Introduce primary learners to STEM careers and encourage them to explore their own skills using these resources
Being a scientist isn’t just doing experiments in a lab, there are many different careers a scientist can have. We have developed our ‘scientific careers and skills’ resources to enable teachers to introduce primary learners to a range of scientific careers and allow them to associate the skills they have with those needed to be a scientist.
There are five different versions of the resources available, adapted for the curriculums of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
How to use these resources
The careers support materials have been designed to help your learners understand essential skills for the world of work and to explore the many different types of career that use scientific skills.
What’s included?
There are three types of resource supplied:
- Career fact files – these give learners information about different careers linked to curriculum topics and the skills needed for each job. There are two versions of this resource, one has less text and will be suitable for use with learners who need support with language.
- Skills card sort – a game learners can play to discuss and agree on the most important skills for different jobs.
- Career poster – a set of two posters you can use to help learners visualise themselves in a range of scientific careers.
The teacher support guide gives ideas and support for using the different resources within your classroom teaching for different age ranges: 4–7 years, 7–9 years or 9–11 years. It also highlights opportunities to practice literacy and numeracy as well as wider working scientifical skills, DT and IT.
How to use the resources
There is no right or wrong way to use the careers resources. We recommend the following ways:
To support you in teaching about careers through engaging science-based contexts
If you come to the careers resources with your specific topic in mind, the resources will highlight areas of science that you could link to. If you’re in this situation, you have the flexibility to choose the scientific context that fits best with your topic.
To support you in teaching science with careers as a ‘hook’
If you come to the careers resources with a focus on your science teaching, the resource will provide ways of introducing careers into the science topics or to give a ‘hook’ for the topic.
To support you in planning a whole school or whole year group focus on careers
If you come to the careers resources with a focus on careers, either across the school or within a year group, the resources will support you in finding activities appropriate for each age group.
Download the resources for your curriculum
Select your country from the list below to download the resources for your national curriculum.
Curriculum for England
Browse individual resources
-
Fact files
- Everyday materials (original and simplified language)
- Properties and changes of materials (original and simplified language)
- States of matter (original and simplified language)
- Rocks (original and simplified language)
- Card sort game
- Colouring poster
- Teaching notes
Curriculum for Wales
Browse individual resources
-
Fact files
- Everyday materials (original and simplified language)
- Properties and changes of materials (original and simplified language)
- States of matter (original and simplified language)
- Rocks (original and simplified language)
- Card sort game
- Colouring poster
- Teaching notes
Curriculum for Scotland
Browse individual resources
-
Fact files
- Earth’s materials (original and simplified language)
- Properties and uses of substances 1 (original and simplified language)
- Properties and uses of substances 2 (original and simplified language)
- Solids, liquids, gases (original and simplified language)
- Card sort game
- Colouring poster
- Teaching notes
Curriculum for Ireland
Browse individual resources
-
Fact files
- Everyday materials (original and simplified language)
- Properties and changes of materials (original and simplified language)
- States of matter (original and simplified language)
- Rocks (original and simplified language)
- Card sort game
- Colouring poster
- Teaching notes
Curriculum for Northern Ireland
Browse individual resources
-
Fact files
- Everyday materials (original and simplified language)
- Properties and changes of materials (original and simplified language)
- States of matter (original and simplified language)
- Rocks (original and simplified language)
- Card sort game
- Colouring poster
- Teaching notes
Downloads
Fact File Everyday Materials: England
Handout | PDF, Size 0.82 mbFact File Properties and Changes of Materials: England
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact File States of Matter: England
Handout | PDF, Size 0.74 mbFact File Rocks: England
Handout | PDF, Size 0.89 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PowerPoint: England
Editable handout | PowerPoint, Size 3.41 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PDF: England
Presentation | PDF, Size 2.27 mbCareers Skills Cards 7-9: England
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbCareers Skills Cards 9-11: England
Handout | PDF, Size 1.53 mbCareers A3 target: England
Handout | PDF, Size 1.43 mbCareers A4 target: England
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers Poster 4-7: England
Handout | PDF, Size 1.49 mbCareers Poster 7-9: England
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbSTEM Careers Teacher Guidance: England
Handout | PDF, Size 0.97 mbFact File Everyday Materials: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 0.82 mbFact File Properties and Changes of Materials: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact File States of Matter: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 0.68 mbFact File Rocks: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 0.89 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PowerPoint: Wales
Editable handout | PowerPoint, Size 3.41 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PDF: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 2.28 mbCareers Skills Cards 7-9: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbCareers Skills Cards 9-11: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.53 mbCareers A3 target: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers A4 Target: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers Poster 4-7: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.49 mbCareers Poster 7-9: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbSTEM Careers Teacher Guidance: Wales
