Science Year 3/4 A World of Living Things

Provided Resources

• Teaching and Task PowerPoints
• Task sheet
• Prompt Sheet (for Yr3)
• Plenary game resources - playing board, playing tiles and teachers’ instructions on how to play

Additional Resources

• Some pop-up/lift up flap books
• Flip chart and board pens
• A sheet of A4 white card per child
• Coloured A4 paper on which to print your Task Sheets (1 per child)
• Glue sticks, coloured pencils or felt tip pens

Weblinks
A short animation clip that shows the characteristics of living things from https://www.bbc.co.uk

Teaching

• Know that plants and animals are categorised as living things, that some things were once alive and others have never been alive.
• Understand and name the 7 characteristics of living things.

Activities

1. Learn about the 7 life processes that characterise living things (Yr3&4).
2. Make a double page of lift-up flaps (the first page of a popup book on living things) with one flap for each life process (Yr3&4).
3. Match the name of each life process to a description of it (Yr3) or write a description for each life process (Yr4).
4. Play an active team game to reinforce the scientific concepts and vocabulary (Yr3&4).

Investigation - problem solving, classifying and identifying
Everyone loves popup books! Your task is to produce one of your own called The World of Living Things. Explore 7 Life Processes. Learn Mrs Nerg.
Year 3 - Create 7 lift up flaps for MRS NERG, sort and match the 7 life processes.
Year 4 - Create 7 lift up flaps for MRS NERG and using prompts explain each beneath the flap.

Vocabulary
Life processes, movement, reproduction, sensitivity, nutrition, excretion, respiration, growth, living things, oxygen, energy, waste products, senses, environment

Provided Resources

• Teaching PowerPoint
• Teachers’ notes
• 28 Living Things Sheet
• Similarities and Differences Sheet
• Tree and Bushes Sheet
• Task Sheet

Additional Resources

• A colour copy of the 28 Living Things sheet per table and an envelope or plastic sleeve to store them
• Access to a selection of different plants - ideally outside (see Teachers’ Notes)
• An A4 sheet of green card for each child
• A copy of the tree and bushes sheet on card per child - or card rectangles of 18cm x 15cm (the maximum tree dimensions) together with draw round templates of the trunk and tabs
• Good quality pencil crayons, scissors and glue sticks
• A good selection of age appropriate non-fiction books on plants and/or internet access
• A copy of the task sheet per child
• Extra copies of the fact boxes sheet

Teaching

• Know living things can be grouped in different ways according to their features.
• Use secondary sources to research interesting facts about green plants.

Activities

1. Learn that living things can be grouped in different ways according to their feature (Yr3&4).
2. Create their own pop-up tree and garden (to be the second double page in their interactive book of living things) (Yr3&4).
3. Research plants using non-fiction books and the internet -Yr3 writing 3 fascinating facts and Yr4 finding 5 facts.

Investigation - classifying and identifying, analysing secondary sources
Design a popup tree for an eye catching centre piece to your section on plants. Learn the difference between mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. Ask yes/no questions to determine which leave is which from a given set – create a key.
Year 3 - Research 4 plant facts for their page on plants.
Year 4 - Research 6 plant facts for their page on plants.

Vocabulary
Plants, animals, similarities, differences, kingdom, classify, classification, flowering plants, trees, mosses, ferns, spores, cones, leaves, flowers, seeds

Provided Resources

• Teaching and Task PowerPoints
• Turning Wheel Resource
• Teachers’ notes
• Invertebrate Key

Additional Resources

• Bug hunting equipment (sufficient for the children to hunt in pairs or 3s)
• Specimen pots, either purpose made or recycled containers like yogurt pots -at least 3 per group
• Insect nets (2 or 3 of these to share should be sufficient)
• Paint brushes, plastic spoons, scissors and small sticky notes
• Visualiser and magnifying lenses
• Glue sticks and pencil crayons
• A4 card = 2 sheets per child
• Camera (optional)
• Cutting board and craft knife to prepare the book pages ahead

Teaching

• Collect, observe and draw a range of invertebrate creatures from the local environment.
• Use an invertebrate key to identify the group and type of creature found

Activities

• Hunt for invertebrates in their local environment and bring specimens back to the classroom (Yr3&4).
• Use an invertebrate key to identify the group/type of creatures found, e.g. mollusc/slug (Yr3&4).
• Create a turning wheel that reveals invertebrates drawn from life (Yr3&4) and information about the features of that group (Yr4).
• Illustrate the page with drawings and invertebrate facts (Yr3 2 facts & Yr4 3-4 facts).

Investigation - exploring, observing, classifying and identifying
Create a turning wheel page on Invertebrate creatures. Go on a bug hunt in the local environment. Identify creatures using an invertebrate key. Learn main groups and features.
Year 3 - Create a 6 section invertebrate turn wheel, name each creature and write 2 facts for each.
Year 4 - Name a different group of invertebrates in each section (e.g. mollusc) and include an illustrated example and features.

