Why do we learn science?
We aspire that all children at Franklin will have the knowledge and curiosity to question the world around them and see science in their everyday lives. We want children to ask big questions about the world and suggest ways of finding answers. We have thought carefully about how we have sequenced our curriculum so that substantive knowledge (e.g. friction is a contact force that slows moving objects down) and disciplinary knowledge (e.g. ways of testing, interpreting graphs, using scientific equipment) are woven together and build upon each other so that children know more, remember more and can do more within the science domain. Thus, children are empowered with the skills and knowledge needed to work scientifically and take their learning into the world beyond Franklin.
At Franklin, our science curriculum is underpinned by a focus on stimulating curiosity, interest and enjoyment of Science through acquiring a systematic body of scientific knowledge, between different areas of Science. We believe that to understand science, key concepts must be developed over time in the curriculum so that children can build on strong foundations and engage with scientific ideas, grasping more complex principles as they advance through the school. Children will revisit key topic areas but each time they visit the the topic they will encounter increasing challenge and complexity.
To provide students with a well-rounded understanding of science, we meticulously map out both substantive and disciplinary knowledge. We emphasise the connections between these two types of knowledge, ensuring our pupils understand how scientific knowledge becomes established and is revised. We prioritise the cultivation of disciplinary knowledge essential for effective scientific enquiry. Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on enabling students to actively participate in a diverse range of scientific investigations. We identify the disciplinary knowledge that can be effectively gleaned through hands-on practical work and ensure it is integrated into a well-structured progression, thus equipping students with the specific expertise required for successful scientific work.
Our approach
Our curriculum emphasises the importance of explicitly teaching how new content connects to students' pre-existing schema. In lessons, we take the time to help students understand how new scientific concepts and information relate to what they already know, using re-cap time and quizzes to embed prior knowledge.
We place a strong emphasis on practical work that is not only engaging but also purposeful in relation to our curriculum. Our purpose-built science lab enables pupils to carry out a wide range of interesting and exciting experiments in areas as diverse as plants, electricity, sound, and friction.
At Franklin, science is taught weekly to all pupils. This dedicated time allows us to ensure that students have regular opportunities to engage with and retain key scientific knowledge. We believe that consistent exposure to science concepts is essential for building a strong foundation in the subject.
Franklin pupils develop from regular science excursions, workshops and visitors that bring the subject to life and enrich our pupils’ experience. Through these, children are explicitly guided to an understanding that science is an important part of everyday life. Pupils also have the opportunity to attend an after-school science enrichment club.
Franklin pupils develop from regular science excursions, workshops and visitors that bring the subject to life and enrich our pupils’ experience. Through these, children are explicitly guided to an understanding that science is an important part of everyday life. Pupils also have the opportunity to attend an after-school science enrichment club.
Year 1
Autumn |
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Everyday Materials Identify and compare materials including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water and rock Distinguish between an object at the material from which it's made Describe the physical properties of a variety of materials |
Spring |
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Animals, including humans Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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Plants Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees |
Seasons Observe changes across the four seasons |
Year 2
Autumn |
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Use of Everyday Materials Identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching. |
Spring |
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Animals, including Humans Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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Plants Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants |
Living Things and their Habitats Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive |
Year 3
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
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Rocks Compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties |
Animals, including Humans Identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat |
Spring |
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Light Recognise that we need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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Plants Identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers |
Forces and Magnets Compare how things move on different surfaces |
Year 4
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
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Electricity Identify common appliances that run on electricity |
Sound Identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating |
Spring 1 |
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Animals, including Humans Describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans |
Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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States of Matter Compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases |
Living Things and their Habitats Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways |
Year 5
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
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Earth and Space Describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system Describe the movement of the Moon relative to the Earth Describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies Use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky. |
Forces Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object |
Spring |
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Properties and Changes of Materials Compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets Know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution Give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic |
Summer |
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Life Cycles and Reproduction Describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants Describe the changes as humans develop to old age |
Year 6
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
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Evolution and Inheritance Recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago |
Animals, including Humans Identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system, and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood
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Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
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Electricity Associate the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in the circuit |
Light Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines |
Summer |
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Living Things and their Habitats Describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including micro-organisms, plants and animals |