Science and Humanities

at KS2 “I have not failed. I've just found

10,000 ways that won't work.”

Thomas Edison, inventor

KS2 Empiribox Cross Curricular Support – Science and Humanities

KS2 Science and Humanities v1 August 2016

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Introduction Although the following are common aspects of any good curriculum, this particular combination

supported creative learning very successfully:

well-organised cross-curricular links that allowed scope for independent enquiry

inclusiveness, ensuring that it was accessible and relevant to all pupils

a focus on experiential learning, with knowledge, understanding and skills developed through

first-hand, practical experience and evaluation

Learning: creative approaches that raise standards OFSTED 2016

We all know that time is a premium resource in any primary school, therefore making links

between subjects not only serves to extend the interest of children and develop their

knowledge and understanding further, it also helps allocate a little extra time for core

subjects. The aim of this document is to list suggested ways in which history, geography and

RE may be linked to our science units.

We have begun by illustrating how simple research could provide these links and deepen

children’s interest and understanding of these areas. This research could be undertaken by

pupils themselves, either at home or at school (without the dreaded “cut and paste”

passages!), or a simplified version prepared and given to children to work from. The work

that can then come from this can be used to teach the key skills in other subject areas and

adapted to fit your planning needs.

We have begun with examples based on the Forces unit, with others following on from that.

As ever, if you have any new ideas, or your children produce something you are particularly

proud of, we would love to share that with our other subscribers, so look forward to hearing

from you.

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Suggested opportunities using the Forces Unit

Research projects:

Otto von Guericke- scientist, politician, inventor of the Magdeburg

Spheres. One of his major scientific achievements is the

establishment of the physics of vacuums.

Otto von Guericke was born, November 1602, in Magdeburg, Germany. He

died at the age of 84 in Hamburg, Germany.

When he was 15 he became a student at the Leipzig University. At the

outbreak of the Thirty Years War, a series of wars in Central Europe between

Protestant and Catholic states, his studies at Leipzig were disrupted.

He carried on his studies at Academia Julia in Helmstedt and the universities of

Jena and Leyden. At the University of Leyden, his studies included

mathematics, physics and fortification engineering.

Otto von Guericke’s education was completed by a nine-month trip to France

and England.

He returned to Magdeburg in 1626 and married Margarethe Alemann.

Von Guericke and his family became victims of the fall of Magdeburg to Von

Tilly’s troops in 1631. He was held as a prisoner in Fermersleben, until a

ransom was paid for his release. He was then employed as an engineer until he

and his family returned to Mageburg in 1632.

On his return, and for the next twenty years, he became involved in both

diplomatic and political duties, in 1646; he became Burgomaster (Mayor) of

Magdeburg.

Von Guericke’s scientific work, although unclear as to exactly what, was

developing alongside his diplomatic and political duties.

In 1654, his scientific and diplomatic pursuits finally crossed when, Von

Guericke was invited to demonstrate his experiments on the vacuum before

the highest dignitaries of the land. This experiment was so well received; it

later led to publication as an Appendix to a book by Fr Schott in 1657.The book

came to the attention of Robert Boyle, who in turn, embarked on his own

experiments on air pressure and the vacuum.

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In 1657- 1663, Von Guericke, demonstrated the “Magdeburg Spheres” using

two hemispheres made of bronze/copper, about 50cm in diameter. One

hemisphere had a tube connection to attach to a pump with a valve to close it

off. The hemisphere’s rims were sealed with grease and the air pumped out.

The sphere then contained a vacuum and could not be pulled apart. They were

held together by the force of atmospheric pressure, created using the vacuum

pump. He demonstrated this by using two teams of 15 horses attempting to

pull the sphere apart, but they were unable to do so!

Scuba Diving: What is the Bends, who does it affect and how do you

combat it?

The bends, also known as decompression sickness (DCS occurs in scuba divers or high altitude or aerospace events when dissolved gases (mainly nitrogen) come out in bubbles and can affect just about any part of the body, including joints, lung, heart, skin and brain. When a person is scuba diving, the water pressure increases with depth. As depth increases, the pressure of the air breathed also must increase. This causes more of the air to dissolve in the bloodstream.

To get the bends, there a number of factors to consider e.g. how deep is the

dive, how long you are at that depth for and if you have done any previous

diving within the last 24 hours. The reason being, that every 10 metres or so

that you descend underwater, the atmospheric pressure increases by the same

amount of atmospheric pressure that’s around us on the earth’s surface.

