Science at Cotsford
At Cotsford Primary the children explore and study a range of topics within the National Curriculum using Science Bug and Cornerstones Curriculum. We ensure a hands-on approach, working scientifically, to equip us with scientific knowledge and understanding for our future and beyond.
Please click the link for Science National Curriculum Information
Summer 2
The children in EYFS have looked at lots of different sea creatures and named their features. The took a trip to the Sealife Centre in Tynemouth and saw some of the sea creatures they had been learning about. The seal show was fantastic and took a real shine to the children. What a fabulous day they had!
In year 1 the children have been learning about the human body and explored the different senses. The children then started to make comparisons between humans and animals.
The children in Year 2 explored how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants. They investigated what plants need to grow and stay healthy. They sorted seeds and bulbs, then planted seeds to observe growth. They made seed tape and designed their own seed packets.
Year 3’s science topic has also been plants; how they grow and their lifecycle. The children have enjoyed learning about how plants grow from seeds and have planted some seeds of their own. They can explain what plants need to help them grow and have investigated how to change the colour of the flower’s petals. They can explain the pollination process and have created a short animation to demonstrate this.
The children in Year 4 have looked at how they can group and sort animals and plants. They did this by looking at their similarities and differences and then used classification keys. The children made and used classification keys to put themselves into groups too! The children then collected their own data about animals around school and then completed a classification key.
Year 5’s Scientists have been learning about plants and animals’ life cycles. They started by discussing the seven life processes and how they can use Mrs Gren to help them remember. Then, the children researched how mammals reproduce by looking at gestation periods and they created line graphs to show how they differ. Next, the children considered whether all animals reproduce in the same way, and they showed their understanding in a Carroll diagram. After that, the children labelled the parts of a flower and ordered the steps needed for plants to reproduce. Finally, the children created different life cycles, as you can see in the pictures below.
Year 6 finished looking at the circulatory system and how the heart works. After learning how to take their own pulses, they completed a great experiment to show the effect exercise has on the heart rate. The class made a range of very accurate predictions, but were still amazed at the impact exercise has! As a part of their conclusions, they started to make links between other effects exercise has on the body, so then looked at how food is digested and the connection between this and the circulatory system. As a final science lesson, the class all had the opportunity to dissect a pigs heart and understand how amazing our bodies really are!
Summer 1
The science quite literally came alive in reception this half term. Through careful observations, the children discovered all about the lifecycle of butterflies and other animals. They were incredibly excited to see the changes happen over time and developed their use and understanding of scientific vocabulary.
The children’s vegetables planted last term are growing well in the polytunnel and the children keep returning to water them.
The children have enjoyed learning about animals including humans. They learned about different types of animals including mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and amphibians. They also learned about the difference between carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores.
Year 2 have thoroughly enjoyed Science this half-term! The children have worked scientifically, asking questions, making predictions and performing simple tests. They made a Rain Cloud in a Jar (rain clouds), the Tallest Tower using only paper and tape (engineering challenge), the Strongest Bridge using art straws and tape (engineering challenge), Charged Balloons (static electricity) and Rocket Mice (air pressure and gravity). Not only have these tasks grown children’s scientific knowledge but they have developed their teamwork skills and cooperation with others.
Light and dark has been the subject matter for year 3. They have identified different light sources and know that light travels in straight lines. They have investigated with mirrors and understand how reflections work. The children have also used torches to make shadow puppets with their hands and took part in their very own shadow puppet show.
The children have loved their science lessons this half term in Year 4. They have investigated the reaction between vinegar and baking powder, looked at the effects of sugar on their teeth and also investigated how to make a strong paper bridge. The children have had great fun while learning!
Year 5’s Scientists have been learning about a variety of forces including gravity, air resistance, water resistance and friction. They observed and explained how gravity causes an unsupported object to fall towards the Earth. As you can see in the pictures below, the children carried out a range of activities to identify the effects of friction, air resistance, and water resistance and considered ways of making things more streamlined. While working scientifically, the children enjoyed finding out how to measure using force meters and they used this knowledge to investigate which shoes have the best grip and which shoes are most slippery.
In science, the class finished their topic of classification. The children have been able to classify animals, plants and even microorganisms. Looking at classification charts, they have been able to see how similar living things are classified differently. The children researched the life of Carl Linnaeus and created a fact file to help others understand how important he is. Finally, they used their skills in predicting and explaining to answer some really tricky scientific questions.
Spring 2
Wow, what a term it’s been in Early Years. The children have really enjoyed learning about plants and being able to talk about the different parts. They planted swede seeds in the polytunnel and regularly visited them to water them and see how they have grown.
They also completed a class investigation where they set up broad beans to grow in the window – one was with water and one was without. The children could see that the one without water did not grow.
