Science

‘See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.’ - Isaiah 49:16

Our Vision and Intent

Laudato Si’ Pope Francis: “If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously”

As a Faculty we are united in our vision to inspire young people through stimulating their curiosity in the world around them, their sense of awe and wonderment of our own existence and the wider universe yet to be explored. At the heart of our teaching lies creativity and ensuring a safe space for our youngsters to question and challenge their ideas. Consequently, our science curriculum needs to go beyond simply the National Curriculum, be spontaneous to be free to respond to our pupil’s enthusiasm and to help them flourish and develop their natural talents.

 At the core of our value system is to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare them for challenges they may face in the future both in the workplace and personally.

 

Within the Catholic ethos of our school community Science must also instil a sense of stewardship through creating a platform for “a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet” ( Pope Francis, Laudato Si)

 

Our ongoing curriculum evaluation will always strive towards academic excellence to provide pupils with the best possible outcome but we are also passionate about adapting our Science pathways to be more inclusive for all our learners.

 

• The Science Faculty delivers a 5 year Programme of Study which bridges the transition from KS2 across KS3 to KS4. This is mapped to provide a broad and extensive curriculum pathway which facilitates pupils progress along their journey through our school community which leads to academic success and prepares them to embrace life beyond school.
• Throughout Year 7 and 8 pupils will cover a broad curriculum stretched over 10 ‘Big Ideas’, each of which is broken down into subtopics. They will learn to observe, analyse and evaluate through laboratory practical work. They will also learn how to solve basic scientific mathematical problems, draw graphs and learn to plan and organise this scientific work. Literacy will also be incorporated through the understanding and spelling of keywords.

Science Curriculum Plans

 

Literacy (including subject vital vocab)

Literacy skills in science enable students to extend and show what they know. By explicitly teaching students how to get more meaning out of texts, strengthens their reading skills, gives students the tools to overcome their limitations, enables greater independence hence raises their level of achievement. We regularly use planned formal talk before asking them to engage in written activities to help them develop their ideas and rehearse what they are thinking. This improves their understanding which in turn strengthens their writing. By explicitly modelling writing, we show students what we expect from them and provide the framework for them to achieve. This reduces common misconceptions and creates greater opportunities for assessment for learning and constructive feedback to move their learning forward.

Through focus on vital vocabulary in our science curriculum, we help students reflect on how well they know key vocabulary prior to reading about a topic and make better connections within their learning which, improves their comprehension. Moving through our 5-year curriculum plan, we give students extensive opportunities to practise and embed these skills.

This interleaving better supports their ability to synthesise the core concepts across our broad science curriculum and apply their ideas and understanding to new contexts. It is of course essential that our students can do this to access the examination material to achieve their full potential at GCSE level. However, it is also important to us that our students can appreciate and engage with scientific issues which impact their lives on both a local and global scale beyond school.

On the school twitter account there is an extensive list of Science key words and their definitions.  This is a glossary for the pupils to use - twitter.com/BSM_Science

Click here for our Subject Vital Vocab 

Click here for our recommended reading list

Revision/supporting materials 

BBC Bitesize Science: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z7nygk7

Collins connect: https://connect.collins.co.uk/school/portal.aspx

PhET simulations: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/browse

Youtube - Free science lessons: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqbOeHaAUXw9Il7sBVG3_bw

Youtube – Science and Maths by Primrose Kitten:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBgvmal8AR4QIK2e0EfJwaA

Youtube – FuseSchool - Global Education: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3wWlfGUijnRIf745lRl2A

Youtube – Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell: https://www.youtube.com/user/Kurzgesagt

GCSE Pod: https://www.gcsepod.com/

Periodic table by RSC

Star walk

Hologo

Quizlet

Careers and progression

Studying science equips you with attributes which are highly desirable for future employment, such as communication skills, teamwork, problem solving, initiative, planning and organisation, analytical skills and self management. 

A science qualification ‘opens up’ so many doors, both in careers with clear science roles and those where it may not seem so obvious [hairdressing, building, gardening as examples]. 

Science linked careers include: 

Medical, Analytical, Forensics, Construction, Agriculture and Environment, Veterinary science, Nuclear industry, Armed Forces, Teacher, Electrician, Pharmacist, Meteorologist, Surveyor, Astronomer, Food Scientist – the list is endless!

Links to Science careers:

STEM https://www.stem.org.uk/stem-careers    http://stemcareer.com/students/

Science Buddies https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers

New Scientist https://jobs.newscientist.com/

Science Career Pathways  http://www.sciencecareerpathways.com/career-resources/