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AGSB Curriculum Years 7-9 A brief guide for parents verbs Direct/indirect pronouns The future...
Transcript of AGSB Curriculum Years 7-9 A brief guide for parents verbs Direct/indirect pronouns The future...
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Marlborough Road, Bowdon, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2RS
Tel: (0161) 928 0858
Email: [email protected] Website: www.agsb.co.uk
Head Master: Mr T J Gartside MA (Hons)
AGSB Curriculum Years 7-9
A brief guide for parents
We are often asked:
What will my son be learning this year?
How will he be assessed?
What can I do as a parent to help him?
Inside are some brief answers to these questions.
We hope that you find it useful.
2
CONTENTS INFORMATION REGARDING SUBJECTS:
SUBJECT PAGE NO
Art
3
Chinese 4
Classical Studies and Latin 5
Computer Science 6
English 7
French 8
Geography 9
German 10
History 11
Library 12
Mathematics 13
Music 15
P.E. 16
PSHE 17
Religion and Philosophy 18
Science Year 7 and Year 8 19
Science Year 9 20
Spanish 21
Technology 22
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Exams, Reports, Progress Sheets, Assessment 24 - 25
GCSEs and Options 26
Rewards and Sanctions 27
Independent Learning Tasks 28
Referencing/Plagiarism and Proofreading Addendum
DEPARTMENT: ART
3
Year 7 8 9
Term 1 Sweets
Pupils will begin to explore
the basics of formal
elements. Using sweets as
colourful resource to record
from. Main areas covered
include, drawing simple
forms using one point
perspective, mixing paint
using the primary colours
and analyzing the work of an
artist.
Tools
Pupils will look at the work
of both Jim Dine and
Michael Craig-Martin. You
will look at how you can
use the formal elements of
tone, texture, line and
colour to create very
different outcomes of the
same object.
Self-Portrait
Pupils will begin the project by
understanding the proportions
of the face in order to develop
their own drawing and
painting skills. Pupils will then
explore their own identity and
this can be visualised. It will
conclude by students
combining their face study
with collage.
Term 2 Honeycomb
Inspired by the intelligent
mathematic home of a bee
colony. Pupils will respond by
individually creating 3D
honeycomb pieces. Pupils
will experiment with a range
of mixed media techniques,
whilst still developing the
skills. The project will be
underpinned by a variety of
artists and observational
drawing.
Architecture
Pupils will look at a variety
of architecture and explore
both structure and details.
Pupils will then make
informed choices when
drawing their designs in
two point perspective.
These will then be adapted
into Three-dimensional
structures.
Space Landscapes
Pupils will explore space
landscape this will be an
opportunity for pupils to
interpret space and create an
abstract landscape outcome.
Students will develop their
skills within observational
drawing, painting, etching and
printing. Space landscape is
an opportunity to investigate
aesthetic of space and
produce an outcome that
represents its form.
Term 3 Washed ashore
Pupils will research the
impact of plastic waste on
sea-life. Pupils will respond
using a range of materials
including clay and plastics to
produce 3D sea-life. The
project will be underpinned
by a variety of artists and
observational drawing.
Mechanical Bugs
Pupils will investigate the
key features of a range of
bugs. They will explore a
range of printing processes
using mechanical objects
for inspiration. The project
will culminate in students
designing and producing
their own 'mechanical bug'
Birds
Pupils will explore the shapes,
textures and colours of birds.
Looking at a range of artists
pupils will experiment with a
range of different media in
order to develop a three
dimensional final piece
inspired by birds
Please note: Pupils occasionally need an apron or overall of some sort to wear during
their Art lessons, usually a technology apron is fine to use. What can parents do to support their sons?
Our Art teachers may will vary the projects slightly from class to class whilst giving your son a variety of experiences to help him develop his art.
They ask you to help your son develop the ability to concentrate for an extended period of time on a drawing, etc, and to encourage him to be creative and have the tenacity to
modify and refine his work in order to improve it.
If possible, it would be helpful if you could visit a wide range of stimulating places such as art galleries and museums.
DEPARTMENT: CHINESE
4
Year 7 8 9
You don’t study Chinese,
but will have
the opportunity to
apply for a place to learn
Chinese in Y8. Limited places.
Topics Numbers,
greetings and
personal information
Family and pets
Hobbies School life
Food and drink
Grammar Measure words
Word order Question words
Commonly used structures
Writing Write key
characters Understand
radicals Stroke order
Write short paragraphs
(80-100 characters)
Topics Holidays:
countries,
weather and transport
Describe people and
objects Talk about
places, directions and
jobs Shopping
Travel in China
Grammar Tense
Word order
Question words Commonly
used structures
Writing Write key
characters Understand
radicals Stroke order
Write paragraphs
(100-15 characters).
Assessment Tests after
each chapter
End of year exam
Tests after each chapter
End of year exam
Option to do GCSE in Y10
and 11
5
CLASSICAL STUDIES AND LATIN
________________________
DEPARTMENT:
:
Year 7 8 9 Greek Mythology
Minoan Crete and Mycenae, Trojan
War, Homer,
Ancient Olympics,
Sparta, Persian
War, Alexander,
Historical Linguistics, Rise
of the Romans
We follow the Imperium Course Book 1 and Cambridge Latin Course Book 1
We follow the Imperium Course Book 2 with some support from the
Cambridge Latin
Course Books 1 and 2
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mr Ellis writes:
Please encourage your son to talk about and take an interest in the
classical stories of Greek and Roman culture. There is much to learn from them.
