foundation phase science investigations

with Foundation Phase Learners

NNaattuurraall SScciieenncceess

INVESTIGATIONS

© Western Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP) 2008

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NNaattuurraall SScciieenncceess

INVESTIGATIONSwith Foundation Phase Learners

A lot of the ideas in this booklet owe their germination to a long collaboration between Alan and

Viv Kenyon. We have shared a passion for primary education and primary teacher development for a

long time. This dates back from the progressive 1960s, when we first started teaching, to the early

1970s together in London. It continued at Lovedale in Alice, and then at Cape College in Fort Beaufort,

where colleagues and students helped grow and contextualise many of these ideas. Subsequent work

with teachers and in classrooms has helped refine the practical relevance of this work.

Layout by Welma Odendaal

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National Curriculum StatementNatural Sciences – Foundation PhaseLearning Outcome 1

The learner will be able to act confidently on curiosity about natural phenomena, and to investigaterelationships and solve problems in scientific, technological and environmental contexts.

CCoonntteennttssIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Section 1What’s the best way to make ice disappear? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Investigating Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Investigating Bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Section 2Investigating Mini-Beasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Investigating Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Section 3How many ways can you make a torch bulb light? . . . . . . . . . . 36

Investigating Pushes and Pulls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Section 4Investigating the Phases of the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Investigating Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

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Introduction

In 2004 the Foundation Phase teachers from 9 primary schools in the Southdistrict began working with the PSP to develop and trial Natural Scienceinvestigations with their learners, as part of the MSET Project, funded by theShuttleworth Foundation. This booklet is an outcome of our work together overthree years.

What is in this booklet?In this booklet we have set out the 9 investigations that we carried out withlearners. These investigations worked well with learners from Grade R to Grade 3. You will find suggestions for using readily available, everydaymaterials to help you carry out these nine investigations with your class.

How the booklet is structuredWe start with a focus on Raising questions. Then the booklet is divided intofour sections. Each section focuses on one of the strands in the NaturalSciences National Curriculum Statement.

The strands areI Matter and MaterialsI Life and LivingI Energy and Change, andI- Planet Earth and Beyond.

The first section focuses on Matter and Materials. In this section you will findguidelines for 3 investigations: ice, clay, and bread.

In the second section, Life and Living, we have set out 2 investigations for youto carry out with your learners: mini-beasts and plants.

The third section, Energy and Change, has suggestions for two investigations:electricity and movement.

In the last section, Planet Earth and Beyond, we have suggested ways ofinvestigating the phases of the Moon and the weather.

Using this bookletDon’t feel that you have to work through this booklet from beginning to end.Feel free to dip into it. Choose an investigation to carry out with your learnersthat you are interested in, and that you feel will interest them. Also considerwhat will fit in with any project or theme your class or school is involved in.This book is intended to be a help, to provide guidelines. It is not intended tobe a strait-jacket or a set of rules. Trust yourself and your learners.

One thing you will have to consider is the weather and the time of year whenyou investigate certain topics. For example, Winter may not be the best time toinvestigate plants or small animals because they aren’t so accessible.

We hope you will find the suggestions practical and inspiring. And we hope

Ice, clay, and bread

Mini-beasts and plants

electricity andmovement

Phases of the Moonand the weather

INTRODUCTION 3

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4 INVESTIGATING WITH FOUNDATION PHASE LEARNERS

that, like us, you will find Natural Sciences is a fascinating and wonderful areaof the curriculum to investigate with your learners. Science can be a powerfulbasis and link to good integrated work across the broad Foundation Phasecurriculum.

RRaaiissiinngg qquueessttiioonnssOften in classrooms teachers tend to be the ones who ask questions. And asteachers, we expect our learners to answer the questions. We believe that if acurriculum is to be truly child-centred, we need to give our learnersopportunities to do the actual asking. We need to make sure that they have lotsof chances to ask the questions that they have. And they need opportunities toinvestigate their own questions.

You will find in this booklet that we frequently suggest ways to encourage

What makes

lightning?

Where does ice come from?

How does water

get into the tap?Why do so

me veggies

grow above and

others below the

ground? Where do seeds comefrom?

How is electricity made?

Why is the moonsometimes skew?

Where does the rain come from?

Where do clouds come from?

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learners to think and voice their questions, and to even provoke them to askmore questions. And we don’t need to be afraid that the children will raisequestions that we feel unable to answer. We don’t have to answer all theirquestions when they raise them.

It is really important that our learners have time to ponder and think aboutsome of their questions. They need time to think of possible answers, to puzzleover the questions and possible answers. Later on when they are learning moreabout whatever it is that they want to know, they will discover the answers,and true learning will take place. Bruner has said that ‘discovery favours theprepared mind’. Children who have had time to think about things, will beready to discover and learn because they have had time to puzzle overpossibilities.

INTRODUCTION 5

We frequently

suggest ways to

encourage

learners to

think and voice

their questions,

and to even

provoke them to

ask more

questions.

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SECTION 1Matter and Materials

How to make icedisappear was the

first investigation wecarried out with

Foundation Phase learnerswithin the MSET Project. It was a

great way to start and involvedinvestigating something that virtually all children

are familiar with. The question that we began with(What’s the best way to make ice disappear?) arose from the

questions that teachers elicited from their learners before the first workshop.

Planning and preparing for the investigationWhen you carry out this investigation you will need to make sure that youhave enough ice-cubes so that each pair or small group of three learners has anice-cube. You will also need to ensure that all the ice-cubes are approximatelythe same size. You will have to think how you will keep the ice-cubes frozenuntil you want to use them. One possibility is to use a vacuum flask. We foundthat it’s also very useful to have enough polystyrene cups so that each pair canhold their ice-cube in a cup to start with.

6 FOUNDATION PHASE SCIENCE

WWhhaatt’’ss tthhee bbeesstt wwaayy ttoo mmaakkee iiccee ddiissaappppeeaarr??

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Making sure the learners are activeWe suggest that you read through the whole investigationa day or two before. What problems do you think yourlearners are likely to encounter? What might you need todo to help your learners? How can you make sure thatyour learners are the ones carrying out the investigation?This is not a demonstration. We have to trust the learnersto be curious, inventive and creative. They have to be theones conducting the investigation. They have to own theactivity. Your important role is to guide and support them,when you have judged that they need help.

If the investigation doesn’t go quite the way you hadhoped or planned, that doesn’t matter. Get your learners toconduct the investigation again. Scientists carry out theirinvestigations more than once. They vary, change, adaptand check what they do, and what happens. So yourlearners will be behaving like scientists!

What are your learners likely to do?You know your learners. Try to predict what they will do. Spend a little timethinking about what they are likely to think of and try, in order to get their ice-cube to melt quickly. This will help you prepare. What the children decide andplan to do might reveal their pre-knowledge. For example, some children mayput the ice in the sun. Others may put their ice-cube on something dark in thesun. Yet others may crush the ice-cube, or chew it. Some children may evenmelt bits on the ground. Be open-minded. Expect your learners to surprise youby what they do.

What are the best ways to get ice to disappearcompletely?When we plan an investigation we start with a question. Where does ice comefrom? Where does ice go to? In this case our question is, What are the bestways to get ice to disappear completely? Who can get their ice-cube todisappear the most quickly? It’s a bit like a race.

TASK 1Begin by gathering your learners aroundyou. If you have a carpeted area in yourclassroom, gather your class on thecarpet. If you don’t have a specialcorner for reading and stories, get yourlearners to bring their chairs togetherand sit down with them for adiscussion.

You could start with a story, or with adiscussion about weather, particularlyhot weather, and leading to ice-cubes.Ask your learners what they know aboutice. Record their responses on newsprintor the chalkboard in the form of a spiderweb or a mind-map.

LIFE AND LIVING 7

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TASK 2Grade R and Grade 1If you work with Grade R or Grade 1 learners, give them very carefulinstructions about what you want them to do next. We suggest that you tellthem exactly what you want them to do. Tell them that as a class you are goingto try to find the best and quickest ways to make a cube of ice melt. Then tellthem that you want them to work in pairs and that you are going to give eachpair a cube of ice. Tell them that you are all going to go outside the classroomand you want them to see who can find the best ways to make ice disappearcompletely. Remind them to try to think of the quickest ways.

Take your learners outside. Either tell them to find apartner, or put the children into pairs. Give each pair anice-cube in a polystyrene cup. You will need to decide howfar away from the classroom you take them. You maychoose to work in the playground so that you don’t disturbthe other classes. You may be able to work just outsideyour classroom. You will also need to make sure that youare able to observe every pair. Encourage your learners tothink of different ways to get their ice to melt.

When most of the learners have got their ice-cubes tomelt, take your class back into the classroom to discusswhat they did and what they found.

Grade 2 and Grade 3If your learners have already been in school a year or two,we suggest that you give them some time to plan in theirsmall groups of two or three to carry out their investigationin two stages.I First of all, tell them to spend a short while thinking and

talking about what they could do.I Then tell them that they must draw up a plan of what

they will do. Encourage them to predict what mighthappen. Limit the time for these two tasks. Thinking isimportant, but you also want them to try out their ideasand plans.

I Next tell them to carry out their investigation. Tell yourlearners that you want them to observe what happens.Remind them to record what they see.

As with the younger learners, we suggest that you take yourlearners outside for this investigation. Give each pair orgroup of 3 an ice-cube in a polystyrene cup. Make sure thatyou are able to observe what each small group is doing, andthat you are available to prompt and encourage thoselearners who struggle.

As they wait for their ice-cube to melt, they need to watch itand report on its progress: ‘It’s melted a bit’; ‘It’s half-melted’; ‘It’s completely melted’; and so on. Grade 2s andGrade 3s can measure the time it takes for their ice-cube tomelt using the clock or a watch.


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What have we learned?Gather your learners all together againfor a discussion. Remind them toshare their plans.

Ask them:I What did you think would happen

before you tried to get your ice tomelt?

I What did you find out? Why doyou think it happened as it did?

I What makes the ice disappearquickly?

I Where does the water go?I What have we learned?

LIFE AND LIVING 9

The Science of Melting and EvaporationI Melting is a name we give to the process when a solid

substance turns into a liquid. Butter melts. Ice-cream melts.Chocolate melts. Ice melts.

I Evaporation is the term for the next change in state when aliquid seems to disappear as a gas or vapour.

Try to get your learners to explain what happened and why.When they do this, the children are hypothesising – ordeveloping a theory – about why it happened. What if thechildren chew up the ice? If this happens, ask them, Wheredid the ice go? And then? Finally you could ask, Whathappens when we sweat? This would encourage learners tomake associations with other experiences. For example, howdoes washing dry on the line?

Don’t worry about getting all the “right” answers. The mostimportant thing is to provoke your learners to think, andthink some more. This discussion is a very valuable part ofthe investigation. You are leading the children to think aboutand reflect on what they have done, and what they havefound. You are helping them to articulate their experiencesand thoughts. It is the actual doing (process) that producespowerful learning.

The most important

thing is to provoke

your learners to

think, and think some

more.

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IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg ccllaayyThe ‘Feeley-Box’ – Integrating Languageand ScienceA ‘feeley-box’ or a ‘feeley-bag’ is a very useful piece ofequipment for any primary school teacher. It is a box or bagwith a number of articles inside. The idea is for somebodyto be able to put their hand(s) inside to touch and feelsomething, without anybody being able to see what exactlythey are holding. A 5-litre fruit juice box works well. Sodoes an empty box (with its lid) that has held photocopypaper. It works best if there are two holes on opposite sidesof the box so that children can put both hands into the boxto get a better sense of what they are holding.

You can use a feeley-box (or feeley-bag) to develop and extendyour learners’ use of descriptive language. And you could use itfor Numeracy, Science, and Life Skills. As this section focuses onMatter and Materials, a feeley-box is really valuable in terms ofgetting young learners to think about the properties of matter andmaterials.

Before you use the feeley-box with your learners, plan what youcould put in the box for this occasion. Put in familiar items,items with different textures and shapes. For Grade 2s and 3s, tryto include items that combine different textures and shapes. Forexample you could include a toothbrush, a tennis ball, a spongeor scourer, a nail brush, a stone, a pencil or pen, a comb.

