For this post, Wonder at the World welcomes Aneta Garvey from the Science & Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub at Machester University. Find out about The Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS), an annual international campaign to inspire children to ask, investigate and share scientific questions with new audiences.
Great Science Share for Schools – what’s it all about?
‘Sustainable Science’ is the theme for 2024’s Great Science Share for Schools, the annual award-winning campaign which inspires 5-14 year-olds to ask questions that matter to them, investigate these and to share their science with new audiences. Over 524,000 students from 31 countries engaged in last year’s campaign – find out how you can be involved in 2024!
There are no boundaries to the wonderings and questions your pupils may have. With GSSfS, pupils can be encouraged to either go with their own ideas for scientific questions to investigate, or be inspired by the Great Guided Enquiries which have been curated to inspire learning linked to real-world contexts and research.
Be inspired by the new Great Guided Enquiries – just launched!
The new Great Guided Enquiries for 2024, consist of curriculum-linked teacher notes and additional resources which enable you to participate with ease. Uncover the links between sustainability and fashion in the Great Fashion Share. Why not capitalise on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by joining in the Great Sports Share. Consider the impact of technology on the environment with the Great Computing Share. Enter the world of quantum physics with a captivating new book, written by Jules Pottle for the Great Quantum World launching on 15th April for World Quantum Day.
Boost your GSSfS with Great Enrichment Activities
Four new Great Science Enrichment Activities also give you resources to extend science learning into other subject areas. Link to literacy with poetry and letter writing, ponder on science and engage families and the community in club time.
Working scientifically is a skill
GSSfS is a real opportunity to review how we equip students with the skills they need to work scientifically. This is an ideal time to plan for skills development in context with a number of resources that are freely available to download from the website. Using the age-appropriate Skills Starters videos for different age is a great place to begin.
The Great Science Skills Starters 5-7 and Great Science Skills Starters 7-11 are a collection of direct to classroom videos that support children in learning a range of skills required to work through the scientific process. The videos aim to model the skill, provide an opportunity for pupils to practice the skill and finally challenging them to apply the skill when carrying out their own enquiries.
Each video has a set of teacher notes that explain where the skill fits into the scientific process, suggest how to use the video in the classroom and give tips to develop the skill further with your pupils.
The new Great Science Toolkit brings together resources that give direct support when pupils are working scientifically to encourage high-quality learning in your classroom. At all points in the process, GSSfS can build pupil’s confidence when asking questions, making predictions, analysing data, drawing conclusions and sharing outcomes.
This toolkit is a set of templates and talking prompts that can be displayed and be available for pupils to use regularly when working independently and in groups. They are designed for different age groups of 5-7, 7-11 and 11-14 years.
Great Science People – You can’t be who you can’t see!
Science and scientists are all around us! GSSfS have got together with our science and engineering community to bring inspirational role models into your classroom.
If you’re looking to connect your pupils with a diverse group of scientists and engineers, spend some time accessing sector specialists in Great Science People.
Get to know the scientists who inspired this year’s Great Guided Enquiries. A series of fact files and short videos profiling the STEM people involved can be accessed here.
What’s a Great Science Share really like?
We encourage you to get started now and celebrate on the main sharing day on 11th June 2024. A science share can be anything where 2 or more pupils come together to show their enquiry to other people. It has no limits to the amount of people who can take part. There is no defined time it should last for. Once your pupils have ASKED and INVESTIGATED a question that matters to them, it’s time to SHARE what they have learnt with someone new. Make sure you share with us too by tagging us on X using @GreatSciShare #GSSfS2024.
What do I do next?
Download and access brand new resources (www.greatscienceshare.org) to inspire your pupils to ask-investigate and share a scientific question. GSSfS is a unique campaign placing pupils at the heart of communicating science. If the 11th June doesn’t work for you, simply move it to when it does! We are an inclusive campaign – you can flex the date to best suit your school timetable and commitments.
Need some support or want some expertise CPD? Take a look at the webinars hosted by the GSSfS team – open to any teacher regardless of specialism.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/great-science-share-2024-webinars-tickets-818447798397
ASK-INVESTIGATE-SHARE in 2024 with the Great Science Share for Schools
Email: greatscishare@manchester.ac.uk
