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Science

“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” – Marie Curie

Our curriculum has been designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the scientific knowledge and ideas that impact them as individuals within a local and globalized context. As they move through the curriculum, students will be increasingly made to develop their curiosity, provide insight into working scientifically and appreciate the value of science in their everyday lives. Our curriculum provides a platform for more advanced science based study, providing a gateway into a wide range of career opportunities. It also delivers a framework for understanding the natural world and supporting students to become scientifically literate participants in society.

Science lessons are intended to help students learn how nature works by observing the natural and physical world, and to understand this world through research and experimentation. Students are taught about the world through observation, inquiry, formulating and testing hypotheses, gathering and analysing data, and reporting and evaluating findings. In support of this we seek to develop our students’ scientific knowledge as well as their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Key Concepts

Biology Organism Genetics Ecosystems
Chemistry Atoms, Elements & Compounds Chemical Reactions & Energetics Earth & Atmosphere
Physics Energy & Particles Forces Electromagnetism & Waves

Year 7

Autumn Term

  • Becoming a Sharples Scientist – this unit will introduce the students to secondary science, including how to work safely in the laboratory as well as practical and science specific maths skills.
  • Organisms 1 – In this unit students will learn how cells are the fundamental unit of living organisms and how we use microscopes to explore the microscopic world.
  • Atoms, Elements & Compounds 1 – In this unit students will study the particle model, its development and how it relates to the three states of matter including methods used to separate mixtures of different substances.
  • Energy & Particles 1 – In this unit students will learn about foods, fuels and other examples of how energy is stored. They will evaluate the supply and demand for energy, looking at how this influences energy costs and domestic bills, before discussing alternative sources of energy for the future

Spring Term

  • Genetics 1 – In this unit students will learn about Inheritance and human reproduction, including the development of human life during pregnancy.
  • Chemical Reactions & Energetics 1 – In this unit students will learn about the properties of metals and non-metals and the difference between physical and chemical changes.
  • Forces 1 – In this unit students will learn about balanced and unbalanced forces, predicting how forces result in changes to the motion and shape of an object. They will also learn how to illustrate forces through the use of diagrams.

Summer Term

  • Ecosystems 1 – In this unit students will study the structure and function of plants, as well as the importance of Photosynthesis.
  • Earth & Atmosphere 1 – In this unit students will study the composition and structure of the earth and atmosphere.
  • Electromagnetism & Waves 1 – In this unit students will explore electricity by understanding series and parallel circuits and observing the phenomena of static electricity.

Year 8

Autumn term

  • Organisms 2 – In this unit students will learn about biological systems, including the digestive, skeletal and muscular systems.
  • Atoms, Elements & Compounds 2 – In this unit students will learn about the substances that make up all things in the universe, how they behave and interact with each other as well as the long journey to discover and order the elements.
  • Energy & Particles 2 – In this unit students will expand on their knowledge of energy by calculating energy changes in a system. They will also explore their scientific understanding of heating and thermal equilibrium, density and brownian motion.

Spring term

  • Genetics 2 – In this unit students will be introduced to variation in individual species and how this can drive natural selection.
  • Chemical Reactions & Energetics 2 – In this unit students will learn how to represent chemical reactions using formulae and investigate the reactivity of acids.
  • Forces 2 – In this unit students will learn about the quantitative relationship between average speed, distance and time and how to construct motion graphs to represent a journey.

Summer term

  • Ecosystems 2 – In this unit students will be introduced to the world of bioenergetics and look at the processes of respiration and fermentation.
  • Earth & Atmosphere 2 – In this unit students will study different types of rocks and learn how materials are cycled through the environment
  • Electromagnetism & Waves 2 – In this unit students will learn about light and sound and the similarities and differences between them. They will explore how we see colour and the everyday applications of sound waves.

Year 9

Autumn term

  • Organisms 3 – In this unit students will study all aspects of human health including, a healthy diet as well as the consequences of an unbalanced diet, smoking and recreational drugs.
  • Atoms, Elements & Compounds 3 – In this unit students will learn about the conservation of mass, how we can identify pure substances and how the Periodic Table can be used to predict reactivity.
  • Energy & Particles 3 – In this unit students will discover the sheer scale of the universe, understand the need for an astronomical unit for distance, uncover why we experience day, night and the seasons and learn about the birth and death of stars.

