Science

Head of Department: Mr Minns

Outline of Course:

Content

The course is divided up into 12 modules, each of which covers a particular area of Science. The titles of the Modules are:

• Food and Digestion
• Respiration
• Microbes and Disease
• Ecological Relationships
• Atoms and Elements
• Compounds and Mixtures
• Rocks and Weathering
• The Rock Cycle
• Heating and Cooling
• Magnets and Electromagnets
• Light and Sound
• Hearing.

Skills

• Note taking, carrying out and watching experiments (with the emphasis heavily on the side of the students carrying out their own experiments wherever possible)
• Being taught Science theory
• Use of relevant videotapes
• Investigations.
• Drawing diagrams; making and recording observations and measurements
• Using equipment accurately and safely
• Drawing conclusions from their results and observations
• Carrying out simple mathematical calculations
• Drawing charts and graphs carefully end accurately

Homework Activities

• Writing up experiments
• Answering questions
• Researching topics
• Reading the textbook in preparation for lessons 
• Revising the work for tests etc

Assessment:

• By end of module tests (these are short answer tests of about 40/45 minutes duration).
• Practical assessment, to look at their ability to make predictions, plan experiments, carry them out, record date and draw conclusions.
• Level assessed Tasks
• End of year exam.
• Homework tasks

Parental Contribution:

• Provide support and encouragement particularly in the area of Homework tasks
• Provide resources over and above that which the school can afford (a textbook is provided) to supply by way of textbooks etc. e.g. Science encyclopaedias for Christmas/birthday etc.

Useful resources and equipment:

• Good pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, coloured pencils, pencil sharpener (and a pencil case to keep them in)
• A calculator is a fairly cheap but very useful extra (but only if the pupil con do the Maths without it, first!)
• Books as above