Super Curriculum Guide - Year 11
What is the ‘Super Curriculum’?
• The curriculum is what you study and learn in your lessons
• The extra curriculum is the things you do in school that have nothing to do with your lessons – sports, clubs, volunteering for example.
• The super curriculum is what you do outsideofschoolonyourown to go into greater detail about what you have learned in class; for example, you have read a ghost story in class and in your own time you might:
o Read another story by that author
o Try one by a different author
o Research the author’s life and work
o Visit a place associated with the author.
The ‘Super Curriculum’ provides you with a range of activities that take your regular curriculum further. These activities can take many forms including reading, watching videos online, downloading podcasts, attending lectures, visiting museums or entering academic competitions.
Engaging in super curricular activities will help you develop a love for your favourite subject or subjects. Developing a passion for a particular subject, or subjects, can begin at any time so we have provided a list of potential activities that students can try from KS3 - KS5. This list is not exhaustive but merely an indication of the possibilities available to students.
You may come up with some ideas of your own, so these suggestions may just help to get you thinking! We hope you enjoy exploring what interests you and going beyond the classroom on your own.
When you apply to university, admissions tutors will be looking for evidence that you are passionate about the subject. You will no doubt have a long list of things that you do out of school that are unrelated to the course you intend to study, this may be sport, music, or drama, and these are extra-curricular. Universities will look for this kind of thing because it demonstrates a range of useful skills such as time management, leadership, teamwork and so on.
However, they will also want to hear about what you have done that goes above and beyond the IGCSE or A level curriculum in the subject you are planning to study. If you really want that university place, this is an opportunity to show admissions tutors that you are better qualified than anyone else
Reading Activity
Writing Activity
Watching Activity
Listening Activity
Research activity
Trip or Visit
Internet Activity
Creative Activity
Student-led Task
Listening to song Task
Push the boundaries of Drawing through the exercises in Drawing Experiments.
Watch Simon Schama’s The Power of Art.
Listen to an album you find inspiring and draw to the music.
Explore Digital Art Processes through Photography and Drawing Apps or complete a Photography lesson through Photo Pedagogy
Follow artists you find inspiring on Social Media.
Art
Buy or make a concertina sketchbook and make a continuous drawing that evolves and continues across many pages. Create this as a sketchbook circle with others in the class.
Study media in depth and experiment with pushing the boundaries of the process. Use ’Just Draw It’ and ‘Just Paint It’ as resources.
Visit a local galley or museum and use observational drawing and collected materials to create a journal of the visit.
Sign up to a workshop at a gallery or local Arts event such as MUDAM and Casino.
Use Britannica Encyclopedia to research artists and Art movements
Using the Google Arts and Culture App, curate your own gallery by selecting artworks from galleries all over the world.
Complete tasks that take you out of your comfort zone with Exploration of The Day and Wreck this Journal by Keri Smith
Write a review for an exhibition you have recently visited.
Find a work placement with a local artist.
Take part in a challenge such as Inktober that encourages you to make work every day over a period of time.
Create cue cards for key terms and definitions
Look at the business news on the BBC News website
Create your own cash-flow forecast for the next six months
World economies
https://www.cia.gov/theworld-factbook/
Create a poster about your favourite business topic
Business Studies
Read a copy of the ‘Business Review’
Create a business-themed game to play in class
Innovation in Luxembourg https://www.luxinnovation.lu/innovatein-luxembourg/start-up-services/
Choose a share and track its price on the stock exchange https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/
Watch an episode of ‘Dragon’s Den’ on YouTube
Watch a TED Talk about lean production
Research sustainable business practices and write a report about them
Look at the financial statements of a wellknown PLC on their website
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
‘Pocket World in Figures 2020’ by The Economist
The Soul of a New Machine: Tracey Kidder
Read this book by Tracey Kidder - First published in 1981, Kidder’s classic remains one of the most highly regarded books about computers to ever hit the shelves.
App Inspiration:
Need some inspiration to make your own apps or just want to know how?