Spring term

  • Genetics 3 – In this unit students will look at DNA, the roles scientists played in its discovery and its link to evolution.
  • Chemical Reactions & Energetics 3 – In this unit students will learn about several chemical reactions, including combustion, thermal decomposition and displacement.
  • Forces 3 – In this unit students will learn about the difference between mass and weight, explain the design of everyday objects in terms of pressure and explore the turning effect of forces.

Summer term

  • Ecosystems 3 – In this unit students will study interdependence and see how organisms in all ecosystems interact with each other.
  • Earth & Atmosphere 3 – In this unit students will learn about the limited resources that the Earth provides and how we can extract them.
  • Electromagnetism & Waves 3 – In this unit students will build upon their prior knowledge of electricity, discovering the magnetic effect of current and applying this principle to the building of simple electromagnets and DC motors.

AQA Combined Science: Trilogy

Biology Paper 1

What’s assessed
Cell Biology; Organisation; Infection and response; and Bioenergetics.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 70 marks
  • 16.7% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response.

Biology Paper 2

What’s assessed
Homeostasis and response; Inheritance, variation and evolution; and Ecology.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 70 marks
  • 16.7% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response.

Chemistry Paper 1

What’s assessed
Atomic structure and the periodic table; Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter; Quantitative chemistry; Chemical changes; and Energy changes.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 70 marks
  • 16.7% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response.

Chemistry Paper 2

What’s assessed
The rate and extent of chemical change; Organic chemistry; Chemical analysis; Chemistry of the atmosphere; and Using resources.
Questions in Paper 2 may draw on fundamental concepts and principles from Sections 5.1 to 5.3.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 70 marks
  • 16.7% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response.

Physics Paper 1

What’s assessed
Energy; Electricity; Particle model of matter; and Atomic structure.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 70 marks
  • 16.7% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response.

Physics Paper 2

What’s assessed
Forces; Waves; and Magnetism and electromagnetism

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 70 marks
  • 16.7% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response

AQA Biology

Paper 1

What’s assessed
Cell biology; Organisation; Infection and response; and Bioenergetics.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response.

Paper 2

What’s assessed
Homeostasis and response; Inheritance, variation and evolution; and Ecology.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response.

AQA Chemistry

Paper 1

What’s assessed
Atomic structure and the periodic table; Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter; Quantitative chemistry, Chemical changes; and Energy changes.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response.

Paper 2

What’s assessed
The rate and extent of chemical change; Organic chemistry; Chemical analysis, Chemistry of the atmosphere; and Using resources.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response

AQA Physics

Paper 1

What’s assessed
Energy; Electricity; Particle model of matter; and Atomic structure.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response.

Paper 2

What’s assessed
Forces; Waves; Magnetism and electromagnetism; and Space physics.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Foundation and Higher Tier
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response.

Edexcel Astronomy

Paper 1 Naked Eye Astronomy

What’s assessed
Planet Earth, The lunar disc, The Earth-Moon-Sun System, Time and the Earth-Moon-Sun Cycle, Solar system observation, Celestial observation, Early Models of the Solar System, Planetary motion and gravity.

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Grade 1-9
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
A mixture of different question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, calculations, graphical and extended-open-response questions.

Paper 2 Telescopic Astronomy

What’s assessed

Exploring the Moon, Solar Astronomy, Exploring the Solar System, Formation of planetary systems, Exploring starlight, Stellar evolution, Our place in the Galaxy, Cosmology

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Grade 1-9
  • 100 marks
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions
A mixture of different question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, calculations, graphical and extended-open-response questions.

A piece of coursework must also be completed to demonstrate skills built during course.

Animal Care

“Animal protection is education to humanity.” – Albert Schweitzer

For Year 11: Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Award in Animal Care

The aim of the this course is to:

  • inspire and enthuse our pupils in order for them to consider a career in the animal care sector
  • give our pupils the opportunity to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of, and develop skills in, the animal care sector
  • support progression into specialised Level 3 qualifications in animal management, or progression into an Apprenticeship
  • give our pupils the potential opportunity, in due course, to enter employment within a wide range of job roles.

This course includes visits to local farms and zoos, we also invite in visiting speakers and provide multiple animal handling experiences for the pupils.

This qualification is taught over 120 guided learning hours (GLH). It has core and optional specialist units. These units will include:

  • 2 core units (totalling 60 GLH)
  • 2 optional specialist units (totalling 60 GLH).

This BTEC First Award has units that your centre assesses (internal) and a unit that Pearson sets and marks (external). Our year 11s will be completing units 1,2,3 and 5.

