Year 8 Science

What will my child study in Science during Year 8?

Students study the following topics in Year 8:

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Atoms, elements & the periodic table Organisation Reproduction Chemical reactions	Earth & space Using resources Respiration Skeletal system & Breathing	Applied forces Variation, evolution & food chains Waves

Investigation skills are developed in each section of the course.

How will my child be assessed and how will I know how well they are doing in Science in Year 8?

Students’ progress in science is assessed by formal tests throughout the year. In addition to this teachers carry out regular assessments within their classes.

What homework will my child be expected to do in Year 8 in Science?

Students will be asked to complete around 30 minutes of homework each week.
Homework may involve finishing a piece of classwork, a research project, exam questions or learning the meanings and spellings of key words

How can I support my child to do well in Science during Year 8?

Parents/carers can help by ensuring that homework tasks are completed on time, and encourage your child to use the Kerboodle textbooks and activities on SAM Learning to support their understanding in topics that they find harder.

What equipment may my child need in addition to the standard school equipment?

Students are expected to arrive for lessons with a minimum of pen, pencil, ruler, eraser, pencil sharpener and calculator.
Coloured pencils, scissors and glue are also useful items for use in Science.

By the end of the year, what would an 'expert' be able to do in Science?

Quickly grasp key ideas and concepts.
Apply combinations of these key ideas in new situations.
Design, carry out and evaluate experiments that legitimately test ideas and provide sufficient and accurate data to make a conclusion.
Identify and describe patterns in data using tables and graphs.
Use models to explain abstract ideas and be able to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

My child is struggling during the course, what additional help is available to help them keep up?

If your child feels that they struggling with the concepts taught in lessons we would encourage them to visit www.kerboodle.com where they can access the digital textbooks used in class and a host of learning resources to help improve their understanding.

If they continue to find the work difficult please encourage them to speak to their teacher where further support can be given.

Updated September 2023