Curriculum Overview

 

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4 Sixth Form

Term 1: Matter: Periodic Table and Elements

Pupils will sort elements using chemical data and relate this to their position in the periodic table.

Pupils will compare the properties of elements with the properties of a compound formed from them.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Atom
The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist.

Boil
Boiling is the rapid vaporisation of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding atmosphere.

Compound
A thing that is composed of two or more separate elements that are chemically joined.

Condense
Condensation is the process by which water vapour in the air is changed into liquid water. In other words, the water in the air, a gas known as water vapour, from your hot shower cooled when it met the surface of the cold mirror.

Element
Each of more than one hundred substances that cannot be chemically broken down into simpler substances and are primary constituents of matter. Each element is distinguished by its atomic number, i.e. the number of protons in the nuclei

Evaporate
Evaporation is the process of a substance in a liquid state changing to a gaseous state due to an increase in temperature and/or pressure. Evaporation is a fundamental part of the water cycle and is constantly occurring throughout nature.

Melt
Make or become liquefied by heating.

Mixture
A substance made by mixing other substances together.

Particle
One of the extremely small constituents of matter, as an atom or nucleus.

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Term 2: Organisms: Breathing and Digestion

Pupils will learn about the structure and function of the breathing and digestive systems. They will also investigate the effects of exercise on the rates of breathing and respiration.

Pupils will evaluate how well a model represents key features of the digestive system.

Pairs of topics will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Breath
To inhale and exhale air from the lungs.

Digest
The process in the alimentary canal by which food is broken up physically, as by the action of the teeth, and chemically, as by the action of enzymes, and converted into a substance suitable for absorption and assimilation into the body.

Glucose
Glucose is the main type of sugar in the blood and is the major source of energy for the body's cells. Glucose comes from the foods we eat or the body can make it from other substances. Glucose is carried to the cells through the bloodstream.

Heart Rate
The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually expressed as beats per minute.

Respire
The act of respiring; inhalation and exhalation of air; breathing.

Starch
A carbohydrate that is the chief form of stored energy in plants, especially wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes. Starch is a mixture of two different polysaccharides built out of glucose units, and forms a white, tasteless powder when purified.

Transport
The movement of ions or molecules across a cell membrane in the direction opposite that of diffusion, that is, from an area of lower concentration to one of higher concentration.

Vessel
An elastic tubular channel, such as an artery, a vein, a sinus, or a capillary, through which the blood circulates.

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Term 5: Forces: Contact Forces and Pressure

Pupils will name and link different types of forces. They will investigate factors that affect the size of frictional or drag forces.

Pupils will investigate how pressure from your foot onto the ground varies with different footwear.

Pairs of topics will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Force
In physics, a force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object. In other words, a force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate.

Lever
A simple machine consisting of a rigid bar pivoted on a fixed point and used to transmit force, as in raising or moving a weight at one end by pushing down on the other.

Moment
Moments are usually defined with respect to a fixed reference point; they deal with physical quantities as measured at some distance from that reference point.

Newton
Newton was the first to mathematically express the relationship between force and momentum. Some physicists interpret Newton's second law of motion as a definition of force and mass, while others consider it a fundamental postulate, a law of nature.

Pivot
The central point, pin, or shaft on which a mechanism turns or oscillates.

Pressure
Continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it.

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Term 2: Reactions: Chemical Energy and Types of Reactions

Pupils will investigate a phenomenon that relies on an exothermic or endothermic reaction.

Investigate changes in mass for chemical and physical processes.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Metal
A solid material which is typically hard, shiny, malleable, fusible, and ductile, with good electrical and thermal conductivity (e.g. iron, gold, silver, and aluminium, and alloys such as steel)."an adjustable pole made of metal"

Reactivity
The relative capacity of an atom, molecule, or radical to undergo a chemical reaction with another atom, molecule, or compound.

Displace
A chemical reaction in which an atom, radical, or molecule replaces another in a compound.

Reactant
Substances initially present in a chemical reaction that are consumed during the reaction to make products.

Product
A product is a substance that is formed as the result of a chemical reaction.

Erosion
The gradual wearing away because of repeated exposure to natural or chemical substances.

Corrosion
The breaking down or destruction of a material, especially a metal, through chemical reactions.

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Term 4: Energy: Work, Heating and Cooling

Pupils will learn to explain how an electric motor raising a weight is doing work. Pupils will investigate how to prevent heat loss by conduction, convection and radiation.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Calculation
A mathematical determination of the amount or number of something.

Conduction
The process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through the material of a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the material.

Conductor
A material through which electric current can pass.

Convection
The movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

Insulator
A substance which does not readily allow the passage of heat or sound.

Radiation
The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause ionization.

Temperature
The degree or intensity of heat present in a substance or object, especially as expressed according to a comparative scale and shown by a thermometer or perceived by touch.

