Year 4 · Science · Autumn 1.2
Scheme of work & lesson plans · 10 lessons
This is a big White Rose block that runs across the Year 4 autumn term. Ten lessons take pupils from sorting solids, liquids and gases, through changes of state and using scientific equipment, into two full enquiry arcs — a melting investigation and an evaporation investigation (each planned, carried out and evaluated) — by way of the water cycle. Every lesson runs the same structure — Arrival → Starter → I do → We do → Independent → Exit — in about 44 minutes, differentiated across three primary tiers.
| # | Lesson | Learning objective | Key vocabulary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explore solids, liquids and gases | Group materials as solids, liquids or gases by how they behave — keeping shape, keeping volume, or filling space. | solid, liquid, gas, state of matter | Open → |
| 2 | Think differently: tricky materials | Explore materials that test the definitions — pouring solids like sand and slow liquids like honey. | pouring solid, liquid, sorting | Open → |
| 3 | Change states | Melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation; temperature changes state, and the changes are reversible. | melt, freeze, evaporation, condensation | Open → |
| 4 | Use equipment | Use a thermometer and stopwatch accurately; read °C at eye level; keep water below 50°C. | thermometer, temperature, °C, stopwatch | Open → |
| 5 | Plan: a melting experiment | Plan a fair test — does the water’s temperature affect how fast ice melts? | fair test, change, measure | Open → |
| 6 | Investigate: melting | Carry out the melting fair test, take careful readings, and conclude warmer water melts ice faster. | temperature, conclusion, °C | Open → |
| 7 | The water cycle | Evaporation, condensation and precipitation; water is recycled and no new water is made. | water cycle, evaporation, condensation, precipitation | Open → |
| 8 | Plan: an evaporation experiment | Plan a fair test — does the temperature of a place affect how fast water evaporates? | evaporation, fair test, volume | Open → |
| 9 | Investigate: evaporation | Carry out the evaporation test and find that warmer places evaporate water faster. | evaporation, temperature, conclusion | Open → |
| 10 | Evaluate: evaporation | Draw a conclusion from the data, compare with other groups, and suggest improvements. | conclusion, evaluate, improve | Open → |
Builds on (Y3): materials — comparing and grouping materials by their properties. Working scientifically: the first fair tests in Year 4 — plan, investigate and evaluate.
Leads to (Y5): properties and changes of materials — dissolving, separating, and reversible/irreversible changes.
Every lesson is a single interactive web page: six-phase structure with on-screen timings; three tiers on the four pupil-facing tasks; a short teaching video; a self-contained animation targeting the lesson’s key misconception; TA Focus and Cold Call prompts; and a one-click print pack.
Differentiation tiers map to attainment bands: 🌱 Seedling = working towards · 🌿 Sapling = expected · 🌳 Oak = greater depth.
LO: Group materials into solids, liquids and gases, and describe the properties of each state.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | New topic — recap Year 3 materials and properties. |
| Starter | 5 | Solid, liquid or gas? Agree the key properties. |
| I do 1 | 6 | The three states and how each behaves (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Sort familiar things by state together. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Same jar, three states (animation: solid keeps shape, liquid fills, gas spreads). |
| We do 2 | 5 | True/false on the properties. |
| Independent | 10 | State sorter (solid / liquid / gas) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Explore materials that are hard to categorise, understanding that pouring solids are still solids and some liquids flow slowly.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L1 (the three states). |
| Starter | 5 | Pouring solids and slow liquids introduced. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Sand, honey and toothpaste examined (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Sort tricky materials together — some sit between groups. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Sand looks like a liquid (animation: grains vs a puddle). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Solid, liquid or tricky? Reason each one. |
| Independent | 10 | Tricky materials sorter (solid / liquid / hard to sort) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Understand that heating and cooling change a material’s state, and that melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation are reversible.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L2 (tricky materials). |
| Starter | 5 | The four changes of state and their names. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Match everyday examples to each change. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Melting and freezing go both ways (animation: ice ↔ water). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Heating or cooling? Sort statements. |
| Independent | 10 | Changing states sorter (heating / cooling / myth) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Use a thermometer and a stopwatch accurately to measure temperature (in °C) and time, ready for the experiments to come.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L3 (changes of state). |
| Starter | 5 | Right tool for the job; safety — water below 50°C. |
| I do 1 | 6 | How to read a thermometer accurately (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Practise reading example scales together. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Read it at eye level (animation: thermometer and °C). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Which tool — thermometer or stopwatch? |
| Independent | 10 | Right tool sorter (thermometer / stopwatch / myth) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Plan a fair test to investigate whether the temperature of the water affects the time it takes for ice to melt.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L4 (using equipment). |
| Starter | 5 | Fair testing in child-friendly words — change / measure / keep the same. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Model the plan; recall how ice melts (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Make a prediction and agree the plan. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Our fair test (animation: identical ice in warm vs cold water). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Change, measure or keep the same? Sort. |
| Independent | 10 | Fair test sorter (change / measure / keep the same) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Carry out the melting fair test, take careful thermometer readings, and form a conclusion.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L5 (the melting plan). |
| Starter | 5 | Set up safely (water below 50°C); record units in the header. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Model careful observation and recording (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Compare the containers; start a conclusion. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Warm melts faster (animation: two beakers). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Faster or slower? Sort statements. |
| Independent | 10 | Melting results sorter (faster / slower / myth) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle, and know that water is recycled.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L6 (the melting investigation). |
| Starter | 5 | Name the stages: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection. |
| I do 1 | 6 | The water cycle traced from sea to cloud to rain (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Label the stages on a diagram together. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Round and round (animation: the water cycle). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Which stage is it? Sort examples. |
| Independent | 10 | Water cycle sorter (evaporation / condensation / precipitation) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Plan a fair test to investigate whether the temperature of a place affects how fast water evaporates.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L7 (the water cycle). |
| Starter | 5 | Same water in three places; measured over hours. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Model the plan; recall evaporation (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Predict and agree the plan. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Our evaporation test (animation: three dishes, fridge/room/radiator). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Change, measure or keep the same? Sort. |
| Independent | 10 | Fair test sorter (change / measure / keep the same) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Carry out the evaporation fair test, take careful measurements, and find the link between temperature and evaporation.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L8 (the evaporation plan). |
| Starter | 5 | Measure each place’s temperature; a small volume is easier to watch. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Model careful recording over time (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Compare the places; start a conclusion. |
| I do 2 | 4 | Warm places dry fastest (animation: warm dish empties, fridge stays full). |
| We do 2 | 5 | More or less evaporation? Sort. |
| Independent | 10 | Evaporation results sorter (more / less / myth) + tiered write-up. |
| Exit | 4 | Three tiered questions. |
LO: Analyse the data, draw a conclusion, compare with other groups, and suggest improvements to the experiment.
| Phase | Min | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 4 | Recap L9 and review the whole block. |
| Starter | 5 | Conclusion, comparison, improvement, further questions. |
| I do 1 | 6 | Model drawing a conclusion from data (video). |
| We do 1 | 6 | Write a class conclusion; spot improvements. |
| I do 2 | 4 | The pattern in our data (animation: bar chart cold→hot). |
| We do 2 | 5 | Conclusion, improvement or not relevant? Sort. |
| Independent | 10 | Evaluation sorter (conclusion / improvement / not relevant) + write the evaluation. |
| Exit | 4 | Tiered questions; block review. |