Science curriculum
Intent
At Saint James Primary School, we believe that Science nurtures children's inquisitiveness about the natural world and encourages them to explore the wonders of God’s world around them. Our curriculum integrates our Christian values of love, respect, and courage, as children develop their scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding in the fields of biology, chemistry, and physics. It helps us to appreciate and respect the wonderful creation that God has given to us.
As scientists in the making, our students learn to use subject-specific vocabulary and ask thought-provoking scientific questions to deepen their understanding. Through an enquiry-based approach, they engage in investigations that delve into the world around them. We make the curriculum relevant by utilizing our school grounds and the local area as much as possible.
Our students are equipped with the necessary skills to independently observe and accurately measure, enabling them to interpret and report their findings effectively. By providing first hand experiences and engaging in extra-curricular activities, we offer enriching opportunities for meaningful learning that is purposeful and powerful.
We recognize that Science plays a vital role in fostering emotional resilience through investigations, as it allows for trial and error while testing and exploring, linking well to our school and Christian value of courage. We are dedicated to nurturing the aspirations of our students, aiming for them to become successful and innovative scientists who demonstrate their ability to make a positive impact on our world.
I embody the spirit of a Scientist, I...
• Ask scientific questions and demonstrate curiosity about the natural world, guided by our Christian value of courage.
• Conduct simple tests and carry out controlled investigations that encourage critical thinking.
• Utilize observation and measurement skills, using our senses and simple equipment.
• Record and present data in a variety of ways, fostering effective communication.
• Identify and classify objects and findings using scientific methods.
• Interpret results and draw simple conclusions, encouraging analytical thinking and respectful listening to different ideas and opinions effectively.
Implementation
• Children in Early Years learn about the Natural World as part of the specific area of ‘Understanding the World’. They explore the world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants. They make simple similarities and differences between the natural world around them and with contrasting environments. Children understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. They are also introduced to the enquiry based learning approach and are given the opportunity to answer their own and others questions.
• Children’s scientific thinking is developed through the characteristics of effective learning and the Natural World in Early Years paves the way for future Science learning.
• Children develop skills in Working Scientifically in all Science projects.
• Children in Key Stage 1 take part in weekly Science lessons (1-2 hours).
• Children in Key Stage 2 block their Science learning into three afternoons each half term (6 hours)
• Every Science project is made up of 6 lessons per half term and each year group completes 5 half term projects across the 6 half terms.
• Science at Saint James is taught following the National Curriculum supported by the resources from Hampshire Science.
• Skills across other curriculum areas (e.g. measuring and reading scales in mathematics) are applied in the context of Science where necessary.
• All Science lessons are recorded in Science books. All trips, practical activities or experiences are also evidenced via photographs.
• All Science learning has a focus enquiry question which drives the learning journey forwards. This question is then answered at the end of each unit either through an essay, debate, research activity, presentation or practical investigation.
• Children are taught the scientific skills to be a successful scientist. They are also taught what sort of scientist works in the field they are learning about, for example: I am a botanist: I study plants. By developing these skills through an enquiry-based approach, children are able to apply this across different areas of learning as well as everyday life.
• Each Science unit has planned in clear subject-specific vocabulary which is displayed in the classroom at the beginning of the unit and is referred to throughout.
• Children will also complete an assessment not at the point of teaching to check their retention and application of key knowledge from each project.
• Consistent use of retrieval quizzes are used within Science lessons to provide the children with the opportunity to retrieve previous learning.
• Children across the school participate in National Science Week every year. They participate in investigations, research and analysis. This provides the children with a further opportunity to put their learned skills into practice.
Impact
In our Science curriculum at Saint James School, we have implemented a comprehensive approach to ensure that our students develop key scientific skills and knowledge whilst instilling our school values of love, respect and courage.
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We have identified the key scientific skills using a progression of skills document and the sticky knowledge. Our teachers assess students' progress in these skills and against this knowledge as part of their projects. This allows us to track their growth and provide targeted support where needed.
