Subject Leader: Miss Fletcher
What we are learning
Please click on your child’s age group below to read more about what your child will be learning this academic year
End of Year Assessments:
Please click on the links below to view our Science end of year assessments:
Our Bodies
The children will learn: – that humans have bodies have parts, that we have five senses, that the term animal includes humans, to compare and contrast humans and animals, to match young and adults of the same animal. To know that animals need food and drink to stay alive, that all animals change as they grow older, to observe and compare the way animals move. They will be able to group animals according to criteria and that humans are living and that humans and animals die
Light and Dark
The children will learn: – what a source of light is, that light sources vary in brightness, they will compare and observe sources of light, they will understand that sources of light show up best at night and tat object cannot be seen in total darkness. They will learn that the sun is a light source for the earth and that shiny objects reflect light.
Materials
The children will learn: – that materials have different properties and learn the appropriate vocabulary to describe them, to be able to sort objects according to the material are made from, to understand the use of materials for specific purposes. They will be able to test materials for a specific purpose and record their findings. They will understand that some materials are magnetic and others are not.
Sounds
The children will learn:- that we use our ears to hear with, that there are many different sources of sounds, they will explore different sounds and predict the sound, to learn that we use our sense of hearing for a range of purposes including recognising hazard and risks sounds. They will learn that sounds seem quieter the farther away they are.
Forces
The children will learn that movement can be described in different ways and that not only ourselves can make things move; they will look at movement in a park and use scientific language to say how the equipment moves. They will learn that pushing and pulling can start and stop objects and predict how objects move and find out if they were correct. They will learn to recognise hazards and risks to themselves in moving objects.
Growing plants
The children will learn the major parts of a plant and their function, how to look after a plant, make predictions about plants and investigate their predictions and record results, that plants grow, make observations of plants and use drawing to record their observations. They will grow their own plant and understand the needs of a plant; they will learn that plants provide food for humans.
Health and Growth
Understand that to stay alive, to grow and be healthy, people and animals need food and water and that to stay healthy they need exercise and rest.Understand that food can be divided into different groups. Understand what is meant by the term ‘a balanced diet’. Understand that we can answer questions by collecting and sorting information. Understand the importance of knowing which sort of exercise we enjoy best. Understand some things we put in our bodies can make us well but some things can harm us. Understand how keeping clean and having enough rest can help keep us healthy.
Electricity
This unit introduces children to the concept of electricity and the essential role it plays in everyday life. It introduces children to the hazards associated with mains electricity.
Experimental and investigative work focuses on:
The unit links children’s everyday experiences of electricity to scientific ideas and the importance of following instructions to control risks to themselves.
Materials
Through this unit children learn to distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made. They learn about some of the ways materials can be changed and that heating can cause changes which produce materials which are often useful.
Experimental and investigative work in this unit focuses on:
Work also offers opportunities for children to relate science to domestic contexts eg cooking and to recognise hazards and risks to themselves and to control these.
Plants and Animals
Through this unit children learn about plants and animals in their immediate environment and how differences between places very close to each other result in a different range of plants and animals being found. They learn that like humans, plants and other animals reproduce.
Experimental and investigative work focuses on:
Work in this unit also offers opportunities to relate understanding of science to the local environment, to consider how to treat living things and the environment with care and sensitivity and to recognise hazards to themselves and to take action to control the risks from these hazards.
Variation
Through this unit children will become more aware of the huge variety of living things within their local environment and of differences between them. They will learn that although individual living things are different there are similarities which can help to sort them into groups and that this is helpful.
Experimental and investigative work focuses on:
Work in this unit also offers opportunities for children to relate understanding of science to environmental contexts and to consider how to treat living things with sensitivity. Some of this unit may be undertaken in relation to the school’s programme for personal, social and health education.
Light and Shadow
This unit introduces the relationship between light, an object and the formation of shadows. Children make shadows and look at how they change through the day and observe the apparent movement of the Sun and the associated changes in shadows. Children also learn about light and the effect on it using different materials.
Magnets and Springs
Children recognise that forces act in a particular direction and learn to describe the direction of forces between magnets or between a spring and someone compressing it. They classify materials as magnetic or non-magnetic and describe some uses of magnets. Children also investigate how to test an idea to find the strength of different magnets and the effect of the force exerted by elastic.
Rocks and soils
In this unit children learn that rock is under all surfaces and that soils come from rocks. That rock is used for different purposes, to name and give characteristics of several rocks. They check for durability and permeability of rocks and the rate of filtration of water through different soils and say what their investigations show.
Characteristics of Materials
Through this unit children should extend their knowledge of the range of materials we use and of the properties that characterise them. This knowledge should help them recognise what needs to be considered when a material is chosen for a particular use and those used every day checking for absorbency and stretchiness.
Teeth and Healthy Eating
Work in this unit should reinforce and develop children’s knowledge of their personal health and how this relates to diet and the importance of healthy teeth and dental care. Work also offers opportunities for children to relate understanding of science to their personal health and in relation to personal, social and health education. They learn about different types of teeth and their specific uses also looking at animals teeth and diets.
Forces
During this topic children will learn; what a force is, how to read and use Newton meters, to know what friction is and give examples. They will then carry out an investigation looking into friction.
