The KS3 science curriculum at Mount St Joseph aims to ignite student’s interest into the man-made and natural scientific world. We aim to build the foundations required for knowledge of how science has changed the world and its potential to improve and save lives in the future. We wish to mould our Students into curious scientists who have the knowledge required to be able to question the world around them. Students will be instilled with the appropriate scientific vocabulary that will allow them to proficiently articulate scientific ideas. Students will become proficient readers of scientific-based text; they will be instilled with the ability to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar language when encountering materials out of their comfort zone.

The science curriculum at Mount St Joseph is a spiral curriculum based upon the ten big ideas of science. We intend to revisit each big idea 3 times during KS3. Stage 1 is intended for Y7, stage 2 is intended for Y8 and stage 3 is intended for Y9. Our science curriculum is a mastery curriculum and progress through the spiral depends upon the needs of individual classes. This means students’ positions within the KS3 curriculum may not always match the intended stage.  

Year 7

• Big idea 1: Force (stage 1) What different forces exist?
• Big idea 2: Energy (stage 1) What is energy?
• Big idea 3: Matter (stage 1) What is matter made from?
• Big idea 4: Chemical reaction (stage 1) What are chemical reactions?
• Big idea 5: Organisms (stage 1) What are organism like?
• Big idea 6: Sound and light (stage 1) How does sound and light travel?
• Big idea 7: The Earth in space (stage 1) What is our place in the universe?
• Big idea 8: Energy for life (stage 1) What resources do organisms need and how do they obtain them?
• Big idea 9: Diversity of life (stage 1) How and why are organisms different?
• Big idea 10: Electricity and Magnetism (stage 1) What is current? What is a magnetic field?

Year 8

• Big idea 1: Force (stage 2) How do forces affect motion?
• Big idea 2: Energy (stage 2) How is energy transferred?
• Big idea 3: Matter (stage 2) What does it mean to be pure?
• Big idea 4: Chemical reaction (stage 2) What different types of chemical reactions exist?
• Big idea 5: Organisms (stage 2) What happens in the digestive and respiratory systems?
• Big idea 6: Sound and light (stage 2) How light travel through different materials?
• Big idea 7: The Earth in space (stage 2) What is the structure of the Earth?
• Big idea 8: Energy for life (stage 2) What s photosynthesis?
• Big idea 9: Diversity of life (stage 2) How do organisms reproduce?
• Big idea 10: Electricity and Magnetism (stage 2) What is voltage? What is an electromagnet?

 

Year 9

• Big idea 1: Force (stage 3) Are there any other forces that are more difficult to see?
• Big idea 2: Energy (stage 3) How can we conserve energy?
• Big idea 3: Matter (stage 3) What are atoms like?
• Big idea 4: Chemical reaction (stage 3) What can the periodic table tell us about reactivity?
• Big idea 5: Organisms (stage 3) How do cells obtain the substances they need?
• Big idea 6: Sound and light (stage 3) How can we represent waves?
• Big idea 7: The Earth in space (stage 3) How are humans affecting the atmosphere?
• Big idea 8: Energy for life (stage 3) How are humans affecting ecosystems?
• Big idea 9: Diversity of life (stage 3) How has life on Earth evolved?
• Big idea 10: Electricity and Magnetism (stage 3) What other types of circuits exist?

 

Use of carousel study packs for recall and retrieval practice. Links to these will be provided by your class teacher.

Year 7

Use of knowledge expert sheets that can be found here: Stage 1 Knowledge Expert sheets.pptx

Year 8

Use of knowledge expert sheets that can be found here Stage 2 Expert sheets.pptx

Year 9

Use of knowledge expert sheets that can be found here Stage 3 Knowledge expert sheets.pptx

Students demonstrate their depth of knowledge by completing their Knowledge Expert Books.

The KS4 science curriculum at Mount St Joseph aims to build upon the knowledge and skills acquired during KS3 and continue to prepare pupils for an increasingly scientific and technological world.  At the start of KS4, students will already have a vast amount of scientific knowledge that they can fluently recall and, throughout KS4, they will use this knowledge to study more complex, higher-level scientific concepts. At the end of KS4, students will be well equipped to take the next steps in the study of science or even embark into a science related career. Students will be encouraged to be more independent scientists and provided with further opportunity to suggest their own hypotheses for phenomena, based on their pre-existing knowledge. Students will be able to independently recognise the appropriate methods and skills they need to utilise to allow them to collect evidence and form valid conclusions.

Students will continue to develop their ability to read and decipher scientific-based texts. They will be getting ready to take on a more independent type of learning through reading at KS5 and beyond.

 

Year 10

Biology

• Bioenergetics (B4) What are the important reactions that sustain life?
• Ecology (B7) How do communities within ecosystems interact?
• Infection and response (B3) How can pathogens affect organism?
• Organisation (B2a) How are animals organised?
• Cell Biology (B1a) How do cells obtain the substances they need?
• Organisation (B2b) How are plants organized?

Chemistry

• Using resources (C10) What important resources does the Earth provide?
• Atomic structure and the periodic table (C1) What is the structure of an atom?
• Bonding, structure and the properties of matter (C2) What are different compounds like and why?
• Chemical changes (C4a) How reactive is it?
• Energy changes (C5) How does energy change during reactions?

Physics

• Energy (P1) How is energy transferred?
• Particle model of matter (P3) Energy and state changes?
• Electrcity (P2) How do electrical circuits work?
• Atomic structure (P4) What is ionsing radiation?

 

Year 11

Biology

• Bioenergetics (B4) What are the important reactions that sustain life?
• Homeostasis and response (B5) How is the body controlled?
• Inheritance, variation and evolution (B6) How has life on Earth evolved?
• Ecology (B7) How do communities within ecosystems interact?

Chemistry

• The rate and extent of chemical change (C6) Which factors affect the rate of a reaction?
• Organic Chemistry (C7) How are carbon continuing compounds useful?
• Chemical analysis (C8) How can we analyze chemical compounds?
• Chemistry of the atompshere (C9) How and why has the atmosphere changed?
• Using resources (C10) What important resources does the Earth provide?

Physics

• Forces (P5) How do forces affect motion?
• Waves (P6) What waves exist and how are they useful?
• Magnetism and electromagnetism (P7) How are electricity and magnetism linked?

 

For each half-term there is a Knowledge Expert Sheet which outlines the essential knowledge that all students in Year 10 and 11 need to know.

Year 10
Use of knowledge expert sheets that can be found here Y10 Knowledge expert sheets

Year 11
Use of knowledge expert sheets that can be found here GCSE knowledge expert sheets

Students demonstrate their depth of knowledge by completing their Knowledge Expert Books.