Harris Academy Riverside
Science Curriculum of study: Key Stage 3
Year 8 Yearly Overview (Long Term Plan)
Half-term 1
Teacher 1 – YR 7 Revision
Universe, Human
reproduction
Teacher 2 – Periodic table
and Energy transfer
The purpose of this first term
of year 8 is to revision some
of the fundamentals again
from year 7, to core
knowledge is begin secured
into long term memory.
Students will also look at the
periodic table, identifying the
names of the groups in the
periodic table and will begin
to compare the similarities
and differences between
different elements. Within
the energy transfer topic,
teachers will support our
students learn about the
stores of energy and prove
that energy is always
conserved. Students will link
these topics to prior
knowledge in year 7, creating
further opportunities to
develop their mental models
of biology, chemistry and
physics.
Half-Term 2
Teacher 1 – Metals and Non-
metals
Teacher 2 – Breathing
The purpose of these topics is
to build on prior knowledge
from year 7 and 8. Within
Chemistry, students will recall
neutralisation reactions and the
periodic table to understand the
reactions that take place
between metals and non-
metals. We will provide
opportunities to develop
practical skills further, by asking
students to write observation
from reactions and deduce
what products they believe to
be created.
In Biology our students will
study the process of breathing.
They will revisit cells and
movement to look at how our
body moved to allow the gas
exchange within lungs. We will
look at the importance of gas
exchange which will act has a
foundation to the GCSE
knowledge of transport in cells
in year 10.
Half-Term 3
Teacher 1 – Digestion and
Pressure
Teacher 2 – Contact forces
In HT3 our students will have a
focus on Physics. Our students
will understand the forces can
change the shape, speed or
direction of an object. They will
investigate how surface area
affects the pressure on an object.
We will also look at the
differences between contact and
non-contact forces.
It is important that students
learn this now as in HT6 students
will look at magnets and
electromagnets, therefore they
need to have an understand of
what forces can do on objects.
Half-Term 4
Teacher 1 – Respiration and
Work
Teacher 2 - Photosynthesis
The purpose of this half term
is for our students to learn
about the differences between
respiration and breathing.
They will understand the
intricacies of gas exchange and
once again link this to cell
biology to understand what
specialised cells aid this
process. Photosynthesis is an
excellent topic for our
students to see the links
between all three disciplines,
they will understand the
process of photosynthesis and
link this to the topic of energy
in physics and chemical
reactions in chemistry.
Students will also begin
identifying factors that affect
the rate of photosynthesis and
will be given the opportunity
to investigate it.
Half-Term 5
Teacher 1 – Types of Reaction
Teacher 2 Chemical energy and
heating and Cooling
During HT5, our students will
revisit past chemistry topics and
expand their knowledge to
comparing the nuances between
different types of reactions.
Student will be provided with
opportunities to compare
complete and incomplete
combustion, as well as oxidation
reactions. Our students will also
study chemical energy and
heating and cooling, both energy
topics create excellent
opportunities to expand their
mental models of both chemistry
and physics. Students will study
the energy involved in breaking
and making bonds between
particles (chemistry) which can
then be linked to heating and
cooling where bonds have to be
broken for substances to change
state.
Half-Term 6
Teacher 1 – Magnets and
Electromagnets
Teacher 2 - Evolution
In HT6 we will allow students to
make the connections between
forces and magnets and
electromagnets. Students will
understand that magnetism is a
non-contact force but it still has the
ability to change an objects shape,
direction or speed. They will
investigate how we can use
electricity to change the strength of
an electromagnet.
Within Biology our students will
look at the topic of Evolution. This
is an excellent topics for students
to think about how science has
changed. They will begin to have an
appreciation for how much of an
increasingly technological society
we are. They will learn about
theories and why peer review is
such an important tool in the field
of scientific discovery.