GEMS Westminster School, RAK Medium Term Planning

Subject
Year Group
When
Teacher
Week

Year-2015

Science
4
SPRING Term (2)
Saritha

Objectives
Children learn

to identify different
types of habitat
that different animals
are found in different
habitats
to recognise the term
organism
1

to identify different
types of habitat
that different animals
are found in different
habitats

to identify different
types of habitat in the

Teaching and Learning Activities

Resource
s

Assessment
Opportunities

Initial assessment elicit childrens ideas about living

things display a selection of photographs for children
to sort into categories, e.g. plant, animal, living, not
living. Introduce term organism as a general term for
all living things.
Introduce children to the word habitat using pictures to
illustrate meaning. Explain the meaning of habitat.
Explain to children that they will be studying local
habitats and use Virtual Experiments on Smartboard to
highlight different habitats. Children work in groups to
make lists of animals and plants that may live in the
habitat. Discuss and justify reasons.
Go for a walk round the school and/or immediate locality
to find and make a list of habitats.
Review the final list with the children and group habitats
of similar scale or diversity together eg pond, field,
wood, tree, hedge, flower bed, grassy patch, plant
trough, under leaf, under stone. Ask children to record
the habitats identified and label the habitats on a blank
map of the school (Geography link).

Photograp
hs

Discussion

Start the lesson with Gone Astray (Education City) on

the Smartboard

Education
City

Virtual
Experimen
ts on
Smartboar
d

Blank map
of the
school

Safety
Issues

Childrens ideas
Lists produced

Discussion and
observation of
children
Completed map

Discussion

Small groups
each with an
adult. Stay
with adult
Stay within
the School
grounds i.e.
at the back
of the school

GEMS Westminster School, RAK Medium Term Planning

Year-2015

local area
that different animals
are found in different
habitats

Add to the A3 concept map produced in Geography

earlier in the week by adding what the children think live
there from a variety of resources.

to identify and
investigate a variety of
different local habitats

Split the children into three groups (each with an adult)

to examine a habitat around the school. Each group will
spend approximately 15 minutes at each habitat (the
pond, the grassy areas and the area in front of the
library). Each adult will have a list of questions to ask to
prompt discussion. Each child will have a recording sheet
(risk assess)
Begin the lesson by asking children to list as many parts
of a plant as they know. Use Daydream software on
Smartboard to label the parts of a plant as a group.
Children draw and label parts of a plant in books. More
confident children write sentences about the functions of
each part of the plant.
Investigate plants as a source of food.
Display pictures of different habitats on Smartboard, e.g.
under a tree, in a field etc and children list the types of
plants they might expect to find there.
Go outside and throw PE hoops onto the grass and
survey the different plants in the hoops. Provide children
with pictures and names of plants to aid identification.
Children produce tally charts for the different plants
found. Support assistants will have a selection of
questions to ask
Stick recording sheet in books.

Recording
sheets

Using Virtual Experiments on Smartboard, discuss how

to make a key.
Demonstrate making a key
Children make their own key more confident children
make their own from a list of creatures and
characteristics.
Children investigate the organisms that live in the pond
and then make their own key
Discuss the ways to observe the behaviour of animals

Virtual
Experimen
ts

to know the parts of a

plant
to investigate the plants
found in a habitat
to suggest reasons for
the different plants
growing in a habitat
to investigate the plants
found in a habitat
to suggest reasons for
the different plants
growing in a habitat

to recognise how a key

can be used
to create own key

to create own key

to know how to

Concept
maps

Concept maps
produced

Observation
Discussion
Sheets
produced

Photos of
plants
Daydream

PE hoops
Recording
sheets

Risk
assessment
Stay with
adult
Stay within
the School
grounds

Discussion
Work produced

Observation of
children
Discussion
Recording sheet
produced.

