primary science – Page 4 – Whizz Pop Bang Blog

Teaching how animals are suited to their habitats in year 2

Posted on 5th July 2022 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

Are you finding it tricky to find a lesson that isn’t just a worksheet? We have a great lesson pack which will fit into your sequence of lessons, in which pupils will explore fish and learn how they are suited to their habitat.

Where would this lesson fit into my medium-term plan?

This lesson would be suitable after pupils have been taught the differences between things that are living, dead and have never been alive. They should also understand the term ‘habitat’. Our knowledge organisers are a good way to support your pupils’ vocabulary and ensure progression though the school.

How is this lesson better than a worksheet?

Most children will remember an active, interesting lesson better than the information they complete on a worksheet. They will create their own fun 3D fish by recycling an old cardboard tube. Whilst doing this, they will discover the names of the different fins and what they are used for and find out how fish can breathe underwater, making water a suitable habitat for them.

Actively making a 3D model will help make the lesson memorable and you will have a great selection of fish to make an eye-catching science display in your classroom! Or you could turn them into fish mobiles!

In our downloadable lesson packs, we include everything you need to teach the lesson, apart from some inexpensive resources. Included in this lesson pack is a PowerPoint presentation that explains how fish are suited to their habitat and what each fin is for. The pack also includes a sheet of instructions for making the 3D fish, printable instructions in the style of our eco-club page and a labelled diagram to print and give to the children so they know where each fin should be placed.

Get this lesson pack now

If you are not a subscriber to our school resources, you can subscribe here for your school or take out an individual teacher membership here, which will give you access to all of our downloadable resources.

How can I get more science into my school day?

An easy way to get more science content into your school day is to give your pupils quality science-related text during reading time. We have loads of downloadable reading comprehensions as part of our resources. This month we have added two more for year 2.

All our year 2 reading comprehensions have differentiated text as well as differentiated question-and-answer sheets. They look very similar (on purpose!). Just look for the magnifying glasses in the bottom right-hand corner – two means harder and one means easier.

We also have a bank of spectacular science images that are perfect for promoting discussion. They feature a striking scientific image along with a couple of questions. As you click through the PowerPoint presentation, the answers to the questions will be revealed. Pupils should try to answer the questions as you go. The presentation added this month for the unit ‘Living things and habitats’ is called ‘Synchronised swimmers’. It only takes ten minutes, so it can slot into those awkward times in the school day, such as straight after lunch while you are waiting for everyone to come in.

If you would like some FREE samples, sign up here for a magazine and an example lesson pack for years 2 to 6.

How much does it cost to gain access to all of the Whizz Pop Bang resources?

Prices start from as little as £197.99 per year for a copy of Whizz Pop Bang magazine through the post each month and whole-school access to our ever-growing library of downloadable teaching resources, with unlimited teacher logins.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

“Whizz pop Bang has developed a refreshing look at science and its resources bring this subject to life” Class teacher Caroline Burton

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Teaching plants in science

Posted on 6th June 2022 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

How can I make sure there is progression when teaching plants?

This is a common problem, as pupils are taught first introduced the topic of plants in KS1, it begins in years 1 to 3, plus they will have grown a plant in FS2. So when you come to teach it, how do you know you are progressing their knowledge.

It is key to know what the children have done the previous year. Before you even start planning, have a conversation with their previous teacher to find out what they have covered and what they have grown. We have produced knowledge organisers which are specific to each year group. They state the vocabulary and content that teachers should cover for their year group to help ensure progression.

FS2 and Year 1 Science

In foundation stage, children will have explored different plants and planted seeds and seen that they grow. There will have been lots of observations and not much recording. In year 1, they will have built on this by growing a plant in soil and considering what it needs to grow. They will have been exposed to and encouraged to use simple vocabulary to name the basic parts of a plant. They will have also labelled the parts of a plant and probably created a diary observing a plant’s growth.

Year 2 Science

In year 2, pupils will grow plants again, but this time they will start to set up simple investigations that draw on all the knowledge and vocabulary they have learned in the past two years. For example, we have produced a lesson pack where pupils will grow beans – which they may have done before, but they will set it up in a controlled way. They will observe what happens to the bean and they will be able to see the different stages of growth. They will control either the amount of light or the amount of water the bean gets.

Lesson pack for teaching plants to KS1 and KS2.

