Science
What should you do to improve your work in this subject?
· Review your year 8 work as well as your end of year tests. Use the online textbooks to revisit areas of weaknesses.
· Make sure that all your exercise books from last year are safely kept as you will need to review all the work for the end of Key Stage 3 assessment early after Christmas.
· In the Spring term you will be starting your GCSE courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. You will continue to have one hour of teaching in each subject per week throughout Year 9. You will be issued with an appropriate KS4 textbook and any KS4 material taught this year will not be taught again. There will be opportunities for revision only in years 10 and 11.
· Don’t forget to come to lessons with your exercise book, planner, pen, a sharp pencil, ruler, calculator and an eraser.
· Do your homework on the night that it is set, while the teaching is still fresh in your mind as this will help you to ask more questions of your teacher.
· Use the information in the online textbook and always answer all questions in full sentences. For numerical problems, show all your working and remember to include units.
· Take all marked test papers home and review them with your parents.
· If you are already doing all the above you may wish to read ahead. The topics to be covered during in the Autumn term are:
Biology: Interdependence and the Environment
Chemistry: Chemical reactions and Displacement.
Physics: Pressure, Moments, Speed and Space.
Additional Enrichment Ideas
Books to read
The magic of reality - Richard Dawkins
The Horrible Science series of books
Useful Websites
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/
www.brainpop.co.uk/
http://www.scibermonkey.org/
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Films to Watch
Springwatch/Autumn watch
Brainiac
Bang goes the Theory
Al Gore - An Inconvenient Truth
Natural History programmes e.g. the Blue Planet and the Living Earth
Physics programmes by Brian Cox and Jim Al Kalili
Places to Visit
Slough Museum
Science Museum, London
Natural History Museum, London
Natural History Museum, Tring
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
The Look Out Discovery Centre at Bracknell
Oxford Pitt Rivers Museum
London Zoo
Kew Gardens
Jodrell bank, Cheshire (Solar system)
The National Space Centre, Leicester (Solar system)
Greenwich Observatory (Solar system)
Thames Barrier Visitor Centre
The Wellcome Foundation, London
The Living Rainforest, Reading
Royal Berkshire hospital, Reading
Science Exploratory Centre, Bristol
In addition if you are genuinely interested in Science check out University websites for interesting open day activities or ‘Science days’.
You could also look at the Science magazines in the school or local library (e.g. Nature or New Scientist)
Science Year 9