Each group
with an
adult.
Do not work
near the
pond.
Stay with
adult

Discussion
Keys produced

Photograp
hs
Photograp
hs
Food for

Keys produced
Discussion

GEMS Westminster School, RAK Medium Term Planning

investigate the feeding

habits of birds
to make predictions and
discuss keeping the test
fair

and birds
Discuss how to observe the birds silent watching from
the library, no sudden movements or noises etc
We will investigate how many birds eat each type of food
seeds, fruit, bread and fat balls. Make predictions
about what the most popular type of food will be.
Discuss making the test fair same amount of food each
time, length of time the birds will be observed for, where
we will be observing so the only thing that is changing is
the food.
Split children into four groups. Each group will observe
and count the birds eating one type of food (with adult
support). Rest of the group produce an information sheet
about what birds like to eat
Collate each groups results from the previous lesson.
Demonstrate and question to draw conclusions from
what we have found which food did the birds prefer to
eat?
Collate information from each group and create a bar
chart with a table of results
Model writing the test up

the birds

to understand what is
meant by a food chain
to understand the terms
producer and
consumer

Discuss where humans get energy from. List childrens

suggestions about the kinds of foods people eat and
choose one suggestion and trace it backwards along the
food chain until a green plant is reached (no arrows yet
as we are working backwards and dont want to
confuse).
Repeat for other foods
What is the beginning of the chain? Draw a circle around
each of the producers. What do they have in common?
Draw a food chain on the board and connect with arrows.
Which directions are the arrows going in?
Sorting activities

100
Science
Lessons Yr
4 p. 61

to construct a food chain

to understand the terms
predator and prey

Reinforce previous lesson by asking children to give an

example of a basic food chain which are the producers
and consumers?

to collate the results of

the test and draw
conclusions

Year-2015

Recording
sheet

Results

Questions and
answers
Write up of the
experiment

Questioning
Completed
sorting activity

Sorting
cards

Discussion and
questioning

Week

Objectives
Children learn

Teaching and Learning Activities

Recap on previous
Intro: ShortSchool,
quiz on previous
covered
what
do the
GEMS Westminster
RAK topic
Medium
Term
Planning
knowledge of circuits
children remember?
and conductors.
Main: Discuss with chn what they think the unit will be
about.
to understand the terms Go
Introduce
terms
predator
over what
a concept
map and
is. prey and carnivore and
carnivore and
herbivore
Write up concept map that the chn were set for hw what
herbivore
Children
construct
do
the chn will
already
know.mobiles of food chains with more
confident
children
the name
of animal/plant,
Chn
write down
ideaslabelling
they havent
thought
of.
carnivore,
herbivore,
and prey with the circuit
Plenary:
Discuss
safetypredator
and expectations
equipment.
That circuits powered by
Intro: Discuss what electricity is?
batteries can be used for Main: Can children think about items around their
investigation and
home/school that require electricity/power.? Brainstorm
experiment, appliances
ideas.
connected to the main
Discuss ideas as a class. How are they powered plugs
must not.
and batteries.
What are the main differences between batteries and
mains electricity?
Discuss electrical safety why do we not use mains
electricity in experiments?
Play electrical safety game.
Plenary: What have we learnt about electrical safety?
That a circuit needs a
Intro: Go over safety of using circuit equipment.
power source.
Main: Discuss what electricity is and how it works brief
That a complete circuit is detail.
needed for a device to
In a circle hold hands and squeeze the hand of the person
work.
on the left until it comes back to me.
2 chn let go of the circle discuss what has happened.
Why has it happened?
Show chn symbols associated with circuits bulbs, cells
etc. Chn draw these into book and label them. Why do we
use symbols rather than drawings?
Show chn circuit diagrams what can the chn notice about
the circuits complete/incomplete?
Chn draw into book and write a short prediction about
what might happen with that circuit.
Plenary: Test knowledge of symbols can chn recall
them.

Resource
s
IWB

IWB

Assessment
Cues/Success
Criteria
Children
Year-2015
understand what
a concept map is
used for.
Completed
mobiles

Explain why
devices in some
circuits shown in
drawings will
work but devices
in other circuits
will not.

Safety
Issues