Science

Vision

Our aim at Moss Hall is to provide high-quality science education which allows children to understand the importance of science in everyday life. We want them to develop a thirst and passion for knowledge and curiosity in the natural and technological world around them through real-life experiences. In turn, this encourages our children to respect the living organisms and the physical environment around them. Through knowledge-led studies, children have the opportunity to deepen their understanding and through investigating this knowledge they become enquiry-based learners. 

Our children make the most of our local and school environment in order to deepen their understanding of our topics. They make links to wider and global scientific understanding, principles and concepts. Children are encouraged to question the world around them and work scientifically to investigate and evaluate their findings. 

Children will have access to a wide range of key vocabulary in order to deepen their understanding of scientific concepts. They then use this vocabulary in context, both verbally and in their writing, during investigations and evaluations.

 

Substantive knowledge

We revisit topics building upon children's prior knowledge through our knowledge-rich, cyclical curriculum and carefully sequenced lessons. When knowledge is built on top of knowledge, it develops understanding and meaning allowing children to relate new experiences and facts to what they already know. 

 

 

 

 

Disciplinary knowledge 

At Moss Hall, we aim to deepen children’s understanding of the history behind topics by looking at scientific professionals and practitioners from different cultures, genders and races from around the world. 

Pupils will be able to develop and use their skills to investigate the knowledge learnt by becoming enquiry based learners. This knowledge allows children to collect, analyse, understand and evaluate scientific evidence leading them to become critical thinkers.

 

 

Vocabulary

At Moss Hall we...

• produce Knowledge Organisers for the children at the start of every new topic, with key vocabulary
• revisit important and relevant vocabulary in ‘Flashbacks’ at the start of every lesson
• explicitly teach and clarify key vocabulary in each lesson
• have high expectations and expect to see evidence of the key vocabulary in children’s own work

 

 

Big Ideas

At Moss Hall we...

• teach science concepts from the following domains; biology, chemistry, physics and earth science
• revisit these big ideas to deepen children’s knowledge of the world around them

 

 

 

Working Scientifically

At Moss Hall we...

• ensure teaching and learning plan for practical investigation opportunities within science lessons
• encourage children to become enquiry-based learners
• challenge children to question the world around them and to develop their own hypothesis
• ask children to use their scientific skills to problem solve and answer questions, making critical evaluations and reflecting on their learning

 

 

Assessment 

At Moss Hall we...

• assess attainment each half term through ongoing assessment tasks and quizzes
• ask children to demonstrate both their knowledge of key concepts and vocabulary and their ability to apply this in the context of practical investigations

 

 

 

