These materials were originally designed to be used as transition units to secondary school, however in KS2, teachers use talking science materials and the philosophies behind them to develop children’s understanding of scientific principles. These materials are available here.

Teachers use open ended questions to encourage discussions. This approach also helps pupils recognise that there may not be a single right answer to a problem or question, in turn leading to an appreciation that science is continually evolving and cannot always give answers. Discussion can also show pupils that even though they may not share ideas, it is still possible to work collaboratively to solve a problem. The children are given the opportunities to plan and carry out practical investigations, in particular planning the questions in which they will investigate.

The example below is of a slide taken from the unit ‘warmer and colder’ to encourage discussion about insulation.