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We have created a knowledge and skills organizer that highlights the sticky knowledge and vocabulary for each project. The most important concepts are boldened to ensure that students understand their significance. We also take into account their prior knowledge, enabling our teachers to make connections and build upon their existing understanding.
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Our Science lessons are structured around an overarching enquiry question, which students answer at the end of each project. They have the flexibility to express their understanding through various formats such as essays, presentations, or practical investigations and write-ups. This approach not only demonstrates their grasp of sticky knowledge but also allows teachers to assess their learning effectively.
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To gauge students' retention of knowledge from previous projects, we also conduct assessments "not at the point of teaching." This helps us assess their ability to retrieve and retain information, ensuring that they have a solid foundation of knowledge.
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To ensure the quality of our curriculum provision, our Science subject leader regularly monitors the teaching through various means such as lesson observations, learning walks, and planning scrutiny. We also assess children's work samples and engage in pupil conferencing to gain valuable insights into their progress.
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Our Science subject leader plays a crucial role in supporting the creation of knowledge and skills organizers. This comprehensive approach strengthens our students' understanding and retention of scientific concepts.
Overall, our Science curriculum at Saint James School is designed to foster a deep understanding of scientific concepts and develop essential skills. Through continuous assessment, monitoring, and collaboration, we strive to provide the best learning experience for our students.
Curriculum Overview
A summary of the Science curriculum can be downloaded, or viewed in the accordian container below:
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WarningFor additional information regarding the curriculum please
email our Curriculum Leader
Unit: Plants
Topic: Our Wonderful World
I am a botanist: I study plants.
Big Question: How do plants grow?
NC: identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees.
Sticky Knowledge:
A seed contains a miniature plant that can develop into a fully grown plant.
A bulb has underground vertical shoots which already has modified leaves
Seeds and bulbs need water to grow but most do not need light (germination)
Seeds and bulbs have food stores inside them to help the plant start to grow
Unit: Materials
Topic: A Day in the Toy Museum
I am an engineer: I study materials.
Big Question: What is the best material for a toy?
NC: 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 the 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.
Sticky Knowledge:
There are many different materials that have different observable properties
Materials that have similar properties are grouped into metals, rocks, fabrics, wood, plastic and ceramics (including glass).
Unit: Seasonal changes ‘Do seasons effect habitats?’
Topic: Explorers
I am an climate scientist: I study how the different seasons impact our environment.
Big Question: Do seasons affect habitats?
NC: observe changes across the four seasons
observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.
Sticky Knowledge:
There are four seasons, Spring, summer, autumn and winter
Each season is about three months long
In Spring, young animals like lambs and chicks are born, the flowers bloom and the weather starts to become warmer.
In autumn, the leaves fall off the trees and the amount of time we have in the day becomes less.
Winter has the shortest amount of time during the day and the weather is at its coldest.
In summer the trees are full of green leaves and the weather is at its warmest.
Animals and plants have adapted ways of surviving the changing seasons. These include hibernating, storing food, fattening up, migration, loss of leaves
Unit: Animals including humans
Topic: Animal Adventures
I am a biomedical scientist: I study how the human body works.
Big Question: How do we use our senses to understand our environment?
NC: identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense.
Sticky Knowledge:
The five sense organs are the eyes (for seeing), nose (for smelling), ears (for hearing), tongue (for tasting), and skin (for touching or feeling).
Animals have senses to help them survive
Animals have developed a range of ways to find prey or avoid being eaten
Unit: Plants
Topic: West End Wanderers
I am a botanist: I study plants.
Big Question: How do plants get what they need to survive?
NC: identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees
Sticky Knowledge:
To survive plants, need to get water, light, and avoid being eaten
A seed produces roots to allow water to get into the plant.
A seed produces shoots to produce leaves to collect the sunlight.
A basic plant structure can include leaves, flowers (blossom), petals, fruit, roots, bulb, seed, trunk, branches, stem.
