1. LIGHT

Key Vocabulary: lens convex

opaque eyelid concave

translucent cornea kaleidoscope

transparent optic nerve periscope

shadow retina rainbow

pupil reflection prism

iris refraction source

Which of these are sources of light?

What other sources of light can you think of?

All light starts at a light source. Provide children with a selection of drawn objects asking them to circle those which are sources of light. Look closely at a selection of objects in the classroom that are sources of light and others which are not. Ask the children to separate the objects into two groups. After, highlight the difference between sources of light and objects which may allow light to pass through them or reflect it!

2. Light Travels

In each torch picture, draw the light beam that the torch makes when it is switched on.

Light travels in straight lines. How do we know this? Show the video clip of two demonstrations of how light travels in straight lines at http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/demonstrating-how-light-travels-in-straight-lines/1625.html Challenge children to set up a demonstration that light travels in straight lines and to then record their findings.

3. Investigating Shadows

Question: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________

Results Table:

What will the variable be? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

What will we keep the same? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Method: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Prediction: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Conclusion: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Determine what children reall about shadows from Year 3. Highlight that this is further proof that light travels in straight lines. In groups, ask children to select a question to investigate, e.g. what happens to the size of the shadow when you move the shape nearer to the light? Support them as they create a fair test to find answers and then present their findings.

4. The Eye

How we See

Structure of an Eye

pupil choroid optic nerve sclera retina vitreous humour

lens iris fovea cornea ciliary body blind spot aqueous humour

Record the process of how we see using pictures. The diagrams should show the light entering the eye, remember without that they would see nothing! They should also attempt to draw how the image is reversed when it reaches the back of the eye. Label the diagram of an eye.

5. Reflection and Refraction

Reflection

The ‘normal’ line is at 90 degrees (right angles) to the mirror.

If a surface is not smooth/flat the reflected light is scattered in many

directions.

Refraction

e.g. from air to water

Effect of refraction

Remind children that we see objects because they reflect light from a source into our eyes. Reflections occur when a light beam changes direction on hitting a surface. What happens when light hits the surface of material that it can pass through? Demonstrate light being bent by passing through water and glass. This is called refraction.

6. Reflective Surfaces

Ask children to find reflective surfaces around the school. Which can they see their own reflection in? Which reflect a torch beam? Where are these surfaces found around the school? Is the reflective quality of the material important to the purpose of the object? - Mirrors used in toilets, Mirrors to make spaces bigger, Polished floors not only look clean but also reflect light making a room appear brighter!

7. Colours

Experiment with passing white light through a glass triangular prism. Once you have formed a clear rainbow capture the moment using a digital camera! Draw a diagram to show the beams of light passing through the prism.

Mix coloured light beams using cellophane sheets to throw coloured lights onto a white sheet of paper. Also investigate what colour various objects look when different colour lights shine on them.

Can you make white from the coloured spinner? Can you explain what happens and why?

Describe how white light can be split into its constituent colours by passing it through a glass/plastic triangular or spherical (like raindrops) prism.

8. Light Investigations

Question: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________

Results Table:

What will the variable be? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

What will we keep the same? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Method: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Prediction: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Conclusion: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

9. EVOLUTION AND INHERITANCE

Extinction

What does ‘extinct’ mean?

Which animals and plants do you know of that have become extinct?

Why have some animals and plants become extinct?

Fossils

What is a fossil? How are fossils formed?

10. Mary Anning

Use information books and the internet to find out more about Mary Anning. Create a storyboard of her life.

11. Offspring

Using photos of their immediate family, children should create a family tree. What similarities and differences can they spot? Write a short description.

12. Evolution

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin wrote a book called On the Origin of Species in 1859. In it he explained his theory of evolution by natural selection. Evolution is the gradual changing of the features of living organisms through long periods of time to produce species which are in some way unlike the original ones. Natural means that it occurs in nature – it is not made, caused by or processed by humans, and selection means the act of choosing. Darwin took 20 years to prepare his theory for publication after he had sailed on HMS Beagle for 5 years visiting South America and Australia.

