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Testing Materials for Uses
Matter & Materials
Give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials including metals, wood, and plastic
The Amazon Rainforest
Rainforests
Know that the Amazon is Earth's greatest rainforest — spanning nine countries across South America, containing the world's largest river by water volume, and home to an estimated 10% of all species on Earth including 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, and 3,000 types of fish
The Arctic Tundra
Polar Regions
Know what the Arctic tundra is — a vast, treeless landscape with permafrost (permanently frozen ground) just below the surface, a very short growing season in summer when mosses, lichens, and tough grasses burst into life, and home to caribou/reindeer, musk oxen, lemmings, and snowy owls
The Digestive Journey
The Human Body
Trace the journey of food through the digestive system: food enters the mouth where teeth break it down and saliva begins digestion, travels down the oesophagus to the stomach, passes through the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed, and waste moves through the large intestine
The Eight Planets
Space Exploration
Name the eight planets in order from the Sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), know that Pluto is a dwarf planet, and distinguish rocky inner planets from gas giant outer planets
The Five Oceans
Ocean Life
Name and locate the five oceans — Pacific (largest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic (smallest and coldest) — on a world map, and understand that they are all connected as one global ocean
The insect body plan
Insects & Minibeasts
The insect body plan: all insects share three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), six legs attached to the thorax, and antennae on the head. Most have wings. They have an exoskeleton — a hard outer shell — instead of bones inside.
The Mesozoic Era
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Place the three periods of the Mesozoic Era — Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous — in order and understand that different dinosaurs lived in different periods, not all at the same time
The Moon's Orbit
Space Exploration
Know that the Moon orbits Earth approximately once a month, that it does not make its own light but reflects sunlight, and that its changing appearance (phases) is caused by how much of the sunlit side we can see from Earth
The Ocean Floor
Ocean Life
Know that the ocean floor is not flat — it has mountains, valleys, and the deepest trenches on Earth — and that the deepest point is the Mariana Trench, deeper than Mount Everest is tall
The Race to the South Pole
Polar Regions
Know the story of the race to the South Pole in detail — Norwegian Roald Amundsen and British Robert Falcon Scott both set out in 1911, Amundsen arrived first on 14 December using dog sleds and careful planning, Scott arrived 34 days later using man-hauled sledges and tragically died with his team on the return journey; also know about Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Endurance expedition where the ship was trapped and crushed by ice, and Shackleton's extraordinary boat journey to South Georgia to rescue his crew
The Sun is a star
Space Exploration
Know that the Sun is a star — the closest star to Earth — and that it is at the centre of our solar system, with all eight planets orbiting around it
The Water Cycle
Weather & Climate
Understand the water cycle: the Sun heats water in oceans and lakes causing it to evaporate into water vapour, the vapour rises and cools to form clouds (condensation), and water falls back to Earth as rain, snow, or hail (precipitation) — then the cycle repeats
The World of Minibeasts
Animals of the World
Know that insects and other minibeasts (spiders, worms, snails, centipedes) are the most numerous and diverse group of animals on Earth — there are more species of beetle than any other animal — and that they play vital roles as pollinators (bees, butterflies), decomposers (woodlice, worms), and food for other animals
Thunder & Lightning
Weather & Climate
Know that thunder and lightning happen during thunderstorms: lightning is a giant spark of electricity that forms in clouds, thunder is the sound the lightning makes, and we see lightning before hearing thunder because light travels faster than sound
Tides, Waves & Currents
Ocean Life
Know that the ocean has tides (water level rises and falls twice a day, caused mainly by the Moon's gravity), waves (caused by wind), and currents (rivers of water flowing through the ocean that carry warmth and nutrients around the world)
Tropical Rainforest Climate
Rainforests
Understand that rainforests have a tropical climate — consistently hot (25–30°C) with over 2000 mm of rainfall per year — and that this combination of heat and moisture creates ideal conditions for rapid plant growth and extraordinary biodiversity
Tsunamis
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Know what a tsunami is: a very large, fast ocean wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea, which can cause great damage when it reaches land
Types of Fossils
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Distinguish body fossils (preserved bones, teeth, shells) from trace fossils (footprints, trackways, eggs, burrows, coprolites) and explain what each type can tell scientists
Types of Rock
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Know the three main types of rock — igneous (formed when lava or magma cools), sedimentary (formed from layers pressed together), and metamorphic — and that fossils are found in sedimentary rock
Types of Teeth
The Human Body
Identify the four types of human teeth (incisors for cutting, canines for tearing, premolars and molars for grinding) and understand that tooth shape is linked to function, just as in other animals — herbivores have flat teeth, carnivores have sharp teeth
Using evidence to answer questions
Scientific Inquiry
Identify differences, similarities, or changes related to scientific ideas and use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or support findings
Using Weather Instruments
Weather & Climate
Use weather instruments to measure and record weather data: thermometers for temperature in °C, rain gauges for rainfall, wind vanes for direction, and anemometers for wind speed — and keep a weather diary over time
Water Transport in Plants
Organisms & Life Processes
Investigate how water is transported within plants, using observations such as coloured water being drawn up through a stem