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Inside a Rainforest
Rainforests
Describe what it feels like inside a rainforest — hot and sticky (humid), dark on the ground because the treetops block the light, loud with animal calls and insect buzzing, and dripping with water from rain and condensation
Living Things Vocabulary
Organisms & Life Processes
Name and use vocabulary for what makes something living — alive, dead, never been alive, movement, nutrition, growth, reproduction, sensitivity, excretion — and apply these terms when classifying objects and explaining why plants and animals count as living things
Local weather patterns
Earth's Systems
Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time, recording temperature, rainfall, and other conditions
Midnight Sun & Polar Night
Polar Regions
Know that at the poles, daylight and darkness are extreme — in summer the Sun never fully sets (midnight sun) and in winter the Sun never rises (polar night lasting months) — and that this is very different from what we experience at home, where every day has both daylight and darkness
Minibeast Habitats
Insects & Minibeasts
Where minibeasts live: micro-habitats. Different minibeasts prefer different conditions — under logs (damp, dark), in soil (underground), on leaves (sunny), in pond water (wet). The idea that you find different creatures in different places.
Minibeasts in the food chain
Insects & Minibeasts
Minibeasts in the food chain: simple garden food chains. A caterpillar eats a leaf, a bird eats the caterpillar. The idea that minibeasts are food for other animals, and that minibeasts eat things too.
Modelling with Sketches
Scientific Inquiry
Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem
Moon Phases
Space Exploration
Observe and describe the Moon's changing shape over about a month, recognising that it goes through a repeating cycle of phases from new moon (invisible) to full moon (complete circle) and back again
Naming Common Animals
Organisms & Life Processes
Identify and name common animals from major groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
Naming Everyday Materials
Matter & Materials
Identify and name a variety of everyday materials including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock
Naming the Planets
Space Systems & Earth's History
Name the planets in our solar system in order from the Sun and use vocabulary for space — planet, star, sun, moon, satellite, orbit, solar system, galaxy, universe, asteroid, comet — applying these correctly when describing the structure of the solar system and objects we see in the sky
Nocturnal Animals
Animals of the World
Know that some animals are nocturnal — active at night and sleeping during the day — and that nocturnal animals often have special features like big eyes (owls, tarsiers), large ears (bats, fennec foxes), or sensitive whiskers to help them find food in the dark
Objects vs Materials
Matter & Materials
Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made, understanding that objects can be made from different materials
Observing with simple equipment
Scientific Inquiry
Observe closely using simple equipment such as hand lenses, and use observations to describe, compare, and identify things
Ocean Animal Variety
Ocean Life
Recognise that the ocean is home to an amazing variety of animals — from tiny seahorses and colourful clownfish to enormous whales and sharks — and that ocean animals come in many shapes and sizes
Ocean Food Chains
Ocean Life
Describe a simple ocean food chain: tiny plants (phytoplankton) are eaten by small animals, which are eaten by bigger fish, which are eaten by top predators like sharks — showing that all ocean life depends on others for food
Our Solar System
Space Exploration
Know that there are other planets besides Earth and that our group of planets orbiting the Sun is called the solar system — and that space is the vast area beyond Earth's sky
Parts of a Plant
Organisms & Life Processes
Identify and describe the basic structure of common flowering plants (roots, stem, leaves, flowers) and trees (roots, trunk, branches, leaves)
Penguins
Polar Regions
Know key facts about penguins — they live in the Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere, they cannot fly but are excellent swimmers, Emperor penguins are the largest and huddle together in winter to keep warm, and penguin parents take turns keeping their egg warm on their feet in freezing temperatures
Plant-Eaters vs Meat-Eaters
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Sort dinosaurs into plant-eaters (herbivores) and meat-eaters (carnivores) by looking at clues like tooth shape — flat teeth for plants, sharp teeth for meat
Plants and animals in their habitats
Ecosystems & Habitats
Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals and the places they live, connecting organism needs to habitat features
Polar Animals
Polar Regions
Know about other polar animals besides penguins and polar bears — seals that swim under ice, walruses with long tusks, Arctic foxes that turn white in winter, snowy owls, narwhals with their unicorn-like tusk, and whales that migrate to polar waters to feed — and that all these animals have special features to survive extreme cold
Polar Bears
Polar Regions
Know key facts about polar bears — they live only in the Arctic (not the Antarctic), they have thick white fur and a layer of fat (blubber) to keep warm, they are excellent swimmers, and they hunt seals by waiting at holes in the sea ice
Power of Eruptions
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Appreciate that volcanic eruptions are powerful events that can change the landscape