QCA Science

QCA Science Framework
Life Processes and Living Things
Credits

Click on the units below to find resources within the Naturegrid web site that link to parts of the QCA Science Framework.( If you want to return to this page after exploring the links and resources click on the back button in your browser.)
	Life Processes and Living Things (Sc2)
Section of the programme of study	Humans as Organisms	Green plants as organisms	Living things in their environment	Variation and classification
Year 1				Ourselves 1A
		Growing plants 1B
Year 2	Plants and animals in the local environment 2B
Year 3		Helping plants grow well 3B
Year 4	Habitats 4B
Year 5	Life Cycles 5B
Year 6		Interdependence and Adaptation 6A

Unit 1A Ourselves
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
that we have five senses which allow us to find out about the world.	Take children on a sensory walk around your school grounds. Introduce the idea that they are going to explore their local area using their senses. (The only sense not explored here is the sense of taste, see QCA for ideas.) 1) Colour catching: looking Resources: A colour catcher for each child. Colour catchers are simply strips of black card with double sided tape on. (15 cm/3 cm). Leave the protective strip on until children are ready to catch their colours! Activity: Introduce the seven colours of the rainbow to the children. Challenge them to find all seven colours of the rainbow by using their eyes to look for colours in the surrounding environment. Once children are ready they can remove the protective strip to start collecting the colours. Encourage them only to take small pieces of leaf or petal, or to share their colours if they find a bigger leaf. (Safety! - Wash hands after handling plant or animal material collected outdoors.) 2) Smelly cocktails: Smelling Resources: An empty film canister for each child. Activity: Explain the idea that a cocktail is made of a mixture of different drinks and that their job is to make a cocktail of different smells! Encourage children to use their sense of smell to collect different pieces of plants in their canister. Children can share their cocktails with each other at a smelly cocktail party! (Safety! - Wash hands after handling plant or animal material collected outdoors.) 3) Sound counting: Hearing Activity: Ask children to stand in a circle and hold their hands, clenched in the air. Tell children they are going to count how many different sounds they can hear in a minute, by raising one finger each time they hear a sound. This activity works best when children close their eyes and concentrate on listening. They can then share how many sounds they heard and what they heard! Alternatively they could try and imitate the sounds! 4) Feely bag:Touching Activity: Give children a set of cards describing different textures e.g. rough, smooth, cold, prickly etc. Ask children to find things around them that feel like these textures and to put them in a feely bag. After collecting the objects ask children to take it in turns to find something in their bag that feels soft / prickly etc. This activity introduces the vocabulary of texture rather than asking children to respond to "How does it feel?". (Safety! - Wash hands after handling plant or animal material collected outdoors.)
to make and communicate observations and comparisons of humans and other animals to match young and adults of the same animals	Use "The Lost Cygnet" big book to compare young and adult animals.
	Click here to explore The lost Cygnet To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
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Unit 1B Growing Plants
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
that there are different plants in the immediate environment to treat growing plants with care to make careful observations of one or two plants and of where they grow and to communicate these that plants have leaves, stems and flowers	Challenge children to find as many different plants as possible in the school grounds. Use long sticky strips to collect one leaf or flower from each plant. (See Unit 1A on instructions for making sticky strips.) Alternatively split your class into groups and as you explore let each group collect leaves of flowers from a different area e.g. playground, path, playing field, pond area. Then groups can compare the different plants they have discovered in the different areas. Stress that it is important for children just to take one leaf or flower and discuss why it is important not to pull up the whole plant. (Safety! - Wash hands after handling plant or animal material collected outdoors.) As a follow up activity print out and laminate the flower cards (see below) and see how many the children can find in the school grounds.
	Click here to explore Find the Flower To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
	Working from Plant Explorer, click on the "Parts of a plant" icon to view a simple flowering plant. Encourage children to explore the plant with the mouse and name the different parts. Children can click for more information.
	Click here to explore Parts of a plant To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
that plants provide food for humans	Use the "Eating Plants" page in Plant Explorer to introduce the idea that plants provide us with food.
	Click here to explore Eating Plants To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
that plants need water to grow. that green plants need light to grow.	Use the "What do plants need?" page to review the things that plants need to live.
	Click here to explore What do plants need? To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
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Unit 2B - Plants and animals in the local environment
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
that there are differences between local habitats. to make predictions about the animals and plants found in different local habitats and to investigate these. to use drawings to present results and make comparisons saying whether their predictions were supported.	Ask children to compare two habitats one that can be found in the school grounds e.g. a pond, grassy area, school garden and one from the habitats represented on the Naturegrid site. Ask children to predict and then find the type of animals they think will live in both habitats. Help them to describe differences between the two and begin to explore reasons for such differences. Discuss whether their predictions were correct. This activity may be particularly useful for schools which have limited habitats in their school grounds or for teachers that are keen to use ICT to support Science.
	Click here to explore Woodland Explorer Grassland Explorer Pond Explorer To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
that animals reproduce and change as they grow older.	Use "The Swan Story" big book to illustrate to children that animals in their local environment produce young which grow into adults. Use the pictures from the site to sequence the life cycle of a swan and ask the children to describe the changes they can see.
	Click here to explore The Swan Story To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
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Unit 3B Helping Plants Grow Well
