Chemistry

The curriculum map documents here outline intentions via 'knowledge and skills' and 'cultural capital' and also how we can measure impact, via our varied 'assessment opportunities'.

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It is the assumed expectation of many that science develops a students knowledge and skills during their time in school, learning how distillation works, or how to separate a mixture of liquids. The knowledge and skills listed in the documents give a brief outline of these knowledge and skills, they are not comprehensive, but do address the requirements of the key stage 3 and key stage 4 national curriculum, as well as addressing the GCSE specification content, and preparing students for post-16 education and a place as a functioning and informed member of British society, and beyond.

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Cultural capital is defined as the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a student can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a student will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

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The documents here also state the many opportunities the science department provide to broaden the experiences of students, placing science in a whole world context, thus deepening and broadening their cultural capital, making them better citizens in todays society. An example of this could be teaching students that the model of the atom has changed over time, due to the work and endeavours of many people, or varied nationalities, gender, and background. Another example may be to take an everyday occurrence, such as the melting and burning of a candle, or the awe of a firework and place it in a scientific context, through the 'gaze' of science, thus enabling students to appreciate these occurrences from a scientific point of view. A very significant one, could be the relationship between human activities and the impact upon the world, through such things as use of fossil fuels, climate change, and the impact upon the environment, ecosystems, and human behaviour.