To avoid the effects of quick decompression, the diver must rise slowly or

make intermittent stops on the way up, called “decompression stops”. This

allows the nitrogen to escape into the lungs and be breathed out harmlessly.

But if the diver ascends quickly, the nitrogen forms bubbles in the blood that can lodge at joints such as the elbow or knee and cause pain. In severe cases, extreme pain causes the sufferer to double over, hence the common name "the bends."

Symptoms of the bends usually show up within 90 minutes of diving but may

take as long as two days. Minor cases cause itching, rash, joint pain, or skin

discoloration. Severe cases cause symptoms such as extreme pain at the joints,

headache, seizures, hearing problems, nausea and vomiting, back

or abdominal pain, vision disturbances, or chest pain.

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If a divers ascent is too quick, the only cure is to enter a decompression

chamber. Breathing 100% oxygen on the way to the pressure chamber helps.

The decompression chamber will apply pressure to replicate the pressure of

underwater to help your body release the excess nitrogen stored in your body.

The pressure is then released slowly.

As we know research is an important element in the field of science. Here are a few

suggestions that you may be able to use or adapt to meet the needs of your children for the

above research.

Magdeburg Spheres

o Newspaper Report: Children can use a newspaper template to write their own news

report on the Magdeburg Spheres

o Demonstration: How did von Guericke enable such a feat to take place? Nothing as

spectacular has been seen by so many people.

o Hot Seating: This is a great form of role play, enabling all children to take part, either

asking the questions or being the “Hot Seat”

a) Otto von Guericke, what does he feel about his discovery, how is it going to

affect the future, what will he be working on next scientifically, how would he

feel if, in over 300 years time, his work is still discussed?

b) Interview an eye witness in the crowd, what do they think of this amazing

demonstration? Can they believe what they’ve just witnessed?

c) Interview von Guericke youngest child, have they observed their father working

in his laboratory, have they helped him in any way?

d) Interview the stable lad, how difficult was it to control the horses on the day of

the demonstration?

Scuba diving and the Bends

o Diary of a diver – what did they see, advice to others etc. Write a diary account of

the day when you dived at a depth too deep. How did you feel, describe your ascent,

what happened when you reached the surface?

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Further suggestions using science related research Asking children to present information in a variety of ways creates opportunities for further

learning, developing ownership of that information and embedding concepts. Some tried

and tested ideas are:

A traditional research project – powerpoint/prezzi etc

Creating a Wordle type diagram, either from a personal opinion or from gathering

data from peers.

Writing a biography of an inventor, scientist or person who made a difference to the

world.

Prepare a presentation for peers/adults. This could follow the Dragon’s Den model.

Write a newspaper article, this can be an historical piece, or set in the future.

Creating a world map covering areas of new inventions and discoveries.

Prepare a video presentation – maybe using a green screen background to support

learning.

Make a game for peers to use and learn from.

Model making, supported by notes of some kind.

A poster can be extended using flaps to hide further

information.

Design a computer game/puzzle. Minecraft is always a

popular option.

Write a quiz for the class to try – as a game, cards or Top

Trumps style game.

Produce a timeline/family tree of someone relevant to

the science lesson.

Film an animation explaining a concept or discovery.

Design a lesson for a younger year group, which pupils

can then deliver.

Work together to create an assembly on a given project.

Create a drama script around an historical event, which may also then be acted out.

Collect a treasure chest of artefacts.

Use an area of the classroom to produce a museum display of relevant items and

information cards.

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Other areas you may consider for research projects or further investigation linked to the Forces unit, could include

Engineering: The effect of different tyres and stopping distances: bit.ly/ROSPA-tyre-safety or bit.ly/tyre-depth-poster as part of a safety campaign.