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
that plants can provide food for us and some plants are grown for this	Show examples of well-known food products, e.g.. Cornflakes, baked beans, crisps etc., ask "where does our food come from?" ( Be ready for the answer: "from the supermarket!") Encourage children to study food labels to look for main constituents.
	Click here to explore Plants for food To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
	Discuss which parts of a plant we can eat.
	Click here to explore I didn't know I ate that! To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
that plants need healthy roots, leaves and stems to grow well	Revisit ideas already discussed in Unit 1B (Growing plants). Use the Plant Explorer glossary to help define terms.
	Click here to explore Plant Glossary To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
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Unit 4B - Habitats
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
to identify different types of habitat.	Introduce the word habitat, explore your school environment to make a list of habitats. Extend this list by exploring the virtual habitats found below:
	Click here to explore Woodland Explorer Grassland Explorer Pond Explorer To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
that different animals are found in different habitats. to make predictions of organisms that will be found in a habitat. to observe the conditions in a local habitat and make a record of the animals found. that animals are suited to the environment in which they are found.	Working from Pond Explorer, click on the "Exploring Pond Habitats" icon to view the cross-section of the pond. Encourage children to explore the different mini-habitats by clicking on parts of the cross section. Ask children to select a part of the pond to explore by clicking on the icons down the side of the cross-section, to visit the "Who lives here?" pages. Ask children to predict which of the animals might be found in the particular habitat and then click on the picture to see if they are right. From these pages children can discover adaptations and information about the physical conditions found within the habitat. A research skills activity sheet could then be used to help children understand that the different animals are suited to the different conditions
	Click here to explore Exploring Pond Habitats Research Skills Activity Sheet To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
to group organisms according to observable features. to use keys to identify local plants or animals.	Carry out a pond investigation, (click below to see method for pond exploration.) Ask children to group the different animals using observable features. Use identification keys to discover what the animals are. Alternatively let children explore the "Virtual Pond Dip". Children could be given pictures of the animals and then use the identification keys to name them. ( Why not book a visit to the Canterbury Environmental Education Centre and book on our "The Ecology of Pond World" or "Wetland Food Chains" programmes of study! E-mail - dragonfly@naturegrid.org.uk. for further information)
	Click here to explore Pond Investigation Virtual Pond Dip Click here to download the identification sheet Identification key To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
to identify the food source of different animals in different habitats. to identify the structure of a food chain in a specific habitat. that most foodchains start with a green plant.	Print out all the Information Sheet pages which contain detailed information about the animals found in the Virtual Pond dip.( These can be found by clicking on the links from the Virtual Pond Dip page.) Give groups of children the information sheets and ask them to create a food chain or web, this could be recorded by cutting and pasting the images onto paper or using a simple paint program to record findings. ( Click below to view a teachers suggested lesson plans and feedback.) Possible SEN activity using the story "Pond Web" to read about a simple food chain and then recreate it by ordering pictures
	Click here to explore Virtual Pond Dip Pond Web Feedback To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
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Unit 5B - Life Cycles
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
that flowering plants reproduce.	Go on a nature walk of the school grounds and point out fruits, flowers and seeds on plants and discuss the life cycle of a plant. Alternatively visit the Canterbury Environmental Education Centre for their Autumn Fruits and Apple days course! (E-mail - dragonfly@naturegrid.org.uk. for further information.)
that seeds can be dispersed in a variety of ways. to make careful observations of fruits and seeds, to compare them and use results to draw conclusions. that many fruits and seeds provide food for animals including humans.	Let the children research tree dispersal techniques on the Woodland Gallery pages. Also try the seed dispersal experiments to take a closer look at wind dispersal, (click below to explore these links.) Make a collection of fruits in the classroom, identify the differences between the fruit and discuss how their seeds are dispersed.
	Click here to explore Woodland Explorer Seed Dispersal Experiments To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser.
that plants reproduce. to consider conditions that might affect germination and plan how to test them. how to alter one factor at a time to carry out a fair test. that several seeds should be used in each set of conditions in order to get reliable evidence. to make careful observations and comparisons and use these to draw conclusions. that all seeds need water and warmth (but not light) for germination.	Carry out a seed germination and growth experiment looking at the limiting factors on the growth of beans.
	Click here to explore Seed germination and growth experiment To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
that insects pollinate some flowers.	Visit Grassland Explorer to see which animals live in a grassland habitat. Explore the school grounds, see what flowers and insects live there. Plant some flowering plants in a school garden, watch them grow and see which insects visits them.
	Click here to explore Grassland Explorer To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
that plants produce flowers which have male organs and female organs, seeds are formed when pollen from the male organ fertilises the ovum (female).	Use the flower activity sheet to illustrate the flower parts. The teachers notes also include notes of the functions of the flower. Dissect flowers to show children the different parts, discuss their function.
	Click here to explore Flower Activity Sheet To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
distinguish between pollen dispersal and seed dispersal and the mechanisms for these. order correctly the steps in the life cycle of the plant. about the life cycle of flowering plants including pollination, fertilisation, seed dispersal, and germination.	Try the experiment on germination as described above and allow the plants to keep growing until the children see flowers, seeds and possibly new plants again.