Year 3 Science

Moving from teaching plants in KS1 to KS2. When it comes to teaching plants in year 3, I cannot stress enough the importance of checking what they have already covered. Years 2 and 3 have similar objectives about exploring what plants need to grow. The key difference in year 3 is that they should be measuring the amount of light or water. For example, our pea germination investigation covers requirements for growth, but it also requires pupils to measure the amount of water given.

We also have other packs which require different measurements in investigations and different types of enquiry. This lesson pack is a comparative investigation.

Comparative demonstration about plants' water needs for year 3 science lesson KS2.

If you find the year 2 teacher has already done a lot of investigations that cover the requirements of growth, the good news is that gives you more time to look into some of the other areas in more depth.

Learning about nutrients in the soil and seeing how the soil drains so plants can grow properly and don’t rot is important.

Year 3 science lesson about nutrients and soil for KS2.

Also in year 3, you are required to cover how plants transport water. We have a great activity which demonstrates capillary action.

Year 3 science lesson about capillary action for KS2.

Pupils need to know the parts of a flower and this time in more depth, including the basics of pollination and seed dispersal. Pupils should start to dissect flowers and weeds and see if they can name the different parts. This sets up a good foundation for when they come back to it in year five and look at how plants reproduce. We have created a ‘build a flower’ pack for year 3 and also a flower dissection pack for year 5 – this ensures progression between the year groups.

Year 3 science lesson build a flower for teaching plants in KS2.

Year 3 science lesson about flower dissection for teaching plants in KS2.

If you would like some FREE samples, sign up here for a magazine and an example lesson pack for years 2 to 6.

How much does it cost to gain access to all of the Whizz Pop Bang resources?

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

“Whizz pop Bang has developed a refreshing look at science and its resources bring this subject to life” Class teacher Caroline Burton

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Teaching the unit sound in year 4

Posted on 3rd May 2022 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

Are you looking for planning resources for teaching sound in year 4? Here’s how you can use our downloadable teaching resources to easily create memorable lessons that produce the sticky knowledge Ofsted will be looking for…

Where to start?

Sound is a fun topic to teach but it can be tricky to explain how sound travels in waves as the children can’t see it. We have lots of interesting ways to help your pupils explore and ‘feel’ sound, which cover the National Curriculum objectives you need to teach.

Telephones lesson pack

This pack links to our Victorian Science issue. This lesson is a great introduction to sound and begins with pupils feeling sound waves through a balloon. In pairs, they will create a simple string telephone and investigate how it works. Using photographs or a labelled diagram, they will then start to explain how sound travels from one cup to the other. As with all our lesson packs, the science is explained in the lesson plan and on the last slide of the PowerPoint presentation.

Bottle blower lesson pack

In this lesson, pupils will investigate how pitch changes when you alter the amount of water in a bottle. This links to our brilliant issue on sound called ‘Turn up the volume’, which is available to buy from our website.

Pin strummer lesson pack

This is a great lesson to teach towards the end of your unit on sound. Pupils will use the knowledge they have acquired and apply it to their own practical enquiry. They will make their own musical instrument – a pin strummer – and then change different variables to see how the pitch and volume changes.

How to evidence your practical lessons

If your planning isn’t enough evidence, pupils could use the Keynote app on an iPad and record themselves describing their investigation or activity. If you need evidence in their books, you could print a photo from the lesson and during morning work the next day, pupils could label and annotate it. This would mean that they go back over their learning from the day before, helping the knowledge to stick. Do pupils need to write each step of an experiment? In my experience, asking pupils to write down everything they have done kills the learning. Choose one part from each investigation; that way they will do it well and it will enhance learning. Our knowledge organisers are really helpful with spellings and also help pupils to remember key concepts and vocabulary.

How to embed science across the curriculum

There are lots of ways to embed the pupil’s science learning in your school day. Using science texts in guided reading or whole-class reading sessions is an easy way for children to delve further into the subject matter and acquire more knowledge. We have several reading comprehension packs for year 4 linking to the topic of sound:

Reading comprehensions which link to the topic of sound

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your school’s science teaching:

We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology and PSHE.

