CURRICULUM SUMMARY
YEAR 8
INTRODUCTION TO THE CURRICULUM
I hope you will find that the information in this Handbook provides you with a helpful view of what your child will be studying this year and our academic expectations for them. I have no doubt that there will be many issues that are not covered here as fully as some might like and if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us about them. The Form Teacher is probably the best person to speak to over minor matters and acts as a liaison person if there are other members of staff you would like to speak to. At the heart of our Curriculum is the belief that all pupils are entitled to a broadly balanced education in a stimulating learning environment in order to prepare them for the future. Children will be exposed to a wide variety of learning opportunities during their time at Junior King’s and they will be given individual encouragement to develop their interests and skills to the full. We believe that school days and the educational discoveries they make here should be fun and stimulating. We expect our children to always try their best, to put in good effort, and to take increasing responsibility for their own progress; help, support and encouragement are given in good measure. Above all, the children respond positively to the intellectual, physical, social and spiritual challenges presented to them. Parents are always most welcome in school and your support at home for the work we do is essential to the progress of every child.
HOME-SCHOOL COMMUNICATION It is crucial to our success that channels of communication between home and school are clear and that parents feel confident in using them. The cycle of half term assessments, written reports and staff-parent meetings/interviews establishes the framework within which a child’s progress is monitored and discussed. It is important that all parents should feel able to have access to the staff and appointments can be arranged after school through the school office. However, we encourage parents not to linger in the morning, other than to pass on necessary information for the day. Parents are, wherever possible, encouraged to make use of the many other informal opportunities for discussion that exist throughout the School.
FUTURE SCHOOLING Junior King’s sends most of its pupils to the Senior King’s School although this is not exclusively the case and parents should not regard the transfer to be automatic. We will take time to advise and assist parents in finding the school which will best suit their child and in which their child will therefore thrive. The question of scholarship potential leading to valuable awards for Academic, Music, Art or all round qualities, etc. will be covered in the course of any discussion with the Head over future schooling. Parents are of course free to change or to delay making up their minds about a choice of school although it is generally in the child’s best interests to know his/her future direction well before examinations. At 13+, the parents of those children taking Scholarship/Common Entrance examinations must declare their first choice of school early in the calendar year in which the examination is taken. Throughout this procedure, the Head will gladly give a frank opinion of a child’s needs and potential. She may even be willing to travel to an ‘irregular’ choice of school to investigate on the parents’ behalf. Overall, parents should feel free to use the Head as a source of advice and assistance in this most important area.
ASSESSMENT A pupil’s performance is carefully monitored throughout the year. Continuous assessment, through classroom work, tests, exercises and prep marks, provides important sources of information for reporting. Regular staff discussions of individual pupils enable staff to track individual progress and concerns may be discussed with the pupil, Form Teacher, or Senior Academic staff (Mr Lapthorn/ Mr Stonier). Parents are informed of any significant difficulty of which we are aware and invited to discuss the possible ways forward.
PREP Prep is given to encourage pupils to work on their own, to exercise self-discipline in their approach to learning and will provide an opportunity for further development of skills and knowledge. We fully recognise and encourage the invaluable role played by parents in supporting good work at home and promoting prep as a positive activity. However, there should be a weaning process as the child grows older, and it is helpful, as part of the development of independent work habits, to let the child learn that unfinished or poorly completed prep may result in a sanction at school with staff concerned. The child needs to learn that it is their responsibility and that they will have to account for any shortcomings in school. Work conditions are important. A quiet place in which to work will make a considerable difference – free from the distractions of siblings, pets and television. For some, complete silence is daunting and it may be allowable to have music playing quietly in the background. As a general guide, each prep should take about 30 minutes as it is important that pupils achieve a sensible balance between academic work and play. Pupils in Year 8 have been issued with a School Planner and are expected to record each assignment. Please sign off each prep once it has been completed. After a long day at school, prep should not overwhelm the evening. Please inform the Form Teacher should you feel that your child is regularly not coping with the workload within the given times (or it is too easy).