Investigating matter using touchAll GradesThe first time you use a feeley-box or a feeley-bag, gather your learners around you. Tell themthat you want them to listen very carefully. Tellthe children that you are going to ask one childto come and put her / his hands into the boxand to pick up something to touch and feel.Make sure that the children understand that theyare not to remove the item from the box. Theyare only going to use the sense of touch to workout what they are holding. Tell your learners thatyou do not want the childto tell the rest of the classwhatever s/he is holding.Instead you are going toask some questions to tryto find out what it mightbe. You are going to try toguess from the answerss/he gives to yourquestions.


A feeley-box is really valuable in

terms of getting young learners

to think about the properties of

matter and materials.

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Then choose one child who has listened carefully, to comeand stand next to you. Ask questions that will tell yousomething about the shape, texture, hardness and even theuse of the item (in other words about the properties of theitem). For example,I What’s the shape of the thing you’re holding?I Is it hard?I Can you squeeze it?I What do you think it’s made of?

Remember, the child cannot see the item. S/he is makingguesses, based on what s/he is touching. As s/he feels andtouches the item, s/he uses language to describe whats/he can feel.

LIFE AND LIVING 11

As you ask questions, gradually encourage the rest of the class to askquestions, too. After you and the class have successfully guessed what the firstitem is, invite another child to come and find something in the box. Againencourage the other children to ask questions. Encourage the child holdingsomething in the feely-box to answer questions about whatever it is s/he isholding. Gradually encourage your children to ask questions like those youhave asked. They will enjoy being involved and taking ownership of the task.They will learn the important skill of asking questions that elicit usefulanswers.

Grade 2s and Grade 3sYou can extend this activity with Grade 2s and Grade 3s by giving each group afeeley-box with some things inside. Each person gets a chance to put her handsinside the box, to choose something, touch it carefully (observation), anddescribe it (reporting). The rest of the group tries to guess what it is that theperson is holding (interpreting – making inferences) by asking questions.

Investigating matter using all our sensesWhat you will needI A small dish of dry powdered clay for each groupI A small dropper for each groupI A piece of A3 paper with a mind-map drawn on it for each group (Grade 2

or Grade 3)I 2 different coloured crayons for each group (Grade 2 and Grade 3)I A sheet of newsprint with mind-map lines drawn on it (Grade R or Grade 1)I 2 different coloured koki-pens (Grade R or Grade 1)

You can get dry powdered clay from a shop that sells craft materials, or potterymaterials. (You will find an address of a supplier in Cape Town in the Appendixon page 82.)

If you have small droppers, the children can add very small quantities of waterto the dry substance in the second part of the investigation.

Observing and recordingGive each group a sheet of paper with the lines marked on it, and a small dishholding some dry powdered clay. Ask your learners to observe the substance.Tell them to touch the material, to feel it between their fingers. Ask them tocompare it with other similar-looking substances.

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Ask them,I What does it look like?I What does it feel like?I Have you seen anything that looks like this?

Tell them to talk about what they see and feel

If you work with Grade 2s and Grade 3s, ask them torecord their observations on the mind-map (colour,texture, heaviness, etc). If you are working with GradeRs or Grade 1s, we suggest that you move around fromgroup to group so that you can check how your learnersare getting on. Then have a class discussion with yourGrade Rs or Grade 1s about what they have observed.Record their observations on the mind-map on thenewsprint that you have prepared.

Another possibility is to give each group a bank ofwords to choose from and some prestik. This is what theteachers at Northwood did. Then they asked the childrento stick down the words that they felt best described thetexture, colour etc on their mind-map.

Discussing and CommunicatingGrade 2s and Grade 3sAsk your learners to tell you what they found. This is animportant science process skill that will help yourlearners develop confidence in speaking in front of thewhole class. They will also be learning to listen to oneanother and will hear what their peers think and say. Asthey share their observations, record your learners’contributions on a larger mind-map on the board. Wefound that most classes guessed what the substancewas. Children who had spent time in rural areas, evenfor holidays, recognised the dry clay.

Predicting and recordingBefore you hand out droppers withwater, ask your learners to think aboutI What will happen if we add a few

drops of water?I How will the water change the clay?

If you work with Grade 2s or Grade 3s,ask them to record their predictions inone colour on their mind-map. If youwork with Grade Rs or Grade 1s, useone of the koki-pens to record yourlearners’ predictions. Again, ask thegroups to share their ideas with thewhole class and add their ideas to themind-map on the chalkboard.


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MATTER AND MATERIALS 13

Investigating, observing and recordingNow hand out the droppers and a small quantity of waterto each group. Ask your learners to add just a few drops ofwater to the powder. Tell them that you want them torecord their findings on their mind-maps in a differentcolour from their predictions. Ask your learners what theyfound. Then record their findings on the mind-map on theboard.

CommunicatingAsk your learners,I What did you think (predict) would happen?I What changes did you see and feel?I What happened to the water?I Were your predictions correct?

Add your learners’ observations and findings to the wholegroup mind-map using different coloured koki-pen.

What have we learned?Finally ask your class, “What have we learned?” This is important feedback interms of getting your class to evaluate the investigation. You can get thechildren to record what they think they have learned in the form of a drawing.Ask Grade 2s and Grade 3s to label their drawings. Don’t worry if they don’tspell all the words correctly. We want to encourage emergent writing.

Extending the investigationYou can extend your learners’ experience and investigation of clay by givingeach child some ‘wet’ clay. Wet clay is dough-like so that you can mould it ormake something. It isn’t so wet that it just looks like mud. It’s firm. You canpinch it or press it, and shape it into something.

Give each child some clay and ask them to roll out a small snake from thedamp clay. Tell them to measure their snakes and to record the length on asmall piece of paper. Ask your learners to predict what might happen. Forexample, “What do you think will happen to your snakes when the clay dries?Why?”

Then put the snakes somewhere safe where they can dryslowly and without danger of being broken. Put someplastic covering over the snakes so that they don’t dry tooquickly. If the clay dries too quickly, the clay will breakvery easily and even crumble. Later, when the snakes aredry, get your learners to measure their snakes again. Theycan label their drawing. Were their predictions correct?What do they think happened to their snakes? Why?

Changing Properties of MatterClay is a particularly fine form of soil. The particles(the teeny-tiny bits) are very small and smooth. The properties of dry powdered clay are changedwhen it is mixed with a liquid like water, which bindsthe particles together. A small amount of water willproduce a substance that can be moulded. Morewater will make a paste.

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IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg bbrreeaadd

What you will needWe would suggest that you have no more than 6 childrenin any group. But if you have just 4 children in a group,more children will have a chance to participate actively.

For the first part of the investigation, you will need someflour, yeast, sugar, salt, water and oil, and a small dish foreach group. Before you carry out this investigation withyour learners, put a small quantity of one of theingredients in each small dish.

Make sure that each group has some-thing different. This is important. Youdon’t want to give each group all theingredients. You want to give yourlearners something of a surprise! Ifeach group has something different toobserve and investigate, there is a realreason for them to share theirobservations. This is the scienceprocess skill of communication.


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Investigating the properties of materialsWhen you have prepared the dishes, give each group asmall dish with one of several different ingredients. If youteach Grade 2s or Grade 3s, give each group a piece of A3paper together with a pen so that they can record theirobservations. We have suggested some questions that youcan ask to provoke them to observe, and think carefullyabout the substance in the dish on their table. You alsowant the children to predict what will happen if they add alittle water, or if they add a lot.I What does it look like? Why do you think this?I How does it feel?I What does it smell like?I How does it taste?I What do you think would happen if you added a little

water to it? What if you added a lot?

LIFE AND LIVING 15

Ask Grade 2s or 3s to record their observations on the sheet of paper you havegiven them. If you work with Grade Rs or Grade 1s, ask each group to sharetheir observations. Then record their observations on a class mind-map on flip-chart paper or on the board.

If nobody suggests what you could do with all these ingredients together, askyour learners what they think we could make with them if we put them alltogether. We think you will find that somebody will suggest that you can makebread!

What do we know about bread?Before you have a discussion withyour learners, spend some timethinking about what you think yourlearners will know about bread. Breadis still made in many homes on aregular basis. Think about differentkinds of bread. What about bread forspecial occasions? How is bread usedfor religious and cultural customs orrituals? Is bread always cooked in thesame way? You may also decide tocollect several different wrappings(plastic bags, etc) from differentbreads to show your class.

When you decide to have your discussion, take a sheet of flip-chart paper andeither some thick koki-pens or wax crayons. Gather your learners around youand ask them what they know about bread. Record everything that they tellyou in the form of a spider-web or a mind-map.

Don’t omit this investigation because there isn’tan oven at your school. Even if you do all thepreparation at school with learners, you can bake /cook the bread dough at home. The next day, youcan share the bread together.

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Making bread – an opportunity for integrationWe really hope you will decide to make bread at school with your learners.This was one of the highlights of the investigations we carried out, and whichwe all enjoyed. It is also a real way of integrating the three areas of thecurriculum of the Foundation Phase: Literacy, Life Skills and Numeracy. Whenwe make bread with learners, they have to measure volume, mass and time.

What you will needFor each group you will need:

I a mixing bowlI a wooden spoonI a jug or cup, andI some measuring cups or spoonsI bread flourI yeastI sugarI saltI oil, andI water

You may also decide to have someadditional ingredients (eggs, milk, etc)so that the groups can make differentkinds of bread. This is what JeanGrooter did at Dietrich MoravianPrimary School in Philippi.

It is also a good idea to make surethat the children have some kind ofaprons. You could even use cleandustbin bags and cut a hole at thebottom, with two smaller holes at thesides near the bottom. Then you canturn the dustbin bags upside down,and put them over the children.

A Remember that plastic bags thathave not had holes cut into themcan cause children to suffocate.


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Shared readingMake a copy of a recipe for each group, even if you are workingwith the youngest learners. We want them to become used toseeing print around them. And although their mothers, aunts,grandmothers, and sisters may not use recipes, recipes areanother genre (type) of printed text that is a real part of life.

Even if you feel that this is a waste of time because yourlearners “can’t read yet”, we suggest you provide them with arecipe. It is another way of making language and literacy a realand meaningful part of this investigation. Make a large versionto put up on the wall. Then, read the recipe aloud to yourlearners. Ask them to join in and read with you as you read therecipe again.

Cooking / baking the bread doughYou will need to think about how the bread will be cooked. Most of the schoolswe worked with did not have stoves. But they made arrangements to eithermake vetkoek, rooster brood, or even brought in portable ovens to theirclassrooms. You will need to decide how to solve this problem in your school.You may decide to make the bread dough with your class towards the end ofthe day, then take it home yourself to bake. You can bring the cooked resultsback to your class the following day to share with your class.

If you take the bread dough home to cook, you could cook it in different ways.This would enable you and your learners to compare textures and flavours.

Tasting (and testing) the baked breadThis is a wonderful way to integrate language into your science investigation.Share the bread as fairly as you can with your children. You want each child tohave something to taste – enough to be able to describe what the bread looksand tastes like.

You also want to get your learners to compare the appearance, texture and tastewith commercially produced bread. And whether all the bread is the same, orwhether there are different kinds (ie vetkoek, roosterbrood, white bread, brownbread, bread made with milk, bread made with egg). This is an opportunity toget learners observing and reporting on their observations and findings.

LIFE AND LIVING 17

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When each child has a piece of bread, ask the children tolook carefully at it. Ask them,I How shall we describe it?I What does it look like?

Then give the children some time to look and think andtalk to one another. You could record their responses, oryou could keep this as an oral discussion.

Then ask,I In what ways does the bread you’ve got look like bread

from a shop or supermarket?I How does it look different?

Again, give your learners time to observe and think aboutthe piece of bread they’re holding. If you are recordingtheir responses, record their responses to these questions,too.Next, ask your class,I What does your bread taste like?I Why do you think that is?I What is the texture like?

Once again give your learners time to taste and thinkabout the bread they have.

If you have made different kinds of bread or cooked it indifferent ways, get your learners to compare the differentbreads, cooked in different ways, and their different tastesand textures.

