Curriculum Overview Half Term 2
9
Dear Parent/Carer,
In the following booklet you should find an overview of what your child will be studying this half term in school. We’ve included key details on what they will be looking at in each subject, how they’ll be assessed and what they might do to further develop their understanding. The aim is for this to make it easier for you to work with the school supporting your child with their work.
All lessons last for one hour. In Year 9, students study the following subjects:
• English, Maths and Science – three lessons per week per subject
• Geography, History, Physical Education, First language option and Second language option – two lessons per week per subject
• Art, Design Technology, Food & Textiles, Music and Religious Education – one lesson per week per subject
The information for each subject is categorised as follows:
Topics / tasks: This is the overview of the topics Year 9 students will be covering this half term.
Content and skills: This explains what areas students will be looking at, and the skills they will be developing during the half term.
Assessment: This explains how students will be assessed on their understanding of this topic.
Stretch and challenge: This gives suggestions of how students can explore this area in more detail if they wish.
Art
Topics / tasks: Year 9 Concept Art & Biomorphic Architecture
Summary of first half term: Pupils have revisited the principles of sketching with a focus on human proportions and drawing figures in different poses. They have made a start on creating a personal response to the title, collecting a range of visual references and potential starting points in designing either a costume, vehicle and building in relation to a chosen theme.
Content and skills:
An individual approach to this project is being encouraged. The open-endedness of the project lends itself well to pupils engaging with a project in a way not experienced before. The more a pupil puts into this project, the more they will get back in return. Independence and creative thinking are strongly encouraged, alongside the development of technical drawing. GCSE style investigation pages will be created as part of the exploration of artist’s work, with links to the creative industries made. Pupils will begin the process of investigating the journey artists/designers have made from school into the creative industries.
Creating story boards and electronic portfolio sheets introduced and developed all year. Reviewing their own work and the work of others with reference to the formal elements of art & design.
Assessment:
Pupils will receive feedback throughout the lesson with teacher/pupil conversations. Positive developmental comments will be shared as the work progresses. Work uploaded to Teams will receive acknowledgement and developmental comments when appropriate. Basic technical skills will be assessed, but not over the imaginative and creative. Control of materials and understanding of the formal elements will be mapped and used in relation to feedback. During any absence, pupils are encouraged to send images of their work for feedback via Teams.
Stretch and challenge:
Creating a more extensive portfolio of work, challenging themselves in the subject matter drawn. Taking greater risks and exploring the use of texture and space through more creative drawing techniques. Examples provided.
Further reading by exploring art museum websites and identifying artists the student likes. To then create outcomes and annotation based on these new artists without teacher direction.
Computing
Topics / tasks: What is it like to study GCSE Business or Creative iMedia? Entrepreneurs and media moguls – what does it take to be successful in business? Working to a brief and developing an idea
Fundamentals of business:
• Enterprise and entrepreneurs – characteristic – can you identify them?
• Secondary research and fact checking skills are you sure they are a Billionaire (Forbes magazine!)
• Marketing and market segmentation why is this so important to business? How do we “segment” customers?
• Promotional strategies which are the most effective for your target market why?
• Present your findings in a suitable format using key terms and definitions
Content and skills:
Python Turtle:
• Students will take their first steps with the programming language Python to draw shapes, patterns, and spirals. They will use a module named Turtle and along the way learn how to think in sequences and use loops in order to repeat a sequence. We will then develop their understanding of loops covering for loops, while loops and nested loops. This will provide a great steppingstone from a visual programming language like Scratch to the text based environment of Python.
Visualisation diagrams (iMedia):
• How to structure and develop a visualisation diagram to meet the needs of your client (links to industry)
Assessment: R/A/G rating for topics – verbal feedback (discussions relating to option choices) Teams form assessment / 12
Stretch and challenge:
What is your all time favourite marketing campaign? Show images, link to the advert (if they had one). Who do you think it is aimed at (target audience)? Why?
Design (draw) and fully annotate (colours, fonts, text, Dolby label, barcode etc.) a CD cover for a band of your choice. The CD must reflect their style and album content.
Design Technology
Design Technology projects take place over the course of an entire term; this work therefore covers until Christmas.
Topics / tasks: CAD/CAM key ring and holder or Clock
Depending on rooming, students will either start a sustainable travel game project (computer room) or begin making a sustainable money box (workshop).
CAD/CAM key ring and holder Clock
Content and skills:
• Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of CAD/CAM
• Use CAD/CAM to develop prototypes
• Conduct a comprehensive product analysis
• Understand the importance of Health and Safety when working in a workshop.
