Science

The Science department at Bishop Justus aims to ensure every child is able to understand and critically evaluate any scientific problem they may be faced with in an ever-changing, modern world. Through the courses that we offer, we seek to provide an inspiring range of experiences both in and outside the classroom. The goal of these experiences is to spark interest in pursuing Science further, both in education and life. 

Updated VCM details will be available from 18/01/24

KS3 Science

In year 7 we study: Human Biology including; cells, organs, reproduction and muscles. Material Chemistry such as; atoms, elements, acids and alkalis. Physics including; energy, electricity and forces.

In year 8 we study: Biological topics including; nutrition, breathing, respiration and plants. Chemical topics such as; Periodic table, combustion and metal properties. Physics including; energy transfers, fluids and light.

During KS3, students are taught in sets based on their KS2 data in year 7 and then their science and maths progress moving into year 8.

Year 7 Physics: Module Forces

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe forces as pushes or pulls and as associated with deforming objects; stretching and squashing – springs; with rubbing and friction between surfaces, with pushing things out of the way; resistance to motion of air and water.  
Use force arrows in diagrams, adding forces in one dimension, balanced and unbalanced forces.  
Describe Hooke’s Law  
Calculate pressure as force over area.  
Describe forces as being needed to cause objects to stop or start moving, or to change their speed or direction of motion.  
Explain that a change in force depends on direction of force and its size.  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) 
PE – sports – doing distance/time graphs for sprinting. 
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Students are challenged to rearrange the equation for pressure to calculate force and area. 
Students are challenged to convert to standard units, e.g. mm² to m² 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Describing different types of forces and classifying them as contact or non-contact, identifying the effect of drag forces and describing why moving objects that are not driven slow down.  

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Use standard units of measurement (including the SI system, its basic units and prefixes).
Rearrange the formula for pressure.
Compare the gravitational forces on different planets of the solar system.
Practical:
In practical lessons, students should be able to calculate the speed of a rocket and the pressure of a foot on the ground.
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘Forces’ taught in Y10.

Year 7 Physics: Module Energy

 

What?

What are we learning

Compare energy values of different foods (from labels) in kJ.

Compare amounts of energy transferred (J, kJ, kW hour).

Describe fuels and energy resources

Describe other processes that involve energy transfer: changing motion, dropping an object, completing an electrical circuit, stretching a spring, metabolism of food and burning fuels.

Recall the law of conservation of energy.

What’s interleaved? 

All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive). 

 

What’s challenging?

Students are challenged to plan their own investigations.

 

Why?

What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 
This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Describing what temperature is and how to measure this, describing materials as conductors or insulators of thermal energy and understanding that burning is irreversible and recall what organisms need to stay alive.  

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 
Students should be able to describe what makes a good fuel. 
Students should be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different types of energy. 
Practical:  
Students should be able to measure the energy in food by practical technique and apply the knowledge to a balanced diet. 
How do they know they have done this well? 
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback. 
Learning checkpoints and assessment: 
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge. 

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 
Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘Energy’ taught in Y9. 

Year 7 Chemistry: Module Particles

 

What?

What are we learning?

Compare energy values of different foods (from labels) in kJ.

Compare amounts of energy transferred (J, kJ, kW hour).

Describe fuels and energy resources

Describe other processes that involve energy transfer: changing motion, dropping an object, completing an electrical circuit, stretching a spring, metabolism of food and burning fuels.

Recall the law of conservation of energy.

What’s interleaved? 

All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive). 

What’s challenging?

Students are challenged to plan their own investigations.

Students are challenged to apply the ‘particle theory’ to explain scientific phenomena.

 

Why?

What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science:
Describing materials as solids, liquids or gases, recalling how a solution is made.

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented?
Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical:
Investigating ‘separation’ techniques such as evaporation, distillation, filtering and chromatography.
Applying practical skills to forensic science, e.g. chromatography.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? Compare the properties of a solid, liquid and gas.
Choose an appropriate separation technique to separate mixtures.

How do they know they have done this well? 
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback. 
Learning checkpoints and assessment: 
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge. 

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table’ taught in Y9. 

Year 7 Chemistry: Acids and Alkalis

 

What?

What are we learning?

Learning about acids and alkalis in terms of neutralisation reactions. 
Learning to use the pH scale to measure acidity and alkalinity. 
Using indicators to determine acidity and alkalinity. 
Describe different types of reactions and the properties of elements.  
Combustion, thermal decomposition, oxidation and displacement reactions 
Compare chemical and physical changes.  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) 
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 

 

Why?

What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Describing materials as solids, liquids or gases, measuring the temperature where materials change state, recalling examples of reversible changes, describe properties of materials and describe some processes as resulting in the formation of new materials.  

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented?Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:
Students should be able to identify chemicals as acid, alkaline or neutral and use a pH chart to identify the strength.
Students should be able to identify a change as physical or chemical.
Students should be able to identify evidence for a chemical reaction.

