Science Year 4

Working scientifically

• Asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
  • Solve problems using magnets (4-X.1)
• Setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
• Making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
  • Read a thermometer (4-T.1)
  • Compare temperatures on thermometers (4-T.2)
  • Choose units of time (4-Y.1)
  • Choose units of distance (4-Y.2)
  • Abbreviate time and length units (4-Y.3)
  • Abbreviate mass and volume units (4-Y.4)
• Gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
• Recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts and tables
• Reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
• Using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
  • Solve problems using magnets (4-X.1)
  • Evaluate multiple design solutions to prevent flooding (4-X.3)
• Identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes
• Using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings
  • Find evidence of changes to Earth's surface (4-V.3)
  • What affects traits? Use observations to support a hypothesis (5-P.1)

Living things and their habitats

• Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways
  • Identify plants and animals (4-J.2)
  • Identify mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians (4-J.3)
  • Identify vertebrates and invertebrates (4-J.4)
  • Use evidence to classify mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians (5-K.3)
  • Use evidence to classify animals (5-K.4)
• Explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment
• Recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things
  • Benefits of group behaviour: North American caribou (4-K.5)

Animals, including humans

• Describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans
  • Body systems: digestion (5-M.3)
• Identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions
• Construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey
  • Identify roles in food chains (4-Q.3)
  • How does matter move in food chains? (4-Q.4)

States of matter

• Compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases
  • Classify matter as solid, liquid or gas (4-B.1)
  • Identify solids, liquids and gases (4-B.2)
  • Sort solids, liquids and gases (4-B.3)
• Observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled, and measure or research the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C)
  • Change of state diagrams: solid, liquid and gas (4-C.1)
  • Heating, cooling and changes of state (4-C.2)
• Identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature
  • Label parts of water cycle diagrams (4-U.1)
  • Select parts of water cycle diagrams (4-U.2)

Sound

• Identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating
• Recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear
• Find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it
• Find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it
• Recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases

Electricity

• Identify common appliances that run on electricity
  • Electric circuits (5-I.2)
• Construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers
  • Electric circuits (5-I.2)
• Identify whether or not a lamp will light in a simple series circuit, based on whether or not the lamp is part of a complete loop with a battery
  • Electric circuits (5-I.2)
• Recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether or not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit
  • Electric circuits (5-I.2)
• Recognise some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors
  • Conductors and insulators (4-H.3)