Year 7 – From the very beginning of Year 7, science students at Boldon School are introduced to practical science. Within the first few weeks they will engage in lessons on laboratory safety and will use key equipment which include glassware, bunsen burners, microscopes and chemical reagents such as hydrochloric acid. Skills such as planning experiments and collecting results will be built on throughout the year with an additional focus on identifying and understanding scientific variables. These experiments will be conducted during the teaching of topics from all three science disciplines; biology, chemistry and physics. These will follow the activate key stage 3 scheme of learning. Thinking skills will begin to be explored with bespoke lessons taught on cognitive acceleration, students will be asked to reflect on how they learn in science. They will take part in a range of extracurricular activities which will instill a love for the awe and wonder of science into the students and promote science capital.
Year 8 – Year 8 students will continue looking at science in an enquiry based approach. The work carried out in year 7 around designing their own experiments will be taken further by drawing conclusions from findings and results, evaluating the accuracy of their own experiments and advising on the mitigation of hazards and risks during practical science. Topics from the activate key stage 3 scheme of learning will continue to be taught. By this time the students will be encouraged to find links between their knowledge from biology, chemistry and physics and transfer the skills introduced to them in one topic, to the next. Science capital will continue to be promoted with more extracurricular activities now introducing specific career paths and life long skills that will broaden the students options and curiosity going forward. Thinking skills and cognitive learning will also continue and those skills will begin to translate into practical and enquiry based learning.
Year 9 – In science, Year 9 students will be encouraged to explore how best they will retain knowledge and apply the scientific content they will cover leading up to the end of their studies. This will be done through the incorporation of retrieval lessons into the science curriculum at Boldon School. In these retrieval lessons students will be given the opportunity to look back at previous learning using a range of unique techniques which will inform their personal revision for the next 3 years. This year students will have more than 1 science teacher and will tackle more tricky concepts contained in the national curriculum. They will continue to develop their knowledge of cells, the body, waves, forces, separating techniques and state of matter.
Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Key Concepts | To open eyes to the awe and wonder of science. | To develop scientific skills and enhance cognitive learning. | To secure the foundations of key concepts of chemistry, biology and physics by carrying out technical science experiments. | |
Autumn Term (Sep-Oct) |
Students will cover scientific skills such as health and safety, identifying variables, understanding of scientific apparatus and the foundations of planning an experiment.
Year 7 will begin with a topic on particles and behaviour where they will learn about changes of state, investigate gas pressure and analyse cooling curves.
Students will also begin a series of thinking skills lessons which aim to improve their awareness of their own cognitive learning within science, these lessons will span the duration of the year. | Scientific skills will be revisited and refreshed at the beginning of year 8, diving deeper into the higher order skills such as making conclusions from results and evaluating their own experiments.
Year 8 students will begin to understand the periodic table in more detail so it can be used to aid with exam style chemistry questions, a skill they will require all the way up to year 11 and beyond. | Year 9 will begin by exploring key conceptions in biology, revisiting previous learning on cells, but introducing key theory on enzymes and the body. This half term, year 9’s chemistry teacher will revisit and expand on separating techniques introduced in year 8 and the particle model introduced in year 7. | |
Quality Mark Assessments | ||||
Assessment opportunities will include:
Useful links: To help with skills https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsg6m39 To help with particles and behaviour https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z9r4jxs | Assessment opportunities will include:
Useful links: To help with skills https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsg6m39 To help with periodic table https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zv9nhcw |
| ||
Autumn Term (Nov-Dec) |
Year 7 students will begin to investigate the forces that they experience in everyday life through a series of enquiry based experiments which allow the students to examine forces visually and make predictions about how objects will behave in given scenarios.
Students will then be introduced to the structure and function of cells in our body, they will use microscopes to prepare their own slides and create biological diagrams of the structures they see magnified 400 times its actual size.
Students will gain an understanding of the key definitions of atoms, elements compounds and mixtures and will embed the skill of differentiating between these, this will be invaluable in their further study of topics within chemistry. | Students will be given a broad and varied education on factors which affect human health. They will be able to suggest how a person’s lifestyle is linked to their health and put themselves in the shoes of a GP or dietician by suggesting changes to lifestyle in order to improve health. Students will look at exam style questions and appreciate how the command word used in the question informs them on how to answer.
In the middle of the global climate crisis, year 8 will understand energy efficiency and renewable resources. They will be equipped with an understanding of the best way to be energy efficient and the theory behind the conservation of energy. | Students will draw and analyse distance-time graphs as well ad velocity-time graphs, comparing the two. Motion as a topic will be explored. Students will also revisit the periodic table and begin to study content on plants. | |
Quality Mark Assessments | ||||
Useful links: To help with cells https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/znyycdm To help with forces https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4brd2p | Useful links: To help with health and lifestyle https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf339j6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/ztnnb9q To help with energy | Useful links: To help with energy https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zc3g87h To help with Motion https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs To help with periodic table To help with Plants | ||
Spring Term (Jan-Feb) |
Year 7 will be using powerpacks, ray boxes, lenses and colour filters to understand how light behaves over a series of lessons. Their understanding will be cemented when they explain how a rainbow is formed.
