National Curriculum - Science

Here we list the Science 'Schemes of Work' found on the DfES/QCA websites that relate to aspects of Astronomy in the English Curriculum. Many of these ideas are also covered in the Welsh, Scottish and Irish syllabus, but we hope to include specific schemes of work for each country in due course.

Use the NSO website links (on the right) to take you to appropriate sections on this website.

Key Stages 1 and 2 : Year 5

Unit 5E: Earth, Sun and Moon In this unit children learn about the shapes and relative sizes of the Earth, Sun and Moon. Using models they learn how the three bodies move relative to each other and how these movements relate to night and day.
Section	Learning points	NSO link
2	that the Sun, Earth and Moon are approximately spherical	Earth, Sun and Moon
3	about the relative sizes of the Sun, Moon and Earth	Solar System
4	that the Sun appears to move across the sky over the course of a day	Day and Night
5(a)	that it is the Earth that moves, not the Sun, and the Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours	Day and Night
5(b)	that it is daytime in the part of the Earth facing the Sun and night-time in the part of the Earth away from the Sun	Day and Night
6(a)	that the Sun rises in the general direction of the East and sets in the general direction of the West	Day and Night
6(b)	to make observations of where the Sun rises and sets and to recognise the patterns in these	Day and Night
6(c)	to present times of sunrise and sunset in a graph and to recognise trends and patterns in the data	Sunrise/Sunset
7	that the Earth takes a year to make one complete orbit of the Sun, spinning as it goes	Earth Orbit
8(a)	that the Moon takes approximately 28 days to orbit the Earth	Moon Orbit
8(b)	that the different appearance of the Moon over 28 days provides evidence for a 28-day cycle	Moon Phases

 

Key Stage 3 : Year 7

Unit 7L: The solar system and beyond In this unit children consolidate their ideas about the Sun and Moon, and use models of these to explain phenomena such as eclipses and the seasons. They will also learn that planets and satellites are seen by reflected light and that the Sun, as a star, emits light. Finally, they will compare the Sun with other stars.
Section	Learning points	NSO link
1(a)	to explain phenomena such as day and night, and the apparent movement of the Sun.	Day and Night
1(b)	to represent the system as a model and as a diagram .	Earth, Sun and Moon
2	that there are luminous and non-luminous objects, and that the Sun is a light source, but the Moon and Earth are seen by reflected light.	Luminous Objects
3	how the view from the Earth of the Moon causes the phases in a regular sequence.	Moon Phases
4(a)	how eclipses of the Sun occur, and how eclipses of the Moon occur.	Eclipses
4(b)	about the evidence eclipses provide about the solar system and how scientists use it.	Eclipses
5	to write about a physical phenomenon from a personal point of view.	Eclipse Animation
6	to use a model to show that the axis of spin of the Earth is at an angle to its orbit round the Sun.	Seasons
7	to collect data about temperature and day length, using ICT	Sunrise/Sunset Times
8	to relate ideas about the Sun, Earth and Moon to familiar phenomena.	Earth, Sun and Moon
9(a)	that our solar system includes the Sun, its planets and asteroids and the natural satellites of the planets.	Solar System
9(b)	that the planets orbit the Sun in similar ways to the Earth.	Electric Orrery
9(c)	how evidence about the solar system has been collected and interpreted.	Telescopes
9(d)	to use secondary sources to find out about planets.	Solar System
10	how to find out about the relative sizes of the Sun, Earth, Moon and other planets and the relative distances of the planets from the Sun.	Solar System
11	that within our solar system only Earth is known to support any life forms.	Exolife
12(a)	that the Sun and other stars are light sources.	Stars
12(b)	that the apparent movement of the stars is a result of the Earth's rotation.	Day and Night
12(c)	that stars are spread throughout the universe.	Milky Way

 

Key Stage 3 : Year 7 (continued)

Unit 9J: Gravity and space In this unit children learn about the gravitational pull between bodies, and how it depends on the masses of bodies and the distance between them. They will also relate the movement of planets around the Sun, and that of satellites around the Earth, to gravitation. They will then study how artificial satellites are used to observe the Earth and provide information about the solar system and the universe find out about space exploration.
Section	Learning points	NSO link
1	that gravity is an attractive force which acts on the Earth towards the centre of the planet, and that gravity is an attractive force between objects with mass.	Gravity
2	that where the gravitational force is lower than on the Earth, the mass of an object remains the same, but its weight is less.	Mass
3	that gravitational attraction between bodies decreases as the distance between them increases.	Gravity Animation
4	that the weight of an object can vary whilst the mass remains the same.	Weight on Planets
5	that our ideas about the solar system have changed over time	Awaiting Link
6	that the Sun is massive and exerts a very large gravitational force, which keeps planets in orbit.	Orbits
7	that the Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth, whose orbit is maintained by the Earth's gravitational pull.	Orbits
8	about some uses of artificial satellites, and how information can be gained through the use of satellites.	Satellites

 

Key Stage 4 : Click here for the new GCSE (2007/8) resources.