Science
Science Curriculum Overview
| Year Group | Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Year 3/4 A | Light and Dark Light Enquiry type – pattern seeking Key Scientists – Thomas Edison Key texts: When You’re Fast Asleep, Above and Below, Who’s Afraid of the Light? |
Colour Collectors Magnets Enquiry type – comparative and fair testing Key Scientists – William Gilbert Key texts: Magnet Max, Forces and Magnets, Planet Omar’s Accidental Trouble Magnet, Be a Scientist: Investigating Magnets |
Under the Canopy Animals including humans – nutrition, skeleton and muscles Enquiry type – Researching using secondary sources Key Scientists – Yann le Meur Key texts: The World’s Most Ridiculous Animals, Animal Knowledge Genius, Anatomicum Junior, Kay’s Anatomy, The Bright and Bold Human Body: The Skeleton and Muscles |
Treasure Island STEM – Protect our Planet |
Work Like an Egyptian Plants Enquiry type – observation over time Key Scientists –Beatrix Potter Key texts: RHS The Magic and Mystery of Trees, The Secret World of Plants, Plants Save the World, The Big Book of Blooms, Bloom, Ten Seeds, A Seed is Sleepy |
Crash Landing Rocks Enquiry type – identifying and classifying Key Scientists – Mary Anning Key texts: The Street Beneath My Feet, Rocks and Fossils, The Secret of Black Rock, The Rock From The Sky, The pebble in my pocket, Stone Girl Bone Girl, A Rock is Lively, Under Your Feet: Soil, Sand and Other Stuff |
| Year 3/4 B | Travel and Transport Sound Enquiry type – pattern seeking Key Scientists – Evelyn Glennie Key texts:Listen:How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf girl, Changed percussion. Step into Science: Sound, Can you hear sounds in Space? |
Who wants to be a gladiator? Electricity Enquiry type – comparative and fair testing Key Scientists – Michael Faraday Key texts: Oscar and the Bird, Shocking! Where does Electricity come from? Charging About – The story of Electricity |
Let’s go wild! Living things and their habitats – grouping, keys and changing environments Enquiry type – identifying and classifying Key Scientists – Gladys West Key texts: The Last Bear, Lots: The Diversity of life on Earth, Last: The story of a White Rhino, The Big Picture: Living Habitats, The Girl who thought in Pictures |
Groundbreaking Greeks STEM – That girl can! Key texts: A Galaxy of Her Own: Amazing Stories of Women in Space, Stone Girl Bone Girl, Queen of physics, Women in Science, Hidden Figures, June Almeida, Virus Detective! |
Come Dine with Me States of matter Enquiry type – observation over time Key Scientists – Daniel Fahrenheit Key texts: A Super sticky mistake, All About Matter, What is the World Made of? What’s the matter in Mr Whiskers’ Room? Itch |
Water Worlds Animals including humans – digestive system, teeth and food chains Enquiry type – pattern Research using secondary sources Key Scientists – Ivan pavlov Key texts: Anatomicum Junior, Kay’s Anatomy, Gut garden, Your brilliant Body: Your Growling Guts and Dynamic Digestive System |
| Year 5/6 A | Space Race Space Enquiry type – research using secondary sources Key Scientists – Tim Peake Key texts: Counting on Katherine, A Day in the Life of an Astronaut, Mars and the Distant Stars, Dr Maggie’s Grand Tour of the Solar System, Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space, Planetarium (Junior Edition) |
Righteous Royalty Forces Enquiry type – comparative and fair testing Key Scientists –Isaac Newton Key texts: The Tin Snail, Fantastic Forces and Incredible Machines, Fearsome Forces, Disgusting and Dreadful Science: Gut-wrenching gravity and other Fatal Forces, A question of science: Why doesn’t the moon fall down? |
Our Extreme World Animals including humans – Changes into old age Enquiry type – pattern seeking Key Scientists – Virginia Apgar Key texts: Anatomicum Junior, Kay’s Anatomy, The bright and bold Human Body: The Reproductive System |
Chocolate STEM – Time saving Technology Key Texts: How was that built, |
Terrific Toys Properties of materials Enquiry type – identifying and classifying Key Scientists –Spencer Silver Key texts: The Element in the Room, Kensuke’s Kingdom |
Wonder Living things and their habitats – Lifecycles and process of reproduction Enquiry type – observation over time Key Scientists – David Attenborough Key texts: Lifecycles- Everything from start to finish |
| Year 5/6 B | Take Flight! Electricity Enquiry type – pattern seeking Key Scientists –Nikola Tesla Key texts: Cool Circuits and Wicked Wires, How does a lighthouse work?, Nikola Tesla Greta Lives in Graphics |
Conflict, Healing and Hope Light Enquiry type – comparative and fair testing Key Scientists –Ibn al-Haytham Key texts: Step into Science: Light, Edison, How do we use light? |
Dear Greenpeace Living things and their habitats – grouping by characteristics Enquiry type – identifying and classifying Key Scientists – Carl Linnaeus Key texts: Animalium, How are animals grouped? In the Animal Kingdom series, One of a kind |
Survival Mode STEM – To infinity and beyond Key texts: The international Space station, Space Explorers: 25 extraordinary stories of space exploration and adventure, Looking UP: An Illustrated guide to telescopes |
Volatile Vikings Animals including humans – circulatory system Enquiry type – Research using secondary sources Key Scientists – Marie M Daly Key texts: Anatomicum Junior, Kay’s Anatomy, Pig Heart Boy |