Students’ analysis of how their body works will continue with the body systems topic, they will be able to explain how they breathe and how they digest with the aid of scientific models. Students will be encouraged to formulate their own models to simplify the observations they make. | Students will further their understanding of states of matter and particle behaviour by demonstrating a series of practical skills which separate substance including filtration, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation.
Year 8 will analyse their physical character traits, be able to identify which traits are genetic and how they have inherited these adapted traits. They will also inspect evidence of human evolution and how species have adapted to survive throughout history. | The work started in the previous half term studying plants will continue this half term. Waves, including sound and light will be looked at in more detail. | |
Quality Mark Assessments | ||||
Assessment opportunities will include:
Useful links: To help with body systems https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvrrd2p To help with light https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw982hv To help with atoms elements and compounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zstp34j | Assessment opportunities will include:
Useful links: To help with adaptations and inheritance https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zpffr82 To help with separating techniques https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zych6g8/articles/zfwbvwx |
| ||
Spring Term (Feb-April) |
Year 7 will investigate household items over a series of practical lessons with the aim of explaining what acids and alkalis are, how they work and what they are used for. Students who access higher order thinking will be able to suggest effective treatment for various animal stings.
Students will continue their understanding of scientific models by critiquing existing models and suggesting improvements in their topic on sound. | Year 8’s continued training on laboratory safety will come in handy during the next topic of acids and metals. Chemical reactions theory will be taken further in this topic focussing on specific reactions. Students will be trained to predict the products and observations of various reactions they carry out.
Students will look at the achievement of scientists from diverse backgrounds throughout history, some of these revolutionary discoveries surrounding electricity and magnetism | Year 9 students will cover more on forces and motion this half term and spend more time using the periodic table looking at specific trends and patterns. | |
Quality Mark Assessments | ||||
Useful links: To help with acids and alkalis https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zn6hvcw To help with sound https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw982hv | Useful links: To help with acids and metals https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypsgk7/articles/z9sptrd To help with electricity and magnetism https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgy39j6 | Useful links: To help with forces and motion https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4brd2p https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs To help with groups in the periodic table To help with earth’s atmosphere | ||
Summer Term (Feb-May) |
Year 7 will study reproduction from a scientific perspective, understanding how a single cell can become a baby.
A variety of chemical reactions will be shown to students and they will be equipped with not only the ability to spot when a chemical reaction is taking place but also to compare and contrast different kinds of chemical. | Apart from the obvious, why is it not a good idea for a camel to wear high heels? Year 8 will be given the foundations of providing a complete scientific answer to this question in the motion and pressure topic that will be covered. Students will practice the skill of gathering information from graphs and results tables during this topic.
This term, students will also explore ecosystems from places around the world such as the Amazon Jungle, the North Pole, the Sahara Desert and Boldon Colliery. | Students will cover exchange and transport of the human body including aerobic and anaerobic respiration. More time will be spent looking at chemical reactions of metals, the earth’s atmosphere and recycling. These will tie in to a cross curricular project the students will complete in the final half term. | |
Quality Mark Assessments | ||||
Useful links: To help with reproduction https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zybbkqt | Assessment opportunities will include:
Useful links: To help with ecosystems https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxhhvcw To help with motion and pressure https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs | Assessment opportunities will include:
Useful links: To help with earth’s atmosphere https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3fv4wx To help with metals https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypsgk7/articles/z9sptrd To help with exchange and transport https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvrrd2p https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvrrd2p/articles/zdqx2v4?course=zdcg3j6 | ||
Summer Term (May-July) |
An appreciation and understanding of the depths of space will be explored. Students will look back in time at the scientific breakthroughs scientists from all around the world have had on the journey beyond earth. | Students will finish year 8 studying the earth, they will continue their understanding of scientific modelling by modeling the rock cycle using chocolate in the laboratory. | Using their knowledge learned in the previous half term as well as new content delivered on ecosystems and space, students will complete a project in which they will need to apply their knowledge of a range of topics taught across biology, chemistry and physics in order to problem solve and plan solutions. | |
Quality Mark Assessments | ||||
Useful links: To help with space https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z8c9q6f To help with chemical reactions https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypsgk7 |
Useful links: To help with the earth | Useful links: To help with ecosystems https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxhhvcw To help with space |
Year 7
Key Concepts
To open eyes to the awe and wonder of science.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAutumn Term
(Sep-Oct)
Students will cover scientific skills such as health and safety, identifying variables, understanding of scientific apparatus and the foundations of planning an experiment.