History: How did the Egyptians lifts the blocks to make the Great Pyramid? Engineering: How NASA are going to use the theory behind the Gauss Gun to fire

supplies to Mars and the Moon. History: How the Vikings navigated using Lodestone. Engineering: Felix Baumgartner, skydiver and the effects of gravity and air

resistance bit.ly/Felix-Baumgartner-freefall Engineering: Wing suits and how they work Nature: The flying squirrel – how and why does this animal fly without wings? History: How did something as large as the Titanic float, and why did it sink? History: Vesna Vulovic – The world record holder for surviving the biggest fall

without a parachute! Space: Gravity on different planets – how much and what does that mean for space

research? History: Research Annie Jump Cannon, an American astronomer whose work was

instrumental in the development of contemporary stellar classification. With Edward C. Pickering, she is credited with the creation of the Harvard Classification Scheme, which was the first serious attempt to organise and classify stars based on their temperatures.

Women in history: Look into the work of Sara Seager, the famous astrophysicist who discovered more than 700 planets. Or Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) the Indo-American astronaut and the first woman of Indian origin in space, one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.

The Particle Theory

History: Research the story of Dmitri Mendeleev and his idea of the Periodic table.

Other historical figures in chemistry with stories to tell include

a) Antoine de Lavoisier - Historians view Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier as the father of

modern chemistry yet executed by guillotine on May 8th 1794 – many say by

mistake! His wife, Marie Anne made an outstanding contribution to his work, in

addition to translating his writing into many languages for other scientists to use.

b) Robert Boyle - A leading scientist and intellectual of his day, he was a great

proponent of the experimental method.

c) Democritus – He knew that if a stone was divided in half, the two halves would have

essentially the same properties as the whole. Therefore, he reasoned that if the

stone were to be continually cut into smaller and smaller pieces then; at some point,

there would be a piece which would be so small as to be indivisible. He called these

small pieces of matter "atomos," the Greek word for indivisible.

Space: What fuel do they use in rockets? www.spaceanswers.com/space-exploration/what-

is-rocket-fuel-made-of

History: How has perfume throughout the ages, and which bizarre materials have been used

in the past! bit.ly/history-of-perfume

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History: Investigate the question: Is it true that glass is a liquid, slowly trickling downwards -

and is this why old stained glass panels are thicker at the bottom?

Geography: Where do we get various metals from?

History: How the Chinese invented fireworks.

History: Who was Lucretia Borgia and why did she like poison…?

History: Why is it so dangerous to work in a sawmill? In early 2012, not one but two sawmill

explosions rocked the province of British Columbia after an accumulation of wood dust was

blamed for both of the blasts.

History: Research the history and effect of plastic from the History Learning Site

bit.ly/history-of-plastic

Plants and Photosynthesis

Geography: Cacti and desert plants – how do they survive in such conditions and where do

they grow?

History: notable figures in this field include:

a) Leonardo da Vinci, and his study of plants, resulted in many beautiful drawings in his

notebooks, which have been used by botanists for identification purposes.

b) Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882), English naturalist and father of evolution theory by

natural selection: showed that orchid's beauty was honed by natural selection to

attract insect cross-pollinators.

c) Theophrastus (371 BC - 287 BC), ancient Greek scientist: father of botany.

d) Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703), English naturalist: using an early microscope discovered

cells in living plant tissue.

Geography – where do venus fly-traps grow? bit.ly/venus-fly-trap.

History – the Victorians and Orchid Hunting, Londoners were astonished by the unusual

shape and colours of the flower after their first appearance in the country in 1818, spurring

on a series of orchid hunters!

Photography: Children could be inspired by the mists produced by the Amazon, and research

into why they occur before creating their own artwork. bit.ly/amazon-rain-forest.

RE: Investigate the use of sacred plants and flowers in various cultures.

Biodiversity: Discover the story of The Asian Giant Hornet bit.ly/giant-hornet and how

Honey Bees protect themselves from it bit.ly/bees-v-hornet.

History – Learn the fascinating story behind the Mexican flag and how the symbol on it came

to be.

Geography: Look at plants in unusual places, for example the plants of Antarctica

bit.ly/antarctic-plants

Geography: Where are the biggest leaves in the world found? Maybe a competition to see

who could research the largest leaves on the planet! Where are the tallest trees found?

Children could investigate a whole range of largest, smallest, rarest, smelliest, etc.

http://hubpages.com/education/Which-Plant-Has-The-Largest-Leaf-In-The-World

History/Evolution: Why were the dinosaurs so big? bit.ly/big-dinosaurs

Geography –History - The voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836) was one of the most important

scientific expeditions in history, as on board was the young naturalist Charles Darwin. A

great opportunity for diary writing.