Recording what we have learned – Shared writingAfterwards, reflect with your class on what you have donetogether, and what they have learned. Take a sheet of flip-chart paper, and tell your children that you want them tohelp you write what they did when they made the bread. I Ask them to tell you what they did first. Be prepared to

wait while they think. I Ask the question again in a different way (for example,

How did we begin when we made our bread?). I When one of the children makes a suggestion, even if

it’s just a phrase, praise that child. It’s very importantto encourage your learners. If that child’s suggestionisn’t the very first thing that the children did, remindthem that you want to write everything that they did.What was the very first thing we did?

I Encourage your learners to give you their sentences,their words. Try your best not to write your own words.Write down what the children tell you.

After you have written each sentence, get your learners toread the sentence with you. As you add more sentences,encourage the children to read with you all that you havewritten down. As you prompt them, try to encourage thechildren to think about the sequence of what they did.


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When you have written up the experience, read aloud thewhole text that you and your learners have co-created. Askthe children if they are happy with what they have created.Is the sequence correct? Can they think of a better way tosay something? This is a chance for you and your learnerstogether to edit what they have dictated. It is part of theprocess of writing. Your learners will be thinking andacting like writers. Take a different coloured koki or waxcrayon to make changes to the text. Later on, you canwrite out a neat, edited version to put up in yourclassroom. You could even start a book of your learners’favourite recipes with the children.

Shared Writing is a good way to incorporate meaningful literacy practices intoscience work in your classroom. The children will be interested and understandwhat you write and what they are reading because they have been activelyinvolved in the process of making bread, and because they have helped tocreate the text. Even if your learners are just beginning to read, this is avaluable experience, and the children will learn important lessons aboutreading, writing and print (texts).

Other language activities that can come out of this experienceI Writing out sentences on sentence strips for the children to put in a logical

order, which follows the sequence of what they did.I Making a book about how to make bread.I Reading the print on packets of ingredients we use to make bread.I Collecting stories and poems about bread – (5 loaves and 2 fishes)I The story of the Little Red Hen – critical literacy – asking learners “If the Pig

had told this story (or one of the other animals), in what ways would thestory be different?”

I Tracing back the story of bread –k Start with a sandwich, and then get your class to tell it’s story backwards.k The sandwich came from 2 slices.k The 2 slices were cut from a loaf.k The loaf came from a shop.k The shop bought the loaf from a bakery.k The loaf was baked in an oven. etc. (The Technology of processing

materials)I Encourage your class to draw and write about different occasions when

different breads are made and eaten.

Extending the investigation Further questions to think about with learnersI What happens to bread

– after some time?– if you leave it in a dark cupboard?– if you leave it out / unwrapped?– if it gets wet?

I Why does some bread go mouldy? What is mould? What other things gomouldy?

I What can we do with bread? We can maketoast; bread and butter pudding … and ???

LIFE AND LIVING 19

When scientistsdescribe investigationsthat they carry out,they use the followingwords to describe theprocess:First,Next,ThenAfter that,And then, Finally,

List of changesIn Science we considerhow propertieschange. When wemake bread, andcombine differentingredients, the pro-perties of the differentingredients change.The properties changewhen we mix them,and the propertieschange when they areheated (cooked).Heating (baking orcooking) results inchanges that we can’tusually reverse.

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SECTION 2 Life and Living

IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg mmiinnii--bbeeaassttssHowever you feel about mini-beasts, we hope that you will investigatethe range of small creatures available in your neighbourhood, withyour class. Young children are often fascinated by the differentcreatures in their environment and mini-beasts provide awonderful resource for investigations.

You will have to think about the timeof year that you choose toinvestigate these creatures. Wechose late Summer /earlyAutumn, when there arequite a lot of differentcreatures around.

But this is notthe only time. Youmay find that lateSpring / early Summer isjust as good a time.


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What are mini-beasts?

What do we mean by ‘mini-Beasts’? Mini-beasts are small creatures, alsoknown as goggas or izinambuzane. They include grasshoppers, flies, dragon-flies, beetles, ants, spiders, slugs and snails, worms, lizards, chameleons,geckos, in fact anything that is a small animal. However, if we are going tostudy mini-beasts with young learners, there are some creatures that would bedangerous to investigate. The children could get stung, or bitten. Although wewant to encourage our learners’ curiosity, we don’t want them to come to anyharm. But that is not an excuse to avoid this aspect of Science.

Introducing the investigationThere are different ways that you can introduce this investigation.It would be wonderful if you could take a lead from your learners.In other words, if a child brought in a small creature that s/he hadfound, you could use the creature as a starting point to investigateand find out more about that creature, and small creaturesgenerally.

Working with Grade 2s and Grade 3sYou will need a sheet of flip-chart paper andsome thick koki-pens or wax crayons. Preparefor the discussion by writing the word, “Mini-beasts” in the middle of the sheet, and thendrawing lines out from the centre, creating aspider-web / mind-map around the word. Tryto find some pictures or picture books aboutmini-beasts to share with your learners. Youcould display the pictures on a wall of theclassroom, or put the books out on a specialtable for your learners to look at quietly whenthey have finished a task.

LIFE AND LIVING 21

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Begin by gathering your learnersaround you. You could use astory, a picture, or a mini-beastthat one of your children hasfound, or a selection of differentmini-beasts that you havefound. Whatever way youchoose to start thisinvestigation, when you haveintroduced the topic, ask yourlearners,I What do we know about

mini-beasts?I What mini-beasts do you

know?

As the children respond, record their responses on the mind-map that you haveprepared. Use whatever language the learners give you. If they mix languages,that’s fine. You could always use this as an opportunity to extend and developtheir first language or an additional language.

Observing mini-beastsWhat you will needFirst of all, for all Grades you will need blank paper and pencils for yourlearners to draw what they see. Then, if you teach Grade 2 or Grade 3 learnersyou have a choice. You could either focus on one mini-beast at a time, or youcould get each group to investigate a different creature.

When you have decided how you will approach this investigation, you willneed enough mini-beasts so that each group of learners can observe one of thecreatures easily. You could find a few specimens yourself, or you could takeyour learners outside to collect mini-beasts.


If you work

with younger

learners, it is a

good idea to

guide their

observation

Crickets

Milliipede

FP Sc pp1-27 2/9/08 11:25 AM Page 22

If you are working with Grade R or Grade 1 learners, we would suggest thatyou focus on one mini-beast at a time. You will probably need to collect anumber of specimens of whatever creature you have decided to focus on.Whatever you collect will depend on the time of year and the locality of yourschool. But you will need enough so that you can give each group a few toobserve.

Whichever Grade you teach, and whether you collect the mini-beasts or yourlearners collect them, you will need to prepare ‘hotels’ for the creatures to stayin while you investigate them. This links nicely with Technology and you couldinvolve your learners in the construction of the ‘hotels’.

We have found that clean, used, plastic 2-litre cool drink bottles work well. Youcan cut off the top carefully, and then invert the top so that the creatures haveair, but are less likely to “check out” of the hotel before you and your learnershave investigated them. You can also use clear plastic freezer bags full of air.You can keep the mini-beasts for a day or two before releasing them.

Observations with Grade 2 or Grade 3If you have collected mini-beasts for your learners toobserve, give some (in their ‘hotels’) to each group. If yourlearners have collected their own mini-beasts, they canobserve them in their clear plastic bags. Tell the children tolook very very carefully at their mini-beasts. Tell them thatyou want them to draw what they see. You will need togive your learners time for this task so that they can makecareful drawings. Drawing requires us to observe reallycarefully and provides evidence of just how carefullysomebody has observed something, whether or not theyare ‘good at drawing’. You could also ask your children tolabel their drawings.

Observations with Grade R or Grade 1If you work with younger learners, itis a good idea to guide theirobservation. First of all, place somemini-beasts on the tables of eachgroup for the learners to observe.Then, with your learners gatheredaround you, tell them that you wantthem to look really carefully at thecreatures that you have placed ontheir tables. Send the children back totheir groups and ask them to look attheir mini-beasts, and then you willcall them back to tell you what theyhave seen.

Move from group to group to draw your learners’ attention to different aspectsof the mini-beasts you have put out. When you are satisfied that the childrenhave had a reasonable chance to look at the creatures, call them back to you.Ask your class what they saw, what they noticed. We are sure that you willfind that young children are quite observant. But you may wish to draw theirattention to certain aspects.

LIFE AND LIVING 23

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When Cheryl Johannes fromNorthwood Primary Schoolinvestigated grasshoppers with herGrade 1s, this is what she did. Cheryldiscussed the grasshoppers with herlearners and then sent them back totheir tables to look more closely forspecific details. When the childrenhad had some time to look closelyagain at the grasshoppers, they cameback and reported additional thingsthat they had observed. Record whatyour learners tell you in the form of amind-map, as Sarah Genever did withher Grade 1s at Dietrich Moravian.

Then let your learners return to their tables and give them time to drawcarefully what they see. This is not a ‘soft option’. Drawing is work, too.Especially if it is done with care and thought. You may be surprised at howcarefully some of the children carry out this task. Display your learners’drawings on a wall of the classroom, or paste some of them into a book aboutMini-Beasts.


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Collecting mini-beastsIf you decide to let your learners collect mini-beasts for themselves, you needto give them some very clear instructions before they go to look for them. Youmay also wish to discuss what the children might find when they collect mini-beasts.

You need to remind the children that some creatures can sting or bite. Tell themnot to try to catch bees and wasps or spiders. If they think a mini-beast mightbe dangerous, encourage them to ask you to help them.

Remind your learners to be careful when they collect ants. Also remind themthat some spiders are poisonous and that it’s wiser to leave spiders alone.

And you will need to give the children something to collect their mini-beast in.We found that small clear plastic freezer bags work very well.

An extended observationAfter this preliminary observation, we would encourage you to investigate mini-beasts in greater detail. Begin by having another discussion with your learners.We suggest that you prepare for this discussion by making a K-W-L Chart(What do we Know? What do we Want to know? What have we Learned?), or aK-W-T-H-L Chart (What do we Know? What do we Want to know? What do weThink? How can we find out? What have we learned?).

This is a good way to make sure that the investigations you guide your learnersthrough, focus on their knowledge and interests. At the end of the investigationyou can ask your learners what they have found out, and what they think theyhave learned. So this is a way of recording your planning and assessment of aparticular focus.

K-W-T-H-L ChartGather your class around you.If you haven’t used a K-W-T-H-L Chart before,introduce your children to it.Ask them what they knowabout a particular mini-beast.

Write up what they tell youunder the column, ‘What dowe Know?’ You may besurprised by the children whocan supply information. Thenask your learners, ‘What do weWant to know?’ Again write upthe children’s questions orwhat they want to find out.Then ask them, ‘How do youthink we can find out?’

If you work with Grade 2s or Grade 3s, you may ask your learners to work ingroups to first discuss and plan what they could do. Ask them how they couldfind answers to their questions.

If you work with Grade Rs or Grade 1s you will probably discuss this with thewhole class, and record their suggestions on a sheet of newsprint.

LIFE AND LIVING 25

You will find examplesin the Appendix onpage 74 and page 75.

PPllaannnniinngg aann IInnvveessttiiggaattiioonn wwiitthh FFoouunnddaattiioonn PPhhaassee LLeeaarrnneerrss

What do weKNOW?

What do weWANT to know?

What do weTHINK?

HOW can wefind out?

What have weLEARNED?

FP Sc pp1-27 2/9/08 11:25 AM Page 25

Some possible questions for investigationI What do these creatures do? I What do they like to eat? What about drinking?I When do they hide or rest?I Where do they like to hide or rest?I Do they turn into anything else?I How do they change?

What have we learned?After your learners have carried out their investigations, arrange a time todiscuss what you have learned. If you work with Grade 2 or 3s, give eachgroup a chance to report on their investigation, what they planned to do, whatthey actually did, what they found, and what they think they have learned.

If you work with Grade Rs or Grade1s, gather your children together andask them to think about what theyhave just done. Ask them,I What did we do first?I What did we do next?I And then what did we do?I What did we do after that?I What happened?I What did we find out?

In this way you will be encouragingyour learners to reflect on thisscientific experience, and you will beencouraging them to go over whatthey did in the correct sequence. Thisis very useful in terms of recordingscience later on in their school career.