13. Darwin, Wallace and Mendel

Examples of Wallace’s insects

An examples of Mendel’s investigations

Wallace fact-file:

Mendel fact-file:

Explain both Wallace’s and Darwin’s contribution to the theory of natural selection. Give a simple explanation of Mendel’s pea experiments and his contribution to the understanding of evolution. Write a fact file about Wallace and Mendel from independent research.

14. Plant Adaptation

One of the conclusions that Darwin came is that plants & animals change by chance (we now call this genetic mutation) & some of these changes made the animal or plant better suited to their environment. In pairs children research and produce a labelled diagram of a plant showing its adaptations to its environment.

15. Animal Adaptation

What does adaptation mean? Animals and plants like their habitats

Animals and plants decide to change their

habitats

Animal and plant species develop

characteristics over time which help them

survive their habitats

Animals and plants learn to thrive in their

habitats

Which of these features protects seaweed from being damaged by powerful waves?

Seaweed's green color

Seaweed's toughness and flexibility

Seaweed's slimy texture

Seaweed's nutritional value

What adaptation do sharks and penguins share?

They both have fins for swimming

They both have streamlined bodies for

swimming

They both have feathers for warmth

They both have gills for breathing under

water

Which adaptations in camels do NOT protect them from their sandy habitat?

A double row of long eyelashes

Bushy eyebrows

A long neck

Nostrils which can close

Zebras live in large herds in a grassland habitat. How does a striped coat help them survive this habitat?

The white stripes help a zebra's fur trap

the sun's warmth

The stripes make the zebras easy to spot

for predators

The stripes help the zebras to cool down

at night

The stripes are useful as camouflage

Cacti have adapted to live in some of the driest habitats on earth. Which of the following characteristics helps the cactus survive with little rainfall?

A shallow, widespread root system

Green bark

Colourful flowers

Large leaves

Many mammals living in the Arctic have fur ...

which becomes white in the late spring

which grows thicker in the summer

months

which completely falls out in the summer

which changes colour in the winter

Many woodland birds have adapted short wings. What advantage does this give them?

Short wings help birds fly quietly

Short wings help birds fly between trees

Short wings help birds find more food

Short wings keep birds cooler in the

summer

Woodlands can be very dark. What do woodland plants often have so they can survive with less light?

Large flat leaves

Thin spiky leaves

Pale green leaves

No leaves

Fawns (baby deer) have spotted coats. This adaptation is suited to which habitat?

The seashore

Mountains

Desert

Woodland

Animals can live in very hostile environments, e.g. hot deserts & Antarctica. They have adapted to these habitats. Tackle the quiz about animals & plant adaptations at http://www.educationquizzes.com/ks2/science/adaptation/

16. Advantages and Disadvantages

Why are webbed feet useful to water birds?

Give ONE feature of a penguin and describe how it helps a penguin to live in its environment.

Flamingoes eat brine shrimps from the water. Describe one feature of the flamingo’s neck that helps the flamingo to feed.

This seaweed has a flexible stem. Explain how a flexible (bendy) stem helps this seaweed to survive in the sea’s waves.

Describe two ways in which a fish is suited to swimming.

Give one way a mole is suited for digging through soil.

Give two ways the barn owl is suited for catching small animals.

In winter the ground is often covered by snow or frost. During this part of the year a stoat’s fur is white. Suggest two ways its white coat helps a stoat to survive in the winter.

17. CLASSIFYING LIVING THINGS

What ways do you remember to classify living things? Use these words to help you: plant animal vertebrate invertebrate seed

Early classification

Remind children that they already know some of the large groups that living things are divided into: animals & plants; vertebrates & invertebrates plants: vascular or non-vascular. Then test their memories on how vertebrates are further divided: fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians & mammals, & vascular plants into seed-bearing & those that do not have seeds.

