Topic catalogue
Explore the curriculum
Search 1,590 matching topics by subject, domain, and learner age.
Living, Dead & Never Alive
Ecosystems & Habitats
Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
Local Plants & Animals
Ecosystems & Habitats
Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats such as under a log or in a pond
Observation vs Interpretation
Scientific Inquiry
Notice the difference between what you observed and what you think it means — 'the ice melted' is an observation; 'the ice melted because of the heat' is an interpretation
Offspring resemble parents
Organisms & Life Processes
Observe that young plants and animals resemble their parents but are not identical, recognising inherited similarities and individual differences
Seeds & Plant Growth
Organisms & Life Processes
Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants through stages of germination and growth
Simple Food Chains
Ecosystems & Habitats
Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify different sources of food
Sun, Moon, and stars
Space Systems & Earth's History
Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe predictable patterns such as the sun rising and setting, the moon changing shape, and stars appearing at night
Transparent, Translucent & Opaque
Waves, Light & Sound
Investigate the effect of placing objects made of different materials in the path of a beam of light, discovering transparent, translucent, and opaque materials
Vibrations & Sound
Waves, Light & Sound
Understand that vibrating materials can make sound, and that sound can make materials vibrate
What Plants Need to Grow
Organisms & Life Processes
Understand that plants need water, light, and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy
Active, Dormant & Extinct
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Classify volcanoes as active (could erupt any time), dormant (sleeping but could wake up), or extinct (will not erupt again)
Animal Classification Vocabulary
Organisms & Life Processes
Use vocabulary for classifying animals and describing life cycles — vertebrate, invertebrate, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, insect, arachnid, larva, pupa, metamorphosis, gestation, offspring, complete metamorphosis, incomplete metamorphosis — and apply these correctly when sorting and comparing organisms
Animal Communication
Animals of the World
Understand that animals communicate in many different ways — birds sing to attract mates and defend territory, whales call across vast ocean distances, bees dance to show other bees where food is, wolves howl to keep the pack together, and fireflies flash light signals — and that communication is essential for survival
Animal Migration
Animals of the World
Know that many animals make incredible journeys called migrations — Arctic terns fly from pole to pole, monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles across North America, wildebeest cross the Serengeti following rain, and humpback whales swim between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding waters — and that these journeys are linked to food, breeding, and seasons
Animal Nutrition
Organisms & Life Processes
Understand that animals, including humans, need the right types and amounts of nutrition, and that animals cannot make their own food
Asteroids, Comets & Dwarf Planets
Space Exploration
Identify other objects in the solar system beyond planets: asteroids (rocky bodies mostly between Mars and Jupiter), comets (icy bodies with tails when near the Sun), and meteoroids/meteors/meteorites (space rocks that enter Earth’s atmosphere)
Balanced Diet & Food Groups
The Human Body
Know the main food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, water) and understand that a balanced diet includes the right amounts from each group to keep the body healthy and provide energy, growth materials, and protection from illness
Bees and pollination
Insects & Minibeasts
Bees and pollination: how flowers and insects depend on each other. Bees visit flowers for nectar, pollen sticks to their bodies and transfers to the next flower. Without pollination many plants cannot make seeds or fruit. Why bees matter for the food we eat.
Camouflage, warning colours, and mimicry
Insects & Minibeasts
Camouflage, warning colours, and mimicry: how insects survive by hiding or sending visual signals. Stick insects look like twigs, leaf insects look like leaves. Wasps have warning stripes; hoverflies mimic wasps but are harmless. The 'can you spot it?' challenge.
Cells, Tissues & Organs
The Human Body
Understand that the body is organised in a hierarchy: tiny cells are the building blocks, groups of similar cells form tissues, tissues combine into organs (like the heart or stomach), and organs work together in organ systems (like the circulatory system)
Changes & Separation Vocabulary
Matter & Materials
Use process vocabulary for changes of state and material separation — dissolve, solution, soluble, insoluble, evaporate, condense, melt, freeze, filter, sieve, mixture, separate — and understand precisely what each term describes, including the important distinction between dissolving and melting
Classifying living things
Scientific Inquiry
Gather, record, classify, and present data in a variety of ways including tables, bar charts, labelled diagrams, and keys
Classifying Materials
Matter & Materials
Plan and conduct an investigation to classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties
Classifying Ocean Animals
Ocean Life
Classify ocean animals into major groups: fish (breathe through gills, have scales), marine mammals (breathe air, warm-blooded, feed milk), and invertebrates (no backbone — jellyfish, octopuses, crabs, starfish)