Science: Mixed-age Year 3/4
Providing full curriculum coverage for Science while developing pupils' skills and knowledge across five key areas: Plants; Animals, including humans; Living things and their habitats; Materials and forces; and Earth and space.
How it works
Follow the units in the suggested order to ensure a coherent approach to the progression of skills and knowledge in Lower KS2 within the Science scheme of work.
The following strands run through all Science units:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Working scientifically
- Science in action
Kapow Primary Science lessons are designed to be 1 hour and 30 minutes long to reflect the requirements of a core subject.
Units
Cycle A
Identifying light sources, the children learn that light is needed to see, explore how its absence causes darkness, investigate reflection and shadow formation and create shadow puppets to explore how light can be used in the arts.
Studying the human skeleton, the children identify key bones, explore how muscle changes cause movement, learn how the body uses energy, understand what constitutes a balanced diet and discover how research informs nutritionist expertise.
Observing the appearance and physical properties of rocks, the children compare and group different rock samples, learn about fossil and soil formation and record soil drainage rates in a bar chart.
Using models, the children describe the function of key organs in the digestive system, identify types of human teeth, investigate factors affecting dental health, compare human teeth to those of other animals and examine animal faeces to explore diet, digestion and dentition. To be published by mid-February 2025.
Exploring appliances that use electricity, the children learn to work safely with electricity, build circuits, investigate conductors and insulators, examine the relationship between the number of cells and bulb brightness and use real scenarios and historical discoveries to understand scientific progression and home safety. To be published by mid-April 2025.
Bringing together learning from multiple Science units, the children make connections between key concepts and skills. To be published by the end of May 2025.
Cycle B
Investigating motion on different surfaces, the children learn about friction, compare its uses and disadvantages, explore contact and non-contact forces and study the properties and uses of magnets.
Investigating the properties of solids, liquids, and gases, the children learn about states of matter, explore changes of state through relatable examples, explain water cycle changes and study how temperature affects the rate of evaporation.
Exploring different ways of producing sounds, the children learn how vibrations relate to what they hear, how pitch and volume can be altered and how sound can be insulated with different materials.
Exploring ways to group living things, the children create classification keys, study how habitats change over time and understand the positive and negative effects humans have on their surroundings. To be published by mid-February 2025.
Explaining how plants reproduce within the life cycle of a flowering plant, the children gather data on plant growth and investigate the structure and function of its parts. To be published by mid-April 2025.
Bringing together learning from multiple Science units, the children make connections between key concepts and skills. To be published by the end of May 2025.