18. Levels

Kingdom: Family:

Phylum: Genus:

Class: Species:

Order: K P C O F G S

Explain how Linnaeus’ classification system of five levels has been developed & now scientists seven levels to identify living things: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Briefly define each level and then develop a mnemonics to remember the classification levels in order.

19. Micro-Organisms

Micro-organisms are tiny living organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye. We need a powerful microscope to see them. Micro-organisms can be split into five categories: bacteria, viruses, protozoa, algae and fungi.

budding yeast

scanning electron microscope image of

influenza virus

scanning electron micrograph of E. coli

bacteria

Micro-organisms can cause disease. Which of these complaints are caused by micro-organisms?

Micro-organisms can also be useful, such as when they break down materials. Which of

these materials can be broken down by micro-organisms?

What makes you ill?

Why does food go mouldy?

What micro-organisms can you eat?

Children may know micro-organisms by a different name, e.g. bugs, germs. Some unicellular fungi, bacteria and viruses are all micro-organisms. Can they give any examples? E.g. yeast (fungus), cold virus, flu virus, chicken pox virus, E.coli.

20. Micro-organisms Investigation

Question: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Results Table:

What will the variable be? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

What will we keep the same? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Method: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Prediction: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Conclusion: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Conduct an enquiry into micro-organisms (for example mouldy bread, mini-compost bin, or yeast enquiry).

21. Identification

Buttercup Classification Key

Do most flowers have 7 to

12 petals (and three sepals)? Yes No Lesser celandine Are the leaves lobed? Yes No Does the open flower have Lesser spearwort its sepals turned back? Yes No Bulbous buttercup Do the leaves have lots of tiny hairs? Yes No Does the flower stalk Are the flowers tiny have clear grooves? (less than 1 cm across)? Yes No Yes No Creeping Meadow Celery-leaved Goldilocks buttercup buttercup buttercup buttercup

Look together at a plant with a flower and discuss the features that make it a particular species, e.g. the shape of leaves, the arrangement of leaf veins, the arrangement of the leaves on the stem, the number of petals, the colour of petals, the shape of the stem and so on. Look at photos of several different buttercups and use the key above to identify them.

22. Classification Keys

Create a classification key to identify from a set of birds, bees or butterflies.

23. Research

Children work in small groups to research the living things found in a chosen habitat. Challenge them to find at least 3 each of plants & animals & then classify them further (they may be able to find out their scientific name – Genus & species). It will be a bonus if they find living things from the other Kingdoms (e.g. fungi in rain forests, unusual bacteria living near hot water vents in deep oceans, etc.).

24. HEALTH AND BODY

Key Vocabulary:

double circulation circulatory system

blood vessel heart

pump vein

artery capillary

lungs oxygen

carbon dioxide gaseous exchange

respiration exercise

pulse rate heart chambers

heart valves stethoscope

blood group muscle

skeleton smoking

drugs alcohol

tobacco solvent

Ask children to make a concept map to show what they already know about the human circulatory (blood) system & the gaseous exchange system including the heart & lungs. They should note anything that they would like to find out more about during this topic.

Concept map:

25. Your Body

Use these labels to identify the organs in the body.

lungs small intestine stomach

heart large intestine liver

Now draw the ribs to show how they protect the heart and lungs.

Recall previous work from Years 3, 4 and 5, to locate the main organs and to describe the role of the ribs (skeleton) in protecting both the heart and lungs.

26. The Heart

An adult’s heart beats about 70 times a minute, but during exercise this increases to about 150 times a minute. This is because the muscles need extra oxygen for them to work well. Many people suffer from heart disease. This is often because the blood supply to the heart has decreased. This decrease can be due to:

Eating too much fatty food

Not eating enough fruit and vegetables

Smoking

Being overweight

Not taking enough exercise When the blood leaves the heart it is full of oxygen and travels along arteries (these have muscular walls and are stronger than veins). Once the blood has lost its oxygen it is returned to the heart through veins. Remember:

The heart acts as a pump.