Year 7 will begin with a topic on particles and behaviour where they will learn about changes of state, investigate gas pressure and analyse cooling curves.
Students will also begin a series of thinking skills lessons which aim to improve their awareness of their own cognitive learning within science, these lessons will span the duration of the year.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
- Year 7 AP1 baseline
Useful links:
To help with skills https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsg6m39
To help with particles and behaviour https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z9r4jxs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zych6g8
Autumn Term
(Nov-Dec)
Year 7 students will begin to investigate the forces that they experience in everyday life through a series of enquiry based experiments which allow the students to examine forces visually and make predictions about how objects will behave in given scenarios.
Students will then be introduced to the structure and function of cells in our body, they will use microscopes to prepare their own slides and create biological diagrams of the structures they see magnified 400 times its actual size.
Students will gain an understanding of the key definitions of atoms, elements compounds and mixtures and will embed the skill of differentiating between these, this will be invaluable in their further study of topics within chemistry.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with cells https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/znyycdm
To help with forces https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4brd2p
Spring Term
(Jan-Feb)
Year 7 will be using powerpacks, ray boxes, lenses and colour filters to understand how light behaves over a series of lessons. Their understanding will be cemented when they explain how a rainbow is formed.
Students’ analysis of how their body works will continue with the body systems topic, they will be able to explain how they breathe and how they digest with the aid of scientific models. Students will be encouraged to formulate their own models to simplify the observations they make.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
- Year 7 AP2 assessment
Useful links:
To help with body systems https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvrrd2p
To help with light https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw982hv
To help with atoms elements and compounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zstp34j
Spring Term
(Feb-April)
Year 7 will investigate household items over a series of practical lessons with the aim of explaining what acids and alkalis are, how they work and what they are used for. Students who access higher order thinking will be able to suggest effective treatment for various animal stings.
Students will continue their understanding of scientific models by critiquing existing models and suggesting improvements in their topic on sound.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with acids and alkalis https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zn6hvcw
To help with sound https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw982hv
Summer Term
(Feb-May)
Year 7 will study reproduction from a scientific perspective, understanding how a single cell can become a baby.
A variety of chemical reactions will be shown to students and they will be equipped with not only the ability to spot when a chemical reaction is taking place but also to compare and contrast different kinds of chemical.
Quality Mark Assessments- Assessment opportunities will include:Useful links:To help with reproduction https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zybbkqt marked task
- Year 7 AP3 assessment
- Reproduction end of topic test
- Year 7 AP3 assessment
Useful links:
To help with reproduction https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zybbkqt
Summer Term
(May-July)
An appreciation and understanding of the depths of space will be explored. Students will look back in time at the scientific breakthroughs scientists from all around the world have had on the journey beyond earth.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with space https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z8c9q6f
To help with chemical reactions https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypsgk7
Year 8
Key Concepts
To develop scientific skills and enhance cognitive learning.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAutumn Term
(Sep-Oct)
Scientific skills will be revisited and refreshed at the beginning of year 8, diving deeper into the higher order skills such as making conclusions from results and evaluating their own experiments.
Year 8 students will begin to understand the periodic table in more detail so it can be used to aid with exam style chemistry questions, a skill they will require all the way up to year 11 and beyond.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
- Year 8 AP1 end of
Useful links:
To help with skills https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsg6m39
To help with periodic table https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zv9nhcw
Autumn Term
(Nov-Dec)
Students will be given a broad and varied education on factors which affect human health. They will be able to suggest how a person’s lifestyle is linked to their health and put themselves in the shoes of a GP or dietician by suggesting changes to lifestyle in order to improve health. Students will look at exam style questions and appreciate how the command word used in the question informs them on how to answer.
In the middle of the global climate crisis, year 8 will understand energy efficiency and renewable resources. They will be equipped with an understanding of the best way to be energy efficient and the theory behind the conservation of energy.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with health and lifestyle https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf339j6
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/ztnnb9q
To help with energy
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zc3g87h
Spring Term
(Jan-Feb)
Students will further their understanding of states of matter and particle behaviour by demonstrating a series of practical skills which separate substance including filtration, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation.
Year 8 will analyse their physical character traits, be able to identify which traits are genetic and how they have inherited these adapted traits. They will also inspect evidence of human evolution and how species have adapted to survive throughout history.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
- Year 8 AP2 assessment
Useful links:
To help with adaptations and inheritance https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zpffr82
To help with separating techniques https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zych6g8/articles/zfwbvwx
Spring Term
(Feb-April)
Year 8’s continued training on laboratory safety will come in handy during the next topic of acids and metals. Chemical reactions theory will be taken further in this topic focussing on specific reactions. Students will be trained to predict the products and observations of various reactions they carry out.
