The SAW Trust has had many requests for a workbook that teachers can use to run their own SAW projects. We are currently working with renowned education expert Rosemary Feasey on completing The SAW Handbook for Teachers. You can download a sample chapter here, and register your interest so we can let you know as soon as the book is available.

Rosemary comments:
“The SAW process is truly innovative in bringing together scientists, artist and writers to inspire both teachers and children to communicate their science imaginatively.”

Throughout 2008-9 SAW founder Professor Anne Osbourn has been delivering a programme of SAW workshops for teachers at a series of Primary Science Conferences run by the Yorkshire and Humber Science Learning Centre.

Teachers taking part in the workshops commented:

The SAW project really excited me.

“The SAW project was fabulous. Very clear presentation by Anne Osbourn –
can see how it can be applied.”

“The SAW session was fantastic – I’d like to start a project in Rotherham.”

“I am not a poet – but I sat and wrote a poem inspired by image,
If I can do that, anyone can!”

Postgraduate students from across the Faculties of Science and the Arts at the University of East Anglia will take part in a one day SAW project in May 2009 designed to stimulate cross-disciplinary interactions and to equip the students to deliver SAW workshops in local schools.

Find out more.

Norfolk County Council will be running 20 SAW projects in schools across Norfolk  over the coming year.  If you would like to know more about this please contact the County Council’s Science Advisor, Kevin Blogg (Kevin.blogg@norfolk.gov.uk).

In June 2008 Year 7 students at AldermanPeel High School took part in a SAW project on the theme of microbes. In science they worked with students from the UEA and Dr Harriet Jones, observing ciliates feed on yeast cells and comparing feeding rates between different types of micro organisms. For art, the students used magnified images of bacteria as inspiration for working with print with local artist Marilyn Jeffries, with pastels and inks with ex Head of Art Robert Curtis, in 3D with art teacher Mrs Amelia Light and in textiles with Miss J Davies. In English they chose a period of history, again on the theme of microbes – the time of The Black Death. Gareth Calway – poet and novelist - led the writing and drama workshop.

Following the huge success of this project Alderman Peel have decided to run another bigger project this year, funded by Creative Partnerships. Year 7 students will work on the theme of Energy through Science, Art and Writing. The project will involve scientists from the region working with performance poets and visual artists. The project will culminate in a celebration event in June.

See what Nigel Youngman, a teacher at Alderman Peel who is organising the project says about the project.

In 2008, the SAW Trust took research science from renowned institutes the John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research into schools. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, 15 projects took place, covering topics as diverse as soil bacteria, photosynthesis, natural products, fractals, DNA, genetic modification, emulsions and the human gut.

The children and teachers involved were delighted to be working with practising scientists on topical issues, and the scientists appreciated taking their science into the community and seeing it from a new angle.

The series culminated in a ‘SAW Showcase’ event where a selection of the work from each school was presented to an audience of over 250. Presentations included poetry, music and drama from children (including a dance inspired by nodulation of legumes!), science presentations, reports from scientists and teachers, and PowerPoint displays of artwork and activities.

David White, Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council, commented: “SAW is truly inspirational. The children’s work is really outstanding… I am very impressed by the quality of the poetry and artwork… As someone who has not specialised in science… I have learned a lot and quite simply had not previously been exposed to the beauty of science.”

Read local news coverage about the events

Read articles by Professor Osbourn about the events

The BBSRC project series resulted in a fantastic new book showcasing the best work from each of the schools, along with background about the event and comments from the participants. It gives an excellent overview of the science covered and the children’s response.

“The results… are inspirational… this collection shows how curious minds are harnessed to develop children’s creative potential in science.”
Rosemary Feasey Past Chair, Association for Science Education

“SAW is truly inspirational. The children’s work is really outstanding… I am very impressed by the quality of the poetry and artwork in this book. As someone who has not specialised in science… I have learned a lot and quite simply had not previously been exposed to the beauty of science.”
David White, Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council

Find out more.

US interest in SAW continues to grow, with Professor Osbourn visiting Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oak Ridge High School in Tennessee to discuss international projects, as well as delivering SAW workshops for children and trainee teachers at the Horace Mann Laboratory School and the School of Education, Salem State College, Boston. See pictures from the Maple Syrup workshop at the Horace Mann Laboratory School with 7-9 year olds.

SAW founder Anne Osbourn was invited to be the Schools Poet for the Poetry-next-the-sea 2008 literary festival.

