Communicating Findings: a skill companion
A small set of reusable sheets that grow one science skill: choose an audience and share findings with science words. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you already teach.
What a skill companion is
Inquiry and human-endeavour skills grow inside Year 3 science topics such as living things, soils and rocks, heat and temperature, and solids and liquids. This pack is not a full term. It is three reusable scaffolds, a pairing map, and a short stand-alone lesson.
Start here: five minutes
- Read the pairing map on the next page.
- Print scaffolds 1 and 2 when a lesson needs this skill.
- Cut out scaffold 3 cards once; reuse all year.
- Open the free interactive unit when you want a worked example on the board.
- Run the mini-lesson first if you want to teach the skill on its own.
No science background needed
Written for the busy generalist teacher. Plain words, model answers, and look-fors are on the answer sheet.
Slot the skill into your science lessons
Fold this skill into the science you already teach. The map shows a pattern or need, a prompt, and which scaffold to reach for.
| When you teach | Pattern or need | Prompt | Scaffold |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of any U unit | Share the big idea | How will we tell families? | Audience planner |
| Heat (AC9S3U03) | Explain heat moves hot to cold | Which sentences are clear? | Sentence frames |
| Data lesson (I04) | Show the class graph | What does the chart say? | Share-mode cards |
| Living things (AC9S3U01) | Explain living checklist | Poster or talk? | Audience planner |
On-screen pictures that back the skill
- “Pick the best way to share for the audience”.
- “Which sentences report findings clearly?”.
- “A chart communicates the result”.
Audience planner
Who needs to know? What will I show? Use this sheet whenever the skill shows up in a science lesson.
What I notice or need
My plan or question
What I will keep the same / measure / say
Teacher note: collect one strong example for the word wall of science words.
Science sentence frames
We found... The data shows...
Before
Draw it
After
Share-mode cards
Talk, poster, table, or graph Cut out and sort. Talk about why.
A graph helps a busy teacher see the pattern fast
Only say the answer with no evidence
Use words like heat, temperature, solid
Write only jokes with no result
A poster can show table + conclusion
Talk to Year 1 with shorter sentences
Hide the method if it was unfair
Label drawings so others understand
Digital photo of the graph is fine if allowed
Answer key is on the answers sheet so cards stay uncluttered.
Tell it clearly
Teach the skill on its own before folding it into a science topic. About 30 minutes. Uses the three scaffolds in this pack.
We are learning to
- choose an audience and share findings with science words,
- use the pack scaffolds with a real science example,
- say the idea in Year 3 words.
Success criteria
- I can use one scaffold without copying a friend.
- I can explain the skill in one short sentence.
You need
- scaffolds 1-3 from this pack,
- the free interactive unit on the board,
- everyday materials named on the pairing map for your chosen topic.
Lesson flow (about 30 minutes)
| 5 min | Hook Open the board picture and name the skill in plain words. Ask: “What are we practising today, in one sentence?” |
| 10 min | Scaffold 3 sort Tables sort the cut-out cards and justify two choices to a partner. |
| 10 min | Scaffold 1 and 2 Each child fills scaffold 1, then scaffold 2, linked to one Year 3 science topic. |
| 5 min | Exit sentence Write one sentence: Today I learned to... Ask: “Who will share a clear science sentence?” |
Split into two 15-minute blocks if needed: sort first, then write.
Watch for
- Opinion dressed up as a test -- send them back to the cards.
- Scaffold filled with no science word -- prompt heat, living, soil, solid as fits the topic.
Answers and look-fors
- See the answers sheet for card keys and model responses.
- Meeting the idea: a child can name the skill and point to evidence on their scaffold.
Answers and look-fors
Scaffold 3 cards
| Card | Fit? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A graph helps a busy teacher see the pattern fast | Yes | Visual summary for an audience. |
| Only say the answer with no evidence | No | Findings need data. |
| Use words like heat, temperature, solid | Yes | Science vocabulary. |
| Write only jokes with no result | No | Purpose is to communicate findings. |
| A poster can show table + conclusion | Yes | Multi-part communication. |
| Talk to Year 1 with shorter sentences | Yes | Audience fit. |
| Hide the method if it was unfair | No | Report fairness too. |
| Label drawings so others understand | Yes | Clarity for readers. |
| Digital photo of the graph is fine if allowed | Yes | Digital tools as appropriate. |
Three levels
| Idea | Working towards | At standard | Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use the skill | needs heavy support | uses the scaffold with a science example | transfers the skill to a new topic unprompted |
| Evidence | guess only | links a claim to something observed or measured | compares two pieces of evidence |
| Science words | everyday words only | uses one or two unit words correctly | explains a word to a partner |
Model exit sentence: “Today I learned to choose an audience and share findings with science words.”
Pair answers with the Year 3 U unit you folded the skill into that week.