Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 1

Year 8 Curriculum Booklet

2016-17

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference.

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 2

Year 8 Curriculum Booklet Introduction We have many parents and carers asking us what more can they do to support their child’s learning. In this booklet, you will find information about:

what your child will be learning in each subject this term

how you can support your child’s learning at home. Your child’s planner contains lots of useful information including: timing of the college day, term dates, uniform, policies on mobile phone and internet use, home-school agreement, our Learning Charter; as well as a record of the homework and independent learning tasks your child is set. Please check and sign your child’s planner every week. There is also space in the planner for you to write comments and notes to the staff.

Contents

p.2 – Introduction and contents

p.3 – English and maths

p.4 – Science and Computer Science and ICT

p.5 – French and Spanish

p.6 – Geography and Personal and Social Enterprise

p.7 - History and Religious Studies

p.8 – Drama and Music

p.9 – Physical Education

p.10 – Art and Textiles

p.11 – Product Design and Food Technology

p.12 – Supporting your child to become an independent learner

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 3

English

In Year 8, the Canterbury Tales unit allows students to engage with challenging texts that have shaped our language. They will also have the chance to write their own non-fiction texts based on these fantastic tales. The novel unit gives pupils an opportunity to immerse themselves in literature, discuss a host of themes related to it, such as childhood, equality & friendship, and engage in a full range of reading, writing and speaking & listening activities which will develop both their literacy and critical thinking skills. Both the Creative Writing and Writing to Argue/Persuade units allow students to develop their persuasive skills to prepare them for the demands of GCSE English in a Dragon’s Den style project. They also ask students to use their imaginations and are skills that they can use in a range of situations in daily life. In Media, students will create their own media texts and will develop an understanding of the key principles in the subject. Through studying Much Ado About Nothing, pupils will appreciate the relevant and universal themes of love, family and betrayal, as well as creating their own written texts inspired by the shocking events in the play. Students will learn through a range of Royal Shakespeare Company inspired activities.

Maths

Mathematics in Year 8 is taught in themes building upon the themes studied in Year 7. Assessment and feedback happens throughout the theme with a main assessment at the end. In theme 5, Risk, students explore probability and the mathematics associated within.

In theme 6, Household DIY, students investigate Area and Perimeter, Transformations, Sequences and Graphs.

In theme 7, Money, Money, Money, students explore

percentages, real life graphs and scatter graphs.

In theme 8, Package Design, students investigate Approximations and Errors, Volume and Surface

Area, Constructions and Loci and Angles.

To help with their learning, students will be given weekly homework tasks which are connected to the work they are doing in class. These are designed to extend and develop students understanding of the content they are learning. Students also have access to online resources to help with their mathematics, including the schools VLE and the extremely useful websites MyMaths and MangaHigh. Details of how to access these websites have been given to the students and they should already be making use of them.

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

The Canterbury Tales - Transformative Writing Novel - Buddy - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Spring 1 Spring 2

Creative Writing- Writing to Describe

Media

Summer 1 Summer 2

Writing to Argue/Persuade- Dragon’s Den Style

Much Ado About Nothing- Shakespeare

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 4

Science

Year 8 KS3 science is made of 4 main areas:

Biology Chemistry

Physics Thinking scientifically

The Course:

Assessment: KS3 is teacher assessed through end of topic tests, and banded progress tasks which assess such skills as planning and carrying out a practical, recording results, drawing graphs, conclusions and evaluations. How parents can help:

Make sure you check that your child is revising for each topic test.

Make sure your child is working on and completing the homework activities given to them.

Talk to your child about their teacher feedback and how have they improved their own work.

Watch wildlife/science programmes on TV or YouTube.

Give your child access to the KS3 Bitesize website in order to revise.

Buy your child a KS3 revision guide.