If your son chooses to study Latin in year 8 and 9, encourage him to learn his grammar well and help him revise vocabulary, especially before a test.
DEPARTMENT: COMPUTER SCIENCE
6
What can parents do to support their sons? Mr Timmins, Head of Computer Science and ICT, asks you to encourage your son to use the School’s ICT facilities. ICT suites S9 and S10 are open every day at lunchtime
from 12:20 – 1.00pm and from after school from 3.30pm – 4.15pm.
However, when they do need to do school work at home, documents can be accessed
and uploaded via Office 365.
Please remember that RAM/memory sticks are not allowed in School.
Year 7 8 9 Becoming digitally
literate and
Computer Science
basics
1. Network basics – network access and Office 365
2. Digital literacy - use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Notebook
3. Health and safety 4. Internet searching and
e-safety 5. History of Computing 6. Hardware and
software – processor, primary memory, secondary storage, inputs and outputs
7. Number systems – binary, bits/bytes/kilobytes/megabytes/gigabytes/terabytes
8. Fetch-execute cycle – program counter, memory registers, accumulator
9. Computational thinking
10. Flowcharts – sequence, selection and iteration
11. Programming – BBC Microbit and Python
Understanding
computers, control
systems, modelling,
programming and
impacts of computing 1. Control systems –
flowcharts and control
systems using Flowol
2. Spreadsheets –
basics, advanced functions, modelling
3. Web design –
planning, basics,
advanced HTML
4. Programming –
algorithm design, basics, intermediate,
using Python
5. Computer hardware –
processor, memory,
storage and
peripherals 6. Impacts of computing
and ICT – online
safety, RDF tags,
online videos, social
media
Computer number
systems, practical
programming through
web design and
Python programming
1. Image editing –
impact of, basics,
advanced, using
Photoshop
2. Binary and hexadecimal –
denary and binary
conversion,
binary addition,
representing text
in binary,
representing images in binary,
hexadecimal
3. Web design –
CSS and
JavaScript
4. Programming –
computational thinking,
intermediate,
advanced, using
Python
5. Impacts of
computing and
ICT – Microsoft, Google and Apple
6. Video editing –
editing skills
DEPARTMENT: ENGLISH_
7
Reading and Understanding
Pupils will read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction
texts from different genres, eras and cultures. The five key skill areas are:
Synthesizing, selecting, summarising information
Analysing language choices Analysing structural choices
Comparing texts Evaluating the success of a text
Writing and
Technical Accuracy
Pupils will plan and produce a wide range of texts, with a variety of purposes, to meet the needs of various
audiences. The five key skill areas are:
Planning interesting and appropriate content Organising a text into logical and effective sections Selecting increasingly mature vocabulary
Using a full range of punctuation effectively Spelling correctly
Speaking and Listening
Pupils will develop their confidence and fluency in speaking
in a range of contexts including ‘real world’ scenarios. The five key skill areas are:
Using Standard English confidently and accurately Giving an individual presentation Discussing and debating in groups
Using language creatively in role-play situations Listening actively and sensitively to others
What can parents do to support their sons?
Encourage your son to read on a daily basis from a range of sources such as novels, magazines, websites, biographies and newspapers. Media texts such as
documentaries, podcasts, audio books and radio shows are also useful ways of engaging with language and ideas. Ask your son to read out loud from time to time and encourage him to be a confident,
clear reader. Encourage him to enjoy new texts and learn more adventurous vocabulary.
Encourage conversation and debate about current affairs by raising interesting questions from the worlds of politics, society, sport, culture and the arts. Encourage your son to write on a regular basis: diaries, on-line reviews, short
stories, poetry and lyrics are all useful ways of encouraging the habit of writing. Share experiences of performance with your son. Theatre trips, cinema visits, and
cultural events are all positive ways of broadening his cultural and creative development.
Encourage your son to join the many English extra-curricular activities on offer at school. A fuller list of recommended books and activities is available on the school website.
DEPARTMENT: FRENCH
8
Year 7 8 9 Studied for half the
year.
Topics Introducing
yourself Numbers
Alphabet
Dates
Colours
Countries
Family Animals
Descriptions
School subjects
Sports Other hobbies
Where you live
Short
poems/songs
Grammar Nouns and Gender
Verbs in Present
Tense
Faire + de
Negation
Adjectives
Topics Talking about films,
reading and the
internet.
What you did
yesterday and describing a visit to
Paris.
Personality,
relationships, music. Describing where you
live,
Talking about food.
Talent contests and
ambition
Short detective
stories.
Film / literature Le petit prince
Grammar
The present, perfect
and future tense Adjective agreement Reflexive verbs
Comparisons prepositions
vouloir + infinitive
Pupils begin GCSE
course.
Topics Relationships with
family and friends.
Marriage and
partnerships. Social media
Mobile
technology Music/ cinema /TV Food and eating out. Sport.
Grammar
Reflexive verbs
Direct/indirect
object
pronouns
The future
tenses
Present tense
revision
Perfect tense
revision
Verb+infinitive
Demonstrative
pronouns
The work is regularly assessed. Assessment is of reading, writing, listening and
speaking.