Unit: Animals including Huamans
Topic: Big Bad Wolf
I am a zoologist: I study animals.
Big Question: How do animals differ?
NC: identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds 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 (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including pets)
Sticky Knowledge:
There are many different groups of animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The structure of a variety of common animals varies Mammals have hair/fur and give birth to live young, fish can breathe underwater using gills, birds have feathers, beaks and wings. Females lay eggs. Most birds can fly, reptiles are air breathing and have scaly skin and lays eggs, and amphibians have smooth slimy skin and live on land and in water.
Unit: Animals including Humans
Topic: Journeys
I am an Entomologist: I study insects.
Big Question: How does a caterpillar become a butterfly?
NC: 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)
Sticky Knowledge:
Animals grow until they reach maturity and then don’t grow any larger
Animals grow until they reach maturity and then don’t grow any larger
All animals eventually, die
Different animals live to different ages
Different animals reach different sizes before they are able to reproduce
Different animals reproduce at different ages
Animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults
Animals including humans have basic needs to survive (food, water, air)
Unit: Animals including Humans
Topic: Great Fire of London
I am a nutritionist: I study diet and health.
Big Question: How do we keep ourselves healthy?
NC: describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene.
Sticky Knowledge:
Exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food and hygiene are important to maintain good health and wellbeing
Unit: Living things and their habitats
Topic: Kings and Queens
I am an ecologist: I study the relationship between living things and the environment.
Big Question: How are animals adapted to their own habitats?
NC: 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
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.
Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro habitats
Sticky Knowledge:
Habitats are places where animals and plants live
Animals live in habitats in which they are suited.
Different kinds of animals and plants depend on each other within habitat.
Animals get their food from plants and other animals. This can be shown in a food chain.
A food chain begins with a producer. This is often a green plant because plants can make their own food. A living this that eats other plants is called a consumer.
Unit: Living things
Topic: Titanic
I am a biologist: I study living things.
Big Question: Is a flame alive?
NC: explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
Sticky Knowledge:
Things that are living, move, feed, grow, reproduce and use their senses
Unit: Everyday Materials
Topic: Rwanda
I am an engineer: I study materials.
Big Question: Why do we choose materials to do certain jobs?
NC: identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses
Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.
Sticky Knowledge:
Materials can be changed by physical force (twisting, bending, squashing and stretching).
The properties of a material determine whether they are suitable for a purpose.
Unit: Plants
Topic: Things that grow
I am a botanist: I study plants.
Big Question: What do plants need to grow successfully?
NC: observe and describe 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.
Sticky Knowledge:
Plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy
Some plants die after it has produced its seed (annual) and sometimes the plant lives for many generations producing seeds each year (perennial)
All flowering plants make seeds (reproduction) that can grow (germinate) into new plants
Unit: Animals including humans
Topic: Africa
I am a biomedical scientist: I study how the human body works.
Big Question: Why is our skeleton and muscle important?
NC: 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 other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement
Sticky Knowledge:
All vertebrates have internal skeletons that protect vital organs. -Invertebrates have exoskeletons that protect vital organs
All vertebrates have internal skeletons that protect vital organs.
Invertebrates have exoskeletons that protect vital organs
Bones are connected (but can move relative to each other) at joints.
Muscles connect to bones and move them when they contract.
Stronger bones can anchor stronger muscle
Humans require a balanced diet to remain healthy but healthy diets vary depending upon the type of activity that humans do
Unit: Magnets
Topic: Iron Man
I am a physicist: I study magnets.
Big Question: How are magnets used in everyday life?
NC: compare how things move on different surfaces
Notice that some forces need contact between two objects, but magnetic forces can
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.
Sticky Knowledge:
Magnets exert attractive forces on some metals
Magnetic forces work through other materials including air, so magnets don't need to be touching to exert their force. It is called a non-contact force
Each end of a magnet is called a pole, opposite poles are called north and south.
Magnets exert attractive forces on each other when the poles facing each other are north and south (opposites).