Handout | PDF, Size 1.02 mbFact File Earth's Materials: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.89 mbFact File Properties and Uses of Substances 1: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.83 mbFact File Properties and Uses of Substances 2: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact File Solids, Liquids, Gases: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.74 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PowerPoint: Scotland
Editable handout | PowerPoint, Size 3.41 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PDF: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 2.29 mbCareers Skills Cards 7-9: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.47 mbCareers Skills Cards 9-11: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.5 mbCareers A3 Target: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers A4 Target: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers Poster 4-7: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.49 mbCareers Poster 7-9: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbSTEM Careers Teacher Guidance: Scotland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.03 mbFact File Everyday Materials: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.71 mbFact File Properties and Changes of Materials: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact File States of Matter: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.74 mbFact File Rocks: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.9 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PowerPoint: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PowerPoint, Size 3.41 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PDF: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 2.29 mbCareers Skills Cards 7-9: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbCareers Skills Cards 9-11: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.53 mbCareers A3 Target: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers A4 Target: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers Poster 4-7: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.49 mbCareers Poster 7-9: Republic of Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbSTEM Careers Teacher Guidance: Republic of Ireland
Presentation | PDF, Size 0.98 mbFact File Everyday Materials: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact File Properties and Changes of Materials: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.77 mbFact File States of Matter: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.74 mbFact File Rocks: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 0.88 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PowerPoint: Northern Ireland
Editable handout | PowerPoint, Size 3.41 mbCareers Skills Card Sort PDF: Northern Ireland
Presentation | PDF, Size 2.29 mbCareers Poster 7-9: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbCareers Skills Cards 9-11: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.53 mbCareers A3 Target: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers A4 Target: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.42 mbCareers Poster 4-7: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbCareers Skills Cards 7-9: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.5 mbSTEM Careers Teacher Guidance: Northern Ireland
Handout | PDF, Size 1.1 mbEngland STEM skills and careers activities_all
Zip, Size 21.26 mbNorthern Ireland STEM careers and skills activities_all
Zip, Size 21.2 mbRepublic of Ireland_STEM careers and skills activities_all
Zip, Size 21.06 mbScotland_STEM careers and skills activities_all
Zip, Size 19.24 mbWales STEM careers and skills activities_all
Zip, Size 21.18 mbFact file Properties of materials: England with simplified lanaguage
Handout | PDF, Size 0.76 mbFact file Everyday materials: England with simplified lanaguage
Handout | PDF, Size 0.84 mbFact file States of matter: England with simplified lanaguage
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact file Rocks: England with simplified lanaguage
Handout | PDF, Size 1.21 mbFact file Everyday materials: Wales with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.84 mbFact file Properties of materials: Wales with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.76 mbFact file States of matter: Wales with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.69 mbFact file Rocks: Wales with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 1.21 mbFact file Properties of substances 1: Scotland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.84 mbFact file Solids liquids and gases: Scotland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact file Properties of substances 2: Scotland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.76 mbFact file Earth's materials: Scotland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 1.23 mbFact file States of matter: Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact file Everyday materials: Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.72 mbFact file Properties of materials: Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.76 mbFact file Rocks: Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 1.2 mbFact file Everyday materials: Northern Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.76 mbFact file Properties of materials: Northern Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.76 mbFact file States of matter: Northern Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 0.75 mbFact file Rocks: Northern Ireland with simplified language
Handout | PDF, Size 1.2 mb
Additional information
In the skills card sort resource we use enquiry skills symbols that are copyright of the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT). As organisations promoting primary science we use the same symbols to ensure consistency. The terms of use for these symbols are as follows: All materials are ©Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) and are freely available to download and share for educational purposes. Whilst educators are free to adapt the resources to suit their own needs, acknowledgement of copyright on all original materials must be included. Rights to images included in the resource have been purchased for PSTT use only – as such, these images may only be used as part of this resource and may not copied into or used in other materials.
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