Curriculum Overview
Point in Year
Unit of Work Title
Starting Point
Curriculum Content
Core Knowledge
Curriculum Content
Core Skills
Mid-term and Final Assessments
Autumn Term 1
8A Nutrition and Digestion
8E Combustion
Recall the Different Food Groups
Recall Atoms/ Elements and compounds from Year 7
8Aa Nutrients (content of a healthy human diet: carbohydrates, lipids (fats and oils), proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and water, and why each is needed )
8Aa Food Tests
8Ac Balanced Diets (the consequences of imbalances in the diet, including obesity, starvation and deficiency diseases)
8Ad Digestion (the tissues and organs of the human digestive system, including adaptations to function and how the digestive system digests food (enzymes simply as biological catalysts)
8Ae Absorption (the importance of bacteria in the human digestive system)
8Eb Oxidation (combustion, thermal decomposition, oxidation and displacement reactions and conservation of mass)
8Ec Fire Safety (exothermic and endothermic chemical reactions)
8Ed Air Pollution
8Ee Global Warming (the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on climate.)
Core Practical: Food Tests (testing food for components of a balanced diet)
Main Practical 1: Investigating Enzymes
(Use appropriate techniques, apparatus, and materials during laboratory work, paying attention to health and safety)
Demo Practical: model small intestine (modelling how an small intestine works using a Visking tube)
Main practical 1: Testing for water (Make predictions using scientific knowledge and understanding)
Main practical 2: Burning magnesium in air (apply mathematical concepts and calculate results)
Extended Writing Task
(Explain in detail how you would test a gingerbread-biscuit solution for the presence of starch, sugar and protein)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Extended Writing Task
Explain the causes and effects of climate change.
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Autumn Term 2
8I Fluids
8B Plants and their Reproduction
Recall states of Matter
Recall elements of scientific theory of Reproduction from Year 7
8Ib Changing States (conservation of material and of mass, and reversibility, in melting, freezing, evaporation, sublimation, condensation, dissolving)
8Ic Pressure in Fluids (pressure in liquids, increasing with depth; upthrust effects)
8Id Floating and Sinking (floating and sinking)
8Ie Drag (friction between surfaces, with pushing things out of the way; resistance to motion of air and water)
8Ba Classification and biodiversity (the importance of maintaining biodiversity )
8Bb Types of reproduction (the importance of plant reproduction through insect pollination)
8Bc Pollination (reproduction in plants, including flower structure, wind and insect pollination)
8Bd Fertilisation and Disposal (flower structure, wind and insect pollination, fertilisation, seed and fruit formation and dispersal, including quantitative investigation of some dispersal mechanisms)
9Ba Reactions in Plants (the reactants in, and products of, photosynthesis, and a word summary for photosynthesis)
9Bd Plant Adaptations (the adaptations of leaves for photosynthesis.)
Demo practical: Conduction in metals (ask questions and develop a line of enquiry based on observations of the real world, alongside prior knowledge and experience)
Core practical 1: heating curve of ice (make and record observations and measurements using a range of methods for different investigations; and evaluate the reliability of methods and suggest possible improvements)
Main practical: Investigate density of an irregular object (apply mathematical concepts and calculate results and present observations and data using appropriate methods, including tables and graphs )
Main practical: Use of microscope to see the reproductive organs of a flowering plant
Extended Writing Task (The point of a nail has an area of 0.25 cm2, and an average person has a weight of 700 N. Explain in detail why it is possible to lie on a bed of 4000 nails, but not on a single nail)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Extended Writing Task: Explain in detail why farmers have to add to fertiliser to soil to ensure good crop yields year after year. (6 marks)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Spring Term 1
8F Periodic Table
8J Light
Recall Atoms/ Elements and compounds from Year 7
Recall how light travels from KS2
8Fa Dalton’s Model (a simple (Dalton) atomic model and differences between atoms, elements and compounds )
8Fb Chemical Properties (the varying physical and chemical properties of different elements)
8Fc Mendeleev’s Table (the principles underpinning the Mendeleev Periodic Table, periods and groups; metals and non-metals)
8Fe Chemical Trends
8Ja (waves on water as undulations which travel through water with transverse motion; these waves can be reflected, and add or cancel – superposition)
8Jb Reflection (the transmission of light through materials: absorption, diffuse scattering and specular reflection at a surface)
8Jc Refraction ( use of ray model to explain imaging in mirrors, the pinhole camera, the refraction of light and action of convex lens in focusing (qualitative);
8Jd: (the human eye )
8Je Colour (colours and the different frequencies of light, white light and prisms (qualitative only); differential colour effects in absorption and diffuse reflection.)