• Investigate a variety of design styles and use them to inspire design ideas
• Learn how to use a variety of tools and equipment to measure, mark out, cut and shape materials
Assessment:
Stretch and challenge:
• There will be a variety of assessments including assessing quality of completed practical work and ability to complete investigation in the form of a product analysis task.
• Students’ work will also be monitored safely throughout each lesson, thus ensuring that students are working to the best of their ability.
• Students should familiarise themselves with the use of CAD/CAM in industry
• Investigate a wider range of design movements and key designers I.e. Memphis and Dyson
Topics / tasks: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Reading
Content and skills:
English
• Studying the social, historical and cultural contexts of John Steinbeck.
• Studying the character development of key characters.
• Studying the novella genre and analysing the literary methods used by Steinbeck.
• Inferring and deducing meaning and viewpoint in a text
• Selecting and applying relevant evidence
• Communicating clearly and structuring a written response
Creating Characters
Writing
• Writing to describe and narrate.
• Studying grammar for writing, including using vocabulary, sentence types and punctuation.
• Studying and applying a range of linguistic methods to create character.
• Developing and structuring a range of imaginative ideas.
Assessment: Writing an essay to explore a key theme in Of Mice and Men. Writing a description of a character.
Stretch and challenge:
Use this online study guide to develop your understanding of key quotations, characterisation and themes in Of Mice and Men. Study creative and narrative writing skills here.
Food & Textiles
Topics / tasks: Theory Practical
Depending on rooming, students will either start a Food Preparation and Nutrition project or begin a Textiles project.
Textiles
Food Preparation and Nutrition
• Recap students understanding of health and safety in the cooking and preparation of food
• Recap on the safety of using the equipment in the Textiles room students use a wider range of equipment more independently in year 9
Content and skills:
• Specific dishes have been chosen for students to cook to build upon the skills they gained in year 8, to challenge them and give them a wide variety of skills
• Students will learn a range of theory topics: effects of fast food, how key nutrients are used in the body, scientific processes that happen during cooking e.g. gluten formation and how PH effects the cooking process
• Design and create a textiles product independently using a commercial pattern
• Students will carry out an iterative project that will build on their skills of developing products for a specific customer with specific needs
• Students will learn a range of theory topics: What markings are on a textiles pattern, an introduction to isometric drawing, different methods of manufacture
Assessment:
Students are encouraged to adapt projects and recipes using the knowledge gained throughout the completion of their projects.
There will be a variety of assessments including assessing quality of completed practical work. Students’ work will also be monitored throughout each lesson, to ensure that students are working to the best of their ability. Stretch and challenge:
French
Topics / tasks:
Parents jobs and own future job Future relationships (marriage/ cohabitation/ staying single/ ideal partner) Having children
Content and skills: Students will be taught the simple future tense and how to understand near cognates when listening. They will learn how to prepare for a Photo Card in the GCSE speaking assessment.
Assessment: Students will have weekly vocabulary and or grammar tests. Formal Listening, Reading and Translation Assessment.
Stretch and challenge: Doing the interactive exercises and extra worksheets for units 1.2G/F/H on the Kerboodle website. Practising listening skills and expanding knowledge of vocabulary by watching FrenchPod101 Listening on YouTube.
Geography
Topics / tasks: Development Content and skills:
Students will complete the topic of development by examining contrasting case studies of two countries at differing levels of development before investigating the internal development gap within the UK, its causes and impacts as well as assessing the ways it can be reduced. Students will then examine the causes of poverty and the emergence of shanty towns or slums in the fast growing cities of the world.
Assessment: An end of unit test on the topic of Development.
Stretch and challenge:
Investigate the inequality in the UK. This page from Oxfam has a range of useful articles to help: viewsvoices.oxfam.org.uk/topic/inequality/poverty in the uk/
Read “The Divide A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions” by Jason Hickel.
Topics / tasks: Free Time and Media
German
Students will be developing their grammar and writing skills. Students will also develop their reading skills, in particular, how to elicit key information. Students will practise how to learn new vocabulary, recognise cognates and how to use a variety of vocabulary. Students will learn how to conjugate new verbs and use verbs in different tenses. Students will improve their grammar skills, using regular and irregular verbs, modal verbs, German word order and past/present/ future/ conditional tenses, connectives as well as question words.