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mrs Brennan is Head of French. She asks you to be aware of when your son has French independent learning tasks and ensure that he understands the task in hand. Encourage and ensure that your
son can recall the core vocabulary and grammar covered.
Mrs Brennan adds that, a most powerful source of motivation is seeing the language being used for real purposes in an authentic environment, any opportunity to be
in a French speaking country is always indispensable. Additionally, if you are able to practise speaking French with your son, this could be a real confidence booster for him.
DEPARTMENT: GEOGRAPHY
9
Year 7 8 9 Unit 1 – This is
Geography! Pupils
begin to explore the
UK and the rest of
the world, learning
how it works. Key
skills of geographers
are set.
Unit 2 –
Shipwrecked
Island. Pupils
develop new map
skills whilst learning
how to survive on a
remote tropical
island.
Unit 3 – Risky
World. Pupils learn
why earth can be a
hazardous place to
live. An in depth
study of volcanoes,
earthquakes, tropical
cyclones and
tsunamis.
Unit 4 – China
You’ll explore this
world superpower
and learn why this
country is so
important to the rest
of the world
Unit 1 - Brilliant
Biomes!
With a focus on Africa,
pupils study the tropical rainforest, Savanna and
desert. Includes
weather and climate
Unit 2 – Russia
A study of this
fascinating country, including physical and
human aspects.
Unit 3 – Crumbling
Coasts
A focus on Britain’s
dynamic coastline coastlines including
environmental
geography looking at
the management
issues.
Unit 4 – Incredible India!
Pupils study the variety
of physical and human
geography across India.
What relationship does
India’s have with the rest of the world?
Unit 1 – Population
Explosion! Contemporary
demographic issues are
studied, including causes
and impacts of migration.
Unit 2 – Manchester
Manchester is studied as a
case example of a
dynamic urban
environment. All students
go on a fieldtrip to Salford
Quays.
Unit 3 – Cold
Environments Includes
the science behind cold
environments, the study
of glaciers and climate
change.
Unit 4 –Development
Pupils study global
inequalities and potential
solutions to the global
development gap, with a
focus on Morocco.
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mr Bromley, Head of Geography, suggests that you:
Encourage your son to take an interest in current affairs and discuss with him links to
topics he is studying in Geography. Read a broadsheet newspaper at least once a week,
with a particular focus on environmental and geo-political issues;
Geographers should be inquisitive, so encourage him to research different places you visit
as a family; and
Buy the following atlas Collins Cambridge IGCSE Student World Atlas for your son to use
at home. (ISBN 978-0-00-744305-5). We use these in school and highly recommend
them to students.
Your son will complete 2-3 assessments each year in Geography in addition to the end of year
examination. The assessments will range in style and content. As an example, in Year 7 pupils
justify a location to build an emergency shelter, in Year 8 pupils decide how to best protect the
Holderness coastline within a budget of £1m and Year 9 pupils write a geographical enquiry to
investigate the regeneration of Salford Quays.
DEPARTMENT: GERMAN_
10
Year 7 8 9
Studied for half the year
Topics Numbers
Alphabet
Talking about
yourself Birthdays and
presents
School Animals
Family
Countries
Hobbies Food
Grammar Verbs in Present
Tense
Likes and Dislikes Word order
Expressions of time
Topics
Weather
Free time
Travel
Holidays
Health
Food
Shopping
Living with a host
family in Germany Television
Grammar
Present Tense Perfect Tense
Future Tense
Modal verbs
Word order:
Inversion
Subordinate
clauses
- If Adjectival
agreement
Comparison and
superlative
Opinions
Prepositions
Pupils begin their
GCSE course
Topics My family and
friends
Technology in our
lives
Grammar
Present Tense
Perfect Tense
Future Tense
Future meaning
Imperfect
Conditional
Modal verbs Word order:
Inversion
Subordination
If
Infinitive clauses
Relative clause
Adjectival
agreement
Comparison and superlative
Cases (and
prepositions)
Sophistication in
written & spoken language
The work is regularly assessed. Assessment is of reading, writing, listening and
speaking.
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mrs Chapman, Head of German, says: Check that your son completes his independent learning tasks.
Check he is working on his vocabulary – this should be done on a regular basis, revisiting old vocabulary constantly too. He should always revise vocabulary, even
when tests are not set. He can access all of the vocabulary needed via
www.vocabexpress.com (he has a username and password).
Check he is working on his grammar – this, again, should be done on a regular
basis, consolidating old grammar as well. Grammar notes are in his exercise book
and available on www.klar.co.uk (he has the username and password). There are a number of other websites that your son should visit to help him.
Please ask him about them. There are revision exercises and other materials available online. At GCSE your son
will be given a Kerboodle account where he can access the online textbook. Any opportunity for your son to experience practising speaking German would be a
real confidence booster for him, for example, visiting the country with you, reading online news articles, finding a German emailpal.
DEPARTMENT: HISTORY_
11
Year 7 8 9 The Medieval Word
1066 – 1485
Topics covered within this period
will include:
Introduction to Historical Skills
The Normans
Medieval Castles
Medieval Religion &
The Crusades
Making of Early
Modern Britain
The Making of
Modern Britain
1485 – 1900 Topics covered
within this period will
include:
Renaissance,
Rise of Science
& Voyages of Exploration
Reformation & The Tudors
Elizabeth I,
Spanish Armada
and the English
Civil War
Industrial
Revolution &
Slavery
The 20th Century
1900-1975
Topics covered
within this period will include:
World War I
Rise of Dictators
& the Causes of
WW2
World War II
Start of GCSE
Course:
Early Cold War &
Korean War
What can parents do to support their sons?