Computer Science and ICT

Course Overview Having developed their key software skills in Year 7, during Year 8 students will be building on their skills and knowledge from units already undertaken to reinforce their understanding. The purpose of the units is to engage and challenge students whilst being fun and creative but, more importantly, to progress through the new Computing and ICT Curriculum. Units will be as follows:

What this offers Over Year 7 and 8 students will have experienced Computing and ICT units. They can use their experience and decide to take Computing or ICT (or both) as an option for Year 9, 10 and 11. This will award them a GCSE qualification (or equivalent) upon successful completion of the course.

How parents can help • Provide your child with resources at home such as books, Internet access and revision material. • Having a constant dialogue with your child about their learning will help them consolidate their

understanding. • Check and help with homework where possible. • Encourage your child to attend computer club and enrichment sessions.

Autumn Term

Acids, bases and salts

Health and lifestyle

Motion and pressure

Metals and acids

Adaptation and inheritance

Spring and Summer Terms

Adaptation and inheritance

Waves 2 (Light)

Photosynthesis and gas exchange

Earth and atmosphere

Food chains, webs and ecosystems

Space

If your child has more than one science teacher they may learn topics in a slightly different order

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 5

Languages

We offer creative and stimulating lessons which cater for the various learning styles of our students through the use of games, worksheets, posters, languages websites, and authentic resources (e.g. magazines, films, CDs). Students are assessed in the four skills: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing at the end of each module and whenever teachers feel it suitable to assess learning or to do a recap of learning.

Assessment: Our students are in control of their learning and use their Learning Ladders which they complete in lessons to enable them to see the progress they are making day by day.

We strongly recommend that students choose a language as one of their GCSE options, therefore some of the lesson activities will be GCSE type activities so that students are challenged and prepared for the exam requirements expected in the languages GCSE exams.

Homework: We believe that homework is a very important part of our students’ learning. We have a wide range of homework activities e.g. research on a topic/ area of the country of the language your child is learning, presentation to be performed in the class, completion of tasks on languages websites as well as a variety of tasks on Sam Learning.

Community Languages: We offer the possibility for students to take GCSEs in a range of community languages including: Panjabi, Gujarati, Italian, Urdu, Polish, Turkish, Chinese, German, Arabic, Dutch, and Portuguese.

Trips: We offer cultural/linguistic trips to France and Spain to support our students’ learning: recently we have taken some of the students to Paris, Boulogne and Costa Brava to enhance their cultural knowledge of the countries as well as developing their language skills.

Y8 French

Autumn term

Module 1 Famille et domicile

Family / jobs / weather / where I live.

Module 2 Temps libre What I did last weekend and yesterday evening / TV programs / talking about past events.

Spring term Module 3 Les sorties Invitations and excuses / clothes / shops and shopping.

Module 4 Manger et boire Food / French meals / shopping for food / at the restaurant.

Summer term

Module 5 Voyages et vacances

Countries / holidays.

Module 6 Les copains Friends / pocket money / hopes and wishes / present, past and future tenses.

Y8 Spanish

Autumn term

Module 1 La gente Presentations / describing my friends / Celebrities and the use of comparatives/ my daily life and the use of reflexive verbs / my nationality.

Module 2 ¿Vamos a salir?

Places in town and the use of near future and present tense / Inviting someone to go out and making excuses / I have a problem and the use of verbs expressing opinion.

Spring term Module 3 Mis vacaciones Places where you went on holidays and the use of past tense /talking about activities you did in the past while on holidays / expressing opinion in past tense / using present and past tense together to talk about holidays.

Module 4 La comida Talking about meal times / shopping for food / eating in a restaurant / talking about a past meal / talking about likes and dislikes using past, present and future.

Summer term

Module 5 De moda Talking about clothes and colours / talking about the school uniform/ talking about a trip to Argentina and the traditional clothes in Argentina / talking about a fancy dress party.

Module 6 Barcelona Saying what there is to see and do in Barcelona / shopping in Barcelona / asking and giving directions / describing a holiday in Barcelona / reading a short story set in Barcelona combining different tenses.

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 6

Geography

At The City of Leicester College we strive to make our students aware about the world they live in, the challenges facing it and the part that they can play in improving this space we call home.