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Energy

History: research the stories and inventions of: a) James Prescott Joule, English physicist who established that the various forms of

energy—mechanical, electrical, and heat—are basically the same and can be

changed, one into another. b) James Clerk Maxwell was born in Scotland in 1831 and generally considered the

greatest theoretical physicist of the 1800s, if not the century's most important scientist. Find out why.

c) Thomas Edison, whose most famous invention was the light bulb. At the time, people used gas or oil lamps to light their homes. Edison knew it would be cheaper and easier to use electricity. The trouble was, nobody knew how to do it. Edison worked on his idea a long time, tried lots of things that didn't work, but he didn't give up. An interesting story!

d) Marie Curie, who took uranium ore, ground it up, and boiled it. Next it was treated with acids and other chemicals. Finally, after four years of hard work and tons of ore, she had one-tenth of a gram of pure radium and had discovered the first radioactive element!

History: Research the industrial revolution. Who? What? When? And the legacy of the event.

History: Investigate Foucault’s pendulum and what is it used for.

Geography/Physiology: How did Stegosaurus keep cool, a lovely link to elephants using their

ears to keep cool. Any why do your hands burn when you hold snow and ice?

Earth Science: Why is the sky blue?

Music: Why are there only 7 notes and how do singers stop going deaf when they play live.

History/Geography: Discover the Ballista and its role in the Roman Conquest. Map the areas

conquered by the Romans as they used the latest technology to defeat their enemies.

Geography/Engineering: Create a science related project to roller coaster design and bungee

jumping. Where are the longest? Highest? Etc.

History: Look into Luigi Galvani and his twitching frog!

Chemical Change

History: Investigate the development of concrete and how it altered Roman architecture –

find out how and why?

History and geography: Prepare a project on the story of chocolate; a good place to start

may be bit.ly/history-of-chocolate.

History: The burning of Chinese paper money (also known as Ghost Money) is an ancient

tradition that goes back thousands of years. Find out why it is done.

New inventions: Watch the video to see how has used hydrogels to solve his problem.

bit.ly/another-hydrogel-use. What problems are there in class and what could children

invent to solve them? Giving out books, collecting pencil sharpening’s, lost pens are all

common classroom issues.

History: Research into how Chinese people invented fireworks and the role they play in

celebrations today. bit.ly/fireworks-history

Geography and Ecology: What is the Pacific Gyre? Where is it and how did it happen?

bit.ly/pacific-gyre

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Ecology: How is gold mined in the Amazon and why is it bad for the environment?

http://amazonaid.org/gold-mining/

History: Learn about the Spanish conquest of Peru and their unquenchable thirst for gold.

www.peru-explorer.com/spanish_conquest.htm www.spanishwars.net/16th-century-

conquest-inca-empire.html

History: What would a world be like without chocolate? Research how the Mayans and

Aztecs invented drinking chocolate so we don’t have to live in that world!

www.godivachocolates.co.uk/the-history-of-chocolate-mayans-aztecs.html

History: Discover how milkmaids led to a cure for smallpox and the first vaccinations, many

of which pupils themselves would have had. www.jennermuseum.com/vaccination.html

Religion: In the Bible, who or what is Mammon? Look at ways in which money has influenced

decisions over time, and how it has developed from a simple barter system. Children could

debate whether money is a good thing or not. www.godmammon.com/2007/04/what-or-

who-is-mammon.html

History: Where does the Statue of Liberty come from? www.history.com/topics/statue-of-

liberty

Geography: What elements are named after places? Children could research this and make a

world map of elements. www.rsc.org/periodic-table

Human Health and Fitness

History: Figures of interest may include:

a) St Apollnia, the patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other

dental problems.

b) William Harvey, who made the momentous medical discovery that the flow of blood

must be continuous and that its flow must be in one direction only, which proved to

be quite a messy discovery!

c) Rosalind Franklin, an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made

contributions to the understanding of DNA. Great for the girls to see female

scientists and the impact they have had.

d) Michelle Obama, and her role in heading a nationwide healthy eating campaign for

children across America.

e) Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

f) History: Who was Philipides and why was he the first recorded athlete?