Watch this Ted Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF6 92dBzWAs
Learn about KS5 Courses
Read resources and Syllabus guides for the Cambridge Computer Science AS&A Level here: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org /programmes-andqualifications/cambridge-internationalas-and-a-level-computer-science-9608/
Unisys Computer Museum Belgium
Plan a visit to the Computer Museum NAM-IP Henri Blès Street 192A, 5000 NAMUR
http://www.nam-ip.be/NAM-ipColl2.html
Computer Science
Raspberry Pi
Why not get yourself a credit sized computer? There are so many projects you can complete with this tiny computer. Take a look here for inspiration:
https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/
Learn Coding
Develop your programming skills by challenging yourself to complete as many tasks as you can, from Javascript to Recursive programming in Python: https://www.codecademy.com/
Doddle
Learn
Why not complete the mini quizzes on algorithms, programming basics, binary, Boolean logic, flowcharts and logical operators.
Programming as a foreign Language?
Watch this interesting Ted Talk given by teenager Steve Mcintosh about programming as a foreign language
https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_mcintosh _programming_as_a_second_language
Prepare for A Level
Develop your Python 3 programming skills and HTML coding by challenging yourself to complete as many tasks as possible on Snakify. There are over 200 exercises and video clips.
https://snakify.org/en/
The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing
Read through this book by Martin Davis on the origins of the computer and the mathematicians involved.
How Computers work
Watch this interesting Ted Talk by George Dyson on the history of Computers:
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_dyso n_the_birth_of_the_computer?language =en#t-205437
Programming fun with Turtle: Try this tutorial series on drawing graphics using Turtle in Python (for those already comfortable with Python)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz McBGfZo4-kfGgYZb9dwW3VhoBRG0h9c
Create a character profile for one of your favourite fictional characters. Consider all aspects of their life, to see the process their author had to go through.
Perform a monologue from a Shakespeare piece. Consider how your character is feeling and understand why.
Host an improve evening. This will test you as actors and give an audience an evening of fun!
Write a short review of one piece of work you have performed, focusing on things you are proud of and what you would change.
Any time you go on a break, go to a theatre in any place you visit if possible. Grab a programme and if possible, see their theatre space!
Drama
Explore www.gutenburg.com. There is an abundance of free scripts to be found there, particularly from classic plays.
Rewrite your favourite scene from a movie to have a different outcome. This will help you see how changes in dialogue affect the direction of a scene.
Watch other GCSE plays on Youtube, particularly devised. Many have been uploaded, and this way you can see how others structure their plays.
Listen to the ‘British Theatre Guide’ Podcast – it interviews a number of people who work in the industry in the UK.
Volunteer to work as stage crew on a Key Stage 5 production.
Watch recent hit musical ‘Hamilton.’ It can be accessed on Disney Plus – Focus on the design elements
Listen to this Tedtalkhttps://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=Vh2tNfTTbUU
Assist with one KS3 Production/Project from the extra curricular timetable.
Through a discussion with your teacher, organise a flash mob in school to demonstrate something you have been working on in lesson and a lunch time.
In pairs or a group – create a movement piece to a piece of music you like. Try to tell the story of the song or melody through movement.
Banking Museum, Luxembourg
https://www.bcee.lu/en/about-us/the-bankmuseum/
Watch 3 videos from Crash Course Economics
Write a report about the use of fiscal, monetary and supply-side policies
Read an article from the Economist, and write a synopsis of what you have learnt
Create a Tarsia puzzle on a unit from the course
Economics
Get ahead of the game. Read a book from the A Level Economics reading list.
Design your own 30 question multiple choice paper
Lead a revision session for your class on your favourite Economics topic
Find a recent news article from BBC news. Write some exam questions to test the class, that you would find on Section A of Paper 2.
Ted talks – research a particular Economic theme and watch a video. Write a short synopsis https://www.ted.com/talks
Make your own economics video on a topic of your choice
Arrange a ½ term work experience in a financial institution
Create fact files on 5 different countries with different values of HDI.