Prices from as little as £197.99 per year for a copy of Whizz Pop Bang magazine through the post each month and whole-school access to our ever-growing library of downloadable teaching resources, with unlimited teacher logins.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

“We used the Bottle Blower investigation to discover how pitch changes. The children loved it and the resources were clear and colourful. The reading comprehension on the foley artists had my class fascinated with the subject matter as they were completely unaware what a foley artist was. Great to have the resources differentiated!” Mrs Godwin, Year 4 Class teacher

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Year 5 Science Week 2022

Posted on 9th February 2022 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

This year’s theme is growth, which you can take in lots of different directions. We have two FREE activities based on plants which are suitable for all year groups.

FREE-activities-for-Science-Week Download

Why not investigate different life cycles? There are lots of weird and wonderful examples out there! Our lesson pack on life cycles involves pupils making their own 3D model of a life cycle.

To help to keep science going all week, we have several reading comprehensions linked to the theme of growth, including non-chronological reports and historical scientists.

Historical scientist Maria Sibylla Merian

Don’t forget to take photographs so you can make a display or share them on your school’s social media platforms. We would love to see what you have been doing too, so please tag us @whizzpopbangmag

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your science teaching:

We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Design and Technology and PSHE.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources for just £20 for the whole year.

If your school is not a subscriber already, we have an amazing offer of a 20% discount until 31st March 2022. Just apply the code SCIWEEK22 at the checkout to receive the discount. (Only available on whole-school subscriptions to the magazines and resources.)

Prices from as little as £190 per year for a copy of Whizz Pop Bang magazine through the post each month and whole-school access to our ever-growing library of downloadable teaching resources, with unlimited teacher logins.

Subscribe for your school now!

“Whizz Pop Bang has developed a refreshing look at Science and its resources bring this subject to life.” Year 5 primary school teacher

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Year 4 Science Week 2022

Posted on 9th February 2022 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

This year’s theme is growth, which you can take in lots of different directions. We have two FREE activities based on plants which are suitable for all year groups.

FREE-activities-for-Science-Week Download

All animals need to eat to grow. In this pack, pupils will discover that a coral reef is in fact both living and dead. They will make their own edible polyp and learn the importance of the coral polyp in the reef ecosystem.

To help to keep science going all week, we have several reading comprehensions linked to the theme of growth, including interviews, explanation texts and historical scientists.

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your science teaching:

We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Design and Technology and PSHE.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources for just £20 for the whole year.

If your school is not a subscriber, we have an amazing offer of a 20% discount until 31st March 2022. Just apply the code SCIWEEK22 at the checkout to receive the discount. (Only available on whole-school subscriptions to the magazines and resources.)

Subscribe for your school now!

“We used the bottle blower investigation to discover how pitch changes. The children loved it and the resources were clear and colourful. The class were fascinated with the reading comprehension on a foley artist as they didn’t know what they did. Great to have the resource differentiated.” Year 4 primary school teacher

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Teaching the water cycle in year 4

Posted on 31st January 2022 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

Are you looking for planning resources for teaching the water cycle in year 4? Here’s how you can use our new downloadable teaching resources to easily create memorable lessons that produce the sticky knowledge Ofsted will be looking for…

Where to start?

Evaporation is part of the water cycle and it’s important pupils understand what it is before they learn about the water cycle. We have a lesson pack called ‘Evaporation investigation’ which allows pupils to observe what happens to water over a period. All our lesson packs come with a differentiated lesson plan linked to the curriculum and a PowerPoint to help run the lesson.

Our lesson plans often include boxes titled ‘previous learning’ and ‘future learning’; this is to help you understand where the lesson would fit in your medium-term plan. Sometimes we suggest another lesson pack and that is what we have done here. Once pupils understand evaporation, you are ready to teach the water cycle. In this lesson, pupils will make their mini water cycle using items which are easy to resource and inexpensive.

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Why make a mini water cycle, rather than asking children to create a labelled diagram?
All pupils learn differently, and to create sticky knowledge children need memorable experiences. The visual and kinaesthetic learners are more likely to remember making a mini water cycle than filling in a worksheet.

How to evidence the lesson

If your planning isn’t enough evidence, pupils could use the Keynote app on an iPad and record themselves describing their water cycle and each stage. If you need evidence for their books, you could print a photo of their mini water cycle and during morning work the next day, pupils could label and annotate it. This would mean that they go back over their learning from the day before, helping the knowledge to stick. Using knowledge organisers can be an additional tool that helps remind children of previous learning or to use as a scaffold – not for answers!

