Years 3 & 4

Years 3 and 4 Curriculum Overview

Poisonous potions, aromatic brews, vapour or a sticky goo… Welcome to the amazing world of potions!

By reding an extract from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in English, we’ll learn all about mysterious potions, and write a safety label for Alice’s bottle. In science, we will sort everyday items into solids, liquids and gases. Using our investigation skills we’ll explore capacity and the properties of liquids.

We’ll also design fabulous bottles for magical potions. Becoming super scientists, we’ll investigate chemical reactions and states of matter. We’ll research the use of anaesthetic and learn what life was like without it!

We’ll write spells with magical, strange or gruesome effects – what ingredients will we use? It will be great fun to make chocolate hearts and bath bombs! At the end of our journey, we’ll invite you to join us at a tea party to share our learning.

Ideas for home learning

• Make a list of all the solids, liquids and gases you can find at home. Are they kept safely?
• Make a sketch of any interesting bottles you have at home. Remember to add patterns, textures, shading and finer details!
• Make homemade perfume or potions using things you find in the kitchen, garden or bathroom (before you start check with an adult which substances are safe to use). Use a pestle and mortar to grind up the things you find. Add liquid and strain to get rid of the lumpy bits. What have you made?
• Calculate how many litres of water it takes to fill your bath. Which uses less water, the shower or the bath? How can you find out?
• Make ice lollies at home. Can you add a surprise ingredient that reveals itself as the ice melts?
• Visit your local library or bookshop to search for other plays and stories on the theme of potions. Write a book review and share it with others in your class.