Curriculum:
Click to Expand Autumn Term Content:
Food and Nutrition
Key Concepts
  • Nutrients
  • Balanced Diets
  • Digestion
  • Absorption
Key Vocabulary
Diet, Nutrients, Respiration, Deficiency Disease, Malnutrition, Obesity, Digestion, Enzyme, Absorption, Diffusion, Carbohydrate, Fat, Protein, Vitamins, Minerals, Villi
Combustion
Key Concepts
  • Burning Fuels
  • Oxidation
  • Fire Safety
  • Air Pollution
  • Global Warming
Key Vocabulary
Chemical Reaction, Conservation of Mass, Product, Reactant, Fuel, Combustion, Oxidation, Compound, Elements
Fluids
Key Concepts
  • The Particle Model
  • Changing State
  • Fluid Pressure
  • Floating and Sinking
  • Drag
Key Vocabulary
Weight, Pressure, Force, Area, Newtons, Density, Mass, Volume, Pressure, Buoyant, Air Pressure, Water Pressure
Click to Expand Spring Term Content:
Plants and Reproduction
Key Concepts
  • Classification
  • Biodiversity
  • Reproduction
  • Pollination
  • Seed Dispersal
Key Vocabulary
Kingdoms, Biodiversity, Extinct, Samples, Sexual Reproduction, Asexual Production, Pollination, Fertilisation, Respiration, Photosynthesis, Life Cycle, Interdependent
The Periodic Table
Key Concepts
  • Atomic models
  • Chemical properties
  • Mendeleev
  • Trends in the Periodic Table
Key Vocabulary
Atom, Element, Compound, Physical Changes, Chemical Changes, Periodic Table, Groups, Periods, Melting Point, Boiling Point
Light
Key Concepts
  • Properties of light
  • Reflection
  • Refraction
  • Cameras and the Eye
  • Colour
Key Vocabulary
Transverse Wave, Longitudinal Wave, Transparent, Translucent, Reflect, Reflection, Specular Reflection, Diffusion Reflection, Refraction, Angle of Incidence, Angle of Reflection
Click to Expand Summer Term Content:
Respiration and Gas Exchange
Key Concepts
  • Respiration is a chemical reaction in cells
  • Aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration
  • Yeast fermentation
  • Word equations to describe aerobic and anaerobic respiration
Key Vocabulary
Aerobic Respiration, Anaerobic Respiration, Fermentation, Glucose, Ethanol, Limewater
Unicellular Organisms
Key Concepts
  • What unicellular organisms are
  • The differences between different types of unicellular organisms, their problems and their uses
  • Differences between multicellular and unicellular organism
  • Microscopic fungi and yeast
  • Bacteria and a look at their reproduction
  • The carbon cycle
Key Vocabulary
Multicellular, Unicellular, Decomposition, Organisms, Protoctists, Fungi
Metals and Their Uses
Key Concepts
  • Common Physical Properties of Metals
  • Metals chemical properties
  • The general reactivity series of metals
  • Corrosion as an oxidation reaction of metals with oxygen
Key Vocabulary
Catalyst, Halogen, Metal, Non-metal, Corrosion, Rust, Reactivity, Reactivity Series, Acid, Effervescence, Salt, Alloy, Boiling Point, Malleable, Melting Point, Mixture, Pure
Energy Transfers
Key Concepts
  • Work is done and energy is transferred when a force moves an object
  • The bigger the force or distance, the greater the work done
  • Use Sankey diagrams to calculate and show the transfer of energy
Key Vocabulary
Work, Energy, Sankey Diagram, Chemical, Thermal, Gravitational Potential, Elastic Potential, Sound, Light
Subject Overview:

In Year 8 students continue the KS3 Exploring Science course. By the end of the year students will have a solid grounding in the core scientific concepts needed to be successful at GCSE.

Students have 5 science lessons a week and will receive one piece of homework to complete per week.

Assessments:

Students sit an assessment at the end of each module.