bit.ly/marathon-history

g) R.E.: Why did the Egyptians mummify dead bodies? Hours of fun learning how, why

and what! bit.ly/Egyptian-mummy

h) Geography: In which countries are lungs a delicacy? And would you try them if they

were on the menu? This could lead into a project on other interesting foods from

around the world, and maybe the opportunity to try a few. bit.ly/daring-food

i) R.E.: Aztec sacrifices – an interesting way to start a debate on the changing role of

religion in our society or research into how religions have changed over time, with

some staying and others disappearing and with new religions being created.

www.aztec-history.com/aztec-sacrifice.html

j) PE: How did Roger Bannister break the 4 minute mile barrier, and other major

sporting achievements that have set targets for new athletes. bit.ly/4-minute-mile

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Electricity

History: Research some of the interesting inventions:

a) Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison's rival at the end of the 19th century - in fact, he was

more famous than Edison throughout the 1890's. His invention of AC electric power

earned him worldwide fame but not fortune. Yet he died alone and almost penniless

in a New York hotel room in 1943. b) Thales of Miletus, 600 BC writes about amber becoming charged by rubbing - he was

describing what we now call static electricity. c) Hans Christian Ørsted was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that

electric currents create magnetic fields, which was the first connection found

between electricity and magnetism. d) Michael Faraday, discovered that by passing a magnet through a coil of wire, a small

electrical current is created. Without which we would not have power stations,

mobile phones etc today. Geography: Statistics show that 67% of the developing world still goes without household

electricity. Research communities that do not rely on electricity to power their homes and

work.

Geography: Longyangxia Dam Solar Park in China is one of the largest solar farms in the

world. Map other areas with existing or potential sites.

History: Create an electricity discovery timeline.

Geography: Which places have the most lightening? Is there a pattern to particular weather

stories? Children could find out what lightening really is, how it occurs and what the effects

of it are. bit.ly/everlasting-lightning-storm

Space – what are the northern lights? bit.ly/northern-lights-for-kids

Religion: A nice research project could be into the various Gods associated over time with

aspects of modern science, for example Thor, the God of Thunder. bit.ly/Thor-mythology

Nature: Do animals have scientific powers, for example, the electric eel.

bit.ly/eel-electric

Geology, Mixtures and Separation

History: Research the invention of ice cream and find out who actually claims to have been

the first!

History and geography: Volcanoes! Who? What? Where? When? Why? The biggest? (isn’t

even on Earth!). Smallest? Most devastating? Last? Dormant? Most eruptions? The list is

endless.

Geography: Look into natural disasters caused by the weather, and how they may have

changed over time. Check news reports and TV footage for more recent events. Plot areas

prone to earthquakes, floods or tsunami’s and try to explain why this may be.

History: Research the work of Mary Anning, fossil hunter extraordinaire and her work on

England’s south coast. This could be compared to the later work of Mary Leakey,

another British paleoanthropologist, who discovered the first fossilised Proconsul skull, an

extinct ape now believed to be an early ancestor to humans.

RE: Another link to religion in the past - who was Vulcan? bit.ly/Vulcan-myth

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History: Who were the Minoans and how did their race die out? bit.ly/Minoan-Crete

Geography: What and where is the Yellowstone caldera? This may inspire children to create

a map of volcanoes throughout the world. bit.ly/Yellowstone-volcano

What about on other planets?

Environment, Ecology and Evolution

Art/DT: Children can create the ideal species, one which will survive in the criteria given.

Geography: Plot the journey of Darwin’s Beagle and discover more about the Galapagos and

Cape Verde Islands. bit.ly/about_Darwin

History: Many children will have heard of Charles Darwin, but it would be interesting for

them to learn about other influential people of that time, and how they got along. Alfred

Russel Wallace played a major role in scientific discoveries and was a rival to Darwin. The

Forgotten Story of Alfred Wallace by David Attenborough is available at

bit.ly/Alfred_Russell_Wallace

Geography: Hundreds of species become extinct every year, but many new species are also

discovered every year. Pupils could plot these new discoveries on a map and find out a little

more about what, why and where.

RE: Look at Creation stories from different religions, many have very interesting stories for

children to read and discuss.

History/Geography: Provide children with maps of areas changed by human need, for

example rainforests. Children can compare maps, learn about the impact on local

communities and wildlife, and action that is taken in order to minimise the damage. The BBC

website is a good starting point bit.ly/rainforest_threat

History: Carolus Linnaeus is another interesting figure from the past, whose work on

classification of animals still has an impact on science today. bit.ly/bitesize_classification