Science - Year 8

Science Overview

Term 1: Organisms: Breathing & Digestion

Please note that each 'duo' of topics will take place in the relevant term but may be rotated and therefore not in strict order because of equipment and facility requirements. The structure of the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems and how smoking, diet and drugs etc. can affect the human body. The function of the skeletal and muscular systems to be looked at too. Exploring food groups and how they are important in a balanced diet. The structure of each of the food groups and how all components of a healthy diet are important for energy, growth or repair. Students will develop their working scientifically skills by being able to Understand how scientific ideas have changed. Identify possible consequences to particular habitats. Identify patterns in data

  1. Combined test covering content from topics Organisms: Breathing & Digestion and Reactions: Chemical energy & Types of reaction

Breath

To inhale and exhale air from the lungs.

Respire

In cells a chemical reaction takes place from oxygen in the air and glucose from food. this creates energy, carbon dioxide and water.

Glucose

Glucose is the main type of sugar in the blood and is the major source of energy for the body's cells. Glucose comes from the foods we eat or the body can make it from other substances. Glucose is carried to the cells through the bloodstream.

Starch

A carbohydrate that is the chief form of stored energy in plants, especially wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes.

Trachea (windpipe)

Carries air from the mouth and nose to the lungs.

Bronchi

Two tubes which carry air to the lungs.

Bronchioles

Small tubes in the lung.

Alveoli

Small air sacs found at the end of each bronchiole.

Diaphragm

A sheet of muscle found underneath the lungs.

Lung volume

Measure of the amount of air breathed in or out

Enzymes

Substances that speed up the chemical reactions of digestion.

Small intestine

Upper part of the intestine where digestion is completed and nutrients are absorbed by the blood

Large intestine

Lower part of the intestine from which water is absorbed and where faeces are formed.

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Term 1: Matter: Periodic Table and Elements

Please note that each 'duo' of topics will take place in the relevant term but may be rotated and therefore not in strict order because of equipment and facility requirements. Looking at the concept and definitions of atoms and elements. Looking at the structure of the periodic table, how it was constructed and element symbols. Using the particle model to explain the properties of different elements and what happens when atoms combine. Identifying compounds Vs elements. Using formulae to describe compounds and introducing symbol equations to describe reactions. Comparing compounds to mixtures (e.g melting / boiling curves for pure / impure substances & looking at separating mixtures & solutions). Students will develop their working scientifically skills by being able to Suggest a scientific reason for your findings. Suggest other possible conclusions that could be drawn from your data. Suggest how the question being investigated can be safely explored in a school science laboratory.

  1. Combined test covering content from topics Electromagnet - Voltage and Resistance & Matter - Periodic table and Elements
Atom

The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist.

Particle

One of the extremely small constituents of matter, as an atom or nucleus.

Element

What all substances are made up of, and which contain only one type of atom.

Molecules

Two to thousands of atoms joined together. Most non-metals exist either as small or giant molecules.

Compound

A thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture

Chemical formula

Shows the elements present in a compound and their relative proportions.

Periodic table

Shows all the elements arranged in rows and columns.

Physical properties

Features of a substance that can be observed without changing the substance itself.

Chemical properties

Features of the way a substance reacts with other substances.

Groups

Columns of the Periodic table.

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Term 2: Reactions: Chemical Energy & Types of Reactions

Please note that each 'duo' of topics will take place in the relevant term but may be rotated and therefore not in strict order because of equipment and facility requirements. Exploring the chemical properties of metal and non-metal elements. Using word and symbol equations. Using these reactions to create a reactivity series for group 1 (and other) elements. Looking at the chemistry in the environment, chemical weathering, soils, ores as a source of metals and minerals, water, carbon and nitrogen cycles & the effects of human activities on the atmosphere & environment. Looking at the chemistry behind materials science and the production of chemicals and new materials Students will develop their working scientifically skills by being able to Identify features of an investigation which are hazardous. Determine the nature of the hazard. Suggest the likelihood of that happening. Identify ways of reducing the hazard. Identify an observation that could be recorded or measured over time.

  1. Combined test covering content from topics Organisms: Breathing & Digestion and Reactions: Chemical energy & Types of reaction
Fuel

Stores energy in a chemical store which it can release as heat.

