Science
St. Michael's Science Curriculum
At St. Michael's, we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond. The intent of our science curriculum is to develop curiosity in children about the world around us as well as our universe. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of key substantive and disciplinary knowledge which builds the children’s understanding of the four big ideas for Science - Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Sustainability.
Through our Science curriculum, we use a "small steps" approach to support the children in acquiring and developing the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group, as well as the application of scientific enquiry. We ensure that the Working Scientifically enquiry types are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, planning and conducting investigations, asking questions and being curious about their surroundings.
Our Science Curriculum provides full coverage of the national curriculum for science - moreover we also cover scientific questions around sustainability and the planet, helping our pupils to develop an empathy for the local and wider environment. We break down the essential aspects of key stage science into easily digestible chunks.
Through experiment, pr
actice and discussion, our pupils gain core knowledge around:
- Scientific vocabulary
- ‘Working scientifically’ skills including systematic and careful observations and following practical scientific methods
- The gathering and interpretation of straightforward scientific evidence
- The use of everyday materials and scientific equipment to solve science problems
- Articulating scientific concepts and using five types of science enquiries
Yr.1 Science Overview
| Term 1 | Biology: The Human Body (5 weeks) | Biology: Seasonal Changes | |||
| Term 2 | Chemistry: Materials (5 weeks) | Biology: Seasonal Changes (1 week) | |||
| Term 3 | Biology: Planting (1 week) | Biology: Animals (5 weeks) | |||
| Term 4 | Biology: Animals cont. (1 weeks) | Sustainability: Caring for the Planet (2 weeks) | Biology: Seasonal Changes (1 week) | Biology: Planting (1 week) | Consolidation (1 week) |
| Term 5 | Biology: Plants (5 weeks) | Biology: Planting (1 week) | |||
| Term 6 | Sustainability: Growing & Cooking (3 weeks) | Biology: Seasonal Changes (1 week) | Consolidation (2 weeks) | ||
Yr.2 Science Overview
| Term 1 | Biology: Animal Needs for Survival (4 weeks) | Biology: Humans (2 weeks) | |||||
| Term 2 | Chemistry: Materials (5 weeks) | Sustainability: Plastic (1 week) | |||||
| Term 3 | Biology: Plants -Light & Dark (3 weeks) | Biology: Living Things & Their Habitats (3 weeks) | |||||
| Term 4 | Biology: Living Things & Their Habitats cont (4 weeks) | Biology: Plants (1 week) | Consolidation (1 week) | ||||
| Term 5 | Biology: Plants - Bulbs & Seeds (2 weeks) | Biology: Growing Up (4 weeks) | |||||
| Term 6 | Biology: Plants Bulbs & Seeds (1 week) | Biology: Growing Up (1 week) | Sustainability: Wildlife (2 weeks) | Consolidation (2 weeks) | |||
Yr.3 Science Overview
| Term 1 | Biology: Skeletons (3 weeks) | Biology: Movement (1 week) | Biology: Nutrition & Diet | ||
| Term 2 | Biology: Nutrition & Diet cont. (1 week) | Sustainability: Food Waste (1 week) | Chemistry: Rocks (3 weeks) | Consolidation (1 week) | |
| Term 3 | Chemistry: Fossils (2 weeks) | Chemistry: Soils (3 weeks) | Physics: Light (1 week) | ||
| Term 4 | Physics: Light cont. (5 weeks) | Consolidation (1 week) | |||
| Term 5 | Biology: Plants (6 weeks) | Physics: Forces (1 week) | |||
| Term 6 | Physics: Forces cont. (1 week) | Physics: Magnets. (2 week) | Biology: Plants (1 week) | Sustainability: Biodiversity (1 week) | |
Yr.4 Science Overview
| Term 1 | Biology: Group and Classify Living Things (3 weeks) | Biology: Data Collection (1 week) | Chemistry: States of Matter (2 weeks) | |||
| Term 2 | Chemistry: States of Matter cont. (5 weeks) | Consolidation (1 week) | ||||
| Term 3 | Physics: Sound (5 weeks) | Biology: Data Collection (1 week) | ||||
| Term 4 | Physics: Electricity (4 weeks) | Sustainability: Energy (1 week) | Consolidation (1 week) | |||
| Term 5 | Biology: Data Collection (2 weeks) | Biology: Habitats (2 weeks) | Sustainability: Deforestation (1 week) | Biology: The Digestive System (1 week) | ||
| Term 6 | Biology: The Digestive System cont. (4 weeks) | Biology: Food Chains (2 weeks) | ||||