Knowledge end points:

To show care and concern for living things and the environment.

To look closely at similarities and differences, patterns and changes in nature.

To explore the natural world and observe by drawing pictures.

To make observations of animals and plants and talk about change.

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Methods and processes:

(characteristics of effective learning)

To make observations of animals and plants.

To find similarities and differences between the natural world and contrasting environment.

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Vocabulary

nocturnal

hibernate

winter

protect

Knowledge end points:

To explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead and things that have never been alive.

To identify that most living things live in habitats or microhabitats to which they are suited to.

To describe how habitats meet the basic needs of different animals and plants.

To identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats and microhabitats.

To describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals using a simple food chain and name different sources of food.

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Methods and processes:

To ask questions about the local environment.

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To compare familiar habitats with less familiar habitats.

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Vocabulary

Meaning

depend

If you depend on something, you need it to survive

habitat

The natural environment in which an animal or plant normally lives or grows

microhabitat

A small part of the environment that supports a habitat, such as a fallen log in a forest

minibeast

A small invertebrate animal such as an insect or spider

food chain

A series of plants and animals each dependent on the next as a source of food.

Key facts to remember:

A habitat is a place where living things such as animals and plants, can find all the things they need to survive

Habitats can be large or small.

Food chains can be made up of producers, consumers, prey and predator.

Animals depend on other plants and animals in order to survive.

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Living things and their habitats Year 2

Key Concepts

What is a habitat?

• A habitat is a place where living things such as animals and plants, can find all the things they need to survive

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• They can find food, water, air, space to move and grow and some shelter

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• Some habitats are large, like the ocean

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• Some habitats are small, such as under a log

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What is a microhabitat?

• Microhabitats are very small habitats where minibeasts may live

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• Examples of microhabitats include under stones, in grass, under fallen leaves and in the soil

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• Minibeasts that can be found there include worms, snails, ants, centipedes, millipedes and butterflies and they help to keep the microhabitat healthy

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How do animals and plants depend on each other?

• Animals and plants depend on each other to survive. For example worms depend on plants because they feed on dead leaves, but plants depend on worms who make the soil healthy by digging holes and allowing air in.
• Birds also need worms because they eat them. Worms are a source of food for birds.
• This is called a food chain.
• All living things have a part to play in food chains. Without them, other animals and plants may not be able to survive.

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Knowledge end points:

To recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.

To identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment

To recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.

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Methods and processes:

To explore and use classification keys to help group a variety of living things in local and wider environment.

To record classifications in Carroll diagrams and Venn diagrams.

To use and make simple guides or keys to explore local plants and animals.

To raise and answer questions based on their observations of animals they observe and research.

What are the different ways we can group and classify animals? What is deforestation?

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Vocabulary

Meaning

Adaptation

The process of changing to better suit an environment or to survive.

Excretion

The process of getting rid of waste matter.

Growth

The process of increasing in size.

Habitat

The natural environment of a plant or animal.

Invertebrate

A creature that does not have a spine, for example an octopus, insect or worm

Nutrition

The process of obtaining food needed for health and growth.

Reproduction

The process by which living things produce offspring.

respiration

The process by which cells use oxygen to break down sugar and obtain energy.

sensitivity

The ability of a plant or animal to respond to the environment around them.

Key facts to remember:

A habitat is a place where living things such as animals and plants, can find all the things they need to survive

Habitats can be large or small.

Omnivores, herbivores and carnivores all eat different things.

Animals depend on other plants and animals in order to survive.

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Living things and their habitats Year 4

Key Concepts

How can living things be grouped?

• All living things, which can also be called organisms, have to do certain things to stay alive. These are the life processes:
• movement
• respiration
• sensitivity
• growth
• reproduction
• excretion
• nutrition

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Classification Keys

• A classification key is a tool used to help group living things and identify them.

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How can environments change?

• Habitats can change throughout the year and this can effect the plants and animals that live there.
• Humans can have positive and negative effects on the environment:

Positive effects: nature reserves, ecological parks

Negative effects: litter, urban development

Knowledge end points:

To describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird.

To describe the life processes of reproduction in some plants.

To describe the process of reproduction in some animals.

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Methods and processes:

To observe life cycle changes in a variety of living things (vegetable patch/ flower border/ animals in local environment).

To plan, conduct and record experiments on plants.

To compare how different animals reproduce and grow.

What is the metamorphosis and which animals go through this process?

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Vocabulary

Meaning

anther

The part of a stamen that produces and releases pollen.

cell

The smallest part of an animal or plant that is able to function independently.

dispersed

Scattered, separated, or spread through a large area.

embryo

An unborn animal or human being in the early stages of development.

fertilisation

Male and female gametes meet to form an embryo or seed.

gamete

The name for the two types of male and female cell that join together to make a new creature.

germination

If a seed germinates or if it is germinated, it starts to grow.

metamorphosis

A person or thing develops and changes into something completely different.

ovary

A female organ which produces an egg.

