Science Learning Questions
Summer Term
Is a seed the beginning or the end of a plant’s life? |
| What do I know about plant reproduction? |
| What is a seed? |
| How are seeds dispersed? |
| Why is seed dispersal important? |
| How do seeds germinate? |
| How do seeds contribute to a plant’s reproduction? |
How do rocks change over time? |
| How are rocks different? |
| How do rocks change over time? |
| How is soil formed? |
| How is soil different? |
| How useful is soil? |
What are shadows? |
| How well do different materials allow light to pass through them? |
| What forms shadows? |
| What changes the size of shadows? |
| How do shadow hand puppets work? |
| Can I create a shadow puppet? |
What can magnets do? |
| What do I know about forces? |
| What are the properties of a magnet? |
| Which materials are magnetic? |
| Are all metals magnetic? |
| Does the shape of the magnet matter? |
| Can we work ‘magic’ with magnets? |
| How do birds use magnetism? |
| What do I know about magnetism? |
Spring Term
What do plants need to live and grow? |
| What is a plant? |
| Why do some plants need soil? |
| Do plants need light? |
| Do plants need water? |
| Why do different plants have different seeds? |
How do your muscles help you? |
| What are muscles? |
| How do muscles work in pairs? |
| How can you make muscles stronger? |
| Where are muscles? |
How are fossils formed? |
| How are fossils made? |
| How are fossils found? |
| Why are fossils important? |
| What are the 10 most important facts about fossils? |
| Who is Mary Anning? |
What does reflection mean to a scientist? |
| How do we see things? |
| How does light travel? |
| Which materials absorb light? |
| Which materials reflect light? |
| How does a mirror work? |
| How can I use reflection to see around corners? |
How do forces work? |
| What forces do we know? |
| What is gravity? |
| What happens when more than one force is being exerted at the same time? |
| What type of force is air resistance? |
| How does shape affect the impact of water resistance? |
Autumn Term
Why do plants have flowers? |
| Can you imagine a world without flowers? |
| What is a flower? |
| The bigger the fruit, the larger the seed. Explore. |
| What is the function of each part of a plant? |
| Why are flowers scented and coloured? |
How does your skeleton help you? |
| What does a bone look like? |
| What is inside bones? |
| What bones are inside us? |
| What happens where bones meet? |
| Why do different animals have different skeletons? |
| How do skeletons protect? |
| What is a fair test? |
| Do all animals have skeletons? |
How can we describe rocks? |
| How can we describe rock? |
| What type of rocks are there? |
| How are igneous rocks formed? |
| How are sedimentary rocks formed? |
| How are metamorphic rocks formed? |
| What is a rock cycle? |
What is the difference between light and darkness? |
| What is darkness and how does it make me feel? |
| Can light be dangerous to our eyes? |
| Why does the moon appear to shine? |
| How does light behave? |
| What is the difference between light and darkness? |
How do things move on different surfaces? |
| What is a force? |
| How do different objects move on a surface? |
| What difference does a surface make to how an object moves? |
| How can I investigate ‘The smoother the surface, the more quickly an object will move.’? |
| The smoother the surface, the more quickly an object will move. True or false? |
Summer Term
What makes a healthy pond environment? |
| What do we know about ponds and lakes near us? |
| How can nature affect a healthy lake environment? |
| How do humans unintentionally affect a healthy pond environment? |
| How do humans intentionally affect a pond environment? |
| How can Southampton Common ponds be kept healthy? |
What is a food chain? |
| What do different animals eat? |
| What are producers, predators and prey? |
| Where do all living things get their energy from? |
| What happens when plants and animals decompose? |
| How are plants and animals connected in different environments? |
What is the water cycle? |
| What do we mean by changing state? |
| What is evaporation? |
| What is condensation? |
| What are clouds? |
| How does temperature affect the rate of evaporation? |
| How does the water cycle affect plants? |
| Is the water cycle the same the world over? |
What helps or hinders the flow of electricity? |
| What do I already know about electricity? |
| What is an insulator of electricity? |
| What is a conductor of electricity? |
| How can I prove what materials are good conductors or insulators of electricity? |
| What do I know about conductors and insulators of electricity? |
How can I insulate against sound? |
| What do I already know about sound? |
| How can I plan to reduce the vibrations coming to my ears? |
| Can I follow my plan to reduce the vibrations coming to my ears? |
| How effectively did I reduce the sound coming to my ears? |
| What questions do I now have about sound? |
Spring Term
How can I identify local pond life? |
| What lives around a pond in this country? |
| What lives in a pond? |
| What is a key? |
| How can I classify plant life? |
| How do the ponds on Southampton Common compare? |
| Can I create an illustrated entry for our Southampton Common pondlife guide? |