AEN/LEARNING SUPPORT Junior King’s is committed to meeting the needs of all pupils. General, or ‘Quality First Teaching’, describes inclusive teaching which takes into account the learning needs of all in the classroom. It is achieved through appropriate differentiation through curriculum planning, learning tasks and teaching strategies. This approach is the best way to reduce from the start the number of pupils who need extra help with their learning. However, some pupils have learning needs which need more targeted and specific provision. The AEN Department at Junior King’s, co-ordinated by Mrs Emma McCoubrie (SENCo), has specialist staff, trained and qualified to recognise, assess and implement support plans for these pupils, throughout the age and ability range. The Department also has strong links with external agencies, such as the KCC Specialist Teaching Service (STS), educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. Parental involvement is an important part of the process. If any parent is concerned about their child’s progress, they are encouraged to discuss this with their child’s Form Teacher. Mrs Mc Coubrie is also available to speak to should you have any concerns.
ENGLISH The programme will build on and develop the skills started in Year 7 with the aim of preparing students for the CE exams. At least one novel, play and a range of poems will be studied and there will be opportunities to do plenty of writing in different styles and for different purposes. There will be extension and revision modules with a focus on individual needs. The November examination and the mock exams in the Lent term will be of CE style and length. ISEB Common Entrance Examination at 13+ The 13+ assessment for King’s at JKS has changed from September 2019. As before, the main aim is to test the ability of candidates to think and express their feelings and ideas in accurate and effective English. The papers will continue to examine a range of relevant skills in modes which reflect good practice in both the classroom and examination room. Substantial passages will need to be read unaided and the examiners will need to see evidence of independent literary work, as well as an ability to write both analytically and creatively in the form of coursework. We would expect candidates for The King’s School to offer Level 2 in the exam. The Exam is divided into two sections: Section A is a test of reading. Candidates will have to read a piece of literary prose and then answer about five questions which will seek to test understanding as well as powers of analysis and evaluation. Section B is a test of writing for practical purposes. There will be a choice of three titles to choose from. These will focus on the use of prose to argue, persuade, explain, advise or inform. For instance, candidates may have to write a letter, a speech or an article. Coursework will also be divided into two extended pieces of writing: Poetry: Candidates will be asked to read and write about a poem which they have been introduced to in class. The question will seek to test both candidates’ understanding of poetic techniques and personal responses. Pupils will be able to draft and re-draft their answers prior to final submission. Imaginative, descriptive or narrative writing: Candidates will be asked to produce a piece of original creative writing. Time will be spent in class preparing for this and experimenting with different literary techniques, e.g. multiple-narrators, non-linear form etc. Pupils will be able to draft and re-draft their answers prior to final submission. In both tasks pupils will be expected to demonstrate their ability to use correct spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax. Work will be marked and moderated by the JKS English department in the first instance; a sample will then be moderated by the KSC English department. Students not looking for entry to KSC will continue to study poetry and creative writing with their peers, but will be prepared to sit ISEB 13+ Paper 2 rather instead of undertaking coursework. During the year, pupils’ performance will be assessed by a variety of methods including: • oral work • written work including planning and drafting • drama • contribution to group work • ICT • examination in November, ‘mocks’ in the Lent term and Common Entrance in June.
A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO READING Children should: • read silently for sustained periods • read a wider and more challenging range of books for their own interest, for pleasure and for information • be able to justify their preferences • continue to take part in discussions about their individual reading and about books they have shared • continue to identify key features, themes and characters from the texts they read, increasingly using inference and deduction (reading between the lines) • adopt a regular reading pattern
Teachers will: • incorporate a reading element • encourage discussion of books read • encourage pupils to extend the range of their individual reading • help pupils to evaluate the texts they have read • create opportunities for pupils to read for different purposes and teach appropriate strategies i.e. skimming to gain an overall impression, scanning to locate information and detailed reading to obtain specific information • continue to monitor individuals progress and offer advice on reading choices
Parents can: • demonstrate an enthusiastic, personal response to books and reading • help their child to create regular, quality reading ‘space’ in an increasingly busy schedule • share in their child’s reading through discussion…what did you like best?...what do you think will happen next?... etc • encourage visits to the local library