Chemical reaction

A change in which a new substance is formed.

Physical change

One that changes the physical properties of a substance, but no new substance is formed.

Reactants

Substances that react together, shown before the arrow in an equation.

Products

Substances formed in a chemical reaction, shown after the reaction arrow in an equation.

Conserved

When the quantity of something does not change after a process takes place.

Catalysts

Substances that speed up chemical reactions but are unchanged at the end.

Exothermic reaction

One in which energy is given out, usually as heat or light.

Endothermic reaction

One in which energy is taken in, usually as heat.

Chemical bond

Force that holds atoms together in molecules.

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Term 2: Waves: Effects & Properties

Please note that each 'duo' of topics will take place in the relevant term but may be rotated and therefore not in strict order because of equipment and facility requirements. Building on knowledge of light. Representing light as a ray that can be reflected, refracted, diffracted and split. This links to the electromagnetic spectrum and the science of colour (appearance, absorption and transmission). Build on knowledge of sound and hearing. Explaining how and why the ear works and why sound needs a medium to travel through. Also looking at the dangers of loud sounds to our hearing. Students will develop their working scientifically skills by being able to Express a linear relationship between variables in the form ‘When... doubles then... also doubles’. Record observations using scientific words. Decide if a diagram might help the explanation. Suggest a scientific idea that might explain the observation. Describe the evidence for your idea.

  1. Combined test reviewing learning from all topics taught so far
Waves

Vibrations that transport energy from place to place without transporting matter.

Transverse wave

Where the direction of vibration is perpendicular to that of the wave.

Transmission:

Where waves travel through a medium rather than being absorbed or reflected.

Ultrasound

Sound waves with frequencies higher than the human auditory range

Ultraviolet (UV)

Waves with frequencies higher than light, which human eyes cannot detect.

Spectrum

A band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.

Refract

(of water, air, or glass) Make (a ray of light) change direction when it enters at an angle.

Pressure wave

An example is sound, which has repeating patterns of high-pressure and low-pressure regions.

Reflect

(of a surface or body) Throw back (heat, light, or sound) without absorbing it.

Disperse

Distribute or spread over a wide area.

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Term 3: Earth: Climate and Resources

Earth - 1. Climate 2. Earth Resources Continuing from the structure of the Earth in YR 7, students will learn about the carbon cycle and evaluate the impacts that global warming has on the earth. Students will research how to extract and recycle materials.

  1. 30 mark assessment.
Global Warming

The gradual increase in surface temperature of the Earth.

Fossil Fuels

Remains of dead organisms that are burned as fuels, releasing carbon dioxide.

Greenhouse Effect

When energy from the sun is transferred to the thermal energy store of gases in Earth's atmosphere.

Natural Resources

Materials from the Earth which act as raw materials for making a variety of products.

Mineral

Naturally occurring metal or metal compound.

Ore

Naturally occurring rock containing sufficient minerals for extraction.

Recycle

Processing a material so that it can be used again.

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Term 3: Energy: Work, Heating & Cooling

Please note that each 'duo' of topics will take place in the relevant term but may be rotated and therefore not in strict order because of equipment and facility requirements. Work done and energy transfer are studied in this topic. Students will learn about input forces and output forces and will look at the use of levers and pulleys. Students will also study thermal energy and will lean how methods of thermal insulation work in terms of conduction, convection and radiation. Students will develop their working scientifically skills by being able to Identify a dependent variable

Identify an independent variable, Decide how to vary the independent variable between planned values. Decide how to measure the dependent variable. List all the variables that could affect the dependent variable. Select important control variables. Identify how to control each control variable. List variables you cannot control. Plan method.

  1. 30 mark assessment.
Work

The transfer of energy when a force moves an object, in joules.

Lever

A type of machine which is a rigid bar that pivots about a point.

Output force

The force that is applied to the object moved by the machine.

Displacement

The distance an object moves from its original position.

Thermal conductor

Material that allows heat to move quickly through it.

Thermal insulator

Material that only allows heat to travel slowly through it.

Conduction

Transfer of thermal energy by the vibration of particles.

Radiation

Transfer of thermal energy as a wave.