Please encourage your son to read as much as possible. He might read historical fiction and non-fiction. He could try to keep an eye on current affairs which often have historical links. There are many well-produced and interesting TV
programmes on history, from entertaining ‘Horrible Histories’ to informative documentaries. If possible visit local historical sites like the Manchester Museum
of Science and Industry, The Imperial War Museum and Dunham Massey. When you go further afield, Hadrian’s Wall, Edward I’s Welsh castles and the Houses of Parliament are popular attractions. In Europe there are the First and Second World
War battlefield sites. The most important contribution parents can make to support their son’s history studies education is to assist them in developing an active interest
in the world around them.
DEPARTMENT: LIBRARY
12
Librarian: Mrs Marson
Resident Teacher: Mrs Chapman
The library sits right in the middle of the school and is a real hive of activity for all
year groups! During lesson time, it is used as a classroom and as a sixth form study space. At break
times and lunch times we invite pupils from all year groups to come in. Boys can be found working on homework together, using the computers, reading or taking part in
the extra-curricular activities detailed below. After school the library is used for a variety of extra-curricular activities.
Boys can borrow books from the library any day at break time or lunchtime.
Break time 11-11.20
Lunch time 12.20-1.20
After school 3.30-4.40
Monday Y7-13 – reading, borrowing books,
doing homework
Y7-13 – reading, borrowing books,
doing homework
Senior Reading Club Years 9-11
Tuesday Y7-13 – reading,
borrowing books, doing homework
Y7-13 – reading,
borrowing books, doing homework
Drama Club and
English Speaking Union Years 7-13
Wednesday Y7-13 – reading, borrowing books,
doing homework
Y7-13 – reading, borrowing books,
doing homework
‘Live at Lunch’ performances Years 7-13
Junior Reading Club
Years 7-8
Closed
Thursday Y7-13 – reading,
borrowing books, doing homework
Y7-13 – reading,
borrowing books, doing homework
Creative Writing
Club Years 7-13
Friday Y7-13 – reading, borrowing books, doing homework
Y7-13 – reading, borrowing books, doing homework
Closed
Throughout the year, the Library will also be used for competitions, quizzes, visiting authors and speakers and school council meetings.
There are student librarians in every year group. We don’t ‘employ’ Year 7 pupils in the first term as we encourage you to meet your peers and form friendships. If you
are interested in becoming a student librarian, see Mrs Marson.
DEPARTMENT: MATHEMATICS
13
Topic 7 8 9
Number Decimals
Rounding &
estimating negative
numbers
Indices & laws
BODMAS
Fractions
HCF & LCM
Percentages
Fractions
Percentages
Ratio & Proportion
Standard Form
Recurring decimals
Laws of indices Upper and lower bounds
Algebra Like terms
Index notation
Simplifying
expressions
Expanding brackets
Factorising
Substitution
Linear equations
Functions
Changing the
subject
Substitution
Inequalities Expanding & factorising
Trial &
improvement
Changing the
subject
Sequences
Solving equations
Simultaneous equations
Equation of a
straight line
Real life graphs
Sequences
Simultaneous
equations
Completing the
square Quadratic
formula
Solving quadratic
equations
Quadratic graphs
Quadratic expansion
Quadratic factorising
Change the subject
Algebraic fractions
Straight line graphs
Shape
and
Space
Perimeter & Area
Tessellations
Angles in polygons
Angles on line/
triangle etc.
Properties of 2D
shapes
Tessellations
Bearings
Similar triangles
Circles
Pythagoras’ Theorem
Volume and surface area
of cuboids
Coordinates
Mid point of a line
Arc length
Sector area
Constructions Plan & Elevation
Scale drawings Transformations
Pythagoras
Loci
Circle theorems
Congruent triangles
Similarity
Arc length
Sector area
Volume and surface
area of 3D shapes
Trigonometry
Handling
Data Mean
Mode Median Range
Statistical diagrams
Probability
Statistical
diagrams
Averages
Probability
Scatter graphs
Cumulative frequency
DEPARTMENT: MATHEMATICS
14
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mr Heslop is the Head of Department. He and all the Maths teachers ask you to
encourage your son to complete his independent learning tasks efficiently always showing his working out clearly and checking his answers before moving on to the
next question. Your son should also regularly revisit topics he has studied so that
the methods he is taught are securely learnt. Your son is welcome to see any teacher in the department, not just their own Maths teacher, to ask for help. We
also have 6th form Maths Prefects available in M2 at lunchtimes to provide help for any pupil. There are independent learning tasks exercises and revision sheets
available on the Maths page of Office 365. The department has access to the MyMaths.co.uk website and your son will be issued with a password to access the online lessons and resources that are available.
DEPARTMENT: MUSIC_
15
Year 7 8 9 Performance on
Voice and
orchestral
instruments
(all year 7 take
Part in the December
and June concert).
All pupils will have
the
opportunity to
perform on an orchestral instrument.
