Science summer 1 2020

This half term in school your child would have been learning the topic of ‘Plants’.  The National Curriculum expectations for this topic in Year 3 are:

• Identify and describe the functions of different parts of plants; roots, stem, leaves and flowers.

• Explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant.

• Investigate the ways in which water is transported within plants.

• Explore the role of flowers in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.

These follow on from the expectations in Year 1 and 2, which are:

Year 1

• Identify and name a variety of common plants, including garden plants, wild plants and trees, and those classified as deciduous and evergreen.

• Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common plants including roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers.

Year 2

• Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants.

• Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy.

To meet the expectations of the National Curriculum, lessons are normally taught as part of a sequence, drawing on a range of resources.  Currently, Twinkl is offering many free resources with a quick sign-up.  Science resources (including Plants) are available here.

If you have access to a public park for your daily exercise, tree identification can be a fun addition to this activity.  The Woodland Trust has information about tree identification as well as an app which can help with this: the wonders of technology never cease!  This is available here.

Gardening

At The Trinity, we teach children an additional land-based curriculum.  Now is a perfect time to be out in the garden if you are fortunate to have one.  The mental benefits of gardening have been well-documented over time.  Children -and adults- can feel achievement in completing a task or learning a new skill. 

Remember to teach safety first as a priority as gardens by their nature can contain many risks, hidden or obvious.  Without exaggeration, gardening mishaps can cause injuries which put avoidable pressure on our National Health Service.  Please be careful.

It is also true that many families may not have easy access to gardens or have public parks nearby.  Fortunately, many seeds can be sown indoors and begin to grow on a windowsill with plenty of light and enough water.

Seeds are readily available in supermarkets (food is essential and growing your own is beneficial in many ways) and online. 

From late April to May, the following plants are suitable for indoor/greenhouse sowing:

• Sweetcorn in modules ready for planting out once all risk of frost has passed. Grow at least 12 plants for good pollination and cropping.
• Basil in pots for the greenhouse or patio - this Mediterranean staple thrives in warm conditions.
• Courgette, marrow, squash, and pumpkin seeds under cover.
• Try sowing lettuce in module trays under glass for transplanting into the garden later. Sow every 3 or 4 weeks for continuous harvesting.
• Cucumber and gherkin seeds in individual pots or modules.
• Runner beans and French beans under cover, sowing individually into module trays for planting out after the risk of frost has passed.
• Kale seeds under cover now - yes, it really is time to think ahead to winter cropping.
• Perennial herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme, lovage and lemon balm under cover.
• Glasshouse tomatoes in beds or growing bags.

The following can be sown directly outdoors:

• Beetroot seeds (thinly), directly into the ground.
• Broccoli in a nursery bed for transplanting later on, or sow directly in your vegetable plot.
• Cabbages. Net them early on to prevent cabbage-white butterflies laying their eggs on the leaves.
• Brussels sprouts outdoors now.
• Carrots in rows: protect to prevent carrot-fly attack.
• Chicory directly into the soil.
• Herbs such as chives, coriander, dill and parsley directly into the ground or in containers.
• Kohl Rabi - it will be ready in as little as 8 weeks.
• Peas directly into the ground; start them off in modules if mice are a problem.
• Pak Choi every 3 weeks for a continuous crop.
• Parsnip.  Sow 3 or 4 seeds every 20 cm and thin to the strongest plant.
• Radish seeds directly into the soil for quick and easy home-grown salad.
• Salad leaves directly into the ground or in containers.
• Cauliflower seeds under cover.
• Spinach seeds in soil enriched with plenty of organic matter. Try growing spinach 'Perpetual' if you have very dry soil.
• Spring Onion seeds in drills outdoors for a quick crop to flavour salads and stir fries.
• Try Swiss chard sown outdoors for a colourful crop - it even looks great in flower beds!
• Sow Swede seeds outdoors in a rich, fertile soil for autumn and winter crops.
• Turnips for a great addition to casseroles and stews.
• Watercress in containers, making sure the container is sitting in 2-3 inches of water at all times. 

Further advice is available from the Royal Horticultural Society.

This half term (spring 2 2020), children will study the topic of 'Light'.  They will:

• Recognise that they need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light. 
• Notice that light is reflected from surfaces.
• Recognise that light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways to protect their eyes.
• Recognise that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by a solid object.
• Find patterns in the way that the sizes of shadows change. 

Working scientifically, across Year 3, children will be:

• Asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them.
• Setting up simple practical

   enquiries, comparative and fair tests.

• Making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate

   measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers.

• Gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions.
• Recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables.
• Reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions.
• Using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions.
• Identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes.
• Using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

The children will learn about James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), the Scottish physicist whose work was instrumental in helping Albert Einstein in his studies.