Students will:
Content and skills:
· use the verbs “to watch, to go, to read, to surf” in past, present, future and conditional tenses
· express opinions about films, books and the cinema
· use the imperfect tense of “haben” and “sein”
· use modal verbs (to be able to, to be allowed to, to have to, to want to and to like)
· use this (dieser/ diese/ dieses)
· use relative clauses and relative pronouns (who/which/that)
· use questions words (wann, wo , wie, wie viel, warum, was, wer,…)
· ask and answer questions (verb first)
· use connectives
· pronounce: o, ö
Assessment: Demonstrating their knowledge in vocabulary and grammar tests as well as a formal assessment in listening, reading and translation on the topic of free time and media.
Stretch and challenge: Learn more vocabulary on the topics of free time and media, learn the German verb tables and practise German word order in main and sub clauses.
Content and skills:
Assessment:
Stretch and challenge:
History
Students will investigate different groups and explore their struggles to gain representation and equality, both in Britain and the British Empire:
• The experience of slaves, slave revolts, the campaign for abolition and the legacy of slavery
• The experience of the working classes during the 19th century and campaigns for male suffrage;
• The experience of women during the nineteenth century and the campaign for women’s suffrage
Students will develop their essay writing skills. By investigating the different legacies of Empire students will practice independent research, forming clear judgements, explaining points and supporting points with evidence. They will learn to compare different points/factors and write counter arguments.
Writing an essay. Students will explain how the experience and legacy of the British Empire impacted upon three different groups of people. They will use evidence and detail gathered from lessons and their own research to explain the different impacts of the Empire on different groups.
Watching the documentary series Enslaved, currently available on iPlayer.
Watching the films Peterloo and Suffragette, available through Amazon Prime
Reading The Peterloo Massacre by Robert Reid.
Topics / tasks: How did the powerless gain equality in Britain?
Latin
Topics / tasks: Religion in Roman Egypt. Pronouns & imperatives.
How the culture of Roman Egypt combined elements of Greek, Roman and Egyptian traditions.
Content and skills:
Tackling increasingly complex sentences, with a variety of pronouns and different verb types; how to analyse the structure of a sentence in order to translate it accurately; learning the endings for the whole of the 3rd declension.
Assessment: An assessment on the Roman Empire, in addition to regular vocabulary & grammar tests.
Stretch and challenge:
Reading about Roman religion and beliefs. There is a selection of suitable books available for students to borrow.
Topics / tasks: All about me
Mandarin
Content and skills:
Students will learn new vocabulary relevant to the topic. They will be able to apply this through speaking, listening, reading and writing tasks. They will learn how to describe people’s appearance using ‘verb-adjectives’ and be able to talk about daily routine using different time words.
Assessment: Weekly vocabulary test. There will be one formal assessment of reading listening and translation skills.
Stretch and challenge:
Learn more about Chinese characters. Understand one character having more than one meaning.
Topics / tasks:
Expanding Brackets Factorising Substitution Solving Linear Equations Forming and solving linear equations Inequalities
Maths
Content and skills:
• Revision and consolidation of previously learned skills
• Extension of skills to unfamiliar contexts
• Reasoning and problem solving skills
Assessment: Half term assessment 2
Stretch and challenge:
• Complete extra work using www.hegartymaths.com and www.corbettmaths.com
• Completing enrichment tasks on www.nrich.maths.org
Music
Topics / tasks: Minimalism Rock & Roll
Content and skills:
Exploring contextual and musical aspects of minimalism Using the elements of music to analyse minimalist composition
Writing ostinatos for form a layered minimalist piece
Assessment:
Composing a layered minimalist piece using ostinatos Completing assessed listening activities, which will enable pupils to reveal an understanding of the key features of Minimalism
Stretch and challenge: Research the music and influence of the Minimalist pioneer Terry Riley
Exploring the cultural history of Rock & Roll Using the elements of music to analyse the main musical characteristic of the Rock & Roll genre
Learning the primary chords on guitar
Performing a Rock & Roll song using guitar
Completing assessed listening activities, which will enable pupils to reveal an understanding of the key features of Rock & Roll, including its social context
Research the many cover versions of a Rock & Roll song, analysing the musical similarities and differences
Physical Education
Topics / tasks: Fitness activities and invasion game skills.
Content and skills: Maintaining levels of cardio vascular fitness, power and agility. Also refining games skills including increasing the range of passing and defensive skills.
Assessment: A timed cross country run and a conditioned game.
Stretch and challenge: Attending extra curricular clubs and participating in sports clubs outside school.
Religious Education
In Year 9, students begin studying for their GCSE qualification in R.E; they will sit the examination at the end of Year 11. At GCSE students follow the Eduqas exam board specification.