How to make the water cycle cross curricular

There are also lots of ways to embed the pupils’ science learning in your school day. Using science texts in guided reading or whole class reading sessions is an easy way for children to delve further into the subject matter and acquire more knowledge. We have two reading comprehension packs for year 4 linking to weather:

We also have a bank of spectacular science images that are perfect for promoting discussion. They feature a striking scientific image, along with a couple of questions. As you click through the PowerPoint presentation, the answers to the questions will be revealed. Pupils should try to answer the questions as you go. The presentation to use for the water cycle is called ‘Hurricane Florence’. It only takes ten minutes so it can slot into those awkward times in the school day; for example, straight after lunch while you are waiting for everyone to come in.

Satellite view. Hurricane Florence over the Atlantics close to the US coast .

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your school’s science teaching:

We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology and PSHE.

We’ve also just launched a new individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

“Engaging colourful resources designed to capture the children’s attention and encourage enquiry and questioning” Year 4 teacher

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Teaching shadows in year 3

Posted on 17th November 2021 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

Teaching the unit ‘light’ in year 3 builds the foundations for children’s understanding of Earth and Space in year 5. Pupils are aware of their own shadows from an early age, but do they understand why shadows get bigger and smaller or change shape? Here at Whizz Pop Bang, our experienced primary teacher has written a lesson pack containing a shadow investigation. Pupils will work in small groups and observe, measure, and record the length and width of a shadow.

“The children had great fun taking part in the shadows lesson. They were immersed in the activity not only developing their scientific knowledge but using mathematical skills and working co-operatively in a group” Natalie Walters – Year 3 teacher

The lesson pack contains:

A lesson plan linked to the national curriculum
A PowerPoint presentation
Instructions
Differentiated results table

Great news! You don’t need any specialised equipment, apart from torches (these should be in your science cupboard already!)

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your school’s science teaching:

We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology and PSHE.

subscribe for your school

We’ve also just launched a new individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

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FREE teaching resource: Sensational Scientist, Mae Jemison

Posted on 13th October 2021 | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment

To celebrate Black History Month and Mae Jemison’s birthday on 17th October, we’re giving away a free sample page from Whizz Pop Bang magazine – a feature all about engineer, doctor, astronaut, dancer and scientist, Dr Mae Jemison.

And that’s not all… if you’re looking for primary science teaching resources or reading comprehensions, you’re in luck. Keep scrolling to find a heap of resources linked to this biography text!

If you’d like to print this out or read it on a tablet, you can find a high-resolution PDF here 👇

Mae-Jemison-text-to-print Download

Find out more about this teaching resource that’s perfect to use during Black History Month:

A biography text for year 3 and P4, linking to the topics animals including humans and body systems and cells, on the remarkable scientist Mae Jemison. Mae Jemison trained to be a dancer, engineer, scientist and astronaut! Mae also spends lots of time teaching and encouraging young people to become scientists, no matter what their background. She wants us all to reach for the stars, and she is still doing this herself by leading a project to develop the science and engineering needed to travel to a different solar system in the next 100 years. Mae doesn’t want anyone to be left out.

Year groups: Year 3 and P4
Topics: Animals including humans

This downloadable reading pack includes:

An A3 reading spread for you to print.
Reading comprehension question and answer sheets, differentiated using our magnifying glasses key (on the bottom right). One magnifying glass indicates easier and two means harder.

Download your FREE teaching resources here:

english-curriculum-mae-jemison-reading-comprehension Download

all-other-curricula-mae-jemison-reading-comprehension Download

Find out more about our teaching resources here

Our award-winning resources…
🧪Are compiled by expert teachers and scientists
🧪 Bring science to life in your child’s classroom
🧪 Are easy to download
🧪 Make planning science lessons simple
🧪 Link to the National Curriculum for England and the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence for primary schools

Our award-winning downloadable resources make it easy for teachers to teach inspirational science to primary school children. We have a huge library of over 300 curriculum-linked science and reading resources, including hands-on science lesson plans, stimulating science reading comprehensions and science vocabulary posters.