Students will look at the achievement of scientists from diverse backgrounds throughout history, some of these revolutionary discoveries surrounding electricity and magnetism
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with acids and metals https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypsgk7/articles/z9sptrd
To help with electricity and magnetism https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgy39j6
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zrvbkqt
Summer Term
(Feb-May)
Apart from the obvious, why is it not a good idea for a camel to wear high heels? Year 8 will be given the foundations of providing a complete scientific answer to this question in the motion and pressure topic that will be covered. Students will practice the skill of gathering information from graphs and results tables during this topic.
This term, students will also explore ecosystems from places around the world such as the Amazon Jungle, the North Pole, the Sahara Desert and Boldon Colliery.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
- Year 8 AP3 assessment
Useful links:
To help with ecosystems
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxhhvcw
To help with motion and pressure https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs
Summer Term
(May-July)
Students will finish year 8 studying the earth, they will continue their understanding of scientific modelling by modeling the rock cycle using chocolate in the laboratory.
Quality Mark Assessments- Useful links: To help with the earthhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3fv4wx d task
- The earth end of topic test
Useful links:
To help with the earth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3fv4wx
Year 9
Key Concepts
To secure the foundations of key concepts of chemistry, biology and physics by carrying out technical science experiments.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAutumn Term
(Sep-Oct)
Year 9 will begin by exploring key conceptions in biology, revisiting previous learning on cells, but introducing key theory on enzymes and the body.
This half term, year 9’s chemistry teacher will revisit and expand on separating techniques introduced in year 8 and the particle model introduced in year 7.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
– Year 9 AP1 Chemistry assessment – Year 9 AP1 Physics assessment – Year 9 AP1 Biology assessment Useful links: To help with motion https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgx78mn To help with key concepts in biology https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z9gm97h To help with states of matter and separating techniques https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3kdcj6
Assessment opportunities will include: – Year 9 AP1 Chemistry assessment – Year 9 AP1 Physics assessment – Year 9 AP1 Biology assessment Useful links: To help with key concepts in biology https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/znyycdm To help with particle model and separating techniques https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z9r4jxs https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zych6g8 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zych6g8/articles/zfwbvwx To help with energy https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zc3g87h
|
Autumn Term
(Nov-Dec)
Students will draw and analyse distance-time graphs as well ad velocity-time graphs, comparing the two. Motion as a topic will be explored. Students will also revisit the periodic table and begin to study content on plants.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with energy
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zc3g87h
To help with Motion
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs
To help with periodic table
To help with Plants
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxhhvcw
Spring Term
(Jan-Feb)
The work started in the previous half term studying plants will continue this half term. Waves, including sound and light will be looked at in more detail.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
– Year 9 AP2 Chemistry assessment – Year 9 AP2 Physics assessment – Year 9 AP2 Biology assessment
Useful links: To help with motion and forces https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgx78mn To help with cells and control https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgyjgdm To help with atomic structure and the periodic table https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zscrw6f/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zxmmsrd/revision/1 To help with bonding https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zcj78mn
Assessment opportunities will include: – Year 9 AP2 Chemistry assessment – Year 9 AP2 Physics assessment – Year 9 AP2 Biology assessment
Useful links: To help with plants https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxhhvcw To help with forces and motion https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4brd2p https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs To help with waves https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw982hv https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw982hv
|
Spring Term
(Feb-April)
Year 9 students will cover more on forces and motion this half term and spend more time using the periodic table looking at specific trends and patterns.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with forces and motion
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4brd2p
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkr4jxs
To help with groups in the periodic table
To help with earth’s atmosphere
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3fv4wx
Summer Term
(Feb-May)
Students will cover exchange and transport of the human body including aerobic and anaerobic respiration. More time will be spent looking at chemical reactions of metals, the earth’s atmosphere and recycling. These will tie in to a cross curricular project the students will complete in the final half term.
Quality Mark AssessmentsAssessment opportunities will include:
- Year 9 AP3 Chemistry assessment
- Year 9 AP3 Physics assessment
- Year 9 AP3 Biology assessment
Useful links:
To help with earth’s atmosphere
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3fv4wx
To help with metals
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zypsgk7/articles/z9sptrd
To help with exchange and transport
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvrrd2p
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvrrd2p/articles/zdqx2v4?course=zdcg3j6
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf339j6
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/ztnnb9q
Summer Term
(May-July)
Using their knowledge learned in the previous half term as well as new content delivered on ecosystems and space, students will complete a project in which they will need to apply their knowledge of a range of topics taught across biology, chemistry and physics in order to problem solve and plan solutions.
Quality Mark AssessmentsUseful links:
To help with ecosystems
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxhhvcw
To help with space
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z8c9q6f