Year 6 Block 2: Evolution and Inheritance
Year 6 Topic – Evolution and Inheritance
This unit of work builds knowledge of evolution and inheritance by learning about characteristics, adaptations, breeding, natural selection and influential scientists. The inclusion of an array of fun activities, including a comprehensive evolution game, provides a stimulating hook throughout.
Substantive knowledge is taught through an array of thought-provoking activities.
Disciplinary knowledge is embedded throughout the unit. Pupils will:
- Record data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
- Identify scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments
Children will be asked to consider scientific ideas carefully and explore the breadth of evidence required for a theory to be regarded as a fundamental scientific concept.
View small steps and lesson sequence
Lessons
- What are characteristics and why do they matter?
- What is inheritance?
- What are adaptations?
- What is evolution?
- How might adaptations lead to evolution?
- What evidence is there of evolution?
More about this Year 6 science unit on Evolution and Inheritance
Explore the Year 6 Evolution and Inheritance science unit
Support children’s understanding of evolution with our Year 6 Evolution and Inheritance lesson pack. This fully-resourced scheme is aligned with the Year 6 science National Curriculum and includes everything you need to teach about inheritance, adaptations, and evolution through engaging and practical science lessons.
This evolution science unit covers inherited characteristics, variation between offspring, how animals and plants adapt to survive, and how these adaptations can lead to evolution. Children also explore fossil evidence and the contributions of key scientists such as Charles Darwin, Mary Anning, Alfred Russel Wallace and Gregor Mendel.
Through practical science investigations, debates and simulation games, pupils will learn how species change over time and how scientific evidence supports these ideas. The unit includes:
- Full lesson plans and teaching slides
- Adaptation and inheritance worksheets
- A fully resourced Evolution Game to explore natural selection
- Discussion prompts and vocabulary support
- A science knowledge organiser and end-of-unit assessment
This Year 6 science topic is ideal for exploring long-term change in living things and understanding how evidence is gathered and interpreted. It helps pupils build a secure understanding of evolution and inheritance while encouraging scientific thinking and curiosity.
Start your free trial to explore the full Year 6 Evolution and Inheritance unit, or browse the complete science scheme of work for more Year 6 science lessons and planning support.