Extending the investigationWhat questions would we like to ask our mini-beast?While the mini-beasts are in your classroom, you could have a furtherdiscussion with your learners. You could ask the children what questions theywould like to ask one of the mini-beasts. Then you could write up yourlearners’ questions. These could be a starting point for further investigations, orresearch. You could invite the Science Co-ordinator in your school to come andtalk to the children and answer their questions. Alternatively you could invite ahigh school science teacher to come and talk to your learners.

Science JournalsEven if you work with very young learners you can get your learners to keepScience Journals. This is what Karen Gallas, a Grade 1 teacher in America,does. At the beginning of each year, she gives each of her Grade 1 learners aScience Journal. The children she teaches are used to having journals in GradeR. They know that their journal is a place where they can draw and importantthoughts and questions can be recorded. “For many children, the process ofwriting in the journal gives them a place to ask questions and then possibly tryto answer them.” (Gallas, 1994:80)


Some creatures godormant in the coldermonths of the year.They hide and are in alower active state.

Even if you

work with

very young

learners, you

can get them

to keep

Science

Journals.

FP Sc pp1-27 2/9/08 11:25 AM Page 26

Even though most of the young children can’tyet read and write, they are able to record(through drawing) their experiences andthinking in journals specifically for science.Karen Gallas describes how even childrenwho are confused about what exactly Scienceincludes, gradually come to realise what itincludes through drawing and writing in theirJournals.

Below you can see some examples of aFoundation Phase learner’s work from a bookby Ellen Doris called, Doing What ScientistsDo: Children Learn to Investigate Their World.In this example, you can see that Ginger hasrecorded his observations and thoughts aboutthe bulb he planted. Journals can play a veryimportant role in developing children’sscientific understanding.You will findObservation Sheets which you can copy foryour learners to record (draw and writeabout) what they have seen, in the Appendixon page 65–73.

“Die Slak” from Northwood

Making little information booksAfter investigating mini-beasts, youmay like to get your learners to makea small information book about eachof the mini-beasts that theyinvestigate. Each page could have adrawing with a sentence underneath.This is what Cheryl Johannes did asshe worked with her Grade 1s atNorthwood.

LIFE AND LIVING 27

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PreparationBefore you begin an investigation ofplants with your learners, spend sometime at the end of the school daywalking around the school grounds.Sometimes we think that there are noplants in a particular environment.Perhaps this is because we do notthink the plants there are useful orbeautiful. But we are sure that youwill be able to find some plants ifyou keep an open mind. The timeof year will also influence what youfind in the school grounds.

It is a good idea to findsome books on SouthAfrican plants to display inyour classroom. If you areunable to find any amongst the books at your school, visit your local library.Ask the children’s librarian, and explain that you are going to investigate plantswith your learners. Most children’s librarians are very helpful, and will helpyou find some suitable books. You may even find some picture story books.


IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg ppllaannttss

iSto

ckPh

otos

FP Sc pp28-end 2/9/08 11:46 AM Page 28

What plants do we know?Start by making a list of all the plants that your learners can think of. You willneed a sheet of flip-chart paper and some koki-pens or wax crayons. Ask yourlearners to close their eyes for a few moments and to think of all the plants thatthey have seen that day. Give them a few minutes to talk to a partner and toshare what they know. Then ask your learners to tell you all the plants thatthey know and can think of. As the children tell you what they know, writetheir responses in the form of a list on the flip-chart paper. If you gather yourlearners around you, everybody will be able to see clearly whatever you record.

When you have a substantial list, go through the list with your learners and askthem to tell you which of the plants are trees. Mark these plants with adifferent coloured koki or crayon. Are there any other trees your learners knowor can think of? Add names of these trees to the list.

What can we find in the school grounds?Organise your learners into pairs andtake them out to investigate what’sgrowing in the school grounds. Don’tspend too long outside. You just wantyour learners to have a preliminarylook. You want to continue to growtheir awareness of the plants in theirenvironment.

When you return to the classroom,you can add the names of other plantsto the list you made with your class. Ifyou take another colour crayon orkoki for this, you will have a clearrecord of the 3 stages of this firstactivity. This will provide you with arecord of continuous assessment.

What do we know about plants? What do we want to know?Grade 2s and Grade 3sGive each group an A4 sheet of paper with a K-W-L Chart on it (see page 74).Ask your learners to talk about What they know about plants, and What theywant to know about plants. Tell your children that you want each group to fillin the chart that you’ve given them. You want them to write down what theyknow about plants, and what they want to know.

LIFE AND LIVING 29

You want them

to write down

what they know

about plants,

and what they

want to know.


When your learners have completed the first two columnsof the chart, either get each group to share what they havewritten, or put each group’s chart on the wall of theclassroom. This is something that Grade 2s and Grade 3sshould be able to do independently. Tell your learners thatthey don’t need to worry about spelling and how neatlythey write. You just want them to get their ideas down.And if they work in a group, they should be able to carryout this task.

Grade Rs and Grade 1sIf you teach Grade Rs or Grade 1s, carry out this part as adiscussion. Gather your learners around you and put up alarge K-W-L Chart on flip-chart paper. Ask your learners totell you everything they know about plants. You may besurprised what some of your learners know. Children whohave lived in rural communities often have a wealth ofknowledge about plants and animals. Record theinformation your learners give in the What we know aboutPlants column.

Then ask your learners to tell you what they would like toknow about plants. Again, record your learners’ questionson the chart in the column, What we Want to know aboutPlants. Then put the chart on a wall for the children to beable to see while they are investigating plants.

Close observation of a plantYou have a number of choices for this observation task.You could bring in some samples of plants into yourclassroom so that each group has a few plants to look at.Alternatively, you could ask your learners to try to remember to bring in aplant, or plant product into the classroom. This could include fruit, vegetables,flowers or something made from a plant. You could leave this to your learnersto think of something and bring it in. You may be very surprised at what yourlearners bring in, and it will give you insight into how much they alreadyknow.

You will need a blank sheet of paper for each child, aswell as some pencils. Try to persuade your principal to buysome good pencils especially for drawing. Drawing is awonderful way to get children to observe really carefully.And it is easier to draw with ‘soft’ pencils (2B, 3B, etc)than with ‘hard’ pencils (2H, 3H, etc). Keep these special“soft” drawing pencils in a safe place. Then whenever youwant your learners to observe something and to draw, youcan provide them with appropriate materials.

Encourage your learners to see drawing as work. It isn’tsomething to rush through. Careful drawing takes time.Give your learners time to look really carefully at theirplants and to draw what they see. They could also add anyinformation that they know or perhaps a question theyhave about the plant.


PPllaannnniinngg aann IInnvveessttiiggaattiioonn wwiitthh FFoouunnddaattiioonn PPhhaassee LLeeaarrnneerrssWhat do we KNOW? What do we WANT to know? What have we LEARNED?

74FO

UN

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PHA

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When your class have finished their drawings, put them up on the wall. Giveyour learners time to look at each other’s work. We have found that childrenlearn to respect one another’s work if we give it status and model respect.When learners see the work of their peers, they learn important lessons abouthow a particular task can be done differently. We all see differently. Anddrawings reflect this. You will also be integrating Arts and Culture with NaturalSciences. And you will have valuable and aesthetic evidence of what yourlearners’ can do.

Exploring the school groundsBefore you take your learners out to explore the schoolgrounds, tell them that you want them to look at theplants more carefully. Tell them that you want them tolook at the plants very carefully to find evidence of howplants make more plants.

Group your children and allocate a particular area of theschool grounds to each group. Then take the children out.While your learners are observing the plants, move fromgroup to group. Listen in to what they say to each otherabout what they’re noticing.

When you return to the classroom, havea discussion with your learners to sharewhat they found. Ask the children,

I What did you find?I Do you know different names for

these plants? I Have any of the leaves been eaten

in anyway?I Who ate them?I How do we know?I Who saw flowers, or fruit, or seeds?

Get your learners to choose one plant tofocus on. Grade 1s and 2s couldmeasure the length and breadth of theleaves.

LIFE AND LIVING 31


How do plants make moreplants?Another way to find out how plants makemore plants, is to get your learners to lookat different fruits. Take in a lemon, anorange or an apple, a few grapes and atomato. A small gem squash or butternutwould also be good. If you decide toinclude a banana and a strawberry, theyare very interesting fruits. (The seeds ofstrawberries are on the outside of thefruit!)

Give each group one of the fruits, and cutit in half. Ask the children to look for theseeds. Then ask your learners, “Do allplants have to grow from seed always?”

You may be surprised by what your learners know.Children who have lived in rural communities willprobably know quite a lot.

I Where did this plant come from?I What happened before this?I And what happened before that?I And before that?I And before that?I And before that?I So, how did it begin?

Then you can get yourlearners to draw thedifferent stages of aparticular plant andarrange these in order,from how the plantbegan to when it makes anew plant, or perhapsdies.



What have we learned?After the investigation, spend timewith your learners reflecting onwhat the children think they havelearned. Discuss what they did andwhat they found out. Record whatyour learners tell you on the ClassK-W-L Chart. This will provide youwith evidence of what you andyour learners have done, and serveas a reminder to them.

Other things to think aboutWhy does water go green? Put some water in a jar without a lid near a window. Letthe water go green. Then ask your learners, What’s goingon? Why did the water go green?

How can we find out?

Then there are interesting possibilities for investigations.

For example,I Can you sieve off the green stuff through a tissue?I What’s left if we let the water evaporate?I Will boiling kill the green? (Will the green stuff die and

sink to the bottom?) If you can kill it, it might havebeen alive!!

Growing thingsSome plants grow from a part of the plant. For example,you can grow an African Violet plant from a leaf. Cut orsnap off a leaf at the stem of the plant. Put the stalk endinto some soil in a pot and water it. Keep the leaf in awarm dark part of the classroom. Keep the soil damp. Theleaf will put down fine roots into the soil.

A potato plant will grow from a potato. If you take a carrottop and put it in a saucer with some water, it will sproutand a carrot plant will grow.

Many indigenous plants like succulents (fat leaved plants,whose leaves store water) will grow from a sucker fromthe ‘mother’ plant. Some aloes grow in this way.

LIFE AND LIVING 33


Pet plantsIf you work with Grade Rs or Grade 1s, ask each group oflearners to choose a plant in the school grounds and tolook after it throughout the year. Get each group to keep adiary of watering and caring for the plant. Your learnerscould complete a monthly chart (like a calendar) and drawwhat they have done on the appropriate day.

Make sure that the children watchtheir plant carefully and noticechanges. Regular discussionsthroughout the year will encouragethem to maintain an interest and toremember to care for their plant.

At the end of the year, you could helpeach group to put together some oftheir drawings from regular intervalsthroughout the year to make a bookabout that plant. Make sure that youinclude drawings that show significantthings that happen or that the learnersobserve.



Leaf rubbingsYou will need some thinnish paperand thick wax crayons (bright green,brown, orange, red). Then get yourlearners to help you collect a varietyof leaves (preferably ones that havefallen from a plant) for this activity.Take the leaves back to the classroom.

The children need to place the paperover a leaf, and then rub with a waxcrayon over the place where the leaf isunderneath. The outline and pattern ofthe leaf should appear.

Get your learners to experiment with the top and the underside of leaves. I What do they notice? I What do they find?

This is likely to raise interesting questions and comments and generateawareness naturally of the need for names for different leaf margins and veinpatterns. This could lead naturally to some challenging sorting and classifying.

Our very first own book of plantsAt the end of the year, ask your learnersI What have we learned?I What could we make a book about?I What would we include?I What would we leave out?I How could we do it?

Each pair or group of 3 children could think ofsomething and then draw a picture of whatever plantthey’ve chosen. With the teacher’s help they could puttheir work together and order the pieces. Then theycould help their teacher stick each piece of work on toa page of the book.

LIFE AND LIVING 35


HHooww mmaannyy wwaayyss ccaann wwee mmaakkee aa ttoorrcchh bbuullbb ll iigghhtt??There are a number of different ways that you can introduce this investigation.You could start off with a discussion about day and night, and when we need something like a torch. Or you could tell a story.

Or you could do what the Foundation Phase teachers atNorthwood did.


