Our Year 7 Curriculum Further information can be found on the curriculum pages for each subject area.
Subject English
Maths
Science
Subject Art
Key content • Oliver Twist: Who are we and where have we come from? • Island Life: What resources do I have as a writer? • Romeo & Juliet: What can we learn from Shakespeare? • Journeys: Where has our language come from and where is it going? • Framed: Can we paint pictures with words? http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/english • Solving word problems: Place value, add and subtract, estimation and perimeter • Explain and investigate: Factors and multiples, multiply and divide, area of rectangle and triangle, calculate the mean • Geometry: Acute and obtuse angles, find unknown angles, properties of triangles and quadrilaterals • Fractions: Equivalent fractions, compare and order, mixed numbers and improper fractions, fraction of a quantity, multiply and divide • Applications of algebra: order of operations, substitution, simplifying, solve word problems with expressions, sequences • Percentages and pie charts: read and interpret pie charts, convert between fractions, decimals and percentages, percentage of a quantity, find the whole http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/maths • Science and Scientists: What is Science and why is it important? • Life on Earth: What characterises life on Earth? • Matter and Solutions: What makes up the matter we see and how do we interact with it? • Forces and Energy: The nature of the unseen forces that govern the Universe • Environmental Issues: The world around us and why we need to take care of it • Our Universe: Our local neighbourhood and our place in the wider Universe http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/science
Key content Students are taught the visual language of Art and Design through the promotion of skills, knowledge and understanding. Art themes such as Portraiture, Landscapes and Art movements are introduced to encourage students to recognise, employ and appreciate the formal elements: Tone, Line, Shape, Pattern, Colour, Texture and Form. Students are given the opportunity to work with a variety of materials using different tools and techniques which include paint, collage, printmaking, ICT, clay and sculpture. They are introduced to the use of sketchbooks and are encouraged to use them to record observations and gather resources to help stimulate and develop imaginative ideas. http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/art-and-technology
Subject BRIDGES PSHE
Drama
Humanities
Key content We aim to promote the development of our students as healthy, independent and responsible members of society. PSHE is combined with BRIDGES at Key Stage 3. The BRIDGES framework has been designed to summarise the main character traits and learning dispositions that we believe are fundamental to being an effective learner and to success and fulfilment in life grouped under the headings Bravery, Resourcefulness, Integrity, Discovery, Grit, Emotional Intelligence and Self Discipline. All Key Stage 3 students have a BRIDGES lesson with their form tutor every Monday morning and are introduced to one or two new habits of mind or learning characteristics every two weeks through a special BRIDGES assembly so that, by the end of their first two years at INA, students have learned about and worked on all fifty two dispositions. PSHE themes covered: Staying Safe, Healthy Lifestyles, Puberty, Review of the Year http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/curriculum/bridges The content of the Drama curriculum is rich and varied with learning that is; • text-based - exploring Shakespeare and other plays practically whilst also developing literacy skills • issue-based - for example, exploring civil rights, peer pressure, social isolation etc. helping students to develop their empathy skills • skills-based - for example, learning practical techniques in masked drama, physical theatre and voice work Assessment focuses on three main areas of Drama learning: Creating - This area of Drama helps students to develop their creative and collaborative skills and every single Drama lesson includes an element of group work. Performing - This area of Drama helps students to develop presentation and communication skills. Responding - This area of Drama develops students speaking and listening skills, through discussion of key concepts and evaluation of drama work, enabling students are able to develop verbal reasoning skills and the art of constructive criticism. Year 7 focuses on key communication skills, including clear speech and vocal projection, as well as developing skills in physical storytelling and non-verbal communication. Year 7 is a time for students to develop great collaborative learning relationships and to explore their potential to lead, organise and motivate others. http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/drama The Year 7 Humanities curriculum starts with a bridging unit called ‘Our Place’ which covers elements of all 3 Humanities subjects and focuses on the local area, how it has changed and is changing and cultural and religious identity. For Religious Education, students study philosophy and religion and Buddhism. For History, students study the Roman period and Medieval times. For Geography, they study units on volcanoes and the geography of Britain and Europe. http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/humanities
Subject Modern Foreign Languages (French & Spanish) Music & Big Band
PE
Reading
Technology
Key content In Year 7, all students study both French and Spanish, each for a term and a half. Students study the following 3 units in first one language and then in the second. • Introductions • School • Hobbies http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/modern-foreignlanguages • Beatboxing/ Stomp • Singing • Les Misérables/ Opera • Music Production • Rhythm Carousel Through Big Band lessons, every form group is transformed into a big band. Students tackle a couple of set works each term and develop a catalogue of great tunes they can play on their own or in an ensemble. We learn to improvise, to play by ear and to read from notation. http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/music Students experience a broad range of activities covering all areas of the National Curriculum: • Outwitting an opponent – Football, Basketball, Netball, Handball, Rounders (Girls), Ultimate Frisbee (Boys) • Accurate Replication – Badminton, Table Tennis • Exploring and Communicating Emotions and Ideas – Dance • Identifying and Solving Problems – carried out through all activity areas • Exercising Safely and Effectively – Health Related Fitness • Performing at Maximum Levels – Athletics As well as the above, students also cover theoretical knowledge in the build up to GCSE P.E., embedded in their practical lessons and independent learning tasks. http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/pe The central part of the weekly Reading lesson involves silent individual reading for 30 minutes in the library (with the adults hearing individuals read, discussing reading habits and preferences with students or setting up small group guided reading activities). The first 15 minutes of the Reading lesson involves an active starter activity based on a genre, author or theme. These starters are often student-led. In the final part of the Reading lesson, students reflect in their reading journals on what they are reading. Every Year 7 student is tested for their reading age on entry to INA and the scores from this online test are used to inform the book recommendations that staff make to individuals and to guide the interventions put in place in Reading Lessons. We retest the students at the end of the year to track the progress made. This course covers four specialisms: Resistant Materials, Graphics, Food and Textiles. Each specialism exposes the students to a range of skills and techniques which they will apply and develop during Key Stage 3 and beyond. We teach students how to think about, design and plan for making; how to develop ideas, and write and speak with an academic Design and Technology approach. They will model and develop excellent skills through mini designing and making projects including bookmark making, a juggling ball project, patchwork quilt design and USB design. http://isaacnewtonacademy.org/secondary/curriculum-areas/art-and-technology