Teacher Login
Not Logged In

Forgotten Password?

Logout

Request FREE Login

SecondaryMenu

 

 

War on the Farm - Farmers v Bugs -Year 4 Animals Theme

Year 4 Primary Curriculum Theme.

Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.

Download flash player

Can you stop the 'bugs' from stopping you producing food?

Video to introduce theme.

Basic Information.

This theme looks at how various food items and other farm products are grown and produced. This is done over several lessons with pupils producing information which they research on to cards. This can be done individually or collaboratively in groups. The products covered are:

  • Wheat

  • Potatoes

  • Dairy Cows

  • Sheep

Pupils are also asked to consider how farmers production is affected by disease, pests, weeds and the weather - collectively refereed to as bugs. This information is also added to cards.

Once all the cards have been produced then various options are available to reinforce the learning by playing a game using the cards produced. A set of cards is also available to download.

The theme then introduces and looks at habitats. This is done for suitable school habitats and also by looking at who lives where in the countryside.

The theme then looks at food chains for particular habitats. Once the learners have the basic understanding of this they can then look at the effect of the farmer controlling bugs has on relevant food chains. This links to risk taking and how farmers seek to control risk by controlling bugs. It also allows learners to consider the choices farmers and society as a whole must make in producing food and looking after the countryside - 'food or flowers!'

It is not our aim to provide a step by step Scheme of Work for each theme. Instead we have tried to provide unique, interesting, attention grabbing and thought provoking videos which will serve as a frame on which you can build; going of in various directions as you see fit for your individual situation and class. We have given some suggestions for some of these directions and I'm sure you will add your own; please let us know any that work well with the videos!

The Big Picture.

FarmersVBugs

The 'Farmers v Bugs Theme' in the 'Big Picture'.

The themes at KS1 and in Year 3 looked at plants and animals in general including those used to produce food. This theme now looks at farm production in more detail and adds in the threats to production farmers face from pest, disease, weed and the weather. The aim is to make learners aware of how this could impact on farm output and food available for us. Habitats are looked at and then the effect of food production and the control of pest, diseases, etc considered and the possible impact on food chains and the environment. The aim of this is to make learners aware of the choices we must make in terms of providing enough food and protecting the environment.

Primary Curriculum Links.

For links to Essentials for Learning and Areas for Learning see National Curriculum links below - NC Ref.

The Entry Point.

Begins theme by showing learners video of various things which are produced on farms and also what may affect this production.

Knowledge Harvest.

Class considers what they already know about things produced down on the farm - also allows Assessment for Learning as you consider learners prior knowledge.

Explaining The Theme - Outline of Theme.

War down on the Farm

Lesson 1: Entry Point - video to introduce theme, followed by knowledge harvest, in form of Mind Maps possibly, as Assessment for Learning of pupils prior knowledge. Keep the knowledge harvest for use at end of unit so learners can then assess for themselves just what they have learnt during this theme.

What do you notice growing and living in fields in the local countryside?

Lesson 1-4: Why do farmers grow these plants (Crops) and keep these animals (Livestock)?

Series of lessons on each of products studied with videos for each stage of each production process:

  • Wheat

  • Potatoes

  • Sheep

  • Dairy Cows

Learners produce own materials to explain each production process - or set of cards available for download. See individual lesson plans for full details.

What can effect farmers crops and animals?

Lesson 5-6 Video which looks at the pests, disease, weeds and weather which can effect farmers crops and animals. Also covers why and how farmer must deal with these. Need to register for free trial to use this and further lessons.

Assessment - Checking Progress:

Opportunity at this stage to have pupils check on their progress by using cards / materials produced to this point to get them to explain to each other what they have learnt so far.

Where do things live in the countryside?

Lesson 7-8 Looks at habitats, starting with where farm animals live, then what wildlife can be found on farms and in local countryside, school grounds and other suitable habitats. Videos are available to illustrate various less accessible habitats.

Who eats what in our habitats?

Lesson 9-10 Looks at food chains of various habitats, including typical habitats found on farms, and incorporating some of the pests from earlier exercise.

What effect does controlling pests have on our food chains?

Lesson 11-12 Looks at the effect the farmers has on food chains when he controls pests. Then looks at this in form of a farmer taking and trying to control risks.

How has farming changed in past years?

Lesson 13-14 Optional extension could include looking at how and why farming has changed since WW II with aim of explaining idea of producing as much food as possible to today's idea of caring more for the environment by changing farming methods.

What do I know about how food is produced?

