Year 10 Curriculum Plan
Subject Autumn Term
English Language AQA Paper 1 reading: Students will read and practice their analytical and evaluative responses to a range of literature extracts in preparation for the exam.
English Literature Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Students will be consolidating their knowledge and understanding of the play whilst focusing on strengthening their analytical skills in preparation for their GCSE examination.
The Romantics: This unit focuses on the study of knowledge, understanding, analysis and the context of three poems from the GCSE anthology from the Romantic movement.
Mathematics Foundation Unit 1 Transformations: Students will learn to construct, recognise and describe translations, rotations, reflections and enlargements (positive and fractional scale factors only) on a coordinate grid. Unit 2 Sequences: Students will be able to work fluently with sequences including finding a generalised rule for the nth term and continuing sequences represented as diagrams or integers.
Mathematics Higher Unit 1 Accuracy and Bounds: Students will learn to calculate upper and lower bounds of any number and work fluently with these using the four operations. Students will be able to write the error interval of any number. Unit 2 Perimeter, area and circles: Students will learn to work with the area and circumference of sectors and arcs leaving answers in terms of π. Unit 3 Fractions and Percentages 2: Students will learn how to convert between recurring decimals and fractions. Students will learn to calculate a reverse percentage.
Biology Plant Organisation: Students will study plant structure, transport in plants and photosynthesis. They will consider the factors which affect photosynthesis and their commercial application. Students will also learn how glucose from photosynthesis is converted and stored.
Chemistry Chemical Change: Students will study how to deduce an order of reactivity in metals when reacting with water and acid. Further prediction can be made when metals are” in competition” with themselves.
Creative writing: Students will develop their descriptive writing in preparation for the English Language exam by experimenting with a variety of structures and devices.
A Christmas Carol: Students will look at analysing key themes and characters in preparation for the exam.
The Victorians: This unit focuses on the study of knowledge, understanding, analysis and the context of four poems from the GCSE poetry anthology from the Victorian era.
Unit 3 Averages 2: Students will learn to find the mean, median, mode and range from grouped frequency tables. Student will learn to solve reverse mean questions. Unit 4 Inequalities: Students will learn to solve linear inequalities in one variable and represent the solution on a number line.
Unit 4 Volume and Surface Area: Students will learn to find the surface area of prisms and other 3D shapes using a sketch of its net to visualise its faces. Students will learn to convert between metric units of capacity. Unit 5 Transformations, Loci and Constructions: Students will learn to construct, recognise and describe translations, rotations, reflections and enlargements (positive and fractional scale factors only) on a coordinate grid. Students will learn the standard ruler and compass constructions. Unit 6 Surds: Students will learn to work fluently with numbers written in a surd format including; calculating with the four operations and rationalising a denominator.
Plant Organisation (continued): Students will revisit active transport of minerals and the movement of water via osmosis. Human Organisation (digestion): Students will study nutrition, the digestive system and enzyme function. They will investigate optimum conditions for enzyme action.
Chemical Change (continued): Students will look at where the metals originated from and how they can be extracted from their ore by methods such as reduction by carbon and hydrogen and electrolysis. Students will also study reactions between an acid and a base, an acid and an alkali and the method used to produce the metal salts. Pupils will
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
Physics Electricity: Students will study electricity looking at how circuits are designed and drawn and will develop an understanding of the differences between parallel and series circuits and the calculations which can be used in circuits.
look at the pH scale and neutralisation.
Forces: Students will study what different types of forces there are and their interactions with each other and their surroundings. Students will study elasticity including use of Hooke’s Law and the use of springs. Students will also study work done and power.
Physical Education Pathway 1 Football/Rugby Pathway 2 Netball/Badminton Pathway 1 Handball/Basketball Pathway 2 Orienteering/Yoga
Geography Changing Economic World: Students will start their GCSE journey with a focus on Nigeria and the UK and how each country and continent has developed over time.
The Changing Economic world/Weather Hazards: Students will look at the economic make-up of the UK with a focus on the North South divide and Sheffield's movement from a manufacturing town before moving on to explore weather hazards.
