Science
Welcome to the Science Department
Intent
In science, our intention is to:
- Instil a love of science within pupils and encourage them to be inquisitive about the world around them.
- Equip pupils with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to be successful later in life and progress onto their chosen pathway whether it be further education, training or employment.
- Equip pupils with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to understand and explain the world around them.
- Promote awareness of the applications, uses and real-world importance of science, today and in the future.
- Provide a highly engaging, skills-based curriculum that challenges and motivates pupils to learn and achieve.
- Ensure the fundamental concepts needed to understand the different scientific disciplines are embedded and developed throughout a five-year spiral curriculum.
- Develop critical thinking by allowing pupils to master a range of scientific enquiry skills such as problem-solving, questioning, predicting, planning, fair-testing, analysing, interpreting, and evaluating.
- Promote high levels of literacy and develop the use of subject specific vocabulary so that all pupils can use technical terminology accurately and precisely to express their ideas.
- Embed the relevant mathematical skills across the curriculum to create numerate pupils that can apply their skills across a variety of different contexts.
- Provide a supportive, nurturing learning environment where all pupils feel confident to participate, strive to achieve their full potential and enjoy learning.
- Provide an appropriate range of extracurricular opportunities and experiences to enhance pupils’ enjoyment of science.
Why learn Science?
What are the world’s problems? Who is going to solve them? Science is important because it give us an understanding of the world around us and allows us to think logically to solve a problem. It aims to stimulate our natural curiosity in finding out why things happen in the way they do. It equips us with not only knowledge, but essential skills such as critical thinking, analysing, decision making, problem solving and evaluating. Studying science opens a whole world of possibilities where the skills you learn are transferable to many different career pathways. It can open the door to many STEM related careers such as engineering, architecture, medicine, agriculture, cosmetics, building and construction.
Year 7
During year 7, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: What are we made of?
|
|
Cell, tissue, organ, uni-cellular, multi-cellular, nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, mitochondria, cell wall, vacuole, chloroplasts, specialised cells, function, adaptation, diffusion, concentration gradient |
Fertile question: Where does life begin?
|
|
Reproductive system, gamete, sperm, egg, ovary, oviduct, uterus, vagina, penis, testes, sperm duct, fertilisation, foetus, gestation, placenta, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, contraception, fertility, ovulation, menstruation |
Fertile question: Where does life begin?
|
|
Sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction, dispersal, pollen, ovules, pollination, fertilisation, seed, fruit, carpel, stamen, anther, filament, stigma, style, ovary sepal |
Fertile question: Why do we see lightning before we hear thunder?
|
|
Vibration, medium, frequency, wavelength, amplitude, volume, pitch, vacuum, oscilloscope, absorption, echo |
Fertile question: Why might your yellow shirt appear red at a concert?
|
|
Luminous, non-luminous, transparent, translucent, opaque, reflection, refraction, dispersion, incident ray, reflected ray, normal line, angle of reflection, angle of incidence, absorption, convex lens, concave lens, retina |
Fertile question: Why can you skate on an ice rink and not on a swimming pool?
|
|
Particle, particle model, state of matter, compress, evaporate, boil, condense, melt, freeze, boiling point, melting point, gas pressure, density, diffusion |
Fertile question: Why would you put salt on your chips when sodium reacts violently with water and chloride is a deadly poisonous gas? |
|
Atom, element, compound, molecule, physical property, chemical property, chemical formula, relative formula mass |
Fertile question: How can you separate this mixture?
|
|
Solute, solvent, solution, soluble, insoluble, dissolve, solubility, pure substance, mixture, filtration, distillation, evaporation, condensation, crystallisation, chromatography, |
Fertile question: What is the connection between an electric circuit and a coal train?
|
|
Series, parallel, cell, battery, resistor, current, voltage, potential difference, resistance, charge, conductor, insulator |
Fertile question: Why are magnets so useful on a DofE expedition? |
|
Magnet, repel, attract, magnetic field, electromagnet, solenoid. core |
Fertile question: How does our body keep us alive?
|
|
Breathing, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, ribs, diaphragm, intercostal muscles, gas exchange, diffusion , lung volume, breathing rate, pressure, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, carcinogens, emphysema, addictive, inflammation |
Fertile question: Where does our energy come from? |
|
Energy, glucose, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, yeast, fermentation |
Fertile question: How do metals react?
