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Year 4 - Science

Identifying living things (non-statutory)

Living things and the environment

Unit Summary

This unit focuses on grouping living things and using classification keys to identify and name them in various environments. It explores how environmental changes can pose dangers to organisms. Emphasis is on asking questions, collecting data, and using evidence to support conclusions.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to ask and answer yes/no questions to identify and name different things.

Key Notes

  • Humans ask questions to help them to understand the world, including how things work and why things happen.
  • Some questions require an answer of only yes or no.
  • Yes/no questions often begin with 'Do', 'Are', 'Is', 'Have' or 'Can'.
  • We can use answers to yes/no questions to help us to identify and name unknown things.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • question: A question is a type of sentence that asks something.
  • name: A name is a word by which a person or thing is known.
  • identify: To identify something is to be able to name it correctly.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may believe that all questions need a full explanation to answer.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.

Humans ask questions to help them to understand the world, including how things work and why things happen. Some questions require an answer of only yes or no.

2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'question'

A question is a type of sentence that asks something. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.

3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may believe that all questions need a full explanation to answer. Correction: By working through the examples on the slide deck and completing the tasks, pupils will see that some questions can be answered with a simple yes or no. This is an important skill when using and creating identification keys for classification.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 4 Science guide library.