How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘chemical changes’ and ‘energy changes’ taught in Y10.

Year 7 Biology: Module Reproduction

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe how reproduction occurs in humans.
An understanding of the structures and functions of the human reproductive systems.
An understanding of the menstrual cycle.
An understanding of the organs involved and the process of reproduction in plants.
Explain the importance of insect pollination on food security.
Describe how variation occurs and describe this as continuous or discontinuous.

What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) Music – Castrati singers  
Art – drawing plants, plants as decoration, plants for textiles and dyes  
English – plant poetry  
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Why? Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 
This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Describing the functions of parts of flowering plants.  
Describing the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.  
Describing reproduction in some plants and animals. 
Year 7 - cells: Describing changes as humans develop and the concept of a cell. 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 
This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Describing the functions of parts of flowering plants.  
Describing the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.  
Describing reproduction in some plants and animals. 
Year 7 - cells: Describing changes as humans develop and the concept of a cell. 

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.
Practical:
Investigating how size of spinner affects the time taken to drop
Investigating how temperature affects the reproduction of daphnia
Conducting flower dissections to learn plant structure and reproduction

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Develop a line of enquiry, e.g. planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘homeostasis’ taught in Y10.

Year 7 Biology: Module Cells

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe cells as the fundamental unit of living organisms.
Describe the functions of organelles inside a cell.
Compare plant and animal cells.
Describe the hierarchical organisation of multicellular organisms.
Describe the locomotor system in humans.
Explain the interaction between skeleton and muscles and an understanding of antagonistic muscles.
Describe the effects of recreational drugs on behaviour, health, and life processes.
What’s interleaved?
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive)
Physical education – fitness, exercises appropriate for different sports, breathing rates, sport and the skeleton, sports injuries, sport medicines and drugs
Design and technology – designing structures that are strong but light
Art – the importance of human anatomy, especially muscles and bones, in art through the ages
Citizenship – drugs
What’s challenging?
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations.
Students are challenged to learn GCSE concepts, e.g. mitochondria and ribosomes.

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science:
Describing the functions of parts of flowering plants, describing the functions of parts of the digestive system, describing the life cycles common to a variety of animals, identifying parts of the human and an understanding of the circulatory system.
Identifying that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles and an understanding of the circulatory system.

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Cell structure is modelled using a variety of activities (e.g. making jelly cells).
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:
• Set up a microscope to clearly focus on a slide
• Prepare a slide of a cheek cell and onion cell
Use appropriate techniques and apparatus, e.g. the microscope.
Pay attention to health and safety, e.g. wear goggles when using iodine.
Understand how scientific ideas develop, e.g. the history of the microscope
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘cells’ taught in Y9.

Year 8 Physics: Module Light and Sound

 

What?

What are we learning?

Developing skills in experimenting with light, and the methods for recording the path light takes through various objects.  
Describe waves on water as undulations which travel through water with transverse motion; which can be reflected, and add or cancel.  
Describe frequencies of sound waves, measured in Hertz (Hz)  
Describe how echoes are made and the reflection and absorption of sound.  
Explain that sound needs a medium to travel through.  
Compare how sound is detected by the human ear and what happens in a microphone.  
Compare the auditory range of humans and animals.  
Describe uses of sound waves, to include ultrasound scans and sonar.  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with starter quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) 
Music – how different sounds are made on a variety of instruments  
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Students are challenged to calculate the speed of sound. 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Naming sources of sound, explaining that sounds are made by vibrations and describing the link between size and pitch of sounds made and the volume with the size of vibrations made.  

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:  
Students should be able to describe the suitability of different materials for sound proofing. 
Students should be able to complete reflection and refraction ray diagrams. 
How do they know they have done this well? 
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback. 
Learning checkpoints and assessment: 
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge. 

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘waves’ taught in Y11. 

Year 8 Physics: Module Electricity and Magnetism

 

What?

What are we learning?

Students investigate what happens to current, potential difference and resistance in series circuits and parallel circuits. Students also study static electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism.  
Describe non-contact forces.  
Explain gravity forces acting at a distance on Earth and in space.  
Describe forces between magnets, magnetic  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) Geography - use of map and compass for navigation.  
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Electricity taught in Year 4 and 6 
Magnetism taught in Year 3 

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.
The flow of electricity around a circuit can be modelled through a role play.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:  Practical:
Students should be able to set up a simple circuit to make a component work.
Students should be able to investigate how the resistance of a wire changes with length.
Students should be able to explain how to make an electromagnet stronger.

How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topics ‘Electricity’ taught in Y9 and ‘Magnets’ taught in Y11.