History Medicine Through Time: Students will be introduced to the first topic of their GCSE course. They will look at how medicine developed through the Medieval, Renaissance, Industrial and Modern periods.
Religious Studies Component 1: Themes - Issues of Relationships: Students will begin the thematic studies exploring relationships covering different attitudes towards: sexuality, gender roles, adultery, homosexuality, and marriage vs cohabitation.
Component 2: Christianity: Students will begin by exploring the Christian beliefs on: the nature of God, the incarnation, the atonement and the end times.
Spanish Mi vida y mis intereses e influencias (Theme - identity and culture): Students will revisit key concepts from KS3 on hobbies and free time as well as family and relationships. Students will look at the use of social media networks and apps and their advantages and disadvantages and how they impact on young people’s lives. Further to this, students will revisit how to make plans using the present continuous tense and express their reading preferences. Students will also discuss their friends and family using a range of relationship verbs. As part of this, they will also develop their ability to narrate events in the preterite, imperfect and simple present tense. Students will also explore higher level concepts and ideas such as what makes a good role model and what inspires them.
Art Skills Workshops: Students will complete skills workshops over a number of weeks, they will gain skills in the following techniques and processes: Batik, Painting, Oil Pastel, Chalk Pastel, Lino Printing, Wax Resist, Collage Students will also begin to think of ideas for their Portfolio unit, the students will work on one main project throughout the two years.
Computer Science Algorithms: Students will develop their computational thinking skills and understanding of techniques including abstraction and decomposition. They will design, create and refine algorithms. They will explore common searching and sorting algorithms.
Drama Exploration of practitioners and theatre styles: Introduction to GCSE Drama course - Students will be exploring theatre styles through practical exploration. Students will learn about a variety of practitioners (Frantic Assembly, Stanislavski, Brecht and Paper Birds) and their influences in the world of theatre. Students will begin to look at extracts from texts and how they can apply the theatrical styles of practitioners they have explored. Students will
Skills Workshops: Students will continue working through a series of workshops investigating and trialling different art practices, techniques and processes. They will begin to establish their chosen area of study for their coursework portfolio and begin producing images relating to this topic as well as researching and recording from primary sources –developing observation techniques.
Systems Architecture: Students will study the components of the CPU (central processing unit) and the factors that affect its performance. They will also look at embedded systems and how these differ to general purpose devices.
Exploration of Blood Brothers: Students will read the play and start to research the setting, costume, makeup, hairstyles, scenery and lighting for the play. Students will learn about the social and historical context of the play through research and practical exploration. Students will also perform extracts from the play to put themselves in the position of the character to gain a deeper understanding to support responses to Component 1 questions.
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
then perform their monologue/duologue or group piece as a baseline for Component 3.
Theatre roles and terminology: Students will begin to understand the implications of stage configuration and the use of performance space. Students will also research and understand the roles and responsibilities of theatre makers looking at each role, the activities involved in their daily work and their accountability in the rehearsal and performance process.
Food Preparation & Nutrition
The Principles of Nutrition: Students begin the GCSE course by focussing on the principles of nutrition. Students have studied these core elements of Food throughout KS3 and develop and further strengthen their understanding by exploring the definitions of macro and micronutrients in relation to human nutrition and the role of macro and micronutrients in relation to human nutrition. They will also know and understand the dietary value of water and fibre.
Music Elements of Music: Students will explore the different elements of music, understanding how they work and learning key vocabulary and techniques to help describe them. These elements are: Melody, Articulation, Dynamics, Texture, Structure, Harmony, Instrumentation, Rhythm, Tempo and Style.
Sports Studies Organising and planning a sports activity session: In this unit students will have an opportunity to develop skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferable skills. They will perform under pressure, both as a participant and as a leader, and will use initiative to solve problems and make decisions.
Diet and Good Health: Students begin this unit of work by exploring the energy requirements of individuals. This involves analysing the dietary needs of specific groups and life stages, nutritional deficiencies and groups of people with specific lifestyle needs (including how nutrients work together in the body and BMR & PAL). Students look closely at how to plan balanced diets including for different life stages, religious diets and diet related health problems. Alongside this work, students will learn how to calculate the energy and main macronutrients and micronutrients in a recipe, meal and an individual’s diet over time.