Listening and
Theory
Work to support
the above
Performance on
Percussion
Keyboard and
Voice
Composition
Using Logic software on Apple
Macs
Listening and
Theory
Work to support the above
Skills training in
using the
sequencing
software
programme
“Logic”. The boys use this to create backing tracks and
then programme
whole songs into
the computer.
This work is
based around the
area of study
Pop Music
(bringing guitar,
piano, drum and
vocal parts
together)
and Music and
Media, TV Themes
and Film Music
What can parents do to support their sons?
Ensure that independent learning tasks and practice are completed when set. Use
materials on Office 365 to help with independent learning tasks, class music and assessment.
Encourage your son to take part in the many and varied musical activities within
School, bands choirs etc and come to our concerts.
Ensure music for band or choir is downloaded for practice at home.
Also, private music lessons are available in a range of instruments with Trafford Music Service. Contact Mr Myers for further details.
DEPARTMENT: PE
16
Year 7 8 9
Term 1: Rugby,
Football & ‘Baselining’*
Term 2: Hockey &
Badminton
Term 3: Athletics,
Cricket & Tennis
Term 1 and 2:
Boys continue
with the same
sports
that they
experienced in
Year 7.
Table Tennis, Squash, Basketball and Orienteering
are added to the curriculum.
Term 3: Athletics, Cricket & Tennis
Term 1 and 2:
Boys continue
with the same
sports
that they
experienced in
Years 7 and 8.
Fitness and Rounders
are added to the
curriculum.
The ‘Top set’ (Set 1) begin the Fast
Track – GCSE PE qualification.
Term 3: Athletics,
Cricket & Tennis
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mr Soulsby, Head of Department, asks you to support your son by encouraging him
to take part in a range of sporting activities both through curricular and extra-
curricular school sport. This will develop sport specific skills and improve their
health and wellbeing. The PE department also actively encourages pupils to
participate in sport or physical recreation clubs outside school.
Pupils can be further engaged within this subject by parents questioning their son
about what he is doing in lessons and why he is doing it. There are also self-assessment activities on Office 0365 that can be completed.
Details of the extra-curricular sports activities and team training times are given to the boys in September and are also made available on the school website.
‘Baselining’ allows the department to make an accurate, generic assessment
of a year 7 pupil in a diverse and inclusive variety of sports. This information is then treated as entry-level data and is used to ensure pupils make progress
throughout KS3.
DEPARTMENT: PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education)
17
Year 7 8 9 Introduction to
PSHE
Emotional and
physical well being
Drugs: focus on
smoking
Risk
Communities
Sex and
Relationship
education: facts
and feelings
Planning for the
future
Managing money
Reflecting and target setting
Emotional and physical well being
Drugs: focus on
alcohol and prescription drugs
The House of Commons
Road safety
Sex and Relationship
education: facts and feelings
Planning for the
future
Identity
What do I value and why?
Emotional and
physical well being
Drugs: focus on
legal highs
Young people and
the law
How to stay safe online
Sex and Relationship
education: facts
and feelings
Planning for the
future
Communities: YPI
Project
PSHE aims to enable a pupil to develop into a healthy, well rounded and responsible adult. In lessons every pupil is encouraged to participate
fully, discuss, reflect on and form their own opinions and views.
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mr. Perkins, Head of PSHE, asks you to encourage your son to be open
minded, tolerant and ready to discuss and respect the views of others.
DEPARTMENT: RELIGION and PHILOSOPHY
18
Year 7 8 9
Introduction to
Philosophy of Religion
a) Religious and
philosophical literacy
b) The nature of
philosophical questions
c) Case study: Plato’s Cave
d) Creation • Ideas about the origin
of the universe: scientific,
philosophical and religious approaches
• The significance of
myth in religion and folk-culture
e) Introduction to
classical arguments
for the existence of God
f) Death and the Afterlife
• The concept of ‘soul’
• Afterlife beliefs in
the world’s religions
Moral Philosophy
a) Introduction to Moral philosophy
b) Equality, Prejudice and discrimination
• Racism • Sexism
• Interfaith dialogue
c) War and Peace
• Just war • Pacifism
d) The historical Jesus
Introduction to KS4 studies in:
Philosophy of Religion, Ethics
and Buddhism
a) The Concept of God
b) The Teleological
Argument c) The
Cosmological Argument
d) Deontological
approaches to
moral decision making
e) The Life of the
Buddha
f) Introduction to
Buddhist doctrines
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mr Lowe, Head of Department writes:
To support your son’s progress please encourage him to keep an open mind; to come to the lessons ready to think and discuss. No matter what his personal belief
he should be encouraged to respect the views of others.
DEPARTMENT: SCIENCE YEARS 7 and 8 _
19
Year 7 8
Unit 1: Starting Science,
including learning
experimental skills that will
be used throughout the
school
Unit 2: Living things
Unit 3: Energy
Unit 4: Building blocks
Unit 5: Solutions
Unit 6: Cells/Reproduction
Unit 7: Adaptations
CASE – Cognitive
Acceleration through
Scientific Education.
Throughout year 7 your son
will study 1 lesson per
fortnight from the CASE
program. These lessons help
him to develop logical
thinking skills and learn key
scientific terminology and
techniques.
Each unit varies in length. They
are typically taught in the order
shown, however, this may vary
with classes who have more than
one teacher.
