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Animal Life Cycles
Ecosystems & Habitats
Describe differences in the life cycles of mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds, comparing metamorphosis with direct development
Antarctic Treaty & Research
Polar Regions
Know that Antarctica is governed by the Antarctic Treaty (signed 1959, in force since 1961) — which sets Antarctica aside for peaceful purposes and scientific research, bans military activity and mining, and is signed by over 50 countries; understand that international research stations study climate, astronomy, biology, and geology, and that Antarctica is the closest thing on Earth to a continent for science rather than politics
Biodiversity
Animals of the World
Understand that biodiversity — the variety of different species in an ecosystem — is essential for healthy ecosystems, and that keystone species (like wolves in Yellowstone, sea otters in kelp forests, or bees as pollinators) have an outsized impact on their ecosystem, so that losing one key species can cause a cascade of changes affecting many others
Birds Evolved from Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Understand that modern birds evolved from a group of small feathered theropod dinosaurs, using evidence such as the fossil Archaeopteryx, feathered dinosaur fossils from China, and shared skeletal features
Building an energy-converting device
Energy
Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another
Changing Ideas About Space
Space Exploration
Understand that ideas about the solar system changed over time: ancient people believed Earth was at the centre (geocentric model, Ptolemy), until Copernicus proposed the Sun was at the centre (heliocentric model), later confirmed by Galileo’s telescope observations
Changing Scientific Knowledge
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Evaluate competing scientific explanations about dinosaurs by weighing fossil evidence — understanding that scientific knowledge changes as new fossils are discovered and new methods of analysis are developed
Circuit vocabulary
Energy
Use technical vocabulary for electrical circuits — circuit, component, cell, battery, current, voltage, resistance, conductor, insulator, switch, series circuit, parallel circuit — and apply these when describing, drawing, and designing working circuits
Circulation & Breathing Together
The Human Body
Understand how the circulatory and respiratory systems work together: the lungs oxygenate the blood, the heart pumps it around the body, cells use the oxygen and produce carbon dioxide waste, and the blood carries the waste back to the lungs to be breathed out
Classifying living things (age 9+)
Scientific Inquiry
Record data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
Climate Change at the Poles
Polar Regions
Understand how climate change is affecting polar regions — Arctic sea ice is shrinking dramatically (losing about 13% per decade since 1979), the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing mass and contributing to sea level rise, permafrost is thawing and releasing methane (a powerful greenhouse gas), and these changes create positive feedback loops where melting leads to more warming which leads to more melting
Climate Change Basics
Weather & Climate
Understand the basics of climate change: Earth’s atmosphere traps some of the Sun's heat (the greenhouse effect), burning fossil fuels adds extra greenhouse gases (especially CO₂), this is making Earth gradually warmer, and this warming changes weather patterns, melts ice, and raises sea levels
Climate Zones
Weather & Climate
Understand that Earth has distinct climate zones — tropical (hot and wet near the equator), temperate (moderate, with four seasons), polar (freezing cold), arid/desert (very dry), and mountain (cold at high altitude) — and that each zone supports different ecosystems and ways of life
Controlling variables
Scientific Inquiry
Plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Deep-Sea Creatures
Ocean Life
Explore life in the deep sea: animals that make their own light (bioluminescence), creatures adapted to crushing pressure and total darkness, and hydrothermal vents where life thrives without sunlight
Deforestation Causes & Scale
Rainforests
Understand the causes and scale of rainforest deforestation — cattle ranching (largest driver in the Amazon), soy and palm oil plantations, logging for timber, and mining — and know that approximately 10 million hectares of forest are lost globally each year, with devastating consequences for biodiversity, climate, and indigenous communities
Dinosaur Hip Groups
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Classify dinosaurs into the two major groups based on hip structure: Saurischia (lizard-hipped, including theropods and sauropods) and Ornithischia (bird-hipped, including Triceratops and Stegosaurus)
Dissolving & Solutions
Matter & Materials
Understand that some materials dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution by evaporation
Drawing conclusions from evidence (age 9+)
Scientific Inquiry
Report and present findings including conclusions, causal relationships, explanations, and a degree of trust in results using oral and written forms
Earth's Frozen Water
Polar Regions
Understand the cryosphere and its role in Earth's water system — the cryosphere is all frozen water on Earth (ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, permafrost, snow cover); polar ice sheets hold about 69% of Earth's fresh water; if all polar ice melted, sea levels would rise over 65 metres; and the water cycle connects polar ice to the global system through evaporation, precipitation, and meltwater flowing into oceans
Earth's rotation and day/night
Space Systems & Earth's History
Use the idea of the Earth's rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky
Earthquake-Resistant Design
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Know that buildings can be designed to resist earthquakes, tsunami warning systems alert coastal communities, and communities prepare through evacuation plans and drills
Endangered & Extinct Species
Animals of the World
Understand why some animal species become endangered or go extinct — habitat destruction, hunting/poaching, pollution, climate change, and invasive species — and know examples like the giant panda, mountain gorilla, Amur leopard, and the now-extinct dodo and thylacine, using the IUCN Red List as the system scientists use to track threatened species
Erosion and weathering
Earth's Systems
Make observations and measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation