Learn how to teach evolution and inheritance to primary school pupils

When teaching science in primary school, subject knowledge is essential to help students overcome any misconceptions they may have around biology and evolution.

Through this course, you’ll deep dive into the topic of evolution and inheritance as part of the primary school biology and science national curriculum.

Understand the value of sound subject knowledge when teaching primary school science

Most primary school teachers don’t have a science background and aren’t science experts.

This course will develop your subject knowledge teaching the evolution and inheritance elements of the biology curriculum.

Support your key stage 2 pupils with effective teaching strategies

Key stage 2 pupils (aged 7-11) may have various misconceptions around the subject of biology and especially evolution and inheritance.

These can sometimes be hard to identify, explain and overcome.

You’ll learn how to help pupils who are struggling and ensure they fully understand the information and concepts included in the evolution and inheritance element of the English national curriculum.

Discover fun and practical activities for teaching evolution in school

Identifying and utilising the right teaching strategies is key for primary school teachers’ CPD.

You’ll learn how to keep your students engaged throughout the lesson with practical science activities.

You’ll explore various teaching strategies that will encourage participation in the classroom and give your pupils a thorough grounding in this important topic.

What topics will you cover?

Why good subject knowledge is essential when teaching primary science.
Developing subject knowledge for the biology in the primary science curriculum.
Understanding children’s misconceptions and identifying teaching strategies to identify and overcome them.
Subject knowledge to teach evolution and inheritance.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now
Join - $64

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Identify the importance of good subject knowledge when teaching primary science.
Develop personal subject knowledge of evolution and inheritance to teach this topic as part of the biology primary science curriculum.
Apply subject knowledge of biology to class teaching of pupils aged 5-11 years old.
Explore practical activities to teach scientific concepts in the primary curriculum.
Identify common misconceptions children may have in primary science concepts.
Develop teaching strategies to identify and overcome children’s misconceptions.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for primary teachers and trainee teachers in primary education (pupils aged 5-11 years) who want to develop their biology subject knowledge, specifically the topic of evolution and inheritance.

The course refers to the English National Curriculum, but the subject matter is equally transferable to other curricula, and you’ll be encouraged to explore connections with your own national curriculum.

Who will you learn with?

Rachel Jackson

I spent 10 years working as a primary classroom teacher, 7 as a science subject leader. I've also supported schools as a leading science teacher before joining STEM learning as a primary specialist.

Sarah Dagnell

I have been a primary school teacher for 13 years and work at Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary, York. Currently, I also work 3 days a week at the National STEM Learning Centre in the Primary PDL Team.

Karen Brunyee

I am currently a Professional Development Leader at the National STEM Learning Centre in Primary STEM. I have been a teacher for 14 years, teaching classes from FS2 to Year 6.

Who developed the course?

National STEM Learning Centre

The National STEM Learning Centre provides world-class professional development activities and resources to support the teaching of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps, but you can complete them as quickly or slowly as you like
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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What's included?

This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.