Key facts to remember:

Asexual reproduction will produce offspring that is identical to the parent and requires only one parent.

Reproduction is when an animal or plant produces one or more individuals similar to itself:

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Sexual reproduction requires 2 parents with male and female gametes (cells) and will produce offspring that is similar to.

What is reproduction?

• Reproduction is when an animal or plant produces one or more individuals similar to itself:
• Sexual reproduction requires 2 parents with male and female gametes (cells) and will produce offspring that is similar to, but not identical to, the parent.

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• Asexual reproduction will produce offspring that is identical to the parent and requires only one parent.

Living things and their habitats Year 5

Key Concepts

How do plants reproduce?

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What is a life cycle?

• The life cycles of mammals, birds, amphibians and insects have similarities and differences.

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• One difference is that amphibians and insects go through the process of metamorphosis. This is when the structure of their bodies changes significantly as they grow (for example tadpole to frog or caterpillar to butterfly)

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Knowledge end points:

To describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to observable characteristics, including microorganisms, plants and animals.

To give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.

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Methods and processes:

To explore that broad groups such as microorganisms, plants and animals can be subdivided.

Discuss reasons why living things are placed in one group and not another.

To research the significance of Carl Linnaeus and his work on classification.

Who was Carl Linnaeus and why was his work important?

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Vocabulary

Meaning

organism

A living thing.

predator

An animal that kills and eats another animal.

prey

An animal hunted or captured by another for food.

adaptation

A change in structure or function that improves the chance of survival for an animal or plant within a given environment.

carnivore

An animal that feeds on meat.

herbivore

An animal that only eats plants.

omnivore

Person or animal that eats all kinds of food, including both meat and plants.

organism

A living thing.

Key facts to remember:

Microorganisms can be harmful or helpful.

The Linnaean system is named after Carl Linnaeus and is used to group animals.

A classification system is a tool used to group living things to help us identify them using recognizable characteristics.

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What are microorganisms?

• Microorganisms are very tiny organisms where a microscope has to be used to see them.

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• Examples of microorganisms include dust mites, bacteria and fungi, such as mould.
• Some microorganisms can be helpful in certain situations.
• Others can be harmful, and their spread needs to be controlled or contained.

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Living things and their habitats Year 6

Key Concepts

Refer back to ‘key concepts’ in living things and their habitats Year 4. Revise classification systems.

A classification system is a tool used to group living things to help us identify them using recognizable characteristics.

The Linnaean System

• The Linnaean system, named after Carl Linnaeus, has different levels where the number of living things in each group gets smaller and smaller, until there will just be one type of animal in the species group.

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Knowledge end points:

To recognise that living things have changed over time.

To recognise that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago

To recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents

To identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution

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Methods and processes:

To explore and appreciate variation in offspring over time for example how giraffes’ necks are now longer, or the development of insulating fur on the arctic fox.

To research paleontologists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace and look at how they developed their ideas on evolution.

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Which beak is most effective for which food type? (adaptation in birds)

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Vocabulary

Meaning

adaptation

A change in structure or function that improves the chance of survival for an animal or plant within a given environment

ancestor

An early type of animal or plant from which a later, usually dissimilar, type has evolved

biodiversity

A wide variety of plant and animal species living in their natural environment

breeding

The process of producing plants or animals by reproduction

evolution

A process of change that takes place over many generations, during which species of animals, plants or insects slowly change some of their physical characteristics

extinct

No longer has any living members, either in the world or in a particular place

Vocabulary

Meaning

generation

The act or process of bringing into being; through reproduction, especially offspring

inherit

If you inherit a characteristic you are born with it, because your parents or ancestors also had it

maladaptation

The failure to adapt properly to a new situation or environment

mutation

Characteristics that are not inherited from the parents or ancestors and appear as new characteristics

natural selection

A process by which species of animals and plants that are best adapted to their environment survive and reproduce

How do we know about evolution?

• Evidence of evolution comes from fossils-

when these are compare to living things today.

Paleontologists compare similarities and differences.

• Other evidence comes from living things
• comparisons of some species may reveal

common ancestors.

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Evolution and Inheritance Year 6

Key Concepts

Refer back to ‘key concepts’ in rocks and fossils Year 3 and 4. Evolution is a process of change that takes place over many generations; offspring are not identical to their parents. It occurs when there is competition to survive. This is called natural selection. Difference within a species can be caused by inheritance and mutations.

Evolutionary Science

Charles Darwin, an evolutionary scientist, studied different animal and plant species, which allowed him to see how adaptations could come about. His work on the finches was some of his most famous work.

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What is adaptation?

• Adaptation is when animals and plants have evolved so that they have adapted to survive and thrive in their environments. For example polar bears have a thick layer of blubber under their fur to survive the cold, harsh environment of the Arctic while giraffes have long necks to reach leaves on trees.
• Sometimes adaptations can be disadvantageous. One example is the dodo, which became extinct as it lost its ability to fly through evolution. Flying was unnecessary for the dodo because it had lived for so many years without predators, until its native island became inhabited.