Thermal
Relating to heat.

Thermometer
An instrument for measuring and indicating temperature, typically one consisting of a narrow, hermetically sealed glass tube marked with graduations and having at one end a bulb containing mercury or alcohol which extends along the tube as it expands.

Transfer
Move from one place to another.

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Term 4: Earth: Climate and Resources

Investigate the contribution that natural and human chemical processes make to our carbon dioxide emissions. Predict the method used for extracting metal based on its position in the reactivity series.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Corrosion
The breaking down or destruction of a material, especially a metal, through chemical reactions.

Cycle
An interval of time during which a characteristic, often regularly repeated event or sequence of events occurs. A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon. A periodically repeated sequence of events.

Displace
A chemical reaction in which an atom, radical, or molecule replaces another in a compound.

Environment
The relationships of the natural world and the relationships between organisms and their environments.

Erosion
The gradual wearing away because of repeated exposure to natural or chemical substances.

Metal
A solid material which is typically hard, shiny, malleable, fusible, and ductile, with good electrical and thermal conductivity (e.g. iron, gold, silver, and aluminium, and alloys such as steel)."an adjustable pole made of metal"

Product
A product is a substance that is formed as the result of a chemical reaction

Reactant
Substances initially present in a chemical reaction that are consumed during the reaction to make products.

Reactivity
The relative capacity of an atom, molecule, or radical to undergo a chemical reaction with another atom, molecule, or compound.

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Term 5: Ecosystems: Respiration and Photosynthesis

Students will learn to describe, define and explain Respiration and Photosynthesis. They will also use data from investigating fermentation with yeast to explore respiration and use lab tests on variegated leaves to show that chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Carbon Dioxide
A colourless, odourless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 per cent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll
A green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, which is responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis.

Chloroplast
An Organelle in green plant cells which contains chlorophyll and in which photosynthesis takes place.

Glucose
A simple sugar which is an important energy source in living organisms and is a component of many carbohydrates.

Habitat
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Niche
An ecological niche is the role and position a species has in its environment; how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces.

Oxygen
A colourless, odourless reactive gas, the chemical element of atomic number 8 and the life-supporting component of the air.

Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.

Quadrat
A quadrat is a plot used in ecology and geography to isolate a standard unit of area for study.

Water
A colourless, transparent, odourless, liquid which forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.

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Term 3: Waves: Effects and Properties

Pupils learn to describe different waves and relate the impact of different types of waves on living cells to their frequency and the energy carried by the wave.

Use the wave model to explain observations of the reflection, absorption and transmission of waves.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

Disperse
Distribute or spread over a wide area.

Longitudinal
Running lengthwise rather than across

Particles
In some situations, light behaves as a particle; one of the extremely small constituents of matter, as an atom or nucleus.

Reflect
(of a surface or body) Throw back (heat, light, or sound) without absorbing it.

Refract
(of water, air, or glass) Make (a ray of light) change direction when it enters at an angle.

Spectrum
A band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.

Transfer
Move from one place to another.

Transverse
Situated or extending across something.

Vibrations
A periodic motion of the particles of an elastic body or medium in alternately opposite directions from the position of equilibrium when that equilibrium has been disturbed (as when a stretched cord produces musical tones or molecules in the air transmit.

Waves
Light travels as transverse waves and can travel through a vacuum. Sound travels as longitudinal waves and needs to travel through a solid, liquid or gas: it cannot travel through a vacuum. Light and sound can also be diffracted, just like water waves

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Term 1: Electromagnets, Voltage and Resistance

Students will look at conductivity of different materials, the uses of electricity and series and parallel circuits. Students will also be introduced to models that will help explain current, voltage and resistance.

There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

There will be an end of topic assessment.

Current
The time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.

Electrical
From the Greek elektor, meaning shining or the sun. A fundamental form of energy created by the movement of electrons (negative charges), protons, or positrons (positive charges) and generating current.

Field
Electric field, an electric property associated with each point in space when charge is present in any form.

Insulate
A material or substance that is used to stop heat, electricity, or sound from going into or out of something.

Magnetism
A physical phenomenon produced by the motion of electric charge, which results in attractive and repulsive forces between objects.

Repel
To push back or away by a force, as one body acting upon another (opposed to attract )

Voltage
Electromotive force or potential difference, usually expressed in volts. voltage in Science Expand. voltage. A measure of the difference in electric potential between two points in space, a material, or an electric circuit, expressed in volts.

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Term 6: Revision and Assessment

Pupils will be working towards their end of year exam where they will be tested on everything they have covered in Year 8.

There will be an end of year assessment using past exam questions to be completed under exam conditions and assessed by the teacher.

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Term 3: Revision

Test data from previous units is used to identify areas of underperformance and stretch pupils.

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