Curriculum Area Science
Purpose of Study A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should been encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes. |
Aims The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
implications of science, today and for the future.
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Key Stage 1 |
The principal focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They should be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They should be helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They should begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the learning about science should be done through the use of first-hand practical experiences, but there should also be some use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos. ‘Working scientifically’ is described separately in the programme of study, but must always be taught through and clearly related to the teaching of substantive science content in the programme of study. Throughout the notes and guidance, examples show how scientific methods and skills might be linked to specific elements of the content. Pupils should read and spell scientific vocabulary at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge at key stage 1. |
Year 1
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Seasonal change, Everyday materials, Plants, Animals including humans.
Plants
Animals including humans
Everyday materials
metal, water, and rock
Seasonal changes Pupils should be taught to:
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Year 2
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All living things and their habitats, Animals including humans, Uses of everyday materials, Plants.
Living things and their habitats
Pupils should be taught to:
Plants
Pupils should be taught to:
Animals including humans
Pupils should be taught to:
Use of everyday materials
Pupils should be taught to:
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Key Stage 2 |
During years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
them
measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
answering questions
keys, bar charts, and tables
or presentations of results and conclusions
improvements and raise further questions
processes
findings.
During years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
recognising and controlling variables where necessary
accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate
labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
relationships and explanations of and degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
arguments.
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Year 3
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Plants, Animals including humans, Light, Rocks, Forces and magnets.
Plants
Pupils should be taught to:
stem/trunk, leaves and flowers
soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant
pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.
Animals including humans
Pupils should be taught to:
and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat
support, protection and movement.
Rocks
Pupils should be taught to:
and simple physical properties
trapped within rock
Light
Pupils should be taught to:
light
their eyes
solid object
Forces and Magnets
Pupils should be taught to:
act at a distance
others
they are attracted to a magnet, and identify some magnetic materials
poles are facing.
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Year 4
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Sound, States of Matter, Electricity, Animals including humans, All living things.
Animals including humans
Pupils should be taught to:
prey.
All living things Pupils should be taught to:
things in their local and wider environment
to living things. States of Matter
Pupils should be taught to:
or gases
measure or research the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C)
associate the rate of evaporation with temperature
Sound Pupils should be taught to:
produced it
Electricity
Pupils should be taught to:
including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers
not the lamp is part of a complete loop with a battery
not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit
good conductors. |
Year 5
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Animals including humans, properties and changes of materials, Forces, Earth and space, All living things.
All living things
Pupils should be taught to:
a bird
Animals including humans
Pupils should be taught to:
Properties and changes of materials
Pupils should be taught to:
including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
to recover a substance from a solution
separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic
of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.
Earth and Space
Pupils should be taught to:
solar system
movement of the sun across the sky.
Forces Pupils should be taught to:
gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object
moving surfaces
smaller force to have a greater effect.
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Year 6
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All living things, Evolution and inheritance, Light, Animals including humans, Electricity
All living things
Pupils should be taught to:
observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals
Animals including humans
Pupils should be taught to:
functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood
function
Evolution and inheritance
Pupils should be taught to:
information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago
vary and are not identical to their parents
ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution.
Light
Pupils should be taught to:
because they give out or reflect light into the eye
from light sources to objects and then to our eyes
shape as the objects that cast them.
Electricity
Pupils should be taught to:
voltage of cells used in the circuit
brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches
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