SECTION 3Energy and Change

IntroductionDuring the break (interval) preceding the investigation, theteachers covered the windows in a classroom with blackpaper. They also brought a variety of different lamps toschool. The teachers began by taking the class into thedarkened classroom. It was quite quite dark. You couldn’teven see your hand in front of your face! They asked thechildren what they could see. Then they asked the learnerswhat would help them. The children gave a variety ofanswers, and slowly the teachers switched on one or twolamps. On the wall at the back of the classroom theteachers had put up black paper and stuck on some stars.It was spectacular!!

The teachers got the children to sit down on the mat and led a discussionabout what we could use to help us see in the dark if we didn’t have lights toswitch on. Eventually somebody suggested that we could use a torch.

This was a really exciting way to introduce the investigation, and we felt veryprivileged to be present and to share the experience. Of course, a teacher can’tdo this kind of thing every day. But now and then it’s worth spending time toplan and prepare something a little different and special. Your class will reallyappreciate this.

Now and then

it’s worth

spending time

to plan and

prepare

something a

little special.

iSto

ckPh

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Observing torchesWhat you will needYou will need a working torch for this discussion. We also suggest that youhave a sheet of flip-chart paper with a simple drawing of a torch in the centre.Draw some lines in the form of a spider-web or a mind-map.

ObservationAsk your learners how they think atorch works. What are all the partstorches have? What makes the bulblight? Record your learners’ ideas onthe mind-map. We think you will findthat the children have a good idea ofwhat is inside the torch, even if theyare not sure how exactly it works. Asthe discussion progresses, take thetorch apart so that they see the torchcell (what we often call ‘a battery’)and the small bulb. Ask your learners,So how does the torch bulb light up?

Finding out how the torch bulb lights upWhat you will needFor each group, you will need I a 1,5v torch cell (battery)I a torch bulbI two plastic covered wires about 20

cm long each

You can ask the Science Co-ordinatorat your school to order these materialsfrom Rutland Industries. The addressis in the Appendix on page 82. Makesure that all the cells and bulbs areworking before you start.

You will also need to give each groupI a sheet of paperI 5 coloured torch cell shapesI 5 torch bulb shapesI some Prestik I and a pencil

Your learners can use these to recordtheir findings. You will find a page oftorch cell shapes which you canphotocopy and cut on page 76 out inthe Appendix. (We copied the shapesonto blue card.) You will also find apage of torch bulb shapes on page 77in the Appendix, which you can photocopy and cut out.(We copied the bulb shapes onto yellow card.)

ENERGY AND CHANGE 37

• Start by just givingeach group onewire.

• Later on you cangive each groupanother wire.


InvestigatingTell your learners that you are going to giveeach group a 1,5v torch cell, a torch bulb,and a length of wire. Then give each group atorch cell, a torch bulb and a wire. Tell yourlearners you want them to investigate howthey can make the torch bulb light.

Move from group to group to see what yourlearners do. We found that the children werevery curious and persevered. As they trieddifferent ways, we encouraged them. As theypersisted, we also noticed how well theyworked together to help hold the wires, thecell and the bulb tightly. Everybody wantedto join in.

RecordingAs soon as a group has managed tomake their torch bulb light up, givethemI 5 blue torch cell shapesI 5 yellow torch bulb shapesI a small piece of Prestik, andI a sheet of paper.

Show your learners how to stick downthe blue torch cell shape on theirpiece of paper in a similar position tothe position it was in when the bulblit up. Then ask the children to showyou where the bulb was. Stick downone of the yellow bulb shapes on thesheet of paper, in the same position itwas in when the bulb lit up. Then askthe children to draw in the position ofthe wire.

When you have helped your learners make this picture ofwhat they did, ask the group to find another way to makethe bulb light up. Tell them that there are several ways,and you want them to find as many as they can. Ask themto call you when they’ve found another way.

Work in this way with all the groups. Even if you have avery big class, it is possible to carry out this investigationwith young learners.

Encourage each group as you move around your class.Offer help where you think it is absolutely necessary. But at the same time tryto let the children do the investigating. No matter how much you want to tryyourself, or show them how, DON’T. Let your children do the practical work ofinvestigating. We are sure that you will be surprised at the scientific behaviourthey demonstrate, and which you are fostering.



CommunicatingWhen all your groups have foundmore than one way, give each group achance to share their methods tomake the bulb light up. Stand by thechildren as they speak to supportthem. Get them to hold up theirpictures of what they did. This is animportant part of the investigation.Not all the groups may have found thesame way to make their torch bulblight up. The other children will getideas of other ways to make the bulblight up.

Finding more ways to get the torch bulb to light upGive your learners more time to try tofind other ways. There are at least 5ways to make the torch bulb light up.(You can find these ways in theAppendix on page 79.) If you workwith Grade 2s or 3s, encourage themto try to find all 5 ways. If you workwith younger learners, you may feelthat they have spent long enough. Youcould always give the children anopportunity to do this on another day.It would be interesting to see if theyremember some of the ways they havefound, or whether they findcompletely new ways.

Get your learners to write their names on the pictures they have made. Thendisplay these on the classroom wall.

Close observation of a torch bulbGrade 2s and Grade 3sIn this activity, you want your learners to observe the torch bulb more closely.What does the bulb look like? What are it’s features?

Preparing for the observationYou will need to make a large 2-D (flat) model of a torchbulb for this activity. (We have provided the parts for thismodel in the Appendix on page 78. You can photocopythis, and cut it out. Again, we used yellow card for thetorch bulb and blue card for the torch cell.) I Cut out the large bulb shape.I Cut out the other shape for the metal base of the bulb.I Glue the bottom of the bulb to the right side rectangle

so that it fits over the shaded triangle.I Use a large black crayon or koki-pen to draw the two

thick wires, as shown.



I Cut out a small oval bead shape from a coloured picture in a magazine andpaste it over the black lines you have drawn. (This represents the glass beadthat prevents the two thick wires from touching.)

I Make a filament from a coil of thin wire, and fasten itacross the ends of the thick black lines. One way is tostick the ends of the coil of wire through the cardboardand to use sticky tape on the wrong side (back) tofasten them down.

I Fold the left-hand side of the base of the bulb over theright-hand side. Now your model of a torch bulb isnearly complete.

I Use blobs of Prestik to represent the metal solder markon the side of the case, and the bottom metal tip of thetorch bulb.

I Finally, shade the trapezium shape between the metalcase and the metal tip of the torch cell. This shows thelayer of black plastic that separates the metal cylinderfrom the metal tip.

This model is specially designed so that you can demonstrate the arrangementof the inner parts of the bulb. What happens inside a light bulb will always bea strange mystery to learners unless they have thought about what thearrangement of the wires might, and then had a chance to find out.

Working with learnersDraw a face on the chalkboard. Askyour learners,I What features do we have on our

faces? What are the different parts?

Even very young learners will be ableto give you their suggestions. As theyoffer their suggestions, draw in thefeatures and label each one.

Now tell your learners that you wantto do the same thing with the torchbulb.I What are the features or parts of a

bulb?

Give the children a few minutes toobserve carefully. While they do this,draw the outline of a torch bulb onthe board. When you think yourlearners are ready, ask them to tellyou what they see. As they tell youthe different features that they’venoticed, draw and label those parts.



Start with the round glass ball and then ask,I What do we see here?I What do we see inside the glass ball?I What do we see between the two thick wires?I What do we see between the two thick wires near the base / at the bottom?I What is below the glass bulb?I What can we observe on one side of the metal case, near the top?I What is at the bottom of the torch bulb?I What can we observe between the metal case and the metal base?I Is there anything else you have observed?

Then put up the model of the torch bulb that you have made. Ask yourlearners,I What do you think we would find if we could open up the metal case? I What would be inside? I Where do the two wires go?

Give them some time to think. What do they predict willbe the arrangement of the wires? Encourage them to makethoughtful guesses. Then open up your model and showthem how one wire is joined by solder to the metal case,and how the other wire goes to the metal tip at the bottomof the torch bulb.

Now use your model to demonstrate that there is acomplete pathway, or circuit, for the electricity when thebulb lights. The electricity is free to travel in a completepathway. It travels from the torch cell, through the wire tothe metal case, and then to the one thick wire. From thereit goes through the thin wire filament. It causes thefilament to light up, and goes back down the other thickwire to the torch cell again.

What have we learned?Finally, make time to reflect on thisexperience with your learners. Usethe mind-map that you created at thebeginning of this investigation whenyou got your learners to observe atorch carefully, and to think abouthow it works. Go over the conceptmap with your learners, readingaround the map together.

Then get your learners to talk aboutwhat they did and what they foundout when you gave each group a torchcell and a torch bulb. Try toencourage the quieter learners toparticipate.


ElectricityElectricity is a form ofenergy.From electrical energywe can get:• heat energy (stoves

and heaters)• sound energy

(radios, cell ‘phonesand doorbells), and

• the energy ofmovement (a fan, atoy car).


IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg ppuusshheess aanndd ppuull ll ss

What you will needYou will need enough old magazines so that there is atleast one magazine between two children. You will alsoneed lots of suitable items that your children will befamiliar with from their homes and daily lives. Try to makesure that you have a variety of items so that you can giveyour learners different experiences to emphasise howmuch pushes, pulls and twists are a part of their lives.

We included play-dough, clay, balloons,stones, some metal, some wood, elasticbands, Prestik, sponges, small soft balls, aspring, paper, empty plastic containers withlids to twist on or off, empty containers thathad lids to pull off or push on, and so on. Putthese things you have collected into a largebox or basket so that you will have themready for the first part of the investigation.

Make sure that you also have some marbles,some balloons, some small toy cars, somesmooth planks of wood, and two or threebricks. If you work with Grade 2s or Grade3s, we suggest that you also have somemeasuring tapes or very long rulers.


iSto

ckPh

otos


Introducing the investigationPushes and Pulls are a part of our daily lives. In fact, asAudrey Dryding observed at the workshop, “Everything wedo involves a push, a pull or a twist!” We found a picturestory book to introduce this investigation: The Great BigEnormous Turnip. This is a traditional tale from Russiawritten by Leo Tolstoy. We used the version that has beenillustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

In the story, an old man plants some turnips. One of theturnips grows really enormous, and when the old mantries to pull it up, he can’t. So he calls his wife. In the endhis grand-daughter and a number of animals help him, andthe turnip comes up out of the ground. The language ofthe story is simple, and there is a lot of repetition. So it isideal for the Foundation Phase.

You will find the story in the Appendix on page 80.

When do we push and when do we pull?When you have read or told your learners the story that you have chosen, talkto your learners about pushes and pulls. Ask them,I When do we push?I When do we pull?

You may ask them to move different things in theclassroom. For example, you may ask one of the childrento open a window or the door. When the child is doingthat, ask her / him, “What are you doing? Are you pushingor pulling?” Or instead of asking the child who is carryingout the action, tell the other learners to watch verycarefully. While the child is opening or closing a windowor door, ask the rest of the class, “What is s/he doing? Iss/he pushing or pulling?”

Next, take the box or basket with the different items youhave collected. Give several different things to each group.Tell the children that you want them to investigate whatthey must push, and what they must pull. It is very likelythat the word, twist will come up at this point. Forexample, when we ring out a cloth (twist), it’s a combi-nation of a push (one hand) and a pull (the other hand).

Word-BurrsYou will need 3 sheets of flip-chart paper and either somethick koki-pens or waxcrayons for this activity. Inthe middle of each sheetwrite one of the followingthree words:I PushI PullI Twist



Draw a circle around the word, just as you would if youwere making a concept map. But instead of making aconcept-map, you will be making a word-burr. The idea isto get your learners to think of all the words (probablymostly verbs) that involve the movement described in theword on the page. If you have written the word Pushes inthe middle of the paper, try to get yourlearners to think of all the words that involvea push.

This is a useful way to get your learners tothink about words, to extend and develop theirvocabularies. And as they think about theactions that involve these three movements, youare preparing them for the next task.

Looking for examples of pushesand pullsI You will need lots of old magazines for this

task. You need to have at least enough to beable to give each pair of children onemagazine to look through. You will also needat least enough pairs of scissors so that youcan give your learners one pair between two.

I Ask your learners to look for pictures inwhich they can see either a push or a pull.If you work with younger children, youcould ask your learners to just look forpictures with a push. Or they could justlook for pictures with a pull.