Year 8 Chemistry: Module The Periodic Table

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe a simple atomic model.  
Describe differences between atoms, elements, and compounds.  
Use chemical symbols, formulae, and word equations.  
Describe physical and chemical properties of different elements.  
Describe the layout of the Mendeleevian and modern periodic tables and how predictions can be made using this information.  
Describe properties of metals and non-metals.  
Describe the properties of metal oxides.  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) 
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Students are challenged to explain how and why the model of the atom has changed in history. 
Why? Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 
This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Comparing and grouping materials and explaining reversible and irreversible changes.  
Year 7 Acids and Alkalis: Describing the differences between chemical and physical changes and identifying signs of a chemical reaction. 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science:
Comparing and grouping materials and explaining reversible and irreversible changes.
Year 7 Acids and Alkalis: Describing the differences between chemical and physical changes and identifying signs of a chemical reaction.

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Students should be able to explain the properties of a material based on its position in the periodic table.
Students should be able to explain how the periodic table is organised.
Students should be able to identify a change as physical or chemical.
Students should be able to identify evidence for a chemical reaction.
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topics ‘Electricity’ taught in Y9 and ‘Magnets’ taught in Y11.

Year 8 Chemistry: Module Chemical Reactions

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe different types of reactions and the properties of elements.  
Combustion, thermal decomposition, oxidation and displacement reactions.  
Compare chemical and physical changes.  
Describe the properties of metal oxides.  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) Geography – composition of the atmosphere and the Earth, mining and the consumption of resources, the importance of limestone  
History – changes in the atmosphere natural and man-made / the use of metals during the Bronze and Iron Ages  
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Students are challenged to apply the ‘particle theory’ to explain scientific phenomena. 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science: 
Describing materials as solids, liquids or gases, measuring the temperature where materials change state, recalling examples of reversible changes, describe properties of materials and describe some processes as resulting in the formation of new materials.  
Year 7 Particles: Describing how mixtures can be separated.  
Year 7 particles: Describe the differences between solids, liquids and gases. 
Year 7 Acids and Alkalis: Comparison of physical and chemical changes.  

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:
Measure the change of temperature in a chemical reaction
Students should be able to identify a change as physical or chemical.
Students should be able to identify evidence for a chemical reaction.
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topics ‘Electricity’ taught in Y9 and ‘Magnets’ taught in Y11.

Year 8 Biology: Module Food and Digestion

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe the contents of a healthy diet and calculate energy requirements from this.  
An understanding of the parts and functions of the digestive system and digestive enzymes. 
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) 
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Students are challenged to apply their knowledge of nutrition to evaluate types of food based on a food label. 
 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of KS2 science:
Understanding factors that affect the function of the body.

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.
The digestive system can be modelled by using a board game (the digestion game) that shows the organs food passes through as it is digested.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:
Students should be able to identify which foods are high in proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.
Students should be able to decide how healthy a food is based on the food label.
Students should be able to decide if a carbohydrate is sugar or starch.
Students should be able to describe how food is digested and absorbed into the blood stream.
Develop a line of enquiry, e.g. planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘cells’ taught in Y9.

Year 8 Biology: Module Biological Processes

 

What?

What are we learning?

Describe the gas exchange system in humans and the impact of exercise on this.  
Explain how breathing occurs.  
Describe the role of diffusion in the movement of materials.  
Describe the structures and functions of the human gas exchange system and the impact of smoking on this. 
Explaining how breathing occurs, using pressure models.  
Explain the role of the stomata in gas exchange in plants.  
Compare aerobic and anaerobic respiration (including fermentation) and by using word equations.  
What’s interleaved?   
All lessons are interleaved, with quizzes at the start of each lesson testing students’ retrieval of prior lesson knowledge (both disciplinary and substantive) PE – effects of exercise on pulse and breathing rates  
What’s challenging? 
Students are challenged to plan their own investigations. 
Students are challenged to apply their knowledge of respiration to explain the effect of exercise on living things. 

 

Why?

Why now?  What skills or knowledge does this learning build on? 

This builds on students’ prior knowledge of cells studied in Year 7: 
Recalling levels of organisation in organisms, describing adaptations of cells, describing the difference between breathing and respiration, an understanding of the circulatory system, explaining surface area.  

 

How?  

How will the curriculum pedagogy and practice be implemented? 

Working scientifically: planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
Practical activities are organised in groups to support team work.

How well? 

What should students be able to do? 

Practical:
Students should be able to identify the habitat of a plant based on the number of stomata.
Students should be able to analyse fitness based on pulse measurements before and after exercise.
Students should be able to develop a line of enquiry, e.g. planning, observing, analysing and evaluating practical investigations.
How do they know they have done this well?
Through self / peer assessment / peer discussion tasks / diagnostic quizzes / knowledge retrieval quizzes / teacher feedback.
Learning checkpoints and assessment:
Progress check test style questions in the lessons / plenary tasks / recap quiz of previous lesson knowledge.

 

Where next?

Where do we go from here? 

Students will progress onto the AQA GCSE topic ‘Bioenergetics’ taught in Y10.

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