Science: Key stage 1

Full curriculum coverage for KS1 Science. Developing pupils’ skills and knowledge across five key areas: Plants; Animals (including humans); Living things and their habitats; Materials and forces; Earth and space.

Choose your unit

Following the units in the order set out is best to ensure a coherent approach to the progression of skills and knowledge in KS1 for the Science scheme of work.

Year 1

Forces and space: Seasonal changes

Reflecting on their own experiences, children learn about the four seasons and the weather associated with each. Pupils explore how seasonal changes affect trees, daylight hours and clothing choices.  They plan and carry out their own weather reports, considering the knowledge required for this job.

Materials: Everyday materials

Identifying and naming objects and the materials from which they are made. Pupils compare and group materials based on how they look and feel and carry out tests to sort materials based on unobservable properties.

Animals: Sensitive bodies

Identifying and naming body parts and conducting practical activities with the senses to spot patterns and answer questions.

Animals: Comparing animals

Comparing and grouping animals based on similarities and differences in their characteristics, physical features and diets.

Plants: Introduction to plants

Venturing outside, children identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees. They use magnifying glasses to observe and name plant parts and sort leaves into groups based on appearance.  Pupils investigate if beans need water for growth and identify edible plant parts.

 

Making connections: Investigating science through stories

This unit will be available from 31st May 2024.

Bringing together pupils’ learning from multiple Science units, helping them to make connections between the key concepts and skills.

Year 2

Plants: Plant growth

Carrying out comparative tests, pupils discover the conditions required for seed germination. They use rulers to measure stem height and record data in a results table. Through practical investigation, pupils learn that plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy.

Living things: Habitats

Considering the life processes that all living things have in common, pupils classify objects into alive, was once alive or has never been alive. They name plants and animals in a range of habitats and recognise how living things depend on each other. Pupils create food chains to show the sequence that living things eat each other.

Living things: Microhabitats

Building on their knowledge of habitats, pupils discover that microhabitats provide what minibeasts need to survive. They learn that scientists use a range of skills to answer questions and plan and carry out an experiment to find out the conditions woodlice prefer.

Materials: Uses of everyday materials

Recognising that materials are suitable for specific purposes and understanding their properties, exploring how actions such as stretching and bending affect the shape of solid objects and comparing the suitability of materials by carrying out tests and recording data.

Animals: Life cycles and health

Identifying and describing the different stages of animal life cycles, including that of humans, recording and interpreting data to show growth in humans and explaining how to keep healthy.

Making connections: Plant-based materials

This unit will be available from 31st May 2024.

Bringing together pupils’ learning from multiple Science units, helping them to make connections between the key concepts and skills.

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