Science

National Curriculum

Purpose of study
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world
through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed
our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught
essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through
building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be
encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of
excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to
understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will
behave, and analyse causes.

Aims
The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
? develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific
disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
? develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through
different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about
the world around them
? are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and
implications of science, today and for the future.

In Year 1 at St Julie

In Year 1 we look at four main areas of science.

Materials

During this topic we learn to identify everyday materials and think about their basic properties, e.g. smooth, rough, hard, soft, etc.  We also use what we have learned to help us solve problems such as what Stickman might be able to use as a raft to get back to the 'Family Tree' (floating and sinking).

Animals including Humans

During this topic we think about how we can sort animals in different ways, e.g. appearance, type, diet, etc.  We also learn about the names of different body parts and our senses.

Plants

During this topic we take a look at the plants that we have around our school and consider which trees are deciduoous and evergreen.  We think about the parts of a plant and how it grows.  We observe a bean as it growns and note down our observations.  Part of this topic is to learn the names of common plants and trees we may find in our local area.

Seasonal Change

Parts of this topic are completed at different times during the year.  We spend a couple of weeks during each season observing how the weather and appearance of the school grounds change.  We talk about signs that show that the seasons are changing and what that means for the weather, animals, plants and us.  We spend a little longer looking at this in the summer term as it links well with our summer geography topic about the weather.

Below you can find the knowledge organisers for all the Year 1 Science topics

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