| How will the pond change over time? |
How do humans digest food? |
| How does food travel to my stomach? |
| What does the small intestine do? |
| What happens to our body waste? |
| What part of the digestive process takes the longest and why? |
| What are the main stages of digestion? |
What changes solids, liquids and gases? |
| How can a solid change? |
| How can a liquid change? |
| What changes a reversible? |
| What changes a irreversible? |
| How can a gas change? |
| Can I explain how matter can change its state? |
What changes can we make to sound? |
| What different sounds can a stringed instrument make? |
| What is pitch? |
| How do I investigate volume of sound as a scientist? |
| How do I investigate pitch and volume practically? |
| Is my voice a pitched instrument? |
How can I control electricity? |
| What do I know about electrical circuits? |
| How can I predict if a circuit will work? |
| How is a plug wired? |
| How can I make a bulb brighter? |
| How does a switch work in a circuit? |
Autumn Term
What lives in and around our school grounds? |
| How can we sort and classify living things? |
| What can I learn at the Hawthorns Centre? |
| What signs of life have you seen in and around our school? |
| How can we sort and classify the living things in and around our school? |
| What do you know about…? |
| How can I present my fact file? |
Why do humans have teeth? |
| What do teeth look like? |
| Why do we need different shaped teeth? |
| How can we demonstrate how our mouth works? |
| What effect do different liquids have on our teeth? |
| How do we keep our mouths healthy? |
| What can you tell about animals from their teeth? |
What are solids, liquids and gases? |
| What states of matter are there? |
| What is a solid? |
| What is a liquid? |
| How do we show gases exist? |
| Why do solids, liquids and gases move differently? |
How does sound travel? |
| What sounds are there? |
| What sounds do instruments make? |
| How does sound travel? |
| Does sound travel through solids? |
| How does the ear work? |
| Do all animals have ears? |
What is amazing and what is deadly about electricity? |
| What is electricity used for in our homes? |
| What is electricity used for in our town? |
| Where does electricity occur in nature? |
| How can I keep safe with electricity? |
| How does electricity travel? |
Summer Term
How well can we observe change? |
| What are the different ways living things reproduce? |
| How do animals change? |
| What changes happen as an egg hatches? |
| How does an insect develop? |
| How does a tadpole become a frog? |
| How does a plant develop? |
What happens to humans during puberty? |
| What are hormones? |
| What is menstruation? |
| What happens to hair growth in puberty? |
| What happens to skin in puberty? |
What are reversible and irreversible changes? |
| What do we mean by ‘changes of state’? |
| What changes to materials can be reversed? |
| How can changes be reversed? |
| What is a reaction? |
| What are irreversible changes? |
| When are irreversible changes useful? |
What is a moon? |
| What do we know about the Solar System? |
| What satellites Earth? |
| Why does Earth’s moon have phases? |
| What other planets have moons? |
| What is a lunar eclipse? |
What is resistance? |
| How does streamlining affect rate of movement? |
| What is the best parachute design? |
| Do heavier objects fall quicker than lighter objects? |
| What can I learn from visiting the Winchester Science Centre? |
| How does air resistance affect vehicle design? |
| What is the best design for a cycle helmet? |
Spring Term
How do plants reproduce? |
| Does a potato reproduce asexually? |
| How can a potato tuber reproduce asexually? |
| What do we know about the structure of a flower? |
| What is pollination? |
| What are the advantages of sexual reproduction in plants? |
| What is seed dispersal? |
How do periods of gestation, childhood and life expectancy relate? |
| What is a foetus? |
| How do babies develop? |
| Is childhood the greatest period of development in a human? |
| What is puberty? |
| When is a human being an adult? |
| What defines old age? |
| How do gestation periods relate to life expectancy in animals? |
How can I separate mixtures, including solutions? |
| How can I use filtering to separate a mixture? |
| How can I separate a mixture when the particle size is similar? |
| A solution forever? |
| When is a solution saturated? |
| What are the uses of sedimentation? |
| How can magnetism be used to separate a mixture? |
| How has scientific invention impacted on everyday life? |
What creates night and day? |
| How does Earth move? |
| Why are the days shorter in Winter? |
| Does the sun rise and set each day? |
| What makes a shadow? |
| What is the Moon’s relationship with the Earth? |
| How can I explain night and day? |
How do forces affect mechanisms? |
| What is gravity? |
| What is a lever? |
| Are all levers the same? |
| What is a pulley? |
| How do gears work? |
| How is a screw a simple machine? |
| What other simple machines are there? |
Autumn Term
Are all life cycles the same? |
| Are all life cycles the same? |
| Why are there so many rats? |
| What is metamorphosis? |
| What is interesting about the life cycle of bees? |
