Reception Links to Year 1 for Science

Skills and knowledge taught in Reception

Where this links to the Year 1 curriculum

UW - Every term - Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter

Autumn 2 - Observe changes across the four seasons   

-          observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

This then built upon in Y3 (Light and shadows unit) and Y6 (Light unit).

UW - Nursery – Explore collections of materials with similar or different properties

Reception – Summer - Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants

Autumn 1 -

-          Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made 

-          identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock  

-          describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials  

-          compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties.

This is then built upon in Y2 and Y5.

UW - Nursery – Spring 1 - use all their senses in hands-one exploration of natural materials

UW - Reception - Spring 1 – describe what they see, hear and feel whilst outside.

Spring 1

-          identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense.

UW - Nursery - Summer 1 – Growth and changes topic

Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants

Summer - Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals  

-          identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores  

-          describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including pets)  

This is then built on in Y2 and Y4.

(Link to PSHE) – PSED Nursery – Autumn 1 – Be increasingly independent in meeting their own care needs e.g. washing and drying own hands, brushing their teeth.

PSED Reception – Autumn – Knows and talks about different factors that support overall wellbeing – regular physical activity, oral hygiene, healthy eating etc.

Y1 – body parts and senses

Y2 – find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air)

-          describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene.

This is then built upon in Y6.

There are many links between EYFS and the Science curriculum from Y1-Y6. Here are a few examples that show how the EYFS sets the foundations for later Science learning.

Summer 1- Seasonal changes

UW - Every term - Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them

Nursery – growing cress, planting flowers and learning about basic parts

Reception – what do they grow??

Y1 plants topic

-          Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees.

-          identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees.

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Y2 plants topic

-        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.

Y3 plants topic

-        identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, 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 way in which water is transported within plants

-        explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.

UW - Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them

Summer 1 – Nursery – growing and observing butterflies, learning about life cycle of frogs

Summer 1 – Reception – growing and observing chicks, learning about their life cycle

Y2 – Spring 1 – Animals including humans

- notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults

Y5 – Summer 1 – Living things and their habitats

-         describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird (growing and observing butterflies)

-        describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.

UW - Autumn 2 - Changing states of matter – melting chocolate

UW - Spring 2 - Changing states of matter – baking gingerbread men and bread

Y4 - Autumn 2 – States of matter

-          observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled