Super Curriculum Guide - Year 12
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
Art
Borrow a book from the Art Library on a specialism you want to explore further eg. Lithography, Photographers’ Sketchbooks, Intaglio printing, Acrylic painting.
Attend a Summer School Art Programme run by a specialist Art university.
Use Photo editing Apps such as Snapseed, Photoshop Mix and Adobe Draw to enhance your photography and explore digital drawing.
Watch episodes on HENI Talks
Take up a 30 day drawing challenge or A Drawing a Day for a Year. Such as Inktober or Portrait Challenge.
Familiarise yourself with the Apps Google Arts and Culture and the Art Story.
Attend a Life Drawing class in your local area or online through the Royal Academy
Visit the Photographer’s Gallery in London or their website to look at a range of photographic responses. https://thephotographersgallery.org .uk/visit
Start a Sketchbook Circle with your peers or teachers. Every month, switch and respond to the work made by the previous person.
Attend Open Days for University or Foundation degree courses.
Take an online course to develop a specialist skill using Skillshare or a similar programme.
Follow galleries and artists on social media so you know about current exhibitions, projects and workshops.
National History Museum, London www.nhm.ac.uk/
Discover the adaptations of an interesting species www.inaturalist.org/
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about Barbara McClintock
‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins
Design an experiment to investigate a variable influencing the rate of photosynthesis
Read the subscriptions in the Art Department such as Frieze magazine, Aesthetica, Crafts and Art Monthly to keep up to date with the Art World.
Biology
‘On the Origin of Species’ by Charles Darwin
Help species diversity at home by planting a flower box
Cite des Sciences et de l’industrie, Paris www.cite-sciences.fr
Review an article or an experiment from the www.rsb.org.uk/
Watch Unnatural Selection on Netflix
Create a digital portfolio of your artwork.
Use the Tate forum as an inspiration. https://www.tate.org.uk/tatecollective/showcase
Watch Human Planet and explain influences humans have upon the ecosystem www.imdb.com/title/tt1806234/
Participate in the Year 12 Biology Trip to the Gredos Centre www.gredoscentre.com
Read 3 articles on current discoveries in Science www.iflscience.com/
Make a revision quiz on Kahoot or Socrative! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Review an article from Biological Science Review
Use the Tate gallery’s student resource section to help you generate research and ideas for your exam theme.
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/studentresource/exam-help
Research a well-known PLC and present a report to the class
Listen to a businessrelated podcast, and post a review of it on our Team
‘Emotional Intelligence’ by Daniel Goleman
Bank of England www.bankofengland.co.uk
Read a newspaper article about a business issue and create a short synopsis
Business Studies
‘Marketing 4.0: Moving from Traditional to Digital’ by Philip Kotler
Lead a revision session for your class on your favourite Business topic
Arrange a work experience in a local business
Research a stock market https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/
Watch an episode of ‘Dragons Den’ on YouTube
Watch a TED Talk about Entrepreneurs
Create a diagram summarising the marketing mix
Look at the business news on the BBC News website www.bbc.com/news/business
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Read the Business Review
In Code: Charles Petzold
Read this book In Code, author Charles Petzold asks the question: What do flashlights, the British invasion, black cats, and seesaws have to do with computers?
Where it all started
Watch the Ted Talk by Kevin Slavin on how Algorithms run our lives https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_slavin _how_algorithms_shape_our_world
Learn about University Courses
Not sure what a university Computer science degree involves? Check out this information from Manchester University for their BSc Computer Science: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/un dergraduate/courses/2020/00560/bsccomputer-science/coursedetails/#course-profile
Computer Museum at the faculty of Computer Science, Stuttgart
Plan a visit to the Computer Museum Universitaet Stuttgart, Institut fuer Softwaretechnologie Universitaetsstrasse 38, 70569 Stuttgart. How to get there: by train or car, open every Tuesday afternoon by appointment
http://computermuseum.informatik.unistuttgart.de/
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 Recursion to Java: https://www.codecademy.com/
Choosing a university for Computer Science:
This league table for 2020 gives information on the best universities for Computer Science https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide .co.uk/league-tables/rankings/computerscience
A Computer that works like a brain: Kwabena Boahen
Watch the Ted Talk on why Computers could be reconfigured to work like a human brain:
https://www.ted.com/talks/kwabena_bo ahen_a_computer_that_works_like_the_ brain?language=en
Need Python Support?
Try this series of 67 tutorials that will take you right from the beginning to advanced Python programming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEgO 047GxaQ
Prepare for University
Develop your C++ or Java programming skills with these tutorials, languages used by many University courses and employers https://www.learncpp.com/cpp-tutorial/afew-common-cpp-problems/ https://www.learnjavaonline.org/
IBM: Quantum Computing
Read through this IBM site all about Quantum computing to be aware of the next steps in the evolution of Computers: https://www.ibm.com/quantumcomputing/learn/what-is-quantumcomputing/
How does A.I function?
Give this simulation a try to help you understand how A.I. learn, grow and communicates: A.I.
Write a ‘Character profile’ for a character from a play you have created answering the 101 questions here
http://www.angelfire.com/art/YPW/10 1questions.html
Perform a monologue from a Shakespeare piece. Consider how your character is feeling and understand why.
Operate the lighting and sound desks in Zinnen theatre to assist with technical theatre in a small show for other students.
Write a short review of one piece of work you have performed, focusing on how adjustment of technical theatre could enhance the performance.
Write a ‘Character profile’ for a character from a play you have created answering the 101 questions here
http://www.angelfire.com/art/YPW/10 1questions.html
Drama
Using Youtube, find amateur productions that are contemporaneous to what you are working on for contextual research.
Create a Chair Duet, based on the work by Frantic Assembly perform it in an unusual location, film it and share it using Teams.
Apply for work experience in a professional theatre to see the working of the industry from the inside.
Design a costume on paper for any character from a play you have watched. Think about appropriate materials, colours and sizes that represent something about the character.
Using Youtube, find amateur productions that are contemporaneous to what you are working on for contextual research.
Watch any movie that has come from being a play and assess how it has changed from page, to stage, to screen.
Attend a professional show locally to see how the industry operates in a wider sense.
Join an amateur theatre company outside of school such as ‘New World’.
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.
Watch any movie that has come from being a play and assess how it has changed from page, to stage, to screen.
Listen to a Economics podcast https://www.intelligenteconomist.c om/economics-podcasts/
Ted talks – research a particular Economic theme and watch a video. Write a short synopsis https://www.ted.com/talks
Research a developing, emerging and a developed country and compare standards of living https://www.worldometers.info/wo rld-population/population-bycountry/ https://oec.world/en/profile/countr y/blr/
Work Experience/Summer Placements: Approach financial institutions for summer work/placements.
Organise a team to compete in the Generation Euro competition
Economics
Watch one of the following films: The Big Short, Laundromat, Freakeconomics, Inside Job
Lead a revision session for your class on your favourite Economics topic
Enter an Economics Competitions: 1. The Marshall Society (Cambridge University Economic Society) essay/article competition
2. Young Economist Essay Competition run by the Royal Economic Society
3. Generation euro student awards
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Watch episodes on the Economist YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/chan nel/UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnW aQ
Go and visit either: Bank of England, EU Commission (Brussels), ECB (Frankfurt)
Read a newspaper article from the Economist and write a short synopsis
Attend one of the LSE’s free lectures and write up what you learnt. https://www.lse.ac.uk/economic s/events-and-seminars/publiclectures
Choose a book to read from the “reading list”. Write a short summary of what you have learnt
Read the Economics Review and write a synopsis of what you have learnt
Read at least one other text by an author you are studying
Look for a book from a context you have never read anything from before –e g Asia, South America, Africa
Watch film or drama productions of the texts you are studying
English
Visit the National Library in Kirchberg and become a member
Keep a scrapbook of interesting articles, books you have read
Research a book you have enjoyed and its context – find out more about the drama, music, and art of that period
Write your own short story. Read, or better still, watch a Shakespeare play.
Read one newspaper or magazine article every day.
Research the link between art and literature – see your English teacher for suggestions
Read the novels shortlisted for this Years’ Booker Prize.
Start up a ‘Poem of the Week’ page via Google classroom or a similar platform where you share a poem with other A Level students
Geography
When you take a trip/holiday make notes/take photos of the impacts of tourists and the management in place there.
Read ‘The Lure of the City’ By Various.
Download the ‘World Factbook’ App to have a world of statistics at your fingertips.
Read ‘Radical Cities’ By Justin McGuirk.
Visit the Smithsonian volcano website to keep informed about current eruptions https://volcano.si.edu/
Read ‘Alpha City’ By Rowland Atkinson.
Watch a Congo: A journey to the heart of darkness to understand more about this fascinating and troubled country.
https://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=43xTvpxWLW4
Read ‘The New Urban Question’ By Andy Merrifield.
Download and listen to a podcast from BBC4 ‘From our own correspondent podcast’.
Visit the Royal Geographical Society website and find out how to become a Geography Ambassador.
Watch and review ‘Blood Diamond’ a film about civil war and the battle to control resources in Sierra Leone.
Watch a TEDTalk about sustainability.
Write an essay for the Royal Geographical Society annual competition.
Select the hardest past paper essay question you can find, answer it and submit it – all without use of the mark scheme.
Read ‘The Progress of this Storm’ By Andreas Malm.
History
Create timelines on both of your topic
Watch and Read: Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain (2007), from the Challenge Library
Read: ‘White Heat’ by Dominic Sandbrook, from the Challenge Library
Read: ‘Crisis? What Crisis?’ By Alwyn Turner, from the Challenge Library
Read: ‘Thatcher’s Britain by Richard Vinen, from the Challenge Library
Read for pleasure on a historical topic that interests you. Ask your teacher for advice.
Watch a documentary on the Great Leap Forward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =kdCgIHgu-KE
Listen to a pod cast on China. For example: In Our Time – BBC Radio 4 – Boxer Rebellion http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ b00j4hmv
Watch: A film from the Mr Burrowes Britain Film list
Enter a Year 12 essay writing competition – See the Humanities board and Teams
Watch a Century of Revolution https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=I5cl0GjPjy4
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China – Jung Chang
The Last Emperor
Make a revision quiz on Powerpoint or Kahoot! for a topic and ask to use it in class
Watch and Read: Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain (2007), from the Challenge Library
Numerical Methods
Learn about the following methods used to approximate roots of equations: the difference of sign method, the iteration method, and the Newton-Raphson's method.
An Evening with Leonhard Euler
A lecture on one of the greatest ever mathematicians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=h-DV26x6n_Q
Further Differentiation
Learn how to differentiate using the product rule, the quotient rule, and the chain rule.
Gauss and Germain
Watch this lecture on the two mathematicians and some of their work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=IPvjghdz0dk&app=desktop
The Golden Ratio
What is it? What is the link to the Fibonacci sequence? Where is it found in nature? What is phi: is it irrational? Is it transcendental?
Mathematics
Sally Clark Statistics Case
Read the details on this prominent court case. Why did the jury wrongly convict? What were the statistical errors? What does this tell you about statistics?
Proof Sorter
Rearrange the statements in the proof showing that the root of 2 is irrational.
https://nrich.maths.org/1404
Why is 0! = 1?
Watch this video by Eddie Woo to find out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=X32dce7_D48
The Queen of Mathematics
Watch this lecture on prime numbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=lzyWL1LTlq4
Ellipses and hyperbola
Learn about Cartesian and parametric equations for these conics.
Research Evariste Galois
Who was he? Why did he die so young? Why was he not taken seriously as a mathematician in his time? What is Galois theory?
Degrees, Radians and Gradians
Research these different angular units. What is the history behind them? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each?
Binomial Expansion
How do you expand a binomial which has a fractional power?
The Millennium Prize Problems
Research what these are. Which have been solved? What are Hilbert’s problems from 1900?
Mind your Ps and Qs
Refine your understanding of logical implication and the all-important ⇒ and ⇔ symbols.
https://nrich.maths.org/6382
Plan, produce, film and edit short ‘microdrama’ films which reflect the narrative theories of Todorov, Propp, Campbell, Levi-Strauss, Barthes etc
Take on a producer role, coordinating each Y10, 11, 12, 13 group’s radio work, and ensuring that they and Ara have up to date details on the show schedule
Use the cinema blog for wider reading on issues, events and trends within the film industry, notably the ongoing covid crisis and the big 5’s attempts to undermine the release window
After watching a film at home assess whether it meets the criteria of the Bechdel Test, or quiz others on whether popular films pass or fail
Create a short written, illustrated guide to any aspect of your Media Studies learning for a non-specialist, incorporating this into coursework blogs
Media
Present episodes of the twicemonthly B122 Show on Radio Ara, reflecting some Media learning and journalistic endeavour eg vox pops
Visit Radio Ara for a studio tour and arranging membership, and beyond this for regular recording sessions
Use the AS coursework blog evaluation guide post to plan creative uses of technology, considering some of the sample formats (eg quiz shows, YouTube shows)
Watch short clips of TV drama at home to practise identifying and analysing media language and representations
Use social media and/or survey sites to research issues through opinion polls and to seek audience feedback on coursework rough/sample cuts
View and assess past student coursework productions and blogs, noting particular features you admire or might seek to improve
Use the wide range of library and classroom books to engage in further reading around your coursework or exam topics
Using boxofficemojo.com assess the budget and box office/distribution of the last 3 films you viewed, or to add to discussion at home
Use the wide range of Warp and Working Title Films DVDs to expand your knowledge of each company, and look for tips on coursework
Create jingles for the B122 Show, or logos/artwork for other Media productions; contribute to the show’s marketing eg through posting on the Insta account
MFL (French/German)
Watch one newsflash daily (1 week) on French or German TV and summarise in 2-3 line(s) two of the issues mentioned.
