Science // Area
Earth's Systems
Age coverage
Ages 5 to 11
Starts at age 5 // 3 topics
Starting at age 5
Your child is learning to observe and describe weather patterns and seasons, while exploring how plants and animals change their environment to meet their needs.
- Seasonal changes
Observe changes across the four seasons and describe weather associated with each season, including how day length varies
Ages 5 to 6Concept - Local weather patterns
Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time, recording temperature, rainfall, and other conditions
Ages 5 to 6Method - How Organisms Shape Habitats
Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals can change the environment to meet their needs
Ages 5 to 6Concept
Starts at age 7 // 7 topics
Starting at age 7
Your child is learning about Earth's structure — exploring different types of rocks and soil, understanding where water is found on our planet, and discovering how land shapes change over time.
- Shapes of land and water
Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land (mountains, valleys, plains) and bodies of water (rivers, lakes, oceans) in an area
Ages 7 to 8Concept - Where water is found on Earth
Identify where water is found on Earth and understand that water can exist as solid (ice) or liquid, recognising water in oceans, rivers, glaciers, and…
Ages 7 to 8Concept - Properties of materials
Compare and group different kinds of rocks based on their appearance and simple physical properties such as hardness, texture, and colour
Ages 7 to 8Concept - How fossils form
Describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock over millions of years
Ages 7 to 8Concept - Preventing Erosion
Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land
Ages 7 to 8Method - Evaporation and condensation
Name and use vocabulary for the water cycle — evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection, transpiration, water vapour, runoff, groundwater — and…
Ages 7 to 9Language - Rocks and soil
Recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter, and that different soils have different properties
Ages 7 to 8Concept
Starts at age 8 // 2 topics
Starting at age 8
Your child is exploring weather and climate by collecting and displaying weather data, learning to distinguish between daily weather patterns and long-term climate conditions in different regions around the world.
- Weather vs climate
Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world, distinguishing between weather and climate
Ages 8 to 9Concept - Seasonal changes (age 8+)
Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season
Ages 8 to 9Method
Starts at age 9 // 3 topics
Starting at age 9
Your child is learning how Earth's surface changes over time — studying how wind, water, and ice shape our landscape through weathering and erosion, and interpreting maps to understand geological patterns.
- Finding patterns in data
Analyse and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth's features, recognising that many features result from processes that occur over long periods
Ages 9 to 10Concept - Erosion and weathering
Make observations and measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation
Ages 9 to 10Method - Types of rocks
Use vocabulary for Earth's geological processes and rock types — igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, erosion, weathering, deposition, fossil, sediment, strata…
Ages 9 to 11Language
Starts at age 10 // 3 topics
Starting at age 10
Your child is learning about Earth as a connected system, exploring how water is distributed across our planet and how the land, water, air, and living things all interact with each other.
- Earth's atmosphere
Develop a model to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact as connected Earth systems
Ages 10 to 11Concept - Salt Water vs Fresh Water
Describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth
Ages 10 to 11Concept - Rock layers and Earth's history
Interpret cross-section diagrams of the Earth's interior, geological strata, and rock cycle; read and label layers (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core)…
Ages 10 to 11Representation