Topics / tasks: GCSE Theme 4: Religious responses to issues related to human rights.
Content and skills:
Pupils will study this theme looking exclusively at Judaism and Christianity and the support they offer for upholding human rights and social justice. They will become familiar with what human rights entail. They will look at and explore key human right abuses people trafficking, slavery, genocide.
Pupils will be expected to consider specific issues of wealth and poverty, racial prejudice and discrimination.
Assessment:
Pupils will have a range of GCSE type assessments to complete in class. These concentrate on accurate understanding of key vocabulary, the ability to link the influence of belief to action, an ability to make detailed comparisons between the two religions studied and to evaluate a point of view and relate their religious knowledge to enrich the answer they make.
All Year 9 students will sit a 30 minute in class assessment at the end of Term 1 under exam conditions.
Stretch and challenge: Visit online reference sites such as: Wikipedia, Britannica and the BBC Bite Size website
Science: Biology
Topics / tasks: Cells and Microscopes / Plant Structure and Function
Knowledge Cells and Microscopes
• Detailed structure of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
• Functions of subcellular components
• Magnification and resolution
• Specialised cells
Content and skills:
• Structure of DNA
Plant Structure and Function
• Plants as producers in food chains
• Factors affecting photosynthesis
• Roots and water uptake
• Xylem and transpiration
• Leaf structure
• Improving crop yields
Skills
• Learning to use a microscope
• Preparing a specimen for observation
• Making a drawing of a cell
• Calculations involving magnification
• Converting between units
• Expressing numbers in standard form
• Testing leaves for starch
• Observing stomata using microscopes
• Pondweed simulation
Assessment: Two written short answer tests: one at the end of the Cells and Microscopes topic and one at the end of the Plant Structure and Function topic
Stretch and challenge: Finding out how DNA codes for proteins. By joining the virtual science club: email Mrs Gibb to join the online science team. I.Gibb@durhamjohnston.org.uk
Science: Chemistry
Topics / tasks: Chemical reactions
Knowledge
Content and skills:
• Reactivity Series
• Displacement Reactions
• State Symbols
• Conservation of Mass
• Reacting Masses
• Energy in Reactions
Assessment: End of unit written test with recall and application questions.
Skills Safety in practical work
Making patterns based on predictions
Writing and balancing symbol equations
Stretch and challenge:
By joining the virtual science club: email Mrs Gibb to join the online science team. I.Gibb@durhamjohnston.org.uk
Science: Physics
Topics / tasks: Forces and Motion, Fields and Electromagnets
Knowledge Forces and Motion
• Turning Forces
Content and skills:
• Work Done linked to force and distance Fields and Electromagnets
• Magnetic and gravitational fields
• Static electricity
• Circuits and current
• Electromagnets
Assessment: Written short answer test at the end of the Forces and Motion topic
Stretch and challenge:
Skills
• Rearranging and using equations to calculate numerical answers
• Analysing graphs to find information
• Using scientific models to explain observations
• Drawing and using scientific diagrams with Forces
By joining the virtual science club: email Mrs Gibb to join the online science team. I.Gibb@durhamjohnston.org.uk
Content and skills:
Assessment:
Stretch and challenge:
Spanish
They will learn how to use possessive adjectives and learn additional adjectives. They will learn the vocabulary of relationships within a family and learn how to talk about future partners. They will learn how to extend sentences using ‘y ‘and ‘que’ which will allow students to score in the highest language band in assessment.
Using opinions from Year 8, students will learn how to give opinions in different ways and revise how to form the future tense. Most students should recognise this from term 3 of Year 8 (holidays)
Grammar homework worksheets and class tests to revise and consolidate the immediate future tense. Students will test their listening and reading skills in class and be given instant feedback. Formal assessment will be in the form of Listening, Reading and Translation.
As they move into term 2 students should now be confident with: subject pronouns Regular present tense and some irregulars SER/IR/TENER/ESTAR reflexive verbs the immediate future tense
Trying to identify the future tense in listening tasks and written passages. Students will be given guidance as to how to tackle a reading task GCSE style looking for cognates and choosing carefully which words to look up and memorise. Most students will be confident writing in present and the immediate future tense. Some students could try to use these tenses side by side in speaking and writing. Their class teacher will guide students to KERBOODLE tasks to stretch and challenge.
Topics / tasks: Learn how to use the language and transferable skills from the first half term to describe a boyfriend or girlfriend or future partner.