Science Scheme of WorkYear Group

4Unit

All Living ThingsWhen to Teach It

Throughout the yearAbout This Unit Pupils should use the local environment throughout the year to raise and answer questions that help them to identify and study plants and animals in their habitat. They should identify how the habitat changes throughout the year. Pupils should explore possible ways of grouping a wide selection of living things that include animals and flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Pupils could begin to put vertebrate animals into groups such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals; and invertebrates into snails and slugs, worms, spiders, and insects. Pupils should explore examples of human impact (both positive and negative) on environments, for example, the positive effects of nature reserves, ecologically planned parks, or garden ponds, and the negative effects of population and development, litter or deforestation.

National Curriculum Expectations

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.

Vocabulary General Vocabulary

habitat, environment, change, living, non-living, adapt, climate, weather,

conditions, organism, alive, dead, never been

alive

Grouping Vocabularyclassify, flowering plant,

non-flowering plant, vertebrate, invertebrate, backbone, classification, fish, amphibians, reptiles,

birds, mammals, exoskeleton,

endoskeleton, insects, arachnids, crustaceans,

cephalopods, gastropods, bivalves, annelids,

echinoderms, cnidarians

Otherecological, deforestation,

human impact

Suggestions for Working Scientifically Using the ‘wild area’,

describe or measure the weather, temperature and hours of daylight. Compare this over time, in different conditions and seasons, keeping an ongoing record.

Other Possible Activities

Make a dichotomous classification key to identify local invertebrates.

Look at the effects of deforestation over time and create an informative poster.

Possible ResourcesClassification Keys

Outdoor Environment: wild area, bug hotel etc.

Equipment to measure weather, temperature etc.

Expectations First sessions will build up a knowledge and understanding of living things, recognising the difference between living and non-living things. Children will identify

how different living things are grouped and classified using a range of classification keys and identify different habitats living things live in and how they can change.This will lead to an investigation where they can apply and further the knowledge they have gained. The investigation will then lead to further understanding of how habitats change over a prolonged period of time, demonstrating how humans can have a negative or positive impact on these. At The End of This Unit Most children will … Group and classify living things, including plants, into

different subcategories by their characteristics. They will be able to describe the characteristics of a variety of different living things, including being able to identify the difference between living and non-living things. They will recognise different habitats and explain how these may change over a period.

Some children will not have made as much progress and will …

Identify the differences between living and non-living things in relation to the seven characteristics of living things (MRS NERG). They will be able to identify some different ways of grouping and classifying living things and match these to specific habitats.

Some children will have progressed further and will also …

Provide reasons as to why animals have adapted in relation to the habitat they live in and how these habitats would change over a period.

Science Scheme of WorkYear Group

4Unit

States of MatterWhen to Teach It

Discreetly during Being a Consumer topic

About This Unit Through this unit, children should become familiar with the three different states of matter (solids, liquids and gases). They should think about how the different changes of state can be changed, altered and reversed, which should be used to understand a range of familiar phenomena e.g. the water cycle.

National Curriculum Expectations

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.

VocabularyWords related to states

solid, liquid, gas, solidify, ice, melt, freeze,

evaporate, condense, changing state, temperature,

thermometer, degrees Celsius (°C), warm/cool,

water vapour

Words related to the water cycle

precipitation, evaporation, condensation, sun,

atmosphere, clouds, climate, water vapour,

transpiration, surface run-

Suggestions for Working Scientifically Freeze something

inside ice cubes (e.g. Lego people) and challenge the children to plan and execute which method is the most effective to release this.

Compare the different melting points of materials e.g. ice, chocolate, butter

Which materials makes the best thermal insulator? Cover cups with different materials and measure the Possible Resources

Resources for boiling water

(e.g. kettle, saucepan) and freezing (e.g. freezer)Ice, waterChocolateButterSomething to freeze inside an ice cubeVideos illustrating the water cycleBattery-powered fanThermometersAir freshenerCornflour and waterVariety of different materials

off, groundwater, infiltration,

temperature of boiling water at regular time intervals

Other Possible Activities

Drama activity to represent how different state acts

Expectations First sessions will build up a knowledge and understanding of the different states of matter, using this knowledge to group a variety of different materials dependent upon these. Children should be able how different materials change their state, discussing whether this is reversible or irreversible. This will lead to an investigation where they can apply and further the knowledge they have gained. The investigation will then lead to further understanding of changing states by giving the children a problem to solve with different changing state methods.At The End of This Unit Most children will … name the three different states of matter,

understanding the characteristics of these; name and describe examples of the main processes associated with water changing state and recognise that these processes can be reversed; explain the water cycle in terms of these processes;

Some children will not have made as much progress and will …

name the different states of matter; describe how to change water into ice and steam and steam into water; describe a few examples where these changed occur

Some children will have progressed further and will also …

explain how changing conditions affects processes such as evaporation and condensation and relate this to the water cycle

Science Scheme of WorkYear Group

4 Unit

SoundWhen to Teach It

Discreetly during Poverty topicAbout This Unit Before this unit, children have not studied Sound as a topic however, they have looked at the senses and how these help us to observe. In this unit, pupils should explore and identify the way sound is made through vibration in a range of different musical instruments from around the world; and find out how the pitch and volume of sounds can be changed in a variety of ways.

National Curriculum Vocabulary Suggestions for

Expectations 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

Words related to soundspitch, loudness, vibration,

muffle, tuning, air, medium, ear, hear, sound, volume, insulate, insulator,

tension, tight, tightenstring, percussion, woodwind, brass

Words to describe soundsfaint, fainter, loud, louder,

quiet, soft, high, low,

Working Scientifically Working on the yard or

in the school hall, children investigate the max. distance at which somebody can hear one of five body sounds (hand clap, sniff, cough, foot stamp and thigh slap).