Using DAW: Students will explore the digital audio workspace Logic Pro X. Students will develop composing and sequencing techniques, as well as how to react to a set brief. Students will compose a variety of pieces using their knowledge of the elements of music.
Leading a sports activity session: In this unit students will have an opportunity to develop skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferable skills. they will perform under pressure, both as a participant and as a leader, and will use initiative to solve problems and make decisions.
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
Subject Spring Term
English Language Non-fiction Reading: Students will read and compare two pieces of non-fiction from across different eras. In line with the GCSE English Language criteria, reading skills include selecting and retrieving, analysing language and structure; synthesising and comparing information. English Literature Early 20th Century poetry: This unit focuses on the study of knowledge, understanding, analysis and the context of two poems from the GCSE anthology from the WW1 era. An Inspector Calls: This unit will focus on building students' knowledge of the playscript, analysing key drama conventions, characters and themes.
Mathematics Foundation Unit 5 Volume and Surface Area: Students will learn to identify and find the surface area and volume of prisms and other 3D shapes. Unit 6 Fractions and Percentage Calculations: Students will learn to use percentages and fractions to solve problems including comparisons.
Continuing the study of An Inspector Calls
Mid 20th Century poetry: Students will study a selection of poems from the GCSE Literature anthology. Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of the Mid- 20th century context and how to apply this effectively when analysing poetry.
Unit 7 Construction, Loci, Bearings, Plans and Elevations: Students will learn the standard ruler and compass constructions. Students will learn to understand, draw and measure bearings. Students will learn how to interpret and draw 2D representations of 3D shapes. Unit 8 Proportion: Students will learn to identify proportion from a table of values calculating its scale factor (k). Students will understand and use compound measure.
Mathematics Higher Unit 7 Pythagoras and Trigonometry 2: Students will extend and deepen their understanding of Pythagoras and trigonometry linking this to 3D problems. Unit 8 Proportion 2: Students will explore direct and inverse proportion within formal notation. Students will calculate fluently with speed, distance, time and density, mass volume.
Unit 9 Quadratics including graphs: Students will learn to solve quadratic equations by factorising, completing the square and using the quadratic formula. Students will learn to plot the graphs of quadratic, cubic and other equations. Unit 10 Functions: Students will learn to use function notation and find composite and inverse functions. Students will learn to recognise and transform graphs of functions.
Biology Homeostasis and Response: Students will look at how the body maintains a balance through different homeostatic mechanisms. They will learn the structure of the nervous system and how we respond to stimuli.
Chemistry Energy Changes: Students will look at how energy changes take place in a chemical reaction due to the breaking and formation of bonds. They will observe changes in temperature and learn how the heating and cooling effects of a reaction are used in everyday applications.
Physics Atomic Structure: Students will study the history of how the current model of the atom has developed will be studied with the emphasis on how the models developed considering new discoveries.
Homeostasis and Response (continued): Students will study the endocrine system and learn how hormones control our blood glucose levels, metabolism and growth. Students will learn about the hormones in our reproductive systems; covering both contraception and fertility/IVF.
Rates of Reaction: Students will study how to measure the rate of a reaction, using data and graphs. Students will learn how the rate of a reaction can be affected by specific conditions and that some reactions can be reversible.
Atomic Structure: After learning about the structure of the atom and isotopes the students will the focus on the topic of radioactivity, why atoms decay how we measure this, uses of radioisotopes in medicine and industry. This will lead into learning about the dangers of radioactivity and precautions that should be taken for safe use of radioactive
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
materials.
Physical Education Pathway 1 Badminton Pathway 2 Exercise to Music Pathway 1 Netball/Cricket Pathway 2 Table Tennis/Fitness
Geography
Weather/Tectonic Hazards: Students will study what natural hazards are, where they affect and how we can mitigate the effects of these hazards. Climate Change: Students will begin their final subtopic of the Challenge of Natural Hazards by exploring the theory of climate change. They will look at evidence for climate change, the causes of climate change, and what can be done to stop its devastating effects.