I When your children report back and sharetheir pictures, all the children will see allthe pictures, and there will be pictureswith people or things pushing, and otherpictures with people or things pulling.

Older learners could label each movement.

Different work stationsAnother way that you could provide your learners with rich investigationexperiences is to set up different ‘work stations’. Although this involves carefulplanning and preparation, it is an exciting way to give your learners richexperiences. For one thing, they will have been involved in differentinvestigations around the same focus. When the learners report on what theyhave done, their classmates will want to hear what the other groups did.

First of all, read through the four suggested investigations below. Then gathertogether the materials you will need. Remember you are carrying out Scienceinvestigations with your learners. Approach the Science Co-ordinator or yourPrincipal about buying some equipment. Schools have a budget for purchasingmaterials that are to be used for teaching and learning.



WORK STATION 1What needs a push, what needs a pull, and whatneeds a twist?You will need to collect a variety of different things thatare familiar to your learners. Look around your homeand the classroom. You could include a plastic bottlewith a screw-top lid, something with a lid that youpush on and pull off, a pen / pencil, an eraser, apaper-clip, small soft balls, string, a rubber band,some balloons, Prestik, play-dough, stones, somethingmade of metal, something made of wood, a spring,and so on. Put all the materials in a fairly largeshallow box (the lid of a box of photocopy paperworks well) so that a group of children can easilyget hold of something to find out whether you haveto push, pull, or twist.

Ask your learners to investigate the materials, to find out whether they have topush, pull, or twist. Tell them that you want to sort the materials into 3 groups:those we have to push, those we have to pull, and those that need a twist. Ifyou work with Grade 2s or 3s, you could make a Task Card with instructions. Ifyou work with Grade Rs or Grade 1s, you will probably rely on giving themoral instructions.

A sample Task CardIf you work with Grade 2s or 3s, youcould also ask your learners to recordtheir findings. You could eitherprovide them with a table with 3columns for them to record each itemunder the appropriate column, or youcould ask them to draw their findings.

A sample tableGrade Rs and Grade 1s could alsorecord their findings by drawing eachitem under one of three columns.Then when the learners report onwhat they have found out, they willhave a record to remind them of whatthey found out.


Push Pull Twist


WORK STATION 2 What makes a toy car go faster?You will need at least 6 different small toy cars. Youshould be able to buy these quite cheaply in one of thesupermarket chains. They are often available in sets of 3or 4 making them quite inexpensive. However, do try tochoose a variety of cars, 4 x 4s and trucks. This willmean that the children can think aboutI what causes one vehicle to move more quickly than

another? orI what causes one vehicle to go further with the same

push?

Part 1I Mark out a part of the classroom

where the group can carry out thisactivity.

I Mark a starting line for the learnersto start their races.

I Tell the group that you want themto find the fastest vehicle.

I Make it quite clear to the childrenwhere they may “race” their cars.

I Tell them to make sure that they allstart from the starting line.

I Tell the children that one childmust tell the others when to start.

I Then give each child in the group one of the vehicles. I As soon as that child says, “Go!”, each of the other children must give their

car a single push to get it rolling.I Which car goes the fastest? Why?I Which car goes the furthest? Why do they think this is?

Grade 2s and Grade 3s can measure the distance that their cars travelled.

Part 2In the second part of the investigationyou will need to make a ramp. Youcan use 1 or 2 bricks to raise theheight of one end of a stiff board orplank. And you will need to makespace in your classroom for yourlearners to ‘race’ their cars.I Tell your learners to take turns to

release each car from the top of theramp, without a push.

I Which car goes the furthest? Whydo they think this?

I Ask them to record the informa-tion. Grade 1s can draw the carthat goes the furthest. Grade 2s andGrade 3 could complete a table.



I Grade 2s and Grade 3s can measure the distance that their cars travelledfrom the bottom of the ramp.

I Get the group to repeat their investigation several times. Ask the children torecord the results each time.

I If they change the slope of the ramp, what difference does it make? Do thecars go further? Encourage your learners to try to explain any differences.

I If the children put a block of wood at the bottom of the ramp, does it stopthe cars? Or do the cars move the block? What happens if they add anotherblock of wood?

If you work with Grade 2s or 3s, makesure that your learners record theirfindings. They can do this by drawing,or in the form of a table, or even agraph. I Which car went furthest without

the ramp?I Which car went furthest when the

children used the ramp?

When your learners report to the restof the class on their findings, askthem,I What makes the cars go faster?I Do the cars go faster when you

send them down a ramp?I Does the slope of the ramp make a difference? Why do you think this is so?

They can also think about how you can give the same ‘push’ to 2 different cars.

WORK STATION 3 Starting and StoppingYou will need a bag of marbles and some straws for thisinvestigation.

Give a group of learners the marbles and let them playwith the marbles for a short time. Then ask your learnersto investigate how they can get the marbles to move.

Ask them,I How can you make a marble move?I What do you do to make it move?I Are there different ways to make a marble move?I Is there one way that is better than others?I Why do you think this is so?

Give your learners some time to think about how they make themarbles move. Then encourage them to think about what they do,and also, what they can do to stop marbles moving.

Ask themI How many ways can you find to stop a marble moving?I Which way works best?I What makes something start to move?



Next give your learners straws and ask them to use their straws to make theirmarbles move. Can they use the straws to stop the marbles moving? Give thechildren time to experiment and find as many ways as they can to use thestraws to move their marbles, and to stop them.

WORK STATION 4What do magnets ‘pull’ towards them? You will need to collect a variety of items made of different materials. Try tocollect lots of different things that your learners are likely to find either in theirhome environment, or in the school. Put these different items on a large tray orin the shallow lid of a large box so that all the learners in a group can reach theitems to investigate their properties.

You will also need a magnet for each learner. Itis best if all the children in a group caninvestigate at the same time, so that nobodywaits for a turn to use a magnet.

Place the tray with the different items on thetable, and give each child a magnet. Ask yourlearners to investigate the different materialsand to find all the things that the magnetsattract, or that the magnets ‘pull’ towardsthem. Ask the children to make two sets. Theyneed to make a set of items that the magnetsattract. And they need to make another set ofitems that the magnets don’t attract. Ask yourlearners to record their findings either bydrawing, or in the form of a table with two columns.



Again, if you teach Grade 2s or 3s, you could write theinstructions on a Task Card. Add a few additionalquestions, such as:I One magnet will pull certain things towards it. What

does it pull towards it?I What doesn’t it pull?I What happens if you take two magnets and put them in

different positions?I Turn one magnet around. What happens now?

If you work with Grade Rs or Grade 1s, make sure that youspend some time moving around, supporting andencouraging the children. Make sure that they too recordtheir findings. Even young children can draw what theyhave found in their investigations.

A final wordAs we discovered at the workshop, pushes and pulls are part of our daily lives.Two teachers involved in the project used a Physical Education lesson toprovide an investigation of pushes and pulls for their learners. This was reallyinteresting and clearly demonstrated just how much pushes and pulls are a partof every movement we make.

Pulls are part

of our daily

lives.



SECTION 4 Planet Earth and Beyond

IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg tthhee pphhaasseess ooff tthhee MMoooonnOne of the strands of the Natural Sciences curriculum focuses on Planet Earthand Beyond. In other words, we are encouraged to investigate and find outmore about the Earth and the sky. People have always been fascinated by whatthey see in the skies, both during the day, and at night. Months have beennamed after arrangements of stars (constellations). For example, the month ofJune is named after the Pleiades in isiXhosa – iSilemela. And in many culturesstories have been told to explain particular groups of stars.



This investigation focuses on the different phases of the Moon. You will need toget your learners to observe the Moon over a period of at least 30 days. But ifthey are interested, continue the observation for even longer. We were excitedto find that even Grade 1s at the beginning of the year were able to sustainsuch a long observation. And they were able to record what they saw!

What you will needWhat will you need? We have provided a sampleMoon Watch Calendar in the Appendix on page 83which we suggest you photocopy and enlarge foryour learners to record what they see. We alsomade a long zigzag book as an additional way ofrecording the way the Moon looked. And we putup an African Moon Calendar which shows thechanging phases of the Moon for the whole year.These calendars are produced by, and availablefrom Clip-Clop, a small company in Cape Town.You will find their contact details on page 82 inthe Appendix.

You will also need to think aboutthe time of year when you carryout this investigation. Weobserved the phases of the Moonduring the first term of the year,when the skies are usually clearin the Western Cape. You willneed to think about when theskies are likely to be clearest foryou and your learners. It can befrustrating if there is a great dealof cloud and the children cannotsee the Moon.

PLANET EARTH AND BEYOND 51

76FO

UN

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SESC

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

MMoooonn WWaattcchh CCaalleennddaarr


What do we know about the Moon?First of all, find out what your learners know aboutthe Moon. You will need a sheet of flip-chart paperand some thick koki pens or wax crayons. In themiddle of the sheet of paper write the word Moon,and draw a circle around the word. Then add somelines to make a mind-map (concept web) of whatyour learners tell you.

Gather your learners around you and ask them whatthey can tell you about the Moon. You can expectthem to tell you things like:I The Moon isn’t always the same shape.

Sometimes it’s round, like a circle or a ball.I At other times it’s the shape of a

banana, like half an orange, oreven like a rugby ball! (There is avery nice link here with thelanguage of mathematics.)

I Some children may also remarkthat the Moon isn’t always in thesame position. It seems to move.(Although the Moon seems to bemoving in an arc across the skythroughout the night, in fact it isonly moving very slowly. It takesthe Moon 29¢ days to travel roundthe Earth once. It is the spin of theEarth that makes the Moon seem tomove faster.)

I The children may tell you that the Moon rises and sets like the sun in a 24-hour cycle. (In fact this is because the Earth is spinning once every 24 hours.It is not because the Sun and Moon are moving.)

I You can also expect the children to tell you of different images that they seeon the face of the Moon. We found that some children said that they saw awoman carrying a bundle of wood on her head, a baby on her back, with adog walking beside her. One of the children told us that he saw a horse!

I And the children will probably talk about the colours of the Moon. We foundthat the children mentioned silver, golden, and reddish orange.


Some children said that they saw

a woman carrying a bundle of

wood on her head, a baby on her

back, with a dog walking beside

her. One of the children told us

that he saw a horse!Rabbit… Lady … Beetle.


What do we want to knowabout the Moon?Next, find out what your learnerswant to know about the Moon. Take aclean sheet of flip-chart paper andwrite What we want to know aboutthe Moon at the top. Then write upyour learners’ questions. Somequestions your children are likely toask will probably include:I What happens to the Moon?I What is the Moon?I What is it like on the Moon?I Can you see the Earth from the

Moon?I Why does the Moon look different

on different nights?I How far away do you think the

Moon is from us?I How can we find out?

You will not be able to investigate allyour learners’ questions. But you maybe able to investigate some. In somecases, you may find books at yourlocal library that answer some of yourlearners’ questions. You could alsoarrange a visit to the Planetarium. Youwill find the ‘phone number and theaddress in the Appendix on page 82.

Tell your learners that if they want tofind out more about the Moon, theywill need to observe the Moon eachevening for a few weeks. Put up anenlarged copy of the Moon WatchCalendar (see page 83) and ask yourlearners to make a point of looking forthe Moon that evening. Remind themthat you will ask them the next daywhat they saw, and what shape theMoon was.

Then for the next 5 weeks, remindyour learners at the end of each daythat you want them to observe theMoon. Tell them that you expect themto report on their observations thenext day. Each day get your learnersto draw what they saw the nightbefore on the Moon Watch Calendar.



Gradually you and your learners will see a pattern emerging. And if youcontinue the observation for 5 weeks, they will begin to see that the patternrepeats itself.

Perhaps not all your learners will remember to observe the Moon. But somewill. And we are sure that you will find that as the time goes by, more andmore children will remember to look for the Moon.

Working with Grade 1sSukaina Mitchell, a Grade 1 teacher inthe Project, got her learners who hadonly been in school for a few weeksto sustain this long observation. WithSukaina’s support, these youngchildren recorded their findings on theMoon Watch Calendar as well as in azigzag book. Sukaina also used thisinvestigation to link with shape, thusintegrating Mathematics with thisNatural Sciences investigation.