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Read a copy of Economics Today/Economics Review (available in the library) –write a synopsis of what you have learnt.
English
Watch different versions of Macbeth on Digital Theatre
Read one newspaper or magazine article every day.
Teach your English class a new and unusual word every week
How about writing a guide for tourists to the place you live?
Try another angle of Shakespeare – explore his sonnets, rather than this plays.
Visit the BibliothèqueNationale in Kirchberg and find out how to borrow books.
If you liked Of Mice and Men explore another novel dealing with the same themes: ToKillaMockingbird;Rollof Thunder,HearmyCry
Design a short anthology of your favourite poems to share with younger students.
Find out what you are missing- do a survey of 20 people on their favourite book; then try them!
Write a review of a film, concert or play you have seen recently.
Research the background to the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South.
Set up a book club or writing club with some of your friends.
Explore what is on at one of the various theatres in Luxembourg to see live drama. http://www.theatres.lu/
If you enjoyed A View from theBridge, try one of Achur Miller’s other plays : TheCrucible,AllmySons, Death of A Salesman.
Explore the range of TED talks on literature.
When you take a trip/holiday make notes/take photos of the impacts of tourists and the management in place there.
Read an article from ‘WideWorld’ and write a synopsis.
Download the ‘World Factbook’ App to have a world of statistics at your fingertips.
Read ‘There is no planet B’ by Mike Berners-Lee.
Visit the United States Geological Survey website to keep informed about current earthquakes (and other hazards).
https://www.usgs.gov/
Geography
Read ‘No one is too small to make a difference’ by Greta Thunberg.
Create a minificate on the Gambia youthful population case study – or another of your choice.
Listen to a range of GCSE podcasts at: https://www.senecalearning .com/blog/geography-gcsepodcasts-by-seneca/
Visit the Royal Geographical Society website and find out how to become a Geography Ambassador.
Watch the Ted Talk ‘Maps that show us who we are (not just where we are)’ by Danny Dorling.
Watch the TedTalk ‘How mega cities are changing the world’ by Parag Khanna.
Watch any of the Tribe series by the BBC and Bruce Parry to see the impact of the modern world on indigenous communities.
Research what is going on in the world at the moment. Emergency Events Database –http://www.emdat.be
Select the hardest past paper 7 mark question you can find, answer it and submit it – all without use of the mark scheme.
Keep a scrapbook or notebook collecting stories about geographical events in the news.
History
Create timelines on the USA and China
Read/Watch: The Great Gatesby, F.Scott Fitzgerald
Watch a relevant episode of ‘Peoples Century.’
Read: ‘Of Mice and Men’ or ‘Grapes of Wrath’ by John Steinbeck to experience life during the Great Depression.
Create a revision poster about your favourite history topic
Read for pleasure on a historical topic that interests you. Ask your teacher for advice.
Create revision cue cards of past paper questions
Watch Ken Burns documentaries on the The Wild West, Civil War or Prohibition
Write timed answers using the past paper question grid on Teams.
Read: Borrow a copy History Today or The Modern History Review from the Challenge Library.
Read: Choose a book on the USA from the Challenge Library
The Story of China (Episode 6) – Michael Wood (This is in the school library).
https://www.activehistory.c o.uk
Use the password you have been given
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Watch: This Century. America’s Time –www.youtube.com
Algorithmic Puzzles
Read this book by Anany and Maria Levitin, which shows how to apply analytical thinking to solve puzzles requiring well-defined procedures.
Differentiation by First Principles
How do you differentiate a polynomial using first principles? Try it with a quadratic equation.
Integration
What is integration and how is it related to differentiation? How do you integrate a polynomial?
Cantor’s Infinities
Watch this lecture on infinities: highlight includes Hilbert’s ‘Infinity’ Hotel’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SqRY1Bm8EVs
The Sum of Natural Numbers
Numberphile video about a controversial debate in mathematics regarding the sum of natural numbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=w-I6XTVZXww
Mathematics
Kinematics
Introduction to Mechanics
On MyiMaths, in the library dropdown box select A level-Mechanics 1Kinematics.