MATHEMATICS In the last year at JKS, pupils are being prepared for their secondary school transfer examinations. The course leading up to Year 8 has been broadly based around the Common Entrance syllabus and has fostered a sound understanding of basic mathematical ideas and techniques whilst extending the subject into more in-depth analysis. Pupils moving onto King’s will sit one of two possible examination combinations (there is a Common Entrance Level 1 but King’s do not currently accept pupils who have taken this level of examination): Common Entrance Level 2 plus mental test These are both of 60 minutes duration and they are a ‘non-calculator’ and a ‘calculator’ paper respectively. They cover the Common Entrance requirements and will be taken by about half of candidates. A mental test lasting up to 30 minutes is also a requirement. Common Entrance Level 3 plus mental test These are also both of 60 minutes duration and involve a ‘non-calculator’ and ‘calculator’ paper. These papers test the extended Common Entrance syllabus and will be taken by pupils in the upper sets. Once again a mental test lasting up to 30 minutes is also a requirement. Listed below is a summary of the Common Entrance syllabus at its basic level. It gives an excellent mathematical grounding to all of the pupils in preparation for possible future choices in mathematics beyond Junior King’s. Number and Algebra • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
decimal places and significant figures order of calculations directed numbers and the four operations types of numbers (square, cubed, triangular, rectangular, prime) decomposing numbers into their factors and prime factors standard index form roots and powers of numbers and calculations with these laws of indices (fractional and negative for the more able) linear equations in one unknown algebraic simplification and substitution rearranging formulae factorising formulae problems involving algebraic expressions ratio understanding the relationship between percentages, decimals and fractions finding percentages of a value – increasing and decreasing by a percentage, expressing an amount as a percentage of another • percentage problems involving profit and loss • expansion of two brackets (more able) • simultaneous equations (top two sets only)
Shape, Space and Measures • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
understanding and using measures (metric and imperial) units of measurement – time, length, mass, capacity and volume vocabulary of solids angle properties of polygons (interior and exterior angles in polygons) constructions (triangles, angles, mediator, perpendicular from a point to a line) area and perimeter (triangle, rectangle, square, parallelogram, trapezium, circle) surface area and volume of cuboids volume of prisms bilateral, rotational and planar symmetry scale drawing and bearings angle theorems on parallel lines transformations and coordinates graphs of straight lines and parabolae using and applying shape, space and measures Pythagoras’ theorem (top two sets only)
Handling Data • specifying the problem and planning • collecting data (finding mean, median, mode and range, pictograms, bar charts, pie charts, tally charts) • processing, representing, interpreting data and discussing results • using and applying data handling skills • calendars and timetables • using Venn Diagrams
SCIENCE Science in Year 8 consolidates the laboratory, investigative and analytical skills which pupils have encountered, and extends their planning and data handling abilities. All lessons are taught in the laboratories. Investigations are included wherever appropriate, and students also learn from demonstrations or personal research. Extensive use is made of field studies based on the ecology of the School grounds to extend the pupil’s familiarity with indigenous species and their life cycles. Pupils will study the following topics this year: Biology • the human animal – skeleton and movement, nutrition and health, circulation and breathing, respiration, reproduction and development • micro-organisms and people, environmental issues • asexual and sexual reproduction, life cycles • planning investigations and data handling Chemistry • water purification, pollution, rusting, elements and compounds, metals and non-metals, rock types and the rock cycle • limestone and its uses, hardness of water, reactivity series, metals and their purification Physics • forces – all aspects • pressure • static electricity, electrical circuits, series and parallel circuits, current measurement • electrical components, electrolysis, earthing and the domestic supply, joules • magnetism
FRENCH Pupils are taught by specialist teachers of French. The continued development of listening/ speaking skills is supported by the use of interactive programmes. Reading and writing skills are extended by the course book –Tricolore 2- and associated materials. Topic areas introduced or extended at this level: Set 1: • Eating out • Travel • The Perfect Tense • the body • injury and illness • Clothes/adjectival agreement • Making arrangements • leisure-time- past and present Set 2: • Shops and food and drink • Daily routine • School • Travel and staying with a French family • The Perfect Tense • Eating out Continuous assessment, divided up into two modules, focuses upon all four language skillslistening, speaking, reading and writing. At the end of each module the learning will be tested by a joint listening/reading and written exam, and an oral, with equal weighting given to the four language skills. The average grade for the module work is calculated at the end of the second module and it makes up 60% of the total grade. During the Common Entrance examination week, an exam comprising a reading and a writing section makes up 40% of the total grade.