Biology
Unit B1: Environment
Unit B2: Muscles & Bones
Unit B3: Food & Digestion
Chemistry & Geology
Unit C1: Elements & Compounds
Unit C2: Metals & Earth Materials
Unit C3: Rates of Reaction
Physics
Unit P1: Forces & Motion
Unit P2: Heat Transfer
Unit P3: Sound and Waves
Each unit varies in length. There
are approximately equal number
of lessons for Biology, Chemistry
and Physics in Year 8. Unit 1s of
each subject are generally taught
first, followed by Unit 2s and then
3s, however, this may vary with
classes who have more than one
teacher.
What can parents do to support their sons?
Mrs Eastwell coordinates the work of the Science department in years 7 and 8. She asks
you to:
The AQA Collins KS3 Revision guide and question practice book will be available to
purchase in the Autumn Term, through parent pay. This book is highly recommended
as basic key notes for the GCSE AQA Science boards.
Help your son with the use of his Topic starter sheet as a guide to his current studies
and help monitor his progress. There is a communication section for parents and
teachers in the topic starter sheet for each unit.
Ensure independent study tasks are completed on time and done to the best of his
abilities.
Review your son’s targets and progress with each report or grade sheet.
Ask school/teachers any questions you need to know about the course.
Help your son relate what he has learnt in his Science lessons into the world around
him and how these issues affect decisions that society has to make, eg how we produce
energy, what foods we eat.
Key pieces of work will need to be proof read. Please help your son by pointing out any
spellings he needs to correct and make suggestions about what can be added or changed to
improve his work. If he uses sources to help him with his work, eg books, articles or the
internet, he should record these at the end of his work Dr Squire, Head of Science, encourages your son to take up, when appropriate, the extra
opportunities that are available in Science such as Science Clubs and competitions.
SEE SEPARATE PAGE FOR YEAR 9 SYLLABUS (Physics, Chemistry and Biology are taught as separate subjects from Year 9.)
DEPARTMENT: SCIENCE YEAR 9
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Subject BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY PHYSICS
Term 1:
Photosynthesis
and Plant
Growth Respiration
2nd half of
Autumn Term, start GCSE
Cells
Term 1:
Organisation with
biological systems
Term 2:
Infection and
response
Term 1:
Acids, alkalis, salts
and precipitates
General chemical techniques, eg
thermal
decomposition,
exo/endo thermic
reaction
In Jan of Year
9, start GCSE
Study of
foundation Chemistry
Start Physics GCSE
Term 1:
Waves
Term 2 + 3:
Electricity
What can parents do to support their sons?
The GCSE courses are as follows:
Biology – AQA
Chemistry – AQA Specification 8462
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/chemistry/specifications/AQA-8462-SP-2016.PDF Physics – AQA Specification 8463 http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/physics-8463
Details about these can be found on the exam board websites.
In Biology pupils have access to the online text book and parents should encourage their sons to use it regularly.
DEPARTMENT: SPANISH_
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Year 7 8 9 Studied for half
the year
Topics
Greetings
Personal details
Alphabet
House & home
Family
Physical
descriptions
School subjects
Likes & dislikes at
school
Daily routine
Food & drink
Grammar
Nouns and Gender
Verbs in Present
tense
Likes and
Dislikes/justification
Impersonal verbs
Negation
Adjectival
agreement
Connectives
Reinforcement of
KS3 Literacy in
the target
language
Topics
Food & drink
Cooking
Spanish & South
American Cuisine
Shopping
Preferences in
fashion
Tourism & holidays
Going out & hobbies
Free time
Grammar
The present tense
Reflexive verbs
The preterite tense
Indirect/direct
object pronouns
The near future
tense
The real future
tense
More adjectives
Comparatives/
superlatives
Negation
1st year of the GCSE
Course
Topics include:
me, my family and
friends
Bullying
Family life
marriage and partnerships
daily routine
chores
past and present
relationships
technology in everyday
life
social media
social networking
mobile technology
free time and sports
TV/films
sports
pocket money
going out and socialising
Grammar
Present/Present continuous
preterite / future /
conditional and imperfect
tenses
Adjectival agreement
Articles / object
pronouns
para+ infinitve
Modal
verbs/structures
Comparative and
superlative
Persuasive language
Gustar and similar
impersonal verbs
Work is regularly assessed. Assessment is of reading, writing, listening, speaking.
What can parents do to support their sons? Miss Mattison, Head of Spanish, says:
Please check your son has completed his independent learning tasks and ensure he is using his
text book/vocabulary glossary to help. All vocabulary lists should be revisited regularly.
All grammar notes in your son’s exercise book should be regularly revisited.
There are excellent language websites on the Engine:
www.vocabexpress.com-vocabulary learning interactive learning tool
www.kerboodle.com (on-line text book; foundation in Year 9) Digibook and interactive resources
that accompany the AQA textbook.
www.languagesonline.org.uk :grammar and topic based vocabulary work
Any opportunity for your son to experience practising speaking Spanish would be a huge
confidence booster for him eg: visiting the country or participating in the Spanish exchange to
Barcelona in February and the summer trip to Barcelona.
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DEPARTMENT: _TECHNOLOGY_________________________________
Y
e
a
r
7 8 9
Electronics Pupils will manufacture
a basic moisture
sensor.
