The learning journey for Year 8 can be found below. In this area you will see what our students will focus on in every subject in each term in Year 8:
Art
Autumn Term
Project theme- Gargoyles and abstract portraits
- Understand proportion when observational drawing.
- Develop creative ideas.
- Develop understanding of tonal values and how to use the formal elements to develop art work.
- Focusing on developing an understanding of emotions, distortion, abstract, mood, meaning.
- Students will develop their understanding of shape, pattern, colour blending, colour schemes
Spring Term
Project theme- Homelessness
- Students will develop designing skills.
- Develop and create a shanty towns.
- Developing empathy and understanding for others in need.
- Producing creative works exploring the ideas of homelessness.
Summer Term
Project theme- Illustration
- Students will develop observational drawing based on footwear.
- Students will look at a range of contemporary artists and explore how they influence society and represent current culture.
- Students will develop their own illustrations based on a given theme.
Design and Technology
Building on prior knowledge and experiences to further develop and encourage creative design, confidence in making and awareness on the environmental impact of design choices. Build knowledge and understanding of healthy and balance diets as well as develop practical cooking skills using a variety of recipes
Students will rotate throughout the year between Design Technology, Food and Textiles as follows:
Rotation 1:
CAD/CAM and Metals
- TinkerCAD
- Impact of CAD and CAM
- Metal theory
- Environmental impact of metal extraction
- Practical project with metals
Rotation 2:
Food preparation and Nutrition
- Food safety
- Nutrition and Health
- Food Commodities
- Practical cooking skills
Rotation 3:
Electronics and Polymers
- Components and functions
- Practical project with polymers, electronics and CAD
- Polymer theory
- Environmental impact of polymers
Drama
Autumn Term
Project theme – Tension and comedy
- Strategies to create tension in performance
- The use of music and sound
- The use of lighting and visual effects
- Effective ways to create comedy
- Slapstick strategies
- Exaggeration
- The use of costume and props
- Different types of staging and techniques to use them
Spring Term
Project theme – Using drama to educate and entertain
- Theatre in education
- Explore how social issues can be challenged through drama
- Devising techniques
- The pros and cons of script work or improvisation
- Focus performances on the audience
- Grabbing the audience’s attention
Summer Term
Project theme – Combing naturalistic and abstract techniques
- Further development of abstract and naturalistic techniques
- Understanding the principles of naturalistic drama
- Emotional memory
- Using personal experiences to make convincing drama
- Script exploration of Our Day Out
English
We aim to introduce pupils to a wide range of ambitious texts written for different purposes to develop their knowledge of how integral such study is to understanding the world around them.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
- The art of rhetoric and the use of pathos, ethos and logos in a persuasive text.
- Persuasive devices such as personal pronouns, anecdotes, different types of evidence to support ideas, rhetorical questions.
- The individual impact that these devices can have in a text and how they are considered persuasive
Autumn 2
- Construct paragraphs and use cohesion within and between paragraphs.
- Vary sentences for clarity, purpose and effect.
- Select appropriate and effective vocabulary.
Spring Term
Spring 1
- Key features of a tragedy: tragic hero, a struggle between good and evil, hamartia, tragic waste, external conflict, internal conflict, catharsis, supernatural elements, comic relief.
- Importance and role of a prologue
- Forms of Love Poetry key terms: sonnet, ballad, ode, blank verse.
- Subject terminology specific to structure: chronological, flashback and flash-forward.
Spring 2
- Use a range of strategies, including accurate decoding of text, to read for meaning.
- Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts.
- Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level.
Summer Term
Summer 1
- To understand the difference between capitalism, socialism, communism and fascism.
- To understand what an allegory is.
- To understand how the term ‘allegory’ applies to this text.
- To understand the context of the writing of Animal Farm.
- To understand how the context of Animal Farm was influential in its development.
Summer 2
- To define key terminology (imagery, personification, rhyme, rhythm, juxtaposition, simile, metaphor, repetition, sensory imagery, plosive sounds) and identify its use in poetry.
- To understand the context of WW1 & 2.
French
Students will further develop their fluency and independence in listening, speaking, reading and writing in their preferred languages along with an exploration of more complex grammatical structures and concepts. They will also continue to develop their knowledge of the target language speaking world.