She delivered six workshops in North Norfolk schools on the theme of ‘Under the microscope’ where children worked with images of dust mites, the inside of a leaf, diatoms, a finger-tip, nerve cells and salt crystals to inspire new poems.

Anne also judged the festival’s Children’s Poetry Competition and introduced the winners at a very lively event. Selected poems were published by the festival in a pamphlet called ‘A New Planet’. The winning poem was inspired by an image of intestinal bacteria.

Read the winning poem here.

Professor Osbourn was invited to help judge the Bayer Sciences Children’s Poetry Competition 2008, run in association with the Eastern Daily Press. The scientific theme was ‘Outer Space’. See the winning entries here.

Read Professor Osbourn’s article about teaching poetry in schools, written in the build up to the competition

September 2008 brought together the SAW Trust and the Mobile Family Science Laboratory at Cells Alive! Held at The Forum, Norwich, this Wellcome-funded hands-on family day brought the world of cells to life through a variety of activities and events. Working with local artist Chris Hann and scientist and poet Anne Osbourn, children took part in workshops that brought science, art and poetry together around the theme of ‘Genes and identity’. Engaged throughout the session, the children produced work of startling perception. One 10 year old girl commented: ‘’I didn’t think I could do poetry but this has been brilliant!’’

Click here to see her poem, can you guess what she is describing?

SAW founder Anne Osbourn has been invited to be the School Poet 2008 for the Poetry-next-the-sea annual literary festival. Anne will spend a week working with schools on the North Norfolk Coast using science as a focus for poetry, and will also lead a children’s session at the Festival in May. Watch this space for more info.

In an exciting development for the 2007-8 academic year, research scientists from the John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research will team up with local poets and artists to use their specialist research as a basis for adventures in practical science and the creative arts in twelve Norfolk primary schools. There will be a celebration at the John Innes Centre at the end of the series next Summer, and children’s work will be published in a pamphlet and online.  This project is supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Science in Society Award.

‘Dreams’ was the theme for this year’s Bayer CropScience/ Eastern Daily Press Poetry Competition. SAW founder Anne Osbourn helped select this year’s winners, who were announced on National Poetry Day. Click here to read the winning and highly commended poems.

Anne Osbourn helped judge a poetry competition for children run by the Eastern Daily Press and Bayer CropScience on the theme of ‘Colour’. The winners were announced on National Poetry Day. Download the PDF to find out more

Dr Richard Davies, an expert in evaluation of educational programmes, has carried out an independent report on the effectiveness of SAW. His report is based on data taken from written and oral feedback from those who took part in the projects. Click here to read his conclusions and feedback from some of the children.

From 2-9 September 2006 the British Association Science Festival, the largest science festival in Europe , came to Norwich . SAW took an active part in several events, including:

Science and the arts - two cultures or one? A series of talks and a panel discussion chaired by writer and broadcaster Vivienne Parry considering the inter-relation between arts and science. Speakers included SAW founder Anne Osbourn, biographer Richard Holmes, scientist and best-selling novelist John McCabe, and UEA professor of literature and creative writing Clive Scott. Click here to see the flyer.

Live web interview Richard Holmes, Anne Osbourn and children involved in the See Saw anthology participated in a live web interview during Science Festival Week.

Lunchtime readings A series of lunchtime readings also ran throughout the week. Featured writers included poet Helen Ivory, author Sarah Passingham, 'Seed to Seed' author Nick Harberd, nature writer Richard Mabey, bird authority Mark Cocker, poets Anne Osbourn and Heidi Williamson, and children from Rockland St Mary County Primary School.

SAW workshop at the University of East Anglia A special one-day SAW workshop on the theme of 'Solids, liquids and gases' was held at the University of East Anglia during science festival week. Children from Roydon and Garboldisham Primary Schools took part in a science workshop, poetry workshop and art workshop on the day. See photos from the day here.

Following on from See Saw , a unique collection of poems and artwork from Norfolk schoolchildren inspired by science, we are developing a teacher's handbook packed with hints and tips on running SAW projects in schools. Please leave us your email address if you'd like to be updated when the new teacher's aid book comes out.

More SAW activities are being planned for the school year 2006-7 in the Norfolk area. Up and coming projects include:

•  Costessey Junior School 6 and 7 November
•  St Peter's CE Primary School, Easton 14 and 15 November
•  Costessey Infants 20 and 21 November •  Costessey High School - date TBC

Watch this space for more schools and dates being added soon.