Year 6 Science

Circulatory System

In the Circulatory System project, your child will revisit prior learning about the systems in the human body and the seven life processes. They will explore the role of the circulatory system and its main parts, carrying out research to answer their own questions. They will look closely at the structure, functions and features of the heart. They will learn about the components and functions of blood, making a representation of a separated blood sample. They will draw and label diagrams of each type of blood vessel and learn about their structure and function. They will test their resting heart rate using a variety of methods. They will investigate whether having a lower resting heart rate means you can sprint faster. They will recap the four types of exercise and test which raise their heart rate the most. They will recap what they know about healthy eating and the Eatwell guide, exploring foods that fall outside the Eatwell plate and recommended daily amounts of foods. They will research the effects of smoking, alcohol and drugs on the human body. They will complete their learning by carrying out an investigation into heart rate recovery.

Light Theory

In the Light Theory project, your child will create a mind map to recap their prior learning about light sources, reflectors, day and night, sun safety and shadows. They will observe how light travels in straight lines. They will use their research skills to discover what happens to light when it enters the eye and how this relates to how we see. They will learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, finding out about visible light in detail. They will investigate how we perceive colour, learning that the stimulation of cells in the eye helps us perceive light, dark and colour. Using a torch for a light source, they will explore how shadows change, including their shape, size and how they become distorted. They will discuss what happens to light when it strikes a surface, learning about absorption, reflection, scattering and transmitted light. They will use different mirrors, including plane, concave and convex, to explore how they affect reflections. They will use a light meter to measure light and will observe refraction, and ask and answer scientific questions about the phenomena.

Electrical Circuits and Components

In the Electrical Circuits and Components project, your child will consolidate their understanding of the components that make up a circuit, such as a lamp, cell, wire and switch. They will make a range of circuits and use symbols to draw circuit diagrams. Your child will learn about electric currents and measure the voltage of different cells. They will discover how cells produce electricity and research questions about cells and batteries. Your child will also learn how the voltage across a circuit affects the performance of different components. They will explore how programmable devices are used in everyday life and create a program to switch a light on and off via a light sensor. They will use the knowledge gained throughout the project to design, make and evaluate a programmable home device.

Evolution and Inheritance

In the Evolution and Inheritance project, your child will learn about the five kingdoms scientists group living things into based on their characteristics. They will discuss what fossils are, revisit how they form and learn about the fossil record before classifying fossils, using what they have learned about the features of living things. Children will discuss the theory of evolution and the scientists who founded it in the 19th century, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace, learning that all living things on Earth are related and have gradually changed over time. They will learn that fossils and the DNA of extinct and living things provide evidence for the theory of evolution and then study a scientific diagram called an evolutionary tree, identifying the relationships between past and present-day living things. Children will learn the meaning of the terms 'inheritance' and 'variation' and how evolution relies on them. They will discuss examples of inherited and non-inherited features and continuous and discontinuous variation within humans before collecting and displaying class data about eye colour as a bar chart and heights as a line graph. They will revisit the meaning of 'adaptation' and use new scientific terminology, including 'natural selection and 'survival of the fittest'. They will learn about adaptation in animals by investigating how birds' beaks have changed over time to improve their ability to catch and eat specific foods. They will learn about adaptation in plants, including structural, behavioural and chemical adaptations, and then investigate the leaves of trimmed and untrimmed holly plants, observing how holly plants can adapt to become spikier to survive. They will complete their learning by holding a class debate about artificial selection using evidence from research and presenting an argument for and against its use.

Frozen Kingdoms

In the Frozen Kingdoms project, your child will learn about the regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. They will learn about the similarities and differences between these two regions, including the climate, landscape and natural resources. They will learn how to use grid references, lines of latitude and longitude, contour lines and symbols to identify the geographical locations of the Arctic and Antarctic, and how these, along with the tilt of the Earth, affect day length and warmth. They will investigate polar oceans to learn how they differ from other oceans on Earth and how climate change increases Earth's temperature and leads to rising sea levels. They will learn about the indigenous people of the Arctic, including how their lives have changed over time, and about the positives and negatives of tourism in Antarctica. They will also learn about classifying animals, animal adaptations and evolution, and polar exploration and discovery.