Autumn Term
Module 1 – Vive les vacances!
Holidays and school holiday activities, visiting a theme park, where did you go and how, answering questions
Module 2 – J’adore les fêtes!
Festivals, celebrations, special days, buying items at a market, talking about New Year and future plans
Spring Term
Module 3 – A loisir
Celebrity, TV programmes, technology, cinema, leisure activities
Module 4 – Le monde est petit
Where you live, weather, daily routine, chores at home, moving house
Summer Term
Module 5 – Le sport en direct
Sports and sporting events, opinions on sports, giving direction to sporting events, illness and injury, interviewing a sports person
Module 6 – J’adore lire!
Consolidation of modules 1-5 and an in-depth study of French texts including excerpts from novels
Geography
By the end of Year 8 most children should be able to: Understand the complexity of how people and places interact, through this understand the interdependence of humanity on nature; but to also understand human relations are filled with conflicts that span the globe, as the unit on migration and trade will unpick. Using evidence they will use data and maps to identify patterns and support it with their own knowledge to explain why these patterns occur, they will develop their geographical locational knowledge and through improved communication start to develop a balanced answer.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
Students will develop a national and international understanding of climate and how that impacts weather hazards. They will also look at how meteorological hazards impact humans e.g. Beast from the East to Typhoon Hajebis.
Autumn 2
To build in students a deep understanding of the structure of the Earth and how that influences tectonic hazards, such as volcanoes. Students will explore this through volcano locations, as well as positive and negative effects of volcanoes through various examples. Also how humans are living with volcanic hazards.
Spring Term
Spring 1
The focus of this topic will be migration where students will analyse the term migration, to support learning about UK and global migrations. They will analyse this through how migrants are depicted in the media, which will link into recent political arguments including Brexit. Students will analyse why there are more slaves today than ever before, looking at how some migrants are trafficked globally.
Spring 2
Students will focus on interrelationships of different countries, specifically dependence between poor, rich and emerging countries. Students will examine how rich countries depend on the primary industry of poorer countries, and how poorer countries depend on the trade and research of richer countries. Themes of superpowers and sustainability will be explored.
Summer Term
Summer 1
Students will continue to investigate tectonic hazards, however, now through a focus on earthquakes, their distribution along plate boundaries and varying effects on people as well as how we deal with them; this will differ according to wealth and students will explore how richer and poorer countries deal with earthquakes. Case studies will include Japan and Indonesia
Summer 2
This topic will introduce the concept of physical fieldwork to students in preparation for GCSE coursework. Students will investigate the different microclimates found around the school so that they can collect, analyse and draw conclusions from geographical data.
History
Students will continue to look at reasons behind the social, economic and political progress through their study of the Industrial Revolution, British Empire and the Suffrage Movement. Students will then develop and understanding of how ideologies have shaped the 20th Century through their study of WW1, the Holocaust and the conflict in Israel/Palestine.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
How far did Britain progress during the Industrial Revolution?
What was it like to work in a factory?
Was Cadbury different to the rest?
How were the poor treated?
How did people achieve more rights?
Why did public health
Improve?
What can sources teach us about public health?
How significant was the Industrial Revolution?
Who was Karl Marx?
- Consequence
- Significance
- Sources
Autumn 2
Should we be proud of the British Empire?
Why did Britain want an empire?
Did the empire benefit
India?
Why was India partitioned?
What were the consequence of partition?
Why did the Empire come to an end?
How has the empire been interpreted?
Lesson 7 – How significant was the British Empire?
- Significance
- Interpretation
Spring Term
Spring 1
Why do we remember the First World War?
Where did women stand in 1900?
Who were the Suffragists?
Who were the Suffragettes?
How did women contribute to WW1?
Review: Why did women win the vote?
- Causation
- Sources
Spring 2
Why do we remember the First World War?
-
What were the long-term causes?
What were the short-term causes?
Why did men volunteer to fight? HW
What was life like on the Western Front?
Why was the Battle of the Somme such as disaster?
How did the empire
- Causation
- Sources
Summer Term
Summer 1
Why did the holocaust happen?
What is fascism?
What is anti-Semitism?
What was it like for Jews in Nazi Germany?
What was the Final Solution?
