Evolution and inheritance
Exploring variation and inheritance in different living things and how observations and fossil evidence have led to the theory of evolution.
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Living things: Evolution and inheritance
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Define and identify variation in organisms and recall that it is caused by inherited and environmental factors.
- Recall that living things produce offspring of the same kind but are not normally identical to their parents.
- Describe patterns of inheritance from parent to offspring in a given example or family tree.
- Describe what an adaptation is; it cannot be chosen and is usually inherited.
- Describe key characteristics that would help an organism to survive and explain how an adaptation helps the organism to survive.
- Explain how variation may affect survival within a population and recall what natural selection means.
- Recall what evolution is, identify differences between a living thing and its ancestor and describe key steps in the evolution of a species.
- Recall different types of evidence that can be used to explain evolution and describe methods that make scientists’ results or conclusions more trustworthy.
When working scientifically, pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Sort variation as environmental, inherited or a mixture of both.
- Evaluate a method by recalling variables that were effectively kept the same and those that were harder to control.
- Comment on the reliability of the results and the degree of trust.
- Consider how evidence is used to form theories and the degree of trust the evidence offers.
Please note that Kapow Primary Science lessons are designed to be 1 hour and 30 minutes long, to reflect the requirements of a core subject.
Suggested prior learning
Living things: Classifying big and small
Get startedLessons
Lesson 1: Variation
Knowledge
- To explain why there are differences within a species.
Working scientifically
- To group factors.
Lesson 2: Inheritance
Knowledge
- To recognise the inheritance of characteristics in plants and animals.
Lesson 3: Adaptations
Knowledge
- To explain why adaptation is necessary.
Lesson 4: Modelling natural selection
Knowledge
- To model how natural selection affects population size.
Working scientifically
- To evaluate the degree of trust and pose new questions for further enquiry.
Lesson 5: Evolution
Knowledge
- To describe the theory of evolution.
Working scientifically
- To consider evidence used to inform theories.
Lesson 6: Evidence for evolution
Knowledge
- To recognise evidence that can be used for evolution.
Working scientifically
- To consider the degree of trust in the evidence used.
Key skills
Key knowledge
Related content
Unit resources
Knowledge organiser: Science – Y6 Evolution and inheritance
A summary of the most important information for pupils. Captures the key facts and definitions from the Science: Evolution and…
Vocabulary display: Evolution and inheritance
A display version of the key vocabulary from the Evolution and inheritance unit
Cross-curricular opportunities
English: Spoken language, Reading – comprehension.
Mathematics: Number – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, Statistics.
Geography: Place knowledge, Human and physical geography.
History: Using sources.
British values: Mutual respect, Democracy, Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.