Science Curriculum
Strategic Lead for Science SMS & KMS : Miss J Sharples j.sharples@kirkburtonmiddle.co.uk
The Aims of the Science curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to inspire a lifelong curiosity in students about themselves, the world, the universe and its mysteries. It should empower students so they can evaluate and form their own ideas about how and why things happen using critical scientific thinking. This includes the ability to engage confidently in the ever-changing technical world.
At Kirkburton we strive for a quality science education throughout our curriculum which encompasses the following aims for ALL students-
- To install a lifelong interest and fascination about Science
- To prepare pupils and impart knowledge/skills to enable their further study beyond KMS including preparation for greater demands of the new GCSEs
- To empower pupils using a growth mindset and skills/knowledge gained in lessons to consolidate, apply and link ideas about Science to explain phenomena. This may well take them outside their learning ‘comfort zones’
- To allow pupils to explore their natural curiosity about the world through the use of science inside and outside the classroom
- To provide opportunities which give pupils experience, skills and knowledge through a varied curriculum that encompasses all Scientific disciplines and a relevance to the ever changing technical world
- To build the demands of the curriculum from Y6-8 in line with AREX (age related expectations)
- To design a programme of study which challenges pupils and allows them to revisit and use previous knowledge/skills in a spiral curriculum
- To provide opportunities for the development of SMSC, literacy, oracy and numeracy skills throughout the curriculum
- To allow pupils to assess through the different methods and track progress against the AREX allowing them to understand where and how to improve.
- To allow pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and progress in science inside and outside of the classroom
- To build pupils resilience and give them the confidence to challenge their knowledge and understanding.
s one of the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering) we promote the study of science as a major career path for all pupils.
We study biological, chemical and physical process, through topics which show the links between these different disciplines, using the ‘big ideas’ of science, such as particles and energy, to underpin these scientific processes. Throughout our science curriculum we try to show how science is used in the ‘real’ world. We look at aspects such as forensics, cooking, medicine and sports science. This provides pupils with a context within which these scientific processes are used as well as embedding science as a part of everyday British culture.
Pupils engage in a range of investigations, learning to; plan, carry out, analyse and evaluate experiments, as well as assessing risk to make sure their experiments are safe. They learn how scientific models and theories help to explain their observations, as well as learning how these models and theories can change as new observations are made.
Pupils learn how science has developed as a discipline over time, by studying the history of key scientific ideas and the leading British and world scientists and cultures that have contributed to this understanding. Through the curriculum we aim to develop in pupils an appreciation of the power of science to improve peoples’ lives.
The science programme of study at K.M.S has been revised in the light of the new national curriculum 2014, the new style GCSE exams and with the collaboration of colleagues from the other schools in the Shelley College pyramid. This collaboration has helped to ensure that the curriculum at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 is fully covered in the most appropriate way to meet the needs of all our pupils. A greater emphasis on pupils’ numeracy and literacy skills has been built into science lessons to enhance pupils’ understanding of the scientific concepts they study, as well as helping them to communicate their ideas more clearly.
Check out what is going on in British Science Week here: https://www.britishscienceweek.org/browse-events/
https://www.britishscienceweek.org/
What career…?
Students who succeed in science can look forward to careers in health, engineering, technological industries, academia, media and many others.
Topics may vary from class to class at different times in the year.
Forces
Pupils will describe and measure different forces and draw force diagrams. They will explore how fiction and air resistance can be changed and how gravity is a force of attraction towards the Earth. They will discover how balanced forces are involved in floating and sinking. They will practice carrying out scientific investigations and drawing line graphs.
Human Body
Pupils will learn about the location and function of the major organs of the body. They will investigate the different nutrients needed by the body and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They will look at how the heart and lungs work together to deliver important chemicals such as oxygen in the body and the effect of exercise.
Chemicals
Pupils will explore the properties of solids, liquids and gases and changes of state. They will learn how to assess risks and carry out simple experiments safely. They will investigate the solubility of different chemicals and how to use filtering to separate solids and liquids. They will look at the difference between reversible and irreversible change.
Electricity
Pupils will learn about the different components that make up an electrical circuit and learn to draw circuit diagrams using symbols. They will investigate how changing the number of bulbs and batteries in a circuit will affect the flow of electricity around the circuit and the differences between series and parallel circuits. They will consider the dangers electricity poses in and out of the home.
Environment and Evolution
Pupils will learn about the signs of life, which define living things. They will classify living things into groups using branching keys. They will study different habitats and some of the adaptions the animals and plants have to live there as well as some of the habitat’s important food chains. They will study how fossil have provided evidence, that the process of evolution has over millions of years adapted species to suit their environment.
Topics may vary from class to class at different times in the year
Speed and forces
Pupils will use investigate the need for evidence and how we ensure that data is accurate and reliable. They will equations and rearrange them using correct units of speed, distance and time. Pupils will be introduced to forces and their effects and investigate ideas about weight, mass and gravitational fields.