What was it like to live in a Death Camp?
How did collaborators enable the holocaust to happen?
How did bystanders allow the?
- Causation
- Interpretation
Summer 2
Why is there conflict in Israel/Palestine?
Why is there fighting over Israel/Palestine? RP
Was Britain responsible for the crisis?
What are the barriers to peace today?
- Causation
- Interpretation
Maths
Students will develop fluency, across a curriculum of number, ratio, algebra, geometry and statistics. They will use reasoning skills to solve problems and develop communications skills to explain their mathematical thinking, challenging themselves to develop more technical skills including representing data statistically, graphing algebraic functions, further deepening their knowledge of number properties and developing accurate construction skills as a foundation to the transition to the GCSE curriculum in KS4.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
Number: Use of number properties, with further development in indices in algebra and number
Shape: Developing use of area to calculate surface area and volume
Autumn 2
Algebra: Write algebraic expressions to represent number problems; calculate using formulae and solve equations
Number: Use of decimals in further calculations, ratio and proportion
Spring Term
Spring 1
Graphs: Plot and use conversion graphs, line graphs in real life contexts
Number: Four operations with fractions, investigate a variety of methods to improve efficiency in fraction calculations. Understand and use reciprocals.
Spring 2
Shape: Develop use of properties in shape in geometric problem solving. Investigate how shape properties are connected.
Statistics: Construct and use further statistical diagrams, make comparisons between data sets and calculate averages in larger data sets.
Summer Term
Summer 1
Number: Make connections between decimals, percentages and fractions. Use all formats of number in real life contexts.
Graphs: Construct graphs of algebraic functions. Understand graphs as a visual representation of an algebraic function, identifying and explain the key properties
Summer 2
Project and investigations:
Connect skills across the KS3 maths curriculum to reason and solve problems in a real life context. Further develop communication skills to present calculations, justify conclusions, and make recommendations in preparation for KS4 transition.
Music
At Moseley School and Sixth Form, the music curriculum aims to create well rounded and developed musicians with the skills and knowledge to become confident musicians. The curriculum builds upon the skills that were learnt at KS2 and includes the three main strands of music- performing, composing and listening. Throughout the two years they will learn about a wide range of topics to support development of the skills necessary for KS4. They will learn about music through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a range of historical periods, styles, cultures, and musical genres.
Students are encouraged to explore their ability and develop a deep understanding of other cultures and develop their love for music. Music is both a rewarding and challenging discipline that will allow students to build upon many skills.
Autumn Term
Feeling the Blues
Develop an understanding of bass lines and chords as a harmonic foundation upon which a melody can be constructed upon and as a foundation for improvisation.
12 bar blues, developing keyboard skills, melody and chords, improvisation
Can you recognise the development of popular music through time?
Popular Music
For this topic you will focus on Popular Music, developing your understanding of this genre. You will develop an understanding of how a popular song is structured, instruments used, tonality and themes the songs focus on.
How has pop music evolved over time?
How is a piece of popular music structured?
How do we write a successful chord progression?
Spring Term
Indian Classical music
You will be introduced to aural traditions, and look in to improvisation and non-western harmony, studying works by influential musicians such as Ravi Shankar.
Can you improvise a melody based on a raga on the keyboard with conviction?
Film music
In this topic you will be studying film music by notable composers, looking at musical devices and techniques that they used. You will composing your own leitmotif to go with a character.
How do we write music for different genres/characters to suit the mood?
Summer Term
Live Lounge
Put together what you have learnt in year 7 and create a band with other students in your class. Understanding the importance of practice and being able to play together by communication and listening.
How can we put together all the instrumental and performance ideas we have learnt over the last two years together to create a band performance?
Most children will be able to: Perform in time with students in the class musically. Understand musical features in different types of music from various periods of time and cultures. Compose and improvise with a discerning ear, able to explain how they can improve their work.
Some children will be able to: Perform confidently, in time with good technique and musicality. They can play well independently and with others- leading the group to show the range of skills they have learnt. Listen and analyse music thoroughly and correctly, with detail.
Religious Studies
To introduce beliefs, teachings, and practices of world faiths in order to recognise and explore the wonderful diversity that exists in our societies and communities. This is done through cultivating the 24 moral and spiritual dispositions outlined by the Birmingham agreed syllabus. Fundamental British Values will also be promoted through the teaching of RE.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
How do religious believers express their faith?
