Parent Information Evening

Year 8

2019-20

Welcome

Thinking Schools – Mr Harvey

Ready to Learn – Mr Francis

Science – Mr Francis

English – Mrs Tetlow

Maths – Mr Francis

PSHE – Mr Francis

Student Expectations – Mrs Gallant

Thinking SchoolsMr Harvey

Year 8

2019-20

Knowledge

Thinking

…aids,

deepens,

enlightens…

…consolidates,

widens,

connects…

SEQUENCING

CAUSATION

PART-TO-

WHOLE

ANALOGIESDEFINING IN

CONTEXT

CLASSIFICATION DESCRIBING

COMPARE &

CONTRAST

Every Question

in

Every Exam

for

Every Subject

Maths – Compare properties of 3D shapes

English – Poetry comparison

Science – Mitosis & Meiosis

PE – Anaerobic vs Aerobic respiration

Art – Mark making techniques

D&T – Textile properties

History – Failure of the Somme vs 3rd Ypres

Geography – Earthquakes in Nepal and Japan

RS – Islam and Christianity

Computing – Microsoft Excel vs Google Sheets

MFL – Writing in different tenses

PSHE – An event from different perspectives

Music – Guitar and a Violin

Business – Profit vs Cash Flow

Sociology – Weber vs Marx Theory

Ready to learnMr Francis

Year 8

2019-20

ScienceMr Francis

Year 8

2019-20

Curriculum Overview• All classes are mixed ability (not taught in forms).• Most classes have one teacher but some have two science teachers who liaise

closely.• Students have six lessons per fortnight.

• Further details about the end of year test date will be sent via Schoolcomsnearer the time.

Topic Assessment

Diet, Digestion & Drugs Test

WavesTest

Respiration & Gaseous Exchange

MetalsTest

Forces

Photosynthesis & Ecosystems

End of Year TestEarth Structure

Magnets & Electricity

Marking and homework expectations

• Homework will be set once a week, check SMHW for details.

• It could be Physics, Chemistry or Biology depending on the current topic.

• All homework will be checked which could include marking by the teacher as well as self and peer assessment.

• Quality of classwork will also be monitored but the teacher.

How to support your child

• Make sure they have a suitable place to work and access to SMHW

• Encourage them to use their KS3 Revision Guide &/OR BBC Bitesize to look over things that they cover in lessons on a weekly basis

• Ask about what they’re doing in science and get them to teach you!

Available online and at most bookshops

This revision guide is useful for preparing for assessments and helping with home learning. It covers Year 7&8 so if you bought

one last year you don’t need a new one.

Tuesdays1.45pm

Room 47All Year 7&8 students welcome

EnglishMrs Tetlow

Year 8

2019-2020

Curriculum Overview

• Year 8 classes are taught in bands in broad ability groups

• 6 lessons a fortnight

5 lessons following schemes of work

1 library and literacy lesson

Curriculum overview

Assessments take place at the end of each unit.

'Evolving English': how our language

has developed over time

'Hideous and Horrible': studying the horror genre

'The Lady of Shalott' and related poetry

George Orwell's Animal Farm

Media and the power of

advertising

A stage adaptation of a novel

Expectations in English

• You must use capital letters for names, places, and sentence starters.

• All sentences must begin with a capital letter and end with a full-stop, question mark or exclamation mark.

• Question marks and exclamation marks must be used accurately.

• You must take care with your presentation. Write in a blue or black handwriting pen, write the title and date, do not doodle or scribble on your book.

• You must have a reading book every day for every lesson.

• Your work must be paragraphed using the TiPToP method (time, place, topic, person)

• You must Triple Check all your work for content, grammar and spelling.

• Bring your CGP book to your literacy lessons.

TiPToP your paragraphs. That means a new paragraph for a new time, place, topic or person.

All work must be triple checked

1. Read through and check once for content

2. Check twice for grammar and punctuation

3. Read backwards and check for spelling.

Handwriting Awards

• Students will be expected to take pride in the presentation of their work and use a handwriting pen.

• They will be awarded handwriting stickers or certificates for impressive work.

• After three stickers, they will get a prize and their name in the newsletter.

Marking and homework expectations

• Students can expect their work to be marked once every 6 lessons.

• WWW and EBI

• Assessment pieces will be levelled

• Homework:

Literacy and reading once a fortnight

Topic homework once a week

How can I support my child?

• Continue to encourage private reading

• Use SMHW to help them to organise their time

• Discuss the wider world and current affairs

• Encourage good presentation in all work

• Get them to triple check their work.

MathsMr Francis

Year

2019-20

Curriculum overviewTerm 1Fractions and ratioNegative numbers, including with algebraIndices, including with algebraEstimationFactorisation, including with algebra

Term 2Algebra, including sequencesArea and volume, including circles/cylinders

Term 3Angles on parallel linesConstructionsTwo-way tables and Venn diagramsSingle-event probability

There is an online homework once a week using HegartyMaths.This is a video of worked examples, followed by a quiz.

Please remind your child to watch the whole video, making notes.

If they score below 80%, they are asked to check the video and retake the quiz.

Teachers can see the time spent, whether the video was watched, and how many attempts the pupils have made.

