9A Science and Fiction
Use the photo to show what you know about this topic.
The following questions will help, however you are free to include any other information that helps show your understanding.
• What characteristics do all dogs have in common?
• Which characteristics can help you to identify a particular breed?
e.g. Poodle – size, fur, shape, clipped
• Which of these characteristics could only have been inherited from their parents?
• Which of these characteristics could have changed because of the environment in which they live?
• How are characteristics inherited from parents?
• Which characteristics might help a dog to be better at doing a particular job?
e.g. border collie herding sheep – very fast, strong, agile
• All of the dogs in the picture are pedigree breeds. How does selective breeding
help breeders ensure that their dogs maintain the breed standard?
Assessment criteria:
Level 4: Be able to identify characteristics that are inherited or
environmental
Level 5: Explain how offspring inherit characteristics from their parents
Level 6: Describe some characteristics which are useful in a particular
environment, and how these might be passed on
Level 7: Describe how selective breeding allows us to choose desirable
features in offspring
In this activity you are working at level
9BA Model Career
You should produce a different section of the report each week as your homework.
Section headings for your report are as follows. It is up to you to decide how much depth you go into. You can use the questions below to help but you must include some diagrams in your work.
Section 1: What is meant by Fitness?
How do you monitor fitness? Find out how athletes work out their fitness levels and design an exercise program and diet that can improve you own level of fitness.
Section 2: What chemicals are found in tobacco and how can they affect an athlete’s performance?
Find out how scientists monitor the chemical content of cigarettes and give examples on how they affect a sportspersons performance. You could include what impact this would have on their training.
Section 3: Sports Injuries?
Research 3 common football or tennis injuries. Which joints are affected and how are they commonly treated? You can add diagrams and pictures from the Internet to help explain your answer.
Level / Descriptor8 / Makes full use of abstract ideas and models logically and in detail. Fully evaluates limitations and strengths of models used. Evidence of considerable independent work.
7 / Shows comprehensive understanding of scientific concepts using models. Explanations are detailed and use key words accurately throughout. Shows evidence of considerable independent work. Consideration given to evaluation of limitations and strengths of models used.
6 / Uses all key words expected of year group accurately. Uses models confidently to describe scientific ideas.
5 / Provides explanations of scientific principles, partly related to models used. Uses most of key words expected of year group.
4 / More accurate descriptions of scientific principles involved. Diagrams are accurate. Uses some key words accurately.
3 / Simple description of scientific principles involved. May contain some inaccuracies.
In this activity you are working at level
9C On the Farm
Task 1 – Copy out the words and meanings and learn for a testafter the topic.
competition The struggle between organisms for what they need tosurvive
consumer Any animal in a food chain
fertiliser Substance that adds nutrients (N, P, K) to soil
glucose Sugar made by a plant during photosynthesis (C6H12O6)
iodine Chemical that tests for starch; element with the symbol is I
minerals Chemicals taken in through roots to keep a plant healthy
photosynthesis Process that makes glucose and oxygen in plants
population The number of a particular organism in a habitat
producer A green plant that produces food by photosynthesis; thefirst organism in a food chain
respiration The process that releases energy from glucose
starch The chemical made by plants to store the glucose theymake
toxin Harmful substance
weed A plant that is growing where it isn’t wanted
fungicide Chemical that is used to kill fungi
herbicide Chemical that is used to kill plants
insecticide Chemical that is used to kill insects
nitrate Needed by a plant for making protein (_NO3)
pest Animal that affects the growth of crops
pesticide Chemical that is used to kill animals that are pests
yield The amount of a crop that is produced
Task 2 - Copy the sentences and fill in the gaps. Underline the word you added
or put it in a different colour.
1. When we eat carrots and turnips, the part of the plant we eat is the______.
2. All producers are ______plants.
3. When we eat peas and beans, the part of the plant we eat is the ______.
4. Seeds contain a store of ______energy because an energy source isneeded before the leaves grow.
5. The products of ______in plants are carbon dioxide and water.
6. The chemical that is used to test for ______is iodine.
7. Plants store up starch for times when the plant cannot ______.
8. A plant uses ______for forming proteins, for respiration and forforming cellulose.
9. The original source of ______for food chains is the Sun.
10. In plant cells, starch is stored in the ______.
11. Plants need ______for healthy growth.
12. Weeds compete with crop plants for resources such as ______, sunlightand minerals.
13. Nitrates are needed by plants like grass that are mainly made up of______.
14. Phosphates help plants to grow roots and to ______the number offlowers.
15. Potash helps plants to withstand very high and very ______temperatures and fight disease.
16. The concentration of a toxin ______through a food chain.
17. ______are used to control the population of animals that destroy acrop.
