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MAIDENHILL SCHOOL

YEAR 8 CURRICULUM 2017-18

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YEAR 8 CURRICULUM The National Curriculum is organised into 5 key stages.

Key Stage Ages

1 2 3 4 5

5-7 7-11 11-14 14-16 16-18

Students in Year 8 are in the second year of Key Stage 3 and continue to study a wide range of subjects which are English, mathematics, science, art and design, design and technology, French, geography, history, computing, music and physical education. Students are also taught drama and religious studies, and they have a regular learning for life lesson (citizenship, personal, social and health education). Some students who have demonstrated that they are capable of studying two languages will also study Spanish. Reviewing, Recording and Reporting Student Progress During the year, your son/daughter’s progress will be reviewed regularly and you will receive a ‘review’ five times a year showing current progress towards their ‘expected GCSE grade’, as well as an attitude to learning profile and an independent study profile. You will also receive a full report on 22nd June 2018.

You will have the opportunity to discuss the progress of your son/daughter at Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 27th February, with each of their subject teachers.

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ART AND DESIGN In art and design, students will use a wide range of media working in both 2 and 3 dimensions. They will be encouraged to develop visual literacy through investigating, making and responding to observation, and imagination. They will be asked to discuss and relate their work to that of artists, crafts persons and designers of the past, present and other cultures. Sketchbooks are a primary resource for work done in the classroom and at home. They will be expected to extend their drawing skills and there will be 2 formal drawing tests to assess progress in this core communication skill.

The schemes of work include opportunities to: Develop mark making and drawing skills in a range of media using the artist Van Gogh as a key focus for study Investigate and express ideas through portraiture by exploring how artists use techniques to evoke character Describe the built environment using a range of approaches to shape, space and perspective Explore shape and form in the natural world developing hand building techniques in clay Develop colour skills, composition and techniques using painting and printmaking to explore cross cultural themes Work in teams to create group art work

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY In Year 8, students continue to develop their design and technology capability. This involves undertaking similar activities to those in Year 7 - focused practical tasks to develop skills, techniques and knowledge; investigations of familiar products and aspects of the design process. All of these will be combined into complete “design and make” assignments.

Students will experience the 3 key design and technology areas: food, resistant materials and textiles.

In food, students will extend their skills, techniques and knowledge of foods by making food products; Cakes and cake products that include the addition of fruits or vegetables and developing basic food preparation skills by cooking a range of main meals dishes. Students will also learn about the origins of food and sustainability.

In textiles students will learn basic graphic/textiles skills. Using resistant materials to design and make a product to include an element of CAD (Computer Aided design).

Whilst studying food, ingredients will need to be organised for practical lessons on a regular basis.

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ENGLISH In English, students are encouraged to develop to the full, their ability to use language confidently, competently and creatively. During Year 8 students experience a variety of schemes of learning designed to develop and extend their ability to:

write for many different purposes

read accurately, fluently and with understanding

develop their communication skills through speaking and listening

use ICT to research and present work appropriately for the intended audience Writing skills such as punctuation, paragraphing and spelling, are revised, reinforced and extended.

The Schemes of learning include:

Narrative Writing: planning a story, developing drafting and re-drafting skills, revising direct speech layout and punctuation Poetry of other Cultures: through reading a range of poets from other cultures, students explore poetic structure and language as well as the cultural

context

“Holes” by Louis Sachar: A range of activities explore narrative techniques and character development

Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’: Active approaches allow students to explore Shakespeare’s use of language and dramatic techniques

Non-fiction: Analysis of non-fiction texts, students explore and analyse techniques used in non-fiction writing

Reading Media Adverts: Through collaborative group tasks, the features of advertising are identified and explored. Students create a media campaign including an advert and poster for a product

Throughout the year students also follow the Accelerated Reader Programme. They are required to complete a reading assessment which gives an accurate reading age. Students then progress through the scheme by reading books and taking individual quizzes that are matched to the student’s reading level.

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HUMANITIES The Humanities department consists of Geography, History and Religious Studies.

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is concerned with the study of places, the human and physical process, which shape these places, and the people who live in them. In addition to key geographical themes, students will also develop a number of skills which will enable the research, presentation and analysis of geographical information.

