Learning Aims
Task 1 - Apples
Print out the booklet below, you will need it to complete the work in this unit.
Watch 'Apple- How Does It Grow?'
Go to the Kidsconnect website and read the information about apples.
Go to the dk Findout website and read about deciduous trees.
Using the information and a dictionary, cut out and fill in the mini-book on pages 1-2.
Task 2 - Lifecycle
Read pages 3-5 to find out a little more about the sun. This story is based on 'The Story Book of Science' by Jean-Henri Fabre, you can find a free copy of the book at Project Gutenberg.
Next, you are going to learn a little bit more about the structure and life cycle of an apple.
Go and read along to 'An Apple Tree's Life Cycle' by ReadaRoo Kids.
Complete pages 6-7 of the lap book.
Task 3 - Seasons
The life cycle of an apple and a tree is linked to the seasons. So we are going to look into what the seasons are and why they occur.
Watch ScishowKids 'Why Are There Seasons?'.
Go to the Met Office site and read more about how the weather changes during the seasons.
Do you have a favourite season? Use pages 8-11 to record the reasons why you like this season so much. Remember to try to persuade the reader that the season you have chosen really is the best.
Task 4 - Descriptive Writing
Read pages 12-14 to find out a little more about the seasons. This story is based on 'The Story Book of Science' by Jean-Henri Fabre, you can find a free copy of the book at Project Gutenberg.
You are going to be writing a descriptive piece of writing next. If you completed the Who Let the Gods Out? book study then you will already have worked hard on all the different techniques that can be used to improve descriptive writing. If you have not completed the study I want you to consider doing it as that is where you learn a lot of the key Literacy objectives for the year.
To help you brush up on your skills complete 'Wonderful Words, Creative Stories Space' on Scootle. When it asks if you want to do more click yes for the extra activities.
Then the 'Year 5 Personification' Wordwall activity.
How good are you at spotting fronted adverbials? Wordwall
Write a short story describing the life cycle of an apple. I want you to make sure you take care to describe the weather changes and things in the environment that may change from the apple's perspective. Think about all your senses and remember to rewrite sentences that are too boring to create great descriptions that build a picture for the reader. You can use Canva, Google Slides or StoryMaker to create a great storybook with pictures or the templates on pages 15-20 to help you plan and record your work. This activity may take you a couple of sessions to complete, take your time and do a good job.
Task 5 - Newton
Isaac Newton changed the world forever! That doesn't happen often but Newton was a genius who, like Sir Francis Bacon, thought that scientists should not just believe what past scientists have told them. They thought that by questioning, observing and carrying out experiments they could improve their knowledge of the natural world and lead better lives. This was an idea that fuelled the developments during the Enlightenment period of European history, the 1600s and 1700s.
Go and watch this Absolute Genius episode from the BBC.
Find out a little more about Newton on the SciTube BBC show, 'The works of Sir Isaac Newton'.
Go and work through this BBC 'Gravity' page.
Print the biography on page 21 and add it to your folder or workbook. Then print out and construct the mini-book on pages 22-25. I want you to glue the bottom of the largest circle into your book and fill it in as we progress through each of the laws.
Task 6 - Newton's First Law
We are going to look at the three laws of Newton through three different experiments. If you are able, take a photograph of you completing the experiments and stick them into your notebook so that you can look back at them and hopefully remember the three laws. Take a look at this TedEd video, 'Newton's 3 Laws With a Bicycle' to get an understanding of the three laws and how they are important in your life.
Newton's First Law of Motion is pretty straightforward. It can be summarised in two sentences.
An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
A moving object will continue to move with the same speed and direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
Look around you there is a lot of evidence of this. You know that the coffee table is not just going to move, someone or something has to apply a pushing or pulling force to move it. Your book will stay on the table where you left it unless someone or something applies a pushing or pulling force to move it.
If we set a car moving on a straight, flat road at a particular speed it will continue moving unless someone applies the brake or it crashes into something.
We are pretty good at predicting how objects will behave even if we are not very good at understanding the scientific reason why!