Place five different water containers in order, depending on the pitch made when air is gently blown across the top of each.

Investigate how effective five different materials are at blocking sound.

Other Possible Activities

Rice on a drum to symbolise vibrations

Possible ResourcesModel of the EarSelection of musical instrumentsTuning forksVariety of materials for testing insulation e.g. foam sheeting, bubble wrap, woollen fabrics, newspaper, furry fabricsVideos of orchestras or bandsDrums with riceWide-necked bottles

Expectations First sessions will build up a knowledge and understanding of how sounds are made, recognising vibrations travel through different medium to our ears. They should recognise how our ears work, being able to identify different parts of the ear.This will lead to an investigation where they can apply and further the knowledge they have gained. The investigation will then lead to further understanding of how sounds can be changed and altered in different ways related to pitch and volume of a sound.At The End of This Unit Most children will … generalise that sounds are produced when objects

vibrate; suggest how to change the pitch and loudness of the sounds produced by a range of musical instruments; recognise that sounds travel through solids, water and air, suggest how to investigate how well sound travel through different materials and say how good their evidence is

Some children will not suggest ways of producing sounds; distinguish between

have made as much progress and will …

pitch and loudness, and suggest how to change the sound made by an instrument

Some children will have progressed further and will also …

describe ways in which the pitch of a sounds made by a particular instrument or vibrating object can be raised or lowered and identify what is vibrating in a range of musical instruments

Science Scheme of WorkYear Group

4 Unit

Animals including humans

When to Teach ItDuring World Hunger topic

About This Unit This unit will build upon the children’s prior learning about the human body, where children have learnt the different body parts including the skeletal and muscular systems. In this unit, pupils should be introduced to the main body parts associated with the digestive system, for example, mouth, tongue, teeth, oesophagus, stomach and small and large intestine and explore questions that help them to understand their special functions.

National Curriculum Expectations

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.

Vocabulary Words for Digestion

mouth, tongue, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, small

intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus, enzymes,

chewing, churning, saliva, salivary glands, teeth,

incisors, canines, molars, swallow

Words for Food Chainsproducer, predators, prey,

energy, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, food

chain, food web, decomposer, consumer

Suggestions for Working Scientifically Start an investigation to

see which liquid does least damage to an eggshell e.g. water, milk, coke, orange etc.

Other Possible Activities

Can you show what happens inside your stomach? Using a zip-lock bag, crack, orange juice, water to show.

Use disclosing tablets to investigate how to properly brush their teeth.

Possible ResourcesDigestive System models and diagramsTeeth models and diagramsVideos about teethMirrors and dental equipmentToothpasteDisclosing tabletsEggsDifferent drinks/liquids

Expectations First sessions will build up a knowledge and understanding of the different organs associated with the digestive system, including our different types of teeth and their jobs. They should be able to recognise all of these including their specific functions. This should be related to food chains of different animals, comparing how our teeth (and digestive systems) are different.This will lead to an investigation where they can apply and further the knowledge they have gained. The investigation will then lead to further understanding of how different liquids can affect our teeth and why this is. Children should discuss why this is the case dependent on sugar contents within the different drinks.

At The End of This Unit Most children will … recognise the different organs of the digestive system,

explaining how these work during the process of digestion; explain how they should look after their teeth and recognise why they need to do so; suggest questions about diet to be investigated

Some children will not have made as much progress and will …

recognise the different organs of the digestive system; recognise they need to take care of their teeth

Some children will have progressed further and will also …

state that animals have different diets and may have different kinds of teeth to accommodate their diet;

Science Scheme of WorkYear Group

4Unit

ElectricityWhen to Teach It

During ‘Energy’ topicAbout This Unit In this unit, pupils should construct simple series circuits, trying different components, for example, bulbs, buzzers and motors, and including switches, and use their circuits to create simple devices. They should have opportunities to explore varying the current within a circuit to identify how this effects the original circuit. Pupils should draw the circuit as a pictorial representation, not necessarily using conventional circuit symbols at this stage.

National Curriculum Expectations

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.

Vocabulary appliances, electricity,

electrical circuit, cell, wire, bulb, buzzer, danger, electrical safety, sign, insulator, conductor,

battery, switch, power source, mains, current

Insulator Materialswood, rubber, plastic,

glass

Conductor Materialsmetal, water

Suggestions for Working Scientifically Children look at different

circuit illustrations. In each circuit, predict whether the bulb will light or not before putting this into practice.

Investigate whether a variety of different materials are conductors or insulators by placing them within a circuit.

Possible ResourcesRange of electrical and non-electrical appliancesBatteries of different voltages, wires, bulbs and buzzersVideos to show electrical hazards of mains electricityRange of materials to test for conductors and insulatorsExpectations

First sessions will build up a knowledge and understanding of electricity, including what appliances need electricity, identifying the differences between mains and battery powered items. Children should demonstrate an understanding of what makes a complete circuit, recognising when a circuit will and will not work. This will lead to an investigation where they can apply and further the knowledge they have gained. The investigation will then lead to further understanding of how circuits work when complete and identify which materials are conductors or insulators.At The End of This Unit Most children will … construct simple circuits and use them to test whether

materials are electrical conductors or insulators and how switches work; relate knowledge about metals and non-metals to their use in electrical appliances and investigate the effect of changing components in a circuit on the brightness of the bulbs

Some children will not have made as much progress and will …

construct a simple working circuit, and explain why some circuits work and others do not

Some children will have progressed further and will also …

explain how they matched different component for a particular circuit and describe what may happen if the components are not matched