| What parts of the life cycle of the Herring Gull affect me? |
How does a human change? |
| What do we know about stages of life? |
| How does age relate to development? |
| How do we measure development? |
| What learning takes place from birth to starting school? |
| How have I developed? |
| How can we investigate growth? |
How can we compare and group everyday materials? |
| How can we describe different materials? |
| What are conductors and insulators? |
| Which materials are most effective for making a warm jacket? |
| Which materials would make the best blackout curtains? |
| Which materials would be best for wrapping a lolly to stop it melting? |
| So how can we compare and group everyday materials? |
How can we describe the movement within our solar system? |
| Where is our Solar System? |
| What is in our Solar System? |
| How does our Solar System work? |
| Have people always understood that our system is helio-centric? |
| What evidence would you present to counter the view of a ‘Geo-Centric’ Solar System? |
What is gravity? |
| What is a force? |
| How do we know about gravity? |
| How can we prove that gravity exists? |
| How can I investigate ‘the heavier the object, the faster it will fall.’ True or False? |
| What can we find out about gravity on the moon? |
Summer Term
What is a micro-organism? |
| What living things can I not see? |
| When are micro-organisms useful in food production? |
| When are micro-organisms harmful? |
| Where are micro-organisms on my body? |
| What are helpful micro-organisms? |
How can science keep me healthy? |
| What makes my body work? |
| Why do we need protecting from the sun? |
| How can sugar affect health? |
| What does my liver do? |
| What do bones need to stay healthy? |
| What are vaccines? |
How has man evolved? |
| What are the characteristics of man’s evolutionary stages? |
| What is natural selection? |
| What evidence is there of evolution? |
| What are the advantages of being a biped? |
| How might human beings evolve further? |
How does light behave? |
| What do we remember about how light behaves? |
| Which materials reflect light well? |
| How useful is reflection? |
| What is a rainbow? |
| How does light behave in water? |
What different functions can my circuit have? |
| What do I already know about electricity? |
| How does the wire affect the flow of electricity? |
| What happens if I vary the cell? |
| Can I create a useful circuit? |
Spring Time
How are living things classified? |
| How are living things grouped? |
| How does close observation of a plant enable me to compare different plants? |
| How can a key help to identify fauna? |
| How can a key help to identify flora in my environment? |
| Why was the work of Carolus Linnaeus important? |
How does lifestyle affect your body? |
| What is a balanced diet? |
| What is a drug? |
| Why is exercise important? |
| Why is hydration important? |
| How does handwashing keep me healthy? |
| Why is sleep important? |
What is evolution? |
| What have I inherited and what have I acquired? |
| How are living things suited to their environment? |
| How has the artic fox adapted to its environment? |
| How do plants adapt to their environment? |
| What do fossils tell us about evolution? |
| What is a Paleontologist? |
How can you make shadows change? |
| What do I know about light? |
| How can I make a shadow? |
| What happens to shadows when I move the point source of light? |
| What happens to shadows when I move an extended source of light? |
| How does a shadow that is made by the sun, change? |
| How can I make a shadow puppet? |
| How reliable is a sundial? |
What changes can I make to series circuits? |
| How does a series circuit work? |
| What makes a good switch? |
| How can I change the volume of a buzzer? |
| What happens if I vary resistance? |
| Can you make a switch for a particular purpose? |
Autumn Term
How do we make sense of biodiversity? |
| What is biodiversity? |
| Who was Carl Linnaeus? |
| How did Carl Linnaeus refine classification? |
| What can I learn about different types of mammals? |
| How does habitat affect biodiversity? |
| How can we identify the trees in and around our school premises? |
What is a pulse and why do we have one? |
| What does a heart look like? |
| What is the heart? |
| What does the heart connect to? |
| What is blood? |
| What makes your pulse change? |
| Does size affect your pulse rate? |
What is Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection? |
| Who was Charles Darwin? |
| What did Darwin experience during his voyage on HMS Beagle? |
| What did Darwin learn from the creatures he encountered? |
| What did Darwin describe as ‘variation’? |
| How can we investigate competition in nature? |
| What part does inheritance play? |
How does light travel? |
| Where does light come from? |
| What is a reflection? |
| How can you prove that light only travels in a straight line? |
| What are light years? |
| How does light enable us to see? |
How do different components in a circuit function? |
| Where do we find sources of electricity? |
| What do I need to be able to build a working electrical circuit |
| What is a circuit diagram? |
| What happens to a circuit when the components are changed? |
| What could change the brightness of a lamp? |