Year 3 Science Curriculum Overview
Welcome to the Year 3 Science Curriculum Overview! Here, you'll find a comprehensive breakdown of the science topics your child will be exploring this year, along with the National Curriculum objectives, key knowledge, and vocabulary for each topic. We believe that a strong partnership between school and parents is essential for a child's success, so we've also included tips on how you can support your child's learning at home.
Plants
National Curriculum Objectives:
- 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.
- Explore the different parts of flowering plants and their functions.
Key Knowledge:
- Parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaves, flower.
- Life cycle of plants: germination, growth, flowering, pollination, seed formation.
- Basic plant needs: water, sunlight, air, nutrients.
Key Vocabulary:
- Germination
- Photosynthesis
- Pollination
- Petal
- Chlorophyll
- Roots
- Stem
- Leaves
Supporting Learning at Home:
- Plant seeds at home and observe their growth.
- Create a simple plant diary to track growth stages.
- Visit a local garden or park to explore different plant varieties.
Rocks and Soils
National Curriculum Objectives:
- Compare and group different rocks and soils based on their properties.
- Investigate how rocks are formed and the different uses of rocks and soils.
Key Knowledge:
- Types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic.
- Properties of rocks: hardness, texture, color.
- Soil components: sand, clay, humus, gravel.
- Rock formation: heat, pressure, erosion.
Key Vocabulary:
- Igneous
- Sedimentary
- Metamorphic
- Soil erosion
- Fossil
- Mineral
- Pebble
Supporting Learning at Home:
- Go on a rock-hunting expedition outdoors.
- Collect different types of soil and discuss their differences.
- Create a mini rock collection and label the types of rocks.
Light and Shadow
National Curriculum Objectives:
- Investigate how light travels and explain how shadows are formed.
- Explore how materials can be transparent, translucent, or opaque.
- Understand how the position and size of objects affect the size and direction of shadows.
Key Knowledge:
- Properties of light: travels in straight lines, can be reflected and refracted.
- Formation of shadows: opaque objects block light, light source, and surface.
- Transparent, translucent, and opaque materials.
Key Vocabulary:
- Reflection
- Refraction
- Opaque
- Transparent
- Translucent
- Light source
- Shadow
Supporting Learning at Home:
- Play with torches and objects to create shadows.
- Investigate different materials' transparency by observing light passing through them.
- Observe how shadows change in size and direction throughout the day.
Forces and Magnets
National Curriculum Objectives:
- Investigate pushes and pulls as forces.
- Explore the effects of friction on movement.
- Discover the basic properties of magnets and how they attract or repel.
Key Knowledge:
- Types of forces: push, pull, friction.
- Effects of forces on movement: speed, direction.
- Magnet properties: attract, repel, poles.
Key Vocabulary:
- Force
- Friction
- Attract
- Repel
- Magnetic
- Pole
- Gravity
Supporting Learning at Home:
- Experiment with different surfaces to observe friction's effects.
- Explore magnets around the house and identify objects attracted to them.
- Investigate how magnets can push or pull objects without direct contact.
We hope this overview provides you with a clear understanding of the exciting science journey your child will embark upon in Year 3. By engaging in hands-on activities, discussions, and explorations at home, you can reinforce their learning and nurture their curiosity about the world around them. If you have any questions or would like further guidance, please don't hesitate to reach out. Together, we can make science an engaging and memorable experience for your child!