We aim to develop the skills that will enable our students to understand the processes and patterns they see around them and to use the technology they have at their disposal to explore and explain these phenomena. At KS3 we encourage them to be inquisitive, to ask questions about what is going on around them and to interact with each other in our diverse community.

Year 8 starts with the study of one of the most interesting countries in the world: CHINA. They will learn about the physical aspects of the country, about the people and how they (and the environment) are affected by the rapid development of the country. They will investigate one of the most controversial policies introduced by any government in the world: THE ONE CHILD POLICY and understand why the it has been terminated by the state.

The latter part of the Autumn term will see the start of investigating DEVELOPMENT with the focus on the African continent. Students will learn about the obstacles to the development process in Africa, the reasons why diseases like Cholera and Ebola have such devastating impacts on communities there and the many success stories that, hopefully, will be the forerunner to transforming countries in Africa.

Spring term will be dedicated to the study of ENERGY: students will discover where our energy comes from, the need to find more sustainable energy resources and, of course, what all of us can do to conserve the energy resources that we have.

Then our thoughts turn to the holidays in the summer term: students will then study one of the favourite topics at KS3: TOURISM. What impacts (negative or positive) do they have when going on holiday, what is sustainable tourism and why is tourism of such importance for many countries?

Independent learning opportunities: All these topics offer the perfect opportunity for students to do independent research, for example: the fascinating wildlife and the history of the China; the most sustainable tourist destinations in the world as well as the origins and possible cures of diseases like Ebola and malaria.

Assessment: Students will complete their assessment on both topics at the end the study period. Parents can definitely assist in helping their children to prepare by making sure that they know the key words and their meanings and key information about the different topics.

Homework projects: Ebola and planning my family’s holiday.

Personal and Social Enterprise (PSEnt)

Vision To inspire and motivate your child to become an enterprising young adult who is a successful, healthy, happy, critical consumer with a desire to make a positive contribution to local, national and global communities.

The work we do also supports your child’s behaviour in school and relationships with peers and adults.

Personal Wellbeing Citizenship Financial capability

TERM 1.1 TERM 1.2 TERM 2.1 TERM 2.2 TERM 3.1 TERM 3.2

Challenging behaviour

Gangs challenging behaviour Relationships with others

Prejudice and discrimination

Stephen Lawrence Prejudice and Tolerance Knife Crime Joint Enterprise Student council elections

Careers Looking at future GCSE choices MLK Day

SRE Sex Education

Drug Awareness

Legal and illegal drugs

Theatre in Education

A citizenship project of student’s choice

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 7

History

These are the topics students will be learning about in their History lessons in Year 8:

Autumn Term Spring Term Summer Term

The Making of Modern Britain – the Industrial Revolution.

Related political, social and economic changes in Britain after 1750.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The development of the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

The Causes of the First World War (a key topic which will help students prepare for GCSE History).

Homework: Homework is an integral part of students’ learning and is seen as key to developing their independent learning skills. It could be:

To research a given or chosen topic

To revise/prepare for spelling or knowledge tests

To revise/prepare for end-of-unit assessments

To produce leaflets/brochures/diaries/journals of given topics – often ICT linked.

History websites: Sites that students might browse, either as part of their homework or just for fun: www.activehistory.co.uk www.historyonthenet.com www.usborne-quicklinks.com www.collegehistory.co.uk

Religious Studies

Leicester is a vibrant and unique city with much diversity of religion and beliefs; therefore the aim of Religious Studies in the classroom is to provide students with the stimulus to be open hearted and broadminded and so prepare attitudes that are for life in a plural city and a wider world of diversity.

All students follow the Leicester Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education which allows students to share their experiences and to learn about the religions and beliefs of our community from one another. The syllabus aims to develop positive attitudes of respect towards people of all faiths and none but also leaves space for all pupils to explore their own beliefs, values and traditions.

Festivals are studied when they occur; students are sometimes involved with whole school RS days, visits to places of worship and faith visitors into the class room.

