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Evidence-Based Classification
Ecosystems & Habitats
Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics, using evidence to justify classification decisions
Evolution vocabulary
Organisms & Life Processes
Use technical vocabulary for evolution and natural selection — adaptation, evolution, natural selection, extinct, extinction, fossil record, species, common ancestor, mutation, variation — and explain the mechanism of natural selection using these terms in the correct sequence
Life Changed Over Time
Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about organisms that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago
Light Travels in Straight Lines
Waves, Light & Sound
Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines and use this to explain how we see objects and why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them
Matter Cycling in Ecosystems
Ecosystems & Habitats
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment in an ecosystem
Matter Is Made of Particles
Matter & Materials
Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen, and that this explains properties of solids, liquids, and gases
More batteries, brighter bulb
Energy
Associate the brightness of a lamp or volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in a series circuit
Nutrient Transport in Animals
Organisms & Life Processes
Describe how nutrients and water are transported within animals, including the role of the circulatory system in delivering nutrients from digestion
Plants Grow from Air & Water
Organisms & Life Processes
Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water, not from the soil
Reading Distance-Time Graphs
Forces & Motion
Read and plot distance-time graphs for moving objects; interpret the gradient (steepness) of a line as speed; identify stationary periods (horizontal sections), constant speed (straight diagonal lines), and relative speeds by comparing gradients; calculate average speed from the gradient of a straight-line segment using speed = distance ÷ time
Rock layers and Earth's history
Earth's Systems
Interpret cross-section diagrams of the Earth's interior, geological strata, and rock cycle; read and label layers (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core); understand that deeper layers in sedimentary sequences are older
Salt Water vs Fresh Water
Earth's Systems
Describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth
Shadows
Space Systems & Earth's History
Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in shadow length and direction, day and night cycles, and seasonal star patterns
Star Brightness & Distance
Space Systems & Earth's History
Support an argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and stars is due to their relative distances from Earth, understanding the sun is a relatively close star
The Circulatory System
Organisms & Life Processes
Identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels, and blood
Why circuit components behave differently
Energy
Compare and give reasons for variations in how circuit components function, including brightness of bulbs, loudness of buzzers, and switch positions
Atoms, Elements & Compounds
Matter & Materials
Explain the differences between atoms, elements, and compounds; describe the simple Bohr model of the atom (nucleus with protons and neutrons, electrons in shells); and write and interpret chemical symbols and simple formulae
Calculating Dietary Energy
Organisms & Life Processes
Calculate and evaluate energy intake and requirements in a healthy daily diet, interpreting food labels and nutritional data
Cells to Organ Systems
Organisms & Life Processes
Describe the hierarchical organisation of multicellular organisms: cells → tissues → organs → organ systems → organism
Cells Under the Microscope
Organisms & Life Processes
Understand that all living organisms are made of cells and use a light microscope to observe, interpret, and record cell structure
Controlling variables (age 11+)
Scientific Inquiry
Form a testable scientific hypothesis linking an independent variable to a predicted outcome, plan a full investigation identifying independent, dependent, and control variables, sample size, and risk assessment
Current, voltage, and what they measure
Energy
Understand that electric current is the rate of flow of charge (measured in amperes using an ammeter), and that potential difference (voltage) is the energy transferred per unit charge (measured in volts using a voltmeter)
Deep-Sea Life Without Sunlight
Ocean Life
Contrast photosynthesis (energy from sunlight) with chemosynthesis (energy from oxidising chemicals like hydrogen sulphide); describe hydrothermal vent communities: chemoautotrophic bacteria form the base of a food web supporting tube worms, giant clams, and vent crabs with no sunlight; explore what deep-sea life tells us about the origin of life on Earth; explain why NASA studies ocean vents as analogues for potential life around hydrothermal activity on Europa and Enceladus
Diet Imbalance & Deficiency
Organisms & Life Processes
Explain the health consequences of an imbalanced diet including obesity (excess energy), starvation (severe energy deficit), and deficiency diseases (lack of specific nutrients, e.g. scurvy, rickets)