Some things to think aboutand discuss with your learnersI You could also suggest that your learners ask their

families what they know about the Moon. Then theycould share this information with the rest of the class.This information may include cultural lore (knowledgeand beliefs) about the Moon. For example, some peoplebelieve that the best time to plant seeds and seedlings iswhen the Moon is getting bigger (waxing). They believethat seeds and seedlings do not grow so well if they areplanted when the Moon is getting smaller (waning).

I Some people say that when the Moon is in a particularposition, it means that there will be rain.

I Why do dogs howl when there’s a full Moon?


The MoonThe Moon has phases.We see the Moonbecause it reflects thelight of the Sun.


IInnvveessttiiggaattiinngg wweeaatthheerr

At the beginning of the Project, teachers asked their learners what they wouldlike to find out about their world. Amongst the questions the children raised,were several about weather and natural phenomena.

I Do clouds actually move? How? (Grade 1)

I What makes lightning? (Grade 2)

I What causes thunder? Why is it so loud? (Grade 2)

I Where do clouds come from? (Grade 3)

In response to these questions, our 9th investigation focused on Weather.

There are many ways you canintroduce Weather as a focus ofinvestigation. You could link this topicto work on the changing Seasons, oryou could investigate the Weather asan extension of your daily recording ofweather with your class.

One way to startIf you decide to link Weather to theSeasons, we suggest that you begin byhaving a discussion about theSeasons. Get your learners to thinkabout what the weather is like at thattime. Ask them what it has been likefor the past few weeks (warm, cool,wet, windy, hot, etc).



Next ask your learners, I What time does it begin to get light in the morning?I And what about the evening? What time

(approximately) does it get dark in the evening?

Record what your learners tell you on a sheet of flip-chartpaper. This could be in the form of a mind-map, orperhaps a table. If you work with younger children, it’simportant to record the learners’ information in a clearway, and preferably in the form of a diagram. If you makea list, make sure that your writing is large and clear.

If you work with Grade 2s or 3s, you could get your learners to observe andrecord the time that it begins to get light, and the time it begins to get dark.They could also check in a newspaper. And this could lead to a focus on Day &Night.

Another wayIf you decide to extend your daily record keeping of the weather with yourlearners, you could also have a discussion. Ask your learners,I Does the wind always blow in the same direction?I What are the different words people use when they talk about the wind’s

movement? (eg breeze, gale) You could make word burrs of these words.I How much rain do we get in a week / a month (at this time of year)?I Are our shadows always the same size?



Working with Grade Rs

Early one spring morning, Nigel, a Grade R teacher in London, took his learners outside to

draw round one another’s shadows on large sheets of paper. The children coloured in their

own shadows, cut them out, and hung them up.

A few weeks later, Nigel took the children outside again. This time he took them out at about

noon. When the children got outside, they couldn’t see their shadows. The shadows were

much smaller. Some of them were quite worried!

When Nigel told his colleagues about this afterwards, one of the Intermediate Phase teachers

said, “O good! Now you can explain why their shadows were so small, or had ‘disappeared’.”

“No,” said Nigel. “I’m not going to do that. I want them to go on thinking about it, and then

when they’re older and learning about the movement of the Earth, this experience will help

them to understand.”

This is important. We want our learners to go on wondering. Then later on they will learn

why their shadows seemed to disappear.

Grade 2s and 3s could measure their shadows. In this way you would be integrating your

science investigation with Maths.


If you teach Grade Rs or Grade 1s, you could do what Nigel did, and let themdraw round each other’s shadows and then hang them on the walls of theclassroom. The children could measure their shadows using their feet or handspans as a measure.

Investigating weatherYou will need to decide how long you want this investigation to continue. Youmay decide that your learners should investigate the weather for a period of amonth. Or they could continue the investigation for a whole term. The choiceis yours. The important thing is that you encourage your learners to “thinkand act like Scientists” (Skamp, 1998).


So what do Scientists do? They observe and record something regularly for aperiod of time. If you want to encourage your learners to think and act likeScientists, you need to get your learners to record the weather at least 3 times aday. Discuss with your learners what you want them to do. Encourage them tosuggest when would be good times to check the weather. Then set 3 times inthe day when the children will check on the weather regularly for a pre-arranged period of time.

Investigation planning boardsWhen you discuss how you will conduct the investigation with your learnersyou may find it useful to use a ‘Planning Board’ with your learners. We foundtwo good examples of a Planning Board in a book from Australia, TeachingPrimary Science Constructively (Skamp, 1998:44).

You could use one of these Planning Boards, or youcould adapt one to use with your class. Talk to yourlearners about the way Scientists work. Tell them thatyou want them to think about what they can find outand measure. You could use the following questions toguide your discussion:I What will we measure? (Direction of the wind;

Amount of rain; Size of shadow)I Will we need to change anything? (The place where

we measure)I What will we keep the same? (The time of day when

we measure)I How will we record our results? (On a chart / graph)I What will we need? (a wind vane / wind sock; a rain

gauge; paper and chalk / crayons / pencils)


Talk to your

learners about

the way

Scientists work.

Tell them that

you want them

to think about

what they can

find out and

measure.


Observing and recordingweatherGrade 2s and Grade 3sAfter the first two or three days ofobserving and recording the weatherinformation, you could draw up aroster. This will enable the children totake turns to check on the weatherand record their observations on theWeather Chart. (You will find asample Weather chart in the Appendixon p 84.)

After a week, encourage your learnersto look for patterns. Ask them topredict what the weather will be likethe following day or over theweekend. Encourage your class tolisten to the weather report on theradio or watch the weather report onTV. Ask them to listen / watch for theminimum and maximum temperaturesforecast for Cape Town, and thedirection of the wind. The childrencan check if the forecast is correctwith the class / phase wind-sock! Andthey could measure rain with a‘home-made’ rain gauge. (We haveincluded instructions to make onebelow.)

The children could also look for Weather forecasts in newspapers. Not allCommunity Newspapers include a weather forecast for the weekend. Perhapsyou and your learners could contact the newspaper office to ask them toinclude this information. The Cape Times weather forecast is very clear.



One way to make a wind sockYou will needI The top of a leg from some panti-hoseI A thin stick (a dowel about 80 or 90cm in length)I Some thin wire (a length of about 75cm)I A bottle (for the stick to stand in)

1. Stretch the panti-hose leg a bit so that it is big enoughfor the wind to blow through.

2. Thread the wire through the top of the leg of panti-hosejust as you would a needle when sewing a runningstitch on some fabric.

3. Make sure you keep the circle. 4. Twist the short end of the wire around the long end.5. Wind the long end of the wire around the top of the

stick.6. Put the stick in the bottle.

7. Choose a fairly open space in the school grounds where the wind sock willbe safe. Place the bottle firmly in a shallow hole in the ground.

8. Make sure that the opening of the wind sock attached to the stick is wideopen.

One way to make a rain gaugeYou will needA plastic bottle with a fairly flat bottom andflat sides.1. Cut off the top of the bottle and invert the

top to make a funnel. Place the ‘funnel’back in the bottle.

2. You could get your learners to mark theside of the bottle in centimetres with a waterproof koki-pen.

3. Choose a fairly open space in the school grounds wherethe rain gauge will be safe. Place the rain gauge firmlyin a hole in the ground.

4. Each morning (when it is raining) get your learners toremove the bottle and check how much rain hascollected in the bottle. When they have recorded theamount, ask them to pour out the rain water, and re-place the rain gauge.



Extending the investigationYou could extend this investigation by focusing on a local natural phenomenon,for example, heavy rain in winter, veld fires in summer. Or you may wish to seta problem as a context for your learners’ investigation. One successful way youcan do this is through the use of pictures.

Using pictures with learnersYou will need to collect pictures of different examples of weather to use withyour learners. You will need at least 20 pictures. You will also need flip-chartpaper and a koki-pen.

Start by choosing one picture to demonstrate what you want your learners todo.

Put the picture up on the flip-chart paper. Gather your learners around you andget them to talk about the picture. If you are working with Grade Rs or Grade1s, write up their comments in the form of a mind-map around the picture.


If you work with Grade 2s or 3s, ask them to think ofquestions to ask about the picture. Write up theirquestions in the form of a mind-map / spider-web aroundthe picture. When your Grade 2s or 3s have thought of anumber of questions, get them to try to think of possibleanswers to the questions that they have raised.


Further work with Grade 2s and 3s

I Next, spread out the pictures on thetables. Then tell your class that youwant each person to look at thepictures, and you want each one tofind the one s/he likes the best. Butmake it very clear that nobody is topick up a picture and keep it. Theymust leave the pictures on thetables.

I Then each child must choose apartner and introduce their partnerto the picture that they chose. Thiswill mean that each pair talks abouttwo pictures.

I Then each pair must join up withanother pair and share the 4pictures that they have chosen.

I After this, each group of 4 must choose just one of the 4 pictures. Tell yourlearners that they will work with this one picture as a group.

This process is tricky, but well worth the trouble. The children will have tothink and make decisions. They will have to negotiate when it comes tochoosing just one picture. And then if more than one group want to work withone picture, this will mean more negotiation. But these are skills that yourlearners will need in life.

Now ask your learners to discuss the picture that they have chosen. Give eachgroup a large piece of paper and a small piece of Prestik so that they can sticktheir picture to the paper. Each group will also need a crayon or a pen. Tellyour learners to think of all the questions that they can think of. Get them tothink of questions that begin with What, Where, When, Who, How, and Why.Tell them to write down their questions.

When all the groups have managed to record some questions, get each group toshare their picture and questions with the rest of the class. You could also getthe class, or different groups, to think of possible answers to the questions thatthey raise.



Thinking about heavy rain and floodingWhat happens when there is heavy rain?

I What are the effects?I How do you think people feel?I What could they do to avoid flooding?I What did they do in the past?I Effects of the built environment – paving –

run-offI Grade 3s could write to the City Council.

What have we learned?When the period of this investigation has cometo an end, have a discussion with yourlearners to talk about what the class haslearned. Go through the Planning Board youused with your learners for this investigation.Get your learners to talk about and report ontheir findings. What have they found out?What have they learned? What else wouldthey like to know? How could they find out?

This is a very important part of the investiga-tion. It is something that Scientists do whenthey are carrying out their investigations. Ifwe are serious about getting our learners tothink and act like Scientists, we cannotafford to omit this part.


This set of pictures is availablefrom the PSP.


CCoonncclluussiioonnWe hope you have found this booklet useful, and that youhave been inspired to share Science with your learners. Wehope that you have enjoyed the investigations togetherwith your learners. And we hope that the suggestions wehave made, have encouraged you to investigate otherquestions your learners have.

We know that many Foundation Phase teachers encouragetheir learners to explore and study their world. This is soimportant. Young children are so ‘wide awake’ andinterested in what is around them. We need to make spacein the busy school day, and even create opportunities forour learners to pursue their questions and explore further,with our support.

In this booklet, we have suggested ways of integrating theinvestigations into other learning areas. The NationalCurriculum urges us to integrate learning areas. AndScience offers us rich opportunities to link with Literacyand Numeracy. We can bring stories into a Scienceinvestigation. Science can provide vocabulary andopportunities for us to extend and develop our learners’language use. When it comes to developing and extendingour learners’ language and literacy, we need to give theminteresting and ‘real’ texts to work with. Science canprovide the content for those texts. And of course, manyinvestigations require us to measure, and use numberconcepts and skills.

If we make space for our Foundation Phase learners toexplore and investigate their world, they will be interestedand excited about this aspect of the curriculum. And wewill be preparing them for further experiences in theNatural Sciences that they will meet further on in theirschool careers. And who knows? One of the children weteach may become an eminent scientist in the future. Wesimply need to be open to supporting them as they exploreand discover more about their world.