History Historic Environment: The Western Front- Students will look at medical developments during the First World War.
River Landscapes: Students will develop on their previous understanding of rivers and their processes. Students will study how rivers work, the formations they create, as well as the ways in which they impact the UK.
Religious Studies Component 2: Christianity: Students will continue to explore how Christians practice their beliefs looking at “The Lord’s supper, baptism, and religious services”
Elizabethan England: Students will study England under the reign of Elizabeth I. They will look at how she overcame obstacles and threats to become one of England’s most successful monarchs. Students will also look at how life for ordinary people changed under her rule.
Muslim Beliefs: Students will be learning about the origin of Islam, and the Sunni, Shia Split. They will then explore the 6 beliefs and 5 roots of Sunni and Shia Islam.
Spanish Mi vida escolar (Theme: School): Students will talk about school in detail, talking about subjects and teachers using a range of opinions, as well as school uniform, school rules and extracurricular activities. They will develop their ability to debate in Spanish as well as discuss issues that are relevant to them including friendships, school bullying and their academic interests. They will focus on using the 3 rd person singular and plural to discuss teachers, school subjects and issues in school. They will also consider future studies and revisit the conditional tense.
Art AO1 DEVELOP: Students will critically assess the work of other Artists and apply this knowledge to inform their own practice. The knowledge gained should inform students own work and development should ensue from this. They should work ‘in the style of several Artists’.
Computer Science Programming and Robust Programs: Students will develop their programming skills whilst developing an understanding of the programming fundamentals data types and advanced techniques. They will focus on how to produce robust programs by using defensive design and testing.
Drama Exploration of Blood Brothers: Students will read the play and start to research the setting, costume, makeup, hairstyles, scenery and lighting for the play. Students will understand the social and historical context of the play through research and practical exploration. Students will also perform extracts from the play to put themselves in the position of the character to gain a deeper understanding to support responses to component 1 questions. Students will be completing a variety of mock questions for comp 1 written exam.
Food Preparation & Nutrition Food Science, Safety & Spoilage: Students will explore the importance of food safety and its direct link to food spoilage. Students will know how to identify the characteristics of food
Memory and storage: Students will explore the similarities and differences between Primary storage (Memory) and Secondary storage. They will study how data is represented, how it is stored and compressed.
Practical exploration of scripted extracts: Students will be introduced to a variety of texts they will explore practically understanding context, themes and characters. Students will then select one of the chosen texts and further develop a key extract as a mock piece for their component 3 exam in year 11.
Food Provenance and Waste: Students will learn about food origins including where and how foods are grown, reared, or caught. They will explore food miles, their associated impact on the environment, carbon
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
spoilage along with how to prevent this from occurring. They will know the environmental issues associated with food waste and know the reasons behind why food is wasted by individuals and manufacturers. Students will make links between this work and Food Science and will explore topics including why food is cooked, food preservation, the use of microorganisms in food and the working characteristics, functional and chemical properties of ingredients.
footprint and benefits to buying foods locally. Students will look at the impact of packaging on the environment versus the value of packaging along with the sustainability of food, the impact of food waste on the environment, local, global markets and communities and effect of food poverty. Students will investigate case studies based on food security: access to safe sufficient food for all (World Health).
Music Set Piece 1: Students will look at our first set piece, Toto’s Africa. Students will listen and appraise the piece before evaluating the different musical techniques within it. Students will develop their knowledge of the soft rock genre and the context behind the piece. Sports Studies In this unit students will have an opportunity to develop skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferable skills. They will perform under pressure, both as a participant and as a leader, and will use initiative to solve problems and make decisions.
Topics include:
o Key components of performance
o Reviewing your own performance in planning and leading a sports activity session.
Applying practice methods to support improvement in a sporting activity: In this unit students will have an opportunity to develop skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferable skills. They will perform under pressure, both as a participant and as a leader, and will use initiative to solve problems and make decisions.
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
Subject Summer Term
English Language
Non-fiction writing: Students will revise and practice the conventions of transactional writing; revise their spelling, punctuation and grammar; and developing an understanding of how these forms can be used to appropriately communicate to an audience.