Magnets exert repulsive forces on each other when the poles facing each other are the same
The strength of magnetic forces is affected by: The strength of the magnet. The distance between the magnet and the object. The material the object is made from
Unit: Rocks
Topic: Stone Age
I am a geologist: I study rocks.
Big Question: What on earth is a rock?
NC: 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
Sticky Knowledge:
A rock is a solid material made up of minerals forming part of the surface of the Earth
Rocks are exposed on the surface at cliffs, hills and mountains but are also under the surface.
Some rocks, called ores contain metals
Some rocks are made of grains squashed together and can contain the remains of long-dead organisms, called fossils. This type of rock is called sedimentary rock, an example would be limestone, sandstone or mudstone
Some rocks are made of crystals that are locked tightly together. These are called igneous and metamorphic rocks; an example of igneous rock is granite, and an example of metamorphic rock is slate.
These three types of rocks all have different properties to each other, including porosity, hardness, reaction to chemicals
Soil is made up of small broken-down pieces of rock.
Soil contains a range of different size rock pieces, e.g., sand grains or stones.
Soil also contains humus (rotted plant material)
Soil made of very fine rock is called silt or clay.
Unit: Plants
Topic: Romans
I am a botanist: I study plants.
Big Question: How do plants make their food?
NC: identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers
Investigate the way in which water is transported within plants
Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.
Sticky Knowledge:
Plants do not eat food so have to make their own.
This food provides then with energy, and materials to grow
To make the food (sugar) plants need water from the ground, carbon dioxide from the air and light from the sun.
The water is taken up through the roots from the soil
The carbon dioxide is taken in through the leaves
As well as food, plants also make oxygen which is given out back into the air through the leaves
Unit: Plants
Topic: Tudors
I am a botanist: I study plants.
Big Question: What happens when certain elements are taken away from a plant?
NC: explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant
Sticky Knowledge:
Light: too little light and the seedling with elongate and become tall, weak and spindly. They can’t carry out their normal function of making food.
In absence of nutrients, the growing plant is unable to make a wide range of chemicals needed for normal growth, in particular proteins. As a result, growth is poor and the plants are stunted, often of abnormal colours and they may survive for just a few weeks.
Low temperature: Many plants can survive in quite low temperatures, but they grow more slowly.
Unit: Light
Topic: Hampshire
I am an optic physicist: I study the behaviour of light.
Big Question: Why can you see your reflection in a mirror but not the floor?
NC: 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 an opaque object
Find patterns in the way that the size of shadows change.
Sticky Knowledge:
There must be light for us to see.
Light comes from a source.
We need light to see things, even shiny things.
Light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways to protect their eyes
If an object is transparent light will go through it and we will be able to see through it.
If an object is opaque, it will block the light and no light will get through. This is what forms shadows.
The closer to the light source an object is, the bigger the shadow will be. This is because the object blocks more of the light.
The further away from the light source an object is, the smaller the shadow will be. This is because the object blocks less of the light.
If an object is perfectly reflective light will bounce back off it and we will see reflections of objects.
If the material is translucent, it will allow light through, but we won't be able to see through it.
Unit: Living Things and Their Habitats
Topic: Scandinavia
I am a biologist: I study classification.
Big Question: What is classification?
NC: 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.
Sticky Knowledge:
Living things can be divided into groups based upon their characteristics
Classification keys help group, identify and name living things
Animals can be classified as vertebrates (having a spine) or invertebrates (lacking a spine)
In any habitat there are food chains and webs where nutrients are passed from one organism to another when it is eaten
If the population of one organism in the chain or web is affected, it has a knock-on effect to all the others
Environmental change affects different habitats differently
Human activity significantly affects the environment
Different organisms are affected differently by environmental change
Unit: States of matter
Topic: Victorians
I am a material scientist: I study the properties and structure of materials.
Big Question: How do materials change state?
