KS3 & KS4 science curriculum

This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from Evolution and inheritance, where they examined how genetic traits are passed through generations and how species adapt over time. It deepens their understanding by exploring the detailed mechanisms of heredity, including DNA, chromosomes, and genes, and how genetic information is transmitted. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Reproduction in humans, where they will apply their knowledge of genetic inheritance to understand human reproductive processes, focusing on the roles of genetic material in development and variation.

1. Heredity
2. Heredity and genetic material
3. Genetic material and DNA
4. A model of the structure of DNA
5. DNA from fruit
6. The discovery of the structure of DNA
7. DNA, chromosomes, genes and the genome

• [Y5] Reproduction is part of the life cycle of all living things.
• [Y6] Living things, including animals and plants, produce offspring of the same kind.
• [Y6] Characteristics are passed from parents to their offspring.
• [Y6] Offspring are similar to their parents, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents.
• All organisms are made up of cells.
• The cells of animals and plants have a nucleus that stores genetic material.
• The genetic material provides instructions for growth and other life processes.