Students extend their knowledge of religious beliefs and deepen their understanding of religious and philosophical beliefs, explore the teachings and practices of a religion and discover answers to a range of ultimate questions and ethical issues.

Autumn Term Spring term Summer Term

Religion and Art? What is art? What is beauty? Is art a religious activity? Can it express God or our experience of reality? What do different faiths have to say about the place of art? This topic culminates in an enterprise task in which students design, build and decorate a model of a place of worship.

What makes a person inspirational? Students examine the beliefs that have inspired important leaders in history e.g. Mother Teresa, Malcolm X and lesser known individuals like Paul Rusesabagina. Comparisons will be drawn out and questions raised over the importance of religious belief for ethical behaviour.

If there is a God why do we Suffer? Why do 30,000 people die unnecessarily every day? What does Religion have to say about wealth and poverty? Students will use their enterprise skills to respond to philosophical questions?

Assessments: Take place once a term either at the end of a unit. Homework: Independent learning is an integral part of the course and is set regularly to encourage enterprise skills such as researching independently, creative thinking and literacy.

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 8

Drama

Drama aims to develop an appreciation of the subject as an art form in its own right but also as a subject which is crucial in developing a range of different skills. We encourage students to be independent learners, challenging them to solve problems and work together as an ensemble in a safe and supportive learning environment. In Year 8 the PSEnt Curriculum is taught by the same teacher that your child has for drama; this enables us to use explore some issues in more depth using drama strategies. We also work with other departments in cross curricular projects, such as slavery, in order to enhance students’ learning and understanding through active approaches. Over the two years at KS3, drama introduces students to a structured learning programme that is built upon each year. This in turn supports the KS4 curriculum so that students already have a firm base to attain strong grades in GCSE Drama. Assessment: Assessments are undertaken each half term and usually this takes the form of a performance of practical work supported by a written evaluation.

Term 1.1 Romeo and Juliet A practical exploration of the text’s themes and performing an extract.

Term 1.2 Stephen Lawrence Case An examination of the significance of the case leading to the performance of a monologue for assessment.

Term 2.1 Genre and Performance Styles

An overview of a variety of dramatic genres and performance styles to prepare students for GCSE

Term 2.2 Genre and Performance Styles

An overview of a variety of dramatic genres and performance styles to prepare students for GCSE

Term 3.1 Exploring social issues though drama

An introduction to the power of theatre for social change.

Term 3.2 Devising Theatre Students create their own drama and communicate their own message to an audience.

Homework: Students are regularly set homework which takes a variety of forms; research, learning lines, sourcing props or costume, locating appropriate music, undertaking written evaluations, writing speeches etc. Extra-curricular activities: Students are always welcome to use the drama studios to rehearse at lunchtimes and after school – just ask your drama teacher. Through our work with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) all Year 8 students will have the opportunity to attend a performance in College of King Lear by Year 9 students in November. All of Y8 will then have the opportunity to become involved in our collaborative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to be performed at Curve theatre in March. Students will also be given opportunities to attend theatre visits and be an audience for GCSE and A Level work throughout the year.

Music

In the autumn term of Year 8, students continue to develop their instrumental skills. We study Blues and Gospel music and develop a performance of the 12 bar blues, which also includes improvisation. Students also regularly sing. During the spring and summer terms, Year 8 students continue to develop their skills when performing on their instruments. We also

take a closer look at the social and contextual side of music. We revisit the School of Rock and continue to develop students’ skills when composing using technology. Homework Each half term students will be set a homework project. During the autumn term, the first homework project is a research project into Afro American Music. In the second half term the homework project is a choice of tasks to complete to develop students’ knowledge of Afro American music.

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 9

During the spring and summer terms, the projects will involve research into popular music and into how technology is used to create music, and composing music for media. Assessment Music is assessed half termly. Students receive formative feedback regularly, verbally during lessons and written feedback in their booklets. Students are regularly set targets so that they know what they need to do to improve. Assessment is based on their booklets, homework and a performance at the end of each term. Extra-curricular There are many opportunities for students to do extra-curricular work in music. We have steel pans, a school band, a music technology club, a school choir and the department is open every lunchtime for students to rehearse. We also offer instrumental lessons on a range of instruments including drums, bass guitar, guitar, keyboard, vocals, saxophone, piano, violin, flute and clarinet.

