Macmillan Natural and Social Science 4

UNIT 5
Dear Parent / Carer,

Your child is about to start unit 5 of their Science coursebook Macmillan Natural and Social
Science 4. The topic of this unit is Our planet. In this unit, your child will

 learn to identify the main celestial bodies making up our solar system and the six main
phases of the moon
 learn to understand about solar eclipses
 learn to understand the connection between night and day and the Earth’s rotation on
its axis
 learn to understand the connection between the seasons and the Earth’s rotation
around the Sun
 learn to differentiate between maps and globes
 learn to identify the Equator and lines of latitude and longitude
 learn to recognise and know different characteristics of the seasons
 learn to differentiate between climate and weather and identify and describe Spain’s
five main climates
 learn to listen to, read and understand a story about a solar eclipse
 learn to write a simple text about the climate where you live

Additionally in this unit, your child will investigate why the Earth has different seasons. They will say the
Solar systems chants. This chant allows your child to review the key vocabulary of the unit in context.
Encourage your child to listen and say the chant with you. Look at the Picture dictionary on pages 158
and 159 of the Pupil’s Book together.

The solar system chant (CD track 14)

Solar system …the Sun …the planets …Mercury …Venus …Earth …Mars …Jupiter …Saturn …Uranus
…Neptune …the moon …satellite …celestial bodies.

The solar system chant (CD track 15)

Mercury is the first planet from the Sun …Venus is the second planet from the Sun …Earth is the third
planet from the Sun …Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun …Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun …
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun …Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun …Neptune is the
eighth planet from the Sun.

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© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011

They will also sing the Moon song.

The moon song (CD track 16)

Chorus
New moon,
Crescent moon,
First quarter,
Full moon,
Third quarter,
Crescent moon.

We see the moon in the sky at night.

It’s the Earth’s natural satellite.
It orbits the Earth in 28 days,
and it looks different in each phase.

Chorus

Sometimes it looks big and sometimes small.

But the moon doesn’t really change at all.
The part we see that’s white and bright,
is the Sun’s light reflecting on the moon at night.

Chorus

They will also say the Climates chant.

The climates chant (CD track 17)

Atlantic climate …continental climate …sub-tropical climate …mountain climate …Mediterranean
climate …temperature …precipitation.
Atlantic climate …continental climate …sub-tropical climate …mountain climate …Mediterranean
climate …temperature …precipitation.

The homework for this unit is about the moon. Your child will observe and draw the moon for thirty
days. They will also write the phase of the moon for each day.

Thank you again for making your child’s contact with Science as enjoyable and successful as
possible. I hope that you and your child enjoy this unit and the whole course.

With best wishes,

Class Science teacher

PHOTOCOPIABLE

© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011