Mechanisms
Pupils will manufacture
a mechanical automaton.
Product Design Pupils
will design and
manufacture a free standing sculpture
using Acrylic based on
Reflection. Food Technology
Pupils will learn the importance of
Hygiene and Safety.
Pupils will learn how
to follow recipes
accurately.
Graphic Products
Pupils will design
and manufacture
the packaging for a
chocolate bar.
Structures
Pupils will design,
build and test a medieval siege
engine.
Innovation
Pupils will experience
an innovation
challenge
Food Technology
Pupils will learn
about the
importance of
nutrition and
balanced diets. Food products will be
cooked to support
the theory.
Electronic Products
Pupils will work with
microcontroller
technology to design
and build an
electronic product.
Product Design
Pupils will complete
a self directed
design project that
is based on
calibration. This is
an applied Science
and Mathematics
project.
Food Technology
Pupils will work on a
multicultural project.
They will also develop
their practical skills
further and how to
use raising agents in
food products.
What can parents do to support their sons? Mr Baker, Head of Technology says:
There is a valuable web resource at www.technologystudent.com that provides animations and explanations of the things that are covered in lessons. Updated and useful links can be found on the Design and Technology section of the AGSB Engine
accessed via the website. More specifically in: Year 7: Use the website www.flying-pig.co.uk to help in the research of mechanisms for the
Automaton project. Assist in practising isometric sketching techniques. You can use www.printfreegraphpaper.com to generate isometric grid paper. Year 8: Visit http://andypsionfan.users.btopenworld.com/trebindex.html to assist in the research trebuchet designs.
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Year 9: Download the PICAXE editor from www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/ as this will allow your son to work on his software design at home. Any code that is generated can be uploaded to the engine and tested in class.
Monitor the work of your son during the Product Design tasks to ensure that work is being completed. These projects are designed to run like GCSE courses so that your son can make informed choices at options time. This means that they will be
responsible for many of the deadlines and target setting. Please reinforce the importance of meeting deadlines. Food Technology in Years 7,8 and 9:
It is important that your son participates in the practical lessons in Food Technology in order to develop basic skills. Each pupil will be given a recipe booklet to take home
so that you can help your son to be organised in ensuring that they have the correct ingredients for their lessons. Pupils should bring a suitable apron and container for each practical lesson. www.nutrition.org for information on healthy eating and researching independent learning tasks. www.bbcgoodfood.com for recipe ideas when designing products. www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk and www.bbc.co.uk/food for further research and
idea generation.
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EXAMS, REPORTS AND PROGRESS SHEETS Exams Class tests will be carried out throughout the year as appropriate to individual
subjects. The formal school exams will take place in May for Years 7, 8 and 9.
Assessment at AGSB (Year 7 and 8)
How will your son be assessed? At the start of each unit of work pupils are given topic descriptor sheets which are attached to their exercise books. The
sheets detail the skills and knowledge that pupils must demonstrate to reach each category of achievement for that unit. The categories of achievement are
Secure (the highest category), Developing, Emerging and Foundation. These terms describe the pupil’s grasp of that unit of work. The pupil should be aiming
to demonstrate that he has acquired the knowledge and developed the skills that are listed in the topic descriptor sheet. Teachers will give feedback to pupils
throughout the unit and at the end of the unit of work the teacher will give an overall category for that unit. These categories have been carefully defined by
teachers to ensure that pupils are making the progress we would expect for pupils at AGSB.
Categories of achievement Specific details for subjects can be found in
exercise books, these descriptions are to be used as a general guideline only.
SECURE: Knowledge listed is secure. It can be applied appropriately and in detail. All skills demonstrated and applied accurately. DEVELOPING: Most of the knowledge is secure; some further learning is needed to secure all the knowledge. Most skills demonstrated, a few skills need further practise for secure and consistent application. EMERGING: Some knowledge acquired and applied appropriately but more learning is needed to develop a better grasp of the unit. Some skills evident but further practise needed to demonstrate they can be applied independently. FOUNDATION: Most of the knowledge and skills listed on the topic descriptor sheet have not been evident in this unit. More work is needed to revise the knowledge and skills so that they can be applied with consistency to demonstrate some grasp of the unit.
Reporting
School data is sent home three times per year in the form of two grade sheets and a report. These documents will inform you of the average category of
achievement your son has been awarded for the units of work studied up until that point in the academic year.
25
What can you do to help your son? If your son receives a lower category than he would like in his units of work in
Year 7 and 8, you can support him by encouraging him to review the topic descriptor sheets, redo work he is not happy with, review knowledge that is not
secure and practise skills that he does not use consistently. Finally, you can reinforce our message that the only limit to his success is how hard he is prepared
to work.
26
GCSEs, OPTIONS and CAREERS GUIDANCE During year 9 your son will begin his GCSE course in several subjects including
Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, PE, Religion and Philosophy and MFL. He will
not begin the GCSE courses in his other subjects, but he will be assessed using GCSE grades.