Introduction to RE in year 8/ learning from and about religion
- What is worship?
- Christianity- How and why do they worship?
- Islam- How and why do Muslims worship?
- How do Sikhs worship and serve others?
- What is Baptism?
- What is the Eucharist?
- Week 8: What is Hajj?
Autumn 2
How do religious believers express their faith?
- Why is Diwali important to Hindus?
- What is Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha?
- Why is Passover important to Jews?
- Why is Easter important?
Spring Term
Spring 1
How do religions tackle poverty?
-
Why is there poverty?
-
What are the Sikh beliefs about Poverty?
-
What do Christian teach about poverty?
-
How do Christians deal with wealth?
-
Islam: Zakah, Sadaqah and Khums
Enquiry question: Why is life sacred?
- Is life sacred?
- What is abortion?
Spring 2
Why is life sacred?
-
Is Euthanasia ever right?
-
Is capital punishment ever justified?
-
The value of animals?
-
The Use and abuse of the world?
Summer Term
Summer 1
Is war ever justified?
-
Why do people go to war?
-
What does the Bible say about war?
-
Can religious people be pacifists?
-
What do Buddhists believe about war?
-
How else can we bring about change in society?
Summer 2
Why is their Evil and suffering?
-
What are the causes of suffering?
-
Does suffering prove that there is no God?
-
What are the Buddhist views on suffering?
-
What are Muslim views on suffering?
-
What are Jewish views on suffering?
Science
By the end of year 8 students should be able write hypothesis, predictions and conclusions when working scientifically.
To understand aspects of reactions; acids and alkali’s; the periodic table and separating techniques in chemistry. Space; electricity and magnetism; and speed in Physics. Health and lifestyle; and ecosystem processes in Biology.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
Chemistry – Reactions
Physics – Space
Skills: calculating the best fuel to use.
QWC: Chemical reactions, the Earth.
Numeracy: Calculating the masses of reactants.
Converting units of time. Calculating distance.
Autumn 2
Chemistry – Acids and alkali’s
Biology: health and lifestyle
Skills: measuring pH.
Carrying out food tests.
QWC: making salts, Food tests.
Numeracy: Interpreting pH data to rank substances.
Spring Term
Spring 1
Chemistry : The periodic table
Physics – Electricity.
Skills: Building electrical circuits.
QWC: Metals and non-metals
Numeracy: Estimate values, calculate units of alcohol.
Using bar charts to display data and compare patterns in this data.
Calculate current in a series circuit and resistance.
Numeracy: Calculate genetic probability.
Converting units, calculating the mass of carbon emissions.
Energy efficiency, resistance.
Spring 2
Physics -magnetism
Biology: Ecosystem processes
Skills – microscopy to view leaves and stomata.
QWC: Electromagnets, plant minerals
Numeracy: calculating available energy in ecosystems
Summer Term
Summer 1
Biology: Ecosystem processes continued.
Chemistry- separating techniques
Skills: filtration, evaporation, distillation
QWC: Mixtures
Numeracy: calculating available energy in ecosystems(continued)
Summer 2
Chemistry- separating techniques continued.
Physics – Speed
Skills: chromatography
Separating sea water.
QWC: Pressure in solids.
Numeracy: Calculating speed, interpret speed/distance graphs, calculating pressure, and moments.
Spanish
Students will further develop their fluency and independence in listening, speaking, reading and writing in their preferred languages along with an exploration of more complex grammatical structures and concepts. They will also continue to develop their knowledge of the target language speaking world.
Autumn Term
Module 1 – Mis vacaciones
Describing a recent holiday, where, when, who, activities, positive & negative opinions & justifications
Module 2 – Todo sobre mi vida
TV, music, technology, young people in the world today
Spring Term
Module 3 – A comer
likes & dislikes in terms of food & drink, describing mealtimes, ordering a meal, planning a party
Module 4 – ¿Qué hacemos?
