Curriculum Outline
Year 7 | |
Biology | Chemistry |
Cells –
Using microscopes, plant and animal cell, specialised cells, movement of substances and unicellular organisms. Structure and function of body systems – Levels of organisation, gas exchange, breathing, skeleton, movement of the body with joints and muscles. Reproduction – Adolescence, male and female reproductive systems, fertilisation and implantation, development of the fetus, the menstrual cycle, flowers and pollination, fertilisation and germination and seed dispersal. |
Particles and their behaviour –
The particle model, states of matter, melting and freezing, boiling, more changes of state, diffusion, and gas pressure. Elements, atoms and compounds – Elements, atoms, compounds, and chemical formulae. Reactions – Chemical reactions, word equations, burning fuels, thermal decomposition, conservation of mass, endothermic and exothermic reactions. Acids and alkalis – Acids and alkalis, indicators and pH, neutralisation, and making salt. |
Physics | |
Forces –
Forces, squashing and stretching, drag forces and friction, forces at a distance, and balanced and unbalanced forces. Sound – Waves, sound and energy transfers, loudness and pitch, detecting sound and echoes and ultrasounds. Light – Light, reflection, refraction, the eye and camera and colour. Space – The night sky, the solar system, the earth, the moon. |
Year 8 | |
Biology | Chemistry |
Health and lifestyle –
Nutrients, food tests, unhealthy diet, digestive system, bacteria and enzymes in digestion, drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Ecosystem process – Photosynthesis, leaves, plant minerals, chemosynthesis, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, food chains and webs, distribution to food chains and webs, and ecosystems. Adaptations and inheritance – Competition and adaptation, adapting to change, variation, continuous and discontinuous, inheritance, natural selection and extinction. |
The periodic table –
Metals and non-metals, groups and periods, the elements of group 1, the elements of group 7, the elements of group 0. Separation techniques – Mixtures, solutions, solubility, filtration, evaporation and distillation, and chromatography. Metals and acids – Acids and metals, metals and oxygen, metals and water, metal displacement reactions, extracting metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites. The Earth – The Earth and its atmosphere, sedimentary rocks, igneous and metamorphic rocks, the rock cycle, the carbon cycle, climate change and recycling. |
Physics | |
Electricity and magnetism –
Charging up, circuits and current, potential difference, series and parallel, resistance, magnets and magnetic fields, electromagnets and using electromagnets. Energy – Foods and fuels, energy adds up, energy and temperature, energy transfer in particles, energy transfer in radiation, energy resources, energy and power and work, energy and machines. Motion and pressure – Speed, motion graphs, pressure in gases, pressure in liquids, pressure on solid and turning forces. |