With the help of Captain Chemistry, Year 1 started their Science work with a ‘Wow’ factor where the children had the opportunity to take a closer look at the parts of plants, dissecting them, growing them and keeping track of their growth with their own plant growth diaries. The children planted broad beans in the polytunnel and learnt the difference between wild plants and garden plants. They started to learn about different types of trees also.
During Science week, they investigated the purpose of the stem by adding colour to water, placing a white flower in the water and monitoring whether the flower changed colour.
Year 2 have loved learning about their Science topic, Habitats, including microhabitats. The children used IPad’s to research their favourite animals and to find out where they come from and where they live. Additionally, the children have learnt all about why a habitat is important to animals and minibeasts. This topic created lots of curiosity and questions about specific animals which they began to research together as a class, using Google.
The awe and wonder experiments have been just that for Year 3, this half term. They have taken part in lots of exciting experiments such as: growing a rainbow where they used paper towels, felt tips and water to show how colours grow. They also made parachutes and tested them on the yard in windy weather. Their favourite though was making the lava lamps where they used water, vegetable oil, food colouring and effervescent tablets to create their own lamps.
Our Year 4 children have been exploring the question ‘How can we make different sounds?’ They have identified and described different sounds and have learned that we hear sounds through vibrations that pass through our ear. The children have loved using musical instruments to investigate the range of ways of producing sounds and how the pitch and volume of a sound can be changed.
During this unit of work, the children in Year 5 consolidated their previous learning by revisiting the properties of solids, liquids and gases. They were introduced to key scientific vocabulary which they used to make booklets labelled ‘Materials Dictionary’ where they wrote definitions for each term relating to separating mixtures and types of change. They then explored different reversible and irreversible changes.
Year 6 started to look at classification. This is an incredibly detailed unit and will continue after the holidays, so the children were able to have some fun completing a very tasty challenge to classify a range of yummy sweets! They also played classify with all the children in the class, which was so much fun.
Spring 1
This term the children in Early Years have talked lots about the changing weather. They have also explored different materials and talked about how they feel using lots of words including soft, hard, fluffy and spikey. They used different materials to make masks.
The Year 1 children have really enjoyed finding out more information linked to materials and have enjoyed completing experiments to compare materials.
In Year 2 the topic has been all about Animals and Humans. The children have been investigating and creating a variety of food chains using practical resources.
They thoroughly enjoyed their visit from Captain Chemistry! They explored food chains and the different groups of animals and identified them by their skulls. Furthermore, they have been sorting foods into groups, identifying which foods belong to which groups and why. Following these sessions, the children began to look at healthy eating and exercise. Excellent work Year 2!
Year 3 have been studying Animals including humans this half term. They have studied how to stay healthy by eating a range of foods and now know what is needed for a healthy diet. They have studied the diets of different animals and can sort animals into categories such as carnivore, omnivore and herbivores. The children have learned that a vertebrate in an animal with a backbone and an invertebrate is an animal without and can sort animals accordingly. They have been able to identify parts of the human skeleton and can explain how some muscles work.
The children in Year 4 have been learning all about electricity. They have looked at different appliances and whether they run on battery or mains electricity. They have also learned the names of the electrical components including batteries, bulbs, buzzers, wires and switches. The children have been able to make a complete circuit and have also created their own switches, using card, split pins and paper clips. The children then applied this knowledge to create their own torches in D&T.
The children have also taken part in a workshop with Captain Chemistry. They completed an investigation where they had to create the best wind turbine. They tested it by measuring the amount of electricity each one produced. The children also created their own electromagnet and completed a challenge to pick up the most paperclips.
Children in Year 5 have continued their materials topic this half term, but this time they have focussed on separating mixtures. The children have explored different separation techniques such as; filtering, sieving and evaporation. As you can see in the pictures below, they have used sieves to separate materials of different sizes. Their favourite investigation involved learning that some substances (such as candyfloss) dissolve in water whilst others (such as dried herbs) do not. Although they weren’t allowed to eat the candyfloss! The children worked scientifically by formulating their own question about dissolving before planning how they would answer it, predicting possible outcomes and carrying out a fair test.
Wow! What a super afternoon Year 5 had with Captain Chemistry! As you can see in the pictures below, the children had a fantastic time completing a range of investigations to explore reversible and irreversible changes. The children’s favourite was putting a candle out with a chemical reaction.
Science in Year 6 this half term has been all about evolution and inheritance. The children started off by learning some new vocabulary including adaptation and characteristics, which they needed to understand the topic. Evolution takes millions of years to be seen, but the children were fascinated by how fossils were used to prove that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was correct. They also looked at many different animals and plants and how they adapted to their habitats. It was amazing to research these features which make all the animals we see so unique. They finished the term off with a wonderful afternoon with Captain Chemistry, who helped to start off our next unit and now they can’t wait for next half term!
