Physics
Curriculum Maps
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.
AQA Physics TRILOGY Overview
The table below outlines the long term curriculum plan for the Physics aspect of the AQA TRILOGY SCIENCE course (8464). The plan outlines the unit topics the students cover in years 9, 10 and 11, broadly when they will be delivered, and which exam paper it is will be externally assessed in.
Also, to aid students in their studies, included are weblink to YouTube videos that summarise the topics and the required practical.
The ‘Big Idea’ is to give a brief idea of what the topic is about.
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As part of the AQA Trilogy Course, the students in year 11 will do 2 external 75 minutes exams, paper 1 and paper 2. The papers are tiered, higher (that enable students to achieve grades 9-4) and foundation (grades 5-1) Although the exams papers are exclusively chemistry, physics and biology, ultimately a student will be awarded a double grade (from 9-9 to 1-1), that is a combination of the attainment in all 3 areas of the course.
Unit Topic | Exam Paper | Required Practical | Big Idea | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
P01: Energy Conservation and dissipation | 1 | Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changes forms | Y9 Term 3 | |
P02: Energy transfer by heating | 1 | 10.2.14 - Investigating Specific heat Capacity | Kinetic energy flows as heat, via conduction, convection and radiation | Y9 Term 4 |
P03: Energy Resources | 1 | Energy can be stored and used elsewhere at another time | Y9 Term 4/5 | |
P04: Electric Circuits | 1 | 10.2.15 - Investigating Resistance. 10.2.16 Investigating electrical components | Electrical energy behave in predictable ways | Y9 Term 5/6 |
P05: Electricity in the home | 1 | Electricity can be utilised to do jobs for civilisation | Y9 Term 6 | |
P06: Molecules & Matter | 2 | 10.2.17 Calculating density | States of matter | Y9 Term 1 |
P07: Radioactivity | 1 | Energy in the nucleus. Fission and fusion | Y9 Term 2 | |
P08: Forces in balance | 2 | Resultant forces are a result of combined forces | Y10 Term 1 | |
P09: Motion | 2 | Motion comes about due to forces | Y10 Term 2 | |
P10: Forces and Motion | 2 | 10.2.18 Investigating Extension of a spring 10.2.19 Investigating Forces and Motion | Motion comes about due to forces | Y10 Term 2 |
P11: Waves Properties | 2 | 10.2.20 Investigating Frequency and Wavelength | Waves of sound and light behave in predictable ways | Y10 Term 2 |
P12: Electromagnetic Waves | 2 | 10.2.21 Investigating Infra Red radiation | Energy can be transferred by waves | Y10 Term 3 |
P13: Electromagnetism | 2 | Energy can be transferred by waves | Y10 Term 4 |