Every term teachers will report the grade your son is most likely to get at the
end of the GCSE qualification, if he continues to work at the standard seen so far. We call these projected grades. At this point your son will also be given a
target, this is the grade that he should be aiming for in his GCSEs. In Year 9, pupils have a series of Careers sessions in order prepare them initially to choose their GCSE options. They are introduced to decision- making, self-evaluation and information-gathering. They are encouraged to look ahead so that they can begin to consider their future options. Parents can support their sons by discussing careers and educational pathways so as to encourage aspirational thinking. In the Spring of Year 9 your son will be asked to choose which subjects he would
like to continue at GCSE level in addition to the compulsory subjects. You will be invited to a meeting, usually held in February each year, when the option
system will be explained to you. For more DAY TO DAY INFORMATION see the notes for parents that you are given on the Induction Evening in July and also your son’s planner which he
is given at the start of each school year in September. In addition, please refer to the school website where copies of letters that have
been sent home to whole school or whole year groups and other information is regularly posted.
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REWARDS and SANCTIONS
Rewards
Commendations are given to award academic achievement and effort shown.
In addition, commendations may be awarded for service to the school. They are recorded on the appropriate page in your son’s planner and when he has
reached either, 20, 40, 60, 100, 150 and 200 commendations, a Head Master’s certificates will be presented to him. If a teacher is particularly impressed with how much progress a pupil has made
or how much effort they have put into their work, they might also be awarded
a postcard. This will be sent home in the post and five commendations will be awarded. For truly exceptional work boys can also be awarded Head Master’s
commendations. For these rare awards the pupils will be given 10 commendations.
Sanctions We encourage boys to respect each other and their surroundings. Some boys find this more difficult than others and some of you might find that your son has work to repeat or a detention to attend. You will be informed if an after school detention is to last more than 10 minutes. Teachers use a “yellow card” system for minor offences such as talking in lessons or failure to follow the dress code. Five or more “yellow card” offences during a half term triggers a Friday afternoon detention of 45 minutes. There are other sanctions including Heads of Year detention after school on
Friday and Saturday morning detention with the Head Master. Exclusion from the school is considered for very serious offences including bullying, drugs
related issues and theft. If boys are late for school in the morning or afternoon they will be marked in the register as late. If 5 lates are accrued during a half term they will receive
a Friday afternoon detention lasting half an hour. For a further 5 lates this will increase to 45 minutes and one hour for the next set of 5. Anything over this
will lead to a Saturday morning Head Master’s detention.
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INDEPENDENT LEARNING TASKS
Your son will be asked to complete Independent Learning Tasks outside of the
classroom. The value of independent learning tasks is to set meaningful work
when appropriate rather than dictated by a timetable. We believe that the ‘one size fits all’ model does not encourage independence and challenge and we have,
therefore, introduced Independent Learning Tasks to foster self-reliance and the love of learning.
Each department have designed its own independent learning policy. This will
reflect the specific demands of the subject and rely on the professional judgement of those teachers within the department to achieve the end goals of
greater pupil autonomy as well as, allowing for diversity and creativity in the design of the tasks to be set.
Pupils will sometimes be asked to use sources such as books and websites to help them with their independent study tasks. It is very important that they
reference these sources in their work. For further information on how to do this, please see the “Be Wise Don’t Plagiarise” document.
At AGSB we also promote the importance of proof reading work at all levels –
please see the proof reading guidelines on the final page of this booklet.
29
Be wise don’t plagiarise
Active Learning involves READING, THINKING and UNDERSTANDING
in order to CREATE your own work and opinions.
To avoid plagiarism: If you use someone else’s work you must reference them in a list at
the end. Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words.
After the quotation write their surname in brackets. If you are not using their words exactly, but you are using some of
their ideas you must also include them in the reference list.
KS3/ KS4: Referencing Book: Author (year of publication) Name of Book e.g. Hunt (1999) The Joy of Learning Other source (magazine, journal or newspaper): Author (year of publication) Name of article. Name of Magazine/ newspaper article e.g. Davis (2005) Are Computers taking over the world? The Guardian. Website: Title of website. Web address and date of access e.g. BBC Bitesize. www.bbcbitesize.co.uk (12 August 2012)
Anyone can
30
Choose your websites carefully:
AS/A2 Referencing For a book: Author (last name, initial). Date of publication. Title (in italics). Place. Publisher. EXAMPLE: Crystal, D. (2006) Words Words Words. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
For a Journal/Magazine article: Author (last name, initial). Date of publication. Article title in quotation marks. Title of publication in italics. Issue. Page numbers. EXAMPLE: Rollins, F. Winter 1997. "Snowboard Madness." Sports Stuff. Number 15, p.15-19. For the World Wide Web: Author (last name, initial). Date of publication, Title of webpage in italics. Website address. Date you looked at website. EXAMPLE: Weart, S. 2005, The discovery of global warming. www.aip.org/history/climate/timeline.htm viewed on 24th February 2012.
For more information go to
www.ofqual.gov.uk/plagiarism-students or call in at the Library.
Website
worth
using?
.com = international company
.org = non-profit organization (often a charity) .gov = government .co = company (.uk registered in the UK or .fr registered in France or .cn registered in China) .edu = education .ac = academic(often a university) .lib = library .net = a network of websites
Who is the author of the site?
Is contact information provided?
When was the page last updated?
When was the website created?
Is the site professionally designed?
27
You can ask someone else to proofread your work if you prefer (e.g. Parent, sibling or friend).
If you cannot find any errors you should write ‘proofread’ and sign your piece of extended writing in the coloured pen.
Use a different coloured pen to show your teacher the changes you have made to improve your work.
Proofread: S Hill