that adult have young and these grow into adults which in turn produce young.	Explore the life cycles of freshwater invertebrates by using the information sheets found from the Virtual Pond Dip page.
	Click here to explorer Virtual Pond Dip To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
that if living things did not reproduce they would eventually die out.	Visit Howletts Website or if possible go on a field trip to see larger animals and endangered species. This could be a great opportunity to discuss the problems animals face in different environments and how some of them have adapted.
	Click here to explore Howletts Website To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
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Unit 6A - Interdependence and Adaptation
Learning Objectives Children should learn	Possible teaching activities
that green plants need light in order to grow well to make careful observations of plant growth and to explain these using simple scientific knowledge and understanding that green plants make new plant material using air, water in the presence of light that for this to take place the green plant requires leaves	Revise the seed germination and growth experiment suggested in Unit 5B. Explore the Woodland Explorer pages to discover the functions of the different parts of the tree.
	Click here to explore Germination and Growth experiment. Woodland Explorer To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
that animals and plants in a local habitat are interdependent. how animals and plants in a local habitat are suited to their environment.	Ask children what they remember from their previous work (or focus on a class display) about the feeding of the animals and plants and ask them to suggest other reasons why animals need the plants and why plants might need the animals. The virtual pond dip is great for showing examples of interdependence through the food chain information. Help children to use their own knowledge and observations and secondary sources to make an information card about an animal or plant in the local habitat.
	Click here to explore Virtual Pond Dip To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
that food chains can be used to represent feeding relationships in a habitat. that food chains begin with a plant. to construct food chains in a particular habitat	As a class discuss the formation of food chains using the information cards the children have produced from a chosen habitat. Ask children to construct food chains and to explain to each other what they mean. Introduce the children to the terms 'producer', 'consumer' (primary/secondary) and predator. Interrelate these individual food chains to produce food webs for a particular habitat.
that different animals and plants are found in different habitats. how animals and plants in a second habitat are suited to their environment.	Extend the children's understanding of habitats by looking at and comparing the different habitats found around the school or at the Canterbury Environmental Education Centre.
	Click here to explore Woodland Explorer Grassland Explorer Pond Explorer To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
	Ask children to use the above sources to find out about a particular animal or plant and how it is suited to the habitat in which it lives. Ask children to make an information card about the organism and make a class display to illustrate the animals or plants in a chosen habitat. The Passport to Pond World activity sheet can be printed off from the Naturegrid web site This sheet gives children the opportunity to take a closer look at one organism and identify adaptations to the habitat in which it lives. Pupils could also revisit the "Exploring Pond Habitats" pages to discover how different animals are suited to different habitats within a pond.
	Click here to explore Passport to Pond World Exploring Pond Habitats To get back to these pages click on the back button in your browser
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Credits: Content funding from Kent NGfL has allowed these pages to be created, to help teachers use the Nature Grid web site in line with the QCA Science document. Thank you to: Peter Banbury (Kent EIS), Peter Hooker (Kent Advisory Service), Grazyna Slater (Chaucer Technology College), Debbie Clifford (Littlebourne Primary School), Andrea Fletcher, Jo Leech (Sellindge Primary School), Judith Bradshaw (Herne Bay Primary School), Ruth Staples, Sue Parsons and David Horne (Canterbury Environmental Education Centre.)

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