Following on from my article about preparing for an Ofsted Deep Dive in Science, I started thinking more about the links between Science units that we need to consider. In my science lectures I try and highlight some of these links, but I started thinking about how a route map that tried to show these would be a useful resource.

This is still work in progress, but thought it might be useful to share. It might make a useful CPD activity with your staff to make their own map first and then compare with others.

It doesn’t yet highlight which particular strand of a unit links to another one. So, for example, year 3 Rocks links to Year 6 Evolution via the work on Fossils. Do these cross-links make sense or should they be made more explicit?

In Year 2 the Living Things units are linked by the different needs to stay alive. Year 3 plants links to Year 4 Food chains because it builds on the idea of plants making their own food. Year 3 plants also links to the soils section of the Year 3 Rocks unit.

Year 2 Materials links into Light and Electricity because transparent/translucent and conductor/insulator are properties introduced in this unit. There’s a bit about changing the shape of objects which directly links into forces too. I think I need to work on how these lines actually link the units. Not sure it quite shows what I’ve just described.

A link I hadn’t considered until recently is in the Year 4 States of Matter unit describes the properties (and structure) of Solids/Liquids/Gases which can be linked to the Y4 Sound unit where children need to understand about how sounds travel through a medium (and why they don’t travel through a vacuum). Teaching a basic particle theory would help in both units.

The two light units also link to Earth in Space when you need to think about Day/Night, the Sun and How we see the moon.

This is a work in progress, let me know if you have any comments.

Click the image to enlarge.

Download an A4 Pdf Version Here

Updated 14 Jan 21 – Link between Y3 Plants and Y3 Rocks (Soils) added.

Updated 15 Jan 21 – Link between Seasonal Changes and plants / materials. Link between y3 plants and Y5 Living things (life processes of reproduction). Y3 Animals and Plants and Y4 Living Things (vertebrates/invertebrates). Y6 Living things and Evolution.

Updated 8 Feb 21 – Link between Y4 Electricity and Y5 Properties and Changes of Materials (conductors and insulators)