Circuits and conductors
During this topic children will learn; what electricity is, that some devices use batteries and some use mains electricity, how to draw a circuit, the symbols used and to know what materials are electrical conductors. They will then carry out an investigation looking into which materials are electrical conductors and insulators.
Keeping warm
During this topic children will learn about; hot and cold, how to use and read a thermometer, to be able to measure temperatures. They will carry out an investigation looking into which materials are good thermal insulators and conductors.
Solids and liquids
During this topic children will learn; the differences between solids and liquids, to understand the term particles and viscosity, to know that the volume of a liquid doesn’t change when poured into a different container and lastly, to be able to mix and separate solids.
Habitats
During this topic children will learn; the term organism, to identify different habitats, to know that different habitats have different animals, to be able to describe habitats, to understand food chains and to investigate what is needed in a snail’s habitat
Moving and growing
During this topic children will learn; the different bones in a human skeleton, to understand the terms vertebrate and invertebrate, to know that muscles work in pairs and are attached to bones.
Pupils will learn the states of matter: solids, liquids and gases, studying processes such as evaporation and condensation. They will investigate rates of evaporation and factors which affect this. In the second part of the term, they will be learning about healthy living, including diet, exercise and the use of medicines.
This term the children learn about the Earth, Sun and Moon. They gain an understanding of concepts such as the seasons, day and night and the phases of the moon. We finish this topic with a trip to Greenwich Observatory where the children are able to put into practice what they have learnt. Over the second half of the term, the children investigate sound. They gain an understanding of how sound travels, how we hear sounds and how sound can be blocked.
During the summer term learn about life cycles of various living animals. They make comparisons between different species life cycles and try to link these phases to the human life cycle. To finish the summer term, children put into practice the investigative skills they have gained over the year. They suggest scientific ideas and create a detailed investigation based on their theories.
Classification
Children learn how to classify animals into the main vertebrate and invertebrate groups according to their features. They use and design branching keys to identify plants and animals.
Habitats and Adaptation
Children learn that different animals and plants are adapted to live in different habitats. They conduct investigations to find out how animals are suited to the environment in which they live. By building on their knowledge of food chains and food webs they understand how animals and plants in a local habitat are interdependent. Links to sustainability include the effects of deforestation, air and land pollution on food chains and natural habitats.
More about Dissolving
Children learn that there are three states of matter and under certain conditions substances can move from one state to another. They will know that solids which do not dissolve in water can be separated by filtering whilst those solids which dissolve can be recovered through the process of evaporation. They will be able to describe in detail what happens when a solid dissolves and will investigate the factors which can affect how quickly substances dissolve, presenting their data in a graph. They will learn about saturated solutions and be able to make their own. Finally, the children will be given the opportunity to obtain clear water from dirty water using filtration and evaporation and write up the process in sequenced steps. This is linked to sustainability and our work on Water Aid
Reversible and Irreversible Changes
This unit brings together and consolidates work that children have done before on reversible changes. Experimental and investigative work focuses on: making careful observations; suggesting explanations for observations, using scientific knowledge and understanding. Children learn that mixing materials with water will cause them to change; that insoluble materials can be separated by filtering and solids which have dissolved can be recovered by evaporating the liquid from the solution; that some changes that occur when materials are mixed cannot easily be reversed and that heating and cooling some materials can cause them to change. Children also learn that when materials are burned, new materials are formed; these changes that occur when most materials are burned are not reversible.
Changing Circuits
The unit consolidates children’s knowledge of materials which are electrical conductors, extends understanding of ways in which the brightness of bulbs or speed of motors in a circuit can be changed and develops children’s understanding of the value of using conventional symbols for communication. This unit provides opportunities for children to carry out a complete investigation relating to electric circuits. Children will learn about electrical safety and discuss sources of renewable energy and how they can be of benefit to the environment.
How we see things
In this unit children learn that mirrors and shiny surfaces alter the direction in which light travels and that when they see objects, light enters the eye. Children contrast reflection and shadow formation. Experimental and investigative work focuses on: planning and carrying out a fair test; making observations and measurements; recognising when to repeat measurements; presenting results in line graphs and identifying patterns in data to identify factors which might affect the size and position of the shadow of an object
Forces in action
Children apply their knowledge of a variety of forces, including magnetic attraction, gravitational attraction and friction. They learn about the changes in motion which occur when forces act on an object. They consolidate their understanding that forces have direction and can be measured. Experimental and investigative work focuses on: making and repeating measurements; considering patterns in results; representing data in line graphs; using results to draw conclusions. Work in this unit also offers opportunities for children to use understanding about forces to explain everyday phenomena and to obtain evidence to test scientific ideas.
Micro-Organisms
Through this unit children learn that there are many very small organisms called micro-organisms which feed, grow and reproduce and which may be harmful or beneficial. Experimental and investigative work focuses on: making observations; drawing conclusions; suggesting explanations for conclusions, using scientific knowledge and understanding. Work in this unit also offers children the opportunity to use scientific ideas to explain some causes of illness and decay, to relate micro-organisms to food production and to relate science to their personal health.
Early in the summer term children revise topics which have been covered in previous years. Through written and practical assessments, the learning is specifically designed for each class to target those areas which are considered most necessary. Following the SATS, children are given opportunities to learn more about climate change and how to follow a sustainable lifestyle.
