British Science Week, run by the British Science Association runs from the 10th – 19th March 2023 and is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths.
The British Science Week website has activity packs for Early Years, Primary and Secondary students, the packs are designed to be your one-stop-shop for supporting teachers during the week. (You can also download activity packs from previous years).
The theme of the packs, and this year’s poster competition, is ‘Connections’, and the packs provide fun and engaging ways to introduce this theme to the children.
Each pack, created with the support of UK Research and Innovation and 3M, includes a wide range of fun, hands-on activities, and loads of useful information for planning your events for the Week.
LGfL Resources to Support British Science Week:
The entire Primary ‘Switched on Science’ scheme, offering full coverage across Key Stage 1 and 2 is available to all LGfL-connected schools. Switched on Science is a flexible and creative investigation-based programme with a clear focus on working scientifically. It is packed with best-practice CPD videos and supportive lessons to ensure every teacher can deliver the science curriculum with confidence. The package comes with all the additional resources teachers need to teach the entire Science curriculum, ranging from a video for each unit, teacher guide, interactive exercises, pupil workbooks, ideas for differentiation, and much more.
Busy Things (available to all LGfL-connected schools) has a wide range of resources and games for use in Early Years, KS1 and KS2 there are over 100 activities that are linked to the science curriculum that could be used during your Science Week. These include writing projects, interactive worksheets, graph projects and printables.
Click on the “Special Events” tab where there are suggested activities highlighted for you to try:
Widgit Symbols are simply drawn, colourful symbols designed to illustrate a single concept in a clear and concise way. LGfL’s Widgit portal contains a searchable database of over 15,000 symbols as well as a large bank of ready made resource bundles. These include symbol supported books and a wide range lesson resources. Our science bundles include topics such as Characteristics of Materials, Changing State, Electricity, Forces and Movement, Rocks and Soil and many more.
The ever popular j2e toolsuite (available to all LGfL-connected schools) can also be used during Science Week, for a range of activities. Why not get pupils to design a poster or create a book in j2e, or make an animation showing connections?
Adobe Digital Leader Sessions are available for British Science Week; aimed at 9-13 year olds, over 90 minutes of live online teaching, we'll be using Adobe Express to create different pieces of digital media on different curriculum themes. Bring as many as you like to the session as long as they have access to a device. Please click here to book.
Other Resources:
What or who do you and your pupils envisage when asked what a scientist looks like? Are you all picturing lab coats, goggles and conical flasks? How about the person? Are they a white man with grey hair, who resembles someone like Albert Einstein? If that’s who you pictured – you are not alone. But it is something British Science Week wants to change. They are encouraging schools to get involved by “Smashing Stereotypes” and the campaign hashtag #SmashingStereotypes.
To get involved with this, why not download the collection of STEM role models posters celebrating women innovators illustrated by women artists, there are 8 in the set and each poster is accompanied by a short biography of the women featured, not only raising awareness of their achievements but also hopefully inspiring a new generation of women to work in STEM.
Terrific Scientific from the BBC is a set of curriculum-linked primary science resources for Key Stage 2 aimed at encouraging scientific enquiry. The resources focus on a series of practical classroom investigations linked to the curriculum, so teachers can use each one as a stand-alone science project, or as part of a bigger topic. For each investigation, there is an introductory film, fronted by well-known figures relevant to the age-group; a ‘How to …’ film which demonstrates the investigation, a downloadable teacher resource (including curriculum links) and student worksheets. Perfect for using in Science Week and beyond.
Explorify is another great site for free science resources. The Explorify activities are bitesize prompts for discussion and investigation, their high-quality image, video and hands-on activities are sure to spark curiosity and get your class thinking like scientists. Choose from a wide range of curriculum-linked, low-prep activities that will set young minds whizzing and whirring.
Reach out CPD is free online science CPD for UK teachers, developed with Imperial College London. There are 30 courses for teaching 5-11 year olds covering everything from plants to planets. Each one provides teachers with concise topic knowledge and a whole raft of resources to use in class, including captivating short videos, practical activities and experiments, whiteboard visuals and more. Well worth checking out and sharing with colleagues.
Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) is a charitable trust and their ultimate aim is to see excellent teaching of science in every primary classroom across the UK. They have a network of outstanding and award-winning primary science teachers who are working to develop and disseminate excellence in primary science across the UK. They offer free advice and support to teachers wishing to improve primary science and many of their resources are free.
They have also produced "A Scientist Just Like Me" slideshows looking at a particular scientist or person working in a science-related job. The people included share details of their work and their everyday lives, making their stories relatable to children. They describe their job, what they like about it, and the challenges they have faced on their career journeys. The slideshows are intended to be used as discussion prompts, guided by a teacher.
Whatever you are doing for British Science Week, we would love you to share your work on our Twitter or Facebook pages tag with #BSW23 on @ScienceWeekUK