Arranging to go out, making excuses, talking about clothes, sporting events
Summer Term
Module 5 – Operación verano
Describing a holiday home, holiday activities, asking for directions, describing a world trip
Module 6 – Me encanta leer
Consolidation of modules 1-5 and an in-depth study of Spanish texts including excerpts from novels
Core PE
Every child across the UK must have access to 2 hours per week of school sport/ PE lessons. The aim of core PE is to:
- develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
- are physically active for sustained periods of time
- engage in competitive sports and activities
- lead healthy, active lives
Year 8
A variety of activities are available during year 8 to provide students with a range of opportunities to develop a vast amount of skills. Activities include:
- Basketball
- Dance
- Badminton
- Football
- Trampolining
- Netball
- Athletics
- Cricket/ Rounders
- Football Leadership
- Table tennis
- Volleyball
- Handball
- Athletics
- Cricket/ Softball
Extra-curricular activities:
There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities offered including:
- Cricket
- Table Tennis
- Football
- Basketball
- Fitness
Urdu
Students will further develop their fluency and independence in listening, speaking, reading and writing in their preferred languages along with an exploration of more complex grammatical structures and concepts. They will also continue to develop their knowledge of the target language speaking world.
Autumn Term
Module 1 – تعطیلات زندہ باد!
Holidays and school holiday activities, visiting a theme park, where did you go and how, answering questions
Module 2 – میں پارٹیوں سے محبت کرتا ہوں!
Festivals, celebrations, special days, buying items at a market, talking about New Year and future plans
Spring Term
Module 3 – آرام سے۔
Celebrity, TV programmes, technology, cinema, leisure activities
Module 4 – دنیا چھوٹی ہے۔
Where you live, weather, daily routine, chores at home, moving house
Summer Term
Module 5 – براہ راست کھیل۔
Sports and sporting events, opinions on sports, giving direction to sporting events, illness and injury, interviewing a sports person
Module 6 – مجھے مطالعے کا شوق ھے!
Consolidation of modules 1-5 and an in-depth study of Urdu texts including excerpts from novels
Personal Development
Autumn Term
TBC
Spring Term
TBC
Summer Term
TBC
Computer Science and IT
The Computer Science and IT department at Moseley School and Sixth Form aims to deliver innovative and inspirational curriculum which demonstrates to all students the inescapable importance of technology in the modern world, providing them all with a deep-rooted love of learning through inspirational subject content, while providing outstanding academic outcomes for those students continuing the subjects delivered into Key Stage 4.
Autumn Term
Autumn 1
Data Representation
- What is binary?
- How do we convert from binary to denary and vice versa?
- What is the difference between base 2 and base 10?
- How do computers work with characters, images and sound?
- Identify the 3 logic gates
- Explain how computers use logic gates
- Combine logic gates
- Operation of search engines.
Autumn 2
Cyber Security
- Understand the concept of Cybercrime and how it is carried out.
- Name and describe the major Acts concerning computer use and how to adhere to Copyright Law when using written text, downloading music etc.
- Describe briefly some of the dangers of putting personal data on social networking sites
- Describe briefly ways of protecting online identity and how to report concerns
- Identify some of the signs of fraudulent emails and respond appropriately
- Different types of storage devices and why they are essential within a computer system.
Spring Term
Spring 1
Spreadsheets
This unit is a practical unit which is skills-based which covers the basics of creating and formatting spreadsheets to produce and use simple models. It is suitable for pupils who have a basic knowledge of spreadsheets, simple formulas, and formatting and cell references. However these topics are covered in the first lesson therefore making it suitable for pupils who are new to spreadsheets. The unit then moves onto looking at graphs/charts and modelling of data to aid with the skills of analysing, evaluating and presenting data. Finally the unit moves onto creating a modelling a scenario
Spring 2
Databases – This unit will involve the following
- Use of Microsoft
Access - Creating a database for a real
life scenario - Using the database to create
o Table
o Form
o Query
o Report - Export/Import data between
Access and Excel or from
external sources
Summer Term
Summer 1
Python
- What is python programming?
- What is the difference between interactive and script mode?
- What is a variable?
- What is a user input?
- What are the mathematical operators are for carrying out calculations in python?
- What is commenting on code mean?
- How do we effectively comment on our code?
- What is the importance of having control of our programs in Python?
Summer 2
Creative Project
This unit involves students putting together the skills they have learnt over the last two years into a project they need to deliver.