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

Living world- ecosystems/deserts

Settlement-urban environments

Population change- Case study of China

Population and migration Russia and the Middle East Amazing places - Russia

HISTORY Building on the foundations laid in Year 7, students are encouraged to take greater responsibility for their work. Emphasis is placed on the ability to select relevant information from a range of historical sources such as books, objects, maps, cartoons, pictures, statistical tables, graphs, letters and diaries, and to use it more independently and effectively in diagrams, descriptions and explanations. Students are required to justify their conclusions based on the evidence available. They examine different points of view about historical events, issues and personalities, and consider why such differences are possible. Key ideas studied are similarity and difference; cause and consequence; and change and continuity

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 3 and 4 Term 5 and 6

Life in Tudor England Differences between the lives of rich and poor Tudors

Developments in Church and State 1509-1603 Henry VIII and the dissolution of the Monasteries Bloody Mary The reign of Elizabeth I Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot The English civil war

Ideas, Political Power, Industry and Empire: Britain 1745-1901 The Industrial Revolution Public Health in Industrial Britain The British Empire The Indian Mutiny

Black Peoples of the Americas c1660-1992 Triangular Trade and Life on the Middle Passage What was life like for slaves? The American Civil War and Emancipation Civil Rights and progress for black Americans in the 20th Century

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RELIGIOUS STUDIES In RS, students begin to develop their knowledge and awareness of various belief systems, including their own. Our aim is to provide students with the skills necessary to evaluate and analyse their role in the world and to help them develop into well informed, tolerant young people.

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

The Environment Why should we care for the environment

Beliefs and values Is there a God?

The Environment Why should we care for the environment?

Christianity: Easter Love and forgiveness Do the teachings of Jesus stand the test of time?

Buddhism: Study of world faiths Gotama Buddha – How and why do his experiences and teachings have meaning for people today?

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COMPUTING Students continue to develop their understanding of computing by studying several units that cover coding, internet safety and how computers work. Spreadsheet modelling will be further developed through simulations and the development of ‘what if’ scenarios. Students will also learn how to produce a website using a wide range of software and techniques, and criteria for analysis and assessment of websites will be developed.

Term 1 and 2 Term 3 and 4 Term 5 and 6

1. Refresh of basic skills/logging on as well as introduction of Office 365. 2. Intermediate IT Skills: More advanced skills of mail merge, macros and modelling will be covered. 3. Cyber Security: Students will learn how modern security issues affect their lives including social engineering, viruses and hacking.

4. The Internet and social media: Look at what makes a good website and create their own basic HTML social media page. 5. Computational thinking using the Microbits: Students will follow tutorials and create their own programs using the BBC Microbits.

5. Computer Graphics: Learn what a raster and a vector graphic are and produce the graphics for a leaflet. 6. Begin to learn the basics of python language.

Mentoring and self / teacher assessment will take place at least once per project; Students will keep a log book of all assessments. This may be either printed or online.

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MATHEMATICS

In KS3, all students follow a scheme of work linked to the National Curriculum. The scheme of learning is differentiated by stages so that the Mathematics Curriculum

can be tailored to the individual needs of classes and students. We encourage the approach advocated by the new curriculum that “students who grasp concepts

rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content.”

Students will cover the following topics each year within the KS3 curriculum:

Number: Number & Place Value Geometry: Measurement, Mensuration and Calculation

Number: Calculations Geometry: Properties of Shapes & Construction

Algebra Geometry: Position and Direction

Fractions, Decimals & Percentages Probability

Statistics Ratio & Proportion

Independent study will consist of either a written or online task which should take approximately 30 minutes, these will be given once a week, with the tasks intended to reinforce or extend the work of a lesson. We offer independent study support at lunchtimes which all students are welcome to attend. Students’ learning is assessed after each unit of work, there is also a mid-year and end of year test. Students understanding of the mastery indicators and essential skills are tracked throughout the year in relation to the stage that they are studying.

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MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

FRENCH In Year 8 students extend their language competence in the attainment targets of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students continue to develop skills that will help them in later GCSE studies and further develop their appreciation of the culture of France. Topics will include:

Terms 1 and 2 Terms 3 and 4 Terms 5 and 6

Past Holidays and preferred holidays

Sports and Leisure activities

Perfect (past) tense

Where you live and where you plan to live

French-speaking countries

Your daily routine

What you do to help others

Food and drink

Eating out

Comparing France and Great Britain

Describing features of a country

SPANISH Additionally, some students will begin Spanish for four language lessons a fortnight. Through this new language, they will also develop competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing and develop an appreciation of the culture of Spain and Spanish speaking countries. Topics will include:

Terms 1 and 2 Terms 3 and 4 Terms 5 and 6

Greetings

Classroom Language

Nationality and languages you speak

Family members and pets

Numbers, Days and Dates

School Life

Telling the time

Expressing your opinion

Weather

Free time activities

Daily routine

Describing where you live

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All units follow the WJEC Eduqas GCSE Drama structure of: DEVISING, PERFORMING FROM A TEXT and INTERPRETING THEATRE:

DEVISING a piece of drama for performance

PERFORMING FROM A TEXT

INTERPRETING THEATRE using scripts This then gives a more representative view of the students’ ability to take GCSE Drama.