Lesson 15 - Use initial Mind Maps for learners to review what they have learnt. The produce a poster to explain this, various options for focus of this review. Particular food products; How farming effects environment; Why farmers control pests.

Theme Subject Links

Below is a summary of how this theme links to subjects and also some suggestions for further use of videos to cover other subjects. We have not given detailed suggestions for these as we did not want to make the themes too prescriptive.

Literacy

Literacy links will depend on the tasks you set linked to the videos.

Numeracy

The numeracy will depend on tasks you set around the videos.

Science

.

ICT

Opportunities for several ICT tasks from reserach to producing posters on how food is produced.

History

Lesson uses Arcive footage of how farming has changed since WWII.

Geography

Looks at the local area and what farmers produce local to schools.

Art

As well as pupils producing own cards for the game there are lots of other opportunities for various art activities for you to set.

Design Technology

Opportunity to design a bird scarer.

PSHCE

Various other areas can be covered depending on what discussion arises from videos watched, especially relevant is discussion on consequences of using Agro-chemical to produce food.

 

 

National Curriculum Reference

Below are the relevant references for the National Curriculum covered by the whole of this Theme / Unit. (Source: QCA Statutory content) These are only those directly linked to the videos provided.

How these objectives are covered will depend on which parts of the videos you wish to emphasise in a particular lesson OR the questions which arise when pupils watch the videos.

We have included these to help with your planning. As we did not want to be too prescriptive for tasks you may devise from the videos provided we have not included any national curriculum links which may result from any Maths, English or ICT tasks you may devise linked to the videos.

Science

Knowledge Skills and Understanding

Sc2 Life processes and living things.

Life processes

1 Pupils should be taught:

a. that the life processes common to humans and other animals include nutrition, movement, growth and reproduction

b. that the life processes common to plants include growth, nutrition and reproduction

c. to make links between life processes in familiar animals and plants and the environments in which they are found.

Humans and other animals

2 Pupils should be taught:

Nutrition

b. about the need for food for activity and growth, and about the importance of an adequate and varied diet for health

Green plants

3 Pupils should be taught:

Growth and nutrition

a. the effect of light, air, water and temperature on plant growth

b. the role of the leaf in producing new material for growth

c. that the root anchors the plant, and that water and minerals are taken in through the root and transported through the stem to other parts of the plant.

Reproduction

d. about the parts of the flower [for example, stigma, stamen, petal, sepal]
and their role in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination,
seed formation, seed dispersal and germination.

Variation and classification

4 Pupils should be taught to:

a. to make and use keys

b. how locally occurring animals and plants can be identified and assigned to groups

c. that the variety of plants and animals makes it important to identify them and assign them to groups.

Living things in their environment

5 Pupils should be taught to:

a. about ways in which living things and the environment need protection

Adaptation

b. about the different plants and animals found in different habitats

c. how animals and plants in two different habitats are suited to their environment

Feeding relationships

d. to use food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat

e. about how nearly all food chains start with a green plant

Micro-organisms

f. that micro-organisms are living organisms that are often too small to be seen, and that they may be beneficial [for example, in the breakdown of waste, in making bread] or harmful [for example, in causing disease, in causing food to go mouldy].

Breadth of study

  1. During the key stage, pupils should be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through:

    1. a range of domestic and environmental contexts that are familiar and of interest to them

    2. looking at the part science has played in the development of many useful things

    3. using a range of sources of information and data, including ICT-based sources

    4. using first-hand and secondary data to carry out a range of scientific investigations, including complete investigations.

  2. During the key stage, pupils should be taught to:

    3. Communication

    1. use simple scientific language to communicate ideas and to name and describe living things, materials, phenomena and processes

      Health and Safety

    2. recognise that there are hazards in living things, materials and physical processes, and assess risks and take action to reduce risks to themselves and others.

Design & Technology

Knowledge, skills and understanding

Teaching should ensure that knowledge and understanding are applied when developing ideas, planning, making products and evaluating them.

Developing, planning and communicating ideas

  1. Pupils should be taught to:

    a. generate ideas for products after thinking about who will use them and what they will be used for, using information from a number of sources, including ICT-based sources

    b. develop ideas and explain them clearly, putting together a list of what they want their design to achieve

    c. plan what they have to do, suggesting a sequence of actions and alternatives, if needed

    d. communicate design ideas in different ways as these develop, bearing in mind aesthetic qualities, and the uses and purposes for which the product is intended.