Which Quadratic?
Play this game in a small group where you have to connect different representations of quadratics. https://nrich.maths.org/11266
Newton’s Laws
Introduction to Forces
On MyiMaths, in the library dropdown box select A level-Mechanics 1Newton’s Laws.
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Documentary on a theorem that took over 350 years to prove.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K Dpf70xguCM
Transcendental Numbers
Numberphile video explaining why π and e aren’t like other numbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s eUU2bZtfgM&t=7s
The Discriminant
What is a discriminant? What does its value indicate about the number of solutions that a quadratic equation will have?
The Millennium Prize Problems
Research what these are. Which have been solved? What are Hilbert’s problems from 1900?
The Great Mathematical Problems
Read this book by Ian Stewart, which discusses how modern mathematicians constantly rise to the challenges set by their predecessors.
Research the Conic Sections
What are the conic section curves? What are the real world applications of each curve?
Binomial
Expansion
How can you use Pascal’s triangle to expand a binomial? Is there a formula to complete this even faster?
MFL (French/German)
Research 5 French-speaking countries (not France, not Luxembourg, not Belgium) and write a fact sheet about these. (population, main cities, traditions, sightseeing places)
Borrow one French/German film from our library and write a short review on it. Hand in the review afterwards.
Create one poster for each one of the 5 areas of IGCSE topics with vocabulary (10-15 key words)
Find a famous French/German band and write a short presentation of them (Who are they?). Afterwards pick one song and listen to it.
Watch the daily France Info newsflash and summarise the first two news reports (20-30w) Franceinfo - Actualités en temps réel et info en direct (francetvinfo.fr)
Visit a town/city in Germany or France and create a brochure or a flyer to promote it.
Go to Luxembourg city and find 5 touristic spots. Take a picture of each spot and produce a poster in French/German with an itinerary.
Read an online news article on a topic of your own interest and write down 5-8 questions on it. Newspapers: Liberation, Le Monde, Le Figaro, France 24.
Find 2 cities in Germany or France and create one quiz with 10 questions for each on KAHOOT or QUIZIZZ. https://kahoot.com/ https://quizizz.com/
Create a vocabulary booklet and add each day 5 new words linked to the IGCSE topics. You can use a dictionary (French or German).
Choose one song in French or German and read the lyrics. Try to memorise the chorus.
Write a diary during your next holiday. Five things you do each day. Add photos to make it really nice.
Go to the local cinema and watch a film in French/German (with subtitles in English).
https://kinepolis.lu
Visit the Bibliothèque Nationale in Kirchberg and find out how to borrow books. Make a selfie in front of the Bibliothèque and post it on Instagram. www.bnl.lu
Research how many regions France has got? Write them down and find one city for each region. Do the same with the German “Länder” (states).
Write flashcards for key terms / vocab from your edexcel list.
Write a review for a live performance.
Music
Listen to Queen’s album Sheer Heart Attack and another from them, and compare them in a music review
Post a Youtube lesson tutorial on your instrument.
Take an external workshop or attend a summer residential. Choose a contemporary composer and produce a short biography.
Listen to Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. What is the most striking musical feature?
Create your own dictation practice sheets and hand in the exercise and answer sheet.
Write a minimalist style of electronic music and submit your mp3
Write a song based on the topic you are currently studying. Enter the AMIS Young Composer’s Competition
Create an alternative Leitmotif for Darth Vader in Star Wars
Write your own Samba piece on your given instrument.
Give a friend music lessons on the instrument you play. Do a write up of career options for musicians and composers.
PE
Follow a sports star/club or event on X/Instagram. Send a screenshot as evidence.
Watch an international sports event on TV. Write a short report (200 words) on what it was.
Perform regularly for a school/community sports club. Send a photograph as evidence.
Create a scrapbook of any sport, sportsperson, or sporting event from a range of media.