Spoken Language assessment: Students will complete their GCSE Spoken Language. They will be assessed on their ability to deliver and respond to a speech of their own composition.
English Literature
Unseen Poetry: Students will analyse and compare the themes, language and structure of a collection of previously unstudied poems from different centuries.
Modern poetry: Students will study a selection of poems from the GCSE Literature anthology. Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of the late 20th century context and how to apply this effectively when analysing poetry.
Mathematics Foundation
Unit 9 Pythagoras and Trigonometry: Students will learn how to use and apply Pythagoras and trigonometry in right angled triangles. Unit 10 Quadratics: Students will revisit expanding binomials extend this to fluently factorise a quadratic in the form x2+bx+c. Students will learn how to plot quadratics and use the graph to find the roots.
Mathematics Higher Unit 11 Sequences and Iteration: Students will learn to continue and find the generalised nth term rule for quadratic sequences. Unit 12 Simultaneous Equations: Students will learn to solve simultaneous equations involving quadratics. Students will learn to solve simultaneous equations (both linear and quadratic) graphically.
Biology Homeostasis and Response continued (Triple Science): Students will continue to study the nervous and endocrine systems with topics including the brain structure and function and the structures of the eye and how the eye focuses. Students will also learn how body temperature is controlled through the thermoregulatory centre and how the kidneys maintain water balance. Finally, students will learn about plant hormones. Inheritance (Combined Science): Students will study DNA structure and function, genome, mutations, Mendelian genetics and genetic disorders. They will link this back to IVF and embryo screening. Students will learn also about cloning, genetic engineering and selective breeding.
Chemistry Organic Chemistry: Students will learn what crude oil is made up of and know how to separate by fractional distillation. Students
Unit 11 Circle and Cylinders: Students will learn how to find the area and circumference of circles and parts of circles. Students will extend their learning of volume and surface area to find the surface area and volume of cylinders.
Unit 13 Inequalities: Students will learn to solve quadratic inequalities both algebraically and graphically. Unit 14 Cumulative Frequency and Histograms: Students will learn to draw and interpret cumulative frequency, histograms and box plots exploring the relationship between these graphs and the averages and measures of spread. Unit 15
Probability 2: Students will learn to draw and interpret probability trees.
Inheritance (Triple Science): Students will study DNA structure and function, genome, mutations, Mendelian genetics and genetic disorders. They will link this back to IVF and embryo screening. Students will learn also about cloning, genetic engineering and selective breeding.
Ecology (Combined Science): Students will study how organisms are adapted to their environment and the interactions between them. They will identify the biotic and abiotic factors which influence population growth. Students will also undertake field studies using quadrats.
Chemistry of the Atmosphere: Students will know how our atmosphere developed and how it evolved over time. Students will learn how to
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
will know what products are formed when you burn hydrocarbons and how to test for them
Physics Forces: Students will look at Newtons Laws of motion and inertia and the complex calculations involved in these Laws and their application. Students will also study gravity and the practical application of forces, to the stopping distances of vehicles including the influence of weather, maintenance and driver behaviour on the overall stopping distance.
evaluate the quality of evidence in a report about global climate change, given appropriate information. Students will discuss the problems caused by increased pollutants in the air.
Magnetism and Electromagnetism: Students will look in more detail at the use of permanent magnets and induced magnets, how magnetics fields behave and their similarities to electric fields. Students will the look at the interaction between these fields to produce solenoid, electromagnets and motors (HT)
Physical Education Pathway 1 Cricket/Football Pathway 2 Fitness/Rounders Pathway 1 Athletics/Softball
Geography
Pathway 2 Badminton/Volleyball
Urban Issues and Challenges: Students will prepare for their GCSE fieldwork by looking at urban change across the globe, with a focus on Liverpool and Rio de Janeiro.
Fieldwork: Students will apply their knowledge from previous units to complete fieldwork in a physical and human environment, Students will visit the River Marshaw Wyre and Liverpool.
History Elizabethan England: Students will study England under the reign of Elizabeth I. They will look at how she overcame obstacles and threats to become one of England’s most successful monarchs. Students will also look at how life for ordinary people changed under her rule.
