Science

Biology - Year 7 Course Overview

To ensure effective transition from Year 6 to Year 7, all students will be taught a series of lessons covering Key Stage 2 content followed by a baseline assessment during the first two weeks of the term.
Thereafter, the following topics will be covered:

Autumn Term
• Organisms
• Cells
• Genes
• Human Reproduction

Spring Term
• Food and Digestion
• Enzymes
• Osmosis and diffusion
• Movement and Bones

Summer Term
• Ecosystems
• Biodiversity
• Population Sampling

 

Chemistry - Year 7 Course Overview

In Year 7 pupils will have one lesson of chemistry per week.
In the first week of term pupils will have a baseline test. 

Autumn Term
- How does air flow affect the heat given out during burning?
- What happens when an acid reacts with an alkali?
- How can the acidity of a substance be measured?
- Periodic Table
- Making compounds
- Reactions of metals
- Displacement reactions
- Word and symbol equations
- Conservation of mass

Spring Term
- What is combustion?
- Burning metals in oxygen
- Revision
- How can we use the particle model to explain the properties of matter?
- What happens to the particles whilst changing state?
- How can we separate rock from rock salt?
- Is sodium carbonate as soluble as sodium chloride?
- How can we use different boiling points to separate a mixture of liquids?
- How can we separate the ink from a pen?

Summer term

- What is the structure of the earth?
- How do sedimentary rocks form?
- What is the difference between extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks?
- Metamorphic rock and the rock cycle
- Weathering and erosion
- What is found in soil?
- What are fossil fuels?
- How has the Earth's atmosphere changed?
- How can we make water safe to drink?

Assessments take place each half term and are linear (some assessment content will be on previous term’s work).

 

Physics - Year 7 Course Overview

In Year 7 pupils will have one lesson of Physics per week.
In the first week of term pupils will have a baseline test and will be sorted into ability groups.

Autumn Term
• Forces: Contact and non-contact forces; Speed, distance and time.
• Universe: The geography of the solar system; changing ideas about the universe.
• Waves: Light

Spring Term
• Waves: Ray diagrams; lenses; sound and sound waves.
• Energy: Energy stores and transfers; Sankey diagrams.

Summer Term
• Electricity: Current and charge; potential difference; resistance; series and parallel circuits.

Assessments will take the form of skills based formative assessments (ungraded); knowledge organiser tests approximately every 3 weeks; and 2 short Knowledge tests (October and March) and 2 more rigorous summative tests (November and June). All tests will include content from previous topics.

 

Year 7 Useful links:

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/ks3

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/levels/z4kw2hv

 

Revision Links

Forces: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/forces/revision/1/

Sound: https://www.bbc.com/education/guides/z8d2mp3/revision

Circuits: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/electric_current_voltage/revision/1/

Cells: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/organisms_behaviour_health/cells_systems/revision/1/

Separating techniques: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/chemical_material_behaviour/compounds_mixtures/revision/9/

Changes of states: https://www.bbc.com/education/guides/z2wmxnb/revision/4

Energy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/energy_transfer_storage/revision/1/

Burning fuels: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/21c_pre_2011/atmosphere/sourcesofairpollutionrev1.shtml

Forces: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/forces/revision/1/

pH/ Acids and Alkalis: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_pre_2011/chemical_synthesis/acidsalkalisrev1.shtml

Circuit symbols: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/electric_current_voltage/revision/3/

Sound: https://www.bbc.com/education/guides/z8d2mp3/revision

Rocks: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/environment_earth_universe/rock_cycle/revision/1/

Cells: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/organisms_behaviour_health/cells_systems/revision/1/

KS3 Revision Guides 

The Science department is happy to offer students the opportunity to purchase a KS3 all-in-one revision guide and exam practice book to help support them when they are revising for the end of topic and termly tests that we carry out in Science. They are not compulsory and will not be used in lessons or for homework but we wanted to offer them to students as parents have often mentioned that they wanted to be able to support their children when they are revising at home.

The book is split up into the different topics with sections to revise, questions to check their knowledge and understanding and then a big multi-topic exam (with mark scheme) at the end. We are able to offer it at cost price of £4 whereas it costs up to £8 in the shops or online.

Science is now an AQA department and so students are prepared for their GCSEs from Year 7 onwards. The revision guide exam questions are similar in style to the new GCSEs and so this provides additional practice for them.

Revision guides can be purchased through the ParentPay website.