• Age groups: 4-7s
• Subjects: Science
• Topics: Biodiversity

Curriculum links

England

Science

Sc2 Life processes and living things

Pupils should be taught:

Life processes

• to relate life processes to animals and plants found in the local environment

Humans and other animals

• that humans and other animals need food and water to stay alive how to treat animals with care and sensitivity

Green plants

• to recognise that plants need light and water to grow

Living things in their environment

• to find out about the different kinds of plants and animals in the local environment
• to identify similarities and differences between local environments and ways in which these affect animals and plants that are found there to
  care for the environment

Sc1 Scientific enquiry

Investigative skills

Pupils should be taught to:

• ask questions and decide how they might find answers to them
• use first-hand experience and simple information sources to answer questions
• follow simple instructions to control the risks to themselves and to others
• explore, using the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste as appropriate, and make and record observations and measurements
• communicate what happened in a variety of ways
• make simple comparisons and identify simple patterns or associations
• compare what happened with what they expected would happen, and try to explain it, drawing on their knowledge and understanding

Sc1 Scientific enquiry

Investigative skills – obtaining and presenting evidence

Pupils should be taught to:

• communicate…in a variety of ways, including using ICT [for example…tables]

Geography

Geographical enquiry and skills

Pupils should be taught to:

• express their own views about people, places and environments
• use fieldwork skills [for example, recording information on a school plan or local area map]
• make maps and plans

Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development

Pupils should be taught to:

• recognise how the environment may be improved and sustained

Maths

Ma2 Number: Processing, representing and interpreting data

Pupils should be taught to:

• solve a relevant problem by using simple lists, tables and charts to sort, classify and organise information

Citizenship

Preparing to play an active role as citizens

Pupils should be taught:

• to take part in discussions with one other person and the whole class
• to recognise choices they can make, and recognise the difference between right and wrong
• to realise that people and other living things have needs, and that they have responsibilities to meet them
• what improves and harms their local, natural and built environments and about some of the ways people look after them

English

En1 Speaking and listening: Group discussion and interaction

To join in as members of a group, pupils should be taught to:

• take turns in speaking
• relate their contributions
• to what has gone on before
• extend their views in the light of discussion
• give reasons for opinions and actions

QCA units

Science Unit 2B

Plant and animals in the local environment

Geography Unit 6

Investigating our local area

Geography Unit 8

Improving the environment

Citizenship Unit 01

Taking part

Citizenship Unit 06

Developing our school grounds

Wales

Science

Life processes and living things

Green plants

Pupils should be taught:

• that plants need light and water to grow

Living things in their environment

• to find out about the different kinds of plants and animals in the local environment

Scientific enquiry

Communication in science

Pupils should be taught:

• to present scientific information appropriately in a number of ways, through diagrams, drawings, tables and charts
• to sort and classify scientific information

Planning an investigation

Pupils should be taught:

• to decide what is to be observed or measured
• to explore using appropriate senses
• to follow instructions to control the risks to themselves
• to make observations and measurements
• to make an appropriate record of observations and measurements
• to make simple comparisons
• to use results to say what they found out
• to try to explain what they found out, drawing on their knowledge and understanding to evaluate their work

Geography

Geographical enquiry and skills

When studying places, pupils should be given opportunities to:

• ask and answer geographical questions and make observations, e.g. where is it? what is it like? how did it get like this? how and why is it changing? what might happen next? what do I think about it?
• collect and record information
• communicate ideas, information and their opinions, e.g. in pictures, speaking, writing.

When using geographical enquiry skills, pupils should be taught to:

• use and understand geographical terms
• observe and collect information in the field
• make and use maps and plans

Maths

Using and applying mathematics

Developing mathematical language and communication

Pupils should be taught to:

• present their work in a variety of forms to include charts

Number

Classifying, Representing and Interpreting Data

Pupils should be taught to:

• collect, record and interpret data arising from an area of interest for identified purposes, using... charts…tables

English

Oracy

Range

Pupils should be taught to:

• talk for a range of purposes, including:
• using talk to develop their thinking by exploring, developing and clarifying ideas; predicting outcomes and discussing possibilities
• describing events, observations and experiences;
• making simple, clear explanations of choices;
• giving reasons for opinions and actions

consider how talk is influenced by the purpose and by the intended audience, including:

• working in groups of different sizes
• talking and presenting work to different audiences, including friends, the class, the teacher and other adults in the school

listen carefully and show their understanding of what they see and hear by:

• making relevant comments
• remembering specific points that interested them
• listening to others’ reactions

Skills

Pupils should be taught to:

• speak with confidence, making themselves clear through organising what they say and choosing words with precision
• use the conventions of discussion and conversation, e.g. taking turns in speaking, and structuring their talk in ways that are coherent and understandable

Scotland

Sciences

Planet Earth

Biodiversity and interdependence

• I have observed living things in the environment over time and am becoming aware of how they depend on each other. (SCN 0-01a)
• I can distinguish between living and non-living things. I can sort living things into groups and explain my decisions. (SCN 1-01a)

Social sciences

People, place and environment

• I explore and discover the interesting features of my local environment to develop an awareness of the world around me. (SOC 0-07a)
• I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature within different environments and have played a part in caring for the environment. (SOC 0-08a)
• I can consider ways of looking after my school or community and can encourage others to care for their environment. (SOC 1-08a)
• Through activities in my local area, I have developed my mental map and sense of place. I can create and use maps of the area. (SOC 1-14a)

Mathematics

Information handling

• I can collect objects and ask questions to gather information, organising and displaying my findings in different ways. (MNU 0-20a)
• I have explored a variety of ways in which data is presented and can ask and answer questions about the information it contains. (MNU 1-20a)
• I have used a range of ways to collect information and can sort it in a logical, organised and imaginative way using my own and others’ criteria. (MNU 1-20b)

Literacy and English

Listening and talking

Tools for listening and talking

• As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen. (LIT 0-02a/ENG 0-03a)

Understanding, analysing and evaluating

• Within real and imaginary situations, I share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates my message. (LIT 0-09a)
• When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can exchange information, experiences, explanations, ideas and opinions, and clarify points by asking questions or by asking others to say more. (LIT 1-09a)

Health and wellbeing

Mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing

Social wellbeing

• Through contributing my views, time and talents, I play a part in bringing about positive change in my school and wider community. (HWB 1-13a)

Northern Ireland

The World Around Us

Interdependence

Pupils should be enabled to explore:

• How plants and animals rely on each other within the natural world
• The effect of people on the natural environment over time
• Interdependence of people, plants, animals and place

Place

Pupils should be enabled to explore:

• How place influences plant and animal life
• Ways in which living things depend on and adapt to their environment
• Features of the immediate world and comparisons between places
• Change over time in local places
• Positive and negative effects of people on places

Change over Time

Pupils should be enabled to explore:

• Ways in which change occurs in the natural world
• How people and places have changed over time
• Positive change and how we have a responsibility to make an active contribution

Language And Literacy

Talking And Listening

Pupils should be enabled to:

• participate in talking and listening in every area of learning
• listen to and respond to guidance and instructions
• take turns at talking and listening in group and paired activities
• express thoughts, feelings and opinions in response to... curricular topics and activities
• present ideas and information with some structure and sequence
• think about what they say and how they say it
• speak audibly and clearly, using appropriate quality of speech and voice

Mathematics And Numeracy

Handling Data: Collecting, Representing and Interpreting Data

Pupils should be enabled to:

• collect data, record and present it using real objects...tables
• discuss and interpret the data
• extract information from a range of charts, diagrams and tables