Core practical: reactions of elements with water (Make predictions using scientific knowledge and understanding) Main practical: identification of different elements (understand that scientific methods and theories develop as earlier explanations are modified to take account of new evidence and ideas, together with the importance of publishing results and peer review)
Demo practical 1: Reaction of alkali metals with water
Demo practical 2:reaction of metals with oxygen
Main practical 1: Use a ray box and mirror to show reflection
Core Practical ; Investigating Refraction and Reflection
(interpret observations and data, including identifying patterns and using observations, measurements and data to draw conclusions)
Core Practical 2; Investigating refraction of light using concave and convex lenses
(present reasoned explanations, including explaining data in relation to predictions and hypotheses)
Main practical 2: Make a pinhole camera
Main practical 3: Use a prism to split white light
Extended Writing Task: Write a paragraph to compare the properties of hydrogen, oxygen, and water. (6 marks)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Extended Writing Task: Compare the eye and the camera. (6 marks)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Spring Term 2
8C Respiration
8G Metals and their Uses
Recall organs and Organ systems
Revisit the Periodic Table from Year 8 Term 1
8Cb Gas Exchange System (the structure and functions of the gas exchange system in humans, including adaptations to function and the mechanism of breathing to move air in and out of the lungs, using a pressure model to explain the movement of gases, including simple measurements of lung volume)
8Cc Getting Oxygen
8Cd Comparing Gas Exchange (the mechanism of breathing to move air in and out of the lungs, using a pressure model to explain the movement of gases, including simple measurements of lung volume and the role of leaf stomata in gas exchange in plants)
8Ce Anaerobic Respiration (the process of anaerobic respiration in humans and micro-organisms, including fermentation, and a word summary for anaerobic respiration and the differences between aerobic and anaerobic respiration in terms of the reactants, the products formed and the implications for the organism.)
8Gb Corrosion (chemical reactions as the rearrangement of atoms and representing chemical reactions using formulae and using equations)
8Gc Metals and water
8Gd Metal and Acids (reactions of acids with metals to produce a salt plus hydrogen)
8Ge Pure Metals and Alloys (the properties of metals and non-metals)
Demo: Bell Jar to demonstrate lung volume
Main practical: Spirometer
(Numeracy- Simple calculations of Lung Volume)
Main practical: Rusting iron nails
Core Practical: Reaction of metals with water Main Practical: Testing hydrogen gas
Core Practical: Reaction of metals with acid Main Practical: Making salt using a metal and acid
Numeracy; Representing chemical reactions using formulae and using equations
Extended Writing Task: Compare and contrast aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Extended Writing Task: Compare the properties of metals and non-metals. (6 marks)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Summer Term 1
8K Energy Transfers
8D Microbes
Revisit Energy Transfers and stores from Year 7
Recall the different cells including bacterial cells from Year 7
8Kb Transferring Energy (temperature difference between two objects leading to energy transfer from the hotter to the cooler one, through contact (conduction) or radiation)
8Kc Controlling transfers (transfers tending to reduce the temperature difference)
8Kd Power and efficiency (comparing power ratings of appliances in watts (W, kW)
8Ke Paying for energy
8Da Unicellular and Multicellular (the structural adaptations of some unicellular organisms and the hierarchical organisation of multicellular organisms: from cells to tissues to organs to systems to organisms)
8Db Fungi (the process of anaerobic respiration in humans and micro-organisms, including fermentation, and a word summary for anaerobic respiration)
8Dd Protists (how organisms affect, and are affected by, their environment, including the accumulation of toxic materials.)
8De Decomposers and Carbon (the carbon cycle )
Demo: Conduction using metal rods
Demo: Convection using potassium permanganate
Core Practical: Investigate the best insulator
Simple Numerical Calculations – Efficiency and Cost of using electricity in the home / Sankey diagrams
Demo: Potassium permanganate and water
To show diffusion
Extended Writing Task: (Compare the properties of metals and non-metals. (6 marks))
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Extended Writing Task: Explain why a multicellular organism has specialised cells.
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Summer Term 2
9E making materials
9Ea About Ceramics (properties of ceramics, polymers and composites (qualitative))
9Eb Polymers
9Ec Composite Materials
9Fc Energy and reactions(exothermic and endothermic chemical reactions (qualitative).
9Fd Displacement
9Fe Extracting Materials (the order of metals and carbon in the reactivity series and the use of carbon in obtaining metals from metal oxides)
8Lb Seasons (the seasons and the Earth’s tilt, day length at different times of year, in different hemispheres)
8Lc Magnetic Earth (magnetic fields by plotting with compass, representation by field lines and Earth’s magnetism, compass and navigation )
8Ld Gravity in Space ( gravity force, weight = mass x gravitational field strength (g), on Earth g=10 N/kg, different on other planets and stars; gravity forces between Earth and Moon, and between Earth and Sun (qualitative only))
8Le Beyond the Solar System (our Sun as a star, other stars in our galaxy, other galaxies and the light year as a unit of astronomical distance)
Main practical: Thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate
Core Practical: Investigate which reaction are endothermic or exothermic
Core Practical: Displacement reaction using zinc and copper sulphate
Extended Writing Task: Discuss how polymers are created and explain why their properties are different to the monomers.
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)
Extended Writing Task: Explain to Rosie how she could test the effectiveness of her magnet and improve its design. (6 marks)
Mini Assessment (F)
Mini Assessment (H)