Amble Links Primary School – Science Curriculum Overview
Through our delivery of science we provide pupils with the foundations for understanding the world through the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. We encourage the children to build up key knowledge and concepts, develop a sense of excitement and to explain, predict and analyse. By following the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for Science we ensure that concepts and knowledge are sequenced appropriately allowing children to build on their prior knowledge. Through ‘dual planning’ we ensure that every lesson has a specific focus on an aspect of ‘working scientifically’ alongside the content of the other programmes of study. We place a strong emphasis on learning key subject and topic based vocabulary.
Early Years experiences | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | |
Working Scientifically At least one aspect of these is incorporated into each science lesson (Y1-Y4) | Ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways Observe closely, using simple equipment Perform simple tests Identify and classify using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions Gather and record data to help in answering questions. | Ask relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them Set up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests Make systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, take accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers Gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions Use results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions Identify differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings | |||
Plants (Y1/Y2/Y3) | Growing – vegetable plot (on-going throughout the year) Planting and growing seeds – what does a plant need to help it grow? Introduce vocabulary – name parts of plants Jack and the Beanstalk, Jasper’s Beanstalk, Fran’s Flower | Year 1 Science National Curriculum Identify and name a variety of common plants, including garden plants, wild plants and trees, and those classified as deciduous and evergreen Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including roots, tem/trunk, leaves and flowers | Year 2 Science National Curriculum Observe and compare how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy | Year 3 Science National Curriculum Identify & describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem, leaves and flowers Explore the requirements for plant life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant Investigate the way in which water is transported within plants Explore the role of flowers in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal | |
By the end of Year 1 children will be able to answer questions: What are the basic parts of a plant? Can you name some common plants? How do trees survive the winter? | By the end of Year 2 children will be able to answer questions: How do plants grow? What conditions do plants need to grow? | By the end of Year 3 children will be able to answer questions: Can you name the parts of a plant? What conditions do plants need to grow? How does water get around the plant? What are the parts of a flower? Why do plants have flowers? What is pollination? How do plants spread their seeds? | |||
Vocabulary Plant, roots, stem, trunk, branches, leaves, flower (petals), fruit, bulb, seed, evergreen, deciduous, vegetables, (variety of common plant names, e.g. geranium, dandelion, oak, bean) | Additional Vocabulary Grow, bulb (tuber), germination, seedling, water, light, temperature, reproduction | Additional Vocabulary leaf (petiole), root (root hairs), flower (petals, sepals, stamens, ovary, pollen, eggs), nutrients, pollination (wind, insect), fertilisation, dispersal | |||
Animals including humans (Y1/Y2/Y3/Y4) | Naming parts of the body Similarities and differences between each other Mini beasts – name different types, habitats, name parts of insects Life cycles of butterfly – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Growing and changing Keeping clean and healthy – exercise, healthy diet | Year 1 Science National Curriculum Identify and name a variety of common animals that are birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals Identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores Describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and invertebrates, including pets) Identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense. | Year 2 Science National Curriculum Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults Find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air) Describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene | Year 3 Science National Curriculum Identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat Identify that humans and some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement. | Year 4 Science National Curriculum Describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans Identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions. Construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey |
By the end of Year 1 children will be able to answer questions: What are the parts of our body? What are our senses? Are there different kinds of animals? Do animals have different diets? | By the end of Year 2 children will be able to answer questions: What happens to our bodies as we grow? Do other animals grow in the same way as us? What do we need to live and be healthy? Why is it important to exercise? Why is it important to keep clean? | By the end of Year 3 children will be able to answer questions: What do animals need to eat to stay healthy? What is a balanced diet? Why do we have a skeleton? How do we move? | By the end of Year 4 children will be able to answer questions: Are there different types of teeth? How should you care for your teeth? What is digestion? What are the parts of the digestive system? What is a food chain? Can you construct food chains? | ||