Vocabulary
Vertebrates, invertebrates, classify, classification, insects, spiders, worms, woodlice, habitat, slugs, snails, molluscs, annelids, echinoderms, arthropods, crustaceans, arachnids

Provided Resources

• Book Making and Task PowerPoints
• Classification Labels
• Pop-up task sheet
• research task sheet

Additional Resources

• A pot of undiluted PVA glue per table with 2 or 3 brushes or spreaders
• A colour printout of the classification labels sheet per group of 4
• A large pack of drinking straws, scissors and glue sticks
• A sheet of A4 blue card and white card per child
• Green A4 paper cut into width strips 9cm deep - 1 strip per child
• Pencil crayons or felt tip pens
• Internet access/age appropriate non-fiction books on vertebrate groups

Weblinks
A clip showing the features of vertebrate groups from www.bbc.co.uk

Teaching

• Make a classification key for living things using group labels and drinking straws.
• Discover the features of different groups of vertebrates, researching fish and amphibians in more detail.

Activities

1. Make a classification key for living things using group labels and drinking straws (Yr3&4).
2. Research key facts about amphibians and fish (Yr3 3-4 fact boxes, Yr4 5-6 fact boxes).
3. Design and make a pop-up pond showing fish and amphibians to display their facts (Yr3&4).

Investigation - classifying and identifying, analysing secondary sources
Create a page on Fish and Amphibians using spring-out creatures. Learn about the large group called vertebrates. Discover what’s special about fish and amphibians. Begin to make a class mobile key on vertebrates.
Year 3 - Create 2 different spring-out fish and amphibians and write 2 “Who am I?” facts for each.
Year 4 - Create 2 different spring-out fish and amphibians and write a short paragraph on each.

Vocabulary
Vertebrates, invertebrates, classify, classification, kingdom, insects, molluscs, annelids, arthropods, crustaceans, arachnids, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, mammals, warm blooded, cold blooded

Provided Resources

• Task PowerPoint
• Results Sheet
• Graph sheets

Additional Resources

• A selection of feathers (see Teachers’ Notes)
• Magnifiers, stop watch, 2 plastic bottles and board pens
• Water thermometer or pair of data loggers
• Hot water
• 2 small plastic nets recycled from fruit packaging
• 2 small squares of tin foil
• A coloured sheet of A4 card per child and a white sheet of A4 card printed with the Task Sheet
• Scissors, glue sticks and coloured crayons
• Coloured paper strips cut from A4 paper (2.5cm x 21cm) - 4 per child
• Non-fiction books on vertebrate groups and access to internet

Weblinks
A clip showing the features of vertebrate groups from www.bbc.co.uk

Teaching

• Set up a fair test to investigate whether feathers can keep you warm.
• Take accurate measurements of temperature over time and display data as a graph.

Activities

1. Make a pop-up, interactive sorting page on the features of birds and reptiles (Yr3&4).
2. Design a fair test to investigate the insulation properties of feathers (Yr3&4).
3. Take accurate temperature readings over time and compare data from a bottle covered in feathers to one without feathers (Yr3&4).
4. Display the data on a graph (Y4 with more detail & independence).

Investigation - classifying and identifying, analysing secondary sources
Create a sorting page on Birds and Reptiles. Learn about the features of birds and reptiles and the variety within these groups. Add to mobile key.
Year 3 - Create 6 different reptiles/ birds for sorting and write a short description of each group.
Year 4 - Create 6 different reptiles/ birds ,write a short description of each group and a special feature or clue for each example.

Vocabulary
Vertebrates, invertebrates, classify, classification, birds, reptiles, warm/cold blooded, scales, feathers

Provided Resources

• Quiz and Answers PowerPoints
• Plenary PowerPoint
• Teachers’ Notes
• Quiz and Answers Sheets
• Task Sheet
• Turning Wheel Template

Additional Resources

• Flip chart and board pens
• Age appropriate books on mammals or vertebrate groups with a good section on mammals
• Access to the internet
• A range of resources for paper technology including: a good supply of A4 white and coloured card, scissors, glue sticks, coloured pencils
• A roll of black or coloured insulation tape

Weblinks
A short film on the features of mammals from www.bbc.co.uk
A lovely compilation clip of mammals in a cold climate from www.bbc.co.uk

Teaching

• Review and assess knowledge on the classification of living things.
• Research the features of mammals and how they are adapted to their environment.

Activities

1. Do a quiz to assess knowledge and understanding on all the learning in this block (Yr3&4).
2. Ask questions about mammals and research books and the internet to answer them (Yr3&4).
3. Design an interactive page to display your information (Yr3 2-3 text boxes, Yr4 4-5 text boxes).

Investigation - classifying and identifying, analysing secondary sources
Design your own page on mammals including humans using one of the pop-up techniques previously learnt. Discover what is special about mammals. Complete the vertebrate key mobile. Play Who am I?
Year 3 /Year 4 - Design own final page.

Vocabulary
Recapping on all vocabulary learnt so far in the block plus mammals, fur, hair, milk, adapted, environment