Borrow one French/German film from our library and write a short review on it.
Produce a short video or audio podcast on one cultural aspect/tradition in France or Germany.
Find a famous French/German actor or actress and write a short presentation of them. Afterwards watch a film where they appear.
Watch a documentary on the channel ARTE linked to one French/German event or period in History. www.arte.fr / www.arte.de
Visit or research a town/city in Germany or France and describe it briefly. If you visit take photos of the most interesting places.
Go and watch a French play at the TOL or TNL.
www.theatres.lu
Listen to a French radio station for one hour a day (1 week). Ex. L’essentiel, RTL France, NRJ, RFM, Fun Radio, France info.
AS French: Research social trends or issues in France in the last 10 years. What main changes have been introduced and how did society react?
Read a novel in the target language (book not studied in class) and write a summary of 120-150 words.
Research how France or Germany is fighting inequality? Any major changes in law recently?
AS French: Write an essay 300350 words on the impact or influence of French culture around the world.
Go to the local cinema and watch a film in French/German (with subtitles in English).
https://kinepolis.lu/fr
Visit the BibliothèqueNationale in Kirchberg and find out how to borrow books. www.bnl.lu
AS German: Research cultural life in Berlin: in the past and today? What has changed?
Music
Listen to Radio 3 or Classic FM Use Auralia regularly to help train your listening skills.
Listen to two different composers from the same era and compare and contrast.
Watch an opera screening at the cinema such as MET live.
Watch a performance of the Rite of Spring
Make a playlist of the 10 most important works for your first instrument or voice tape and listen to as many versions as possible. Can you learn all of them?
Enter yourself for Grade 5 or 6 Theory.
Apply for a summer school or workshop over the summer. There are lots of online courses on www.futurelearn .com/courses
Join a Music club.
Research an area of interest to publish in the school newsletter.
Audition for an AMIS ensemble or for a European Youth Orchestra or Chorus.
Help organise in school concerts.
Go to a concert at the Philharmonie or Conservatoire.
Set up a lunchtime concert.
Arrange parts for a school group to improve
PE
Read the Journal of Applied Physiology, Sport and Society online.
BBC One PanoramaCatch Me If You Can (2015)
Perform regularly for a school/community sports club.
Volunteer to help coach in PE lessons or an after school sports club.
Read a sports biography/autobiography
Read the Journal of Sport and Exercise Physiology online.
An internationally famous sports venue.
Take a coaching award in your favourite sport
Listen to a range of sports podcasts to widen your interest in a range of sports
Research the history of your favourite sport.
Icarus (2017) Bryan Fogel, Netflix.
A live sports match or tournament in Luxembourg/Europe.
Write a glossary of anatomy and physiology used in your sport.
Organise a House sports competition.
Keep a training log for one month
Physics
Science Museum, London www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/virtu al-tour-science-museum
Investigate a range of career opportunities for physics graduates
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about Andrea Ghez
‘Physics of the Impossible’ by Michio Kaku
Deutches Museum, Munich www.deutschesmuseum.de/en/information/
Science Museum, London www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/vi rtual-tour-science-museum
Investigate a range of career opportunities for physics graduates
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about Andrea Ghez
‘Physics of the Impossible’ by Michio Kaku
Deutches Museum, Munich www.deutschesmuseum.de/en/information/
Science Museum, London www.sciencemuseum.org.uk /virtual-tour-sciencemuseum
Investigate a range of career opportunities for physics graduates
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about Andrea Ghez
‘Physics of the Impossible’ by Michio Kaku
Deutches Museum, Munich www.deutschesmuseum.de/en/information/
Produce a piece of display work depicting a psychological theme of your choice
Carry out two activities from the BBC science website www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/m ind/index_surveys.shtml
Take part in some research online www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/psychol ogy/online-studies
Create an origami that shows different parts of the brain and what their functions are
Listen to a podcast on cognitive psychology www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast104-cognitive-psychology-in-ld
Psychology
Read a Psychology Review magazine and write a summary of an article
Create a simulation of an obedience experiment for the Social key topic
Visit a museum to explore more about evolutionary psychology linked to the Biological topic
Find 10 facts about Freud’s Psychodynamic explanation of aggression
Watch a Netflix episode about Addiction (rating appropriate)
• Reggie Yates Intervention
Watch a TED Talk about aggression www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9P g4K1ZKws
Use the ‘Britannica School’’ website to write a report about May-Britt Moser
Go to you tube, type in ‘insight learning’ and find an experiment to demonstrate how animals learn
Make a podcast (3 minute) on a psychological topic of your choice
Recommend a book of your choice that can be added to the psychology section in the school library