Working with tools, equipment, materials and components to make quality products

  1. Pupils should be taught to

    a. select appropriate tools and techniques for making their product

    b. suggest alternative ways of making their product, if first attempts fail

    c. explore the sensory qualities of materials and how to use materials and processes

    d. measure, mark out, cut and shape a range of materials, and assemble, join and combine components and materials accurately

    e. use finishing techniques to strengthen and improve the appearance of their product, using a range of equipment including ICT [for example, ‘drawing’ software or computer-aided design (CAD) software and a printer]

Evaluating processes and products

  1. Pupils should be taught to:

    a. reflect on the progress of their work as they design and make, identifying ways they could improve their products

    b. carry out appropriate tests before making any improvements

    c. recognise that the quality of a product depends on how well it is made and how well it meets its intended purpose [for example, how well products meet social, economic and environmental considerations].

Knowledge and understanding of materials and components

  1. Pupils should be taught:

    a. how the working characteristics of materials affect the ways they are used

    b. how materials can be combined and mixed to create more useful properties [for example, using cardboard triangles on the corners of a wooden framework to strengthen it]

    c. how mechanisms can be used to make things move in different ways, using a range of equipment including an ICT control program

    d. how electrical circuits, including those with simple switches, can be used to achieve results that work.

Breadth of study

  1. During the key stage, pupils should be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through:

    a. investigating and evaluating a range of familiar products, thinking about how they work, how they are used and the views of the people who use them

    b. focused practical tasks that develop a range of techniques, skills, processes and knowledge

    c. design and make assignments using a range of materials, including electrical and mechanical components, food, mouldable materials, stiff and flexible sheet materials, and textiles.

History

Knowledge, skills and understanding

Chronological understanding

1 Pupils should be taught to:

a. place events, people and changes into correct periods of time

b. use dates and vocabulary relating to the passing of time, including ancient, modern, BC, AD, century and decade.

Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past

2 Pupils should be taught to:

a. about characteristic features of the periods and societies studied, including the ideas, beliefs, attitudes and experiences of men, women and children in the past

b. about the social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of the societies studied, in Britain and the wider world

c. to identify and describe reasons for, and results of, historical events, situations, and changes in the periods studied

d. to describe and make links between the main events, situations and changes within and across the different periods and societies studied.

Historical interpretation

3 Pupils should be taught to recognise that the past is represented and interpreted
in different ways, and to give reasons for this.

Historical enquiry

4 Pupils should be taught:

a. how to find out about the events, people and changes studied from an appropriate range of sources of information, including ICT-based sources [for example, documents, printed sources, CD-ROMS, databases, pictures and photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings and visits to museums, galleries and sites]

b. to ask and answer questions, and to select and record information relevant to the focus of the enquiry.

Organisation and communication

5 Pupils should be taught to:

a. recall, select and organise historical information

b. use dates and historical vocabulary to describe the periods studied

c. communicate their knowledge and understanding of history in a variety of ways [for example, drawing, writing, by using ICT].

Breadth of study

6 During the key stage, pupils should be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through a local history study, three British history studies, a European history study and a world history study.

Local history study

7. A study investigating how an aspect in the local area has changed over a long period of time, or how the locality was affected by a significant national or local event or development or by the work of a significant individual.
British history

Victorian Britain or Britain since 1930

11. Teachers can choose between a study of Victorian Britain or Britain since 1930.
Victorian Britain

a. A study of the impact of significant individuals, events and changes in work
and transport on the lives of men, women and children from different sections of society.
Britain since 1930

b. A study of the impact of the Second World War or social and technological changes that have taken place since 1930, on the lives of men, women and children from different sections of society.

Geography

Knowledge, skills and understanding

Teaching should ensure that geographical enquiry and skills are used when developing knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes, and environmental change and sustainable development.

Geographical enquiry and skills

1 In undertaking geographical enquiry, pupils should be taught to:

a. ask geographical questions [for example, ‘What is this landscape like?’, ‘What do I think about it?’]

b. collect and record evidence [for example, by carrying out a survey of shop functions and showing them on a graph]

c. analyse evidence and draw conclusions [for example, by comparing population data for two localities]

d. identify and explain different views that people, including themselves, hold about topical geographical issues [for example, views about plans to build an hotel in an overseas locality]

e. communicate in ways appropriate to the task and audience [for example, by writing to a newspaper about a local issue, using e-mail to exchange information about the locality with another school].

