Knowledge and skills:

During Year 3 & Year 4 the children learn about the following scientific areas:

Working scientifically:

The children learn to:

• ask relevant scientific questions;
• use observations and knowledge to answer scientific questions;
• set up a simple enquiry to explore a scientific question;
• set up a test to compare two things;
• set up a fair test and explain why it is fair;
• make careful and accurate observations, including the use of standard units;
• use equipment, including thermometers and data loggers to make measurements;
• gather, record, classify and present data in different ways to answer scientific questions;
• use diagrams, keys, bar charts and tables, using scientific language;
• use findings to report in different ways, including oral and written explanations/ presentations;
• draw conclusions and suggest improvements;
• make a prediction with a reason;
• identify differences, similarities and changes related to an enquiry.

Biology

Animals, including humans:

The children learn to:

• explain the importance of a nutritious, balanced diet;
• explain how nutrients, water and oxygen are transported within animals and humans;
• describe and explain the skeletal system of a human;
• describe and explain the muscular system of a human;
• describe the purpose of the skeleton in humans and animals;
• identify and name the parts of the human digestive system;
• describe the functions of the organs in the human digestive system;
• identify and describe the different type of teeth in humans;
• describe the functions of different human teeth;
• use food chains to identify producers, predators and prey;
• construct food chains to identify producers, predators and prey.

Living things and their habitats:

The children learn to:

• group living things in different ways;
• use classification keys to group, identify and name living things;
• create classification keys to group, identify and name living things;
• describe how changes to an environment could endanger living things.

Plants:

The children learn to:

• describe the function of different parts of plants and trees;
• explore and describe the needs of different plants for survival;
• explore and describe how water is transported within plants;
• describe the plant life cycle, especially the importance of flowers.

Chemistry

Materials and their uses:

The children learn to:

• compare and group rocks based on their appearance and physical properties, giving a reason;
• describe how fossils are formed;
• describe how soil is made;
• describe and explain the difference between sedimentary and igneous rock.

Sates of matter:

The children learn to:

• group materials based on their state of matter (solid, liquid, gas);
• describe how some materials can change state;
• explore how materials change state;
• measure the temperature at which materials change state;
• describe the water cycle;
• explain the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle.

Physics

Electricity:

The children learn to:

• identify and name appliances that require electricity to function;
• construct a series circuit;
• identify and name the components in a series circuit (including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers);
• draw a circuit diagram;
• predict and test whether a lamp will light in a circuit;
• describe the function of a switch in a circuit;
• describe the difference between a conductor and insulators, giving examples of each.

Forces and magnetism:

The children learn to:

• explore and describe how objects move on different surfaces;
• explain how some forces require contact and some do not, giving examples;
• explore and explain how magnets attract and repel in relation to objects and other magnets;
• predict whether objects will be magnetic and carry out and enquiry to test this out;
• describe how magnets work;
• predict whether magnets will attract or repel and give a reason.

Light:

The children learn to:

• describe what dark is (the absence of light);
• explain that light is needed in order to see;
• explain that light is reflected from a surface;
• explain and demonstrate how a shadow is formed;
• explore shadow size and explain;
• explain the dangers of direct sunlight and describe how to keep protected.

Sound:

The children learn to:

• describe how a sound is made;
• explain how sound travels from a source to our ears;
• explain the place of vibration in hearing;
• explore the correlation between pitch and the object producing a sound;
• explore the correlation between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it;
• describe what happens to a sound as it travels away from its source.