|
|
Metals, non-metals, malleable, ductile, conductor, insulator, reactivity, displacement, oxidation, reduction |
Fertile questions:What useful materials do we get from the Earth?How can we protect the Earth’s resources?
|
|
Crust, core, mantle, atmosphere, sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic, weathering, erosion, deposition, sedimentation, compaction, cementation, rock cycle, resources, mineral, ore, extraction, recycling, electrolysis |
Fertile question: How are humans destroying the Earth?
|
|
Fossil fuels, pollutants, global warming, greenhouse effect, climate change, acid rain, global dimming, carbon cycle |
Fertile question: How much does it cost to run a home? |
|
Energy, resources, renewable, non-renewable, fossil fuels, power |
Fertile question: If energy cannot be destroyed where does it go? |
|
energy transfer, energy store, thermal energy store, chemical energy store, kinetic energy store, gravitational potential energy store, elastic energy store, wasted energy, dissipate, efficiency |
Year 8
During year 8, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: How does our body move? |
|
Bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bone marrow, antagonistic muscle pair, arthritis |
Fertile question: What happens to the food that we eat? |
|
Digestion, carbohydrates, protein, lipids, vitamins, minerals, fibre, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, oesophagus, absorption, excretion enzymes |
Fertile question: Why would you weigh less on the moon than on Earth? |
|
Weight, non-contact force, mass, gravity, gravitational field strength |
Fertile question: If the Sun blew up how long would it be before we noticed? |
|
Star, galaxy, light year, orbit, solar system, planet, moon, satellite |
Fertile question: Everything in the world is made from particles called atoms, but what are atoms made from? |
|
Atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, nucleus, electron shell, charge |
Fertile question: What does the position of an element on the periodic table tell you about the element? |
|
Periodic table, physical properties, chemical properties, groups, periods, Alkali Metals, Noble Gases, The Halogens, inert |
Fertile question: Why do we look similar to our siblings but different to each other? |
|
Variation, continuous, discontinuous, evolution, Inherited characteristics, DNA, chromosomes, gene, gametes, fertilisation, offspring, species |
Fertile questions:Where do our differences come from?Where do new species come from? |
|
Variation, species, natural selection, biodiversity, extinct, competition, evolution, adaptations |
Fertile question: When a candle burns, where does it go? |
|
Chemical reaction, physical change, reactants, products, conservation of mass, thermal decomposition, combustion, displacement |
Fertile question: How can an acid be neutralised? |
|
Acid, alkali, neutral, pH, concentration, dilute, neutralisation, salt |
Fertile question: What energy changes take place during a chemical reaction? |
|
energy, release, absorb, exothermic, endothermic, catalyst, chemical bond |
Fertile questions:How does friction help start you moving but it also stops you from moving?Why does some of a boat need to be submerged for it to float? |
|
Force, contact force, non-contact force, equilibrium, balanced, unbalanced, resultant force, stretching, compression, deformation, linear relationship, newton, tension, friction, air resistance, drag, up thrust, streamlining |
Fertile question: In terms of average speed who was faster the tortoise or the hare? |
|
Speed, distance, average speed, relative motion, acceleration |
Fertile question: Why do cranes have caterpillar tracks, not wheels? |
|
Pressure, fluid, pressure, up thrust, weight, atmospheric pressure, hydraulics, |
Fertile question: Could humans survive without plants? |
|
Chloroplasts, chlorophyll, xylem, phloem, root hair cell, waxy cuticle, palisade cell, stomata, guard cells, starch, iodine, rate, limiting factor |
Fertile question: Why is biodiversity important? |
|
Organisms, producers, consumers, predator, prey, competition, resources, food chain, food web, ecosystem, environment, population, decomposer, bioaccumulation |
Fertile question: Why is a pie filling more likely to burn you than the pastry? |
|
Conductor, insulator, temperature, heat, thermal energy, conduction, convection, radiation, specific heat capacity |
Fertile question: How can gamma rays, which cause cancer, be used to cure cancer? |
|
Longitudinal, transverse, gamma, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infra-red, microwaves, radio waves, frequency, wavelength, ultrasound |
Fertile question: How did Archimedes plan to lift up the Earth? |
|
Work, level, input force, output force, displacement, deformation, pulley |
N.B. Due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, students in Year 8 will study these questions in addition:
|
Year 9 - Biology
During year 9, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: What are the building blocks of life? How can they be seen? |
|
