Identifying examples of light sources, children learn that light is needed to see and how its absence causes darkness. Children investigate reflection and shadow formation and explore how shadows can be used to entertain in the arts, creating shadow puppets to recount how different people work or experiment with light.

Studying the human skeleton, children identify key bones and compare them to other animals explaining the role within the body. Pupils explore how changes in muscles result in movement and the implications these discoveries have in the scientific development of prosthetic limbs. They study how energy is used by the body, what constitutes a balanced diet in humans and how research contributes to nutritionist expertise. To be published by the end of October 2024.

Studying rocks and their properties, children learn how to classify rocks and identify how they were formed. They look at the work of palaeontologists to learn about fossil formation and use models to explore how fossils tell us about the past. Pupils investigate the physical properties of rocks and link these to their particular uses. To be published by the end of December 2024.

Using models, children describe the function of key organs in the digestive system. Pupils identify the types of human teeth to create their own model and investigate factors that impact our dental health. They compare human teeth to other animals’ and consider this in the light of prior knowledge about predators, prey and food chains. To be published by mid-February 2025.

Exploring appliances that use electricity in their setting, children learn how to work with electricity safely and build circuits. Pupils investigate electrical conductors and insulators and explore the relationship between the number of bulbs and bulb brightness. Real scenarios and historical discoveries inform children about scientific progression and home safety. To be published by mid-April 2025.

Bringing together pupils’ learning from multiple Science units, helping them to make connections between the key concepts and skills. To be published by the end of May 2025.

By investigating motion on different surfaces, children learn about friction and compare its uses and disadvantages. They broaden their experience in working scientifically as they investigate contact and non-contact forces. Pupils explore the properties of different magnets and apply this to understand their uses.

This is a variant of our Year 3 unit, Forces and magnets, which has been tailored to suit mixed-age teaching.

Investigating the properties of solids, liquids and gases, children learn about the different states of matter. They explore changes of state using relatable examples and use this to explain changes to water through the water cycle. Pupils investigate the relationship between temperature and rate of evaporation while broadening their experience of working scientifically. To be published by the end of October 2024.

Exploring different ways of producing sounds, children learn about the relationship between vibrations and what they hear. They study dolphins and whales to develop their understanding of how sound travels between objects and investigate the role of insulation to protect our ears. To be published by the end of December 2024.

Identifying different ways to group living things, children make classification keys to explore which grouping methods are most effective. Pupils study ways habitats change over time and understand that humans can have both positive and negative effects on their surroundings. To be published by mid-February 2025.

Explaining how plants reproduce in the context of the life cycle of a flowering plant, gathering data on plant growth and investigating the structure and function of the parts of a flowering plant. To be published by mid-April 2025.

Bringing together pupils’ learning from multiple Science units, helping them to make connections between the key concepts and skills. To be by the end of May 2025.