18. ______are chemicals that kill plants.
19. A chemical that biodegrades will not enter a ______chain.
20. ______contain varying amounts of potassium, nitrogen and
phosphorus.
Revision – Using the words on the previous page, either pair up the words,giving a reason for each link or make a spider diagram explaining each link.
9DCrime Scene Investigations
Task 1
Behaviours often runin families. So, someone may have a very good ear for musicand seem to be ‘naturally talented’. If that person looks at their ancestry they may find that they have a relative who is/was alsovery good at music. Equally, things like being very giggly, beingvery quiet, being studious, laughing at certain jokes, are allcharacter traits that can run in families. Most will be a mixtureof innate and learned behaviours and can often be observed inreal families. However, do the script writers and actors in a soapget this right?
Watch a soap of your choice and identify any behaviours that seem to run in the fictitious families
to answer this question.
Task 2
Research and draw out lifecycles for a conifer,a moss and a fern, and to come up with a list of similarities anddifferences between them and the lifecycle of a flowering plant.
Task 3
Find out about the learnedbehaviours in a certain vertebrate. Prepare a short report, simply showing the name oftheir organism, its learned behaviours, how it learns and why these
learned behaviours are useful.
4 / Describe some simple animal behaviours and explain how they are useful to these animals5 / Recall the main stages of the lifecycles of flowering plants
Describe ways in which certain behaviours help the survival of a species
6 / Explain how social behaviour can help a species survive
7 / Identify similarities between animal and human behaviour
8 / Identify different types of learning and explain the benefits of each type
In this activity you are working at level
9E Building for the Future
Task 1 – Building materials
The table below compares three building materials.
Limestone / Granite / Clay (bricks)Hardness / Quite soft / Very hard / Quite hard
Reacts with acid / Yes / No / No
Cost / Quite expensive / Most expensive / Cheap
Absorbs water / Yes / No / Yes
Use only the information in the table to answer the questions below.
1. Which material is most likely to be damaged by acid rain?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Limestone is often carved, but granite is rarely carved. Why isgranite rarely carved?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Suggest two reasons why bricks are often used to build houses incities.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Extension (optional)
Plan a test to find out if more water is absorbed by limestone or by clay.Include as much detail as you can including the equipment you would need,the measurements you would make, and the variables you would control.
Task 2 – Limestone enquiry
Limestone is a rock which contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3). InSouth Wales there are a number of limestone quarries becauselimestone is a valuable resource needed in the making of steel.The steel company has a visitors’ centre and would like to displayinformation on limestone and on different types of rock.You have been asked to produce some display materials.
Where could you find the information to help you complete thisproject?
What information should you include in the presentation for it tohave the required scientific detail?
How could you present the information to make it suitable for thevisitors’ centre?
YOU SHOULD NOW PRODUCE ONE DISPLAY MATERIAL FOR THE
VISITORS’ CENTRE.
4 / Recall properties of materials5 / Know the reaction when carbonates react with acid
6 / Describe the process of neutralisation
7 / Critically compare and contrast the properties and reliability of different construction materials
In this activity you are working at level
9FSculpturePark
What you have to do
How was the reactivity series developed, and what affect has this scientific knowledge had on industry?
How you do it
When writing and extended research piece like this you need to make sure you have the following:-
- A clear introduction:- What is the reactivity series?
- A clearly structure middle section with at least 2 paragraphs. I would suggest one paragraph on the development of the reactivity series and the experiments behind it. The next paragraph could discuss how this knowledge has created new ways of mining the metals and the impact on the environment that these methods may have. The third paragraph could include how our knowledge of the reactivity series may affect the way we design and use metal objects today.
- A clear and concise conclusion:- this should sum up what you have already discussed and make your observations and opinions clear, it should not introduce anything new.
Useful Websites
ks3bitesize/science/chemistry
lgfl.skoool.co.uk/keystage3
ks3chemistry
www.gcsescience.com
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/hub/A3805689
9GCleaning Up
In this project, you will investigate into the reasons why it is important to recycle our rubbish. Recycling is all about sorting out rubbish into useful materials that can be used again. Think about school and your local community, what provisions are in place to make recycling easier for everybody?
______Make a list of materials that can be recycled.
______
Recycling materials means that we can save energy.
Find out how we can save energy by recycling our rubbish.