Vocabulary Animals, Invertebrate (worm, spider, insect (various), woodlouse, centipede), fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, head, neck, arm, elbow, hand, leg, knee, foot, face, ear, nose, eye, hair, mouth, teeth, sight, hear, smell, touch, taste | Additional Vocabulary Growth, reproduction, offspring, life-cycle (stages for examples, e.g. human, frog, butterfly, etc), baby, offspring, toddler, child, teenager, adult, water, food (nutrition), air (breathing, respiration), diet, balanced, obesity, starvation, exercise, fitness (heart rate/pulse), hygiene, microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses | Additional Vocabulary Nutrition, nutrients, diet (balanced/unbalanced), sugar, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, water, energy, oxygen, feeding, eating, photosynthesis, circulation, blood, heart, vertebrate, invertebrate, skeleton (simple examples of bones), support, protection, movement | Additional Vocabulary Teeth, incisor, canine, molar, pre-molar, acid, bacteria, plaque, enamel, digestion, mouth, gullet (oesophagus), stomach, small intestine, large intestine, anus (liver / pancreas), food chain, producer, consumer, predator, prey, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores. | ||
Everyday Materials (Y1/Y2) Rocks (Y3) States of Matter (Y4) | The Three Little Pigs – exploring materials Floating and sinking – exploring suitability of materials Play dough – continuous provision – exploration of material Water – exploring properties of water, freezing and melting, introducing language: wet/dry | Year 1 Science National Curriculum Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water and rock Describe simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials Compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties | Year 2 Science National Curriculum Identify and compare the uses of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick/rock, and paper/cardboard. Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching. | Year 3 Science National Curriculum Compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties. Describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock. Recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter. | Year 4 Science National Curriculum Compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases Observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled, and measure the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C) Identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature |
By the end of Year 1 children will be able to answer questions: What are objects made from? Can you name everyday materials? What are the properties of materials? Can you compare the properties of materials? Which materials would be best and why? | By the end of Year 2 children will be able to answer questions: What are things made from? Do different materials have different properties? Can we change the shape of materials? What are solids, liquids & gases? | By the end of Year 3 children will be able to answer questions: Are there different types of rock? What uses do rocks have? How are fossils made? What is soil made from? | By the end of Year 4 children will be able to answer questions: What makes something a solid, liquid or a gas? What are solids, liquids & gases made of? What happens when substances change state? What is evaporation & condensation? What happens in the water cycle? | ||
Vocabulary Solid, bending, squashing, twisting, stretching, similarity, difference, property, hard/soft, shiny/dull, bendy/not bendy, stretchy/stiff, transparent/opaque, rough/smooth, waterproof/not waterproof, absorbent/not absorbent, metal, plastic, glass, brick, paper, fabric, foil, elastic, wood | Additional Vocabulary Material types (e.g. wood, metal, plastic, wool, cotton, paper, cork, rock, etc), solid, liquid, gas, waterproof, hard, soft, flexible, stretch, bend, twist, squash, shiny, dull, warm, cold, colour, more, less, fluid, flow | Additional Vocabulary Rock (types), smooth, shiny, rough, crumbly, grainy, crystals, hard, soft, cold (etc), fossil (types), sediment, layers, pressure, soil, organic matter, vegetation, compost | Additional Vocabulary State, solid, liquid, gas, characteristic, property, particle, heat, energy, (bond/attraction), heating, cooling, melting, freezing, evaporating, condensing, water cycle | ||
Seasonal Changes (Y1) | Daily weather chart Seasons displays Outdoor garden – growing / changes / weather Suitable clothing depending on weather conditions Winter Wonderland - frost, ice, snow | Year 1 Science National Curriculum Observe changes across the four seasons Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies. | |||
By the end of Year 1 children will be able to answer questions: What is the weather like today? What are the four seasons? How are they different? | |||||
Vocabulary Season, sun, sky, autumn, winter, spring, summer, year, month, week, day, weather (various), temperature, weather, rainfall, daylength, sun, shadow | |||||
Living things in their habitats (Y2/Y4) | Mini beasts – name different types, habitats, name parts of insects Life cycles of butterfly – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Growing and changing Farm visit Aquarium visit | Year 2 Science National Curriculum Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food. | Year 4 Science National Curriculum Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways. Explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment. Recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things. | ||
By the end of Year 2 children will be able to answer questions: What makes something living? Can you identify living, dead & non-living things? What is a habitat? How are living things suited to their own habitat? What is a food chain? | By the end of Year 4 children will be able to answer questions: Can you group living things in different ways? Can you use a classification key? What living things can we find in … habitat? How do/can habitats change? | ||||
Vocabulary Living, dead, non-living, movement, making energy (respiration), sensitivity, growth, reproduction, getting rid of waste (excretion), nutrition, habitat, microhabitat, adapted, adaptation, conditions, light, temperature, water, humidity, food chain | Additional Vocabulary Environment, micro-habitat, key, classification (genus, species), (binomial name), animal, vertebrate, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal, invertebrate, snails, slugs, spiders, woodlice, insects, worms, plants, trees, flowering plants (grasses, etc), non-flowering plants (conifers, ferns, mosses) | ||||