NC: 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 or research 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
Sticky Knowledge:
Materials can be divided into solids, liquids and gases. Solids hold their shape unless forced to change. Liquids flow easily but stay in their container because of gravity. The more viscous a liquid the less runny it is. Gases move everywhere and are not held in containers by gravity.
Heating causes solids to melt into liquids and liquids to evaporate to gases.
Cooling causes gases to condense to liquids and liquids to freeze to solids.
Different substances change state at different temperatures but the temperatures at which given substances changes state is always the same.
The temperature at which a substance melts from a solid to a liquid is the same at which it freezes from a liquid to a solid.
The temperature at which a substance boils from a liquid to a gas is the same at which it condenses from a gas to a liquid. -Liquids evaporate slowly, even below their boiling temperatures. -The water cycle is the process by which water is continuously transferred between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere. -Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and precipitates back to earth in the form of rain and snow
Unit: Animals including humans
Topic: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I am a biomedical scientist: I study how the human body works.
Big Question: How does the body get nutrients from food into the bloodstream?
NC: 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
Sticky Knowledge:
Different animals require different foods to survive.
Animals get their food from plants and other animals. This can be shown in a food chain. (From Year 2)
A food chain begins with a producer. This is often a green plant because plants can make their own food. (From Year 2)
A living this that eats other plants is called a consumer. (From Year 2)
Humans require a balanced diet to remain healthy but healthy diets vary depending upon the type of activity that humans do.
Humans have 2 sets of teeth in their lifetimes
Humans have three main types of teeth- incisors, canines and molars.
Incisors help to bite off and chew pieces of food.
Canines are used for tearing and ripping food.
Molars help to crush and grind food
Unit: Sound
Topic: Anglo Saxons
I am a physicist: I study sound.
Big Question: How is sound produced?
NC: identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating
Recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear
Sticky Knowledge:
Sounds can be produced in a variety of ways.
Sounds have the properties of pitch and volume.
When a sound is produced it spreads out from its source in all directions
Sound is caused by vibration (objects move rapidly back and forth or up and down)
When objects vibrate it makes the objects in contact with it also vibrate. This includes the air.
The vibration travels through the air and makes other objects it is in contact with vibrate including your ear drum.
Unit: Sound
Topic: Raging Rivers
I am a physicist: I study sound.
Big Question: How does sound travel?
NC: 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.
Sticky Knowledge:
Pitch and volume are caused by how the material vibrates
The pitch of a sound is caused by how fast an object vibrates. This is called the frequency of vibration. Higher the frequency, higher the pitch
Smaller objects or tighter strings tend to vibrate with a higher frequency
The volume of sound is caused by how big each vibration is. This is called the amplitude of vibration. The bigger the amplitude the higher the volume.
Sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.
Unit: Electricity
Topic: Vikings
I am an electrical engineer: I study electricity.
Big Question: What are electric circuits and how do they work?
NC: 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.
Sticky Knowledge:
Lots of devices are powered by electricity
Electricity comes from a source
There are two main sources- batteries and mains
A battery pushes electricity to the device.
To be able to push electricity the battery must be connected to the device using wires. This is called a circuit.
If there are more batteries added to a circuit this provides a bigger push on the electricity
This will make the device work harder e.g., brighter bulbs, faster spinning motor, louder buzzer
Some materials will allow electricity to flow through them- Conductors. Metals such as silver, gold and copper are good conductors. Water is also a conductor of electricity.
Other materials will not allow electricity to flow through them- Insulators
Plastic, wood, glass and rubber are good electrical insulators. That is why they are used to cover materials that carry electricity.
A switch opens and closes a circuit
Unit: Properties and changes of materials
Topic: South America
I am a materials scientist: I study the properties and structure of materials.
Big Question: Are there some changes we cannot reverse?
NC: compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
Know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution
Use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
Give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic
Demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes
Explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.
Sticky Knowledge:
Different materials are used for particular jobs based on their properties: electrical conductivity, flexibility, hardness, insulators, magnetism, solubility, thermal conductivity, transparency.