Exercise increases heart rate.

Exercise is needed in order to keep healthy.

Blood circulates around the body through vessels called arteries, veins and capillaries (very fine blood vessels).

Exercise affects how fast the blood is pumped around the body.

27. Circulation

The heart is made of _________tissue and it pumps blood around the body to deliver ___________ and _________ to all the cells in the body. The nutrients enter the blood from the ___________ system to be carried to all parts of the body. The oxygen is collected from the _________where it is exchanged for _________ dioxide. The heart is divided into four sections called ____________, the left and right atria (singular atrium) at the top and the left and ________ ventricles at the bottom.

Blood is pumped from the right _______ through an _________ to the lungs. Oxygen is ____________ for carbon dioxide in the capillaries in the lungs. The blood that now contains oxygen (oxygenated) is then carried back to the heart via a ______ to the left atrium. This oxygenated blood then passes into the left ventricle through a _______ and is pumped to all parts of the body. The oxygen and nutrients pass to the body cells from the ____________ and carbon dioxide is collected. The blood is now called deoxygenated blood. This ______________ blood is carried back to the right ________ of the heart. It then passes to the right ventricle through another heart valve ready to be ___________ to the lungs again to collect more oxygen. The blood circulation is like a figure of _________.

capillaries oxygen valve

lungs ventricle deoxygenated

muscle chambers digestive

artery carbon right

eight pumped exchanged

nutrients atrium vein Explain to children that an understanding of the way the heart works with the double circulation of blood was first described in the 17

th century by the British doctor William Harvey. Set up a drama activity to help children

understand the double circulation. Children then attempt the heart cloze procedure.

28. The Lungs

Question:

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Prediction:

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

What will the variables be?

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Method:

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

What will we keep the same and how will we make it a fair test?

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Conclusion:

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Results:

Devise an investigation to measure children’s lung capacity (for example, by inflating balloons, or by displacing water from a bottle).

29. Blood

red blood cell, platelet and white blood cell

red blood cells

white blood cell attacking bacteria

platelets

There are 3 different types of blood vessels that carry blood around the body. ARTERIES carry blood ________ from the heart to the body cells. VEINS carry blood ________ the heart ________ the body cells. CAPILLARIES are the __________ blood vessels and they connect the ____________ to the ___________. They have very thin walls (one cell thick) to allow oxygen and nutrients to _______ into and out of the _________.

to pass blood arteries from tiniest away veins

Explain why blood is important to the human body. Explain how the five litres of blood that we have is pumped around the body trhough blood vessels. Research into the frequency of different blood types and present findings ina graph.

30. Pulse Rate

My resting rate:

Pulse rate Number of children

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-99

Pulse rate is a measure of the number of times the heart beats in a minute. Measure resting pulse rate. Take a class tally of the average pulse rates and then create a graph. What is the most common range? Why do pulse rates vary? Why do different animals have different pulse rates?

31. Exercise and Pulse Rate

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Ask children about the relationship between heart beat and pulse. Ask children to speculate about factors which could change the pulse rate eg exercise and to make a prediction eg if I run for two minutes it will increase my pulse rate, if I run for three minutes it will increase more and take longer to get back to normal and to investigate the relationship between exercise and pulse rate.

32. Conclusions

What happens to our pulse rate when we exercise? ______________________________________________________________________ Explain how your body changes when you exercise: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Explain what happens to your body when you rest after exercise: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Why do we breathe faster after exercise? ______________________________________________________________________ When I exercise my heart beats faster because my body and muscles need more _______________________________ .

What benefits will we get if we take regular exercise?

What happens during and after exercise?

What happens after a short rest?

Can children explain why the pulse rate increases? Discuss with children which muscles they move when they exercise, recall the functions of muscles – they move their skeletons. Muscular activity requires an increased blood supply, so the heart beats faster.