Read a sports autobiography. Write a short report (200 words) on what you learnt.
Research post 18 university PE/Sports courses. Send a screenshot as evidence.
Visit a famous sports venue. Take a selfie as evidence.
Represent the school in a sports event.
Listen to a sports event/podcast on the radio/online. Take a screen shot as evidence
Research the history of your favourite sport and create a 5 slide PowerPoint as evidence.
Watch a sports documentary on Netflix. Write a short report (200 words) on what you learnt.
Attend a live sports match or tournament in Luxembourg or Europe. Take a selfie as evidence.
Write an article for the school newsletter about a sport of your choice
Assist with the annual Sports Day.
Keep a training log for 2 weeks. Send it to your teacher as evidence.
Criminal Minds TV show –Criminal profiling for Criminology unit
The story of Phineas Gage https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast /symhc-classics-phineasgage/id283605519?i=1000475502519
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about Jean Piaget
“Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole” by Neurologist Alan H Ropper
Psychology
Read any edition of ‘Psychology Review’ and complete a write-up of one of the articles
Create a video of a psychology related experiment at home
Cite des Sciences et de l’industrie, Paris www.cite-sciences.fr
Visit the Freud museum in London or Vienna https://www.freud.org.uk/ https://www.freud-museum.at/en/
Create a song, poem or picture about a psychological topic of your choice “Brainchild” on Netflix.
‘The Lucifer effect’ Understanding how good people turn evil. TED talk by Zimbardo https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=2-Kii-P7vwQ
The Museum of Natural History Luxembourg old city
Find out more about some fascinating psychology experiments
https://www.boredpanda.com/psy chology-behaviourexperiments/?utm_source=google &utm_medium=organic&utm_ca mpaign=organic
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Take part in some research online http://www.gameswithwords.org/ https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/rese arch/psychology/online-studies
National History Museum, Luxembourg www.mnhn.lu
Watch and review a video from The Royal Institution www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244y NGuFefuFKqxIAXw
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about Marie Curie
TheLargeHadronColliderPop-up Book:VoyagetotheHeartof Matter by Anton Radevsky and Emma Sanders
Build a model to represent any scientific structure. e.g. Ionic lattice, magnetic field
Science
‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ by Bill Bryson
Create a poster to explain how the COVID-19 vaccines work
Cite des Sciences et de l’industrie, Paris www.cite-sciences.fr
Watch and review a lecture from The Royal Society. www.youtube.com/channel/UC5MOW 8BO3dH38Fo3Rau17KQ
‘The Wonders of the Universe’ from the BBC and Science Channel – hosted by Brian Cox
‘Our Planet’ from Netflix –narrated by David Attenborough
Science Museum, London www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
Find facts about5 endangered species from the ‘IUCN Red List’ and what is being done to conserve them.
Create a PowerPoint with a voice over to explain any scientific topic.
‘What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions’ by Randall Munroe
Add key words to your glossary
Research social mobility
https://www.gov.uk/governme nt/organisations/socialmobility-commission
Choose a podcast to listen to http://www.podology.org.uk/h ome/4556339389
Read articles from ‘Sociology Review’ in the school Library
Sociology
Read for pleasure on a sociological topic that interests you. Ask your teacher for advice.
Create revision cue cards of exam questions
Listen to BBC Radio 4’s ‘In Our Time’ discussing multiculturalism https://www.bbc.co.uk/progr ammes/p00545hw
Read an article from The Guardian’s Society section https://www.theguardian.co m/society
Create a revision poster about your favourite sociological topic Watch ‘63 Up’, the ‘7 Up’ longitudinal study
Research gender inequality https://www.fawcettsociety.org. uk/
Search for current news reports relating to our topics https://www.bbc.com/news
Listen to a podcast from The Sociology Show’ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/p odcast/the-sociologyshow/id1507196347
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint for a topic and ask to use it in class
Listen to BBC Radio 4’s ‘In Our Time’ discussing Feminism https://www.bbc.co.uk/program mes/p00545b0