Science curriculum: Working Scientifically - Skills Reception Plants and Animals Identify and name common plants (green plants, wild plants and trees, deciduous and evergreen) Label parts of a plant Identify and name common animals (birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, invertebrates) Carnivores, herbivores and omnivores Identify, Draw and label parts of the body Characteristics of living things Notice that animals, including humans have offspring which grow into adults. Find out about and describe the basic needs of animals for survival. Describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts and types of food and hygiene Pushes and Pulls Asking questions Making simple comparisons Making observations Noticing patterns Grouping First-hand experiences Know what happens when you push or pull something Know that things can change shape Know what happens when you melt different objects
Working Scientifically - Skills Year 1 Everyday Materials Know what things are made of and be able to distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including at least wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, rock, brick, paper and cardboard. 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 Seasonal Changes Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer Observe changes across the four seasons, including describing the weather associated with each season using vocabulary like rain, clouds, wind and temperature Begin to notice how the length of day varies. Observe changes in plants/animals. Identify and classify (to be able to identify and classify objects and materials) Observe carefully, using simple equipment eg hand lenses/magnifiers Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways. Carry out simple tests. Make simple measurements with equipment. Animals including humans Identify and name a variety of common animals that are birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals Record simple data in order to answer a question Collect information to help answer a question Identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
Year 1 continued Animals including humans continued Describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, and 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 Use their observations to compare and contrast animals at first hand or through videos and photographs, describing how they identify and group them; grouping animals according to what they eat; and using their senses to compare different textures, sounds and smells. Plants 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 plants including roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers. Observe closely, perhaps using magnifying glasses, and comparing and contrasting familiar plants; describing how they were able to identify and group them, and drawing diagrams showing the parts of different plants including trees. Pupils might keep records of how plants have changed over time, for example the leaves falling off trees and buds opening; and compare and contrast what they have found out about different plants.
Working Scientifically - Skills Year 2 Animals, including humans Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults Be aware of the stages of growth of many insects egg, larva, pupa, adult and the stages of life baby, toddler, child, teenager and adult 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 Living Things & Their Habitats 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 micro-habitats Use observations to suggest answers to questions and recognise that questions can be answered in a range of ways. Gather data using simple measurements, and record as flow diagrams, tables, tally charts, and charts Use data to answer questions Carry out a simple test Observe closely using simple equipment such as a microscope and a hand lens Sort objects using observable features 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 Plants Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants and ffind out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy
Working Scientifically - Skills Year 2 continued Uses of Everyday Materials 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.
Year 3 Animals, including humans Working Scientifically - Skills Identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food know that they get nutrition from what they eat Know that humans and some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement Forces and magnets Be able to 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 use the terminology magnetic and non-magnetic Compare how things move on different surfaces and understand the factors that can influence forces Understand that magnets have poles and be able to predict whether two magnets will attract or repel each other, depending on which poles are facing. Know that some forces need contact between two objects, but magnetic forces can act at a distance Light Recognise that we need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light. Notice that light travels in straight lines and is reflected from surfaces Use the idea that light from the sun and other light sources or reflections, enters our eyes to explain how we see and represent this in simple diagrammatic form Choose an appropriate approach to answer a question (To be able to identify the correct type of enquiry to answer a question) Record and present results in different ways, including drawings, written explanations, data tables, bar charts, scatter diagrams Report on findings from enquiries using real evidence to answer questions Make systematic and careful observations Set up a simple fair-test with support Use results to draw simple conclusions and be able to provide an oral, pictorial or written explanation of findings
Year 3 continued Working Scientifically - Skills Light continued Recognise that light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways to protect our eyes Know that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by a solid object and use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain the path of light and the formation, shape and size of shadows. Find patterns in the way that the size of shadows can change Plants Identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers Explore the requirements of plants for life and growth air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow, and know how they vary from plant to plant Investigate how plants transport water Rocks Compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties eg appearance, hardness, permeability 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 Plan and set up a simple fair test and/or enquiry Make systematic and careful observations and measurements Record findings as a bar chart Use results to make predictions for further values Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support findings Set up simple comparative tests Measure accurately using a range of equipment eg measure water using beakers and syringes Present information in a branching key
Year 4 Animals including humans Describe the simple functions of the main parts of the digestive system in humans Identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions Electricity Identify common appliances that run on electricity - sound, light, heat movement Construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, involving at least cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers Identify circuits which work eg 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 Know which materials are good electrical conductors and recognise some common conductors and insulators associate metals with being good conductors Living Things & Their Habitats Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways and describe the main characteristics used to group plants, animals and micro-organisms according to the main groups in the classification system Working Scientifically Skills Record findings using labelled diagrams and written explanations Set up a simple practical enquiry and record my results Use results to make predictions Make observations and gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways, including constructing keys, to help in answering questions Report on findings from enquiries, including both oral and written explanations Plan an enquiry using data loggers Use a scientific enquiry to answer a question and be able to set up a simple fair test Explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment, based on first hand observation and secondary information sources Recognise that environments can change and that environmental changes may have an impact on living things, sometimes posing dangers to them
Year 4 continued Living Things & Their Habitats continued Construct and interpret food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey Sound Know how sounds are made and associate this with something vibrating Know that 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 and recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases States of Matter 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 Working Scientifically Skills Make systematic and careful measurements with a data logger Report on findings from an enquiry and be able to identify differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas Make systematic and careful observations over time to answer a question Conduct a fair test and use results to draw simple conclusions Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams. Report on findings from enquiries including oral or written explanation, displays or presentations. Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings Measure accurately using a digital thermometer thermometer must use a data logger Communicate data using a scatter graph and be able to present conclusions Use evidence to support my findings and to refute or support an idea
Year 5 Animals, including humans Describe the changes as humans develop from birth to old Changes in Materials 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 Understand 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, through evaporating and condensation Earth and Space Describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system Forces 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 mechanisms such as levers, pulleys and gears can be used to allow a smaller force to move something heavy Working Scientifically Skills Plan a scientific enquiry that will answer a question and be able to recognise control variables when planning a fair test Use test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests Use results to draw conclusions and be able to give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic Make accurate measurements using a digital thermometer and data logger Record results in tables, bar charts and line graphs Report and present findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations Evaluate an enquiry in terms of the amount of trust one can have in it measure accurately eg take repeated accurate measurements using a stopwatch Recognise control variables when planning a fair test and identify whether results are reliable Use test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
Year 6 Animals, including humans Identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system, and explain the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood Recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way that bodies function Describe the ways in which nutrients and water are transported within animals, including humans Electricity 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 Evolution & Inheritance 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 Working Scientifically Skills Plan the correct type of enquiry to answer a question, and be able to recognise which secondary sources will be most useful to their research Record results using scientific diagrams and labels, as well as tables, charts and line graphs Use results to draw conclusions and explain findings, giving reasons, based on evidence, and to make predictions to set up further comparative tests. Plan pattern-seeking enquiry Be able to report causal relationships Present findings from enquiries Take repeat measurements of data with precision using a datalogger Explain the degree of trust that can be had in results Plan a fair test by recognising the control variables and use predictions to set up fair tests Identify scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments and be able to plan an enquiry that will answer a question Use scientific evidence to support or refute an idea