Reversible changes, such as mixing and dissolving solids and liquids together, can be reversed by sieving, filtering and evaporating.
Irreversible changes often result in a new product being made from the old materials (reactants).
Unit: Forces
Topic: WW1
I am a physicist: I study magnetism.
Big Question: Why is the tank stuck?
NC: explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object
Identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction, that act between moving surfaces
Recognise that some mechanisms, including levers, pulleys and gears, allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.
Sticky Knowledge:
When objects move through air and water, they have to push it out of the way. The water and air push back with forces called water resistance and air resistance. The harder it is to push the material out of the way the greater the resistance.
Gases weigh less than liquids and so water resistance is greater than air resistance.
Friction is a force against motion caused by two surfaces rubbing against each other. It occurs because no surfaces are perfectly smooth; they have bumps and undulations that can interlock when placed on top of each other.
To move one interlocking surface over another, one of three things must happen: 1. The surfaces must rise slightly 2. The bumps on the surface must bend 3. The bumps on the surface must break All of these actions require a force, this is what causes friction.
Some objects require large forces to make them move; gears, pulley and levers can reduce the force needed to make things move.
The use of levers can reduce the force needed to move things. The object you are lifting is called the load, and the force you apply to the arm to make the object move is called the effort.
The use of pulleys can reduce the force needed to move things
Unit: Earth and Space
Topic: Extreme Earth
I am an astronomer: I study out of space, the solar system and its objects
Big Question: What is Earth’s address in space?
NC: describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system
Describe the movement of the Moon relative to the Earth
Sticky Knowledge:
A Solar system is a collection of planets, which orbit (a curved path) a star.
There are huge number of stars in space and therefore a huge number of solar systems
Our solar system consists of 8 planets, many of those planets have moons which orbit around them.
Earths moon is not a planet but is a satellite which orbits Earth. It is around a quarter of the size of Earth.
As the Moon orbits the Earth, the Sun lights up different parts of it, making it seem as if the Moon is changing shape. We call these the phases of the moon.
The Moon does not give off light itself, the moonlight we see is actually the Sun's light reflected off the lunar surface.
Unit: Living things and their habitats
Topic: Ancient Greece
I am a biologist: I study different animals.
Big Question: What is a lifecycle in biology?
NC: describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird
Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.
Sticky Knowledge:
Asexual reproduction is when one parent is needed to create an offspring, which is an exact copy of the parent.
Fertilisation is the action of fusing the male and female sex cells in order to develop an egg
Gestation is the length of a pregnancy
A lifecycle is the journey of changes that take place throughout the life of a living thing including birth, growing up and reproduction.
Metamorphosis is an abrupt and obvious change in the structure of an animal’s body and their behaviour.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen to a stigma to allow fertilisation.
Reproduction is the process of new living things being made.
Sexual reproduction is when Two parents are needed to make offspring which are similar but not identical to either parent.
Unit: Earth and Space
Topic: Lost in the Universe
I am an astronomer: I study out of space, the solar system and its objects.
Big Question: How and why do the spherical bodies move in our solar system?
NC: describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies
Use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky.
Sticky Knowledge:
Our solar system can be represented with a model (see diagram), but it isn’t possible to draw it to scale.
The planets and moons are rotating (spinning)
The time it takes one planet to rotate is called a day. On Earth this is 24 hours
The time it takes a planet to complete one orbit around its star is called a year. On Earth this is 356.25 days
The solar system is with a massive collection of stars called the galaxy (called the Milky way)
The Milky way is one of billions of galaxies in the Universe.
Stars are huge balls of gas that produce vast amounts of light and heat.
Asteroids are lumps of rock that orbit a star (there are millions in between Mars and Jupiter)
Comets are objects that are made of Ice, which melts when they get closer to the sun leaving a tail.
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Unit: Animals and Humans
Topic: Egyptians
I am a biologist: I study how the human body works.
Big Question: Why do some people have children?