Physical Education

The PE department seeks to ensure all learners are given the opportunity to develop a range of skills and techniques, personal skills and attributes essential for an active and healthy lifestyle through a variety of sporting activities. Students are encouraged to take responsibility within PE lessons to lead, coach and officiate in activities, as well as perform as part of the Sport Education Programme. Students are given two hours a week of Core PE lessons, covering a wide range of activities that meet the requirements of the PE National Curriculum. These activities include: Athletics, Rounders, Cricket, Tennis, Football, Netball, Table Tennis, Dance, Gymnastics, Team building, Outdoor Education and Leadership,

Health Related Fitness, Zumba, Exercise to Music, Dodge Ball and Badminton. In year 8 students will cover 6 sports, 1 over each half term, for example:

With the reintroduction of GCSE P.E from September 2015 and the continued success of the BTEC Sport courses, theoretical and practical elements from both are now being integrated into PE lessons at KS3 Core PE. This will develop the skills needed to prepare students for KS4 and KS5 Sports courses offered later in their school careers. Assessment is carried out throughout the sporting activity blocks and

culminates with an inter form competition at the end of each half term.

Extra-curricular Students are encouraged to attend after school sport clubs through our extra-curricular sports programme, where students can refine existing sports skills learnt in PE lessons, have fun and develop their own fitness within their chosen sports.

Term 1.1 Football

Term 1.2 Tennis

Term 2.1 Swimming

Term 2.2 Rugby

Term 3.1 Athletics

Term 3.2 Cricket

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 10

Art

In Year 8 students have one lesson of art a week and follow two art projects through the year which develop their artistic skills and techniques. The first project develops students’ technical drawing skills, colour understanding and construction techniques through the exploration of architecture. Students will explore the work of Hundertwasser and using his style they will design buildings which they will make using a variety of construction techniques and materials.

The second project is based on African Masks and also looks at traditional and contemporary masks from a range of cultures. Students build on their drawing and colour skills by drawing animals which they then use as inspiration for a mask design. They will look closely at the way in which they can depict the texture of fur, scales and horn within their drawings, and how to translate this into 3D. Their mask is made using papier mache techniques and a range of found objects resulting in bright and bold mask designs. Assessment Throughout the project students are encouraged to peer assess, self-assess and

evaluate the work of artists to encourage their analytical skills. Homework A variety of homework tasks are set throughout the year which encourage students to explore different areas of art and develop a variety of skills. Tasks will include use of pencil and drawing skills, use of colour, artist research, analysing their art work, and preparation for classwork. Students are expected to spend at least 30 minutes on their homework and put as much effort into it as they do their classwork. Parents are encouraged to support the students with their homework tasks by discussing their ideas. We also like to encourage students to visit local galleries and museums, which often parents enjoy just as much as the students.

Textiles

The aim of Year 8 Textiles is to expand students’ knowledge of textiles construction by making a wearable fleece hat. All students in Year 8 will have half a year in Textiles (1 lesson a week). Students will build up their practical skills by learning a variety of processes, including how to make a simple pattern, cutting out fabric, then using the sewing machines to construct their hat. Design and practical work will be marked on a regular basis and the combination of those marks will be used to judge progress. Assessment: Students will be assessed on their practical skills, their generation and development of ideas and analysis and evaluation of ideas. Literacy is also very important as designers need to communicate ideas visually and verbally using a range of skills. Homework: There will be three homework tasks set over the course and each will link into work done in the classroom

1. Research into their chosen theme – sport, fashion or animal. 2. Collecting materials & resources for their practical work. 3. Homework sheet based on Hat/Designer theme. 4. Taking practical work home to finish particular sections.