Naam van Wetenskaplike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ek kyk na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ek het opgemerk

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APPENDIX 65

APPENDICESOObbsseerrvvaattiioonn SShheeeettss –– Afrikaans


Naam van Wetenskaplike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ek kyk na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ek het opgemerk

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Waarneming

Datum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ek kyk na

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .’n Prent van wat ek sien

Hier is ’n paar dinge wat ek opgemerk het

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APPENDIX 67



Name of Scientist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I looked at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I noticed

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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OObbsseerrvvaattiioonn SShheeeettss –– English


APPENDIX 69

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Observation

Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I looked at

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A picture of what I saw

Here are some things I noticed:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Name of Scientist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I looked at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I noticed

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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APPENDIX 71

Igama loSonzululwazi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ndajonga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ndaqaphela

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OObbsseerrvvaattiioonn SShheeeettss –– isiXhosa



Igama loSonzululwazi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ndajonga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ndabona

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APPENDIX 73

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Endikuqapheleyo

Umhla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ndajonga

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Umfanekiso wento endiyibonileyo

Nazi izinto endiziqapheleyo:

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PPll aa

nnnn

ii nngg

aann

IInn

vv eess tt

ii ggaa

tt iioo

nn ww

ii tthh

FFoo

uunn

ddaa

tt iioo

nn PP

hhaa

ss ee LL

eeaa

rr nnee

rr ssW

hat

do w

e K

NO

W?

Wha

t do

we

WA

NT

to

know

?W

hat

have

we

LEA

RN

ED?


K-W

-LC

hart


APPENDIX 75

PPllaa

nnnn

ii nngg

aann

IInn

vv eess tt

ii ggaa

tt iioo

nn ww

ii tthh

FFoo

uunn

ddaa

tt iioo

nn PP

hhaa

ss ee LL

eeaa

rr nnee

rr ssW

hat

do w

e K

NO

W?

Wha

t do

we

Wha

t do

we

TH

INK

?H

OW

can

we

Wha

t ha

ve w

e W

AN

T t

o kn

ow?

find

out?

LEA

RN

ED?

K-W

-T-H

-LC

hart



Torch cells


APPENDIX 77

Torch bulbs



Model of a torch bulb


APPENDIX 79

Five ways to get a torch bulb to light up



The Great Big Enormous TurnipLeo Tolstoy

Once upon a time an old man planted a little turnip and said,

“Grow, grow, little turnip, grow sweet. Grow, grow, little turnip, grow strong.” Andthe turnip grew up sweet and strong and big and enormous.

Then, one day, the old man went to pull it up. He pulled and he pulled again, but hecould not pull it up. He called the old woman. The old woman pulled the old man.

The old man pulled the turnip. They pulled and they pulled again, but they could notpull it up.

So the old woman called her granddaughter. The granddaughter pulled the oldwoman. The old woman pulled the old man. The old man pulled the turnip. They

pulled and they pulled again, but they could not pull it up.

The granddaughter called the black dog. The black dog pulled the granddaughter.The granddaughter pulled the old woman. The old woman pulled the old man.

The old man pulled the turnip. They pulled and they pulled again, but they could notpull it up.

The black dog called the cat. The cat pulled the dog. The dog pulled thegranddaughter. The granddaughter pulled the old woman. The old woman pulled theold man. The old man pulled the turnip. They pulled and they pulled again, but still

they could not pull it up.

The cat called the mouse. The mouse pulled the cat. The cat pulled the dog. The dogpulled the granddaughter. The granddaughter pulled the old woman. The old woman

pulled the old man. The old man pulled the turnip. They pulled and they pulledagain, and up came the turnip at last.


APPENDIX 81

Task cards


Clay SupplierKiln Contracts (Pty) Ltd11 Celie RoadRetreat7945 Cape TownTel: (021) 701-6682

Science EquipmentRutland IndustriesPO Box 27036Benrose2011 JohannesburgTel: (011) 618-3646Fax: (011) 614-9810

Kirstenbosch Outreach Greening ProgrammeTel: (021) 799-874; (021) 799-8670

Clip-ClopFiona & Chris BerensfordPO Box 2735Clareinch7740 Cape TownTel: (021 671 6686Fax: (088) 021 671 6686

PlanetariumIziko South African Museum25 Queen Victoria StreetGardens8001 Cape TownTel: (021) 481-3822

South African Astronomical ObservatoryObservatory RoadObservatory7935 Cape TownTel: (021) 447-0025


Useful addresses


APPENDIX 83

Su

nd

ayM

on

day

Tues

day

Wed

nes

day

Th

urs

day

Frid

ayS

atu

rday

MMoo

oonn

WWaa

tt cchh

CCaa

ll eenn

ddaa

rr



Our

Wea

ther

Mon

day

Tues

day

Wed

nesd

ayT

hurs

day

Frid

ay

Fore

cast

Wha

tre

ally

happ

ens

Fore

cast

Wha

tre

ally

happ

ens

Fore

cast

Wha

tre

ally

happ

ens

Fore

cast

Wha

tre

ally

happ

ens

Fore

cast

Wha

tre

ally

happ

ens

Wea

ther

Min

imum

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APPENDIX 85

Learning Outcome: Scientific InvestigationThe learner will be able to act confidently on curiosity about natural phenomena,and to investigate relationships and solve problems in scientific, technological andenvironmental contexts.

Grade R Level Grade 1 Level Grade 2 Level Grade 3 Level

Planning InvestigationsLearner contributestowards planning aninvestigative activity.

Learner plans aninvestigationindependently.

Learner plans aninvestigation as part ofgroup.

Learner uses materialsselected by the groupin order tocommunicate thegroup's plan.

Conducting investigations and collecting data

Learner participates inplanned activity.

Learner independentlyparticipates in plannedactivity.

Learner participates inplanned activityindependently or aspart of a group.

Learner participatesconstructively in theactivity withunderstanding of itspurpose.

Evaluating data and communicating findingsLearner thinks andtalks about what hasbeen done.

Learner thinks aboutwhat has been doneand says what hasbeen found out.

Learner shows andexplains what wasintended and how itwas done.

Learner explains andreflects on what actionwas intended, andwhether it waspossible to carry outthe plan.



Natural Sciences Core Knowledge and Concepts for Foundation Phase

MMaatttteerr aanndd MMaatteerriiaallss

Properties and Uses of Materials Structure, Reactions and Changes of Materials

Unifying statement: We can classify materials bytheir properties, in order to establish types andpatterns. Properties determine the selection ofmaterials for particular uses.

Unifying statement: We can modify materials inways we choose, through our understanding oftheir sub-structure.

I Materials have different properties such astexture, colour, strength and heaviness, andcan be classified by these properties. “Wemake things with materials which have theproperties we want.

I Substances can be mixed and sometimeschanges can be seen, such as the dissolvingof a solid or new colour when foodcolourings / paints are mixed.

Life Processes and HealthyLiving

Interactions in Environments Biodiversity, Change andContinuity

Unifying statement: Livingthings, including humans andinvisibly small organisms, canbe understood in terms of lifeprocesses, functional units andsystems.

Unifying statement: Organismsin ecosystems are dependent fortheir survival on the presence ofabiotic factors and on theirrelationship with otherorganisms.

Unifying statement: The hugediversity of forms of life can beunderstood in terms of ahistory of change inenvironments and incharacteristics of plants andanimals throughout the worldover millions of years.

I Many of our body partscorrespond to parts ofanimals, such as limbs,heads, eyes, ears, feet, andin many cases animals usethem for the same purposeswe do.

I Animals and plants haveneeds similar to ours, forfood, water and air.

I We depend on plants andanimals for food, and webreed certain animals andgrow certain plants as crops.

I We see cultural diversity inthe kinds of food people liketo eat.

I Some animals, like flies andticks, carry germs whichcan make people sick.

I There is a large variety ofplants and animals, whichhave interesting visibledifferences but alsosimilarities, and they can begrouped by their similarities.

I Plants and animals changeas they grow, and as theyears pass, and as theseasons change.

LLiiffee aanndd LLiivviinngg


APPENDIX 87

Energy Transfers and Systems Energy and Development in South Africa

Unifying statement: Energy is transferredthrough biological or physical systems, fromenergy sources. With each energy transfer, someof the energy becomes less available for our use,

and therefore we need to know how to controlenergy transfers.

Unifying statement: Energy is available from a

limited number of sources, and the sustainabledevelopment of countries in our region dependson the wise use of energy sources.I When we say we feel ‘full of energy’, we

mean we feel ready to move fast or do a lot

of work.I People who do not have enough food or the

right kind of food to eat, feel tired and lackenergy.

Our Place in Space Atmosphere and Weather The Changing Earth

Unifying statement: Our planetis a small part of a vast solarsystem in an immense galaxy.

Unifying statement: Theatmosphere is a system whichinteracts with the land, lakesand oceans and which transfersenergy and water from place toplace.

Unifying statement: The Earthis composed of materials whichare continually being changedby forces on and under thesurface.

I Many different objects canbe observed in the sky.Examples are birds, clouds,aeroplanes, the sun, stars,the moon, planets andsatellites. All these objectshave properties, locationsand movements that can beinvestigated with a view todetermining patterns,relationships and trends.

I Weather changes from dayto day in ways that can berecorded and sometimespredicted. There areoccasional unusual weatherevents like storms, floods ortornados which impact onpeople’s lives.

I Soil and rocks vary inappearance and texture fromplace to place. By investi-gation, learners can find outthat some soils erode moreeasily than others do, whilesome soil types supportplant life better than others.They could investigate whatsome of the factors involvedmight be.

EEnneerrggyy aanndd CChhaannggee

PPllaanneett EEaarrtthh aanndd BBeeyyoonndd


ALPINEMs Lavona AlliesMs Cheryl BocksMs Valencia DanielsMs Shahida DavidsMs Audrey DrydingMs Ida GeorgeMs Zelma JohnsonMs Faldielah KhatiebMs Sukaina MitchellMs Rosina PontacMs Belinda TarantalMs Magdelena WeitzMs Linda Wildeman

DIETRICH MORAVIANMs Kathleen BoltneyMs Jean CloeteMs Sarah GeneverMs Teresa Jacobus

HILLWOODMs G BassonMs Maria BothaMs Kathleen BouwerMs Felicia Clayton (Klein)Ms Wilma CloeteMs Martha DamonsMs Martha JuliesMs Marlene Levine (Esterhuizen)Ms E ManasseMs Reginette MaraisMs C MatthewsMs Freda MellemMs Marlene Morgan

INTSHINGAMs Nonkosi DawetiMs N MadlingoziMs Maureen MakivaMs L MatiwaneMs N Matrose

Ms MgumaneMs T NgudleMs Mandisa PekoMs Rorwana

LINGEMs Ntombizodwa GaloMs Nomonde GxabelaMs Noxolo HinaMs Nothemba JayMs Mandisa LaliMs Alicia LupuwanaMs Nozuko MaqungoMs Nonyameko NcosaniMs Ntombomzi NtoziniMs Vinah QhinaMs Ntombi VelekoMs Nombulelo Xhego

NOMLINGANISELOMs Nontobeko MalotanaMs Nomonde ManyelanaMs Nonkumbulelo MayekiMs Nontombi MdaniMs Patiswa MpetsheniMs CN MsebeMs NC NdevanaMs TC NontuloMs NtamoMs Lindiwe PlamMs N WindvoelMs NM Yekiso

NORTHWOODMs R AdamsMs Bonita DariesMs De BrynMs Avril DixonMs Danree HectorMs H HullMs Cheryl JohannesMs Amina Patel

Ms PetersenMs Jackie RomanMs Sharifa SmithMs Anna-Marie Willemse

PHILIPPI K (ZANEMFUNDO)Ms Ntombodidi CabaneMs Nosipho DondoloMs Hombakazi KulaMs Nokuthula MandindiMs Lillian MankayiMs Phumza MgetuMs Mutiwe MguzuloMs Nozuko MtshekexeMs Ntombizilungile NdzubeMs Thobeka NotshulwanaMs Nomvuyiseko NtshongaMs Feziwe NyenganeMs Nontombizanele PotwanaMs Theliswa SibawuMs Bulelwa SibozoMs Nomaindia Sotondashe

UKHANYOMs Zola BongaMs Lumka GcuzeMs L JaftaMs Bulelwa KoniMs Phumzile LuthuliMs Bongiwe MtintsilanaMs Ndileka MvandabaMs Siphokazi NtingaMs Nosipho NyabaMs Linda NyenganeMs Dolly PudumoMs Kholeka SishubaMs Thozama SongwiqiMs Nobalindi Yukutwana

Foundation Phase Teachers who participated in this 3-year project



foundation phase science investigations

Documents