YEAR1 - SCIENCE COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Outline
Overview
The Science Syllabus at GEMS Wesgreen International Primary School aims to stimulate a child’s curiosity to gain an understanding of the world around them. Learning opportunities in science allow children to develop reasoning and thinking skills to problem solve, communicate effectively, work cooperatively and use technology to become 21st Century learners. Children learn to ask scientific questions and begin to appreciate the way science will affect their future on a personal, national, and global level. Science is taught in dedicated Science lessons in the Lab and in classrooms.
Learning Outcomes
The aims of all subjects state what a teacher may expect to teach and what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience.
The aims of the Science Syllabus are to encourage and enable students to:
- 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.
Ongoing Objective
Throughout each unit the students are given the opportunity to build on the objectives below:
- To ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways.
- To observe closely, using simple equipment.
- To performing simple tests.
- To identify and classifying.
- To use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
- To gather and recording data to help in answering questions.
Unit Overviews
Term 1
Unit 1 – Animals including Humans
Approximate length: 11 weeks
In this unit children will learn and categorise animals according to different features and their classifications: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Children will also learn and identify different external and internal body parts. They will look at healthy eating and the effects a healthy diet has on their body.
Specific National Curriculum Objectives Covered:
- Identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
- Describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals including pets)
- Identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense
- Asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways.
- Observing closely, using simple equipment.
- Performing simple tests.
- Identifying and classifying.
- Using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
- Gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.
Term 2
Unit 4 – Materials
Approximate length: 11 weeks
In this unit children will learn and categorise a range of everyday materials according to their properties. They will make comparisons between different materials and start to learn the importance of recycling plastic!
Specific National Curriculum Objectives Covered:
- Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made
- Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including: wood, plastic, glass, metal, water and rock
- Describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials
- Compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties
Term 3
Unit 3 – Seasonal Changes
Approximate length: 7 weeks
In this unit children will explore weather and the different seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter and key features of each season.
Specific National Curriculum Objectives Covered:
- Observe changes across the 4 seasons
- Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies
Unit 6 – Plants
Approximate length: 4 weeks
In this unit children will learn how a seed grows into a plant as well as the key features of a plant including root, stem, leaves.
Specific National Curriculum Objectives Covered:
- Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees
- Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees
Assessment
Formative: Throughout the units, the children will complete graded work, quizzes and investigation activities which allows the teacher to assess the students attainment and inform their planning.
Summative: At the end of each term we complete internal tests. This allows us to measure the students’ progress throughout the term and year.