NC: describe the changes as humans develop to old age.
Sticky Knowledge:
Adolescence is the social and emotional stage of development between childhood and adulthood.
Puberty is the physical stage of development between childhood and adulthood
Menstruation is when the female body discharges the lining of the uterus. This happens approximately once a month.
Life expectancy is the length of time, on average, that a particular animal is expected to live
Unit: Light
Topic: Asia and Great Britain
I am an optic physicist: I study the behaviour of light.
Big Question: What would we do without light?
NC: recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines
Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye
Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes
Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.
Sticky Knowledge:
When light is emitted from a light source, it travels in straight lines until it hits an object. This can be represented by an arrow.
Shadows form when light hits an opaque object, the area behind is in darkness because light can only travel in straight lines.
Shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them
When light hits a transparent object, it goes through it in a straight line so we can see a clear image through it.
When light hits a translucent material, it goes through it but is scattered, this means light can pass through, but we can’t see an image through it.
When light hits a mirrored surface, it reflects off it in straight lines, so we can see an image in the reflective material.
Sometimes when light hits a material it reflects off it in many different directions (it is scattered). In this case light will be reflected but no image will be seen in the material.
Shiny surfaces are better reflectors and rough surfaces scatter light more. Opaque objects don’t allow any light to pass through them.
Unit: Electrical circuits
Topic: Climate Project
I am an electrical engineer: I study and control how different circuits are impacted.
Big Question: How can electrical circuits be controlled?
NC: associate the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in the circuit
Compare and give reasons for variations in how components function, including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches
Use recognised symbols when representing a simple circuit in a diagram.
Sticky Knowledge:
Current is the flow of electricity around a circuit.
The power supply in a circuit pushes the current round the circuit
The voltage of the power supply is a measure of this push
Voltage is measure in volts
Batteries have a limited store of energy and when this is gone, they can no longer push the current
Current is the flow of electricity through a conductor
When current passes through a device it makes it work
Increasing the voltage (the number of cells in the battery) increases the current. The larger the flow of current, the harder the device works
All parts of a circuit offer resistance to electrical current including the wires.
Resistance is the slowing down of electrical current
The more devices added into a circuit the greater the resistance
This means less current flows around the circuit
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Unit: Living things and their habitats
Topic: WW2
I am a biologist: I study classification.
Big Question: How and why do we classify living things?
NC: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals
Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.
Sticky Knowledge:
Living things can be grouped according to different criteria (where they live, what type of organism they are, what features they have). For example, a camel can belong in a group of vertebrates, a group of animals that live in the desert, and a group of animals that have four legs.
A classification key is a tool that is used to group living things to help us identify them using recognisable characteristics.
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.
Microorganisms are very tiny organisms where a microscope has to be used to see them.
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.
Unit: Sound
Topic: Evolution and Inheritance
I am an evolutionary biologist: I study evolution and inheritance.
Big Question: What is evolution & how does it help survival?
NC: recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago
Recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents
Identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution.
Sticky Knowledge:
Adaptation is when animals and plants have evolved so that they have adapted to survive 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 the leaves on trees.
Some environments provide challenges, yet some animals and plants have adapted to survive there
Sometimes adaptations can be disadvantageous, one example of this can be the dodo, which became extinct as it lost its ability to fly through evolution. Flying was unnecessary for the dodo as it had lived for so many years without predators, until its native island became inhabited. When adaptations are more harmful than helpful, these are called maladaptation
Evidence of evolution comes from fossils when these are compared to living creatures from today, palaeontologists can compare similarities and differences. -Other evidence comes from living things comparisons of some species may reveal common ancestors.
Evolution is 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. This is because offspring are not identical to their parents.
It occurs when there is competition to survive. This is called natural selection. -Difference within a species (for example between parents and offspring) can be caused by inheritance and mutations.
Inheritance is when characteristics are passed on from generation to the next.
Mutations in characteristics are not inherited from the parents and appear as new characteristics. </text>
