Penrice Academy Curriculum Statement 2016/2017

Transcription

1 Penrice Academy Science Year 7 Our Year 7 Students will experience a broad range of different aspects of science, through a varied and engaging scheme of learning. They will work through a variety of Biology, Chemistry and Physics topics, via a significant amount of practical and investigative work that has been crafted to introduce them to working in a laboratory environment and start to prepare them for the GCSE curriculum. Students will begin to develop a range of scientific skills from; collecting data, applying subject knowledge to explain concepts, analysing data and planning investigations. Overview of Learning: Introduction to Science (week 1 ) Working Safely in a Science Lab Scientific Investigative Skills Students will develop the crucial skills of team work and responsibility through the practical investigative skills they develop. They will learn how to act safely in a Science laboratory. They will be introduced to hazard symbols which they can then relate to real life. Homework Overview Teaching staff will assess students understanding of the this topic throughout, with the effective use of questioning and marking of student work. Baseline (week 2) Practical Skills (week 3) Planning and carrying out a Scientific investigation Analysing data and drawing conclusions Students will continue to develop the crucial skills of team work and responsibility through the practical investigative skills they develop. They will be given a certain amount of independence in planning their own investigation, making them consider lab safety, equipment needed, techniques to use etc. Students will then collect this data and analyse it. From this students will learn the skills of writing a Scientific conclusion and can start to evaluate the effectiveness of their original practical plan. Cells and Movement: (week 4 week 5) Cell Structure Specialised Cells Organs and Organ Systems Skeleton and Joints Students will learn what the human body is made of and how it works and moves.

2 Students will build upon knowledge gained at Primary School and progress towards GCSE level. Forces and Motion: (week 6 week 8) Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Speed Gravity Streamlining Pressure Hooke s Law Students will be able to explain things happening around them in terms of forces. They will be able to relate forces to rea life situations e.g. speed cameras. They will work on improving their graphing skills by displaying speed on a speed-time graph. Students will investigate the importance of streamlining certain objects, again relating this to real life examples. A range of practical s will be incorporated to teach these ideas, including a GCSE required practical when studying Hooke s Law. The students work on Hooke s Law will be teacher reviewed. This will identify student s highlights and next steps. Time will be allocated to then work on these next steps. Summative 1 (week 9) Variation and Reproduction (week 10 week 12) Human Reproductive Systems Menstrual Cycle DNA Variation Selective Breeding Students will develop a clear understanding of the process of reproduction in humans, from a scientific view point. They will study what happens during the Menstrual Cycle and why this is important. Students will explore the structure of DNA- finding out what makes them, them. They will even have opportunity to extract some DNA from a kiwi! Students will be introduced to both genetic and environmental variation, allowing them to further explain why they look/ behave the way they do. There will be opportunity here to further develop student s graphical skills by looking at continuous and discontinuous variation data. Students can then look into uses of selective breeding and discuss ethical concerns some people have regarding this. This is an excellent opportunity for class discussion and debate.

3 Electricity: (week 13 week 14) Series and Parallel Circuits Voltage Current Static Electricity Students will learn how to construct working series and parallel electrical circuits. They will explore how current and voltage vary within these and will build a Scientific understanding of how electricity actually works. Students will also explore static electricity which they can easily relate to real life scenarios. Summative 2 (week 15) Matter: (week 16 week 18) Particle Model Density Gas Pressure Separating Mixtures Chromatography Students will develop, through team work and collaborative working, a critical understanding of the structure of matter in the universe. They will continue to build upon a range of practical techniques and will solve problems using Science. Energy and Waves: (week 19 week 20) Energy Costs Energy Transfers Sound Light- Reflection Light- Refraction Students will explore a variety of renewable and non-renewable energy resources. They will use deducing skills to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each. This provides excellent opportunity for students to share their own opinions through class discussion. Students will look at the different forms of energy and will use this to determine energy transfers in objects around them. Students will learn about sound waves and light. Such knowledge can be used to explain various

4 phenomenon such as how rainbows are produced. Summative 3 (week 21) Metals and Acids: (week 22 week 24 ) Metals and Non-Metals Reactivity Series ph Scale Neutralisation Uses of Neutralisation Students will develop, through team work and collaborative working, a range of practical techniques. They will explore the key properties of metals and non-metals. They will investigate the reactions of metals and how this varies depending of the metals location in the reactivity series. Students can then apply this understanding to explain why certain metals are used for certain purposes. E.g. gold for jewellery. Students will investigate the ph of various household chemicals when looking at acids and alkalis and will explain what happens during a neutralisation reactions. This understanding can then be applied to real life, e.g. to explain how indigestion tablets and wasp sting creams work. Ecosystems: (week 25 week 26) Habitats Feeding Relationships Human Impacts on Food Chains Fieldwork Plant Reproduction Students will explore a range of different habitats around the world, studying adaptations of animals from a variety of habitats. Students will see how species are interdependent and will be exposed to some of the negative impacts humans can have on this. Students will develop their fieldwork skills when studying the distribution of a species on the school field. Students will learn how plants reproduce. Earth: (week 27 week 28) Rock formation and Weathering The Rock Cycle Fossils

5 Students will be able to study how rocks around them have formed and how the rock cycle works. They can see some real life examples fossils and even model their own! This allow students to see the clues rocks can give us about the past and enables them to appreicate the geological world around them. Revision: (week 29-31) During this section of the year students will be given a broad range of activities aimed at enhancing their understanding of the topics studied during the year. They will also study exam technique and how to answer exam style questions, in preparation for their end of year exam. End of Year Exam and Directed Improvement Time: (week 32-33) an End of Year Examination on all of the content they have studied up to this point of the Year. They will then have time in subsequent lessons to analyse the paper, with the aim of developing their understanding of key areas identified as next steps. Space Research Project (Weeks 34-37) The place of the Earth in the Solar System and Universe Describing how the Earth orbits the Sun, and the moon orbits the Earth. Describing how we observe the Universe Analysing the potential importance of space exploration Explaining the requirements of an exploratory space mission Students can learn about the vast universe that surrounds them. They build upon their existing understanding of the phases of the moon, why we have day and night, why we have different seasons. All things students can relate to real life. They will also analyse the impact of space exploration on society and why different people have differing views on the importance of space exploration. homework that ensures they are prepared for their end of year exam. Students will compete homework that focuses on their Space Research Project.