Light (Y3) | Light and dark – sources of light, why do we need light? Celebrations – bonfire night, Christmas, Divali | Year 3 Science National Curriculum Recognise that they need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light. Notice that light is reflected from surfaces. Recognise that light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways to protect their eyes. Recognise that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by a solid object. Find patterns in the way that the size of shadows change. | |||
By the end of Year 3 children will be able to answer questions: What is light? Where does light come from? What materials reflect light? What materials let light through? What is a shadow? Why can strong light be dangerous? | |||||
Vocabulary Light, dark/darker/darkest, bright/brighter/brightest, dim, light source (various), eye, reflect, reflective, shiny, dull, shadow, block (transparent, opaque) | |||||
Forces and Magnets (Y3) | Investigation area – exploration of resources Language and concepts introduced – push/pull Forces – malleable materials Outdoor play – pushes and pulls – bikes and vehicles | Year 3 Science National Curriculum Compare how things move on different surfaces Notice that some forces need contact between two objects and some forces act at a distance Observe how magnets attract or repel each other and attract some materials and not others Compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet, and identify some magnetic materials Describe magnets as having two poles. Predict whether two magnets will attract or repel each other, depending on which poles are facing. | |||
By the end of Year 3 children will be able to answer questions: What is a force? How can we show and measure contact forces? What is gravity? How do magnets behave? Are all magnets the same? Which materials are magnetic? | |||||
Vocabulary Force, push, pull, contact force, distance force, gravity, force arrow, movement (associated terminology), magnetic, magnetism, poles (north, south), attract, repel, non-magnetic | |||||
Sound (Y4) | Musical instruments Sound in the environment Listening skills Senses – which body part do we use to listen? | Year 4 Science National Curriculum Identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating Recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear. Find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it Find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it. Recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases | |||
By the end of Year 4 children will be able to answer questions: What is sound? How does sound travel to our ears? How can we change the volume of sound? How can we change the pitch of a sound? | |||||
Vocabulary Sound, vibration, volume, pitch, high/low, quiet/loud, tension | |||||
Electricity (Y4) | Year 4 Science National Curriculum Identify common appliances that run on electricity Construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers. Identify whether or not a lamp will light in a simple series circuit based on whether or not the lamp is part of a complete loop with a battery Recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether or not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit Recognise some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors. | ||||
By the end of Year 4 children will be able to answer questions: How do we use electricity in our homes? Can you make a working series circuit? How does a switch work? What are electrical conductors & insulators? | |||||
Vocabulary Electricity, energy, source, renewable/non-renewable, circuit, component, battery/cell, bulb, buzzer, motor, series, connector/wire, switch, conductor, insulator, | |||||
SCIENCE LONG TERM PLANS: CONTENT
Working Scientifically At least one aspect of these is incorporated into each science lesson (Y1-Y4) | AUTUMN 1 | AUTUMN 2 | SPRING 1 | SPRING 2 | SUMMER 1 | SUMMER 2 |
Early Year Experiences | Autumn | What happens when I fall asleep? | Are Carrots orange? | Who lives in a rockpool? | Summer | |
Year 1 | Seasonal Changes | Humans | Animals | Animals | Everyday Materials | Plants |
Year 2 | Living things and their habitats | Living things and their habitats | Animals including humans | Animals including humans | Plants | Everyday Materials |
Year 3 | Light | Forces and Magnets | Rocks & Soils | Animals including humans (Skeletons and Muscles) | Animals including humans (Nutrition) | Plants |
Year 4 | Living things and their habitats | Electricity | States of Matter | Water Cycle | Animals including humans | Sound |
WORKING SCIENTIFICALLY COVERAGE
Working Scientifically (key focus) | AUTUMN 1 | AUTUMN 2 | SPRING 1 | SPRING 2 | SUMMER 1 | SUMMER 2 | ||||||
Key Stage 1 | Year 1 Seasons | Year 2 Living things | Year 1 Humans | Year 2 Habitats | Year 1 Animals | Year 2 Animals | Year 1 Animals | Year 2 Humans | Year 1 Materials | Year 2 Plants | Year 1 Plants | Year 2 Materials |
Ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different way | ||||||||||||
Observe closely, using simple equipment | ||||||||||||
Perform simple tests | ||||||||||||
Identify and classify using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions | ||||||||||||
Gather and record data to help in answering questions. | ||||||||||||
AUTUMN 1 | AUTUMN 2 | SPRING 1 | SPRING 2 | SUMMER 1 | SUMMER 2 | |||||||
Key Stage 2 | Year 3 Light | Year 4 Living things and their habitats | Year 3 Forces and Magnets | Year 4 Electricity | Year 3 Rocks and Soils | Year 4 States of Matter | Year 3 Animals including humans Skeletons and Muscles | Year 4 States of Matter | Year 3 Animals including humans Nutrition | Year 4 Animals including humans | Year 3 Plants | Year 4 Sound |
Ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them | ||||||||||||
Set up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests | ||||||||||||
Make systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, take accurate measurements | ||||||||||||
measure using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers | ||||||||||||
Gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions | ||||||||||||
Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables | Soils | |||||||||||
Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions | ||||||||||||
Use results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions | ||||||||||||
Identify differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes | Rocks | |||||||||||
Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings | ||||||||||||