Long Term Overview

	EYFS	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Autumn 1	Seasonal Changes Weather The five senses	Animals, including humans (senses) Key Scientist - Miller Hutchinson Scientific Enquiry: Comparative Testing What food can I identify by taste? How can we classify people in our class according to their features? (hair colour, eye colour, skin colour) Skills: record data as a class (tally chart) Seasonal Changes (autumn) - ongoing Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How does an evergreen tree change across the seasons? How does a deciduous tree change across the seasons?	Living things and their habitats Key scientist: Charles Henry Turner Scientific Enquiry: Pattern Seeking What minibeasts live in different micro-habitats? What conditions do minibeasts like the most? Scientific Enquiry: Identifying, classifying and grouping How can we group objects in the world around us? (living, dead, never lived)	Plants Key Scientist: Alicia Amherst Science Enquiry: Comparative and Fair test - How does different conditions (water/light/soil) affects the growth of seeds? (listed as observing over time). Comparative Test and Fair Test- How does temperature affect the speed of transportation? Possible examples of Observing over time - gather seeds/leaves throughout the year - How do different trees change in the spring/Summer/Autumn? Observe a stem in coloured water. Make observational drawings and measure the height of a plant over a set time. Skills: ask relevant questions. Make predictions (not a Y3 skill). Observe using a magnifying glass. Using results to make conclusions.	Animals including humans Key Scientist - Mary Maynard Daly	Earth and space Key Scientist - Nicolaus Copernicus and Maggie Adenin - Pocock Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time - how does a shadow change throughout the day?	Living things and their habitats Key Scientist- Carl Linnaeus Scientific Enquiry: Classification -how are living things classified into broad groups according to common characteristics? How are living things classified (according to the Carl Linnaeus sytem)? Classify plants into flowering, mosses, ferns and conifers, based on specific characteristics. Research - research the main characteristics of animal groups.
Autumn 2	Weather Seasonal Changes The five senses	Materials Scientific Enquiry: Identifying, grouping and sorting How many ways can we sort these objects? (properties, colour, materials, size) Skill: observing closely, identifying and classifying, classify using tables/sorting rings Scientific Enquiry: Pattern Seeking Does all plastic have the same properties? Skill: observing closely, recording data on a prepared table Seasonal Changes (autumn) - ongoing Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How does an evergreen tree change across the seasons? How does a deciduous tree change across the seasons?	Living things and their habitats Key scientist: Charles Henry Turner Scientific Enquiry: Identifying, classifying and grouping What do we notice about animals that live in the rainforest?	Light Key Scientist- Thomas Edison Scientific Enquiry: Classification -Which materials reflect light the best? How would you organise these light sources into natural and artificial sources? Comparative/Fair test - Does the distance between the object and the screen affect the size of the shadow?	Electricity Key scientist- Michael Farraday Scientific Enquiry: Comparative testing - What material is the best conductor of electricity? Identifying and Classifying- How would you group these electrical devices based on where the electricity comes from? (electricity v battery).	Properties: materials Key Scientist: Ruth Benerito (Chemist) - minor. Use as an example but not study in depth)Scientific Enquiry: Identifying and classifying - Can I group these materials based on common properties? Pattern seeking - Is there a limit as to how much solute (e.g. salt) will dissolve in a solution? Identifying and classifying -Do the size of a material affect how you will separate it from a solution?	Evolution and inheritance Key Scientist- Charles Darwin Scientific enquiry: Pattern seeking - Is there a pattern between the size and shape of a bird’s beak and the food it will eat? Research- (suggested on Plan by CP) - adaptations in desert biome and comparison of the two.
Spring 1	Seasonal Changes Weather The Five senses	Materials Key Scientist: Charles Mackintosh (waterproof coat) Scientific Enquiry: Comparative Test What materials should we use to make a raincoat? What materials should we use to make a nappy? What material should we use to make a boat for the penguin in Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers? Seasonal Changes (winter) - ongoing Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How does an evergreen tree change across the seasons? How does a deciduous tree change across the seasons?	Animals, including humans Scientific Enquiry: Comparative Testing What is the most effective exercise to do in 1 minute? What is the most effective way to wash your hands in 1 minute?	Rocks Key Scientist- Mary Anning Scientific Enquiry: Classifying and Identifying - Identifying rock types by it's characteristics such as hardness or permeability? (L2 - currently taught as Comparative and Fair testing).	States of matter Scientific Enquiry: Classifying and Identifying - Can you group these materials and objects into solids, liquids, and gases? Observing over time - Watch frozen liquid melt. Question could be: how does the temperature of frozen liquid change as it melts? Research using secondary sources - What is the Water Cycle?	Change of materials Scientific Enquiry: Fair Testing - Which material is the best insulator and will stop the ice from melting? Classifying - How can you group the changes of materials into reverisble and irreversible changes?	Evolution and inheritance - suggestion - Can you classify these observations into evidence for the idea of evolution, and evidence against?
Spring 2	Changes of Matter Seasonal Changes Plants	Plants Scientific Enquiry: Pattern Seeking Do all leaves look the same?	Animals, including humans Key scientist: Maria Sibylla Merian Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How do caterpillars change over time? Scientific Enquiry: Research using secondary sources Do all mammals give birth to live young?	Plants Key Scientists - See Autumn 1 Scientific Enquiry : Pattern Seeking- Does the shape or size of a seed affect how it is dispersed?	Sound Scientific Enquiry: Pattern seeking - Where was the loudest/quietest places in the school? To be pattern seeking, should it link to another variable, e.g. Is there a link between how loud it is in school and the time of day? If so, is it the same in every part of the school. Identifying and classification - Is there always a vibration when sounds are made? Research - Who was Robert Boyle and what did he discover?	Forces Key Scientist - Isaac Newton/ Beatrice Shilling Scientific Enquiry: Fair Testing - How does the width or weight of a spinner affect the time it takes to fall to the ground?	Electricity Key Scientist - possible Nicola Tesla or Alessandro Volta? Scientific Enquiry: Fair Test - How does the voltage of a battery in a circuit affect the brightness of a bulb/ loudness of a buzzer?
Summer 1	Seasonal Changes Weather Life-cycles	Animals Key Scientist: Joan Beauchamp Procter Scientific Enquiry: Identifying, classifying and grouping How can we classify these animals? Seasonal changes (spring) - ongoing Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How does an evergreen tree change across the seasons? How does a deciduous tree change across the seasons?	Plants Scientific Enquiry: Identifying, classifying and grouping How could we sort these living things? (seeds and bulbs) Scientific Enquiry: Research using secondary sources What will grow well in spring? Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How does a bean grow into a mature plant? Scientific Enquiry: Comparative Testing How do the conditions of a plant affect how it grows? (cress experiment)	Animals including humans Key Scientist - Marie Curie Scientific Enquiry : none at present. Possible - How can we group the food that we eat? Why do different types of vitamins keep us healthy and which foods can we find them in?	Living things and their habitats Rachel Carson Scientific Enquiry: Classification - Can we use classification keys to identify creatures we have found in the school environment?	Animals including humans Scientific Enquiry: Classification and Identification - Can you identify all the stages of the Human Lifecycle? Pattern Seeking - Is there a relationship between the size of a mammal and the length of their gestation period?	Light Key Scientist -Possible - Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen. Links with Y5 Early Islamic Civilisation knowledge? Scientific Enquiry: Fair Test - How do we know that light travels in a straight line? - How does the angle that a light ray hits a plane mirror affect the angle at which it reflects off the surface?)
Summer 2	Seasonal Changes Weather Forces	Plants Scientific Enquiry: research using secondary sources What are the main parts of a flowering plant? Seasonal changes (summer) - ongoing Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time How does an evergreen tree change across the seasons? How does a deciduous tree change across the seasons?	Materials Key scientists: Victoria Callaghan - sustainable packaging for BASF Scientific Enquiry: Pattern Seeking What properties does metal have?	Forces & magnets Key Scientist - William Gilbert Scientific Enquiry: Fair Test - How do different surfaces affect how far a car travels? -Which magnet shape is the strongest? Classifying - which materials are magnetic?	Living things and their habitats Scientific Enquiry: Comparative testing - How does temperature affect climate change?	Living things and their habitats Key Scientist - Jane Goodall Scientific Enquiry: Observing over time - How does a bean change as it germinates? Research - What are the differences between life cycle of an insect and a mammal?	Animals including humans Key Scientist- Robert Winston