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Invasive Species
Animals of the World
Understand that invasive species are animals (or plants) that have been introduced to a place where they don't naturally belong — like grey squirrels outcompeting red squirrels in the UK, cane toads poisoning native predators in Australia, or rabbits devastating ecosystems in Australia — and that they can cause serious harm to native wildlife by competing for food, spreading disease, or having no natural predators
Irreversible Changes
Matter & Materials
Explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials and are not usually reversible, such as burning, rusting, and reactions with acid
Levers, Pulleys & Gears
Forces & Motion
Recognise that some mechanisms including levers, pulleys, and gears allow a smaller force to have a greater effect
Life Cycle of Stars
Space Exploration
Understand the basics of a star’s life cycle: stars are born in clouds of gas and dust (nebulae), shine for millions or billions of years by fusing hydrogen, and eventually die — massive stars explode as supernovae while smaller stars fade into white dwarfs
Material Properties Vocabulary
Matter & Materials
Use technical vocabulary to describe and compare material properties — conductor, insulator, thermal, electrical, transparent, opaque, translucent, soluble, insoluble, magnetic, flexible, rigid, density — and apply these terms precisely when selecting and justifying materials for particular purposes
Measuring Earthquake Strength
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Know that scientists measure earthquakes using seismometers, that earthquakes release energy that travels as waves through the ground, and that a magnitude scale describes their strength
Monitoring Volcanoes
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Understand how volcanologists monitor volcanoes by looking for warning signs — gas emissions, ground swelling, small earthquakes — and that prediction involves evidence and uncertainty, not certainty
Natural Disaster Solutions
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans, such as earthquakes, floods, or volcanic eruptions
Natural resources
Weather & Climate
Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment
Nutrient Cycling in Thin Soil
Rainforests
Understand the paradox of nutrient cycling in rainforests — despite lush growth, rainforest soil is typically thin and nutrient-poor because most nutrients are locked in living organisms, not the soil; decomposition is rapid in the warm, wet conditions, and nutrients released from dead material are immediately absorbed by plant roots and fungi, creating a fast, closed-loop recycling system
Ocean Animal Migrations
Ocean Life
Know that many ocean animals undertake remarkable migrations — humpback whales travel thousands of miles between feeding and breeding grounds, sea turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to lay eggs — and understand these journeys are linked to seasonal food supplies and reproduction
Ocean Ecosystems
Ocean Life
Understand ocean ecosystems as interconnected systems where living things (producers, consumers, decomposers) and non-living factors (temperature, salinity, light, currents) all interact, and that changes to one part affect the whole system
Ocean Pollution & Harm
Ocean Life
Identify ways humans harm the ocean — plastic pollution, overfishing, oil spills, and ocean acidification from carbon dioxide — and understand that most ocean pollution comes from land-based activities, not just ships
Oceans & Climate
Ocean Life
Understand the connection between the ocean and climate: the ocean absorbs heat and carbon dioxide, drives weather patterns through evaporation, and ocean currents distribute warmth around the planet — making the ocean Earth's climate engine
Organ Systems Vocabulary
Organisms & Life Processes
Use technical vocabulary for the major organ systems — organ, organ system, circulatory system, digestive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, muscular system, nutrient, oxygen, carbon dioxide, blood vessel, artery, vein, capillary, enzyme — and describe the function of each system using these terms
Palaeoart & Speculation
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Understand that palaeoart — scientific illustrations and models of dinosaurs — is based on fossil evidence but involves informed speculation about skin colour, feathers, and soft tissues that don't usually fossilise
Patterns & Codes for Information
Waves, Light & Sound
Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information, such as codes and signals
Plant & Animal Reproduction
Ecosystems & Habitats
Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals, including sexual and asexual reproduction in plants
Plate Boundaries
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Explain how plate boundaries cause earthquakes and volcanoes: plates pushing together, pulling apart, or sliding past each other create the forces that trigger these events, and mountains form where plates collide
Polar Climate Zone
Polar Regions
Understand that polar regions belong to the polar climate zone — one of Earth's five main climate zones (tropical, arid, temperate, continental, polar) — characterised by temperatures rarely above 10°C even in summer, low precipitation (polar deserts receive less rain than the Sahara), and strong winds; know that latitude is the key factor determining climate zones, with polar regions above 60°N/S
Polar Conservation & Future
Polar Regions
Understand the conservation challenges facing polar regions — marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean aim to preserve Antarctic ecosystems, Arctic nations dispute sovereignty over northern sea routes and resources as ice retreats, indigenous peoples fight for land rights and voice in environmental decisions, and international cooperation (Paris Agreement, Antarctic Treaty) is essential but difficult to maintain as economic pressures grow
Polar Ecosystems Compared
Polar Regions
Compare Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems — the Arctic has both terrestrial (tundra) and marine ecosystems supporting large land mammals and indigenous human communities, while the Antarctic is almost entirely marine-based with virtually no land plants or mammals; both regions have short, intense food chains anchored by phytoplankton and krill, and both are disproportionately affected by climate change and human activity
Polar Exploration Then & Now
Polar Regions
Compare historical polar exploration with modern polar science — the Heroic Age (1897–1922) relied on ships, dogs, and human endurance with many fatalities, while today's polar scientists use GPS, satellites, icebreaker ships, heated research stations, and aircraft; understand that modern challenges include studying climate change data, and that polar science now includes diverse international teams including women scientists like glaciologist Liz Thomas and marine biologist Sylvia Earle
Polar Oceans and World Climate
Polar Regions
Understand how polar oceans connect to the global climate system — cold, dense polar water sinks and drives thermohaline circulation (a global conveyor belt of ocean currents), sea ice reflects sunlight back to space (the albedo effect) helping regulate Earth's temperature, and the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is one of the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth due to upwelling nutrients