2 In developing geographical skills, pupils should be taught to:

a. to use appropriate geographical vocabulary [for example, temperature, transport, industry]

b. to use appropriate fieldwork techniques [for example, labelled field sketches] and instruments [for example, a rain gauge, a camera]

c. to use atlases and globes, and maps and plans at a range of scales [for example, using contents, keys, grids]

d. to use secondary sources of information, including aerial photographs [for example, stories, information texts, the internet, satellite images, photographs, videos]

e. to draw plans and maps at a range of scales [for example, a sketch map of a locality]

f. to use ICT to help in geographical investigations [for example, creating a data file to analyse fieldwork data]

g. decision-making skills [for example, deciding what measures are needed to improve safety in a local street].

Knowledge and understanding of places

3 Pupils should be taught to:

a. to identify and describe what places are like [for example, in terms of weather, jobs]

b. the location of places and environments they study and other significant places and environments [for example, those listed on page 115 and places and environments in the news]

c. to describe where places are [for example, in which region/country the places are, whether they are near rivers or hills, what the nearest towns or cities are]

d. to explain why places are like they are [for example, in terms of weather conditions, local resources, historical development]

e. to identify how and why places change [for example, through the closure of shops or building of new houses, through conservation projects] and how they may change in the future [for example, through an increase in traffic or an influx of tourists]

f. to describe and explain how and why places are similar to and different from other places in the same country and elsewhere in the world [for example, comparing a village with a part of a city in the same country]

g. to recognise how places fit within a wider geographical context [for example, as part of a bigger region or country] and are interdependent [for example, through the supply of goods, movements of people].

Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes

4 Pupils should be taught to:

a. recognise and explain patterns made by individual physical and human features in the environment [for example, where frost forms in the playground, the distribution of hotels along a seafront]

b. recognise some physical and human processes [for example, river erosion, a factory closure] and explain how these can cause changes in places and environments.

Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development

5 Pupils should be taught to:

a. recognise how people can improve the environment [for example, by reclaiming derelict land] or damage it [for example, by polluting a river], and how decisions about places and environments affect the future quality of people’s lives

b. recognise how and why people may seek to manage environments sustainably, and to identify opportunities for their own involvement [for example, taking part in a local conservation project].

Breadth of study


6 During the key stage, pupils should be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through the study of two localities and three themes:

Localities

a. a locality in the United Kingdom

b. a locality in a country that is less economically developed

Themes

c. water and its effects on landscapes and people, including the physical features of rivers [for example, flood plain] or coasts [for example, beach], and the processes of erosion and deposition that affect them

d. how settlements differ and change, including why they differ in size and character [for example, commuter village, seaside town], and an issue arising from changes in land use [for example, the building of new housing or a leisure complex]

e. an environmental issue, caused by change in an environment [for example, increasing traffic congestion, hedgerow loss, drought], and attempts to manage the environment sustainably [for example, by improving public transport, creating a new nature reserve, reducing water use].

7 In their study of localities, pupils should:

a. study at a range of scales – local, regional and national

b. study a range of places and environments in different parts of the world, including the United Kingdom and the European Union

c. carry out fieldwork investigations outside the classroom.

PSHE & Citizenship

Knowledge, skills and understanding

Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities

Pupils should be taught:

a. to talk and write about their opinions, and explain their views, on issues that affect themselves and society

e. about the range of jobs carried out by people they know, and to understand how they can develop skills to make their own contribution in the future f to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.

Preparing to play an active role as citizens

2 Pupils should be taught:

a. to research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events

f. to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, making decisions and explaining choices

j. that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect individuals, communities and the sustainability of the environment

k. to explore how the media present information.

Developing a healthy, safer lifestyle

3 Pupils should be taught:

a. what makes a healthy lifestyle, including the benefits of exercise and healthy eating, what affects mental health, and how to make informed choices

b. that bacteria and viruses can affect health and that following simple, safe routines can reduce their spread

e. to recognise the different risks in different situations and then decide how to behave responsibly, including sensible road use, and judging what kind of physical contact is acceptable or unacceptable

Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people

4 Pupils should be taught:

a. that their actions affect themselves and others, to care about other people’s feelings and to try to see things from their points of view

b, to think about the lives of people living in other places and times, and people with different values and customs

Breadth of opportunities

5 During the key stage, pupils should be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to:

a. take responsibility [for example, for planning and looking after the school environment; for the needs of others, such as by acting as a peer supporter, as a befriender, or as a playground mediator for younger pupils; for looking after animals properly; for identifying safe, healthy and sustainable means of travel when planning their journey to school]

d. make real choices and decisions [for example, about issues affecting their health and well-being such as smoking; on the use of scarce resources; how to spend money, including pocket money and contributions to charities]

e. meet and talk with people [for example, people who contribute to society through environmental pressure groups or international aid organisations; people who work in the school and the neighbourhood, such as religious leaders, community police officers]

Back to Top