer

s.•

Dem

onst

rate

how

wat

er c

an fi

lter t

hrou

gh s

and

but r

uns

off s

ome

rock

s. D

iscu

ss w

hy th

e w

ater

mig

ht s

tay

in th

e ro

ck p

ools

but

not

on

the

sand

.•

Wha

t do

you

thin

k sa

nd is

mad

e fro

m?

Exp

lain

that

san

d is

mad

e of

rock

par

ticle

s an

d

parti

cles

of w

orn

dow

n sh

ells

from

sea

cre

atur

es. T

he a

ir be

twee

n th

e pa

rticl

es le

ts th

e w

ater

flow

thro

ugh.

Doe

s th

is h

appe

n w

ith ro

cks?

How

cou

ld w

e fin

d ou

t?•

Rem

ind

child

ren

of th

e id

ea o

f per

mea

bilit

y bu

t als

o ta

lk a

bout

how

larg

e or

sm

all t

he

parti

cles

of s

and

or p

iece

s of

rock

may

be.

Is a

ll ro

ck th

e sa

me?

Are

ther

e so

me

rock

s w

hich

wou

ld le

t wat

er th

roug

h?

• H

ow c

an w

e te

ll th

e di

ffere

nce

betw

een

rock

s? T

hink

abo

ut v

isib

le fe

atur

es s

uch

as c

olou

r, sm

ooth

ness

, whe

ther

or n

ot th

ere

are

crys

tals

or p

artic

les

in th

e ro

ck, e

tc. C

hild

ren

look

un

der t

he m

icro

scop

e at

diff

eren

t roc

k sa

mpl

es a

nd s

and.

Is p

erm

eabi

lity

a w

ay w

e co

uld

tell

rock

s ap

art a

nd id

entif

y th

em?

(Yes

.)•

Sho

w c

hild

ren

the

equi

pmen

t the

y sh

ould

use

to te

st p

erm

eabi

lity

befo

re h

elpi

ng th

em

devi

se a

test

for p

erm

eabi

lity

of th

eir r

ock

sam

ples

e.g

. dro

ppin

g w

ater

ont

o ro

cks

to s

ee

if it

sink

s in

. Pra

ctis

e us

ing

a pi

pette

to m

aste

r the

ski

ll be

fore

beg

inni

ng th

e te

st. C

hild

ren

shou

ld ra

nk th

eir r

esul

ts fr

om m

ost t

o le

ast p

erm

eabl

e.•

How

goo

d is

you

r evi

denc

e? C

an y

ou s

ugge

st o

ther

way

s of

col

lect

ing

evid

ence

or

impr

ovem

ents

to y

our m

etho

d?•

Chi

ldre

n re

cord

thei

r evi

denc

e as

a s

hort

para

grap

h fo

r ent

ry in

to a

n en

cycl

opae

dia

or

info

rmat

ion

book

. The

y sh

ould

writ

e ab

out w

hat p

erm

eabi

lity

is a

nd a

lso

reco

rd s

ome

othe

r pr

oper

ties

of ro

cks,

e.g

. har

dnes

s.

Pea

rson

Prim

ary

Pro

gres

s an

d A

sses

s ©

Pea

rson

Edu

catio

n Lt

d 20

15

Na

me:

Cla

ss:

Da

te:

Thin

king

abo

ut r

ock

sYe

ar 3

Rock

s an

d S

oils

Rock

s

A p

rope

rty

of

som

e ro

cks

is p

erm

eabi

lity.

Perm

eabi

lity

is

This

can

be

test

ed b

y

Ano

ther

pro

pert

y o

f so

me

rock

s is

This

can

be

test

ed b

y

For

tea

cher

use

Wha

t w

ent

wel

l

Ho

w t

o im

pro

ve

Pear

son

Prim

ary

Pro

gres

s an

d A

sses

s ©

Pea

rso

n Ed

ucat

ion

Ltd

201

5