PERFORMING ARTS

The Performing Arts department consists of the drama, music and media subject areas. At times, through combined and integrated projects, students will work across the subject areas in order to develop their understanding of the similarities and differences between these subjects.

DRAMA Students are encouraged to explore the use of movement, language and space. During the year students begin to take increased responsibility for planning their own work, and for developing character and plot.

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3

Term 4 Terms 5 and 6

Slapstick This project explores a particular genre. By the end of the project, students have created a scene in the style of an old silent black-and-white film, concentrating on physical elements and slapstick.

Pantomime This project is about pantomime. At the end of the project, students perform scenes from Cinderella from a script, using lighting and sound.

Peer Pressure This project looks at the influence of peer groups and the possible consequences of peer group pressure. The devised piece at the end of the project is about someone who is persuaded to do something wrong. The drama is presented as a mixture of freeze frames and improvisation.

Script 1 The aim of this project is to develop a piece of drama using a script. Students are given the opportunity to write and perform their own scripts, based on extracts from plays by Shakespeare.

Script 2 Students will study a published script by an established playwright and interpret scenes in practical work. They will learn about characterisation and theatrical styles. There will be a written component to this unit, in preparation for GCSE.

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MUSIC

Students in Year 8 continue to develop their skills and knowledge in music from a range of cultures and times. The vast majority of activities are practical and involve students in composing and performing work. They will be further encouraged to discuss and write about their work using appropriate vocabulary.

Term 1 and 2 Term 3 and 4 Term 5 and 6

Students will start their journey in the ‘musical futures’. Students will form small bands and learnt to play instruments such as guitars, ukuleles, bass guitars, drums, keyboards and vocal techniques. Students will prepare and perform a song to the rest of the class.

Students will investigate how music can be used to create different moods and contrasts. Compositions will combine all of the musical elements that were learnt in year 7. Students will be encouraged to evaluate work more and use musical vocabulary in their evaluations of their own and others work. Students will also learn how sound effects are used in films and use music technology to compose a sound effects track for a specific scene from a movie.

Students will explore the history and development of music, in particular 12 bar blues. Students will learn the structure of a typical song, be able to perform one and improvise.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION During Year 8, students build on the range of skills learned in Year 7. This involves working individually on skills, both competitively and co-operatively with others. Students will be asked to lead warm-ups and take responsibility for small group practices. Emphasis continues to be given to increasing students’ knowledge of how the body works, personal fitness and a general knowledge of rules and regulations of various sporting activities. Hopefully, work in lessons will lead to a desire to take part in extra-curricular clubs, matches against other schools and participation in physical activities out of school

Term 1 - 4 Term 5 and 6

In games lessons, boys will develop their skills in Rugby and Football and girls will develop their skills in Netball and Football. In their PE lessons students will do blocks of the following: Gymnastics, Health Related Fitness, Cross country, Basketball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Hockey

Athletics Striking and Fielding

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SCIENCE Students follow a course which is based on the Active8 Scheme. The course will be taught on a rotational basis and will include a balance of biological, physical and chemical topics. Research, thinking skills, literacy and numeracy are developed in both lessons and in independent study assignments. There is considerable emphasis on designing and performing scientific investigations. The following topics will be rotated throughout the year:

Biology: Health and lifestyle Ecosystem and processes Adaptation and inheritance

Chemistry: The periodic table Separation techniques Metal and acids The Earth

Physics: Electricity and magnetism Energy Motion and pressure

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LEARNING FOR LIFE Learning for Life is a subject which complements the conventional academic curriculum, but has a very different purpose. It is not about the learning of set content towards an exam but an attempt to encourage young people to reflect on growing up and taking part in society at every level – in families, peer groups, as part of a school community and as citizens of the UK, Europe and the World. The subject is unusual in that there is very little written work – our main aim is to develop discussion, argumentative and listening skills. Learning material always relates to “real world” issues and the aim is to encourage young people to think about issues relating to themselves and their society, to hear other views that may be different to their own, and to become comfortable with challenging other views, and having their own views challenged, in a fair and balanced way There is no formal independent study in the subject although we believe it is essential for students to discuss the issues raised at home, and to take a general interest in issues in the wider world, for example by watching TV news programmes or reading newspapers and current affairs websites.

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

Personal wellbeing – communities

Financial capability Friendships and family Sex and relationships education

Democracy and national government

The law