Religious Studies Living the Muslim life: Students will explore 5 pillars of Islam and the 10 Obligatory acts as well as exploring what Muslims believe about Jihad.
Elizabethan England and Medicine Revision: Students will undertake exam practice questions and will revisit the topics to ensure they have a sound grasp of the content.
Crime and Punishment: Students will then explore Muslim beliefs on crime and punishment. They will explore Shariah law, the death penalty, the use of prisons and what the purpose of punishment is.
Spanish Desconéctate (Theme - local area, holiday and travel): Students will discuss holidays and how they like to spend their holidays. Students will be able to use both the imperfect tense and preterite tense to narrate and describe their holidays. In addition, they will learn how to book their holiday in the target language and complain about any potential issues. Students will be introduced to more complex structures as well as use various tenses together, such as the imperfect, conditional and present tense, to enhance their writing and speaking skills. They will also be given the opportunity to revisit key topics from year 10 to prepare for mock exams in all four language skills.
Art AO2 EXPERIMENT: Students will use the techniques, skills and knowledge gained so far throughout AO1 and AO3 to inform their own work. They will apply practical Art skills to produce their work. Students will use a variety of media, Pastels, Charcoal, Printing, Painting and compositional techniques and skills to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. Several ideas should be finalised.
Computer Science Languages and IDEs: Students will explore the categories of high and low level programming languages and their characteristics. They will investigate different Integrated Development Environments and their differing features.
Drama Component 1 Live Theatre review: Students will watch a live piece of theatre and be able to write about the show including the acting and the technical elements within a performance. Students will
Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology: Students will study different computing legislation and their impact, evaluate the difference between open source and proprietary software and explore the positive and negative impact technology has on the environment, culture and our everyday lives.
Live Theatre review & Mock Devising Theatre: Students will continue to study their chosen play in detail looking at key scenes and developing knowledge in preparation for their written exam. Students will begin to
Year 10 Curriculum Plan
write a review based on their interpretations of what they experienced as a performer and a designer.
Food Preparation & Nutrition Cultures & Cuisines: Students will develop their understanding of typical food products from British tradition along with other cultures and cuisines. As part of this work, students will investigate a style characteristic of a particular country or region where the cuisine has developed historically using distinctive ingredients, specific preparation and cooking methods or equipment, and presentation or serving techniques.
Technological Developments in Food: Students will explore the primary and secondary stages of food processing and production and evaluate how processing affects the sensory and nutritional properties of ingredients. They will explore technological developments to support better health and food production including fortification and modified foods with health benefits and the efficacy of these.
Music Performance: Students will choose and rehearse a solo and ensemble performance piece. Students will evaluate their chosen piece against the elements of music, with specific focus to their chosen instrument.
Sports Studies In this unit students will have an opportunity to develop skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferable skills. They will perform under pressure, both as a participant and as a leader, and will use initiative to solve problems and make decisions.
Topics include:
o Reviewing your own performance in planning and leading a sports activity session.
o Applying practice methods to support improvement in a sporting activity
o Key components of performance
explore Devising and understanding what is entailed within this component. Students will be given a variety of stimuli and will respond with their ideas to create a short, devised piece as a baseline to ensure students understand the process of devising.
Factors Affecting Food Choice: Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of the differing factors which may influence food choice including those related to religion, culture, ethical and moral beliefs and medical conditions. Students will explore food packaging and how labelling and marketing may influence food choice. As part of this work, students will develop a greater understanding of the need for sensory testing, including different methods and how taste receptors and olfactory systems work when tasting food.
Listening and Appraising: Students will explore the history of music, listening to several influential artists and understanding their importance. Students will revisit the elements of music, using them to answer questions about an unheard piece of music.
Different sources of media that cover sport: In this unit you will understand the different sides of a range of media sources and apply real life examples to show the nature of the relationship between media and sport. You will also learn how rapid development in technology is enabling sport to be viewed, replayed and discussed whenever and wherever the spectator wants. You will then develop your ability to evaluate and interpret the different ways in which sport is represented by the media.