SPANISH Pupils are taught by specialist teachers of Spanish. In Year 8 all four areas of skill are considered equally important. The continued development of listening and speaking skills is supported by the use of interactive programmes, audio and video material. Reading and writing skills are extended by the course book and associated materials. Pupils will continue using Viva 2. Pupils who are new to the language will cover topics including: • greetings • personal information • school (material, subjects and timetable) • the family and home • pets, greetings and personal information • alphabet, numbers to 100, dates and birthdays • family • animals and colours • nationalities and countries • physical description and personality • school and opinions • weather and free time • daily routine Pupils who have previous experience of the language will cover topics including: • transport and comparatives • hotel reservations and facilities • holiday activities in past, present and future • weather • media-based leisure activities • opinions on films/free-time activities Continuous assessment divided up into two modules focuses upon all four language skillslistening, speaking, reading and writing. At the end of each module the learning will be tested by a joint listening/reading and written exam, and an oral. The average grade for the module work is calculated at the end of the second module and it makes up 60% of the total grade. During the Common Entrance examination week, an exam comprising a reading and a writing section makes up 40% of the total grade.
CLASSICS LATIN Classics is the study of the languages and culture of the Greeks and Romans. This includes aspects of their literature, everyday life, art and architecture, philosophy, history, mythology and religion. At Junior King’s the emphasis is on the study of the language but we also work with all these aspects of the ancient world. Our aim is to connect the ancient with the modern. Latin As An Honour by Bob Bass will be our main textbook – starting with Book 1 to revise material mostly covered in previous years and eventually (depending on the group) Book 2. There will be plenty of translation practice and grammar work this year in order to prepare for the exams. There will also be work on Greek and Roman mythology in preparation for question four of the CE paper. In the Lent and Summer Terms there will be plenty of opportunities to practise translation and comprehension skills, some of them under exam conditions.
CLASSICAL CIVILISATION This course is provided for those children who do not study Latin as a language. Over the course of the year pupils will learn about different aspects of the ancient world in English. Depending on the group, topics will range from the stories surrounding the Trojan War and Greek religion and mythology in a broader sense. This course is also designed to help the children that need additional support with English.
HUMANITIES HISTORY This year’s work completes the two-year Common Entrance syllabus ‘Britain and Empire’ but we will focus on a broad range of historical themes and topics. We will study chronological history with a focus on applying key skills upon the foundation of core knowledge. Furthermore we will develop a range of source analysis skills alongside extended writing mastery. Pupils should complete their learning of the historical topics described below by the start of the summer term. The first half of the summer term is devoted to the exam-practice techniques of writing essays and source-based studies under timed conditions as preparation for CE. Pupils will study a selection of the following topics this year: • • • •
Transport Revolution Public health in Victorian London British Empire Victorian society
GEOGRAPHY This year’s work is the final part of the Common Entrance syllabus with emphasis upon a compulsory fieldwork enquiry (worth 20% of the final score). Topics to be covered: • • • • •
Population and Settlement (demographic processes) Transport and Industry (economic processes) Global Location Fieldwork Enquiry Ordnance Survey Maps
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION This will be the final year in which pupils prepare for the Common Entrance examination. Pupils will study the second year of the new CE syllabus of Theology, Philosophy and Ethics. Pupils will require a knowledge of the set Biblical texts as well as of the philosophers and ethics covered. They will use the skills of interpretation and the evaluation of moral issues through discursive essays. Topics covered Biblical studies including: • Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac • David • Jesus’ Parables • Responses to Jesus Philosophy • Plato’s life and thought • David Hume • John Stuart Mill Ethics • Punishment – aims, reform and the death penalty. • Prejudice and Discrimination • Ethics of War
ART It is an aim in Year 8 to deliver Art lessons which provide a balance to the pupils’ academic work. Whilst new skills and materials are introduced, projects which allow for more creativity, imagination and personal response are selected, which aim for an understanding of the contexts and concepts in Art. During the first term, pupils who are seeking to take an Art scholarship will continue to develop their portfolios. Projects will include • Still Life drawing • Artist in depth study • Mexican Art • Artist workshop • Photography
MUSIC There is one hour-long lesson per week of class music for half of the year. In addition, individual instrumental lessons are offered from a team of 30 visiting music teachers. Pupils are encouraged to practise at home and may be entered for Associated Board and Trinity College exams which are held each term at the school. Many musicians will be involved in the concerts and workshops that take place during the course of the year, as well as joining ensembles that meet each week such as Senior Strings, Brass Ensemble and Djembe Group. For more experienced musicians there is also the possibility of joining the Milner Court Orchestra. Year 8 are also able to audition for the Chapel Choir. Curriculum We make full use of the Music School on a Saturday morning with a special varied programme of musical activities that include improvising, composing, drum circles, music history and song writing. There are occasional visits from professional musicians.