eukaryotes, prokaryotes, cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, ribosomes, chloroplasts, vacuole, cell wall, actual size, image size, specialised cell, cell differentiation, tissue, organ, xylem, phloem, stomata, guard cells, palisade cells, root hair |
Fertile question: How do cells work together for organisms to survive? |
|
, digestion, enzymes, amylase, protease, lipase, absorption, catalyst |
Fertile question: How does the body defend itself against disease? |
|
Communicable, non-communicable, pathogens, bacteria, virus, fungi, protists, human defence systems, phagocytosis, antibody, antitoxin, vaccination, antibodies, painkillers, |
Fertile question: How do different body systems work together to keep us alive? |
|
Circulatory system, blood vessels, arteries, veins, capillaries, plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, gas exchange, diaphragm, pressure, volume, pacemaker, metabolism |
Year 9 - Chemistry
During year 9, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: What are substances made of? |
|
atoms, elements, compounds, molecule, mixtures, pure substances, melting point, boiling point, formulation |
Fertile question: How can you separate this mixture? |
|
, mixture, filtration, soluble, insoluble, solute, solvent, solution, precipitate, crystallisation, distillation, evaporate, condense, chromatography, Rf value |
Fertile questions:How was the periodic table created?What does the position of an element in the periodic table tell you?How has the model of the atom changed over time? |
|
Physical properties, chemical properties, atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, electron shell, nucleus, atomic number, mass number, reactivity, isotope, relative atomic mass |
Fertile question: How do metals and non-metals react together to form compounds? |
|
Ions, electrostatic forces, ionic compounds, lattice |
Fertile questions:How do non-metals react together to form stable molecules?How do you identify an unknown gas? |
|
Covalent bond, shared pair of electrons, molecules |
Fertile question: In a chemical reaction how does the mass of the reactants compare to the mass of the products? |
|
Relative formula mass, percentage by mass, compound, conservation of mass, thermal decomposition, oxidation, precipitation, combustion |
Fertile question: How do metals react? What determines the method of extraction used for a metal? |
|
Metal, non-metal, reactivity, malleable, ductile, conductor, insulator, displacement, oxidation, reduction, ore, extraction, electrolysis, electrodes, anode, cathode, direct current, electrolyte, bioleaching, phytomining |
Fertile question: What properties determine an elements position in the Periodic Table? |
|
Alkali metals, halogens, noble gases, groups, periods, reactivity, displacement, oxidation, reduction, unreactive, inert, density |
Year 9 - Physics
During year 9, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: How can we use the particle model to explain properties of solids, liquids and gases? |
|
solid, liquid, gas, particles, energy, forces, kinetic energy, compressed, density, volume, regular structure, irregular structure, arrangement |
Fertile question: How can we use melting and boiling points to identify an element? |
|
heat, temperature, melting point, boiling point, evaporating, condensing, sublimating, freezing, melting, physical change, chemical change |
Fertile question: How does a million tonne oil tanker float but a 5g piece of plasticene sink? |
|
density, mass, volume, |
Fertile question: Why is the sand at the beach hot but the water cool when both receive the same heat from the Sun? |
|
energy, internal energy, energy store, system, kinetic energy, potential energy, specific heat capacity, specific latent heat |
Fertile question: Why it is difficult to make a good cup of tea high up a mountain? |
|
pressure, particles, volume, motion, kinetic energy, molecules |
Fertile questions:Is electricity always dangerous?How can we control electric current? |
|
series, parallel, current, potential difference, resistance, charge, power, resistor, thermistor, voltmeter, ammeter, fuse, diode, cell, battery, LED, LDR, filament bulb |
Fertile questions:How much would a penny made of just protons and neutrons weigh?What happens if a scientist’s results don’t agree with previous scientists’ ideas? |
|
atom, nucleus, proton, electron, electron shell, orbit, radius, charge, atomic number, mass number, isotopes, ions |
Fertile questions:How can a plant from thousands of years ago tell us how old and Egyptian mummy is?How can radiation cause cancer but also cure it? |
|
radioactive, isotopes, decay, unstable, count-rate, nuclear radiation, ionising, range, penetration, alpha, beta, gamma, electromagnetic radiation, nuclear equations, energy, half-life, contamination, irradiation |
Fertile questions:If energy cannot be destroyed where does it go?Why can we produce electricity but not energy? |
|
system, energy store, work done, energy change, energy transfer, dissipate, efficiency, kinetic energy, elastic potential energy, gravitational potential energy, renewable, non-renewable, energy resources, fossil fuels, nuclear power, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, power, |
Year 10 - Biology
