English · Ages 6–8 · 50 min
Inference - reading clues in pictures and words
Children infer how characters feel and what is happening by combining clues from pictures and words with what they already know, and explain their thinking with evidence.
Lesson plans
Lesson plans for age 8
Lessons that suit children aged 8, each with fresh practice at three levels.
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School year
Science · Ages 6–8 · 50 min
The healthy eating plate
Children sort foods into the main food groups and explain that a balanced meal includes a variety of foods, with plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Study skills · Ages 7–9 · 50 min
Algorithms without a computer
Children write a clear, ordered set of instructions (an algorithm) to complete a task, test it, and debug it when it goes wrong.
Science · Ages 7–9 · 55 min
Animal life cycles
Children sequence the life cycles of a butterfly, a frog and a bird, and explain how a young animal changes as it grows into an adult.
English · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Apostrophes for possession
Children use an apostrophe and s to show that something belongs to someone, tell possessive apostrophes apart from plurals, and begin to place the apostrophe correctly for plural owners.
Maths · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Column addition with exchanging
Children add two-digit numbers using the column method, lining up digits by place value and exchanging ten ones for one ten.
Maths · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Division as sharing and grouping
Children solve division by sharing into equal groups and by making groups of a given size, and use multiplication facts to find the answer faster.
Science · Ages 7–9 · 55 min
Light sources and shadows
Children recognise that we need light to see, sort light sources from reflectors, and explain that a shadow forms when an opaque object blocks light and changes size as the object moves.
Science · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Magnets: attract, repel and magnetic materials
Children test which materials are magnetic, discover that magnets attract or repel depending on which poles face each other, and record results in a table.
Geography · Ages 7–9 · 55 min
Map skills and compass directions
Children use the four compass points to give and follow directions on a grid map, and read simple map symbols with a key.
Maths · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Measuring length in centimetres and metres
Children measure lengths accurately with a ruler starting from zero, record them in centimetres and metres, and add lengths to find a total.
Maths · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Money, coins and giving change
Children add prices and work out change by counting up from the amount spent to the amount paid.
Maths · Ages 7–8 · 50 min
Multiplication with arrays
Children use arrays to represent multiplication, write two multiplication facts for each array and use an array to work out a fact they don't know.
Science · Ages 7–9 · 55 min
Parts of a plant and what they do
Children name the roots, stem, leaves and flower of a flowering plant and explain the job each part does to help the plant survive, grow and make seeds.
Study skills · Ages 7–10 · 50 min
Staying safe online
Children know which information should stay private online, know that they should stop and tell a trusted adult whenever something online worries them, and practise what to say.
Maths · Ages 7–8 · 55 min
Tally charts and bar charts
Children collect data with a tally chart, draw a bar chart from it with a labelled scale, and answer "how many more" questions from the chart.
Geography · Ages 7–9 · 50 min
The seven continents and five oceans
Children name and locate the world's seven continents and five oceans on a world map and a globe, and say which continent they live on.
English · Ages 7–8 · 60 min
Writing clear instructions
Children write a set of instructions with a title, a list of things needed and numbered steps that begin with imperative verbs, using time words and adverbs to make each step clear.
Science · Ages 8–10 · 55 min
Building and reading food chains
Children build food chains that start with a plant, use arrows to show the direction the energy goes, and identify producers, prey and predators.
Science · Ages 8–9 · 60 min
Building simple circuits
Children build a simple series circuit with a cell, wires and a bulb, explain why a circuit must be complete, and use a switch to open and close it.
Maths · Ages 8–9 · 50 min
Equivalent fractions
Children find equivalent fractions using a fraction wall and explain that multiplying the numerator and denominator by the same number keeps the fraction the same size.
Maths · Ages 8–9 · 50 min
Finding fractions of amounts
Children find unit and non-unit fractions of amounts by dividing by the denominator and multiplying by the numerator, and explain each step with a bar model.
English · Ages 8–9 · 55 min
Fronted adverbials
Children identify adverbials that tell when, where or how something happens, move them to the front of a sentence, and use a comma after a fronted adverbial.
Geography · Ages 8–11 · 60 min
How volcanoes work
Children label the main parts of a volcano, explain that magma rises from deep inside the Earth and erupts as lava, ash and gas, and locate some well-known volcanoes on a world map.
English · Ages 8–9 · 55 min
Organising writing into paragraphs
Children explain why writers start a new paragraph, spot paragraph changes caused by time, place, topic or a new speaker, and organise their own writing into paragraphs.
Science · Ages 8–10 · 55 min
Solids, liquids and gases
Children sort materials into solids, liquids and gases using their properties, and observe ice melting as an example of a change of state.
Science · Ages 8–9 · 55 min
Sound and vibrations
Children explain that sounds are made by vibrations, that sound travels through materials to our ears, and that pitch and volume can be changed.
English · Ages 8–10 · 55 min
Summarising a text
Children identify the main ideas across several paragraphs of a text and summarise them in their own words within a word limit, leaving out minor details.
Science · Ages 8–10 · 55 min
The water cycle
Children describe the water cycle using evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection, and explain how the Sun's heat drives it.
English · Ages 8–9 · 60 min
Writing a persuasive letter
Children write a letter that persuades a real reader to agree to a request, giving clear reasons with evidence, using persuasive language and a polite letter layout.