 

Unit Core Units Assessment Method GLH
1 Animal Health External 30
2 Animal Handling Internal 30
Optional Specialist Units
3 Animal welfare Internal 30
4 Animal Housing and Accommodation Internal 30
5 Principles of Animal Behaviour Internal 30

 

For Year 10: Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Animal Care

This course at Sharples school is on offer to our pupils who want to acquire sector-specific applied knowledge and practical skills through vocational contexts by studying animal health and welfare, including signs of good and ill health, causes, transmission and treatment of common diseases in animals, the different health and monitoring checks, factors that affect animal behaviour, and how this impacts of handling and restraint; and what needs to be carried out to prepare, check and clean out animal accommodation as part of their Key Stage 4 learning.

The qualification enables our pupils to develop their practical skills, such as using appropriate equipment and techniques to handle and restrain different animals, and to prepare and clean out animal accommodation ready for use using realistic vocational contexts. We will also work to develop personal skills, such as self-management and communication, through a practical and skills-based approach to learning and assessment. The qualification recognises the value of learning skills, knowledge and vocational attributes to complement GCSEs. The qualification will broaden our pupils’ experience and understanding of the varied progression options available to them

The Tech Award gives our pupils the opportunity to develop sector-specific knowledge and skills in a practical learning environment. Our pupils will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and practical skills in the following areas:

  • animal health and welfare, including signs of good and ill health, causes, transmission and treatment of common diseases in animals, the different health and monitoring checks, and the use of animals in society
  • factors affecting animal behaviour, the impact on handling and restraint, and when it is safe and unsafe to handle and restrain animals, and the practical application of safe handling and restraint techniques and equipment
  • features that need to be considered when selecting accommodation for animals to ensure it is appropriate and meets their needs, and the practical activities of preparing, checking and cleaning out animal accommodation using the appropriate equipment.

Pupils are required to complete and achieve all three components in the qualification.

Component Number Component Title GLH Level How Assessed
1 Animal Handling 36 1/2 Internal
2 Animal Housing and Accommodation 36 1/2 Internal
3 Animal Health and Welfare 48 1/2 External Synoptic

 

What can both qualifications lead to Post 16?

Study of the qualification as part of Key Stage 4 learning will help our pupils to make more informed choices for further learning, either generally or in the animal care sector.

They might consider progression to:

  • A Levels as preparation for entry to higher education in a range of subjects
  • other Level 2 vocational qualifications and related competence-based qualifications for the land-based sector ● study of a vocational qualification at Level 3, such as a Pearson BTEC Level 3 National in Animal Management, which prepares them to enter employment or apprenticeships.

S.Booth
Teacher of Animal Care
s.booth@sharplesschool.co.uk

Read like a Scientist

Reading is crucial for conducting and understanding scientific research. It helps students review existing literature, understand the current state of knowledge in a field, and identify gaps or areas for further investigation. Science has a specialised vocabulary with precise terminology. Therefore reading exposes students to this language, helping them build a scientific vocabulary that is essential for effective communication within the scientific community.

Reading about scientific problems, case studies and scientific literature exposes students to different approaches to problem-solving and critical thinking. It provides valuable insights into the methodologies used by scientists to address challenges and find solutions. Reading and analysing this material provides students with opportunities to evaluate methodologies, results, and conclusions. It encourages them to question, analyse, and form their own interpretations.

In essence, reading is a fundamental practice for doing well in the ever-changing world of science, serving as a gateway to knowledge, critical thinking, effective communication, and continuous learning within the scientific community.

In science we promote reading through guided reading tasks in each unit from Yr7 to Yr11. These provide extra information around key figures, key discoveries or how the lesson being studied is linked to the world around us. We share keywords and definitions with the students at the start of each unit, which are constantly referred to throughout lessons. Students have regular exposure to worded questions to develop students’ comprehension skills and support them in developing strategies to decode words and understand what the question is asking them to do.

Click here to view the suggested reads poster.
Please note: the images of the book covers are clickable hyperlinks to the book.

Home learning

Learning beyond the classroom will involve home learning activities and additional tasks using platforms such as Focus E-Learning as well as retrieval quizzes set on Educake.

 

Enrichment and other extra-curricular activities

A wide range of Science related enrichment options are available, including Science, STEM, Lego Robotics and Astronomy club. As well as a wide variety of in school speakers and external visits.

 

Contact

Mr Simpson, Director of Science
d.simpson@sharplesschool.co.uk