Great British Scientists

Explore the lives of some of the most influential and recognised Great British Scientists in this seven-lesson Science scheme of work for Years 5 and 6. Investigate Newton’s work on the three laws of motion and how he discovered the colour spectrum. Discover black holes with Stephen Hawking and evolution with the help of Anning, Wallace and Darwin.

Inspire your class of scientists to work scientifically in different contexts while developing and applying their skills, all through fully-prepared lessons that provide everything you need, including lesson plans, slides, differentiated activities and a variety of printable resources.

This scheme of work is also part of a Topic Bundle. Perfect if you are teaching 'Britain' as a cross-curricular topic.

Representation in Science

Challenge your class to think about representation, privilege and bias in science. Your class will think about why so many famous historical scientists in Britain were white men. They will be encouraged to think about the impact this has had on scientific priorities and the impact representation has had on societal preconceptions of the field of science.

Your class will either learn about a range of scientists or they will examine how well-represented different communities are in their science non-fiction books.

View Lesson 1

Newton, Colour and Light

Your class will learn about Isaac Newton and investigate how he used prisms to split light and investigate the colours he found.

During their activities, they will investigate the mixing of coloured light.

View Lesson 2

Hawking, Black Holes & Gravity

Explore Stephen Hawking’s work on black holes and investigate the relationship between mass, weight and gravity.

The children will focus on the gravitational pull of the black holes and use this concept to learn about weight, gravity and mass. They will use force meters to explore the relationship between weight and mass on Earth or alternatively they can build and calibrate their own force meter.

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Anning, Wallace and Darwin's Evolution

Discover the studies of Anning, Wallace and Darwin and how they influenced the scientific theory of evolution and natural selection.

Your class will be encouraged to think carefully about how the scientists contributed to scientific discovery in this area. They will explore the process of natural selection and how this has led to changes and variations in different species because of advantageous traits.

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Fleming's Antibiotics

Challenge your class to take on the role of Fleming as he plans an experiment to test his theory that mould can kill bacteria.

Your class will explore what antibiotics do and discuss why this was such an important discovery. The children then take on the role of Fleming and plan an experiment to test his theory that mould can kill bacteria.

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Asking Scientific Questions

Your class will learn about Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, her life and her achievements. They will think about the impact her questioning had on society and the importance of asking scientific questions.

During the activities the children will either ask questions to solve a hypothetical problem, or they will make a blood model and ask questions about blood.

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Kemp Starley's Cogs and Gears

Challenge your class to calculate gear ratio and use gears to gear up or down.

Your class will investigate how gears and wheel sizes affect speed and distance travelled. They will explore the design of a penny-farthing and be introduced to the inventor of the Rover safety bicycle: John Kemp Starley. They will observe the changes the size of gears can make and how they work together in a chain drive to make a bike move. The children are challenged to calculate the gear ratios for different gear chains.

View Lesson 7