Influence Evolution and inheritance Enquiry type – observation over time Key Scientists – Rosalind Franklin Key texts: Amazing Evolution – The Journey of life, One Smart Fish, The Molliebird, Evolution |
Science Curriculum Rationale:
Science is all around us. It has been, is and will continue to be vital to the growth, prosperity and advancement of our world. Teaching Science allows the children to develop the skills to make sense of the world they live in and to apply key knowledge gained i to real life situations. At Light Years School we want children to develop a love for exploring, questioning, and engaging with the world around them. Through experiencing different types of scientific enquiry, they will combine the learning of scientific knowledge with the application of disciplinary skills that allow them to be able to predict, analyse and explain whilst developing a sense of excitement, wonder and curiosity.
‘Primary Science is important for pupils as individuals and for society: amongst many other reasons, it can help children to understand and reason about themselves and the world, enable them to live healthy lives and make informed choices’ – Harlen 2018 cited in EEF Systematic review of approaches to primary science teaching 2023.
Light Years School believes that pupils should:
- Be excited by the world around them.
- Recognise that Science is everywhere and be able to identify its impact on our world
- Think like scientists.
- Have the skills to explore, explain, question, predict and analyse
- Use the appropriate vocabulary when speaking about a scientific topic
- Use Science to show how numeracy and literacy skills can be applied in real-life situations.
- Present arguments, data and findings in a variety of ways
The Science policy is designed to be inclusive and consider pupil’s needs as outline in their EHCP. The policy provides opportunities to develop teamwork and socials skills, language and communication skills and both motor and cognitive ability. Where appropriate, enrichment activities will be use alongside the curriculum to enhance pupil’s experiences and learning. This will be linked to the topic and could include trips, external companies coming into school and engagement in collaborative projects.
Science Curriculum Intent:
Pupils will:
- Develop the skills needed to think and work like scientists.
- Develop their scientific knowledge and understanding of key concepts.
- Develop skills in working scientifically and apply these in a range of investigations.
- Carry out a range of enquiry types to answer scientific questions.
- Learn and use scientific vocabulary relevant to the topics being taught.
- Become familiar with famous scientists of differing backgrounds and their impact in the field of science and the world in general.
- Be interested in and understand how science has shaped and, is continuing to shape, the world around us.
Science Curriculum Implementation:
- Science will be taught weekly across the academic year.
- Each science topic will include the teaching of substantive knowledge as well disciplinary skills (working scientifically).
- Pupils will have the opportunity to carry out all 5 different types of scientific enquiry throughout the year.
- Planning for each topic will include many opportunities for pupils to engage in practical activities. This is not only to provide a hands-on approach to learning but also opportunities to for pupils to discretely learn and practice working scientifically skills.
- For each topic, pupils will learn about a scientist or scientists that are important in that area of science and how their work has impacted on the world today.
- Key vocabulary will be provided for each topic and pupils will learn to read, write and use the vocabulary within their work.
- All children will be exposed to high quality texts and stories which will help to provide pupils with strong foundational knowledge that can empower and equip them with the skills to question and challenge the world around them.
- Guided, independent and retrieval practice, are used, where appropriate, to ensure children remember the key substantive knowledge and are able to use this in other contexts.
- Teachers will plan lessons to include cross-curricular links with other topics where appropriate.
- Teachers will plan for opportunities to apply and embed literacy and numeracy skills.
- Pupils will have access to alternative ways of recording according to their individual needs.
Science Curriculum Impact:
The impact of science success in our school is measured by the following:
- Pupils of all abilities will be able to engage in science lessons.
- Pupils will show curiosity about the world around them and be able to apply the knowledge learnt to situations outside of science lessons.
- Pupils will use disciplinary skills (working scientifically) to plan, carry out and evaluate investigations.
- Pupils will show progress in both substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills in line with their attainment levels and learning needs.
- Pupils will be inspired by famous scientists and be able to explain how they have impacted on the world we live in.
- Pupils will choose the correct enquiry type needed to answer a scientific questions
Subject Policy