There will be written quizzes in class every couple of weeks.These give teachers and pupils a sense of what pupils understand well, and what they need to work on a bit more.

There will also be formal termly assessments during the year.These will cover all the material studied at Leventhorpe up to those points.

Setting in Year 8The year group is split into two bands, X and Y, with four sets in each.

Moving setsPupils can move sets, on the basis of evidence from teachers' observations, homework and classwork, and scores in assessments.

This is balanced against the advantages of working consistently with one teacher, and the need to lessen anxieties about moving sets.

Talking to the children about settingThe sets are given names rather than numbers, and we do not emphasise the setting to the children or make promises/'threats' about moving sets.

Until Year 10, all sets study the same topics, and the differences are in the complexity of questions and the level of demand in problem solving.

How can you support your child?Be positive about mathsIt opens a lot of doors and it is interesting!

Encourage a growth mindsetThere aren't people who 'just can't do maths'Don't tell them you 'can't do maths'. Model a good attitude

Ask them about what they are learning in lessons

Make sure they do their online homework properlyIf they struggle at first, they can recheck the video and try again. Aim for 80%+

Set a routine for their revisionGetting into good revision habits now can be beneficial for the future. Help your child get into a routine of completing at least 1 revision task on HegartyMaths MemRifunction.

How can you support your child?

Make sure they have an up-to-date, good quality scientific calculator.

Some supermarkets are now selling cheap calculators that do a poor job; for example, fractions do not look like fractions on the screen.

Casio FX83Standard choice

Casio ClasswizzGive some advantage at GCSE (for example, solves equations)

Suitable choice for A-level

Background reading:Maths is an exciting and varied subject with lots of interesting applications.

There are some high-quality YouTube channels with interesting videos:

3brown1blue

Numberphile

Singingbanana

By Grant Anderson - The goal is for explanations to be driven by animations and for difficult problems to be made simple with changes in perspective.

Run by a consortium of mathematic academics. Filled with wonderful mathsapplications.

Run by a Dr James Grime formerly of the Millennium Mathematics Project for the University of Cambridge.

PSHEMr Francis

Year 8

2019-20

Personal Social Health Education

PSHE Overview

• Taught in Form Groups in Year 8 – one hour every two weeks.

• From year 9 to 11 classes are based on timetable availability with option choices. Year 10 one hour every week.

• Curriculum follows the guidance from the PSHE Association.

Year 8 PSHE CurriculumCore Theme 1:

Health and WellbeingCore Theme 2:Relationships

Core Theme 3:Living in the Wider World

Topic areas:Personal identity

Healthy lifestyles

Keeping safe

Topic areas:Healthy Relationships

Relationships and sex education

Relationship safety

Valuing difference

Topic areas:Rights and responsibilities

Economic wellbeing

Employability and enterprise

Career progression

Autumn – First aid, Alcohol & Drug misuse, Peer influence, Right & ResponsibilitiesSpring – Racism, Religious discrimination, Online safety, Mental health & wellbeingSummer – Sexuality & consent, Contraception, Financial decisions & value for money

Marking and homework expectations

• A large majority of class time will be discussion based

• Notes will be recorded in A5 blue exercise books

• No formal assessments

• No homework generated – thinking/research tasks

How we support students

• PSHE in Form time

• School Newsletter – Updates, links, conversation starting points.

• Assemblies in school to ‘complete’ topics

• Useful Websites:

• https://parentzone.org.uk

• https://familylives.org.uk

• https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/

How we support students

• Counselling & Mentoring Programme

• EWO – Lucie Biggs (Counsellor) - 1-1 counselling, mentoring, group interventions

• Mrs Creagh, Mrs MacFarlane – Mentoring Programme

Student expectationsMrs Gallant

Year 8

2018-19

Appearance

• Hairstyles should be simple, one natural colour and not extreme. Fashion styles are not allowed. Shaved hair is not acceptable. Hair accessories are to be plain.

• Students who have had their ears pierced may wear one pair of small studs (worn in the lower lobe). No other body studs, rings or jewellery should be worn.

• No Smart watches

• Light make-up is allowed but strictly no eye lash extensions dark eyebrows and nail varnish should not be worn in school.

Behaviour

• Generally Year 8 have made a good start … just a few reminders

• Homework – 56 missed homeworks already– Make sure it is done and handed in on time

• Equipment – 68 points for lack of equipment this term– Make sure students have all correct equipment including all books, stationery

and a reading book.

• Disruptive behaviour– Lesson time is valuable. Low level disruption may not seem serious, but it does

have a big impact on the progress that your child can make.

Expectations

• Attendance – 97% and above (90% attendance across the 5 years leads to an average drop of 1 GCSE level)

• Do your best to always send your child in

• Be on time

• If they arrive late, they must sign in at the front desk

• Take medicines to student services

Options

• The process will start around Easter

• There will be lots of information to parents and students.

• Students will pick 6 subjects for Year 9 alongside the core curriculum.

• At the end of Year 9, students will refine their choices to 4 subjects to take on to GCSE

• Discuss choices with your child

• Likes / disklikes

• Strengths & Weaknesses

• Future plans