Autumn 2
What a term it’s been in Early Years! The children have had so much fun exploring the outdoors through our nature based learning. They’ve made faces with leaves, twigs, conkers and berries, and made some magical wands.
They’ve also explored different materials and how they feel. They decided that they wouldn’t like a teddy bear made from sandpaper or plastic!
They also made some gingerbread people and looked at how the mixture changed in the bowl and then when it was cooked.
Year 1 have really enjoyed learning about seasonal changes this half term. They made wind indicators to measure the direction of the wind, learned about weather linked to each season and are beginning to understand that each season has 3 months.
Year 2 have loved learning about living and non-living things. Many pictures caused debates within groups. Having a checklist also helped children understand that rain might move but does not breathe therefore it can’t be living. The children completed a range of life cycles including; chicken, butterfly, flower and a butterfly. They enjoyed researching the growth of their chosen animal and identified the changes that happen when growing.
Year 3 have been scientific explorers in Forces and Magnets! They have enjoyed looking at farces and understanding how they act on an object. The children spent some time making paper airplanes and testing them out. They also investigated how a toy car travels on a range of different surfaces. They know that a force is a push or pull acting on an object. They also enjoyed exploring with the magnets and they know they have 2 poles and they can name some magnetic materials.
In Year 4 the children have loved learning about their digestive system! They have learned about the journey our food makes, through our digestive system and what each organ’s role is. They particularly loved recreating this, using some old tights and a mashed up banana sandwich! The children have also looked at their teeth and have learned what each type of tooth does to our food. They have also investigated how tooth decay happens and what they can do to avoid it.
The children in Year 5 have been budding scientists, testing out predictions, carrying out investigations and reaching conclusions based on their results. They have classified materials according to their properties, and identified why objects are made of certain materials. Next, the children did an amazing job at working scientifically, investigating which materials were conductors and insulators. They then took this learning further by investigating which materials were the best thermal insulators. This enabled them to design some fantastic lunch boxes from their results. Well done Year 5!
In year 6, the science topic has been electrifying! Building on their knowledge from Year 4 and their science day with Captain Chemistry in Year 5, they had a great time developing their understanding of circuits. They started by learning how to identify different circuit symbols and then moved onto problem solving – correcting and fixing circuits which didn’t work. They developed their own experiments, deciding on their own question to investigate and what equipment they would need as well as how to keep their experiment a fair test. Finally, they looked at how to represent the data they collected in graph form and how to use their scientific knowledge and findings to create an informative conclusion. This learning linked brilliantly to one of their DT projects in which they made a Steady Hand buzzer game.
They were also able to look at both renewable and non-renewable energy forms, how they create electricity and either impact or help the environment.
Autumn 1
What a term it’s been in Early years! The children have had so much fun learning about the season of autumn. They have completed some autumn homework and collected lots of autumn treasure including conkers, leaves, berries, pine cones and lots more!
Year 1 has many budding scientists who have really enjoyed exploring everyday materials. Thinking as a scientist, the children practised making predictions and completed a great investigation to identify waterproof materials.
Year 2 have been exploring everyday materials including wood, metal, plastic, glass, rubber, brick, rock, paper, fabric and card. They have examined the properties of different materials such as hardness, strength, and flexibility, and why the properties of materials are important to the object they are made from.
Children have identified suitable and unsuitable materials for different objects and explained their reasons why. Children have found out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, twisting, bending and stretching and have recorded their results in a table.
Year 3 have been studying rocks. They have learned about the different types of rocks and can explain how some rocks are formed. They can sort rocks into different categories and can explain which are natural or human made. They have spent lots of time identifying properties of rocks and worked scientifically to test them for durability, permeability and density.
Year 4 have enjoyed the topic ‘states of matter’. They have worked scientifically to investigate solids, liquids and gasses and what happens to them when they are heated or cooled. The children have enjoyed taking part in investigations where they had to measure the temperatures.
Year 5 have been fascinated by the Earth and Space topic this half term. They loved exploring the different planets that make up the solar system, which they used to create fact files. The children even created short films in order to explain how day and night happen using models. They worked scientifically to set up a shadow enquiry. As you can see in the pictures below, the children used a tree outside of our classroom. They measured the length and direction of the shadow created at different times of the day. Finally, the children enjoyed creating a ‘Brain Dump’ to share everything that they have learnt during their topic.
Year 6 has been learning all about light. They used their knowledge from both Year 3 and their Earth and Space topic in Year 5 to support their learning. They now understand that light travels in rays and what are light sources and what are only reflectors of light. Reflectors are used to help keep us safe when it is dark, on our bikes and even in the cat’s eyes in the middle of the road! They looked at what makes up the eye and how it helps us see. Completing the experiment around shadows was quite tricky, as the sun kept disappearing and the rain got in the way, but they did get their measurements taken, before using these results to support their ideas about the movement of the Earth on its axis. They loved learning about rainbows and how these are created with light and rain!