Organisms
Pupils will explore the skeletal and muscular systems and relate the organ systems of the body to the cells tissue that make them up. They will compare plant and animal cells and make cell models.
Reactions
Pupils will explore the difference between physical and chemical change and investigate some simple chemical reactions using metals and non-metals. They will look at the differences between acids and alkalis and what happens when they are reacted together.
Ecosystems and genes
They will learn about plant reproduction, human reproduction and the development of the baby during pregnancy. They will be introduced to simple genetics as the mechanism of inheritance.
Energy
Pupils will calculate energy costs, explore energy transfers and the different types of energy.Pupils will look at the production of electricity and the need for more renewable sources of energy as well as explore the evidence for climate change
Earth
Pupils will study Earth’s place in the Solar System and the wider Universe and learn that space cannot be measure in terms of simple lengths. They will explore the concept of the day, the year and the seasons as they apply to all planets in the Solar System, as well as developing a wider understanding of the force of gravity.
Pupils will also undertake periodic tests and key assessments to aid learning.
Topics may vary from class to class at different times in the year
Light and Sound
Pupils will explore ideas about sound and light waves, including how they travel and investigating what happens when they pass through or hit materials of varying densities. They will apply their ideas to lenses and periscopes.
Forces and pressure
Pupils will learn to measure the speed of object and manipulate scientific formulae. They will construct and interpret time /distance graphs to describe the motion of objects. They will plan, carry out, write up and evaluate experiments to investigate friction, ensuring precision, accuracy and reproducibility in their results. They will work out resultant forces and using Newton’s laws of motion describe what happens to the motion of object when forces are balanced and unbalanced.
Periodic table and matter
Pupils will expand their ideas of particles to include atoms and molecules. They will discover the difference between elements and compounds and explore the periodic table, and also learn how to name compounds and write simple formulae.
Breathing and digestion
Through the context of sports science, pupils will study the role of the respiratory system in delivering oxygen into the body. They will take measure aspects of breathing and study its mechanics, as well as the process of gas exchange inside the lungs. They will study the need for a well-balanced diet, not on in terms of the nutrients its provides, but also in the energy intake and energy used by the body. They will investigate the function of enzymes in the digestive system in releasing vital chemicals our bodies need for life.
Chemical energy and reactions
Pupils will explore different types of chemical reactions involving; acids, carbonates and metals. They will investigate combustion and look at the energy changes involved in different chemical reactions.
Respiration and Photosynthesis
They will investigate the role of photosynthesis in providing energy for a plant and materials for growth and how leaves are adapted to this process. The pupils will learn how these two systems of the body work together to deliver the two vital substances needed by the cell to release energy in the process of respiration.
Energy- Heating and cooling
Pupils will learn about different types of thermal energy transfer, how work gets done, and how to insulate against energy transfer in a real life context.
Pupils will also undertake periodic tests and key assessments to aid learning.
GCSE required practicals
Throughout the year, pupils will undertake some of the required practicals to prepare them for GCSE Science. Pupils will plan and carry out experiments ensuring the accuracy of their results by identifying and removing, where possible, random and systematic errors. They will produce graphs showing relationships with smooth curves or lines of best fit. They will use graphical techniques to analyse to validity of their data.
Democracy
Science encourages individual to hold their own beliefs and have respect for others whose belief may differ. By its very nature it encourages pupils to question and interrogate hypothesis and formulate their own conclusions using the evidence they have available to them. Pupils through team work will be given opportunities to decide on what’s the best course for the group through discussion. Pupils also discuss how theories have changed (e.g. Atomic theory) through peer review and experimentation until they become widely held within the scientific community.
The rule of Law
Pupils are taught the need for safety rules in the laboratory and during practical’s. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own and others safety through the use of risk assessments. They also understand that breaking the rules have consequences.
Individual Liberty
Science encourages individual to hold their own beliefs and have respect for others whose belief may differ. By its very nature it encourages pupils to question and interrogate hypothesis and formulate their own conclusions using the evidence they have available to them. Science also encourages team work and debate and allows pupils to recognise that everyones contributions are important and valid. Pupils also are encouraged take responsibility for their own learning and progress in science inside and outside of the classroom.
Mutual Respect
Pupils are encouraged to explore their natural curiosity about the world through the use of science inside and outside the classroom so they can see that living in society today means we share a common goal of responsibility for our planet and the organisms who live on it. Where appropriate to a topic, the ethical and ecological issues are discussed (e.g. bioaccumulation). Pupils learn to work collaboratively and how to cooperate with others during practical work/classwork. They must learn that everyone has their own strengths, ways of working and aspects of knowledge allowing others the room to express their views and feel listened to.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
Scientific facts remain the same no matter the culture, language or religious beliefs of individuals. Science transcends boundaries to help us prepare for a better future. Pupils are encouraged to recognise that contributions from all cultures are important, valid and needed to make sense of the world around us and universe beyond that.