During year 10, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: Where does life start? |
|
photosynthesis, glucose, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, adaptation, energy, absorbed, rate, limiting factor, protein synthesis, cellulose, amino acids, storage, respiration |
Fertile question: How does the body protect itself from danger? |
|
nervous system, receptor, neurones, electrical impulses, coordinator, effector, response, reflect arc, synapse, sensory neurone, synapse neurone, motor neurone, effector, involuntary |
Fertile question: What is biochemistry? |
|
endocrine system, glands, hormones, target organ, pituitary gland, pancreas, thyroid, adrenal gland, ovary, testes, glucose, glucagon, glycogen, insulin, glucose, obesity, negative feedback, puberty, oestrogen, ovulation, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, progesterone, IVF, fertility |
Fertile question: Why are we all different? |
|
sexual, asexual reproduction, sperm, egg, pollen, gametes, mitosis, meiosis, clones, chromosomes, fertilisation, embryo, DNA, genome, allele, gene, dominant, recessive, homozygous, heterozygous, genotype, phenotype, polydactyly, cystic fibrosis |
N.B. Due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, students in Year 10 will study these questions in addition:
|
Year 10 - Chemistry
During year 10, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile questions:How can we use the particle model to explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases?How can we use the particle model to explain changes in state? |
|
solid, liquid, gas, melting, freezing, evaporating, condensing, melting point, boiling point, energy, state, forces, bonding, limitations, particle theory, spheres |
Fertile question: How does the structure of a material influence its properties? |
|
atoms, ions, charge, electrons, ionic, electrostatic, ionic lattice, melting point, boiling point, conductivity, covalent, shared, weak intermolecular forces, delocalised, bond, molecule, polymer, tetrahedron, hexagonal, alloys, metallic, malleable, ductile, layers, soft, hard, fullerene, nanoparticles |
Fertile question: How can an acid be neutralised? How can you make a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt? |
|
acids, alkalis, neutralisation, salt, pH scale, neutral, aqueous, ions, reactants, products, soluble, insoluble, excess, hydrogen ions, hydroxide ions, ionised, dissociated, concentrated, dilute, strong, weak |
Fertile questions:What happens during a chemical reaction?How can you make a chemical reaction faster? |
|
rate, reaction, reactants, products, average, gradient, tangent, factor, collision, energy, particles, activation energy, surface area, concentration, temperature, catalyst. frequency |
Fertile question: What energy changes take place during a chemical reaction? |
|
exothermic, endothermic, reactants, products, energy, activation energy, reaction profile, energy level diagram, breaking bonds, making bonds, energy change |
Fertile question: How do you determine the optimum conditions for a chemical reaction? |
|
reversible, dynamic equilibrium, exothermic, endothermic, conditions, concentration, temperature, pressure |
Fertile question: How can electricity be used to break apart a chemical compound? |
|
electrolysis, ions, compounds, electrolyte, molten, aqueous, conductivity, extraction, ore, anode, cathode, anion, cation |
N.B. Due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, students in Year 10 will study these questions in addition:
|
Year 10 - Physics
During year 10, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile questions:If energy cannot be destroyed, where does it go?Who has more energy a bullet or Usain Bolt?When you drop a ball from a certain height why doesn’t it bounce back to the same height?Why can’t a rollercoaster just keep going forever without putting more energy into it? |
|
energy, energy store, energy transfer, open system, dissipate, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, elastic potential energy, limit of proportionality, mass, speed, joules |
Fertile questions:Which can keep your bed warmer for longer, one kilogram of iron or one kilogram of water (in a bottle obviously)?How come a hot cup of tea gets colder but a cold glass of coke gets warmer in the same room? |
|
energy transfer, energy store, dissipate, efficiency, specific heat capacity, work done, force, distance, power, height, mass, velocity |
Fertile questions:Is electricity always dangerous?How can we control electric current?How does a washing machine turn itself off if a stray live wire makes the case live, saving a person’s life? |
|
current, potential difference, resistance, electrical charge, amperes, coulombs, volts, ohms, resistor, diode, thermistor, LDR, filament lamp, series, parallel, direct current, alternating current, mains electricity, frequency, hertz, live wire, neutral wire, earth wire, power, the national grid, transformer, static electricity, electric field, electrostatic force |
Fertile question: How can you travel 1000km but have a displacement of 0km? |
|