COMPUTING Pupils will be given the opportunity to: • Use a wide variety of applications to develop their interest and skills in Computing and Computational thinking • Develop their touch typing skills During the year the children will be able to develop the following skills: • Graphics creation and manipulation • Coding in Small Basic • Web page HTML coding • • The Code Club evening activity gives interested pupils the opportunity to go deeper with their coding and computational thinking.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY The Design Technology course alternates with Computing, with pupils studying each subject area for 1 ½ terms. Design and Technology lessons will take place throughout the Winter Term and during the first half of the Lent term. Through focused practical tasks and open projects students will develop skills in the following areas: • Designing skills: generating ideas, developing and communicating ideas using a range of media, planning, researching and evaluating • Making skills: measuring and marking out, cutting and shaping, joining, combining and finishing • Knowledge and understanding of: materials and components, computer aided design and manufacture, mechanisms, structures, electronics products and systems
DRAMA Pupils have drama lessons as part of a carousel system. During their lessons they will explore a specific idea to develop into a performance at the end of the year. Through the drama process, they will respond to text, in the form of prose and script, and create their own devised scenes. Through the development process and rehearsal they will be able to select the themes and ideas that they would like to take forward to become the Y leavers’ play.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION All pupils are taught by one of three specialist teachers of physical education. The programme is divided into six areas which aim to promote physical development in the following areas. • health and fitness: to develop overall fitness levels through a variety of running and endurance activities • team building: to promote skills inherent in promoting effective team work and communication • net and wall: to improve hand eye coordination levels through participation in games of tennis and badminton • athletics: to develop and improve technique alongside performance in running (speed, endurance and stamina), jumping (height and distance) and throwing (distance and power), tested and recorded throughout the summer term • swimming: to improve technique and develop performance in the four major swimming strokes • plus invasion games/general games skills: to develop tactical awareness and general skills inherent to the major team games • plus striking and fielding: to develop batting, throwing, catching and fielding skills through the summer term games programme • Health related exercise/fitness The six curriculum units combined enhance the health related exercise/fitness programme; particular attention in exercise and fitness classes is given to speed, stamina, endurance and strength. These areas are measured and recorded for each pupil throughout the year. Autumn
Autumn
Lent
Lent
Summer
Summer
Health and fitness
team building and leadership skills
swimming
badminon
athletics
swimming/ tennis
GAMES PROGRAMME Pupils in Year 8 receive two, one hour training sessions per week, during which they participate in major team games, working on a full range of skills and developing more advanced knowledge and understanding of tactics and rules. The sports covered are: Girls – Hockey, Netball and Rounders or Tennis Boys – Football, Rugby, Hockey, Cricket Competitive opportunities are gained through house matches, which take place during their weekly games time, whole school, house events, including swimming galas, cross country and sports day, and through a full programme of inter school fixtures and tournaments which take place on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
PSHE Our PSHE curriculum aims to promote the spiritual, physical and social development of pupils and to prepare them for some of the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. This preparation for life involves self-knowledge; an understanding of the needs and motives of human beings; knowledge about their own health and bodies, and the importance of choice. PSHE education is a planned programme of learning though which pupils acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives now and in the future. As part of a whole school approach, it develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. The values promoted in our PSHE curriculum are inherently incorporated into the fabric of our school through assemblies, community events and the support of charities and in our day-to-day living. Our PSHE curriculum is based on three ‘core themes’ within which there will be broad overlap and flexibility: Autumn Term Health & Wellbeing
Lent Term Relationships
Summer Term Living in the Wider World
Healthy Lifestyles Keeping safe Growing and changing
Healthy Relationships Feelings & emotions Valuing difference
Rights & responsibilities Taking care of the environment Money matters
The PSHE curriculum will be taught in a variety of ways that will involve discussion, reflection, roleplay, collaboration and team-work, multi-media and outside speakers.