Curriculum Overview

 

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4 Sixth Form

Term 3: Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table

Students will learn about how:

The periodic table provides chemists with a structured organisation of the known chemical elements from which they can make sense of their physical and chemical properties.

The historical development of the periodic table and models of atomic structure provide good examples of how scientific ideas and explanations develop over time as new evidence emerges.

The arrangement of elements in the modern periodic table can be explained in terms of atomic structure which provides evidence for the model of a nuclear atom with electrons in energy levels.

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.

Element
Each of more than one hundred substances that cannot be chemically interconverted or 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 o

Compound
A thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture.

Mixture
A substance made by mixing other substances together.

Separate
Divide into constituent or distinct elements.

Neutron
A subatomic particle of about the same mass as a proton but without an electric charge, present in all atomic nuclei except those of ordinary hydrogen.

Proton
A stable subatomic particle occurring in all atomic nuclei, with a positive electric charge equal in magnitude to that of an electron.

Shell
Electron shell - a grouping of electrons surrounding the nucleus of an atom; "the chemical properties of an atom are determined by the outermost electron shell" group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit.

Ion
An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

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Term 2: Energy

Students will consider information based on the following:

Energy changes in a system, and the ways energy is stored before and after such changes

Conservation and dissipation of energy

National and global energy resources

Required practical: Investigation to measure the specific heat capacity of one or more materials

There will be an end of topic assessment.

Energy
In physics, the ability to do work. Objects can have energy by virtue of their motion (kinetic energy), by virtue of their position (potential energy), or by virtue of their mass (see E = mc2).

Waves
In physics, any regularly recurring event, such as surf coming in toward a beach, that can be thought of as a disturbance moving through a medium. Waves are characterized by wavelength, frequency, and the speed at which they move.

Transform
The act, state or process of changing, such as in form or structure; the conversion from one form to another; Any change in an organism that alters its general character and mode of life; post-natal biological transformation or metamorphosis.

Transfer
The conversion of one form of energy into another, or the movement of energy from one place to another. Solar panels allow for energy transfer from light energy to heat and electrical energy.

Fuel
Fuel such as coal, wood, oil, or gas provides energy when burned. Compounds in the body such as glucose are broken down into simpler compounds to provide energy for metabolic processes. Some radioactive substances, such as plutonium and tritium, provide e

Sustainable
The ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed. Environmental Science, the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.

Transverse
A wave that oscillates perpendicular to the axis along which the wave travels. Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves, since the electric and magnetic fields oscillate at a right angle to the direction of motion.

Longitudinal
Running lengthwise rather than across.

Thermal
Related to temperature.

Invisible
Unable to be seen.

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Term 2: Cell Biology

Students will consider information based on the following:

Cells are the basic unit of all forms of life. Structural differences between types of cells enables them to perform specific functions within the organism.

For an organism to grow, cells must divide by mitosis producing two new identical cells. If cells are isolated at an early stage of growth before they have become too specialised, they can retain their ability to grow into a range of different types of cells. This Stem Cell technology is a new branch of medicine that allows doctors to repair damaged organs by growing new tissue from stem cells.

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

active transport
the movement of substances from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution against a concentration gradient, requiring energy from respiration

alveoli
tiny air sacs in the lungs that increase the surface area for gaseous exchange

bacteria
single-celled prokaryotic organisms

diffusion
the spreading out of the particles of any substance in a solution, or particles in a gas, resulting in a net movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration down a concentration gradient

eukaryotic cells
cells from eukaryotes that have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and genetic material enclosed in a nucleus

osmosis
the diffusion of water through a partially permeable membrane from a dilute solution (which has a highconcentration of water) to a concentrated solution (with a low concentration of water|) down a concentration gradient

cloning
the production of identical offspring by asexual reproduction

mitosis
part of the cell cycle where one set of new chromosomes is pulled to each end of the cell forming two identical nuclei during cell division

stem cells
undifferentiated cells with the potential to form a wide variety of different cell types

enzymes
biological catalysts, usually proteins

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Term 5: Revision

Students will be revising for end of year exam

Atmosphere
The envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Fuel
Fuel such as coal, wood, oil, or gas provides energy when burned. Compounds in the body such as glucose are broken down into simpler compounds to provide energy for metabolic processes. Some radioactive substances, such as plutonium and tritium, provide e

Recycle
Return (material) to a previous stage in a cyclic process; re-use.