scalar, vector, contact forces, non-contact forces, friction, air resistance, tension, gravitational force, electrostatic force, magnetic force, weight, gravity, mass, gravitational field strength, resultant force, work done, force, distance, dissipate, friction, compression, elasticity, elastic deformation, inelastic deformation, spring constant, extension, linear relationship, non-linear relationship, moment, levers, gears, pressure, atmospheric pressure |
Year 11 - Biology
During year 11, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: Why are we all different? |
|
variation, genome, genes, environment, characteristic, population, inherited, evolution, natural selection, extinction, fossils, species, phenotype, interbreed, fertile, offspring, selective breeding, genetic engineering, diabetes, enzymes, isolate, vector, plasmid, resistant bacteria |
Fertile question: Will the world survive? |
|
ecology, adaptations, interdependence, competition, species, abiotic factors, biotic factors, food chains, producer, photosynthesis, transect, quadrats, carbon cycle, water cycle, biodiversity, waste management, land use, deforestation, global warming |
N.B. Due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, students in Year 11 will study these questions in addition:
|
Year 11 - Chemistry
During year 11, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile question: When making a product how do chemists ensure the reaction is efficient and produces little waste? |
|
relative atomic mass, relative formula mass, moles, Avagadro’s constant, limiting reactant, atom economy, actual yield, theoretical yield, percentage yield |
Fertile questions:What useful products do you get from crude oil?How does the structure of an organic molecule affect its properties? |
|
crude oil, hydrocarbons, saturated, unsaturated, alkanes, alkenes, fractional distillation, cracking, boiling point, flammability, viscosity, catalyst, thermal cracking, catalytic cracking, alcohols, carboxylic acids, fermentation, solvent, fuel, functional group, monomer, polymer, addition polymerisation, condensation polymerisation |
Fertile question: How are humans destroying the Earth? |
|
pollutants, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, soot, particulates, global warming, climate change, acid rain, global dimming, carbon footprint, toxic, haemoglobin |
Fertile questions:How has the Earth changed?How can we protect the Earth’s resources? |
|
evolution, atmosphere, photosynthesis, greenhouse gases, finite resources, natural resources, renewable, sustainable development, life cycle assessment, raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, operation, disposal, reduce, reuse, recycle |
Fertile question: How is water made safe to drink? |
|
potable water, pure water, filtration, sterilising, UV, chlorine, ozone, desalination, distillation, reverse osmosis, waste water, sewage, agricultural waste water, organic matter, microbes, screening, sedimentation, aerobic digestion, aerobic biological digestion, effluent |
Fertile question: How do you identify an unknown substance? |
|
ion, cation, anion, precipitate, flame test, spectroscopy |
N.B. Due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, students in Year 11 will study these questions in addition:
|
Year 11 - Physics
During year 11, students will study the following topics:
|
What pupils will learn: |
Tier 3 vocabulary: |
Fertile questions:How can you travel at a steady speed of 30m/s but be accelerating?How can a space ship keep moving through space without any forward force? |
|
distance, displacement, speed, velocity, distance, scalar, vector, acceleration, motion, deceleration, resultant force, mass, stopping distance, reaction time, braking distance, momentum, conservation of momemtum |
Fertile questions:Why might your yellow shirt appear red at a concert?Why do we see lightning before we hear thunder? |
|
Wave, transverse, longitudinal, compression, rarefaction, frequency, wavelength, period, amplitude, speed, electromagnetic spectrum, radiowaves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays, absorb, transmit, refract, reflect, oscillations |
Fertile question: Why are magnets so useful on a DofE expedition? |
|
magnet, magnetism, permanent magnet, induced magnet, magnetic field, bar magnet, compass, solenoid, electromagnet, core, the motor effect, conductor, generators, transformers, current, potential difference |
Fertile questions:What would happen if the Sun suddenly disappeared?What is the Earth made of and where did it come from? |
|
solar system, star, galaxy, life cycle, protostar, red giant, white giant, red super giant, supernova, black dwarf, black hole, neutron star, fusion, gravity, orbit, red-shift, Doppler effect, Big Bang theory, orbital motion, satellite, gravity, |
N.B. Due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, students in Year 11 will study these questions in addition:
|
Miss K. Chelton
Head of Department
Miss N. Corsby
Second in Department
Miss S. Connon
Assistant Headteacher & Teacher of Science
Mrs S. Ethell
Teacher of Science
Miss S. Mohammed
Teacher of Science
Mr C. Wallis
Teacher of Science & Business Links Senior Leader
Mr S. Walsh
Teacher of Science