33. Healthy Bodies: Balanced Diets

Food group What they do for you Where you find them

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Fats

Minerals

Vitamins

Recall the different food groups, the types of food within those groups, what they do for our bodies, and how much of each we should eat in order to have a healthy, balanced diet.

34. Healthy Bodies: Staying Healthy

Drug Short term effects Long term effects

Consider the effects of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and solvents on the body.

35. Poster

Ask children to make posters to inform other children of the effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

36. Changes to your Body: Puberty

37. ELECTRICITY

Key vocabulary: parallel bright

cell circuit dim

battery crocodile clips filament

switch wire electromagnet

bulb complete circuit conductor

motor symbol insulator

buzzer circuit diagram plug

series fuse wire mains electricity

Remind children that they explored simple electrical circuits in Year 4. Lay out the full range of electricity/circuit components available. Can they name them? What is their function within an electrical circuit? Set up a range of hands on practical activities for groups of children to revise their understanding of circuits.

38. Circuit Diagram Symbols

Name ech symbol. Provide a pictureand definition of what is being represented by each symbol.

39. Circuit Diagrams

Take another look at the circuits created in the previous sessions. How would these look recorded as circuit diagrams? Draw the circuit diagram for their chosen circuits, using the correct symbols.

40. Circuit Repairs

Bulb On Bulb Off Bulb On Bulb Off Bulb On Bulb Off

Bulb On Bulb Off Bulb On Bulb Off Bulb On Bulb Off

Bulb On Bulb Off Bulb On Bulb Off Bulb On Bulb Off

Which of these circuits will work? Which will need repairs? What is required to make them work?

Provide children with some circuit diagrams. Can they explain why a particular circuit might work or not? How can those that don’t work be repaired? Ask pairs of children to draw or create ‘deliberately broken’ circuit diagrams before allowing pairs to swap and repair them.

41. Wires Investigation

Question: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________

Results Table:

What will the variable be? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

What will we keep the same? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Method: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Prediction: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Conclusion: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Ask children to suggest questions to test, e.g. Does the thickness of wire affect the brightness of the bulb? Does a longer wire make the bulb brighter? Carry out an investigation to find out.

42. Cells Investigation

Question: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________

Results Table:

What will the variable be? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

What will we keep the same? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Method: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Prediction: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Conclusion: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Ask children for suggestions of a question that they could answer in an enquiry, e.g. Does adding more cells to the circuit make the bulb brighter? What effect does adding more cells have on the noise of the buzzer? How can the motor be made to turn more quickly? What happens if a cell with a larger voltage is added to a simple circuit? Carry out an investigation to find out.

43. Series and Parallel

These bulbs are in series. If one bulb blows the circuit is broken

and all the lights go out!

These bulbs are in a parallel circuit. If one bulb blows the others still light up.

Can you see why?

Make a circuit with a buzzer which can be switched on or off, but a light that remains on all the time

Make a circuit with a buzzer which stops when the switch is closed or pressed.

Create a circuit with four bulbs in series. How many cells do you need to power your circuit so that the bulbs glow brightly?

Make a circuit which has two switches & two bulbs. Each switch should control just one bulb.

Make a circuit with a motor and a bulb which always stay on. What are the least number of wires that you can use?

Make a circuit with two buzzers which can be turned on or off at the same time.

44. Challenges

Electromagnet

Steady Hand Tester

1. Make an electromagnet: As the current passes through the wound wire a magnetic field is created which gives the nail magnetic properties! How many paper clips can you pick up at the same time? 2. Make a steady hand tester.

45. Control Technology

Give some examples of control technology in use.

Write a procedure for computer software to create a burglar alarm, a fridge light coming on when the door is opened, or to control some traffic lights for a pedestrian crossing. Children work in their groups to write a procedure, then test it and modify it as necessary.