Zoe Lowe, a Year 6 teacher in a Worcestershire Middle School, teaches electricity to her Year 6 pupils, introducing circuit symbols for the first time. The lesson begins with pupils matching circuit symbols to pictures and definitions. Zoe sees that many of the class muddle the bulb and buzzer symbols and she uses paired discussion to sort this out. She then uses a role play session with one group to demonstrate to the class how a circuit works. Next, in a whole-class activity with white boards, the children draw circuit symbols for themselves and the teacher uses them as an assessment tool. The class then work in pairs with Worcester circuit boards. The aim is not just to make different circuits but to record what they have created as circuit diagrams in their books. In the plenary session, Zoe asks the children to talk to a partner in response to three questions identifying one thing they think they have learned, one they have found difficult and one they would like to investigate further.

Video Series: KS2 Science
Release Date 2005