Claim FREE samples for your school

Your school can download FREE sample resource packs via our website, and claim a FREE copy of Whizz Pop Bang magazine, too! Simply click ‘Sign up for FREE resources‘ on our schools page…

Teachers say…

The lesson plans from Whizz Pop Bang are fantastic – exactly what teachers want! Written by teachers, for teachers, they are clearly laid out and concisely written so you can pick them up and use them straight away.”
Paul Tyler, Primary Science Lead, Glasgow

“The resources and magazines are linked to the science curriculum and support cross-subject learning. Plus they’re bursting with awesome experiments that my less confident colleagues can teach with ease!”
Kay Wilkie, Shawridge Primary School

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We’ve won a Teach Primary award!

Posted on 11th October 2021 | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment

🎉 We’re delighted to announce that Whizz Pop Bang’s downloadable science resources have been named as a winner in the STEM category in this year’s Teach Primary Awards! 🎉

Find out more about our amazing teaching resources here

Can you help us to spread the word?

We’d love it if you could help us to spread the love of science into more primary schools – simply tell your child’s teacher, school or PTA about Whizz Pop Bang’s award-winning, time-saving school resources.

Click here to share this information by email

Claim FREE samples for your school

View school subscription packages here

Special offer – save 20%!

To celebrate our award, we’re offering schools and PTAs a 20% discount on whole-school access to Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources and magazines.

To claim the discount, simply use the coupon code TPAWARD at the online checkout by 30/11/2021, or order by phone or email…

whizzpopbang.com/schools
0330 2233 790
schools@whizzpopbang.com

Teachers say…

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Teaching food chains in Year 4

Posted on 10th August 2021 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

Are you looking for planning resources for teaching food chains in Year 4? Here’s how you can use our new downloadable food chain resources to easily create a memorable lesson that produces the sticky knowledge Ofsted will be looking for…

Where to start

In Year 4, during the science unit ‘Animals including humans’, you will need to teach about food chains. Pupils will have already covered simple food chains in Year 2. They will have been taught what a carnivore, omnivore and herbivore is and investigated different habitats. In Year 4, you need to build on this knowledge by introducing different terminology and looking at more complex food chains that include more than one prey and predator. The new vocabulary you will be introducing is ‘producer’. Children should already be familiar with ‘prey’ and ‘predator’. You are not expected to teach ‘consumer’, ‘tertiary consumer’ or ‘secondary consumer’ as these terms will be covered in KS3. However, pupils may come across them when they carry out research.

How will the Whizz Pop Bang food chain lesson produce sticky knowledge?

In this lesson, pupils will create a 3D food chain using cardboard tubes. Each tube will represent a part of the food chain, including a drawn picture and a written label. The tubes are used to show how each living thing swallows another further down the food chain. Physically making a model is far more memorable and fun than drawing in a book, plus, it’s great for kinaesthetic and visual learners so it will help to create the sticky knowledge that Ofsted is looking for.

Our food chain lesson pack has been written by an experienced primary school teacher. The downloadable pack includes:

A differentiated food chain lesson plan, linking to the national curriculum
A PowerPoint presentation
Instructions to make a 3D food chain using carboard tubes
A whole class food chain game
A lower ability sheet to support making the food chain

How to evidence the lesson

If your planning isn’t enough evidence, pupils could use the Keynote app on an iPad and record themselves describing their food chain using the vocabulary you have taught them. If you need evidence in their books, you could print a photo of the model; during morning work the next day, pupils could label and annotate it. This would mean that they go back over their learning from the day before, helping the knowledge to stick.

How to make food chains cross-curricular

Within the lesson plan there are some links to computing, which children can use to research and present their food chain. There are also lots of ways to embed the pupils’ science learning in your school day. Using science texts in guided reading or whole-class reading sessions is an easy way for children to delve further into the subject matter and acquire more knowledge. We have a Year 4 reading comprehension pack that links to this topic:

What should I teach next?

You could delve into more complicated food chains, such as the coral reef. We have a great lesson pack that involves pupils making an edible polyp, which forms part of that food chain.

Click here for more information

It’s important to make sure you are covering what you need to in your teaching. Quality knowledge organisers help to ensure good progression across the school. They are useful for both teachers and pupils. We have produced a knowledge organiser for every topic for Years 2 to 6. It’s worthwhile knowing what children have already been taught, as well as what they will learn in future years.

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant for enhancing your school’s science teaching:

We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology and PSHE.

Take me to sign up for my school

We’ve also just launched a new individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

Sign me up for individual teacher access

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