Author: Amanda McGarrigle

Science—Term 1—Year 6

Background Information
The principal focus of science teaching in Upper Key Stage 2 is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas.
They should do this through exploring and talking about their ideas; asking their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. At Upper Key Stage 2, they should encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how these ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates.
They should also begin to recognise that scientific ideas change and develop over time. They should select the most appropriate ways to answer science questions using different types of scientific enquiry, including observing changes over different periods of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out comparative and fair tests and finding things out using a wide range of secondary sources of information.
Pupils should draw conclusions based on their data and observations, use evidence to justify their ideas, and use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their findings.

In this unit the children will…
Describe how living things are classified into groups according to common observable characteristics (7)
Describe how living things are classified into groups based on similarities and differences (7)
Understand and recognise micro-organisms, plants and animals (7)
Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics (8)
Work scientifically by using classification systems and keys to identify animals/plants in the immediate environment (3)

By the end of this unit….
All children will:
be able to classify living things - animals and plants - into broad groups
be able to describe how living things are classified
be able to make a key to classify plants.
Most children will:
be able to describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences
be able to give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.
Some children will:
be able to identify scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.
further distinguish between different animals that are in the same class.

The children will explore:
What they know already (KWL grid)
Using the plants in the school grounds, collect and classify into groups by their characteristics
Classification – How can we classify trees? - use secondary sources to identify trees by their leaves
Make a leaf key to help classify plants, identifying their similarities and differences.
Classify animals into 8 groups based on their characteristics and give their reasons. and give h materials allow electricity to pass through them?
Which metals are the best conductors of electricity?
What are the best conditions for dissolving sugar in the fastest time?
What is the best material for filtering?
Which changes cannot be easily reversed?

Key Vocabulary
Classification
Vertebrate, invertebrate
Kingdoms: animal, plant, ‘micro-organism’
Classes: amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal, platyhelminths , annelids, molluscs, arthropod
Scales, feathers, algae, mosses, ferns
Flowering plant, non-flowering plant, seed-bearing, non seed-bearing
Key Scientists—Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) Evelyn Cheesman (1881 – 1969)