How can I bump my 4a child into a 5 for science?

[Baudelaires]

I have been told that the DC is at the very top of a 4a - but not quite into a L5.

How big is the jump? What can I do at home with a child who won't use a computer and is very resistant to workbooks/worksheets? I dont think the school has been selected for external assessment so only talking teacher assessment here. Can I bung the teacher a tenner and hope that sways it

except as I've pointed out tp notnowImreading there is a great deal more to it than the word because ... the little issue of subject knowledge

Your question seems different because other questions about improving reading/writing/maths/whatever are usually about helping a child who is struggling.

Yours seems to be more about forcing an already achieving child up a level, when most on this thread seem to agree that levelling is just for the teachers' records at best and pretty pointless at worst...

You still haven't said why it matters? You need a DC with an enquiring mind. Finding a way to 'teach to the test' just to push up a level seems a bit pointless.

and there isn't even a test to teach to

There are a lot of programmes on BBC and dvds about science: Jim Alkhalili, Brian Cox, Robert Winston, Nigel Marvin,.... If by any chance yor ds enjoys watching them, you will be amazed how much he will learn. My DCs have been asked many time if they are having private tuition. I tell them :" Say yes by Nigel, Robert, Brian,...."

Sorry about the typing errors.

My DS was performing at a lower level of science than I felt reflected his interest. I realised that because it is not my passion (I like Maths and language) that I wasn't giving it much emphasis at home. I bought the Carol Vorderman workbooks. We don't use them as workbooks, but I am using all her experiment ideas which seem to be well-designed to be managed at home. Don't know what it has done to his grades yet, as it was more fostering the interest I was in,terested in but it has been fun!

We use the workbooks and Education City and ds1 actually enjoys doing them.
If your child doesn't enjoy workbooks or using computers then its a bit more difficult.
You could go to the library and get some books that you could look at together. Or get a science/experiments kit and have a go at those?

Ugh. Another child pushy mum thread. Whatever happened to the concept of childhood.

is that a 4a childhood or a superior level 5 childhood

and there isn't even a test to teach to

Exactly! If he is at school and enjoys science he will learn all he needs. Level 4 is fine-what advantage is a 5 going to give? The secondary school will do their own test to find which set.

What is the concept of childhood???

I don't think the op sounds pushy. She would be making her child do workbooks or getting them tutored or something if that was the case.
I think we all want our children to be achieving to the best of their abilities.
There's nothing wrong with helping them along a bit and there's nothing wrong with children doing a bit of extra work as long as they're not feeling upset by it and it's not too much.
They can still be children and play and have fun etc

For my son, science is play. It was me that was holding him back. Seeing the one level gap in his grades between science (which he loves) and maths (which I love) made me realise that I need to buck up my game and get a bit more hands on science wise at home.

I don't think it is grade-chasing or pushy, not anymore than playing "I spy" when learning to read, having bedtime stories, etc, anyway. I appreciate for a lot of people that incorporating science comes naturally, but it doesn't for me so I needed a book to get some ideas.

childhood

Well, the concept of childhood is exactly that - a concept. An idea, a theory about how people under a certain age should live and be treated.

As to improving levels, I would work at making the subject enjoyable and then the levels usually follow. There are brilliant science experiments you can follow on you tube and some good stuff on the website of Science Institute. Royal Institute of Science. Something like that. In London.

I agree with the majority that going up to a level 5 for its own sake is neither feasible nor worthwhile, but if you are concerned that your DS's general science achievements do not reflect his potential then there wouldn't be any harm in going to science-based venues during your summer holidays, splashing out 25 quid on a complete set of Horrible Science from the Book People and definitely following pastoral's excellent suggestion of watching the BBC's brilliant science programming - especially Bang Goes The Theory and everything on BBC4. (we

Why would you worry. Every secondary school I've worked at gives the year 7 as test usually around christmas time and re sets them. We don't use the KS2 results to set the kids in science.

Other posters are sort of right in that it doesn't 'matter' and there's no test in this subject and secondary schools kind of don't look too closely ( some will use them to set in yr 7) but in answer to your question: Excuse if this is really obvious: you said dc is not keen on workbooks/computer stuff, but have you provided him/her with plenty of good books about science/encyclopaedia/magazines/journals about science etc? The idea of the science documentaries is excellent too. Have never done too much science input with my ds who's a confident 5b (yr 6 too) except provide loads of reading material and watching science and nature docs as 'grown-up/staying up' reward time.
Again, apols if this is either obvious or not appropriate (ds reluctant reader? you didn't say so) and this is not meant to be patronising but I think a parent's job is to provide plenty of material and chances to explore and learn rather than doing stuff specific to national tests, iyswim?

(The playing/experimenting ideas are all great too and we've done plenty of that at an earlier age but now my ds is happy to learn loads of stuff just by reading too.)

Ok, took so long to write my post everyone's said it better for me, especially nkf's 'make the subject enjoyable and the levels usually follow'.

Leave the workbooks alone. Do experiments at home. Foster an interest and the idea of setting up a 'fair test'. Whether he gets a 4 or a 5 level is immaterial and means little to the secondary school, who will soon move him if he proves to be in the wrong set.

I think that 'bump' is the irritating word-I may be misunderstanding but it seems to me that the level is the all important thing -rather than general understanding.

OK. Sorry for asking.

AndNannyPlumisMyMum - I think your idea of a pushy mum as you call me is very different to mine, and as a few posters have helpfully said no, I don't think Dcs currant level is reflective of potential as the level has been 4a+ for a long while so what is wrong with asking what specific things I/we can do to make that step forward from a stagnant level?

I think if you had put 'how can I encourage a love of science in my year 6 child' then you would have got a much more positive response.

Pushing from a 4a to a 5 will make no difference at all in Secondary school. Secondary school science is a world away from Primary. It is much more interesting and fun and so many children absolutely fly when they switch schools.

I would have given ideas for 'how to encourage a love of science in a year 6 DC' but I am not interested in making a 4a a level 5 (which I could do with a few tips) because it is meaningless.