______Re cycling materials also means that we need less land for landfill sites or rubbish tips
Find out how using less land helps the environment, think about the animals and plants that live in areas that might be used as rubbish tips.
______Many power stations in the UK use energy resources that are non renewable. What does non renewable mean?
______
Find out what the names of the non renewable energy sources are that are used in power stations.
______
Non renewable energy sources are also called fossil fuels.
Why are they called fossil fuels?
______
Fossil fuels are burned in power stations to make electricity. When they are burned, gases are released into the air, causing pollution. Find out the names of the 2 main gases.
Recycling research task
Pollution of the air by these gases can lead to serious environmental issues like acid rain and global warming.
Research into global warming, find out which gases are involved and how they cause global warming. Find out how global warming will affect our environment and the living things in it. Write a report or draw a detailed, labelled diagram explaining what you have found out.
4explain what pollution is
5recall that the greenhouse effect traps the sun’s energy
6give some reasons why pollution is monitored
7describe some ways in which the composition of the atmosphere has changed
In this activity you are working at level
9HFlying Materials
What you have to do
Write a short story about what life would be like if we didn’t have oil.
How you do it
Before writing your story you should research what oil is used for in today’s modern world, beyond the obvious as a source of fuel, e.g. look at how plastics are made.
If we could not use oil, what would we no longer be able to make and use.
If we did not have oil, are there obvious alternatives to use, are they easy to use, is it going to cost a lot more.
What would be the environmental impacts of having to live without oil (positive and negative).
Useful Websites
www.schools.ash.org.au/elanorah/oil.htm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3623675.stm
magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0801/articles/mainarticle.html
www.energybulletin.net
bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/science/physics
4know properties of synthetic materials
5describe properties of synthetic materials and link to their uses
6recall that the raw material for many synthetic materials is oil
7recall some of the steps involved in developing new products
In this activity you are working at level
9I Buying Energy
Fossil fuels are used to make plastics and to provide the energy to make and transport lots of other resources like paper. Most of our electricity in the UK also comes from fossil fuels and most schools are heated by fossil fuel. Recycling materials like paper, glass and plastic tends to use less energy than making them from raw materials.Traveling to school uses energy.
Electrical devices that use most electricity are the ones designed to produce heat, like kettles and washing machines. Others, like computers and lights waste energy, as heat. The devices that use the least electricity like mp3s and interactive whiteboards don’t get very hot. The longer a device is on for, the more electricity it uses.
What you have to do
Look around you while you are at school and make a list of things that are using energy, or have needed lots of energy to make them or to deliver them to school. Think about how you can present this information – can you put them in different groups or columns? Can you put them in a rough order of how much energy they need? How far have they traveled?
You should complete one part of the homework each week:
- Can you see examples of energy waste in school? Make a list.
- Can you explain why they are wasting energy?
- How could children and adults in school reduce the amount of energy wasted?
- What other ways could the school get the electricity and heat it needs
Find some examples of 'Sustainable' buildings? What does this mean and how can we same money by thinking more sustainably?
How you do it
Present your information in a poster or in a leaflet or booklet. You will get marks for thoughtful and careful presentation and you will get better marks if you do some research and use it to explain your ideas. Remember, research from books or the internet is not useful if you just copy it, or if it is not relevant or it is too complicated.
Level
/Description
8 / Makes full use of abstract ideas and models logically and in detail. Fully evaluates limitations and strengths of models used. Evidence of considerable independent work.7 / Shows comprehensive understanding of scientific concepts using models. Explanations are detailed and use key words accurately throughout. Shows evidence of considerable independent work. Consideration given to evaluation of limitations and strengths of models used.
6 / Uses all key words expected of year group accurately. Uses models confidently to describe scientific ideas.
5 / Provides explanations of scientific principles, partly related to models used. Uses most of key words expected of year group.
4 / More accurate descriptions of scientific principles involved. Diagrams are accurate. Uses some key words accurately.
3 / Simple description of scientific principles involved. May contain some inaccuracies.
In this activity you are working at level
9J Satellites and Space
Find out about Hubble, Palomar and Spitzer. Where are they sited, what types of telescopes are they and what have they observed.
Present your information on a poster and include the order of the planets.
Make sure you have plenty of diagrams.
4describe some uses of artificial satellites
5describe how artificial satellites can be used for scientific research
6use key words of topic accurately with detailed explanation
7use considerable independent research to come to own conclusion
In this activity you are working at level
9KRecord Breakers
Background Information
Many drivers hate speed cameras, but supporters say they save lives and improve the quality of life for people living near fast and busy roads.