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Caterpillar to butterfly
Insects & Minibeasts
Caterpillar to butterfly: the life cycle of a butterfly as an observable transformation. Egg → caterpillar → chrysalis → butterfly. The idea that one creature can change its whole form. Classroom butterfly kits, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Coasts & Beaches
Ocean Life
Know what a coast or beach is — the place where land meets the ocean — and that different coasts can be sandy, rocky, or muddy, each with different plants and animals
Common minibeasts: naming and recognising
Insects & Minibeasts
Recognising and naming common minibeasts: ladybird, ant, bee, butterfly, spider, snail, worm, woodlouse, caterpillar, beetle. Building positive attitudes toward all minibeasts, not just the 'pretty' ones.
Common Plants & Trees
Organisms & Life Processes
Identify and name common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees
Comparing Design Solutions
Scientific Inquiry
Analyse data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each design
Describing Material Properties
Matter & Materials
Describe simple physical properties of everyday materials such as hard/soft, stretchy/stiff, shiny/dull, rough/smooth, waterproof/absorbent, transparent/opaque
Dinosaur Sizes
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Compare dinosaur sizes to familiar things — some dinosaurs were as tall as a house, others were as small as a chicken — and understand that dinosaurs came in a huge range of sizes
Dinosaurs Were Real
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Understand that dinosaurs were real animals that lived on Earth a very long time ago and are now extinct — none are alive today
Dressing for the Weather
Weather & Climate
Choose appropriate clothing and equipment for different weather conditions — coat and umbrella for rain, sun hat and sunscreen for hot sun, warm layers for cold — understanding that weather affects what we do and how we prepare each day
Earth Is Made of Rock
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Understand that Earth is made of rock and other solid materials
Earthquake Safety
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Know basic earthquake safety: drop, cover, and hold on; move away from windows; tell a trusted adult
Everyday Foods from Rainforests
Rainforests
Know that many everyday foods come from rainforests — chocolate is made from cacao beans, bananas grow in tropical forests, coffee berries ripen in forest shade, and Brazil nuts fall from giant trees — connecting our daily lives to faraway forests
Famous Dinosaur Species
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Recognise and name common well-known dinosaur species: Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Brachiosaurus/Diplodocus, describing a basic feature of each
Fast & Slow Earth Changes
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Understand that Earth's surface changes: some changes are quick (eruptions, earthquakes) and some are slow (wind, water wearing away rock)
Forces Vocabulary
Forces & Motion
Name and describe forces using precise vocabulary — force, push, pull, twist, stretch, squash, contact force, non-contact force, gravity, weight, friction, air resistance, upthrust — and distinguish between forces that require physical contact and forces that act at a distance
Fossils & Palaeontologists
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Understand that fossils are the remains of ancient living things preserved in rock, and that scientists called palaeontologists study fossils to learn about dinosaurs
Grouping Materials
Matter & Materials
Compare and group everyday materials based on their simple physical properties
Herbivores, Carnivores & Omnivores
Organisms & Life Processes
Classify common animals as carnivores (eat meat), herbivores (eat plants), or omnivores (eat both)
How Animals Have Babies
Animals of the World
Know that different animals have their babies in different ways — some lay eggs (birds, reptiles, fish, insects), some give birth to live young (most mammals) — and that babies may look like miniature adults or look very different from their parents
How Breathing Works
The Human Body
Know that we breathe air into our lungs through the nose and mouth, that our lungs take in oxygen from the air which our body needs to stay alive, and that we breathe out carbon dioxide as waste
How minibeasts move
Insects & Minibeasts
How minibeasts move: crawling (ants, beetles), flying (butterflies, bees), slithering (worms, slugs), jumping (grasshoppers, fleas), burrowing (earthworms). Counting legs as a first step toward grouping creatures.
How Organisms Shape Habitats
Earth's Systems
Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals can change the environment to meet their needs
Ice & Snow
Polar Regions
Know that water can be solid (ice and snow) or liquid, that snow is made of tiny frozen ice crystals, that icebergs are huge chunks of ice floating in the ocean with most of their bulk hidden underwater, and that ice floats because it is lighter than liquid water
Indigenous Rainforest Peoples
Rainforests
Know that indigenous peoples such as the Yanomami have lived in rainforests for thousands of years, building homes from forest materials, finding food by hunting, fishing, and gathering, and knowing the forest and its plants and animals deeply