Sustainability
Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

Energy
In physics, the ability to do work. Objects can have energy by virtue of their motion (kinetic energy), by virtue of their position (potential energy), or by virtue of their mass (see E = mc2).

Waste
(of a material, substance, or by-product) Eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process.

Pollution
The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.

Polymer
A substance which has a molecular structure built up chiefly or completely from a large number of similar units bonded together, e.g. many synthetic organic materials used as plastics and resins.

Covalent bond
A covalent bond, also called a molecular bond, is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs, and the stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between

Cracking
In petroleum geology and chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules such as kerogens or long chain hydrocarbons are broken down into simpler molecules such as light hydrocarbons, by the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds in the prec

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Term 5: Particle model of matter & Atomic Structure

Students will consider the particle model which is widely used to predict the behaviour of solids, liquids and gases and this has many applications in everyday life. It helps us to explain a wide range of observations and engineers use these principles when designing vessels to withstand high pressures and temperatures, such as submarines and spacecraft. It also explains why it is difficult to make a good cup of tea high up a mountain!

Ionising radiation is hazardous but can be very useful. Although radioactivity was discovered over a century ago, it took many nuclear physicists several decades to understand the structure of atoms, nuclear forces and stability. Early researchers suffered from their exposure to ionising radiation. Rules for radiological protection were first introduced in the 1930s and subsequently improved. Today radioactive materials are widely used in medicine, industry, agriculture and electrical power generation.

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

Current
A flow of electricity which results from the ordered directional movement of electrically charged particles.

Voltage
An electromotive force or potential difference expressed in volts.

Charge
In physics, charge, also known as electric charge, electrical charge, or electrostatic charge and symbolised q, is a characteristic of a unit of matter that expresses the extent to which it has more or fewer electrons than protons.

Electron Flow
Electron flow is what we think of as electrical current. We are familiar with two types of electron flow, Direct Current, or DC, and Alternating Current, or AC.

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

Conductor
In physics and electrical engineering, a conductor is an object or type of material that allows the flow of an electrical current in one or more directions. A metal wire is a common electrical conductor. In metals such as copper or aluminium, the mobile c

Electromagnet
A soft metal core made into a magnet by the passage of electric current through a coil surrounding it.

Magnetic field
A region around a magnetic material or a moving electric charge within which the force of magnetism acts.

Attraction
The electric or magnetic force that acts between oppositely charged bodies, tending to draw them together.

Repulsion
The force that acts between bodies of like electric charge or magnetic polarity, tending to separate them.

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Term 4: Organisation

In this section we will learn about the link between the digestive system and the respiratory system. In each case they provide dissolved materials that need to be moved quickly around the body in the blood by the circulatory system. Damage to any of these systems can be debilitating if not fatal. Although there has been huge progress in surgical techniques, especially with regard to coronary heart disease, many interventions would not be necessary if individuals reduced their risks through improved diet and lifestyle. We will also learn how the plant’s transport system is dependent on environmental conditions to ensure that leaf cells are provided with the water and carbon dioxide that they need for photosynthesis.

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

Bacteria
Bacteria are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation (such as in wine) and that of decomposition.

Virus
Bacteria are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation (such as in wine) and that of decomposition.

Pathogen
A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.

Fungus
Any of a group of unicellular, multicellular, or syncytial spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including moulds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.

Contagious
Spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact.

Multiply
Increase or cause to increase greatly in number or quantity.

Respiration
A process in living organisms involving the production of energy, typically with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of complex organic substances.

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.

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

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

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Term 1 (Starting 2022): Electromagnets: Magnetism

Students will learn about factors of a permanent magnet and then this will lead to looking at how to create an electromagnet and discover factors that affect the strength

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

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Term 1 (Starting 2022): Genes: Inheritance and Evolution

Students will study Genes, chromosomes and how we inherit characteristics. Students will study Students will then study the process of natural selection and biodiversity.

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

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Term 3: Revision

This term will be consolidation of the three foundation units and provide opportunities for stretch.

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Term 4: Bonding, Structure and Properties of matter

Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic

How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances

Structure and bonding of carbon

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

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Term 6: Electrolysis and Energy Changes

Electrolysis

Exothermic and endothermic reactions

Required Practical: Investigate what happens when aqueous solutions are electrolysed using inert electrodes.

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

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Term 6 : Revision

Test data from previous units should be used to identify areas of underperformance and for stretch opportunities.

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