Convection

Transfer of thermal energy when particles in a heated fluid rise

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Term 4: Ecosystems: Respiration and Photosynthesis

Students will study the processes of respiration and photosynthesis. They will study aerobic and anaerobic respiration and will look at the adaptations of plants for carrying out photosynthesis. Students will also look at the process of respiration, including how it relates to photosynthesis.

  1. 30 mark assessment
Aerobic respiration

Breaking down glucose with oxygen to release energy and producing carbon dioxide and water.

Anaerobic respiration

Releasing energy from the breakdown of glucose without oxygen, producing lactic acid (in animals) and ethanol and carbon dioxide (in plants and microorganisms).

Fertilisers

Chemicals containing minerals that plants need to build new tissues.

Photosynthesis

A process where plants and algae turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose and release oxygen.

Chlorophyll

Green pigment in plants and algae which absorbs light energy.

Stomata

Pores in the bottom of a leaf which open and close to let gases in and out.

Gaseous Exchange

The movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide into and out of the leaf

Diffusion

The random movement of particles from a region of high concentration to low.

Osmosis

The movement of water from a region of high water content to a region of low water content.

Adaptations

Variations in structure to enable an organism to be better suited to a particular function, or to it's environment.

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Term 4: Forces: Contact Forces and Pressure

Students will develop their knowledge of forces by studying contact forces such as friction and drag. They will look at compression and stretching of different materials. They will also learn about pressure in different substances and explain observations where the effects of forces are different because of differences in the area over which they apply.

  1. 30 mark assessment
Equilibrium

State of an object when opposing forces are balanced.

Deformation

Changing shape due to a force.

Linear relationship

When two variables are graphed and show a straight line which goes through the origin, and they can be called proportional.

Resultant force

Single force which can replace all the forces acting on an object and have the same effect.

Newton

Unit for measuring forces (N).

Friction

Force opposing motion which is caused by the interaction of surfaces moving over one another. It is called 'drag' if one is a fluid.

Fluid

A substance with no fixed shape, a gas or a liquid.

Pressure

The ratio of force to surface area, in N/m2 , and how it causes stresses in solids.

Upthrust

The upward force that a liquid or gas exerts on a body floating in it.

Atmospheric pressure

The pressure caused by the weight of the air above a surface.

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Term 5: Genes: Inheritance and Evolution

How traits and characteristics are inherited. The applications of this knowledge in selective breeding and genetic engineering. Looking at environmental variation in more detail. There are two topics for each half term. Pairs will not necessarily be taught in the order that they are listed here - topics may be taught on a rotational basis.

  1. End of term assessment 30 marks
Gene

A unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

DNA

A molecule found in the nucleus of cells that contains genetic information.

Chromosomes

Thread-like structures containing tightly coiled DNA.

Inherited characteristics

Features that are passed from parents to their offspring.

Population

Group of organisms of the same kind living in the same place.

Extinct

When no more individuals of a species remain.

Biodiversity

The variety of living things. It is measured as the differences between individuals of the same species, or the number of different species in an ecosystem.

Competition

When two or more living things struggle against each other to get the same resource.

Mutation

The changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form which may be transmitted to subsequent generations.

Evolution

Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, often resulting in the development of new species.

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Term 5: Magnets and Electromagnets

Students will study electromagnetism and look at the use of solenoids and current in changing the strength of an electromagnet. They will also look at magnet fields and make predictions about magnetic materials.

  1. End of term assessment 30 marks
Electromagnet

A non-permanent magnet turned on and off by controlling the current through it.

Solenoid

Wire wound into a tight coil, part of an electromagnet.

Core

Soft iron metal which the solenoid is wrapped around.

Magnetic Force

Non-contact force from a magnet on a magnetic material.

Permanent Magnet

An object that is magnetic all of the time.

Magnetic Poles

The ends of a magnetic field, called north-seeking (N) and south-seeking poles (S).

Field

The area where other objects feel a gravitational force.

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Term 6: End of year revision, tests, maths skills/working scientifically

Up to the end year test will include revision of topics so far. After the end of year exam students will apply key scientific approaches to different investigations that include mathematical skills

  1. End of year examination
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