Year 8 Science

Science units are delivered to individual classes on a rotation. The units listed below may not always be studied sequentially.

Unit Content

Biology 

Bioenergetics and genes

 

Students deepen their knowledge of the functions of organs and cells, learning how respiration and photosynthesis are essential for the transfer of energy within living beings. They build upon the final biology topic of Year 7, furthering their understanding of the importance of organisms being well adapted if they are to survive and pass on genes.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing word equations for respiration and photosynthesis
  • Knowing the function of the circulatory system
  • Understanding the role of the heart in respiration
  • Understanding the role of photosynthesis by producers in food chains
  • Understanding how genes are inherited

Key skills developed:

  • How to conduct experiments on respiration
  • How to present categoric data
  • How to complete Punnet squares for simple inheritance

Assessment: Learning is assessed summatively at the end of the unit, during the first half of the year. The assessment contains questions requiring short- and long-form answers based on scientific knowledge and on the ability to work scientifically. This unit is also assessed at the end of the year.

Biology

Interdependence and organisms

Students deepen their knowledge of how tissues and organs within the human body work together to supply materials that are essential for life processes. This topic also builds upon knowledge of adaptations and ecosystems covered in Year 7 and in the first part of Year 8.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing the role of organs in the respiratory system
  • Knowing the role of organs in the digestive system
  • Knowing the biochemical tests for sugar, protein, fats and starch
  • Understanding how muscles control breathing
  • Understanding simple forms of interdependence of organisms
  • Understanding how nutrition and life choices have an impact on humans

Key skills developed:

  • How to control variables in a practical experiment
  • How to test for specific biochemicals
  • How to complete a longitudinal experiment
  • How to use comparisons in data analysis

Assessment: Learning is assessed summatively at the end of the unit, during the second half of the year. The assessment contains questions requiring short- and long-form answers based on scientific knowledge and on the ability to work scientifically.

Chemistry

Earth and the periodic table

Students deepen their knowledge of the periodic table, of particles and of chemical reactions. This unit provides the foundations needed to develop an understanding of the development of the Earth and its atmosphere.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing examples of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock
  • Knowing the properties of metals and non-metals
  • Knowing properties of group 0, 1, and 7 elements
  • Understanding how reactivity has an impact on whether a chemical reaction takes place
  • Understanding how different types of rock form

Key skills developed:

  • How to identify elements, compounds and mixtures from scientific diagrams
  • How to identify elements compounds and mixtures from their chemical formulae
  • How to make predictions using the reactivity series
  • How to determine reactivity from experimental data

Assessment: Learning is assessed summatively at the end of the unit, during the first half of the year. The assessment contains questions requiring short- and long-form answers based on scientific knowledge and on the ability to work scientifically. This unit is also assessed at the end of the year.

Chemistry

Chemical reactions and climate

 

Students expand upon their knowledge of chemical reactions in the context of earth metals, developing a deeper understanding of conservation of mass and energy. They learn more detailed information about the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing the main gases in the Earth's atmosphere
  • Knowing the laws of conservation
  • Knowing the gases that make up the atmosphere
  • Knowing the main stages of the carbon cycle
  • Understanding how the atmosphere has changed over time
  • Understanding how events lead to global warming

Key skills developed: 

  • How to write equations for combustion reactions
  • How to identify exothermic and endothermic reactions
  • How to make predictions using the reactivity series
  • How to determine reactivity from experimental data

Assessment: Learning is assessed summatively at the end of the unit, during the second half of the year. The assessment contains questions requiring short- and long-form answers based on scientific knowledge and on the ability to work scientifically.

Physics

Electricity and magnetism

In this unit, students deepen their knowledge of electricity through practical-based activities and calculations. They also gain a more complete understanding of how magnetic fields work.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing examples of electric fields
  • Knowing the components of a circuit
  • Knowing Ohm’s law
  • Knowing the components of an electromagnet
  • Understanding how potential difference varies in series and parallel circuits

Key skills developed:

  • How to draw circuit diagrams
  • How to measure current in a circuit
  • How to calculate resistance in a circuit
  • How to predict the behaviour of electromagnets

Assessment: Learning is assessed summatively at the end of the unit, during the first half of the year. The assessment contains questions requiring short- and long-form answers based on scientific knowledge and on the ability to work scientifically. This unit is also assessed at the end of the year.

Physics

Sound and light

 

Students build upon their prior knowledge of energy transfers in the context of sound and light. They learn how humans see and hear and build an understanding of the properties of different forms of waves.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing examples of waves
  • Knowing the basic structure of the ear
  • Knowing the basic structure of the eye
  • Knowing the structure of a transverse and longitudinal wave
  • Understanding the relationship between frequency and pitch
  • Understanding how filters and lenses impact waves

Key skills developed:

  • How to draw ray diagrams
  • How to identify the relative pitch and volume of a wave

Assessment: Learning is assessed summatively at the end of the unit, during the second half of the year. The assessment contains questions requiring short- and long-form answers based on scientific  knowledge and on the ability to work scientifically.