The property of objects to remain in the state of motion they are in is called inertia.
Take a look at this Science Max video. The section explaining inertia is at the start it is up to you if you want to watch the rest of the video.
Go here and decide how you are going to complete the block experiment and then try it again with objects with a greater and lesser mass. Use the recording sheets on pages 26-33 to record what you have done and the results.
Remember!
An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion will continue in motion at the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
Inertia is a word you may come across when discussing Newton's Laws, it means the property of objects to remain in the state of motion they are in.
Fill in the information for Newton's First Law in your notebook.
Task 7 - Newton's Second Law
Newton's Second Law of Motion.
You will usually see this law written as an equation. You do not need to remember this equation now but you will use it in secondary school science so I will put it here for you.
F = ma
Force = mass x acceleration
The interesting thing about the second law is what it means for falling objects.
You are going to need a grown-up to help you with this experiment.
You will need a tennis ball and a football.
Go with your grown-up to a second-storey window or a climbing tree.
Take both balls and hold one in each hand.
From the open window or in the tree drop both balls at the same time.
Which ball hits the floor first? Try this with other types of balls.
Then take a bowl of icing sugar and place it on the floor.
Drop a tennis ball from the window or up the tree into the icing sugar.
Using the same size bowl and the same amount of icing sugar, drop a different ball into the bowl.
Compare the craters created. Is one deeper? Which one?
From this experiment, you should be able to see that all balls, dropped at the same time from the same height, will hit the floor at the same time no matter what their mass (how heavy) they are. However, the craters for the heavier balls, the balls with more mass should be bigger and deeper. This shows that even though the balls hit the floor at the same time the one with more mass hits the ground with more force. It is going to hurt your head more if that ball lands on your head!
You know some of this naturally because when you go to kick a big heavy football you kick it harder, you use more force than when you kick a small ping-pong ball. However, sometimes with physics, the rules do not seem to make sense. It seems that a bowling ball should hit the floor before a tennis ball but as you have found out that is not the case. Another famous scientist named Galileo Galilei, carried out this experiment himself in the late 15oo's. Galileo was famous for developing the scientific method, where scientists use experiments to test their hypothesis and for saying that the Sun was at the centre of the solar system, not the Earth. You will learn more about Galileo later for now watch this BBC 'The Work of Galileo Galilei'.
So Newton's Second Law of Motion states:
Acceleration occurs when a force acts upon an object. The greater the object's mass the greater the force required to accelerate the object.
Task 8 - Newton's Third Law
Newton's Third Law of Motion states:
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This means that forces come in pairs. If you push a skateboard to the left and your friend to the right and you both use the same amount of force then no matter how much force you use the skateboard will not move. If you apply more force than your friend then the skateboard will move to the left.
Watch 'Newton's 3rd Law With Marbles'.
Why don't you try this out with some marbles at home?
Now you know all about Newton and his three laws of motion.
Go to the PBS website and make the marble game, and see if you can spot Newton's Laws in action.
Task 9 - The Universe - Open-ended Project
So we started this unit looking at the tiny seed of an apple and we are going to end it by looking at the enormous universe we live in.
Tip!
Comparing two things that are opposites, like a tiny seed and the enormous universe, is a really useful literary device that you can use to enhance your writing.
Read pages 34-36 as an introduction to the solar system.
Watch Galileo by Bedtime History and 'Meet Galileo Galilei' by Cornerstones Education.
In this next section, I am going to ask you to spend a few sessions exploring the universe and creating a project that will be a non-chronological report. The purpose of the project is to give you a chance to research and learn about aspects that interest you, show what you have learned and practice your writing and presentation techniques. What your end project looks like is up to you. Here are some ideas of what you might want to create:
an information booklet
a presentation
a model of the universe that you describe (be creative - bake solar system cupcakes, make fizzy bath bombs, create a mobile...)
a news report that you write or film
The title of the project is Our Solar System. Things you could explore are:
the Sun
the planets
gravity
moons
comets
astronauts
rockets
day and night
Resources you could use:
the writing checklist
Have fun with this project, take your time and explore the solar system!