Parental support: Students are expected to either make a contribution of £1.00 towards the cost of materials used, or provide their own suitable fabrics & materials; this will be discussed with your child in lesson time. Parents can also help by encouraging their child to sew & cut things out at home, therefore practicing their skills.

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 11

Product Design

The course is aimed at enabling students to use mechanisms to solve problems and create functioning solutions in new and innovative ways. Students will learn from the work of other designers and use their analysis to inspire their own creative solutions.

In the first term, students will be comparing and contrasting the work from the Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements from the early 1900s to design and make their own unique Jewellery using traditional craft methods and techniques. They will also use Computer Aided Design and Manufacture to help them create templates to improve the accuracy and quality of their work.

In the spring and summer terms, students will be working in teams and as individuals to generate their own unique designs to support the needs of a given user to enable that user to complete a job or task and improving the experience of that user in the process. They will also look at what makes a product successful in terms of style and aesthetics as well as function and ergonomics.

Assessment: Students will be assessed on their practical skills, their generation and development of ideas and analysis and evaluation of ideas. Literacy is also very important as designers need to communicate ideas visually and verbally using a range of skills.

Homework: Students are required to complete twelve homework tasks which use a variety of skills. Each homework task should reflect at least 45 minutes of the students’ best work and should not include the time taken to gather information or research. Homework should be presented appropriately to the task, for example, on neat paper, spelling, grammar and punctuation checked, drawings and diagrams drawn neatly and accurately.

Parental support:

Please ensure that your child regularly completes their homework by the given deadlines and ensure that work and homework is transported to and from school in a folder to ensure it is kept neat - work should not be folded.

Students benefit from regular practice at sketching so encouragement to sit and sketch from objects in front of them will enable their design communication skills to improve.

Food Technology

The aim of Year 8 Food Technology is to expand students’ knowledge of multicultural food through a range of practical, theory and design lessons. All students in Year 8 will have half a year in Food Technology (1 lesson a week). Students will build up their practical skills through fortnightly cooking lessons with the theory lessons enabling them to increase their knowledge of food and design their own multicultural products. Both theory and practical work will be marked on a regular basis and the combination of those marks will be used to judge progress.

Assessment: Students will be assessed on their practical skills, their generation and development of ideas and analysis and evaluation of ideas. Literacy is also very important and students will develop the ability to communicate ideas visually and verbally using a range of skills.

Homework There will be three homework tasks set over the course and each will link into work done in the classroom:

1. Research into a culture and its food. 2. Research into multicultural products in supermarkets. 3. Ensuring ingredients are organised and brought in for each practical lesson.

Parental support Students are expected to bring their own ingredients for practical lessons and to enable this to happen they will need the help of their parents. All students will be given a recipe book to bring home and keep in a safe place. All recipes are adaptable to meet individual dietary needs. Parents can help their child by ensuring they discuss recipes and that their child has the ingredients they need for each lesson. Parents can also help by encouraging their child to cook at home, therefore practicing preparation and cooking skills.

Be happy, be ambitious, make a difference Page 12

Supporting your child to become an Independent Learner There are lots of ways in which you can help your child to become a self-motivated and independent learner which will help them now and in the future:

Ask your child about their learning in college – get them to explain what they’ve learnt and how.

If your child asks you a question about their work, support them in finding out the answer for

themselves.

Check your child’s planner every week to ensure they are writing down, and completing, their

homework.

Check your child has the right equipment with them every day.

Encourage your child to revise for tests.

Support your child to use the internet safely and responsibly.

Draw your child’s attention to programmes on TV related to topics studied in college.

Encourage your child to read or watch the news and discuss local, national and global issues.

Allow your child to take part in trips organised by the College.

Encourage your child to get involved in some of the many clubs and extra-curricular activities

available at the College.

Ensure your child is a member of a local library and encourage them to visit it regularly.

Encourage your child to be creative and enterprising – to try new and different ways of doing things.

Visit the many museums, theatres, galleries and festivals we are lucky to have in Leicester.